Graduate Design Thesis Exhibition/Review, Section B

Course Outline

NSCAD University, Winter 2010

Credits: 9
Time: W 0900-1200, 1300-1600
Location: Room N400
Instructor: Michael LeBlanc 494-8160
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Office Hours: Tuesdays 1000-1400
Office: Design Division Offices, 2nd Floor North Block

Objective
Each student will complete a thesis project which is documented in a comprehensive thesis paper that is between 15 and 25 pages in length.  This document will conform to the thesis format as described in the MDes Handbook. Thesis templates for Word and OpenOffice can be downloaded at nscadesign.ca/media/MDes_Basic_WORD_Template.doc and nscadesign.ca/media/MDes_Basic_OpenDocument_Template.odt.

As this is a special section under an extraordinary arrangement, an exhibition is not required.

Format
Course format is regular studio meetings with the instructor, short assignments and presentations to the class of in-progress and completed work.

The Thesis Project Report must be completed by the end of the semester. If it is approved for the Master of Design (International), bound copies must be provided as described on page 11 of the current MDes Handbook. Approval of the Thesis Project Report is automatic with a PASS grade in this course.

Attendance
Students are expected to attend all classes, arriving punctually at 9am. Lateness of more than 15 minutes will be recorded as non-attendance. A student who has three or more unexcused absences will receive a FAIL in the course. An absence can be excused through the submission of a medical note or similarly documented family emergency.

Course Workload
Students are expected to devote a minimum of 21 hours to out-of-class work each week.

Assignments
Late assignments will NOT be accepted, other than in exceptional circumstances and/or with prior agreement. At the end of the course, INCOMPLETE standing will be granted only in circumstances clearly beyond the control of the student (such as serious illness or bereavement) – at which time documentation will be required.

Assessments
The final grade is Pass/Fail.

Assessment Criteria
The required course work will be constituted as a sequence of stages. Each stage will be represented as a percentage of the whole, shown below.
Students must pass all stages in order to receive a PASS grade in the course. Any stage that receives less than half the grade will be considered a fail.

FINE PRINT

Written documentation
Almost all courses require that students submit one or more written documents. Students should consider the following guidelines in preparing their reports, thesis papers and design strategy documents.

• The style, composition, organisation and presentation of written work may count for up to one third of the assessment for the report or paper.
• Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors in an assignment may result in a failure grade.
• NSCAD University has a policy on Plagiarism. This is a serious violation of Academic Integrity and penalties range from a zero for an assignment grade to Dismissal from the University. The Plagiarism Policy can be found at nscad.ca/site-nscad/media/nscad/plagiarismpolicy.pdf

Health and Safety
NSCAD University has an Occupational Health and Safety Policy, to which all students, staff, faculty and visitors are expected to adhere. You are advised to familiarize yourself with the policy (available on the NSCAD website) and with Health and Safety procedures and practices in place in Foundation. The Division office and NSCAD Library also have books available that detail specific safety aspects of working with art and craft materials. If you have questions about specific materials used in this course, please ask. Please do not use spray fixative, spray paint, rubber cement and/or solvents except in approved areas.

Smoking is not permitted anywhere in NSCAD buildings or within 4 metres of exterior doorways and windows.

Self-identification
NSCAD University has a Policy on Disabilities (available on the NSCAD website) and is committed to providing equal opportunities to academically qualified students with disabilities. A key aspect of the policy is that students self-identify so that the appropriate accommodations can be made in a timely manner. Students with disabilities are responsible for initiating contact with the Coordinator of Financial Aid and Student Counseling (“Coordinator”) or the Disability Resource Facilitator in the Office of Student and Academic Services before or within two weeks of the commencement of each semester. All information regarding individual students with disabilities is respected as confidential.