This is the second in a series of three one-semester, three-credit thesis courses. During the second semester, students will complete most foundational reading and produce extensive annotated bibliographies of works relevant to the topic of their thesis. Students will continue to develop their research questions in response to their reading.
Prerequisite: LITZ 6390: Thesis Preparation
In the second thesis semester, students will continue to develop their project in response to their reading. They will produce a detailed outline and writing schedule early in the semester, which will inform their plan for the remaining weeks. The students will submit an expanded prospectus that will demonstrate the development of their ideas resulting from their reading of both primary and, where appropriate, secondary source material. The first draft of the thesis is then begun, with the first 8000 words completed by the end of the semester.
Outline of thesis and writing schedule (due Week 2)
By Week 2 of the semester, students will have an outline of all major planned sections and subsections in the finished thesis, with estimated word counts and a loose timeline overviewing the sequence in which they plan to complete drafts of each.
Expanded Prospectus (due Week 4)
By Week 4 of the semester, students will develop a prospectus that expands upon the Thesis Application, situates the student’s argument against the core scholarship the student has recently read, and maps out the structure of the thesis. This 3 – 5 page document describes what the student wants to say in the thesis and why.
The prospectus:
● proposes the research subject, agenda, and approach;
● establishes some possible main lines of argument and perhaps an organization for the thesis;
● suggests the controlling purpose of the thesis;
● mentions the selection of the most important literary sources;
● provides an overview of relevant scholarship and criticism;
● Argues for the value, interest, and originality of the study.
Writing Sample (Due Weeks 6, 8, 12)
In the second half of the semester, the student will begin drafting the thesis itself, completing a writing sample of 8000 words by the end of the semester.
● Week 6 – First 2000 words or 15% of a translation;
● Week 8 – 4000+ words or 25% of a translation;
● Week 12 – 8000+ words or 50% of a translation.
