HST 360: Research and Innovation Policy
Spring 2015
Dr. Andrew Russell

During the Spring 2015 semester you will investigate a pressing issue in research and innovation policy. This assignment has several goals: to give you the opportunity to choose an issue that you think is important; to demonstrate your ability to learn about the issue, present its significance, show how it relates to the major themes of HST 360; and, finally, to recommend a course of action.

Project milestones:

February 23: Choose a topic.

March 9: Prepare a brief (300 word) summary of your project's topic, scope, and goals. Append to that summary a brief bibliography (at least 8 books, academic articles, and/or policy documents) that you plan to use for your research. Bring a printed copy to class, and email a copy to Prof. Russell.

March 30: Project update due
Each student should submit a revised version of his or her project topic, scope, and goals. Make sure to identify your audience - and be specific!

April 6: Project outline and annotated bibliography due.
Your outline should include several sections, including (but not limited to): Overview, Background, Stakeholders, Options, Recommendations, and Future Considerations. Your annotated bibliography should feature full bibliographic information (MLA or Chicago style) for the sources you are using in your research. For each source, include a sentence or 2 annotation that explains the source's significance for your project.
For an overview of the purpose and format of an annotated bibliography, consult http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/01/.

April 27 and May 4: Class presentations of projects - exact schedule TBA. Students will have 15 minutes to present their research and recommendations to the class, using appropriate presentation tools of their choosing (slides, handouts, posters, etc.).

May 4: Final Project Report due. Your final report (~15 pages) should be submitted in hard copy. Your final project report should include the following sections: Overview, Background, Stakeholders, Options, Recommendations, Future Considerations, and Bibliography.
You can find plenty of advice on writing a policy brief - see this site from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, for example.