The MAPH Thesis
Students prepare the MA Thesis under the supervision of a faculty member and a preceptor. The thesis is an independent research paper on a topic chosen by the student. While the choice of topics is indeed limitless, students must obtain approval of their topic and agreement to supervise their thesis from a faculty member before beginning work on it (see Thesis Advisors below).
Although most theses are scholarly papers, students may do creative thesis projects in literature, music, or art.
The thesis should be 25-35 pages, exclusive of endnotes and bibliography. It should reflect the student's original contribution to a specific field of inquiry. While course papers may NOT be directly submitted as a thesis, such a paper could serve as the basis for the thesis project. A student may also choose to develop a topic independently, apart from her or his coursework. Students who choose this option, however, should discuss it with their preceptor and faculty advisor, and choose subsequent coursework to complement that topic. Because most of the thesis writing occurs during the winter term when the course load is the heaviest, the time available to develop independent projects (i.e. ones not related to coursework) is limited.
During the winter, students participate in a non-credit workshop with their precept group. Students exchange drafts with their peers and workshop their writing in bi-weekly to weekly sessions. In addition, preceptors are available for individual consultations as the thesis workshop progresses.
During the spring, students participate in a for credit workshop, listed in the time schedules as MAPH 30400. Preceptors divide their group into subgroups for weekly or biweekly meetings, supplementing this with individual meetings.
Thesis Advisors
To indicate that an instructor has consented to supervise the MA thesis, each student must complete an approval form (available at the MAPH office) with brief description of the project. This form must be signed by the faculty advisor and preceptor and returned to the MAPH office (Please see the calendar for a list of important dates.)
Your thesis will be graded by your faculty advisor. Your thesis grade will be recorded as the grade for MAPH 30400, the Thesis Writing Workshop, and the title will appear on your official transcript from the University.
Creative Theses
MAPH students may write a "creative" (as opposed to "academic") thesis. Those who wish to pursue a creative project must also produce a corresponding critical essay that explores and analyzes the creative part. This critical component does not have to be as long as a stand-alone thesis, but the project as a whole should represent about the same amount of work that goes into a 25-35 page scholarly essay.
Past Theses
The theses of past MAPH students are on file in our Anscombe Student Lounge. There is a directory of these papers located in binders, which are also located in the lounge. We ask that you please keep theses in the Anscombe Lounge and return them to the appropriate file when you are done with them. If you must, you may copy them in the MAPH office for 10 cents per page.
For past thesis proposals, look for a binder in the MAPH office in the early weeks of the Winter Quarter. Alternatively, you can contact the the Program Coordinator for some examples of past thesis proposals.
