The purpose of this course is to provide students with an appreciation of the research process and the broader academic career. Through a series of workshops, lectures, and roundtable discussions, students will develop an understanding of the professional expectations of an academic career, including an appreciation for the academic culture that includes, among other things, critical review processes. Students will learn the central role of theory in the research process and they will start to develop the discipline of effective academic writing that they can apply to their Summer Research project. Students will begin the course by sharing their initial research interests. In workshop fashion, students will come to develop this research interest throughout the course.