Handbook for Undergraduate Concentrators in Linguistics

Honors Theses

Linguistics 99: Senior Tutorial
Linguistics 99 is a full course intended for the researching and writing of an honors thesis, under the supervision of a faculty member. (Recall furthermore that Honors students are expected to begin exploring possible thesis topics during 98b, the Spring semester Junior Year Tutorial.) Final responsibility for assigning the thesis advisor rests with the Head Tutor, although every effort is made to accommodate students’ wishes in this respect.

Thesis Guidelines
Due date
The deadline for submission of the senior thesis is 5 p.m. on the last weekday before the beginning of spring recess. For the year 2008, the deadline falls on Friday, March 21. Extensions are granted only under the most extreme circumstances.

Number of copies
Five (5) copies are required: one for each of the three thesis readers, one for the Departmental Library, and one for the Harvard Archives. In addition, one electronic version on CD (along with specialized fonts, if relevant) must accompany the five hard copies. All of these materials should be handed in together to the Head Tutor.

Length
The thesis should be roughly 50-70 pages. Although many students find it more difficult to produce a coherent, concise study than a longer, less carefully-edited version, the former is strongly encouraged.

Margins
The left margin should be set at 1.5 inches; the right, top, and bottom margins should be set at one inch.

Binding
Any sturdy binding of the sort one can have done at Kinko’s is acceptable. Please note that the copy of your thesis that goes to the Archives must be unbound.

Footnotes
Please use footnotes (rather than endnotes) if possible.

Organization
The thesis should include the following:

Title Page: (sample to follow)
Acknowledgements: (optional)
Table of Contents: A list of the names of chapters with the appropriate page numbers.
Abstract: A one-page synopsis of the problem addressed, providing the context of the research as well as the conclusion and possible implications.
Footnotes
References: A list of reference materials utilized in the researching and writing of the thesis; for formatting, follow the Language style sheet— http://www.lsadc.org/info/pubs-lang-style.cfm
Clarity
Title each section and subsection (if applicable). At the beginning of each major discussion, tell the reader what the section is about. Examples that illustrate your description, as well as derivations that illustrate your analysis, are extremely useful; often a single example can be more clear than pages of difficult exposition. Number the examples. Give titles to formal rules (“Rule 51” does not provide the reader with much information when it is referred to 20 pages later), and when you give a formal rule, always give an informal prose description as well. Tables to organize results are also very useful.

Evaluation of Honors Theses

Each thesis is evaluated by three faculty readers, including the primary thesis advisor. If students have received substantial supervision or advice from scholars other than their advisors, they should inform the Head Tutor so that these scholars can be considered for inclusion on the committee of readers. Responsibility for the appointment of the committee, however, rests with the Head Tutor’s Office.

Honors theses are graded by the Department on the following scale:

Summa
Summa-
Magna+
Magna
Magna-
Cum+
Cum

No Credit

General guidelines for a Summa

A Summa thesis should be both original/creative and technically superb. It is generally equivalent to or better than what one would expect from an M.A. thesis. In an average year, the Department rates only one thesis as Summa.

General guidelines for a Magna
A Magna thesis should be a solid piece of work although it may lack somewhat in originality. Magnas have sometimes been awarded because the thesis clearly reflects an enormous amount of work, even though the results may be somewhat disappointing. A Magna generally corresponds to an A/A-, while a Summa corresponds to an A+. In an average year, the Department rates one or two theses as Magna.

Thesis Colloquium

Seniors present their theses at a public colloquium during the Spring Reading Period. Participation in this colloquium is obligatory for honors candidates. Each thesis presentation is normally allotted 15 minutes, with 5 minutes for discussion. Because of this severe time limitation, presenters are strongly urged to prepare well-organized handouts and rehearse their presentations beforehand.

Sample Thesis Title Page

Rules of Synchronic Metathesis               A thesis submitted by Gregory Eaton Maggs to the Department of Linguistics in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honors

Previous Section	Next Section	Return to Contents