Honors in American Studies
SENIOR THESIS
Candidates for Honors in American Studies must complete and receive honors on a senior thesis. Prospective thesis writers must hold at least an A- (3.7) GPA in the major, both at the time of application and by the end of the Spring semester junior year. American Studies does not require the completion of Gen Ed expectations in order to be eligible for departmental honors.
During their senior year, thesis writers enroll in a senior thesis tutorial with a thesis advisor (AMST 409 in the Fall and AMST 410 in the Spring). In American Studies, the thesis is typically 75 pages in length, inclusive of notes and bibliography. The honors thesis is due in mid-April on a date specified by the Registrar’s Office.
Two faculty readers other than the thesis advisor evaluate the thesis; each writes a substantive review of the project that is later given to the thesis writer. The readers remain anonymous to the writer, and their recommendations determine the honors ranking. If the evaluators’ recommendations are in conflict, the department will arrange for a third faculty reading. If a senior receives “Honors” or “High Honors” on the thesis, this is printed on the Wesleyan diploma and is listed in the commencement bulletin. If the readers recommend “Credit” rather than honors for the thesis, “Honors in American Studies” is not awarded.
SENIOR ESSAYS
Semester-long senior essays (tutorials AMST 403 in the Fall or AMST 404 in the Spring) fulfill the senior capstone requirement, but they do not qualify a student to stand for “Honors in American Studies.” The advisor is the sole reader of the essay, determines the due date, and assigns the grade. In American Studies, the essay is typically 30 pages in length, inclusive of notes and bibliography.
FOR PROSPECTIVE AMERICAN STUDIES THESIS WRITERS
Junior AMST majors who are interested in completing a senior thesis must submit a research application to the Chair by the last Friday of March, at 5pm ET via email. Proposals will be reviewed by all AMST faculty. If revisions are required, the student will be contacted. Approval is not guaranteed and is dependent upon the quality and feasibility of the proposal.
The thesis application should set out what you want to do, how you hope to do it, and why it is worth doing. It should also make clear that you have done the necessary preliminary research to embark on a successful independent research project. Thus, consider how your project builds on and contributes to scholarly knowledge in your chosen area. The proposal should demonstrate that you have thought through the practicality and feasibility of your project plan. Because of the nature of research, it is likely that projects may shift from original plans, so consider the proposal as a statement not only of what research you plan to undertake, but also as an opportunity to formulate your understanding of a problem needing scholarly attention.
Advancing a specific argument or thesis at this stage would be inappropriate and premature. Instead, you should indicate some of the questions you will be asking and how you plan to conduct research to answer them, i.e., what sources and evidence will you consult.
If you have not identified a prospective advisor, the AMST faculty will make every effort to help you find one. However, we cannot guarantee that faculty will be available to advise every proposal. We encourage you to draft a proposal before you contact the faculty member with whom you would like to work. This kind of preparation shows forethought and organization. Faculty advisors will not be assigned or confirmed until after all proposals have been assessed by the department.
While the AMST faculty have established a deadline of the last Friday of March for submission of thesis proposals, please note that if you wish to apply for a university grant, such as a Davenport Grant (if your project deals with social/public affairs) or an Olin Fellowship (if your project is a literary study), the deadlines may be earlier. Please also note that the American Studies Department has its own funding for thesis work in support of majors in AMST. Check the websites for these different opportunities if you wish to apply for funding.
For additional information, see the FAQs for Juniors Considering a Senior Thesis in American Studies.
HUMAN SUBJECTS & IRB APPROVAL
If you plan to conduct research that includes human subjects, please note that you must clear your proposal with the campus Institutional Review Board (IRB) prior to conducting that research. The purpose of an IRB is to provide a comprehensive standard of protection for human subjects in research.
In this context, as stated on the Wesleyan IRB site, “research” is defined as “any systematic investigation designed to contribute to a body of generalized public knowledge,” and the use of “human subjects” refers to “data collection through interaction with individuals or the collection of identifiable private information about individuals.” See the website for more information and deadlines: http://www.wesleyan.edu/acaf/support/reviewboard.html.
PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS
Send proposals via email, formatted as Word documents, to the Chair of American Studies, by 5 pm (ET) on the last Friday of March.
Please name the proposal file with your surname, for example, Vasquez_AMST Thesis Proposal.
Format
0. Tentative Title
1. Introduction: In one paragraph, explain what you want to do, how, and why. Why does this research matter?
2. Background:
a. Research Location(s): Identify the research site (a specific locale, institution, etc.) or cultural texts (non-fiction literature, films, television, song lyrics, blog sites, etc.) and describe the historical and contemporary factors relating to this site or material that are relevant to your research. What will your research add to our knowledge of this subject?
b. Literature Review: What have others written about your topic and/or area? Given what has already been written, why is your research important? What will it contribute to our knowledge, both within American Studies and within related fields of scholarly interest? Are there debates in the literature to which your research will contribute? Does your research test out old assumptions and/or take ideas in a new direction? Discuss comparable studies and explain how your research is similar to or different from them. If there is limited work in your chosen area, consider whether there are similar processes occurring in other realms of scholarly inquiry. In short, explain how your research will expand on existing ideas and how it promises to advance our understanding of the world or a particular problematic. This is also the place to state the main research questions guiding your work.
3. Methods:
a. What methods will you use? To get what sort of information? How will your methodology produce information that you can link into an argument or description? Will your methods provide cross-checks on one another, or multiple ways to understand your research site or topic?
b. Analysis: Be sure you indicate not only what you want to find out and how you will go about it, but also how you plan to make sense of what you discover. How are you going to organize the material you learn? What tools will you use to analyze the information gathered? Make sure to explain how you will gather the contextual information (background, regional history, other necessary social or political context) needed to support the more specific argument you hope to make.
4. Results: What kind of results do you expect from your research? If all goes well, what do you think your research will contribute? What kind of study do you plan to produce?
5. Preparation:
a. Coursework: What courses have you taken that have prepared you for this project? Provide a list and overall summary of the ideas, concepts, texts, and methods that you have learned during your time in the major, and how this training will position you to conduct your project with responsibility and insight. Students must have taken at least one course demonstrating their intended method in order to pursue it in their senior thesis.
b. Preliminary Bibliography: Make sure to provide a thorough list of sources you have consulted for your project. This will demonstrate that you have undertaken the necessary preparation for a project of this scale and magnitude.
6. GPA Verification, Course Preparedness, and Path Toward Major Completion:
a. A screenshot of your up-to-date major certification form from Wesportal, showing all of the classes you've taken toward the major as well as those that you are currently enrolled in.
b. A list of the remaining requirements you need to complete the major and how you intend to fulfill them prior to graduation.