Thesis (Current Student (Master of Humanities))

All M.A. Humanities students must complete a final project as part of their course of study. This project may be a one-semester Master’s Project or a two-semester Master’s Thesis. Successful completion of this project is required in order to earn the degree. Below you will find policies and guidelines to help you navigate the project and thesis.

The Master’s Thesis
The Master’s Thesis is a two-semester sequence. It is designed to encourage the student to develop a depth of knowledge in a particular subject matter. The two-semester thesis is ideal for students who wish to pursue further graduate study; who wish to work in a museum, publishing, or other setting where such depth of knowledge will prove beneficial; who wish to pursue academic publishing; or who wish to challenge themselves to produce a project of such scope and magnitude. 

Successful completion of the Master’s thesis consists of the completion of two separate documents:
1) A proposal

2) A thesis
In addition, students will orally defend their work.

The Proposal
A successful proposal for the thesis will describe the project in some detail, giving readers not only a sense of the project but the confidence that the student, in conjunction with her/his director, has thoroughly thought through and already explored the thesis and scope of the proposed work. The proposal is considered a road map for the thesis; while the director and the committee expects that the project will evolve over the course of the student’s work, and thus change, the project generally adheres to what is outlined in the proposal. A proposal should be approximately 10 pages in length and should minimally consist of the following:

• A lengthy description of the project itself, with emphasis on the thesis and the three chapters being proposed. This should include broad, general discussion of the subject matter of the thesis as well as some discussion of the main thesis and goals of each chapter
• Some discussion that places the project into the context of other critical work about the subject area. This should demonstrate how this work will fit in with other works on similar subject matter. 
•  Some discussion of how the student came to the project. Students can demonstrate why this subject interests them, and how they hit upon the thesis topic. 
• A lengthy reading list of primary and critical works the student will consider and consult during the course of her/his thesis. This is a bibliography, meaning it should cast a wide net, and will likely comprise approximately one-quarter (or more) of the entire proposal. 
• Plus anything else that the student feels is relevant to the project.
   

The proposal must be approved, with signatures from the thesis director and primary reader, one month prior to the student beginning thesis work.

Students may request sample thesis proposals from the MA Humanities Program Director. 

The Thesis
The actual thesis should consist of five sections: an introduction (approximately 20 pages); three chapters (approximately 20-25 pages each); and a conclusion (approximately 6-10 pages). It is advisable for the student to think of the project as three lengthy papers, all coordinated under the same general thesis and subject area, plus a lengthy introduction and more succinct conclusion.

The introduction is designed to provide the reader of the thesis with the proper background necessary to comprehend the nature of the project, while also explaining the thesis in some detail. It should outline the main method/theory of the project and include a literature review (if relevant). The audience should be presumed to have strong knowledge of the general subject area (i.e. literary theory, media theory) but not specific expertise in the topic of the thesis. This is where the nature of the literature review comes in (i.e., the discussion of the current state of the specific field). The student should also provide some presaging of each subsequent chapter by discussing the contents of each. It is also recommended that the student attempt to place her/his project into the larger pantheon of critical studies surrounding his/her basic subject area.

Each chapter should be sustainable unto itself while also being an integrative part of the larger project as a whole. Each chapter will develop a particular thesis that will relate strongly to proving the larger overall thesis of the entire document. Students may be advised to think of each chapter as a more highly developed seminar paper from a graduate-level course.

The conclusion reiterates the main thesis and highlights each chapter accordingly, while also providing concluding remarks and observations. The conclusion may also suggest further directions for the field and research the student is conducting.

Because this is a comprehensive thesis project, students may incorporate some work from previous courses in the MA Humanities program as part of their thesis. This work needs to be adapted to fit the current project and may not constitute more than 50% of the final product.

Previous Master’s theses are on file in the John Stewart Memorial Library. Students are advised to explore what previous students have done. 
 

The Thesis Committee
The committee will consist of three members: a director and two secondary readers. One of those members must be the MA Humanities Program Director.

The director will act as the primary mentor and advisor for the student’s project. Students and project directors will meet once a week to discuss the work and monitor its progress. The director will read drafts-in-progress of the project and proffer feedback as the work develops. The director should be selected based on the primary expertise that the individual brings to the committee given the thesis subject matter. The director must be a member of the MA in Humanities graduate faculty at Wilson College.

The secondary readers should be secured at the start of the Master’s Project. They read and respond to the completed thesis in preparation for the defense, but play no formal role beyond this. One of the secondary readers need not be a Wilson faculty member, though any non-full-time Wilson faculty must be approved by the Program Director.

The MA Humanities Program Director sits on all student project committees; however, students may select any member of the humanities faculty (including the director) to chair their project.

All three readers must approve the thesis for the student, though it is the role of the project director to assign a letter grade.
 

The Defense
Who Must Attend / Who May Attend
During the semester the student is completing HUM 599, the student will conduct a defense of her/his thesis. All members of the thesis committee must be present for the defense (members can be present by electronic means if necessary).

The Director of the MA in Humanities program is also invited to the defense. However, it is not required that the Director be present for the defense to occur.

The student may also invite others to attend the defense as the student wishes, though the defense is not open to the public. These guests may attend as observers only and are not allowed to actively participate in any capacity.
 

Defense Timelines and Procedures
The defense must occur on or before the last day of classes in which the student is completing HUM 599. The defense cannot happen during the period of final exams.

Students must submit their thesis to their committee members for evaluation at least three weeks prior to the defense date.

During the defense, the members of the student’s thesis committee will pose questions on the thesis and engage the student in conversation about his/her work. This portion of the defense should last approximately 60 minutes. During this time, only committee members may ask questions of the students. All other invited persons must remain quiet. Upon concluding the defense, the students and other guests are excused, and the committee members will remain to discuss the thesis and defense. The committee will determine a “pass” or “not pass” status for the thesis at this time. The committee will also fill out the thesis evaluation forms. It is the job of the thesis director to collect these forms and pass them on to the Graduate Program Director and to inform the student of her/his “pass” or “not pass” status.
 

Following the Defense
Following the defense, the thesis director may direct the student to complete revisions on the thesis prior to determining a letter grade for HUM 599. Thus a student may receive a “pass” defense grade but still be required to revise parts of the thesis for the course letter grade. As part of the student’s final assessment, these revisions must be completed prior to the end of finals week, and the student must submit to the thesis director and the Graduate Program Director a completed (electronic) copy of the thesis no later than the last day of finals. Failure to do so will delay graduation for the student and may result in receiving a failing grade for HUM 599.

When students submit their final electronic copy of their thesis, they must utilize the thesis format found on the MA Humanities program website. 

Receiving a “Not Pass”
Should a student receive a “not pass” for the thesis defense or fail the thesis project, she/he will receive a failing grade of “F” for the HUM 599 class. The student will be allowed to re-take the HUM 598 and HUM 599 sequence in the subsequent academic year. If the second attempt is successful, the student will receive a grade of “pass” for the defense and revised grades for HUM 598 and HUM 599. If the second attempt is unsuccessful, the student will not be allowed to try again and will be academically dismissed from the program.

Timeline
Below you will find some key dates for the thesis process:

• The proposal must be completed and on file in the Graduate Program Director’s office no later than one month prior to the start of HUM 598. 
• The thesis occurs over the course of two succeeding academic semesters: Fall to Spring; Spring to full Summer; full Summer to Fall; or Spring to Fall. The January term may not be considered as part of the student’s thesis work. 
• The thesis defense must occur on or before the final day of classes during the semester in which the student is completing HUM 599. The thesis committee must receive a final draft of the thesis at least 3 weeks prior to the defense date. 
• The final thesis must be submitted electronically to the Thesis Director and the Graduate Program Director no later than the last day of final exams during the semester in which the student is completing HUM 599.

Below you will find a generic thesis timeline. This timeline is predicated on a student beginning HUM 598 in the Fall semester. This timeline can be adjusted should the student be starting the thesis in another semester.

• Draft completion of full thesis introduction: October 15.
• Draft completion of full chapter one: December 1.
• Draft completion of full chapter two: first day of the Spring semester.
• Draft completion of full chapter 3: March 1.
• Draft completion of full conclusion: the Friday prior to the start of Spring Break.
• Students must submit their thesis to their committee members for evaluation at least three weeks prior to the defense date.

Sample Master’s Projects
Anyone can explore the thesis projects of previous Wilson MA Humanities students! They are recorded in our own John Stewart Memorial Library database.