|
Senior Honors Thesis
In their senior year, English majors may apply to write an honors thesis. An honors thesis, as opposed to an independent study, represents an advanced level of work in an area that students have already studied as part of their major.
Qualifications
Students should note that since this is an honors program, admission is normally restricted to students whose names have appeared on the Dean’s List at least two times before their senior year. Transfer students should have had their names on the Dean’s List at least once at Tufts.
Thesis Types
Critical writing: The critical
writing thesis should be a substantial piece
of work (generally between 35 and 60 pages)
that demonstrates the student’s ability to
develop and sustain a coherent and
comprehensive argument. Questions of format,
length, and chapter division are determined
by the student in consultation with her or
his director and committee. Students are expected to have previously done course work or other research in the proposed field, to have demonstrated an ability to sustain an extended independent project, and to present a detailed and seriously thought-out proposal.
Creative writing: The creative
writing thesis should either be a unified
set of works (poetry or short stories) or a
single novel. Students must have taken at least two courses in the relevant genre, one of them above the beginning level, and must have the support of two full-time members of the department, having submitted for their consideration a substantial body of creative work.
Thesis Directors
Students are expected to confer with potential thesis director about their projects well in advance, normally no later than the spring of their junior year. Directors must be
full-time members of the English Department and are normally professors with whom the student has already completed coursework in the area to be covered by the honors thesis.
Written Proposal
After consulting with the proposed
director, students who intend to undertake
an honors thesis are expected to produce a
written proposal over the summer between
their junior and senior years.
This document should be produced in
consultation with the thesis advisor before
the deadline (September 30) for submission
to the department. Only those theses whose
proposals are approved by vote of the
English Department faculty will be permitted
to go forward.
Critical Thesis Proposal: The proposal for a
critical writing thesis, which is generally
two to three pages in length, should present
an overview of the topic, a discussion of
the method of investigation or analysis, and
a description of the organization of the
thesis by chapter. It will often include a
short preliminary bibliography of works
(primary and secondary both) that the thesis
will engage.
Creative Thesis Proposal: Understanding that
the process of writing will dictate the
results of a creative thesis, the proposal
should be a brief, paragraph-long document
simply giving a sense of the project. It
should act as a point of entry for the work
to be done. Students should submit a sample
of prose or poetry along with the proposal.
Once submitted, the director will then
present the proposal for a vote of the
full-time faculty at the beginning of the
fall semester. Only those proposals that
receive a favorable vote of the English
Department faculty are permitted to go
forward. Once they have received approval,
thesis students will work out a schedule and
assemble a committee in consultation with
their director.
Proposal Submission Guidelines
- Students are expected to submit their written proposal to the thesis director no later than September 30th, along with a confirmation that their names have appeared on the Dean’s List at least two times before their senior year (or at least once for transfer students).
- The thesis director will then submit it for review to the full-time members of the Department of English for a vote. Once the Department of English approves the written proposal, students will then be notified to go forward with registration.
- Student should remember to register for both Fall and Spring semesters.
Course Registration
The senior honors thesis is a year-long course. Students must register each semester, both Fall and Spring.
Approved students will receive an email from the Department Administrator with registration instructions:
- Students should submit a signed “Senior Honors Thesis & Special Topics Form” (available in the English Department) to the English Department Administrator within a week of receiving notification of project approval.
- Students must register for the course on SIS, or via Add/Drop form if online registration has closed. Department notification will include course number and section..
- Students must also submit a signed "Thesis Honors Candidate Form" (available in Dowling Hall) to the Student Services Desk by mid-November.
Students must register via online registration for the Spring semester.
Course Credits
- A Senior Honors Thesis counts for a
total of two credits, one for each
semester registered.
- A Senior Honors Thesis may count as
two of the five elective courses
required for the English Major.
Required
Workshops
Beginning in the fall of 2010, all
students doing senior honors theses will be
expected to participate in the workshops
being arranged by the Director of Senior
Theses (for the academic year 2011-2012 this
will be Professor Michael Ullman).
Thesis Defense
Approved honors theses culminate in a thesis defense, which is an hour-long meeting discussing and critiquing the student’s work, at the end of which a letter grade is issued and the level of honors awarded.
The defense is attended by the student and the two readers on their committee: the thesis director and a second reader (who must also be a full-time English Department faculty member.)
Students are expected to hand in final versions of their thesis at least two weeks before their defense date. The defense usually takes place during the spring semester reading period and finals and must be completed before grades are due.
Archiving Manuscripts
After the defense, students should submit a final copy of their completed senior honors thesis to the Digital Collection and Archives (DCA) either in
digital form or as a hard copy.
Students who have their thesis printed
often make several extra copies for
themselves and their family; in this case
they should also provide a copy to the
Department.
Fulfilling Major Requirements
The senior honors thesis counts as part
of the required courses for the major. It is
not necessary for a student to take ten
courses in the major plus the two credits
that the senior thesis confers; the two
credits received for the thesis can and do
count toward the ten courses in the major.
Additionally, students can complete the
other requirements for the major while
working on their senior thesis.
Further Information and Writing Support
Students are highly encouraged to visit the following links for extensive support in planning and writing their senior honors thesis:
<< Return to Undergraduate
Program main page
|
