Thesis Program

A thesis in history or political science is, in most cases, a lengthy paper, typically around 50 pages, that attempts to answer a well-developed question regarding a topic of particular interest to the student. After this paper is written, it will be publicly defended in front of a thesis committee, selected by the student, and an audience of other students, friends, family, interested parties, and faculty.

What follows are the basics that every student should know as he or she prepares to write a senior thesis. If you have any questions that are not answered by this handbook, please contact the Chair of the Department.

You should also indicate your first and second choice to serve as your thesis advisor. This should be someone who knows the topic well enough to direct your studies. If you want to receive history or political science credit for your thesis, your thesis advisor must be a faculty member in the Department of History and Political Science.

During Winter Break, the Department will assign thesis advisors based on student preference, faculty expertise and availability.

During registration for the fall semester of your senior year, it is recommended that you sign up for the thesis course within the Department (see your thesis advisor for more information). You may also wish to enroll in an additional three-hour Independent Study for the spring of your senior year. If you want academic credit in history or political science for your thesis, you must sign up for one or both courses.

You should begin researching your topic in consultation with your thesis advisor during the second half of the semester.

That committee should be made up of your thesis advisor, another faculty member from within the Department (called a “second reader”), and an examiner from outside of the Department (or even the University) who has at least a rudimentary understanding of your topic (called an “outside reader”).

If you are taking the Department’s thesis course in the fall semester, you will receive an “IP” (in progress) grade for the fall semester. After your defense in the spring, your thesis advisor, in consultation with your committee, will determine your thesis grade based on your written work (75% of the final grade) and defense (25% of the final grade).

You will then revise your thesis into a final version and give it to your primary advisor and the other members of your thesis committee no later than the last Friday of March. This deadline will be strictly enforced: if you have not submitted your thesis to your advisor by this date, you will not be allowed to schedule a thesis defense.

Once given permission by your primary advisor, you will then arrange with your committee a day, time, and place for a public defense of your thesis (see more on the thesis defense process in the next section). Defenses can take place anywhere on campus (be sure to make arrangements well in advance for any room at the University).

Your defense must take place by the last Friday in April: if you have not defended by then, you will not receive academic credit for your thesis.

The defense is public and open to any interested person, including other students, faculty, family, and friends. When a time, date and venue are established, you should encourage your thesis advisor to announce it on the Faculty listserv.

You should not read your whole thesis word for word, but you may read passages where appropriate. If necessary, but only as a supplement to your presentation, you may also display images or use PowerPoint or video. (Note: if you wish to incorporate technology into your defense, please talk to the Scholar Program Coordinator to get approval. You will be responsible for arranging the technology and will be evaluated on its use as part of the defense.)

After your initial presentation, the three-member committee will begin the question period. Expect tough questions, but remember that the committee’s primary intention is to engage you in a genuine conversation about your topic. When the committee is finished, the floor will be opened to questions from the audience. At an appropriate point, your thesis advisor will bring the defense to an end.

The committee will then discuss your defense privately for a few minutes and return to give you an evaluation of your defense and your paper generally.

1. Your thesis advisor and second reader should have read your thesis; the outside reader can read as much (or as little) as he or she decides.
2. The thesis committee should listen carefully to your opening presentation, and then ask questions and follow-ups about your presentation and thesis project.
3. Your thesis advisor is responsible for guiding the defense (making sure it starts and ends on time, that the questioning is done professionally, etc.) and inviting questions from others in the audience.
4. After the defense, your thesis committee will meet privately to evaluate your thesis and defense (you should wait while they do so). They will decide whether the project and defense were worthy given the topic and the standards of their academic discipline. Grades will be given on the same scale as grades for regular courses: outstanding = “A”; good = “B”; acceptable = “C”; poor = “D”; unacceptable = “F”.
5. The thesis committee will announce their decision, especially offering comments and suggestions. After adjourning the defense, your thesis advisor should e-mail the committee’s judgment to the Chair of the Department as soon as possible.

The majority of Ashbrook senior theses fall in the areas of political science or history, or some combination of these, but there is no restriction in regard to subject matter. In fact, in some cases, your Senior Thesis need not even be a paper. In some subjects, such as music, mathematics, or physical science, a Senior Project may be more appropriate than a thesis. If you fall into this category, seek approval from the Executive Director of the Ashbrook Center during the fall of your junior year.

As Ashbrook Scholars, certain specific requirements and options apply to you:

1. All Ashbrook Scholars must attend at least one thesis defense each school year. Feel free to invite family and friends.
2. Ashbrook theses need not be in history or political science, but if you do want to receive history or political science credit for your thesis, your thesis advisor must be a faculty member in the Department of History and Political Science and your topic must somehow relate to history or political science. In this case, the procedures and deadlines outlined in parts I-III above will apply to you.
3. Even if you do not wish to receive history or political science credit for your thesis, at least one member of your thesis committee must be a member of the Department of History and Political Science. This member need not be your thesis advisor. This requirement reflects the fact that the broad purpose of the Ashbrook Scholar Program is, in the context of a liberal arts education, to broaden and deepen a student's thinking about public affairs in general and the meaning and significance of America in particular.
4. You must give a copy of your finished thesis prospectus to the Executive Director of the Ashbrook Center no later than April 1 in the spring of your junior year.
5. If you are not a history or political science major, it is recommended that during the fall semester of your senior year, you sign up for a thesis course (if the department within which you want to receive academic credit for your thesis offers such a course) or a three-hour Independent Study within your thesis department (for example, BIO 498). You may also wish to enroll in an additional three-hour Independent Study for the spring of your senior year.
6. Each year, the Executive Director of the Ashbrook Center, after reviewing all of the Ashbrook Senior Theses for the year, will select one or more theses for the Charles Parton Award, named in honor of the Center’s second Executive Director and the man who began the thesis program. The winning theses will be published by the Center and will appear on the Center’s web site.