For Undergraduates

Senior Thesis

The senior thesis is an excellent way for students to prepare for graduate work in anthropology or related fields. It can also provide a means of pursuing special interests not covered in the traditional curriculum.

It is an opportunity available to senior anthropology majors seeking an opportunity for independent study and the development of skills in research, analysis, and writing. The project normally involves both semesters of the senior year, and counts as two successive three-credit courses. The student selects a faculty member from the Department of Anthropology to direct the thesis. The topic is chosen by the student; however, it is subject to approval by the director. You can examine senior theses completed in previous years in the anthropology conference/reading room (621 Flanner).

The senior thesis should not be undertaken lightly, however. The Department asks for the student's full commitment and best work in the thesis enterprise.

These guidelines are minimum standards. The actual requirements will be determined by the thesis director.

The Faculty Director

The faculty director and the student preparing the thesis will meet regularly for purposes of discussion, guidance, and evaluation during all phases of the undertaking leading to the completion of the final text and its defense. The student should approach a potential thesis director in the spring of the junior year with a concrete idea for a thesis so that planning may begin in advance.

Components of the Thesis

The topic for a senior thesis may arise from any area or subarea of anthropological interest and should contain the following general components:

  1. an empirical basis, drawing on data collected through fieldwork observation, laboratory analysis, survey, interview, archival records, or other recognized sources;
  2. a theoretical elaboration of the thesis within the context of the relevant literature within the discipline;
  3. a description of methodology along with critical reflection on its practical application in this study;
  4. a presentation of findings and a discussion of their significance;
  5. a summary conclusion integrating the multiple elements of the study;
  6. a bibliography or list of references cited, of sufficient length and quality to show the student's mastery of the relevant literature.
  7. a 250-word abstract, to be placed on the departmental website.

While the preparation of the thesis, including the gathering of material and the drafting of preliminary versions, depends on the student's capacity for independent work, a successful thesis depends on active collaboration with the faculty director throughout the process.

Course Credit for Thesis

The traditional senior thesis is done as two successive 3-credit classes throughout the senior year (for a total of 6 credits). It is also possible for a student to complete the senior thesis with a 3-credit class in the second semester of the senior year. In these cases, it is expected that the student will have been involved in a research project that included either a directed readings or directed research course of at least 3 credits prior to the second semester of the senior year. The senior thesis would then grow out of the directed readings or research class.

Expectations

The senior thesis should represent the student's original contribution to anthropological literature and should be of potentially publishable quality. Theses typically run approximately 40 to 100 pages in length, though ultimately quality, not length, is the most important issue. Some students may prepare a conference poster session in tandem with a shorter thesis, while others (for example, someone doing a narrative ethnography) may find an even longer format appropriate. Ultimately, the thesis director and the student work out the most appropriate length and medium to suit the topic.

Second Readers

The student and faculty director may select a second reader from within or outside of the Department of Anthropology to provide a complementary perspective. If there is a second reader, he or she should be given ample time to read the thesis carefully and offer considered suggestions for revision.

Research Colloquium

Students completing the senior thesis may be invited to present their work in a research colloquium attended by departmental faculty and junior honors students, as well as fellow senior thesis writers. A 12-15 minute presentation in these circumstances, accompanying the departmental research exposition, provides further experience in professional anthropology.

Copies of theses are kept in the department library for future reference.

Thesis Guidelines Handout
You may print the THESIS GUIDELINES PDF for your reference or pick up a copy in the department.