Honors Thesis

GPA
Proposal
Advising
Resources

GPA

Proposal

Proposals include an application form; a 2-3 page prospectus; a statement of your academic background in your topic; a preliminary bibliography; a transcript (official or unofficial); and a writing sample, preferably a research paper you have completedfor another class. The research prospectus is the key component to the proposal. For hints on writing the prospectus, see below.

You also need a signature from an advisor. If you have not yet consulted an advisor, you should do so immediately.

Advising

There are two sources of advising in the department. First and foremost, each student must choose a faculty advisor for her project. Junior Political Science majors who are interested in undertaking senior thesis research (360/370) should consult with a faculty member--ideally several faculty members--who might serve as advisors or with the Chair if help is needed in finding the appropriate faculty member to serve as an advisor. Students who are planning study abroad should discuss their thesis plans with an advisor during their sophomore years. It is best for study abroad students to complete applications in the spring while they are away.

There is also a general honors' thesis advisor. The current advisor, Professor Goddard, holds optional seminars for both honors' and prospective honors' students. For current students, there are seminars throughout the year, designed to discussproblems with ongoing research, exchange research tips, and provide a general forum for discussion. For prospective students, there are "so you want to write a thesis" seminars during the spring semester. This will give a logistical overview (what's due, and when is it due) as well as a forum to prepare and write your proposal. If you cannot attend the seminar, contact the general honors' thesis advisor.

Resources

First and foremost, think about why you are interested in a thesis. "Getting honors" is probably not enough to sustain you in thesis writing. You should have a vague idea of a topic you want to research, and enough interest in the field to underpin a year of writing.

There are different ways in which to prepare for the thesis:

1. Course background matter. You should make sure you have the course background to write on the topic. Substantively, you need to take, if not exhaust, courses in your specific research area. You may also want to consider taking the Political Science research methods course, 199, to learn how to construct a research design. You should note that the department will evaluate your course background when we evaluate your course proposal.


2. Researching "how to write a thesis." As a guide to writing the proposal, we have prepared a brief overview. You might also want to consult the following texts on research design and thesis writing:

Charles Lipson, How to Write a BA Thesis: A Practical Guide from Your First Ideas to Your Finished Paper. Arco, 2003

Stephen Van Evera, Guide to Methods for Students of Political Science. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1997.