The Department of English strongly encourages all undergraduates to consider completing a senior thesis under the direction of a faculty advisor(s). Undergraduate theses may involve:
- The drafting of a scholarly research paper.
- The production of a novel, set of short stories, or collection of poems.
- The analysis of narratives and/or other qualitative data collected from a particular cultural or regional community.
- The creation of a digital media artifact.
Indeed, because of the wide variety of creative and scholarly work undertaken by our 100+ faculty members, our undergraduates have the opportunity to compose theses on a seemingly endless array of topics, in a seemingly endless array of forms.
The thesis acts as a capstone experience for our undergraduates: it allows them to explore issues of personal, scholarly, cultural, historical and/or creative importance; to solve complex problems using the knowledge and skills they have gained throughout their undergraduate careers, and to produce new knowledge and new solutions that reflect their unique perspectives, talents and abilities. Students who complete a thesis graduate either "with research distinction" or "with honors research distinction;" while the latter phrasing is used for students who are members of the Arts and Sciences Honors Program, all students are encouraged to complete a thesis regardless of their honors status.
For some students, the process of developing and completing a thesis project may seem a bit daunting at first; however, the following steps are designed to make this process manageable and to outline how students typically proceed. In addition to reading the information below, students interested in completing a thesis are encouraged to make an appointment and advisor. We can help students think through possible thesis topics, locate potential faculty advisors, and complete the appropriate thesis paperwork