The Senior Thesis
Researching and completing a senior thesis can be one of the most fulfilling experiences of your college career. It is challenging—but ultimately satisfying, because it starts and ends with you and your ideas.
This is your opportunity to explore fundamental questions, create a work of art, and contribute to a scholarly conversation in your chosen field of study.
And in the process, you build skills that will serve you for a lifetime, whether you move into the business world, graduate or professional school, or community service.
What kind of research topics do students pursue? Browse these quick summaries of student projects from the Arts and Letters Class of 2012:
Getting Started
During your sophomore and junior years, you will begin exploring in greater depth the academic fields and topics that interest you. As you do, pay attention to the classes and ideas you find most intriguing. Ask yourself: What issues might you be eager to research in more depth? Who might be a good faculty adviser for your thesis project? How can you take advantage of your study abroad experience to do thesis research or develop topic ideas?
Your senior thesis can include—but is not limited to—performances, productions, artwork, and written texts. It should be a substantial piece of work, considerably more than is usual for a single course. Specifically, a thesis should:
- aspire to make a contribution to the field of study,
- include a mentor in residence throughout the process of proposing and completing the work, and
- be the completion of a yearlong process designed to help you advance your skills and deepen your understanding of the subject you have chosen.
Watch this video of seniors from the Arts and Letters Class of 2010 talking about their projects:
Learn More
It is best to check in with your department or faculty mentor for specific advice, but you may also find the following resources helpful as you imagine the possibilities.
Recent Senior Thesis Projects
Arts and Letters News
History Major Explores Work of Missionaries in Colonial Peru
It is widely known that Spanish missionaries played a significant role in introducing Catholicism to the peoples of the Andes throughout the colonial period. Notre Dame senior history major Joseph VanderZee traveled to archives in Lima and Rome to dig a little deeper and find out what these early missionaries thought of the indigenous population—and how their attitudes affected the development of the Peruvian Church. Read More >
Theologian Gary Anderson Elected to American Academy of Jewish Research
Gary Anderson, Hesburgh Professor of Catholic Theology at the University of Notre Dame, has been named a fellow of the American Academy of Jewish Research (AAJR). The AAJR is the oldest organization of Judaic scholars in North America, and fellows are nominated and elected by their peers. The group has approximately 100 members in the United States—and Anderson is one of a select few who are not Jewish. Read More >
Solving a Fascinating Puzzle
Robert Goulding, an associate professor in the University of Notre Dame’s Program of Liberal Studies, was recently awarded a grant from the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) to support a research project that combines mathematics, philosophy, and Renaissance science. Goulding, who also teaches in the History and Philosophy of Science graduate program, says his work focuses on English scientist and mathematician Thomas Harriot (1560–1621), whom he calls “a really unusual figure” in intellectual history. Read More >
Microfinance Yields Mixed Results in Thailand, Economist Joseph Kaboski Finds
Large-scale microfinance programs are widely used as a tool to fight poverty in developing countries, but a recent study by University of Notre Dame economist Joseph Kaboski and MIT colleague Robert Townsend suggests that microfinancing can have varying results for participants and may not be the most cost-effective use of funds for many situations. The study was published in a recent issue of Econometrica. Kaboski and Townsend used the Thai Million Baht Village Fund, one of the largest government microfinance initiatives of its kind, to evaluate and understand the benefits and disadvantages of microfinance interventions. Read More >
