Prospectus

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BA Thesis Seminar Philosophy (Fall)

Course
2024-2025

N.B. Course descriptions are subject to change

Admission requirements

The Thesis Seminar Philosophy is mandatory for BA students in Philosophy who start writing their BA Thesis and who have applied for thesis supervision.

Students can enrol in the Thesis Seminar and start writing their thesis provided that at least 120 EC's of their BA programme has been successfully completed, including at least one third-year course in their specialisation.

The Thesis Seminar Philosophy scheduled in semester 2 is open to students in the Global and Comparative Perspectives track only. The English taught Thesis Seminar in semester 1 is also open for students in enrolled in the BA programme in Filosofie (Dutch track).

Description

The Thesis Seminar supports the writing process of students who are writing their BA thesis in Philosophy. Theses are written under the individual guidance of a supervisor, with whom all relevant agreements about planning and content are made. The Thesis Seminar does not take the place of the supervisor, but provides additional support for the writing process. Uncertainty, ambition, perfectionism or other factors can often cause delays or other problems. This seminar helps with starting the writing process as soon as possible, finding a good research problem, having your work read by others, and discussing progress with your peers.

During the seminar, attention is given to: finding and using relevant literature (in cooperation with the University Library); learning what a good research problem and working plan requires; finding a good overall argumentative structure for your thesis; avoiding falling into typical traps, such as starting too late; publicly presenting your main ideas in small groups; having your work reviewed; and learning to offer feedback on the work-in-progress of fellow students. 

Course objectives

Students who successfully complete the course will be able to:

  • learn about what a good thesis topic consist of, and to develop your topic in different ways (presentation, discussion, writing, reviewing);

  • start the actual writing process as soon as possible and to avoid delays;

  • have (on time): a good and realistic research problem, working plan and theoretical framework;

  • take and provide constructive criticism on text through a peer-review process;

  • regularly discuss and document progress with peers;

  • learn the basics about a (any) good thesis, such as: what is a good problem (research question + relevance + working hypothesis)? What are essentials that any good introduction / body / conclusion must have?

Timetable

The timetables are available through MyTimetable.

Mode of instruction

  • Seminars

Class attendance is required.

Assessment method

The thesis seminar is a mandatory part of writing the BA thesis (10 EC). Attendance, preparation, and active participation are required in order to graduate.

Reading list

Not applicable.

Registration

Enrolment through MyStudymap is not possible for this course. Students are requested to submit their preferences for the third-year electives by means of an online registration form. They will receive the instruction and online registration form by email (uMail account); in June for courses scheduled in semester 1, and in December for courses scheduled in semester 2. Registration in uSis will be taken care of by the Education Administration Office.

Contact

  • For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.

  • For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Huizinga

Remarks

Not applicable.