PROFESSOR: I really appreciate you both meeting me on such short notice. The next month is going to be very busy for me, so I wanted to check in on your thesis projects before all that starts. How are each of you feeling about your projects?

AHMED: OK, I guess.

REBECCA: Yeah, me too. It’s going slowly, to be honest.

PROFESSOR: That’s quite normal. Don’t let it bother you. Ahmed, have you narrowed down your topic?

AHMED: Yes. I’ve decided to focus on soil depletion near cotton farms in southern India.

PROFESSOR: So you’ll be doing comparative case studies?

AHMED: That’s my plan. I want to find two or three middle- to large-sized farms to study in-depth.

PROFESSOR: All right. And what about you, Rebecca?

REBECCA: I’m struggling to choose a location for my field research. I still want to look at soil nutrition near sugar cane plantations, but I don’t know which region to study.

PROFESSOR: Have you thought about going to India as well? That way you could support each other and share contacts.

AHMED: That would be convenient!

REBECCA: Yeah, but the largest sugar cane plantations are in Hawaii and the Caribbean.

PROFESSOR: I know, but that also means those areas have already been researched extensively. Your research would be more novel if you did it in India and filled gaps in the available literature.

REBECCA: Hmm... That’s a good point.

AHMED: Actually, I have a friend who studied cane sugar production in South Asia. I’m sure he would have some contacts in India.

REBECCA: Really? That would be great!

AHMED: I’ll send him an email right after we finish here.

REBECCA: Thanks so much.

PROFESSOR: Wonderful. And Rebecca, when you find the appropriate plantation, remember you’ll need it approved by the ethics committee before making any solid plans.

REBECCA: What exactly are we supposed to hand in to the ethics committee?

AHMED: I’m confused about that too.

PROFESSOR: Well, in order to undertake field research, you have to write out a proposal and have it reviewed by the committee members. They decide whether the plan is in line with the university’s research ethics.

REBECCA: OK. And how long does that process take?

PROFESSOR: Usually they get back to you within two weeks.

AHMED: I better get on that, then. I’m supposed to fly out in a month!

PROFESSOR: You definitely want to get that taken care of. Tell you what...why don’t you each tell me your action plan?

REBECCA: I’m going to contact some plantations. Hopefully I’ll get some positive responses.

PROFESSOR: If you have any troubles, let me know. Perhaps I can make some calls to colleagues who have worked in that region.

REBECCA: That’s very nice of you.

PROFESSOR: And you, Ahmed?

AHMED: Since I’ve already determined the location of my field study, I have to focus on preparing the proposal. I’ll submit it by the end of next week.

PROFESSOR: Great. I’d like to look it over before you hand it in to the committee. When can you get it to me?

AHMED: I’ll email you a copy by Wednesday next week. Will that give you enough time?

PROFESSOR: Sure.

AHMED: I was also thinking about starting my literature review. You know, to make sure I understand all of the previous research done on my topic.

PROFESSOR: Go right ahead. You won’t need to finish that section until after your fieldwork, but it never hurts to get a head start.

REBECCA: So, when will we see you again?

PROFESSOR: I’d like to touch base in about three weeks, if that works for you guys.

AHMED: Sure. That’s a week before I leave.

REBECCA: I have to check my schedule first. I might be out of town with family that week.

PROFESSOR: Just let me know. And if you can’t make it, Rebecca, I can meet with Ahmed one-on-one, and then you and I can talk at a later time.

REBECCA: Sounds good. I’ll let you know in the next few days.

Answer

1. soil depletion

2. soil nutrition

3. Hawaii

4. South Asia

5. ethics committee

6. two weeks

7. in a month

8. contact some plantations

9. Wednesday next week

10. in three weeks