Skidmore College Department of Classics

Planning the Thesis

As early as possible, before the drop/add period in the fall of the senior year at the latest, the eligible student should consult a member of the Classics faculty about the possibility of producing a thesis. The student should make clear both the nature and scope of the project as well as the ability to execute research in this area through the submission of a piece of his or her own work on a chosen subject with enough time to register for CL371: Independent Study for the fall of the senior year. The faculty member will next meet with the other members of the department in order to reach a consensus on the merits and feasibility of the intended thesis.

If the project is approved, the student will enroll in CC371 in the fall of senior year and one member of the department will be appointed to serve as the thesis supervisor who will guide the student and evaluate his or her performance in all phases of its production. In the first meeting of student and supervisor both will draw up a preliminary reading list of primary and secondary sources for the student to explore. Meetings will continue throughout the senior year to assess the status of the project, to plan future courses of action and when appropriate, to refer the student to other available, willing members of the Skidmore faculty, whose expertise is germane to the interests of the thesis.

The preliminary reading list should, over the course of the fall, expand into an annotated bibliography whose purpose is twofold. First, it will enable both the student and the supervisor to evaluate the student's progress in researching his or her topic. Second, it will help the student sharpen the focus of the thesis in preparation for the formal proposal (see below). It is assumed that during the planning phase the bibliography will grow in breadth and depth as the student encounters additional sources.

Two weeks prior to spring registration, the student must submit to the supervisor and the department chairperson a formal proposal consisting of the following:

• the completed proposal form, signed by all relevant parties
  
• an up-to-date version of the annotated bibliography
• a brief statement of purpose. The statement of purpose will provide an overview of the thesis, describing the scholarly background, the particular focus of the student, and the projected format of the completed project