"And that is why you'll be putting some of the principles and procedures you all learned last semester into practice. There is no true substitute for first hand experience. Now, between budgetary constraints and the need for you to be able to attend your other classes we can't actually send you to do proper field work during your freshman year. Instead, you'll be studying a group of people either online or in one of the communities near campus. I'll expect your initial proposals by class on Friday. Please be sure to read the full list of criteria in the instructions linked from the syllabus.
"If I get any proposals from people who clearly didn't read them I'll be taking points off your final grade. If you find the instructions unclear, you can come to office hours or send me an email or just write your point of confusion into your proposal. My policy on extensions is as always in the syllabus. We'll have time for two additional rounds of revision. If you don't get to a satisfactory proposal after those two rounds I will again, be deducting points and I will be assigning you a topic rather than leaving you the freedom to pick for yourself."