LWS 548 – Major Project
Dive into a real-world issue that you are passionate about.
LWS 548 Description
LWS 548 Major Project (6 credits, Summer Term) is the “capstone” course for the professional Master of Land and Water Systems program. It is an opportunity for students to demonstrate how they can address a land and water system issue within a holistic framework, one that is based on credible scientific analysis and synthesis, and that is communicated clearly and objectively. The final products include a “professional paper” and an open forum oral presentation, where students can demonstrate their academic achievements in the professional program. To accompany this, students will publish a unique “communication feature” that highlights their key findings and recommendations, to inform and engage alternative audiences.
The LWS 548 course provides the opportunity for each student to: identify an area of focus that is of particular interest to them and, either in a team approach, or as an independent project, demonstrate their capabilities as professional graduates of the MLWS program.
The Major Project will involve a final report, communication feature and an oral presentation to fellow students and to members of the instructional staff of the MLWS Program. The report guidelines include the following sections:
1) Introduction, stating the subject matter of concern and a context of the issue,
2) a pertinent literature analysis and synthesis,
3) a problem statement and an outline of the approach taken to address the stated problem/issue,
4) results, analysis and synthesis,
5) discussion/summary and recommendations, followed by
6) pertinent references and literature cited.
Important: Students are encouraged to utilize online and digital technologies to present their final reports in creative, interactive ways. Examples include: the creation of a website or blog and allowing comments/feedback from colleagues, using photo series/video to introduce different concepts, digital mapping, moving graphs, etc.
Each student enrolled in LWS 548 (Summer Term) will be supervised by a UBC faculty member, with the potential of co-supervision from an approved adjunct or professional (can be drawn from the MLWS Professional Advisor Group).