Paper and Mini-Conference |
| You are required to prepare a final paper on a topic of your choosing. Since you will obviously spend a lot of time on this assignment I encourage you to choose an issue of interest to you. The only requirement is that it should address some sort of legal, policy, or management issue in the field of coastal resource management. If you are having trouble thinking of a topic I have several conference proceeding in my office you can look through. You can also leaf through the fields leading journals such as Coastal Management, Ocean and Coastal Management, or Environmental Management to get some ideas. In certain cases a project may be accepted in place of a paper if it adds to your professional development. You should submit a short abstract of the paper you plan to write on the date indicated on the course schedule. You should also attach a list of some key references to support your paper. |
Expectations |
| I have high expectations for your paper. You are all capable of writing papers that are consistent in scope, substance, and quality with that found in the papers presented at conferences for academics and practitioners in this field such as the American Society of Public Administration (ASPA) or The Coastal Society. There is no set length requirement but I expect most of the papers will be 20 or more double-spaced pages. They should be well written, be professional in appearance, and be properly referenced in any acceptable style. |
| I encourage all of you to consider trying to present the
papers you develop for this assignment at a professional conference in the
future. These conferences provide excellent networking
opportunities for those seeking a job in this area. Presentations at
these conferences also look good on your resume and will help you to
develop your public speaking skills. The
UNCW Graduate School also provides up to $400 for student travel
expenses when they are presenting a paper at a conference.
You may also want to consider submitting a revised version of your paper to an appropriate journal in the field. In fact, Coastal Management regularly solicits student contributions for its final issue of the year. |
Presenting Your Paper at Our Mini-Conference |
| We will have our own mini-conference near the end of the semester where you will present your paper or someone else's paper depending on the format of the conference. I expect your presentations to be professional and to use appropriate audiovisual aids (e.g., power point). You will have 12 minutes for your presentation. |
| To ensure that we have a lively discussion of your papers, they will be available electronically to all of the other students in the class through this web site. Someone will also serve as a discussant for your paper. This will either be a faculty member, fellow student, or practitioner familiar with the paper's subject matter. The discussant will provide feedback and draw out some of the key themes in the papers he/she reviewed. We will then have a question and answer period. |
Deadlines |
| An abstract with 15 references is due on September 25. Your draft paper is due at the beginning of class on December 4 in both hard copy and electronic form and will be posted on the class website to allow time for the discussants to read your paper. The mini-conference is tentatively scheduled for December 11. Your final grade will be based on your presentation, active participation in the mini-conference, and the quality of your final paper. |