Description
Students choose (one of) the thesis seminar(s) offered within their specialisation. It is strongly recommended that students start thinking about the topic of their thesis before the start of the classes. Attendance is compulsory for all classes. Detailed information about the study material and the writing process can be found on Brightspace.
Course Objectives
Objective 1. To deepen the understanding of theories and methods related to research on the theme of the Master Specialisation.
Objective 2. Applying them to a specific topic as part of the student’s Master thesis project.
General Introduction Meeting
See 'Information and Deadlines' for the time and date of the introduction meeting.
Thesis Seminar Theme:
Democracy, Political Parties, and the Challenges of Representation - (Prof. dr. I. van Biezen)
The thesis seminar aims to help students write theses on a topic related to issues broadly related to political parties and elections and their role in contemporary democracy. Specific issues might include: parties as representative agents, elections as platforms of competition, electoral reform, the representation of social and ethnic groups, and parties and corruption/clientelism. The focus of the seminar is broadly defined to allow students who are interested in political institutions to benefit from working together on their projects. It will not provide substantive instruction, but will build upon the one provided in the PPD core seminar. The thesis seminar will focus on methodological instruction to support the completion of coherent thesis proposals and MSc theses.
Registration
See 'Information and Deadlines'
Examination
Research Proposal
The research proposal includes a problem statement, theoretical foundation, conceptualization as well as a sound explanation of the methods and techniques for data collection and analysis.The proposal must be approved by the supervisor and a second reader. The second reader will be designated by the Director of Studies. Please note that teachers are not obliged to provide thesis supervision if the proposal is not approved.
Master Thesis
The MSc thesis needs to comply with high standards of academic research. The thesis must be between 8.000 and 10.000 words, including tables, footnotes and bibliography. The thesis evaluation form with the evaluation criteria will be published on Brightspace.
Students that drop or fail the course have to retake the complete thesis seminar (in the 2nd semester of the next academic year). Students should contact the Exam Committee if they are unable to complete the master thesis by the deadline due to circumstances beyond their control.
Timetable
See 'MyTimetable'