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Writing a thesis as part of your master’s degree allows you
to practice what professionals in the field do—design a project,
collect information, read extensively, perhaps design an experimental
element, and write your conclusions for a professional audience.
In a thesis, you embark on extended research and develop your own,
presumably publishable, ideas about writing, rhetoric, or literature.
The department envisages such theses as extensive and engaged (50
or more pages) discussions of some segment of English studies that
you have defined and delineated. Because of the advanced nature
of the enterprise, a thesis should not be taken on lightly or unadvisedly.
It is a rigorous process that demands a sustained commitment from
the candidate. The successful proposal and completion of a thesis
needs considerable preparation and intellectual thought.
If you decide to write a thesis, there
are a number of steps you need to a follow as discussed below.
In addition, you should consult
VCU’s official handbook for theses, Thesis and Dissertation
Manual, available from the School of Graduate Studies at http://www.graduate.vcu.edu/community/thesis.html.
This handbook specifies the format and other details related to
the
physical
properties of your written project. Below, we lay out both the
process and the product in a briefer form, focused on the English
department. We do not describe here the intellectual aspects of
your project--those are the purview of the writer, director, and
committee.
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Thesis Process
1. Selecting a director
Writing a thesis requires that you match
your interests—in
methodology and in subject—with those of a faculty member
who will serve as director. As you begin to articulate the project,
you should be engaged in preliminary discussions with potential
directors. You must design a thesis with abilities and expertise
of the department in mind; that is, a thesis on Chinese translations
is probably inappropriate in this department. It is your responsibility
to reach agreement with an advisor, although the Director of the
MA will consult with you should you have questions.
2. Prospectus
At the beginning of your project, you
should submit to your director a brief (one to two page) proposal
with a bibliography. The prospectus
should describe the scope and methodology of the project, detail
the specific issues or questions it engages, and suggest the preliminary
conclusions reached. While, like any intellectual project, some
aspects of the thesis may change in the course of your investigation,
the prospectus should provide a clear sense of your project’s
purpose, relevance, and organization. The bibliography serves an
equally important role, for it demonstrates your conversance with
related work in the field, indicates the breadth of your preparation,
and, typically, reveals your methodology or theoretical orientation.
The bibliography should follow either MLA or Chicago documentation
style.
When your director has approved the prospectus, forward it to
the Director of the MA, who will forward it to the MA Committee.
Care should be taken with the prospectus; it represents your intellectual
plans to the Director of the MA and the MA Committee and will be
carefully scrutinized. Frequently, the MA Committee will suggest
revisions to or request further information regarding the prospectus.
Once the MA Committee has approved the prospectus, you will be
permitted to enroll for thesis credit. Provide enough time in the
planning process to organize your thoughts and fully prepare a
prospectus. Also, it is advisable to submit thesis proposals for
the fall before the end of the previous spring semester. You may
encounter difficulty in waiting until summer to have your prospectus
approved.
3. Enrollment for thesis credit
Use the 798-799 rubric to enroll for
three to six hours of thesis credit. You will need a signed course
permission override card
to register. It may be useful to you to think about a thesis as
a two-semester commitment—use the first semester to read,
research and draft the thesis, and the second semester to polish
and revise the final document.
4. Identification of thesis committee
In addition to the thesis director, each candidate must have a
thesis committee consisting of at least two readers from the department
and at least one reader from outside the department. You must submit
the committee list to the MA Committee for approval. Normally,
your director will consult with you about the committee. At least
three months before you plan to finish your thesis (that is, October
1 in the fall, February 1 in the spring, May 1 in the summer),
you should have identified a thesis committee and had that committee
approved by the MA committee.
5. Working with your director and thesis committee
The director of your thesis will be your primary advisor for the
project; nevertheless, you need to contact the other members of
your committee throughout the thesis process. Each director has
his or her own way or working, but you might be aware of usual
procedures related to the drafting of the document. Typically,
you present drafts of the thesis to your director. It may be advisable
to establish a schedule early in this process to ensure the work
can be completed within the time allotted. When you and your director
think you are beginning to have a finished project, or sections
of the project, you give those more advanced drafts to each of
your readers for commentary and advice. Some readers will want
to see early stages of the project; most will not. Most reader
prefer to have at least two weeks to comment and reflect upon your
work. However, do not simply provide a draft of your thesis to
your readers two weeks before you wish to defend; these readers
and their expertise are central to your work. Stay in contact with
them and expect them to provide additional insight and suggestions
for revision throughout the project. After you receive initial
responses to your draft(s), you should have sufficient time to
revise and redistribute your thesis prior to the defense. Note
that this part of the process, like the thesis project itself,
is greatly facilitated by careful planning on the part of the candidate.
6. Defense of the thesis
Your defense is an opportunity for you,
your committee, and your colleagues to discuss the thesis, to
offer additional suggestions,
and to interrogate your arguments. The School of Graduate Studies
specifies that the department must give official notice of a defense "to
the university community" to which the defense is open; officially,
a defense may be attended by any colleagues or faculty members
who wish. Normally, the Director of the MA provides notice of and
helps to arrange the defense. It must be scheduled at least one
week before the deadline for submission in final form to the dean’s
office. That date is determined by the university and published
in the bulletin; usually it is the last class day of the semester.
The dates November 25, April 24, and August 5 serve as good approximate
targets.
The actual format of a defense is contingent
on what you and your director agree upon. Often, the candidate
will make brief opening
remarks that explain the origins of the project. Typically, the
committee members ask the candidate specific questions about methodology,
the scope or implications of the project, and any future plans
for the thesis. Finally, members of the audience, if any, have
an opportunity to ask questions. When the committee is through
querying the candidate (after probably an hour), the candidate
and non-committee members leave the room while the committee evaluates
the candidate’s performance and thesis. This process is not
pro forma; however, if you have been working closely with your
director and committee, the defense can be a relatively pleasant
and intellectually stimulating conversation.
If, after consultation, the committee passes the candidate at
the defense and does not require significant revisions, members
will often sign the thesis approval sheet at that that time. You
must have an original approval sheet with each copy of the thesis
submitted to the University. Approval pages cannot be copied. Be
absolutely certain all titles, names and ranks are correct. See
Example A for sample. The candidate is encouraged to provide more
than the required number of approval sheets to avoid any unforeseeable
problems.
7. Submission of thesis
As of 2010, the VCU Graduate School no longer accepts manual/hard copy submission of theses and disertations. All materials must be submitted electronically per the guidelines found here:
http://www.graduate.vcu.edu/community/thesis.html
A complete checklist of of deadlines, formating rules and submission polices can be accessed at the above link.
In specific cases, the Department may request that said thesis not be released to the web for an extended period (or never). Please contact the Graduate Programs Advisor for more details.
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