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Senior Honors Theses in Philosophy
Please see also the University’s general guidelines for writing a
senior honors thesis in
The
Tufts Bulletin. General assistance with thesis research and
writing is offered by the
Academic Resource Center as well as
Tisch Library.
General Guidelines for Students Considering Writing a Senior Honors
Thesis
Many students desire to finish their work in philosophy with some
sort of capstone experience – in most cases, the taking of a seminar
during the senior year. Some students wish to do more intense,
original, sustained work in the discipline than even a seminar tends
to allow. For these students, undertaking a senior honors thesis in
Philosophy may be appropriate.
While any student who meets the University qualifications for
writing a senior honors thesis may elect to undertake such a
project, the Philosophy Department strongly advises interested
students to consider carefully whether writing a thesis is their
best option. It is tempting to romanticize what the process of
writing a long philosophy paper will be like. Many thesis writers
find that the most difficult part of the project is selecting a
topic that is both narrow enough to cover and broad enough to
sustain their interest and merit a lengthy treatment. An abstract
desire to write a thesis rarely provides sufficient or specific
enough motivation to see a genuinely productive project through. For
this reason, it is very important for anyone considering writing a
thesis to talk with his or her departmental advisor about the
possibility as soon as possible, preferably at the end of the junior
year (and certainly no later than the first month of the senior
year), to assess whether the undertaking of such a project would
constitute the best possible capstone experience for the student.
Once a student has decided to undertake a thesis and has put
together a thesis committee (see information on how to do this
below), he or she needs to submit a written thesis proposal to the
Philosophy Department. This proposal, which must be submitted to
the Department no later than October 1st of the senior year (or
no later than three weeks after the start of the term, for an
out-of-synch senior) should describe, in roughly 500 words (two
double spaced pages), the motivations for and goals of the project.
It should also include a brief preliminary bibliography as well as
the names of the members of the thesis committee. The Department
will decide to approve the proposal or deny it or send it back for
revision.
If the thesis project is approved, the student must register for
Philosophy 093 (fall semester) and Philosophy 094 (spring semester)
and must also submit a “Thesis Honors Candidate” form to the Student
Services Desk in Dowling Hall (ordinarily by Thanksgiving, but the
deadline shifts a little every year). A thesis project spans two
semesters and counts for two credits. Please note that, given the
College’s course-credit bookkeeping, a student who elects to
undertake a two-semester thesis project will receive both credits in
the second semester and should take care not to exceed the
six-credit-per-semester College limit in that semester.
A student should plan to complete the final draft of the thesis and
to submit it to his or her thesis committee no later than two weeks
before the end of classes in the relevant semester, although dates
may be negotiated according to the schedules of the members of the
committee. A student should also set up a time and arrange for a
space for an oral defense of the thesis, no later than the last day
of Reading Period.
A student who writes a thesis receives two grades. First, he or she
receives the usual sort of academic grade (‘A,’ ‘B,’ etc.) for the
thesis course. This grade is the same for both semesters of the
course and will be retroactively filled in for the first one (i.e.,
Philosophy 93). Second, the thesis itself is given one of the
following honor grades: summa
cum laude, magna cum laude, cum laude, or no distinction. Even if a
student who has completed a thesis does not receive thesis honors,
he or she still receives full course credit for the work. (See the
“Thesis Honors Program” description from the Tufts Bulletin).
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I go about deciding whether to write a thesis?
According to the general Tufts guidelines, no student may undertake
a thesis who has not made the Dean’s list at least twice. A student
who meets this standard and who is considering undertaking a thesis
project should meet with his or her departmental advisor to discuss
the possibility absolutely no later than at the very beginning of
the senior year – and, preferably, in the spring of the junior year.
The departmental advisor will help the student identify a possible
chair for the thesis committee, who should be consulted as soon as
possible. Any student considering writing a senior honors
thesis should think seriously about whether so doing is the very
best way to provide an appropriate capstone experience in
Philosophy. Often, there are other, less stressful and more
productive ways to provide this experience.
I’ve decided that I shouldn’t do a thesis, but I’d still like to
do a special project. Do I have other options?
Any student who does not qualify or desire to undertake a senior
honors thesis but would like to pursue independent research for
credit in the major may approach any appropriate faculty member for
consent in advising or leading an
Independent Study – Philosophy 193 (fall) or Philosophy 194
(spring). As a rule, the Philosophy Department encourages
Independent Studies only in unusual situations. Ordinarily, faculty
members will be disinclined to supervise an independent study
proposed by a student who simply did not get a satisfactory thesis
proposal together in a timely manner.
I have found a chair for my thesis and am ready to go ahead. How
do I put together a thesis committee?
The thesis committee consists of at least two people: your chair,
who must be a full-time Philosophy Department faculty member
(professor, associate professor, assistant professor, or senior
lecturer) and a second member, ordinarily another Philosophy
Department faculty member. In some cases, your chair may suggest
engaging a third reader as well. Your chair will help you
determine appropriate candidates for rounding out your committee.
You should meet with potential committee members (don’t just e-mail
or phone them) to discuss your proposed project as soon as possible.
Don’t forget that part of what it is to be a faculty member
at Tufts is to advise senior honors theses: people will not, in
principle, be put out by your asking them to serve on your
committee, and if they turn you down, it will be because they are
already committed to helping other people or because they feel your
topic lies outside their areas of expertise. In both cases, you
should ask them to think about who else might be an appropriate
committee member.
How often should I meet with the chair of my committee?
You and the chair of your committee will work out a schedule of
meetings. Some advisors, for example, wish to meet students on a
weekly or biweekly basis, or whenever a student has produced some
writing. You should also work out some sort of arrangement with
other members of your committee. Students tend to meet with other
members of their committees once or twice per term, or on an
as-needed basis; but arrangements vary from case to case. In any
event, you should keep your readers apprised of your progress and of
important dates and meetings.
Do I need to hand a paper in at the end of the first semester of
thesis work?
You and the chair of your committee will discuss goals and
expectations at the beginning of the project. Most students will
want to aim to produce at least some genuinely useful formal writing
by the end of the first semester of the process.
How long should the thesis be?
The ideal length of a thesis, of course, depends to a great degree
on its topic. However, in most cases a Philosophy thesis will
require no more than 50 pages, and often 35 or so will do.
Guidelines for
Writing a Senior Honors Thesis in Philosophy (PDF file). |
