RESEARCH OPTION
Research Option
Science, Technology and Culture (STAC) students may elect to add the Research Thesis Option to any STAC degree options. Students who elect to pursue this option must choose a research topic appropriate to the STAC degree and secure a tenure-track School of Literture, Communication and Culture (LCC) faculty member as their research mentor. Once the student has done this, s/he must formally declare the research option by meeting with the STAC Coordinator and filing the appropriate paperwork with the Office of Undergraduate Research.
All students who declare the Research Thesis Option will complete 6 credit hours of undergraduate research (LCC 2698, 2699, 4698, and/or 4699); 2 credit hours of advanced writing instruction (LCC 4700), and 3 credit hours of the senior thesis course (LCC 4102). Upon doing so, the student will receive the Research Thesis Option designator on his or her official transcripts.
This option is highly recommended for all students who plan to pursue graduate or professional study. It is also recommended for all students who plan to pursue careers with research components.
Download Proposed Research Plan for the STAC Degree (multiple tracks) as:
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.pdf
Download Certificate of Research Option Approval as:
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.doc | .pdf
LCC 4102 - Senior Thesis
The undergraduate thesis should reflect a genuine student interest in an area or grow out of previous efforts in other STAC courses. It should also follow consultation with the student's advisor, who is usually best placed to know if the student is ready for longer, sustained independent research, and who can help the student understand the nature of such projects.
While the undergraduate thesis is not intended to result in the creation of a totally original contribution to cultural studies, it should represent the student's own carefully formulated approach to a subject or concern specific to STAC interests. And since the thesis writer should have senior or advanced junior standing, the project should reflect an advanced understanding of key critical concerns surrounding cultural or media studies. More specifically, the thesis should identify a problem or issue that merits exploration from a vantage developed within the STAC curriculum, and it should attempt, through substantial independent research, to shed light on that problem or issue, provide analysis of key texts involved, or assess reactions to or the impact of that problem or issue.
The first step in thesis work is the student`s. He or she should approach a faculty member whose interests clearly lie within the area to be explored. If that faculty member is willing, he or she will serve as the thesis advisor, primary reader, and instructor of record for that section of LCC 4102 (in addition to his or her normal course load). The student should then submit to the Undergraduate Coordinator a thesis proposal, indicating which professor will be directing the project, the topic, and the student's understanding of the thesis protocol. Through weekly or biweekly meetings (arranged according to the instructor's availability) the thesis advisor will: help the student focus the thesis problem, suggest key texts for possible analysis, suggest initial steps in researching the subject, and provide systematic feedback on the direction of the research and/or analysis. The advisor should expect to provide two full readings of the thesis, one several weeks before the term`s end to provide a last round of suggestions for revision, and the other during Dead Week or Finals Week to make a final assessment. The thesis advisor might recommend an additional reader early in the process, particularly if the subject would benefit from the expertise of another faculty member. However, the final reading of the thesis and grade for the paper and course are solely the responsibility of the instructor of record.
In sum, the senior thesis should be work that is consistent with the concerns of the STAC major. It should demonstrate a variety of skills gained through the course of undergraduate study, including an ability to do substantial independent research, a facility at close textual and cultural analysis, an ability to marshal appropriate types of evidence in support of a reasonably sophisticated argument about cultural practices, and a clear writing style. On completion, the typical undergraduate thesis should be in the range of 25-35 typed, double-spaced pages, inclusive of citational apparatus (Notes, Bibliography); it should have a title page indicating title, author's name, thesis advisor's name, and submission date; and it should be submitted in duplicate (one copy for reading/commentary and one for departmental archiving). Theses having substantial digital or material components should include a cd-rom of the project for archival purposes and have a standard written component (as outlined above) that, when combined with the digital or material element, reflects labor equal to the typical 25-35 page length.
Download Thesis Protocol as:.pdf