The Syllabus for this course can be downloaded as a .pdf file here

Course Description

All students in a Plant Science Major (Agronomy, Crop Science, Applied Plant Ecology, Horticulture or Agricultural Biology) are required to complete one of the two thesis courses. PLSC 492 is 3cu and PLSC 494 is 6cu. Both courses provide students with an opportunity to study a topic of participle interest to them and to have a project that is uniquely their own. This is unique in their undergraduate curriculum in that students undertake a single major piece of work. A thesis topic may be in any area of plant sciences. Students enrolled in PLSC 492 will have the choice of a research project or a literature review thesis. Students enrolled in PLSC 494 must complete a research project thesis. In both scenarios students will: choose a topic, design the project (with guidance from a chosen supervisor), locate and read scientific literature, and write a thesis.

PLSC 492/494 are managed as a single combined course, and for 2021-2022 will be offered as a remote asynchronous course. 

Prerequisites

Successful completion of 81 credit units of university level courses towards a BSA (no exceptions).  Exceptions are not made for students under 81cu and those students short of 81 CU for 492 or 494 will need to register in T1 2022-2023. In some instances, it may be possible to take the course in T1 and continue into T2 remotely as necessary. In this scenario, you will need to inform the instructors and dean’s office so you register 492 for 3CU and you will also have accelerated deadlines.  This will need to be discussed with the course instructors and with your course advisor before starting the course.

Restrictions:  You must be enrolled in the following Degree: Bachelor of Science Agriculture.  You must be enrolled in one of the following Majors: Agricultural Biology, Agronomy, Applied Plant Ecology, Crop Science, Horticulture Science. Registration in 494.6 also requires a minimum GPA of 75% and instructor permission.

 

Land Acknowledgement

As we engage in Remote Teaching and Learning, we would like to acknowledge that the Saskatoon campus of the University of Saskatchewan is on Treaty Six Territory and the Homeland of the Métis. We pay our respect to the First Nation and Métis ancestors of this place and reaffirm our relationship with one another. We would also like to recognize that some may be attending this course from other traditional Indigenous lands. We ask that you take a moment to make your own Land Acknowledgement to the peoples of those lands. In doing so, we are actively participating in reconciliation as we navigate our time in this course, learning and supporting each other.

Remote Learning Context

This offering of PLSC 492/494 will be offered remotely and asynchronously. In lieu of a class, the Tuesday time slot from 5 to 6 pm will serve as office hours – that means you can web conference (ZOOM), phone (306-966-8359) or email  sean.prager@usask.ca or e-mail pierre.hucl@usask.ca.

All PLSC 492 and 494 students require a thesis supervisor.  In mid-September all students will be expected to submit an online form with supervisor information. At that time, instructors will attempt to help some students who lack supervisors to find one.

A series of readings and recorded lectures will be provided to guide you through the various aspects of this course. These will be exclusively posted on CANVAS. As an asynchronous course, students can consume the material on your own schedule. The provided material is designed to be practical, to explain what to do and why it is done in a particular way. Students will not be tested on the material. Assessment is based on their thesis. However, students are responsible for all the material, and it is anticipated this will be reflected in their project evaluations.

This course has several assignments. These are to be submitted by the stated deadline via CANVAS. In addition, there are materials that must be submitted to supervisors. These deadlines can be determined in consultation with the supervisor.

The official start date of this course is Tuesday September 7, 2021. However, students are encouraged to view the material on choosing topics and supervisors as soon as possible. We also encourage students to contact potential supervisors as soon as possible. This is particularly important for those students who intend to do a research project as supervisors may need to arrange for greenhouse or phytotron space which is limited.

We believe that every student can, and will be successful.  Our department is full of expertise in many areas and we have extensive research experience.  A thesis is a new undertaking for most students, so our advice is:  don’t panic, take it in steps, pick a topic of interest and have fun.  And hand in the work by the deadlines we set.  Whether it’s a literature review or a research project, we are here to help you reach your goal, and to teach you about research.

While the course is mandatory, executing your own thesis project will still be a tremendous confidence boost for project planning, scholarship, and self-creativity in your future lives.  That’s why we have this course in Agriculture and Bioresources.

 

Learning Outcomes

By the completion of this course, students will be expected to:

1. Select a thesis topic of their choice and find a supervisor to guide that research.
2. Develop a thesis question.
3. Learn how to find scientific peer-reviewed papers on their chosen topic and provide them as citations.
4. Develop a Table of Contents for the thesis.
5. Independently find, read, analyze and write about their chosen thesis topic using peer-reviewed and institution literature relevant to your topic.
6. Evaluate research papers to identify strengths and weaknesses
7. Argue and describe the pros and cons of research papers
8. Summarize other’s research and formulate conclusions.
9. Select and generate tables and figures as necessary to illustrate a thesis
10. Interact with a supervisor in a timely manner and follow the guidance they provide.
11. Meet the first draft deadline by providing a draft thesis for the end of January deadline.
12. Prepare a 250 word abstract for the chosen thesis topic.
13. Present the thesis as a 12 slide powerpoint presentation.
14. Revise the draft thesis as suggested by the supervisor.
15. Meet the final deadline by providing a finished electronic copy of the thesis by March 4, 2022.

For students conducting either a small 492 or 494 research project, students will also:

16. Design and implement research with guidance from an expert supervisor/s.
17. Independently conduct the research methods and measurements.
18. Summarize and analyze data, with appropriate statistics, with guidance from an expert (supervisor or TA).
19. Prepare figures and tables from experimental results.
20. Summarize research and present conclusions.

 

Course Overview

PLSC 492 and 494 are intended to give students an opportunity to perform an in-depth examination of a question or topic of their choosing. It will also give them an understanding of the research process. In this course students will identify a supervisor, choose a thesis question, and examine scientific literature. Those who chose to do a research project will also design and conduct experiments, perform analyses, and interpret results. The course takes a staged approach with a series of assignments to help students pace themselves and ensure they continue to make progress towards completing a thesis. Students will find a minimum of five scientific papers. They will then then develop a table of contents with guidance from their supervisor. They should then proceed to read more papers and start writing their thesis. By the end of January, they are expected to provide their supervisor with a first thesis draft. After the supervisor returns the thesis draft with comments the student will prepare an abstract of their thesis and submit the final version of their thesis.

Grades for both PLSC 492.3 and 494.6 are based on: handing short documents on time, student’s interactions with their supervisor, the first thesis draft, and the thesis itself (final version, average of supervisors and additional grader’s mark).

There are two thesis options for PLSC 492.3.

The “Literature Review” thesis (492.3 only) – The literature review is an essay and review that address a specific question/hypothesis chosen by the student in consultation with a supervisor. There is no experimental research. Instead, the research takes the form of a structured literature search on the question using whatever sources are necessary. For guidance, you need at least 20 references.

The “Research Project” thesis (492.3 small projects and 494.6) - In this type of thesis, students will address a question and test a hypothesis using a combination of existing literature and hands-on laboratory or field research. Typically, these projects will require fewer references. However, they also require the student to perform experiments, analyze data (with their supervisor’s help), and appropriately present those results.

Thesis format - The College guidelines are that the thesis (494.6 research or 492.3 literature review) should contain at least 6000 words (approximately 25 pages) of text excluding tables, figures and references.  A 492.3 small project thesis requires only 3600 words (15 pages).  You may exceed these page numbers, but don’t hand in more than 50 pages. 

Students may choose a specific thesis format in consultation with their supervisor, but it is generally expected they will follow a standard format. For a literature review this will include an introduction, a body containing literature review organized in sub-sections, discussion, and conclusions. For a research project this will include an introduction, methods, results, and discussion sections.

The thesis should be on 8 ½’ x 11” page size with a 1 ½” margin on the left-hand side.  Use a font like Courier, Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or similar, and a font size of either 11 or 12 point.  Spacing between lines can be single, double, or 1.5. Page numbers are required at the bottom of every page. Tables and figures can be as individual pages at the end of the thesis or in-line with the text. Tables and figures can include those produced by students or those from on-line or published papers. Tables and figures taken from other sources must be appropriately cited/references. References should use a consistent format based on a scientific journal. This may include APA, MLS, Vancouver, etc. However, the choice should be consistent throughout.

Examples from past years will be made available on CANVAS.

 

Class Schedule

The below schedule indicates important milestones in the thesis and research process. It also indicates deadlines for assignments. Finally, it indicates when various lessons will be available on CANVAS. Ultimately, your supervisor is your main source of guidance, and you should consult them often and when need. These lessons, however, will help with the basics and to provide you a starting point. Note that assignments are to be submitted by 11:59 PM on the due date.

Week	Module/Activity	Readings/lessons	Upload/Evaluation
2 September	Introduction and Syllabus
6-10 September	Choosing a Topic, Hypotheses
13-17 September	Literature Searches	Literature Searches	Student-Supervisor Form due 17-Sept
20-24 September	Reading Papers	Reading Papers
27 Sept - 1 Oct.	Read papers/Conduct Research
4-8 October	Read papers/Conduct Research		List of References due 8 Oct
11-15 October	Read papers/Conduct Research		Table of Contents due 15 Oct
18 Oct - 5 Nov	Read papers/Conduct Research
8-12 November	BREAK	BREAK	BREAK
15-19 November	Writing a paper	Writing a paper, Thesis Examples
22-26 November	Data Collection Finished/Analyze Data	Data Analysis
29 Nov – 3 Dec	Analyze Data (Research Projects Only)
10-14 January	First Draft		First Draft Due
17-21 January	Revise Thesis
24-28 January	Revise Thesis		First Draft Mark Form Due 28 Jan
31 Jan – 4 Feb	Revise Thesis
7-11 February	Revise Thesis/Abstracts	Abstracts
14-18 February	Revise Thesis/ Write Abstract		Abstract Due 18 Feb
21-25 February	Proofread Thesis, Check Format, Check References etc.
28 Feb. – 4 March	Final Thesis Due		Final Thesis Due 4 March

IF YOU ARE ONE OF THE FEW STUDENTS FINISHING A DEGREE IN DECEMBER 2021, your deadlines are advanced. Specific dates will be determined by the course coordinators and supervisor. Students in this situation should contact Dr. Prager or Dr. Hucl as soon as possible.

Midterm and Final Examination Scheduling

This class has no exams.

If a student is unable to meet major deadlines, the first draft hand-in deadline and the final thesis deadline, particularly through no fault of his or her own for medical or other valid reasons, documentation must be provided and an opportunity to meet an extended deadline may be given.  Students are encouraged to review all examination policies and procedures at http://students.usask.ca/academics/exams.php.

Theses uploaded after Friday midnight 4 March will be subject to a 10-mark deduction.

Length and Mode of Final Assessment

The marks assigned by the supervisor and second thesis reader will contribute equally to the final grade and account for 50% of the final grade for the course.  We expect you to communicate with your supervisor to obtain guidance.  In all cases the course instructors (Drs. Prager and Hucl) have the final authority in assigning the grades. 

Note that plagiarism is a serious academic offense, particularly in a thesis course.  Documents will be checked for violations of academic integrity. Penalties range from grade reductions, repeating the course, to academic misconduct hearings.

 

Course mark breakdown

Component	Percent of final grade
Thesis information Form	5%
List of 5 citations	5%
Table of Contents	5%
Interaction with supervisor	5%
First Draft	25%
Abstract	5%
Final thesis (average of supervisor’s and second grader’s mark)	50%
Total GRADE	100%

 

Instructor Information

Contact Information

Pierre Hucl      pierre.hucl@usask.ca, 306-966-8667

Sean Prager   sean.prager@usask.ca, 306-966-8359, Zoom (587 671 7521), Tues 5-6 pm

Instructors Profiles

Your instructors (course coordinators) this year are Sean Prager and Pierre Hucl, both in Plant Sciences. Some students will have met Sean Prager as the instructor for PLSC 260 (Plant Protection). Pierre Hucl is a wheat crop breeder in the Crop Development Center.

Teaching Assistant

The TA is your first point of contact for guidance on statistical analysis. The TA’s office hours and contact information will be posted on the course website (CANVAS).

 

Required Activities

Several assignments for this course have hard deadlines. These are indicated in the class schedule. To obtain credit for this course students must submit a complete thesis written in their own words.

Required Resources

None

Readings/Textbooks

All materials will be provided via CANVAS. An important component of this course is finding and reading scientific literature. It is expected that students will base their literature on primary sources that are peer-reviewed and published in reputable journals. Students have access published literature via the University Library and website found at: https://library.usask.ca.

 

Electronic Resources

CANVAS

Submitting Assignments

All assessments and assignments must be uploaded to CANVAS. Folders for submission will be made available at least a week prior to deadlines. Email submissions will not be accepted. Submissions on CANVAS will not be shared with supervisors and students are responsible for providing the supervisor with their table of contents, draft thesis, and final thesis.

Late Assignments

Unless prior approval is obtained from the course instructors, late uploads will be penalized 5% for each day late.

Criteria That Must Be Met to Pass

The first draft and final thesis are both required for a pass. Students who do not have a thesis topic and supervisor assigned by the TOC deadline, should delay taking the course to another year.

 

Attendance Expectations (for synchronous components)

None.

Participation (for synchronous or asynchronous components)

Meeting the deadlines on time and interacting with your supervisor.

Experiential Learning

Researching and writing the thesis is an experiential exercise.

Use of Video and Recording of the Course

Not applicable.

For questions about recording and use of sessions in which you have participated, including any concerns related to your privacy, please contact your instructor. More information on class recordings can be found in the Academic Courses Policy https://policies.usask.ca/policies/academic-affairs/academic-courses.php#5ClassRecordings.

Required video use:

None

Copyright

Do not post or distribute any materials for this course. Distribution of these materials to non-USask websites will be considered a violation of academic integrity.

The material in the lessons is written by Rosalind Bueckert and Sean Prager who hold copyright to them. Copyright to example theses belong to the students who wrote them. Course materials are provided to you based on your registration in a class, and anything created by your professors and instructors is their intellectual property, unless materials are designated as open education resources. This includes exams, PowerPoint/PDF slides and other course notes. Additionally, other copyright-protected materials created by textbook publishers and authors may be provided to you based on license terms and educational exceptions in the Canadian Copyright Act (see http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-42/index.html).

An important component to producing a thesis (research or literature review) is the reading and use of scientific literature. All literature must be appropriately cited and referenced. This includes any graphs, tables, pictures, diagrams, or images, even from online sources.

Before you copy or distribute others’ copyright-protected materials, please ensure that your use of the materials is covered under the University’s Fair Dealing Copyright Guidelines available at https://library.usask.ca/copyright/general-information/fair-dealing-guidelines.php. For example, posting others’ copyright-protected materials on the open web is not covered under the University’s Fair Dealing Copyright Guidelines, and doing so requires permission from the copyright holder.  

For more information about copyright, please visit https://library.usask.ca/copyright/index.php where there is information for students available at https://library.usask.ca/copyright/students/rights.php, or contact the University’s Copyright Coordinator at mailto:copyright.coordinator@usask.ca or 306-966-8817.

Student Feedback

Towards the end of the course, students - please fill in the student evaluation and comments (SLEQ).  We do read them and respond to them.  Please be civil and constructive.

Integrity in a Remote Learning Context

Although the face of teaching and learning has changed due to covid-19, the rules and principles governing academic integrity remain the same. If you ever have questions about what may or may not be permitted, ask your instructor or thesis supervsior. Students have found it especially important to clarify rules related to exams administered remotely and to follow these carefully and completely.

The University of Saskatchewan is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty.  Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect.  Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Student Conduct & Appeals section of the University Secretary Website and avoid any behavior that could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence.  Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.

All students should read and be familiar with the Regulations on Academic Student Misconduct (https://secretariat.usask.ca/student-conduct-appeals/academic-misconduct.php) as well as the Standard of Student Conduct in Non-Academic Matters and Procedures for Resolution of Complaints and Appeals (https://secretariat.usask.ca/student-conduct-appeals/academic-misconduct.php#IXXIIAPPEALS)

For more information on what academic integrity means for students see the Academic Integrity section of the University Library Website at: https://library.usask.ca/academic-integrity#AboutAcademicIntegrity

You are encouraged to complete the Academic Integrity Tutorial to understand the fundamental values of academic integrity and how to be a responsible scholar and member of the USask community - https://library.usask.ca/academic-integrity.php#AcademicIntegrityTutorial

Examinations with Access and Equity Services (AES)

Students who have disabilities (learning, medical, physical, or mental health) are strongly encouraged to register with Access and Equity Services (AES) if they have not already done so. Students who suspect they may have disabilities should contact AES for advice and referrals at any time. Those students who are registered with AES with mental health disabilities and who anticipate that they may have responses to certain course materials or topics, should discuss course content with their instructors prior to course add / drop dates. In order to access AES programs and supports, students must follow AES policy and procedures. For more information or advice, visit https://students.usask.ca/health/centres/access-equity-services.php, or contact AES at 306-966-7273 or aes@usask.ca.

Students registered with AES may request alternative arrangements for mid-term and final examinations. Students must arrange such accommodations through AES by the stated deadlines. Instructors shall provide the examinations for students who are being accommodated by the deadlines established by AES.

For information on AES services and remote learning please visit https://updates.usask.ca/info/current/accessibility.php#AccessandEquityServices

 

Student Supports

Academic Help for Students 

The University Library offers a range of learning and academic support to assist USask undergrad and graduate students. For information on specific services, please see the Learning page on the Library web site https://library.usask.ca/support/learning.php.

Remote learning support information https://students.usask.ca/remote-learning/index.php

Class and study tips https://students.usask.ca/remote-learning/class-and-study-tips.php

Remote learning tutorial https://libguides.usask.ca/remote_learning

Study skills materials for online learning https://libguides.usask.ca/studyskills

A guide on netiquette, principles to guide respectful online learning interactions https://teaching.usask.ca/remote-teaching/netiquette.php

 

Teaching, Learning and Student Experience

Teaching, Learning and Student Experience (TLSE) provides developmental and support services and programs to students and the university community. For more information, see the students’ web site http://students.usask.ca.

 

Financial Support

Any student who faces challenges securing their food or housing and believes this may affect their performance in the course is urged to contact Student Central (https://students.usask.ca/student-central.php).

 

Aboriginal Students’ Centre

The Aboriginal Students’ Centre (ASC) is dedicated to supporting Aboriginal student academic and personal success. The centre offers personal, social, cultural and some academic supports to Métis, First Nations, and Inuit students. The centre is also dedicated to intercultural education, brining Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students together to learn from, with and about one another in a respectful, inclusive and safe environment. Students are encouraged to visit the ASC’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/aboriginalstudentscentre/) to learn more.

 

International Student and Study Abroad Centre

The International Student and Study Abroad Centre (ISSAC) supports student success and facilitates international education experiences at USask and abroad.  ISSAC is here to assist all international undergraduate, graduate, exchange and English as a Second Language students in their transition to the University of Saskatchewan and to life in Canada.  ISSAC offers advising and support on matters that affect international students and their families and on matters related to studying abroad as University of Saskatchewan students.  Please visit students.usask.ca or updates.usask.ca for more information.

 

Recommended Technology for Remote Learning

Students are reminded of the importance of having the appropriate technology for remote learning. The list of recommendations can be found at https://students.usask.ca/remote-learning/tech-requirements.php.

 

College Supports

Finding and reading primary literature in an important part of the scientific process and of preparing a thesis. Susan Bolton (https://librarytest.usask.ca/people/susan-bolton.php; Susan.Bolton@usask.ca) is currently the librarian for the College of Agriculture and Bioresources. She can help with finding and obtaining literature and is an excellent resource.