The
senior thesis is the most substantial piece of scholarly writing that
an
undergraduate can undertake. It should develop a clear and original
argument
and be of near-publishable quality; in fact, some theses have been
published as
articles in scholarly journals. Theses
are normally 40-50 pages in length and include an abstract, footnotes,
and a
bibliography. Ideally, they are based
on research into primary materials, though the choice of topic may
dictate
otherwise. A substantial
historiographical essay is thus also a possibility, in which case
secondary
materials form the principle focus.
Outstanding
students who are considering applying to graduate school in history
(see below)
are especially encouraged to write a senior thesis.
But doing a thesis is also a valuable experience for outstanding
students who love history but have chosen other career paths. A completed senior thesis can serve as a
superb writing sample for future employers and graduate schools in all
fields. It stands as a clear
demonstration of a student’s seriousness of purpose and proven
excellence. Moreover, a history major who
becomes a
lawyer or a doctor or a diplomat may never have another opportunity to
immerse
himself or herself in the past and grapple with a significant
historical
problem.
Students
who want to write a senior thesis normally follow these steps:
1) Preparation
Prospective thesis students should take
their seminar (3930) during their junior year. The seminar is an ideal
setting
for getting to know a professor more closely than usual.
Indeed, thesis topics often spring from
these research-based courses. Taking
the seminar thus allows a student to begin developing research skills,
identifying potential thesis topics, and discussing options with
professors. Identifying a topic is a
very important part of the process.
While professors will assist students, it is up to student to
find a
topic that:
a) will maintain their
interest for two or
more semesters;
b) will enable the student
to make a
contribution to our understanding of history;
c) has a manageable scope.
Students
who are well advanced in this process should apply to the University
Scholars
Program (which pays $2500 over the summer to do research with a faculty
mentor)
and for departmental research awards in the spring of the junior year.
2) Advising
The thesis is undertaken under the
direction of a faculty member in the department. It
is the student’s responsibility to identify an advisor.
Professors are not likely to accept students
whom they have not had in an upper-division course.
Please note that a thesis supervisor must be a regular,
tenure-track member of the department and not a teaching assistant or
an
adjunct professor. Once a faculty
member has agreed to supervise the thesis, the student and the
professor will
work together to refine the topic.
3) Registration
Once a supervisor has been identified,
students should see Linda Opper in the History Department Office to
sign up for
HIS 4970. Thesis students should be
enrolled in four hours of HIS 4970 over the course of two semesters. Students writing a thesis are strongly
encouraged to take a lighter-than-usual course load because of the
intense
nature of the research and writing processes.
4) Research
Begin conducting research the semester
or summer before officially enrolled for HIS 4970.
Build a bibliography of both primary sources and secondary
sources (consider purchasing a bibliographic software like ProCite or
Endnote
to organize notes). This may require
working with the Inter-Library Loan Department and/or preparing to
travel to
libraries and archives outside Gainesville.
Students will conduct the bulk of the research (in both the
documents
and the secondary literature) during the first semester for which they
are
enrolled in HIS 4970. To facilitate the
research process, students should identify a set of research questions,
work to
familiarize themselves thoroughly with the existing scholarship on the
topic,
and begin to formulate an argument.
Regular consultation with one’s supervisor also helps keep
research on
track and productive. Students should
be both thorough and extremely careful taking notes to avoid plagiarism.
6) Writing Writing
ideally takes place concurrently with
research. Keeping a research journal
and beginning to outline helps bring the project into focus. Writing in earnest should begin toward the
end of the first semester. Begin
writing even if the research seems incomplete.
Most students will have never written a paper longer than 15-20
pages,
so it is critical to make steady progress.
Students should work with their supervisors to come up with a
writing schedule
that leaves plenty of time for the revision process.
Most supervisors will want to read individual chapters or
sections as well as one complete draft of the thesis.
Theses are unlikely to be awarded highest honors unless they
have
undergone significant revision and are extremely polished.
Follow the writing format of the Chicago
Manual of Style (or its abridged version known as “Turabian”). Use footnotes, rather than endnotes or
MLA-style citations, to identify sources and develop secondary points
that do
not need to appear in the main body of the thesis.
7) Final copy Once the thesis is
written and closely proofread, organize it with the following sections:
a) title page
b) mandatory abstract form
c) acknowledgements
(optional)
d) table of contents
e) approximately 40 pages of text
including an
introduction (that lays out the topic and research problem,
presents the
argument, and situates the thesis within the existing literature),
chapters or
sections, and a conclusion
f) a comprehensive bibliography
with primary and
secondary sources listed separately
Number
the pages and have the thesis bound.
8) Submission There are two ways
to submit a thesis, depending on whether the supervisor believes it
should be
considered for highest honors.
If
the student completes the thesis to the satisfaction of the supervisor,
but the
supervisor believes it is not competitive for highest honors, then two
copies
of the final draft are due on the last day of classes (usually a
Wednesday). One bound
copy must be submitted to the Department of History office,
the other unbound copy to the Academic
Advising Center.
If
the supervisor believes the thesis is worthy of consideration for
highest
honors, then the student must submit five bound copies
fourteen days before
the last day of classes so the Undergraduate Committee has sufficient
time to
read all submitted theses. The
Undergraduate
Coordinator will inform the student and the supervisor by the last day
of
classes whether the thesis has been awarded high honors or highest
honors. On the last day of class the
student must
also submit an unbound copy to the
Academic Advising Center.