Do you qualify?
Only students with a 3.5+ GPA in the major may write a thesis.
Is it the right decision for you? Writing a senior thesis can be a rewarding experience, but it’s not for everyone. It’s also not something you need to do to be recognized upon graduation—Latin honors have nothing to do with thesis work, and department prizes are awarded to work other than senior theses.
Do you have a project that can sustain your interest over the course of a whole academic year--your senior year? If not, but you are still interested in doing independent research, consider an individual project instead of a thesis. It differs from a thesis in that it is half a year only (fall semester and winter study), does not require your participation in the thesis-writers’ seminar, and is graded only by your faculty supervisor rather than by a committee of three. An individual project would substitute for your senior seminar.
How independently can you work? Remember, independent studies are…independent. A thesis is not a personal tutorial, set up by the professor, but a chance for you to conceive and organize, as well as execute, a major research project.
Should you choose to pursue a thesis, you begin the process
in the spring of your junior year. Proposals are due to the department
chair the week following spring break.
Your application to write an honors thesis includes a) a cover letter asking to be considered and briefly outlining what you hope to do and why you are qualified, b) a copy of your transcript, and c) a three-page proposal. The proposal should contain the following elements:
Your name!
The question that your thesis will answer. State it as a question, and then state your provisional answer. What is your hunch, your hypothesis, your tentative conclusion, your best guess?
Why this question is of theoretical interest in political science.
Why this question matters (to normal people, i.e. not political science students): what is at stake.
How you would know if your initial hunch was wrong.
What sort of evidence (texts, statistics, interviews) would be relevant to knowing whether you are right or wrong.
Whether that evidence exists out in the world or you have to go create it and collect it yourself.
The department as a whole will meet in the late spring to decide
on the proposals and to assign advisors for each thesis. We will
contact you in writing, letting you know of our decision. If it
is positive, we will expect you to write a letter to your prospective
advisor explaining whether, and how, you will use your summer. If
it is negative, we will let you know whether we think the proposal
is suited to be an individual project.