BA Thesis Requirements

Transcription

1 Course Title BA Thesis (Modern English Literature) BA Thesis (Medieval English Literature & Culture) BA Thesis (English Linguistics) Degree Programme English Language & Culture Course Code LEL999B10 LEO999B10 LET999B10 Study Phase Bachelor (3rd year) BA Thesis Requirements 1 Definition The BA Thesis (Dutch: bachelorscriptie) is the final stage of your BA studies. It is a coherent and well-argued written account of research based on a specific thesis or a clearly defined problem related to the field of English language, literature, and/or culture. 2 Procedure BA Thesis Seminar The BA Thesis is written in the context of a BA Thesis Seminar offered in the second semester of third year. Students may choose one BA Thesis Seminar out of the three that are offered each year: one each in the three research fields of the English Department Modern Literature, Medieval Literature and Culture, and Linguistics. The three BA Thesis Seminars may be run in different ways; students should consult the respective course outlines for more information. Typically, they will run as seminars offering theoretical background and research skills in the first half of the semester, and change to individual or group supervision sessions in the second half of the semester. Choice of topic Together with your supervisor, you will decide on the topic of your BA Thesis. You should define your topic clearly and indicate its broader relevance to related areas. Most topics are aspects of a more extensive subject; determining the scope of your study, therefore, involves making choices and restricting your field of research. In the same way, the amount of relevant secondary literature must be kept within limits. Narrowing the scope of both your topic and the relevant background reading can only be done after a broad exploration of the field of interest, so that you can explicitly account for your decisions and indicate the relevance of the subject beyond the scope of your BA Thesis. Your BA Thesis must be an original piece of work, reporting on your independent research. The BA Thesis should not merely reproduce what others have written, but should show your own academic ability to comprehend and interpret critically. In other words, your study must contain an evidently personal contribution. Approval and supervision During the process of writing your BA Thesis, two moments of approval are required: the BA Thesis proposal and the final version of the BA Thesis itself. Before you may start your BA Thesis, your supervisor has to approve your BA Thesis proposal. The proposal should contain the following sections: your thesis or research question, your research method, the framework of 1 5

2 your study, a tentative outline of your BA Thesis, and a bibliography. See below for a further specification of these sections. Students must submit a complete draft of their BA Thesis by the specified deadline, and will receive comments and advice from their supervisor. The final version is handed in by the formal submission deadline. If the final draft is judged not to be sufficient, the student must hand in a corrected version by the resubmission deadline. Co-operation The BA Thesis is typically an individual piece of work. Joint BA Theses are allowed in consultation with the supervisor, but only on the condition that: no more than three students work on a BA Thesis together; the total amount of work done by each student is still the equivalent of 10 ECTS; it is precisely defined how each student has contributed to the BA Thesis. 3 Formal requirements The purpose of expository academic writing such as a BA Thesis is to pass on academic knowledge. The style should therefore be clear, relatively formal, and always precise; avoid wordiness and the use of pretentious diction. Avoid gender-biased language and derogatory or patronising terms. In your BA Thesis, you should not attempt to persuade the reader other than by logical argument and accumulated evidence: you should support your hypotheses and give your discussions a clear sense of direction and purpose. The length of a BA Thesis is approximately 7000 words, including notes but excluding bibliography and appendices. Students must discuss the length of their thesis with their supervisor(s). You must be consistent in your choice of Standard British or Standard American English. Organisation Although the precise organisation of a BA Thesis depends on the topic and the field of research, it generally consists of three main parts: the introduction, the main text, and the conclusion. It is followed by a bibliography and possibly by appendices. Introduction The introduction comprises the subject of your BA Thesis, a thesis or research question, a justification of your research, its relevance in a wider context and a motivation of the scope of your BA Thesis, possibly a justification of the research method you have used, an overview of the main study of the BA Thesis, and a preliminary reference to your findings. The thesis or research question is the most essential element of the entire BA Thesis. If this is not clear from the very start, you definitely run the risk of getting lost. Please consult the Wadsworth Handbook for guidance on what exactly is meant by a thesis or research question. Whether you use a thesis or a research question largely depends on the type of study you are going to carry out. A research question can be expected in an (exploratory) empirical study, but for most other types of studies, a thesis is most suitable. Of course, the thesis or research question mentioned in the research proposal will be tentative and may well be adjusted in the course of the writing process. Main text If this is required, the main text is divided into (possibly numbered) sections, which may be subdivided into subsections. Sections must be coherent and transitions between the sections must be adequate and logical. The main text describes how you accomplished your study and what you found. Make sure 2 5

3 to announce clearly any deviation from your subject or any elaboration on a certain detail, and mention at the conclusion of this part that you are returning to the main line of argument. One paragraph or section may be devoted to the research method. Although this may not be equally important for all types of BA Theses, it is always helpful to explain what methodology you are using in either answering the research question or supporting the thesis. You should also make clear the theoretical assumptions underlying your study. Conclusions The final part of your BA Thesis consists of your conclusion(s). Your conclusions may contain a summary of your most important arguments and evidence, and indicate the relevance of your conclusion to a wider context, including suggestions for further research. Bibliography Include a bibliography of all the references that you have used. The list should be in the appropriate format; this is likely to be MLA for the Modern Literature and Medieval Literature & Culture sections, and APA for the Linguistics section. Formatting Your BA Thesis must comply with the following formatting requirements: 1. Use A4-size paper. 2. Use single-sided printing. 3. Use page numbers. 4. Leave plenty of white marginal space, so the marker(s) can write on it if necessary. 5. Use double line spacing throughout, except for the bibliography, which may use single line spacing. 6. Do not use anything smaller than an 11-point font for the main text. 7. Refer to the Wadsworth Handbook for guidance concerning quoting, underlining, abbreviating, etc. in the appropriate style (MLA for Literature / APA for Linguistics). 8. Proofread your text carefully before handing in the final version. Front and back matter Your BA Thesis must contain the following parts in order of appearance: 1. The title page, with: a. the title. Your title should not be too long and should be an accurate reflection of the contents of your thesis. b. your name and student number. c. the name and academic title of your supervisor. d. the date of completion. e. the words Bachelorscriptie opleiding Engelse Taal en Cultuur. Faculteit der Letteren, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. 2. a 200-word abstract (see below). 3. a list of abbreviations, if appropriate. 4. the text and, if any, appendices such as tables, extracts from important source texts, etc. 5. (optional) notes, which can be placed either at the bottom of the page or in a list at the end of the full text. Consult the Wadsworth Handbook for the use of notes. 6. a bibliography, which contains all the literature that you have used for your BA Thesis, including editions (in particular for literary texts). Present your bibliography in accordance with the appropriate style sheet. 3 5

4 Submission You should submit one hard copy of your BA Thesis conforming to these formatting requirements to your supervisor by the published deadline. You should also make a second copy of your BA Thesis in PDF format, and submit this electronically through Ephorus on Nestor. The PDF version must be an exact replica of the printed version. Your final version should come with a separate 200-word abstract and a completed form for inclusion in the English Department BA Thesis archive. The form is available from the secretariat. 4 Assessment Assessment and criteria The final assessment of your BA Thesis will be given to you in writing, supplemented by a motivation and a mark that may vary between 6 and 10. The most important criteria for assessment are the overall contents of the thesis, the degree to which you have provided your own (new) insights on the subject matter, the organisation of your work, and the extent to which you have been able to work independently. No mark will be awarded if the supervisor judges that the use of English language, the scholarly presentation, or the use of sources is not acceptable. Second reader The supervisor may invite another member of the academic staff to examine your BA Thesis as a second reader. The second reader will be an independent assessor of your work and is not directly involved in the supervision. If the subject of your BA Thesis falls within the scope of different areas of expertise, the second reader may be a member of staff from another section of the department. Plagiarism The section on plagiarism in the Teaching and Examination Regulations (Onderwijs- en Examenregeling (OER)) of the department is also applicable to the BA Thesis. Plagiarism is defined as the use of ideas or the copying or paraphrasing from another person s work without documenting the source in the conventional manner. If such is the case, the Exam Board may decide to void the BA Thesis and to exclude the student from supervision for a maximum of one year. Sanctions will be taken in concert with the Director of Studies (Onderwijsdirecteur). 5 Finishing your BA degree This information was correct at the time of publication. Students are responsible for keeping up to date with any changes in the graduation procedure. Filing your BA Thesis At the end of your degree, you must hand in a copy of your BA Thesis to be stored in the English Department archives. You have to submit a PDF version of your BA Thesis in PDF format to the Office of Student Affairs (Bureau Studentzaken (BSZ)). Please refer to their website for more information: We draw particular attention to the section on privacy in the BSZ information. 4 5

5 Applying for your degree certificate Two months before you finish your BA degree programme, you must apply for your certificate online at the Office for Student Affairs. You must complete an online Preliminary Final Assessment Application Form. You will also have to ensure that all results for the required modules a total of at least 180 ECTS for the BA degree are registered in ProgRESS. You should complete an online Definitive Final Assessment Application Form when your last results have been entered in ProgRESS. The certificate procedure will take six to eight weeks. The BSZ website gives more information and links to the online forms: Harde knip Students are not allowed to start an MA degree if they have not finished their BA degree. Given the duration of the certificate procedure, you must ensure that you submit both the application forms and your BA Thesis by the published deadlines. If you miss the deadline, you may not be able to graduate. 5 5