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EOU Students: The document below is from another teaching institution, so some information may not apply to you. Check with your professors for clarification.
The senior thesis can be the most challenging and rewarding
part of your college career. It presents an opportunity to make an independent
contribution to our knowledge of the past and understanding of the present.
This pamphlet is intended to help you derive the greatest benefit and
satisfaction from your thesis work. Read it carefully and keep it for
future reference. Honors students are not required to write a thesis, but
the Department of History stipulates that all history majors who wish
to be candidates for departmental distinction shall write a senior thesis.
The department believes that the experience of writing a thesis will
prove invaluable not only to those who plan to go on for graduate study,
but also to students who may enter any of the professions, business,
or government service. Selecting a Subject The main consideration in selecting a topic is interest,
because your subject must sustain your interest through a long period
of hard work. Do not expect your advisor to read your mind and discover
a subject that interests you. By the end of the second semester of your
junior year, you will have had an introduction to several areas of history.
Make your own preliminary search for possible thesis topics in the broad
fields you have found most appealing. The honors advisors can steer
you in the right direction in finding a thesis advisor. Then consult
the suggested members of the department who specialize in these areas.
They can advise you on the feasibility of various possibilities, but
the ultimate choice must be your own. Besides your interests there are
other factors you must take into account. Originality If possible, your thesis subject should permit you to
make an original contribution to our knowledge and understanding of
history. Although you should avoid problems that are already covered
adequately by available works, you are not automatically barred from
any subject that has been written on. You may be able to extend an investigation
begun by a previous scholar of the subject. Sometimes new material has
come to light, enabling you to improve on an earlier treatment. In rare
cases you may even be justified in going over old ground, if you can
convince your advisor that the interpretations of previous authors are
mistaken or inadequate. But your thesis must not be a rehash of well-known
information. Rather, it should show thought and imagination. Approach Your thesis must be a historical study, not a description
of current or near-current events. The two cannot really be distinguished
by setting a date when events cease to be "historical" and
become "contemporary," since some events recent in time may
be more susceptible to historical treatment than other events that are
more remote. Rather, bear in mind that the historian's enterprise involves
at least two factors. The first task is to create an accurate and dispassionate
picture of the past, which is almost impossible when events--especially
events significant enough to be controversial--are too close to us.
The historian is not interested in the past for its own sake or out
of antiquarian curiosity. The object is to seek understanding and to
appreciate the relevance of history to the continuing human experience
right into the present. The sense of the relevance of the past, which
is one of the primary objects of historical investigation, can be gained
only through perspective, and perspective can be gained only through
the passage of a greater or lesser amount of time. The most important
criterion, therefore, is whether the events in question can be treated
dispassionately and in this historical spirit. Scope It is important that you avoid the common temptation to
choose too broad or ambitious a subject. Remember that you will have
only two semesters to investigate the problem, do your research, and
write the thesis. Remember, also, that you should make some original
and significant contribution of fact or interpretation. Take your own
abilities into account, considering the amount of time it will probably
take you to write the thesis while doing your course work and fulfilling
your other obligations. The more carefully you define your subject,
the more intensively you can explore the available materials, and the
more easily you can do an outstanding piece of work. Materials One of the most important considerations in choosing a
subject is the availability of historical source materials. So far as
possible, senior theses should be based on primary materials, that is,
on records and writings contemporaneous with the events studied, as
distinguished from secondary sources, which are the writings of later
historians about these events. It is difficult to write a thesis in
medieval history if you do not read Latin, or one in Far Eastern history
if you do not read an oriental language. On this issue your advisor
can be particularly helpful, and may be able to work out a problem that
suits your linguistic abilities, or one for which all or most of the
essential source materials have already been translated from other languages.
Remember, however, that many non-English and even early English sources
are not readable without special language skills. The UIUC Library enjoys an international reputation for
the excellence of its holdings, and you have the opportunity of working
in one of the largest university libraries in the United States. The
library contains large collections of primary source materials of various
kinds. There are extensive files of American and European newspapers,
magazines, and scholarly periodicals; some of these are available in
printed form, others are on microfilm. The library has important collections
of personal correspondence, both in manuscript and on microfilm. In
addition, the library holds full collections of the published governmental
records of the United States, some of the states, especially Illinois,
and some foreign countries. There are rich collections for such areas
of history as English, Oriental, the American Civil War, and the history
of the American West. Other classes of primary sources include chronicles,
memoirs, autobiographies, travel accounts, journals, diaries, published
correspondence, and maps from various countries and periods. Some topics
might require you to go to such research centers as the Newberry Library
in Chicago, the University of Chicago Library, or the library at the
state capitol in Springfield for special kinds of material, especially
manuscript collections and newspaper files. Primary materials not held
by the UIUC library are available in small numbers through interlibrary
loan. Secondary source materials not available in the UIUC library may
be obtained through Illinet via computer terminal or through interlibrary
loan. As an honors scholar writing a thesis in the Department
of History you are entitled to a stacks pass, and early in the fall
semester you should apply for one at the Circulation Desk. You will
need a notefrom your advisor. Some scholars may want to make good use of the summer
preceding thesis writing to do background research on their problem
and to exploit special materials near their home. Make a careful survey
of the accessibility of the necessary source materials before finally
deciding on a subject. For example, an essential document that is located
in the Bodleian Library at Oxford would be very difficult to secure.
Again, your advisor can be particularly helpful with such problems. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Reading It is a good idea to begin your project by reading a few
general works that show the relation of your thesis subject to the period
in which it falls. Do not spend too much time here before moving on
to the detailed special studies and articles that will provide the basis
of your factual knowledge. At the same time, the more specialized and
technical monographs will tell you what other scholars think are the
correct interpretations of the facts. Primary sources The raw material of your thesis will come from primary
sources, and these you must find for yourself. Your advisor can suggest
standard bibliographies, and you should pay special attention to the
library holdings and to the footnotes and bibliographies in the secondary
works related to your subject. Follow up all leads until you are reasonably
certain that you have located all the pertinent material available.
Frequently, the quality of a good thesis will depend heavily on your
ingenuity in this historical detective work. As you proceed, it is advisable
to list on a separate 3x5 card every reference of possible value, including
the library call number and all the bibliographical data required for
your final bibliography. Taking notes The essence of historical research is extracting from
voluminous and scattered materials the facts that are relevant to your
topic, and equally important, recording and arranging the facts so that
they are readily usable for analysis and composition. The first test
of a good note is its availability; information buried in a hodgepodge
collection of paper means lost time and shoddy synthesis. Individual
scholars usually work out through trial and error their own methods
for taking and filing notes. But because your own research experience
is necessarily limited, you may well find it helpful toadhere to some
modification of the system suggested in the following paragraphs. Your notes should contain two things: the facts, and others'
interpretations of these facts. Your notes may be as brief as is compatible
with clarity, but remember that what seems clear when you take a note
may be ambiguous several months later when you are writing. The facts
in the sources should be summarized, unless you think you may want to
quote a certain passage verbatim in your thesis, or unless a statement
is so important that you know you will need the exact wording. Try not
to waste time making extensive notes on a well-indexed secondary source
that will be at your elbow when you write your thesis. Recording each item of information on a separate slip
or card, even when several items are found close together in the same
source, may be a good idea. (You may later decide not to use all the
information taken from a particular passage in the same place in your
own thesis.) Your note cards should be of uniform size, preferably 4
x 6 or 5 x 8, since file boxes are available in these sizes. Each note
should include a caption briefly describing its contents and a precise
reference to the source. One method of tying the note cards to their
proper bibliographic reference is to number the references and put the
reference number in one corner of each note card. As you take your notes, arrange them systematically in
a file box, with labeled index cards indicating the divisions and subdivisions.
Your arrangement may be topical or chronological or perhaps a combination
of the two. You will probably have to revise your filing system as you
go along, but you will save yourself much time and confusion by following
faithfully the best one you can devise from the outset of your research. Computers You may be planning to do all your work on a computer. If so, many software programs are available for outlining, notetaking, and writing your thesis. Check with CCSO in 1420 DCL for information on software programs available. Computers and printers are available in the computer labs all over campus.
Critical judgment When your data is all gathered, or as much is collected
as time will allow, you must face two major questions of historical
synthesis: What actually happened? What is the significance of these
events? Quite probably neither question can be answered with absolute
definiteness, but by patient, careful analysis you must try to come
as close as possible to "history as actuality." The great problem is deciding what relative weight to
attach to each happening. As someone has said, facts are not hard; they
are soft and squashy, capable of being twisted and squeezed into any
pattern. The great temptation is to force them into a predetermined
pattern. You should try, by honest thought, to recreate a picture of
the past events which you may know to be inexact in places, but which
is as nearly exact as your evidence proves, and as your intelligence
can make it. You must be constantly on your guard against unconscious
prejudices, your likes and dislikes which can distort the picture. Study
the interpretations of other scholars carefully, and try to keep your
mind open. But after you have weighed the evidence as dispassionately
as you can, do not be afraid to express your own opinion and to stand
on your own judgment. This exercise of critical judgment is, from an educational
point of view, the most important part of your work. Here you are developing
powers of criticism and of close, hard thought, honest skepticism, and,
hopefully, enthusiastic determination to approach the elusive truth.
These are the greatest benefits your thesis work can give you. Organization The problem of organization should be tackled as soon as the vague outlines of the thesis begin to take form in your mind. What are the logical divisions of this subject? What elements should be given prominence, and which parts can be placed in subordinate positions? In what order should different aspects of the same problem be treated? Emphasis and proportion are essential if you are to produce a good piece of work. Make a tentative outline very early in your work, as complete as your knowledge at that particular time allows. Continue thinking about and working on your outline as you go along. As you learn more about the subject, test your outline
and redraft those sections that are no longer in proportion. By the
time you are ready to write, you should have a detailed outline comparable
to the blueprints for a house. Just as faulty blueprints are the bane
of the builder, so a faulty outline will mean a ramshackle thesis, out
of proportion, incomplete, likely to collapse when exposed to the winds
of criticism. Writing Much of your investment of time and energy will be wasted
unless you save sufficient time to present your findings effectively.
You should begin to write early in the second semester. A preliminary
draft of the entire thesis is absolutely essential, and an intermediate
draft is highly desirable for scholars who have trouble with composition.
It is often hard to get the actual writing underway, especially since
you may not be able to see just how your thesis is going to develop.
The only solution is to start writing, without worrying too much in
your first draft about style and length. Just get your facts and ideas
down on paper, in a logical order as indicated in your outline, and
you may be surprised how often problems clarify themselves in the process
of composition. If the introductory sections cause trouble, skip them
for the moment and plunge right into the substance of the thesis. Only
with a preliminary draft, no matter how awkward and ill-proportioned,
in hand, can you hope to achieve a logical, balanced, well-written final
version. It goes without saying that you are expected to write
grammatically and spell correctly, but these are only the first things
you should strive for. The cardinal virtues of good historical writing,
to paraphrase Samuel Eliot Morison, one of our most readable historians,
are clarity, vigor, objectivity, and grace. Confused writing is the
obvious result of confused thinking. You must decide exactly what you
mean to say before you can write it so that the average reader will
understand. Use direct rather than indirect statements, the active rather
than the passive voice, and make every sentence or paragraph an organic
whole. Diversify the length and structure of your sentences, and avoid
excessive "buts," "perhapses," "howevers,"
and possiblys." Try to make your narrative move. And constantly,
as you write, guard against special pleading. It is a good idea to read
aloud sections that you are doubtful about, because the ear often catches
errors that the eye doesn't see. It is very difficult to write with
a graceful prose style, but very frequently the best writers are those
familiar with the broad range of English and American literature. Get
in the habit of reading good literature for relaxation. The beneficial
effect of this reading on your own literary style may be slow, but it
will be certain. One last word of caution: the thesis should be your work.
The knowledge, the interpretation, the organization, and the expression
must be your own. Be sure that you acknowledge anything that you take
from another writer. If you cite or quote from a primary source contained
in a secondary work, give credit in your footnote to both, and especially
to the scholar who presumably found the source, e.g., New York Tribune,
September 10, 1852, as quoted in Allan Nevins, Ordeal of the Union (New
York, 1947, II, p. 71). Sometime during the year your thesis advisor will give
you the latest College of LAS guidelines to follow in preparing your
thesis. In addition, a table of contents listing the title and page
numbers of each chapter and major subdivision should follow the title
page. You should prepare three copies of your thesis--one for the department,
one for the college, and one for yourself. If you are submitting your
thesis for consideration for the Martha Belle Barrett Prize for the
best senior honors thesis, you must submit two copies to the department
for the readers. Quotations and footnotes There are several standard methods of footnoting, and
all of them are acceptable. It is important, however, that you are consistent
in the method that you select. Various manuals on style are available.
Consult your thesis advisor on which manual you should use. Bibliography The final portion of your thesis will be a bibliography
listing and evaluating all the sources, primary and secondary, that
you actually used in preparing your thesis. Your bibliography must be
classified by types of sources. The style manual you consult will list
the proper bibliographic forms. Distinction in History Scholars who write a thesis in the Department of History
are eligible to receive departmental distinction at graduation. The
level of distinction is based on three factors: (1) course grades in
history; (2) the grade of the thesis; and (3) an oral examination. The
oral examination is given after the thesis has been submitted, but should
be taken before the end of the final examination period. The examination
need not be based on the thesis; rather it seeks to explore the breadth
and depth of our general knowledge of history, your ability to analyze
historical evidence, to generalize from the particular, and to make
sound judgments based on the evidence. These examinations usually last
about one hour, and they are usually given by two members of the department,
one of whom will be your thesis advisor. Scholars may receive distinction,
high distinction, and highest distinction in history. Revised 8/94
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Eastern Oregon University - Online Writing Lab |
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