The research and writing of a senior thesis is a capstone experience for a major in sociology. Since the thesis demands a great deal of independent thought and expression, it is a fitting culmination to your undergraduate education. More than any other project you have undertaken, the senior thesis will be your work. Most importantly, it is your choice as to how seriously you take the responsibility for research and writing. Your advisor may inspire, guide, cajole and threaten, but you must ultimately make the commitment to excellence for yourself. You have chosen a major that requires that you will be able to someday say that the thesis was your best work.

The information that follows will provide guidance regarding the rules for writing your thesis.

The selection of a topic need not be a painful experience if you recognize several key facts:

1. Virtually no topic springs full-grown or perfectly formed from the head of the advisee in May of their Junior year. Usually, the basic idea comes first, followed by gradual refinements that may take hours, days, or weeks to develop. The objective should be to have a well-defined topic before you return to campus in September of your senior year.

2. Union students have written on an array of subjects over the years. About fifty of the better theses are available in the department office.

3. One of the best ways to start your search for a thesis topic is to think about your interests and social concerns. If your interests and concerns coincide with a topic relevant to sociology, then you have a natural starting point. Something in your own background may provide you with a topic you care enough about to want to investigate in depth.

4. Another thing you consider when choosing a topic is to think about the kind of research methods you wish to use, such as questionnaire survey, in-depth interviews, participant observation, content analysis, case study, etc.

II. Your Advisor

Advisors are selected on the basis of thesis topic, department scheduling and individual faculty expertise. Students may wish to consult with individual department faculty regarding the selection of their advisor. Advisors and the advisees should meet weekly to discuss the work in progress.

How to begin depends upon several factors: (1) how much you already know, and (2) what your advisor expects of you. Obviously if you have already written a seminar paper on the general topic of your thesis, you will have fewer start-up problems. Once you have an idea for a topic, your advisor can suggest readings over the summer. (If this is the case, try to stick to the program. Often students begin with the good intentions but lose their focus once summer jobs and recreations become a reality.) Remember, however, that you will have to do the preparatory work sooner or later.

No matter what kind of thesis you are writing, the preliminary work should help to clarify your objectives and/or refine the hypothesis you hope to test. The Sociology faculty urges you to recognize that your research must be grounded in the work of scholars who have gone before you. So take your bibliographic work and background reading seriously.

The Department is unanimous in its insistence upon well-written theses. By this point, you have presumably learned enough about how to write that we should not have to reiterate the basics of grammar, punctuation, paragraph structure and spelling. And yet, each year we see drafts of chapters that are unworthy of a literate Union College graduate. We will require you to rewrite until such time as you have met the standards we expect. Quality of exposition reflects quality of mind and will be a factor in determining the grade assigned to the thesis. Each advisee weighs this factor as he/she sees fit. It is not, however, your advisor’s job to proofread your work for the most elementary errors. You must accept that responsibility. In some cases, if the draft is excessively error-laden, your advisor may return it without reading it. If you do not know how to use it now, learn how to use word-processing software soon. It will be of immense help to you in rewriting. Regarding bibliography, you should get a copy of the booklet “A Short Guide for Bibliography” from the Writing Center.

Many resources are available to you as you proceed with your project. Schaffer Library’s reference collection periodicals collection and government document holdings are quite substantial. Interlibrary loan is almost guaranteed to get you what you need in a matter of days. Computing facilities are excellent, including the Statistical Lab in the basement of the Social Sciences building, and many data files are available to you. Pay a visit to the library; the databases available there should yield a wealth of resources on your topic. Start early because Schaffer Library may not have on the shelves all the materials that you require.

Union is not, however a research university, and our library has its limits. Do not hesitate to ask the Reference Librarians for help. Of particular interest will be the computer database searches in the major bibliographical indexes (such as P.A.1.S. and Social Sciences Index). A form is available that will allow you to check out books for your thesis research for longer periods of time.

1. The faculty advisor should not allow any advisee to receive the grade of P (Pass) at the end of the first term of the thesis work unless a significant amount of work has actually been completed. Chapter one must be completed during the first time in to get a ‘P’ grade.

2. The deadline for submission of the final grading copy of the thesis is set by the department, and approval for an exception must be granted by the department chair. Failure to meet this deadline--which is likely to be the last day of classes in the second term of work--results in a grading penalty. Oral defenses are typically scheduled at the end of the term and finals week.

In general, the final grade reflects three categories: (1) the written document, (2) the oral defense and (3) the effort and overall work experience.

Grades are largely based upon the quality of the final product, but advisors factor in the behavior of the advisee in terms of responsiveness to suggestion, demonstration of initiative and independence, and ability to meet deadlines. An oral defense of the thesis, after completion of written work, will also be factored into the final grade.

A Grade. Clear thesis (argument or analysis), organization, and continuity. Detailed understanding of the problem; sound organization; few or no mechanical mistakes; clear, unambiguous sentences, perhaps with a touch of elegance--in the best A papers, a lively and intelligent voice seems to speak; it has something interesting to say, says it clearly and gracefully to an appropriate audience, and supports the thesis fully.

B Grade. Probably some minor mechanical errors but no major ones; slightly awkward style at times; ideas that are reasonable and are anchored in the text--thought has obviously gone into the paper; it is solid but not striking; the writer has a definite point to make and makes it in an organized and competent way, and to a definite audience; the paper is good but not great.

C Grade. A weak, fuzzy thesis (argument) and/or perhaps even illogical arguments; a certain amount of confusion about what the text at hand actually says; many minor mechanical errors and perhaps some major ones (such as incomplete sentences); example given for their own sake or just to demonstrate that the writer has read the texts (i.e., a book report), not to develop a point; organization rambles or disappears, words are misused, diction is inconsistent; proofreading is weak; the intended audience is unclear--there are some ideas there, but the writer needs help and work to make them clear to another reader. Poor effort is also a factor.

D Grade. Thesis (argument and analysis) missing; major mechanical problems; poor organization; serious misreading of texts and articles; stretches in which the writer simply gives a narrative account of a text for no apparent purpose; the paper is much shorter than the assigned length--the writer doesn’t really have a point to make and has serious problems in writing and reading at an appropriate level. Especially poor effort also results in a D grade.

F Grade. The paper shows general weaknesses even graver than those of a D paper.

VII. Funding

A major source of support for thesis research in recent years has been the Internal Education Fund (IEF), which provides small grants (on the average of a few hundred dollars) to students undertaking projects that cannot be completed without funding. In recent years, IEF money has been used to fund travel to archives or areas where research is to be done, data acquisition, postage, copying costs, and various other activities. The competition for funding (and it is competitive) occurs during the Fall term. Watch for notices in Concordiensis or consult your advisor. The Sociology Department does not have its own funding for senior thesis research.

VIII. Interdepartmental work

If you are an interdepartmental major, you write an interdepartmental thesis; you will have two advisors—one for each department. Encourage dialogue between your advisors, and make sure early on that your topic satisfies them both.

An oral defense of the thesis is held after you have submitted the final typed copy. These exams are customarily held at the end of winter term for those who write a Fall-Winter thesis. Your thesis advisor and a second examiner, who is usually another member of the Sociology department, are present at the defense. Oral defenses are usually 30 minutes in duration and are based primarily upon your thesis, but may address related matters in Sociology. Students prepare a brief summary of their thesis, after which questions are asked by the two-person faculty panel.

Senior Thesis Checklist

For the First Term

Recommended

1. First two weeks of term complete:

a. Starter Bibliography

b. Thesis proposal (revised)

c. For ID majors, arrange a meeting between your two thesis advisors.

2. For those wishing IEF funding for their research, complete an IEF proposal by (approximately) the 4^th week (watch the Concordiensis for a notice of the application due date).

3. Go to the Writing Center for its guide to “Writing a Term Paper/Thesis.” The booklet will instruct you on different systems of citation.

4. Let the Writing Center help you improve the quality of your writing. Your thesis will also be graded on writing quality.

5. Plan (over both terms) to hand in to your advisor new written work on your thesis each week.

6. Set up an appointment schedule (weekly, bi – weekly, bi-monthly) for meeting with your thesis advisor(s).

7. Write an abstract for NCUR, if advisor recommends you. Watch Concordiensis for NCUR abstract due date.

Required

1. You must meet regularly (and hand in written material) with your primary advisor. It is up to you to check with the secondary advisor (for ID majors) regarding meeting and thesis requirements.

2. By the end of the first term (for a passing grade), you must complete:

a. One chapter, typed and with references cited properly.

b. For students doing research (outside the library): a completed questionnaire, interview schedule, observation schedule, etc.

3. Submit research request for committee for research on human subjects (application in Dean Borst’s office).

For the Second Term

Recommended

1. Maintain a regular meeting schedule with thesis advisors.

2. Submit new written work weekly.

3. Locate (in library, or in the department) an example of a completed thesis to guide the writing of your final draft.

4. Submit your abstract to Steinmetz (see Concordiensis for details).

Required

1. By the third week, check with your thesis advisor to establish if you are eligible for Honors.

2. End of the 9^th week, the completed thesis is due.

3. The thesis should at least include (see theses examples in Sociology Office):

a. Abstract.

b. Title Page

c. Table of Contents

d. The body of the thesis divided into chapters

e. References/Bibliography

f. Appendixes (optional)

4. Along with your thesis, you must submit at least a second thesis abstract for the second advisor. Majors and especially ID majors should be aware that the second advisor may also want a copy of the thesis. You are responsible for finding out if your second advisor wants a copy of your thesis.

5. On the day that you submit your thesis, you should use e-mail to set up a date for the thesis defense. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that the advisor and second examiner are at his/her defense. The defense is normally held during the 11^th week of the term, during finals week.

6. Your thesis defense will include the following:

a. Your 4-5 minute summary of the thesis.

b. Questions from each advisor about 1) the thesis; 2) relevant sociological theory; and 3) future research.

The defense usually last 30 minutes.

This “Senior Thesis Check List” is a general guide to what you should (“recommended”) and must (“required”) do to fulfill the Sociology Department’s senior thesis requirement. Your primary departmental advisor has the prerogative to make any modifications in, or additions to, the “recommended” items. Changes can sometimes be made (with departmental approval) in the “required” items.

This check list does not apply to your other department (if you are an ID major); ID majors should consult with their other department regarding its senior thesis requirements.

EXTENDED LOAN (formerly called Thesis Loan Contracts)
Normally, books circulate for three weeks. Seniors who are working on their theses or senior projects, however, may elect to charge out books on their topics for the duration of their research projects. Extended Loan contracts (formerly called Thesis Loan Contracts), which must be co-signed by your adviser, are available at the Circulation Desk, and to avoid problems with overdue notices and fines, please make it clear at the outset that you are requesting an "extended loan," whenever you charge out materials. Books checked out on thesis loan are still subject to recall if others need them, and the thesis loan privilege cannot under any circumstances be extended to include books obtained from other libraries through Interlibrary Loan.