Dissertation in American Studies

Elecitve Course

This is a directed reading course aimed at top students in American Studies who would like to pursue an individualized program of research under the supervision of a mentor, typically (though not necessarily) an American Studies Programme instructor or an American Studies Board member. The student is responsible for approaching the instructor in advance and obtaining consent for supervision. The coursework will normally consist of designing the project around a topic relevant to the Programme, compiling a bibliography, research and reading, and finally writing the dissertation. A project proposal consisting of a thesis statement, preliminary outline of research (typically 3-5 pages), timetable for completion, and working bibliography will be filed with the Programme Coordinator no later than November 30. The full dissertation (approximately 40-80 pages) shall be completed and presented for examination by April 30 of the academic year in which the course is taken.