European Studies Honors

The Thesis Proposal

Students wishing to pursue an independent project as an honors thesis will submit a proposal in spring of their junior year by a date announced by the Chair. The proposal will be evaluated by a committee of faculty. If approved, they will assign a thesis advisor for the student.  

Possible approaches for the senior thesis project include comparative literary studies, interdisciplinary work in history, sociology, philosophy, political science, economics, performance studies, visual arts, architecture or music involving one or more European countries. Students are encouraged to take a relevant methods class fitting their research approach (such as HIST-301 or SOCI-315), which, with permission from the EUST chair may count toward the major’s eight courses.

Most thesis proposals are 2-3 pages long. The proposal should describe your topic and the questions that will guide your project.  Explain what draws you to it, summarize the thesis claim or argument that you think you want to make, and describe the kind of research you expect your project will entail. You also should include a preliminary bibliography of creative and critical works you want to consider. Consider meeting with a subject librarian and/or a consultant at the writing center as you are developing your thesis proposal.

Writing the Thesis

If the proposal is approved, the student will take one thesis research course in the first semester of the senior year, and another in the final semester. Students may designate the research course of the final semester as a double course (EUST 499D), in which case the total number of courses required to complete the major becomes nine. The thesis will be due on a date in the spring semester as announced by the chair. Following the submission of the thesis, the student will discuss their work with a committee of three European Studies faculty members who will make a recommendation for honors.

Students may be recommended for Program honors only if they complete a thesis.