Harvard University
Department of Philosophy
Overview |
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The Honors Degree requires students to write a senior thesis, a work of about 50-65 pages representing original research and study. It is a substantial undertaking, requiring a great deal of time and effort. One should anticipate spending a great deal more time and effort on PHIL 99 than on any single course in the past. Those students who chose to write a thesis often find it to be an exciting challenge, and consider it to be the peak of their philosophy education at Harvard. |
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Deciding to Write a Thesis |
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In order to write a senior thesis, one needs to have substantial background in the subject area by the end of the junior year; otherwise, the Department will not allow enrollment in PHIL 99. If one has an idea of the subject on which one might like to write, one should therefore take a course in this area early on, so that one will then have time to follow it up with other courses if this proves desirable. Choosing a thesis topic is often difficult, so one should not feel reluctant to ask for help and guidance, or to decide not to write a thesis on the ground that no topic is sufficiently compelling. How, then, can one decide whether to write a thesis? One good way is to go back over the courses one has taken. Consider whether there are specific questions, general issues, or particular authors which were found to be particularly interesting and about which one would like to spend more time investigating in greater detail. Once this has been determined, a student should then consult her or his advisor, instructor, or teaching fellow, who can help in identifying more specific topics, and suggest further reading or other courses that would provide the necessary background. Every spring, in the middle of April, the Head Tutor holds a meeting for juniors interested in writing theses. Juniors should be thinking of capitalizing on what they have already studied. Sophomores who are thinking ahead might also like to attend, and they too are welcome. Every year, senior theses that have been awarded the Thomas T. Hoopes Prize are made available for public examination in Lamont Library, and theses that have been awarded high or highest honors are deposited in the Harvard University Archives. These can give an idea of what successful theses look like. |
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Steps to Writing the Thesis |
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There are then four steps to completing the thesis: |
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Thesis prospectus |
This should be a three to five page outline of a specific problem area or topic, with some indication of how one intends to proceed and a description of the background that one will be able to bring to bear. On the basis of this prospectus, the Head Tutor will decide whether to approve the project and allow enrollment in PHIL 99. The student will then be assigned a faculty advisor, and meet regularly with them. All theses in philosophy, or primarily in philosophy, are advised by members of the faculty. Students who are pursuing joint concentrations, in which philosophy is the secondary field, usually have advisors in their primary field. |
Summary |
The second step is a summary or sample piece of writing of at least 15 pages, due in the middle of the Reading Period of the first term. This paper, and subsequent discussions with one's advisor, are the basis for a fall term grade. (Most students choose to use the first substantial chapter of the thesis as the fall paper, though one need not do this.) The Head Tutor will also use this paper as the basis for his or her decision whether to allow the student to to enroll in PHIL 99 for the spring and so continue the project. Most students do continue, but projects sometimes do not work out. If one is not allowed to enroll for PHIL 99 for the spring, the student will still receive credit for PHIL 99 for the fall -- this will then count as one of the 'additional courses' required for the non-honors degree. |
Submission |
The third step is the submission of the thesis, about 50-65 double-spaced pages, due on the Friday following Spring break (the Friday following Thanksgiving break, for March degree candidates). There are requirements regarding the form in which the thesis is submitted, for example, how many copies must be submitted, what kind of paper it must be printed on, and so on and so forth. These are available from the Tutorial Office. |
Oral Exam |
Finally, there is an oral exam, held during Reading Period. This involves two faculty readers, as well as the advisor, and lasts about an hour. On the basis of the thesis, the oral examination, and course grades within the concentration, the department decides what kind of honors degree to recommend. |
There is no other honors examination, nor are there any general examinations for philosophy concentrators. |
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