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003-2004 Schedule for the Thesis

Wednesday, June 4, 2003 - Initial Proposal Due for students planning summer research

Friday, October 3, 2003 - Initial Proposal Due for students not planning summer research

The initial thesis proposal of at least 3 pages must be submitted to the department chair, Professor Bev Nagel, no later than NOON ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3rd. Students who are off campus Fall Term must mail in their proposals soon enough to arrive by October 3rd.

If you are planning to do research over the summer before your senior year, this initial thesis proposal must be submitted by noon of the last day of classes in Spring Term 2003, Wednesday, June 4th. Students planning summer research involving human subjects (such as interviews, surveys, or participant observation) must obtain approval for their research from the Institutional Review Board BEFORE UNDERTAKING ANY RESEARCH. For more information and application guidelines, see the links under "Research with Human Subjects Research" on the Dean of the College web page. (Look under the section for faculty, titled "Research and Grants.")

Before submitting the initial proposal, you must discuss your intended project with at least one faculty member of the department. Guidelines for the initial proposal are provided below. You will be required to submit another proposal if the original one lacks sufficient promise or appears unfeasible. After your initial proposal has been accepted, you will be assigned to a faculty thesis advisor.

Friday, November 7, 2003 - Final Thesis Research Proposal Due

One copy of your final research proposal, with annotated bibliography, is due Friday, NOVEMBER 7th, at 4:30 p.m. in your comps advisor's office. The final research proposal should be 12 to 15 pages in length, and should follow the guidelines provided below, under "Description of a Research Proposal."

In the case of any project involving original research on human subjects (e.g., surveys, participant observation, interviews), the proposal must be also be approved by the Institutional Review Board. For more information and application guidelines, see the links under "Research with Human Subjects Research" on the Dean of the College web page. (Look under the section for faculty, titled "Research and Grants.")

If your proposal is not deemed sufficiently feasible by the department, you will have an opportunity to revise it for resubmission. The revised proposal must be turned in to your advisor by the first day of Winter Term, Monday, January 5, 4:30 p.m. To proceed with the thesis option, your proposal must be accepted by the department no later than Friday, January 9th, 2004. That is also the deadline by which students who had initially elected to do the thesis option may switch to the exam option.

Friday, January 23, 2004 - First draft of thesis due

A first draft of the comps will be due in your comps advisor's office in the third week of winter term, Friday, JANUARY 23rd, at 4:30 p.m. This draft should also include an assessment of what needs to be done to complete the study. A bibliography of works read so far and of others that you intend to read should be appended.

Friday, February 27, 2004 - Abstract and second draft of thesis due

A complete second draft of the thesis is due in your comps advisor's office by Friday, FEBRUARY 27th, at 4:30 p.m. This draft should include all elements of your final paper, including the abstract, full text of the body of your paper, any tables, charts, or figures, and the bibliography.

You should also turn in a copy of the abstract to Professor Nagel, no later than 4:30 p.m., February 27th. The American Anthropological Association describes an abstract as "an informative summary of a longer work and states the central topic at the beginning. It indicates the nature and extent of the data on which it is based; outlines the nature of the problem or issue and delineates the relevant scientific argument. Finally, it shows how the content relates to the existing literature. Where helpful, citations can be used. Your abstract should be typed and between 75 and 100 words.

Monday, April 5, 2004 - Final thesis due

Three copies of the final, finished version of your comps paper are due Monday, APRIL 5th, 4:30 p.m., in Professor Nagel's office. Any submissions after 4:30 p.m. must be accompanied by a formal letter to the Department Faculty explaining in detail why the comps are late. If the explanation is unacceptable the paper will be evaluated the following Fall. No late comps will be considered for Distinction.

End of April to early May - Oral presentations of thesis papers

Each student will orally present his or her thesis in a public forum open to any interested parties - other majors, faculty, friends. These oral presentations contribute to the final evaluation of the paper. Each senior will be paired with a junior, who will introduce the presenter and initiate discussion following the presentation.

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