The M.A.T. casebook consists of two parts: a critical essay on an interdisciplinary topic written at the master's level and a curriculum plan on the same topic designed for the candidate's teaching level (normally, the secondary school).

Critical Essay (ca. 20-30 pages)

The critical essay is a scholarly discussion of the Casebook topic at the master's level. The essay should have the critical sophistication and command of research expected in a master's paper for the portfolio.

Curriculum Plan (20-30 lesson plans)

As the applied part of the casebook, the curriculum plan adapts the same topic to the candidate's teaching level in 20-30 lesson plans that should form a logical, well-organized sequence.


N.B.: The "fit" between the critical essay and curriculum plan will probably not be exact. The essay, for example, may examine a narrower aspect of the topic, while the curriculum plan certainly should not present the topic to students at the intellectual level of the critical essay.

Contents of the Casebook

The casebook contains several elements besides the critical essay and curriculum plan, which should appear in the following order:

1. Abstract (350 words maximum): a concise description of the contents of the casebook, including the central argument of the critical essay and the nature of the curriculum plan.

2. Table of Contents

3. Critical Essay

4. Curriculum Plan, including the following elements:

Introduction, including the following:

A "bridge" briefly explaining how the essay topic will be scaled to the candidate's teaching level and an outline or summary of the plan's topics.
A list of the plan's objectives couched in terms of students' learning or mastery. Each objective should indicate how it will be evaluated.
A list of audio-visual aids and/or materials necessary for the plan.

Lesson Plans, which should each contain:

Sequential number ("Day 1" etc.)
Topic heading
Brief description of lesson (1-2 sentences)
List of objectives
Specific activities (numbered separately). For each:
describe briefly
give approximate duration in minutes (assume a 50-minute class)
give method of teaching (e.g., discussion, lecture, group work, inquiry, etc.)
list key questions (optional)
Assignments given or due
Necessary materials, audio-visual equipment, etc.

5. Appendices of visual materials, examinations, handouts, etc. These materials must meet the same requirements of margins, pagination, and paper quality as the text itself. The title of each item should refer back to the appropriate lesson plan number. The total number of pages should not exceed 25.
    

6. Two Bibliographies: one for the critical essay (entitled "Critical Essay: Works Cited and Consulted") and the other for the curriculum plan (books and materials needed for teaching the unit).
    

7. Vita: one-page autobiographical sketch, including date and place of birth, schools and colleges attended, majors and degrees awarded, publications, and work experience. This page is not numbered.

Process and Procedures

1. The Casebook Committee

The Casebook Committee should be formed in the semester prior to the completion of the casebook. A form signed by all committee members must be submitted to the graduate secretary (School of Arts and Humanities) at this time.

The Committee comprises three faculty members, a director and two readers. Ideally all three readers, but certainly the director, should have the casebook topic within their areas of expertise. At least one of the three committee members must be tenured, and one should be connected with teacher certification at U.T.D.

The director has primary responsibility for overseeing the casebook's completion and ensuring its quality. The readers may also suggest revisions of casebook drafts, either via the director or directly to the student.
 

2. The Casebook Proposal

The Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) of the School of Arts and Humanities must approve a detailed proposal describing the casebook.

See "Procedures for Presenting Thesis and Casebook Proposals" for format and content of the proposal.

The student is responsible for meeting the GSC deadlines for submitting casebook proposals. The casebook committee must first approve, and sign off on, the proposal before it goes to the GSC. The student should therefore expect--and allow time for--revision of the proposal before it goes to the GSC.

Since the GSC can only review proposals periodically, the student may begin working on the casebook before the GSC formally approves the proposal, provided the student understands that such work in no way guarantees acceptance of the casebook proposal.

3. The Oral Defense

When the casebook committee is satisfied with the content of the casebook, the director may schedule the student's oral defense of the casebook.

The defense, typically lasting an hour, is a discussion between the student and the committee on the content of the casebook, its application and implications.

Since the defense may result in minor corrections of the text, the student should not prepare the final, "clean copy" of the casebook that follows the Guide for the Preparation of Master's Theses, Doctoral Dissertations, and Doctor of Chemistry Practica Reports (see No. 4 below) until completing the oral defense.

Normally, oral defenses will be scheduled during fall and spring semesters only.

4. Format for the Final Casebook

Citations of secondary sources in the critical essay and the "Works Cited and Consulted" page should conform to the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (available at the U.T.D. Bookstore). Parenthetical citation, not footnotes or endnotes, should be used whenever possible.

The student should check the format of the casebook with the graduate secretary (by e-mail or call 972-883-2756 for an appointment) before making the final copies. These final or "clean" copies must conform to the Guide for the Preparation of Master's Theses, Doctoral Dissertations and Doctor of Chemistry Practica Reports (available at the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies, EC 2.716) regarding choice of paper, margins, spacing, sequence of sections, pagination, etc.

All final copies are submitted to the A&H graduate secretary in JO 4.510 by the deadline for master's theses published at the beginning of the semester course schedule. Two copies (one for the school and another for the student) are required. When these copies are approved, the student takes them to the Materials Acquisition Department in the McDermott Library (room 3.320) for binding. A $20.00 binding fee for the two copies is charged (plus the costs for any additional copies the student may wish to have bound).