Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions About MAPs

Questions FACULTY Frequently Ask

QUESTIONS STUDENTS FREQUENTLY ASK

I'm not sure how to write a MAP proposal

See Detailed instructions for students on developing a successful MAP application

I want to print a poster to present my results.

Go to http://www.grinnell.edu/library/services/posterprinting for instructions. Contact departmental Academic Support Assistants for the budget number.

Can I hold a summer job in addition to my MAP project?

Students and faculty mentors should understand that a summer MAP project is understood to be a full-time job. This is the reason why summer MAP students are allocated a summer stipend. Students may not receive a wage for a second summer job at Grinnell College during the time that they are enrolled for the MAP.

My summer MAP entails a good deal of reading. I can read just about anywhere, so do I really need to be on campus for a summer MAP?

Yes, in the case you describe. However, in cases in which you must travel to another location for an extended period of time, to use an archive or special collection, or to study another regional context as an essential part of your research, you and your MAP director need not be on campus (see MAP STUDENT TRAVEL GUIDELINES: http://www.grinnell.edu/offices/dean/MAP/forms/travelguidelines and consult with the Associate Deans Office). You and your MAP director do need to be together since the MAP is a project that is actively mentored by your faculty director.

I am planning to work on a six or an eight-credit MAP. How are the two parts of the MAP graded?

MAP projects must comprise a total of 4, 6, or 8 credits, with no more than 4 credits earned in a single semester or summer. Although a MAP component may earn 2 credits, there are no 2-credit MAPs. Each portion of a two-part MAP receives a grade. As you plan the project, you and your mentor should agree upon a gradable product for each portion.

I am completing the first portion of a two-semester (or a summer plus one semester) MAP. I've been spending all of my time doing research and don't plan to start producing the final product until some time in the second portion. My mentor knows I've been working hard; can't she just give me an "S" for my research so far?

No. You must produce gradable work in order to receive a passing grade for the first portion of your two-semester (or multi-term) MAP. You and your mentor can think creatively about how you might produce something that would contribute to your final product in some way. You might compile an annotated bibliography. You might write a detailed plan of the artwork that you intend to produce or a proposal for the final stage of your research. You might write a detailed introduction to the research paper you intend to write during the second portion of the MAP, or the program notes for the theatrical production you will stage in the second portion of the MAP.

Producing a piece of gradable work will serve as an important first step toward the completion of a major project. It also ensures that you can receive a letter grade for the first portion of your work in case, for some unforeseen reason, you cannot complete the second portion of your MAP.

I want to enroll in a two-semester (or a summer plus one-semester) MAP. Does the second portion have to immediately follow the first?

In most cases, it is to your advantage to follow up the first semester's or the summer's work without an interruption. Your mentor can probably explain to you how difficult it can be to start up a project after a hiatus of several months. However, in some cases such a delay cannot be avoided. In particular, summer research MAPs may be conducted over the course of two summers.

I had planned to work on a summer MAP, had worked everything out with my professor, and had filed my application. Out of the blue, however, I've got this great opportunity to travel the length of the Amazon river! Can I just drop the MAP?

MAPs aren't like regularly offered courses. This is even more the case for summer MAPs. Considerable resources have already been allocated to your MAP before you even file the application. Furthermore, your mentor has made a commitment to you that may have involved changing summer plans in order to remain on-campus for the duration of your MAP. If your MAP is part of a faculty member's research project, your withdrawal may create complications for a project that has been designed to use research assistants. It will be too late for your mentor to find another assistant. For these reasons, permission to withdraw from a summer MAP will be granted only for a serious and unexpected crisis.

My MAP was really successful and my advisor wants me to present it at a conference. What do I need to do now?

Students can receive funding to present at one conference during the calendar year following their MAP. To request funding, go to /MAP/forms/budgetrequest/