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Handbook for Senior Theses

Classics majors are required to write a senior thesis that addresses a controversial interpretive question and pursues a thorough study of the relevant material, including the work of other scholars. The thesis should be approximately 30 pages long. Majors should begin work on their thesis two semesters before they plan to graduate, though they will register for the course, CLAS 495, for only one of those semesters. A seminar for thesis writers will be held in early September each year. This handbook is to serve as a general overview of departmental expectations, a list of due dates for various parts of the thesis, and some suggestions to help with various stages of the thesis, especially at the start.

The Department initiated this requirement to give its majors an academic experience that cannot easily take place within the confines of a semester course.  Most generically, a thesis is a 30-page research paper, and to students whose experience of writing is limited to the end-of-semester course paper, the prospect of a longer, more thoroughly researched effort will probably seem daunting.  It is our hope, however, to remove the dread and introduce enthusiasm and satisfaction into the project from the start.  We believe that writing is an essential academic activity, and that in the process of writing a coherent, structured thesis, our majors will read their subjects more closely, consider the ideas of others more seriously, and develop their own ideas more thoroughly, than is possible in any other way. 

What is a thesis?

The Department has two general requirements: that the thesis include research, i.e. consider the works of other scholars, and that it be about 30 pages long, i.e. take as its subject something rich enough to require an extended examination.

Neither of these requirements, however, prescribes a subject, a method, or a structure; these are left entirely to the interest of the student and the discretion of the thesis advisor.  Theses have taken several different forms in the past.  Some students lay the foundation with research, choosing to weave together the interpretations of many scholars to establish the variety of approaches before offering their opinion.  Others students work more independently and textually, building upon their own interpretations rather than upon the work of others.  Students have taken a variety of approaches—historical, sociological, cultural—to literary, historical, and topographical subjects.  One student wrote a historical, interpretive commentary on a text, with introduction and appendices.  Once a student has chosen the subject for her thesis, she should consider the best form for it, which will best serve the subject and match the student’s interests and talents.

How do I start?

Begin with a question that you care about answering.  Your ‘thesis’ (the paper) will have a ‘thesis’ (the premise on which the arguments of a paper are based), but there can be no premise, nor any arguments, before there is a question that motivates them.  Think about questions that have arisen from class discussions, or in class readings, or in other papers, or anywhere else, and find one that you believe will hold your interest for several months and many pages.

Several guidelines: first, make sure that your question is controversial.  In other words, make sure that there are various ways to approach or answer it.  This is consistent with the nature of the thesis: it is to be interpretive, not simply a report.  For example, a question such as ‘What were Roman burial customs?’ is certainly a valid starting point, but it could lend itself to a factual recounting of what is known about Roman burials.  The motivating question should aim at the interpretation of known facts or the reconstruction of unknown facts; in the case of Roman burial customs, this could address differing ways of dealing with the corpse, tomb or sarcophagus decoration, funerals for the poor, funerals in literature, etc.

Second, make sure that your question is manageable.  This may seem counterintuitive when you are looking for something to sustain 30 pages of argument, but resist the temptation to choose too broadly.  Thoroughness is to be sought—and generality to be avoided— in any paper.  As you would for a course paper, focus on something specific, and with the help of your advisor, as you write, you may broaden out from your initial question.  Interesting though it is, a general question on ‘Gods and Fate in Homer’ will almost certainly overwhelm a mere 30 pages.

Your ‘motivating question’ may not appear in question form in your paper, but your reader should be able to deduce it relatively early in your text.  A clearly articulated question/thesis will set the reader’s expectations.

For whom do I write?

This may seem like an obvious question: you are writing for the faculty members of the department who will read your thesis.  But which audience is perhaps the second most important consideration after what question.  In one sense, you are writing for the faculty members, in that your advisor, then all the faculty members, will decide the merits of your work.  But this is often a disabling assumption on the part of students.  The thought of writing for someone who ‘knows more’ can lead to a sense of writing as ‘proving’ that you know something.  Consider, then, a different audience for your work.  First, assume an audience familiar with the material under question, an audience that has read the text you are considering, or knows the basic context of the facts that you are assembling.  In other words, you do not need to retell the plot of Antigone, nor explain where Corinth is.  Second, assume an audience that is interested in your interpretation, who wants to read what you write.  A good index of such an audience might be your peers, the other members of your classes.  In fact, the faculty members are also part of that audience.  We are interested in your work, and we want to read persuasive interpretations, not ‘the right answers’.

Writing a prospectus

The first thing required of all thesis writers will be a prospectus of their thesis.  This is essentially a proposal, based on as much information as you have at the start, for the thesis that you will pursue.  The faculty will review your prospectus, approve your thesis on its basis, and offer suggestions for what follows.  Your prospectus should clarify several things: 1) the question that you will ask; 2) the material that you will use (authors, artifacts, inscriptions, etc.); 3) the method that you hope to apply to the material in answering your question; 4) any secondary sources you plan to use, either in contrast to or in support of your ideas; and if possible, 5) any preliminary conclusions.  As you can see, the prospectus requires ample preparation and thought, and it should reflect as accurately as possible the direction that your thesis will take.  Of course, as you make progress you will refine your ideas, develop new ones, find other sources, and draw different conclusions.

Organization and discipline

The elements of a thesis are fundamentally the same as the elements of any course paper, but there are a few important differences.  The most obvious difference is one of scale.  You will have taken few courses for which a paper constitutes more than 30% of your final grade; the thesis is a course unto itself, 3 credit hours and one grade for one assignment.  There is also the difference of context.  A course paper is produced within—and often sandwiched between—the other daily and weekly requirements of the course, which give the course its structure and momentum.  You will have to provide your own structure and momentum to the writing of the thesis.  And a thesis requires a different sense of finality.  Course papers are often finished on the due date, written (unfortunately) in a single draft.  Although there is an ultimate due date for the thesis, its state of completion is one that you and your director will determine based on excellence, not the calendar, and you should expect to rewrite your thesis several times.  Given these differences, we suggest that you treat your senior thesis as you would any other course: find a daily time that works well with your schedule to do your reading, to identify arguments, to take notes, to write outlines and paragraphs, etc.  And make a weekly appointment with your thesis advisor to inform her of your progress.

Working with an advisor

Though your advisor is certainly capable of doing editorial work, and will certainly help you with the craft of writing, it may be very worthwhile to visit the Writing Center as well.

Due dates and timetables

Students may sign up for CLAS 495 in the fall or the spring semester.  The thesis should be begun, however, during the fall semester and completed during the spring semester.  If CLAS 495 is taken during the fall, a grade of IP (In Progress) will be assigned and replaced by the final grade in the spring semester.  As soon as you begin the fall semester, you should indicate your general area of interest.  The assignment of your advisor will depend both on departmental areas of expertise and responsibility.  The following are general and may be changed.  Dates specific for each year will be distributed at the start of each fall semester.

Sept. 15: Prospectus due

Oct. 15: Draft of first chapter

Jan. 15: Complete first draft

March 15: Final draft

April 15: Oral defense

Bibliography and Citations

All sources used should appear in a bibliography at the end of your thesis.  Examples of the proper format for books and articles cited appears below:

For books:

   Mills, Sophie. Theseus, tragedy, and the Athenian Empire (New York:Clarendon Press, 1997)

For articles:

   Holland, Lora. ‘Pas domos erroi: Myth and Plot in Euripides’ Medea’ TAPA 133 (2003) 100-120.

When you cite a work in the body of your thesis, place the citation in a footnote and refer to the author, year, and page number.  E.g. Mills 1997:156; Holland 2003:111.  A reference librarian or your thesis advisor can help you with other types of citations if necessary.

Final copies

While it may be feasible, even prudent, to give drafts to your thesis advisor on recycled paper or as electronic attachments, for the final draft of your thesis, you should prepare a polished copy for each member of the department and distribute it to them at least one week before your oral defense.  This final copy should include a cover page with your name, the title of your thesis, and your advisor’s name.  At the bottom of the cover page, include the sentence: ‘Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of B.A. in Classics at the University of North Carolina at Asheville.’

The thesis should be double-spaced, in Times or Palatino font, with a 1-inch margin at the top and bottom and right, and a 1.25-inch left margin.  Longer quotations should be single-spaced and set apart from the main body of the text.