Master of Arts – Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Student Handbook

Since the 1960s, boundaries among traditional disciplines such as Philosophy, History, Anthropology, Literature, Sociology, and Psychology have begun to overlap. Likewise, the rigid distinctions between the Arts and Natural Sciences have softened, and some common ground has emerged. During this time a process of specialization and recombination has generated new areas of inquiry: Women's Studies, Development Studies, Cultural Studies, Environmental Studies, Global Studies, Queer Studies, Labour Studies, Communications, and more. Now it is common to find academics and graduate students working on multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary research in both established areas and newer areas such as Refugee and Immigration Studies, Governance and Global Change, Aboriginal Studies, Canadian Studies, Sustainability, Gerontology, Post-colonialism, and Law and Society.

Funding agencies have increased support for collaborative and applied research projects structured around multidisciplinary teams of researchers. The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) encourages partnerships between university researchers and those working for non-government organizations (NGOs) in an effort to bring the university closer to the community. And, independent research centres such as the Parkland Institute in Edmonton, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives in Ottawa, and Internet-based solidarity networks are conducting public interest research, which brings together NGO investigators, the lay community, social movements, and academics.

Similarly, employers and professional associations are seeking university graduates with wide ranging educations capable of engaging ideas from various disciplines, critically thinking through situations, and working in teams to solve problems in an age of rapid change.

Offering students choice, flexibility and support, the Master of Arts—Interdisciplinary Studies program and its courses engage these trends. MA-IS program faculty members share a teaching philosophy of critical reflection, exploring collaborative thinking, interdisciplinary problem solving, applied research, and the integration of diverse disciplinary knowledge, theories, and methodologies. Students work across disciplinary boundaries and develop problem-solving skills and policy-making strategies. And, the MA-IS program allows students to relate their research to issues in their lives, workplaces, and communities.

The MA-IS program comprises eleven courses; each worth 3 credits for a total of 33 credits (a minimum of 18 of these credits must be completed through Athabasca University as a residency requirement). Students are required to complete two core courses: MAIS 601 and MAIS 602. Courses in the program may be completed in two modes: a paced Internet study group or self-paced study with support via the Internet. There is no requirement to attend campus.

Depending on students' undergraduate preparation, and after successfully completing the two core courses, they may design their graduate studies either as an independent track or a focus area.

Focus Area

After completing the Core theory and methods courses, (MAIS 601 and MAIS 602), students who choose to study a focus area will complete four courses in a cluster of inquiry and four program electives. More information on available clusters of inquiry can be viewed here.

Finally, students will complete their MA-IS studies with either of two forms of the Final Project capstone course: MAIS 700 Group Study Final Project or MAIS 701 Individual Study Final Project.

Independent Track

Students may choose to embark on an independent program of study by completing the project course, MAIS 701 OR MAIS 700, plus eight elective courses from across the program curriculum, woven together in a comprehensive plan of study.

With the permission of the MA-IS Program Director, students may transfer up to 15 credits of graduate study from other universities into the MA-IS program. Typically students are asked to demonstrate how previous work fits into their MA-IS study plans.

Students receiving the maximum number of transfer credits (15) are restricted to the Independent Track route as they will not qualify for a focus area. Students wishing to pursue a focus area will be limited to 12 transfer credits in total. For more detailed information on transferring outside credits, refer to the MA-IS Web site or Contact the MA-IS Office.

Graduate students are expected to read and absorb key books and essays in various fields of study and become familiar with the range of topics and debates in each. In MA-IS, students are especially encouraged to explore knowledge and research occurring between or across disciplines, and to assess the communication occurring between fragmented fields of study. Upon entering the MA-IS program at Athabasca University, graduate students should be able to:

• discover and select their own resources.
• conduct independent research.
• expand and elaborate on course topics.
• synthesize and integrate theories and methods.
• synthesize and integrate their own areas of interest with course topics.

To assist Program Students with their writing skills, please see the following links:

• The Write Site
• The Chicago Manual of Style

Courses are offered in two delivery modes: "group-paced" and "self-paced," that is, individualized study. The self-paced courses are normally open to students throughout the year, whereas group-paced versions are only available at certain fixed start dates, and may not be offered every year. There are important differences between the course contracts given to students in the group-paced mode and those given to students in the self-paced mode.

Group-paced mode

The group-paced course follows the timelines associated with a traditional university semester; for example, students who begin the course in September will finish it in December. Students in this version therefore receive a four-month course contract.

Individualized, self-paced mode

Students opting for the self-paced course have the flexibility to determine their own timelines for completing it, within their six-month contract period. Nonetheless, they are encouraged to follow the study schedule included in the Course Guide. Students who do so will have no difficulty in completing the course requirements within the six-month contract. However, should a student experience time problems, he or she may purchase an extension to the course contract. Contact the MA-IS Office for more information on extensions.

Student Finance Board Clients

Please note that full-time students receiving loans through the Student Finance Board will normally receive a four-month contract instead of a six-month contract. This policy is determined by the Student Finance Board, not by the University. Although they are still governed by the regulations for self-study courses, students in this situation should treat the course as a group-paced one, and they should make sure that they follow strictly the study schedule provided in the Course Guide.

Course registration forms are available online from the MA-IS website. Contact the MA-IS Office for details about registration deadlines for a particular course.

Students must first complete the two core courses: MAIS 601: Making Sense of Theory in the Arts and Social Sciences and MAIS 602: Researching Society and Culture. These courses provide students with a foundation for subsequent studies. The courses approach questions of theory and method in disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary ways. The courses encourage reading actively and critically, writing succinct critical commentaries and posing insightful questions, and researching and writing academic papers that are both integrative and questioning.

Access the elective courses for the Master of Arts, Interdisciplinary Studies on the graduate calendar.

Students, individually or in small groups, may conduct readings under a faculty member's supervision in one or two selected subject areas. Students interested in a reading course should approach a faculty member to request assistance in identifying areas of study. Please review faculty members' areas of research and teaching interests on the MA-IS website.

Independent reading courses may be either foundational reading courses or advanced reading courses. Students are required to submit a copy of their Learning Contract agreed to by the professor to the Director of the Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Studies.

Foundational reading courses

These courses are for students wishing to establish a strong base of understanding of the key authors, research, and knowledge in a subject area. Typically professors determine the majority of the readings required in the area, while students suggest specific additional reading.

Advanced reading courses

These courses are for students who have a solid background in an area and wish to study in depth a specific problem or question. Students work with their professors to define an area of study and to identify the assigned readings.

Upon completion of the two MA-IS core courses (MAIS 601 and MAIS 602) and two elective courses, students are required to declare a focus area by submitting a study plan to the MA-IS office for the Director’s approval.

A Study Plan must list:

• the courses to be taken;
• the student's chosen Focus area(s) (maximum of two); and
• an explanation of how the listed courses contribute to the student's overall learning goal(s).

Of the courses designated to a Focus Area, a minimum of 4 must be completed before a Focus Area in that area of study is awarded.

Students are required to use the Study Plan below as a template.

Students who wish to declare 2 specializations must contact the MA-IS Office to obtain the permission of the Director or Associate Director. Applications for permission must include: a complete list of courses, the sequence and timeline within which they will be completed, and an explanation as to how the Specializations will contribute to either the MAIS 701 Final Project or the MAIS 700 Capstone Course, depending upon which one you intend to take to complete your MA-IS degree (for more information see Final Completion Courses).

Students who wish to declare an Independent Track focus area must contact the MA-IS Office to obtain the permission of the Director or Associate Director. The Independent Track is reserved for highly motivated students who have demonstrated excellence in their previous studies. Applications for permission must include: a proposed list of courses, the sequence and timeline within which the listed courses will be completed, and an explanation as to how the listed courses relate to one another and contribute to the student's overall learning goal(s). For further information on the Independent Track, please contact the MA-IS Office.

MA-IS program students now have a choice between two course formats for completion of their MA-IS degree: MAIS 700 Group Study or MAIS 701 Individual Study.

MAIS 700: Group Study Final Project, is a paced course providing for intensive reading in interdisciplinary method and theory and structured reflection on the way students’ understanding and practice of interdisciplinarity has developed throughout the course of their MA-IS studies:

• Grouped study course with 17 week contract dates.
• Students follow structured timeline.
• Students interact with and receive feedback from their peers.
• The Final Project Essay is a 4000-word paper submitted to the MAIS 700 area of the Digital Project and Reading area of the AU Library website.

MAIS 701: Individualized Study Final Project, allows students to explore an intellectual question, to relate their research to a work situation, or to engage a community problem.

• Individualized study course with 6 month contract dates (with up to three 2-month time extensions).
• One-on-one guidance and instruction by supervisor.
• Students have flexibility for developing their course timelines.
• Prior to registering in the course, students are required to find an available MA-IS or other AU supervisor. In special cases, with Director’s approval, the supervisor may come from another university.
• Students and their supervisors create a learning contract for approval by Program Director.
• Maximum project word count is 7500 words.

As students begin the last third of their study plan, they should begin planning for the final project. This will include identifying a topic and choosing a project supervisor (if students need help identifying a supervisor for their topic, they are encouraged to contact the MA-IS office).

A learning contract is typically a letter of agreement between a professor and a student. It should include a detailed plan stating the work to be carried out by the student, intended outcomes, a description of the role of the faculty member, a plan for assessing the work undertaken, and timelines for completing each stage of the work. Students identify, with the supervisor, the key books, articles, and other materials in a subject area to be read. For the reading and project courses, students are required to submit a detailed learning contract (approved by the faculty supervisor) to the MA-IS office for approval.

Once the final Project has been graded and returned to the student by the course supervisor, students are then required to submit a clean copy to the Library's Digital Thesis and Project Room (DTPR) in a PDF file, before their final grade will be processed. Students failing to submit a copy of their final project to the site will not be eligible to graduate.

Upon receipt of comments and feedback from the project supervisor/instructor, students may take an opportunity to make minor revisions to their projects prior to submitting it to the DTPR (i.e. correct spelling errors, grammatical errors, minor organizational issues, etc.).

When submitting the project to the Library's Digital Thesis and Project Room (DTPR), students are required to use our MA-IS template for the title page MS Word 156 KB).

• MAIS 700 Title Page
• MAIS 701 Title Page

In addition to the title page (in the above format), the document should include both a Table of Contents and an Abstract.

The Abstract is a key document. It is designed to accurately and effectively describe the central concerns of the project, so as to lead potential readers to read the document itself. As such it needs to clearly convey the focus of your topic, its rationale, and your principal findings and conclusions. The abstract should not exceed 300 words.

Among many helpful online guides to writing an abstract, here is one entitled “How to Write an Abstract” by Philip Koopman of Carnegie Mellon University.

Students are to complete Athabasca University's online "Digital Thesis and Project Room (DTPR) Release Form", which will allow the MA-IS office to place a copy of the final project in the Athabasca University Library, in digital format, for circulation. When granting permission for Library circulation, please provide an abstract (not to exceed 300 words) summarizing the content of your interdisciplinary project.

We will also require a listing of 4-5 relevant keywords for cataloguing purposes; however, please do not include these in your paper. You may either post them in the "Keywords" field on the DTPR Release form, or send them in the body of an e-mail to the MA-IS office.

To access the electronic DTPR Release Form you will require a username and password, which you may obtain from the MA-IS office.

Grades for the Final Project will be released once the final, revised copy of the project has been received by the MA-IS office.

For information on the overall DTPR E-submission process please visit the following website.

Remember to visit the Convocation web site for details on how to apply for graduation and associated deadlines.

The course professor is very important to the learning experience, as she or he is the student's immediate contact with the University. As well as being available to answer questions about the course content or procedures, the professor will evaluate and discuss the student's assignments. The course professor moderates online conference discussions, commenting on and providing guidelines for discussions as required. He or she will also help students decide whether they are ready to write their major essays and projects, or ready to write final exams in those courses that include exams.

In contacts with your professor, on assignments, or in any correspondence or other contact with the University, you are asked to provide your student ID number. Record this number in a convenient spot. Having your student ID number will help University staff to process requests, grades, and administrative matters more quickly.

For more information on how to obtain an AU Student ID card, please go to the Registrar's Office.

At Athabasca University, course materials (textbooks, reading files, audio and video tape-recordings, and more) are included in the tuition fees. Course materials are mailed to students shortly after they have registered for a course. If you find that any items are missing from your course package, please contact the MA-IS office

The Course Guide sets out course specific information and assignment instructions. It includes overall course objectives, the course materials list, the study schedule for required and recommended readings, the learning objectives for each portion of the course, discussion questions and commentary, instructions for online discussion, and recommended supplemental or further readings. The Course Guide may also include an "Assignment File" section, which provides instructions for completing the assignments and the evaluation criteria. Some of the courses require students to take a final examination. Instructions for requesting and scheduling examinations are provided in the Course Guides for those courses, and more detailed information is included in the current Athabasca University Calendar.

Online discussions or Web conference boards are used for debate and interrogation of ideas and readings in most MA-IS courses. The course professor moderates online conference discussions. In some cases, the students lead weekly discussions, either in a group or independently.

The MA-IS is a new kind of program, using new technologies in new ways. At Athabasca University we are trying to weave together our years of knowledge and experience in distance education with Internet teaching tools being developed by web programmers and campus-based educators. Moodle is the delivery system that Athabasca University has chosen for its online courses. Moodle is a highly flexible system, so while many of your MA-IS online courses will share a similar look and feel, they will not all use precisely the same selection of features, components, or activities.

Learning at a distance requires you to take a systematic approach to your studies and to anticipate the demands on your time and energies that your course will make. Over a six-month period you should be prepared to spend fifteen to twenty-five hours on the course each week. Students in a group-paced version of a course or those receiving financial assistance may face more stringent timelines, and must be prepared to adjust their study schedules accordingly. You may find the following steps helpful in working through your course:

• Begin each unit or week by reading the learning objectives. These will be located in the Course Guide and/or on the course Moodle site. The objectives indicate what you should be looking for in the readings and provide a guide for taking notes.
• Complete the unit or week's assigned readings. In some instances the Course Guide will provide material that is introductory to the assigned readings, in other instances commentary is designed to supplement the readings.
• In a group-paced course you will be expected to participate in online discussions with classmates and to respond to the reflective questions posted either by the professor or by a fellow student in the class. Make notes to yourself on the assigned readings. Identify key quotations. You may wish to type these into your computer. Later you will be able to copy and paste these and your overall responses to the reading into the online discussions.
• At the end of the unit or week, review the learning objectives to be certain that you have achieved them, and that you are ready to proceed. If you are experiencing difficulty understanding any of the week's readings, contact your course professor.

The MA-IS Academic Writing Assessment (AWA) alerts students to weaknesses in their academic writing/composition skills, deficiencies that may compromise their success in the Program. Some students, because of the nature of their undergraduate studies, may not have had an opportunity to develop those skills; others may have had an opportunity to develop their composition/writing skills, but had no reason to refine them to the level required by graduate work.

Upon completing the AWA, students who need to develop and refine their academic writing and composition skills will be contacted and informed of how best to proceed. Some may be required to complete a writing/composition course, others to work with the MA-IS Writing Coach. Those required to work with the Writing Coach will have to plan their studies so assignments can be submitted to the Writing Coach 10 business days before the assignments are due. Due dates should be clearly marked on all submitted assignments. Promptly submitted assignments will be returned within 48 hours. At the discretion of the Writing Coach, and if the situation warrants, students may be allowed to submit more than one revision of a given assignment. Students who wish to undertake more than one revision should contact the Writing Coach in advance.

The Writing Coach will provide students with the specific, formative feedback they need to correct their writing/composition deficiencies, but errors will not be corrected, and poorly constructed sentences/paragraphs will not be rewritten. The Writing Coach process is NOT an editing service. Students are expected to incorporate the changes the Writing Coach suggests into future assignments.

The Writing Coach will normally direct students to consult the writing handbook they received when they were admitted into the program (The Writer’s Handbook), but some students may also be directed to consult online resources.

Students are responsible for rewriting their assignments based on the Writing Coach's comments and are required to submit their original drafts (including the Writing Coach's comments) and the final version of their assignments to their course instructor.

The personal information and records collected and maintained by the University as a result of a student's registration in courses, such as completed assignments and examinations, electronic communications, and correspondence, are subject to University policies and the privacy and access provisions of the Alberta Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Athabasca University students are required to abide by the University guidelines for Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans. The policy, guidelines, and application forms can be found on the Research Centre website.

The MA-IS program is multidisciplinary and does not require one documentation style over others; however, individual professors may specify a particular style for their courses. Students are advised to discuss the required documentation style with their course professor or project supervisor. Browse the website for links to tips on writing assignments and documentation techniques using the APA, MLA, and Chicago styles.

Students enrolled in Athabasca University's MA-IS program are considered to be responsible scholars, and are therefore expected to adhere rigorously to the principles of intellectual integrity.

Plagiarism is a form of intellectual dishonesty in which another's work is presented as one's own. Students sometimes commit plagiarism inadvertently. To avoid doing so, make certain that you acknowledge all your sources—both primary and secondary—in a full and consistent manner. All direct quotes (quotations from the original work) and indirect quotes (paraphrases of ideas presented in the original work) must be acknowledged. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism and, as is the case with any form of academic misconduct, will be penalized. Depending on the circumstances, penalties may involve rejection of the submitted work; expulsion from the course, or the program; or legal action. Dutiful citation of quotations and paraphrased materials does not mean you can write an essay assignment by stringing together a series of quotes. You should always try to summarize or describe someone else's ideas in your own words. If you present your own ideas or opinions in a paper, provide evidence or arguments to substantiate your position.

The MA-IS uses formative evaluation during the course, and summative evaluation following completion of the course. Online summative evaluation forms, which students may use to evaluate their course experience anonymously, are accessible via each course conference board.

Athabasca University students contact the Library from every Canadian province and territory, the United States, and overseas. Library requests from unique locations are not unusual. You may call the Library, toll free, through the automated attendant (1-800-788-9041, extension 6432); you may dial direct to (780) 675-6432; you may fax a request to (780) 675-6477; or you may make your request by mail or in person.

You may also access the Library through their home page http://library.athabascau.ca/.

Using a library is central to the graduate student experience. At Athabasca University the library system is much more than a catalogue of library holdings, we support student access to a growing range of library collections world wide. As a graduate student working at a distance, we recommend that you develop a strategy for maximizing access to research and learning materials. Athabasca University Library supports your need for resources in various ways:

• We maintain a Library home page and 24-hour access to the Library Information Desk.
• We maintain a collection of books and supplemental articles for each MA-IS course subject area. Library materials will be mailed to you postage prepaid. Remember that you can order library books, place holds, and make renewals online.
• We provide access to a growing number of full-text online journals. Check the Library home page. If you find that your Internet connection is too slow when downloading and printing materials, contact Athabasca University Library about document delivery. With sufficient time and complete bibliographic citations, Library staff will print and send articles to you.
• We provide an evolving set of Web accessible citation and bibliographic databases. Students may read abstracts to identify useful journal articles and order them through the inter-library loan process. We provide efficient and free inter-library loan services for journal articles, which we mail to you. See the Library Internet home page.
• We provide graduate students with an 8-week extended borrowing privilege, upon request to the Head Librarian. This service is especially useful for graduate students in reading courses and project courses.
• We provide graduate students with reciprocal borrowing privileges at other university libraries. All graduate students should consider the advantages of reciprocal borrowing privileges. Major university research libraries are resource rich. If you live near a city with a research library with an "open door" policy, your Athabasca University reciprocal borrowing card will allow you to use its collection, borrow books, consult with specialty librarians, and copy relevant materials. Information about reciprocal borrowing programs is available on the Athabasca University Library Internet home page or by contacting the Library Information Desk.
• We provide a Reference Librarian and a growing range of online and paper reference materials that you can access or have mailed out to you.

Library Services for International Students

Finally, we strive to help graduate students who live and work outside Canada in countries where English language library materials are hard to come by. Most Canadian Embassies and international libraries carry English language journals and newspapers; likewise if the local university has a Canadian or North American Studies program, the library will have reading materials of interest. Contact the Athabasca University Librarian for a letter of introduction to your local university librarian, to request access to the collection and to request borrowing or user privileges.

Athabasca University has a long-standing tradition of encouraging individuals with disabilities to seek admission to courses and programs. In keeping with this initiative, the MA-IS is committed to providing students who have disabilities with reasonable accommodations and support services to attempt to facilitate the successful completion of their courses.

Accommodations may range from the use of a tutor, a reader, or assistive technology, to requesting a professor provide additional time or additional mentoring (or all of the above). As some accommodation requests may be beyond what the MA-IS can provide, students who require special accommodation are encouraged to first contact the Accessibility Services office for assistance so that they may develop a learning plan/strategy. This must be done well in advance of the intended start date(s) of their course(s). Please refer to the Accessibility services website for more details.

In assisting students with disabilities, the University's criteria for academic excellence will not be compromised.

Graduate students sometimes find student-related concerns arising because of the greater academic demands of their studies program. Athabasca University makes learning support resources available to its graduate students through Counselling Services, as well as other areas of the university. For information or assistance in strengthening the academic results of your graduate studies, contact Athabasca University’s Counselling Services by phone at 1-800-788-9041, extension 6723 (toll free from anywhere in Canada or the United States); at (780) 675-6723 (direct line); or by e-mail at counselling@athabascau.ca.

Students are advised that PCs are the primary equipment supported by Athabasca University's Computing Services (CS) Helpdesk. Only limited assistance for other hardware and software platforms is offered. The CS Helpdesk can assist students with the following inquiries:

• using e-mail.
• using common software applications such as Word, Excel, Access, and Powerpoint.
• trouble shooting PC problems to determine whether the difficulty is with the AU site or with the student's PC or the Internet service provider (ISP).

You may contact the Helpdesk online filling out their form. You may phone the Helpdesk at 1-800-788-9041, extension 6405 (toll free from anywhere in Canada or the United States), or direct at (780) 675-6405.

Unlike campus seminars where students and instructors debate readings and ideas around the table, MA-IS courses may require students to type their thoughts into a computer and post them to an Internet discussion board. The faculty will try to facilitate the learning process as much as possible; however, if students are struggling with their writing and language skills, they have additional options. For more information see the ESL Support page and visit the English Language Proficiency program page.

Athabasca University issues transcripts through MyCreds, a secure document-sharing platform. To order a transcript, please log into myAU and click on "Transcript Request" in the left margin. You can preview your transcript before it is sent through MyCreds.

The student's entire record (including date admitted, program, transfer credit, course registrations, grades, dates completed, dates withdrawn, failures, etc.) is shown on each transcript. Most institutions and agencies require that official transcripts be sent directly from Athabasca University or through MyCreds.