GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR
SENIOR SEMINARS V 3711-12 AND BC 3761-62

The Barnard Political Science Senior Seminar is a two-semester seminar in which majors write the senior essay required for the degree.

ALL WORK SUBMITTED MUST BE TYPEWRITTEN AND IN DUPLICATE!

General Requirements for the Senior Essay

A senior essay must be a coherent piece of analytical writing. It is intended to embody the answer to some question about the operation of certain aspects of political or governmental institutions or processes, broadly conceived. In choosing the question, the student should keep in mind three criteria:

  1. that the question be sufficiently limited in scope to allow thorough treatment within the limits of the time available for researching and writing the essay;

  2. that the question involve a subject matter with which the student has had some familiarity, normally by means of course work; and

  3. that the question be of such intrinsic interest to the student that it will provide most of the motivation for sustaining the independent work required.

Normally a grade of "Y," indicating a year-long course, will be assigned at the end of the first semester. However, at the discretion of the instructor, a letter grade reflecting the quality of the submitted work to date may be assigned instead. Your grade for the year's work in the course will be based on a cumulative estimate of the quality of all stages of the essay; research design, first and second chapters, first draft, and final submission (in duplicate). A second faculty member will read the essay where "distinction" or grades D or F are proposed.

Please note that a student with a double major who writes a single essay must keep her major advisors in both departments of concentration well-informed throughout the essay's progress. Both advisors will read the essay and will agree on the final essay grade.

The following deadlines for submission of work to the instructor are provided to aid you in pacing your own work and to give your instructor the opportunity to evaluate you progress and to offer suggestions along the way.

SCHEDULE FOR FALL 2002-SPRING 2003

  • Choice of topic after consultation with instructor.

  • Research design. Submission of statement of subject of essay; statement of questions to be answered; preliminary listing of types of courses or data to be used; preliminary outline by chapter.

  • Submission of one-third to one-half of the written work necessary for the complete first draft.

    Before December 13, 2002
     
  • Progress report in conference before mid-year vacation, time to be arranged. (It is your responsibility to be in touch with the instructor.)

  • Required class meeting and presentation of progress report.

  • Submission of rough draft of complete essay.

    Week of April 7, 2003
     
  • Final submission, IN DUPLICATE, of completed essay.
    • Other deadlines as well as dates and times for conference will be set by the instructor with each student individually.

    Normally, acceptable theses vary in length from 50 to 100 typewritten pages. The basic requirement is that it competently covers the topic agreed upon.

    For guidance on style and quoting/paraphrasing, please consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.

    Click here for syllabi of specific senior research seminars.

    © 1996-∞ Department of Political Science at Barnard College
    by
    Nell Dillon-Ermers.
    v