Admission requirements
Before they embark on their ResMA thesis, students must have obtained at least 70 EC for ResMA courses.
In order to graduate, students must have completed 90 EC worth of courses and the 30 EC ResMA thesis (approximately 30.000 words).
The thesis must be written under the supervision of a lecturer affiliated with LUCAS (Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society). The thesis is evaluated by the supervisor and a second reader (selected by the supervisor and approved by the Board of Examiners).
Description
Aim of the Research Master’s Thesis
The ResMA thesis is a written report of research that you have carried out in consultation of a supervisor and with a high degree of independence. It is written in English and is ca. 30,000 words (including footnotes and bibliography, but excluding possible appendices). A thesis is an extended academic essay based on independent research, in which a student demonstrates extensive knowledge of their chosen topic, as well as a degree of originality in research and approach. Written under the supervision of LUCAS a staff member, the thesis demonstrates your ability to summarize and critically analyse existing scholarship; to formulate a well-defined and well-motivated research question; to offer in-depth analysis of literary texts, artistic works or other cultural objects from different media; and to construct a logical argument in clear academic English. The thesis should add new insights to existing knowledge and stimulate innovative research.
The thesis should demonstrate the student’s capacity:
to formulate clearly, completely independently, a research question that testifies to their insight into the central issues, methodological principles, and state of the art of their field of research
to independently formulate a realistic research plan that fulfils the criteria set in the relevant field of research
to critically and analytically examine and report on existing academic debates and propose new insights based on secondary literature
to work with complex (theoretical) concepts, analytical tools and methods in their field and be able to apply them to a corpus of primary source material/ case studies
to explain the relevance of their research in a contemporary context
to formulate ideas, observations and conclusions, clearly and correctly, with a high degree of precision.
Choosing a Topic
You are encouraged to choose a topic and research question for your thesis yourself, but you should do so in consultation with your prospective supervisor. Your thesis topic can – but does not have to – be linked to one of the courses which you took as part of the Research Master. Be aware that your topic should fit in with a supervisor’s research expertise; this means that not all topics can be supervised.
NB: the list of staff members who are assigned supervision hours changes each year..
There is a maximum number of theses a supervisor can take on during each academic year. It is therefore advisable to contact a potential supervisor at an early stage. The supervisor (also known as ‘first reader’) will be able to help you on your way, recommend relevant primary and secondary literature, and draw up a theoretical framework and supervision plan with you.
In case your topic deviates substantially from the expertise covered by the staff members with allotted supervision hours in 2024-2025 or if you have strong reasons to work with another staff member as your supervisor, please contact the program director to discuss this.
Possible supervisors
Visit the instructors' profile pages for information about their fields of expertise.
NB: This list may still be subject to change - the final list will be distributed at the start of the academic year.
Prof. Dr. Maria Boletsi
Dr. Jan van Dijkhuizen
Dr. Pepita Hesselberth
Dr. Yasco Horsman
Dr. Marika Keblusek
Dr. Arthur Crucq
Dr. Kamila Krakowska Rodrigues
Timeframe and deadlines
You are expected to complete the ResMA thesis within one semester. In planning your thesis, bear in mind that instructors have a limited number of hours allocated for thesis supervision, and that there is no thesis supervision during July and the first three weeks of August and between 24 December and 2 January.
Important deadlines
For students who wish to graduate at the end of the 2nd semester, submission deadlines are as follows:
Submit final thesis proposal to the Board of Exams: 1 February
Submit complete draft version of the thesis: 1 June
Submit final version to supervisor: 21 June.
For students who wish to graduate at the end of the 1st semester submission deadlines are as follows:
Submit final Thesis proposal to the Board of Exams: 15 June of the year preceding graduation
Submit complete draft version of the thesis: 1 December
Submit final version to supervisor: 21 December
Submitting the Thesis Proposal
Once you have selected a topic, formulated a research question and put together a provisional bibliography, you can complete the Thesis Proposal Form, which you should submit to the Board of Examiners. The proposal should be ca. 500 words excl. bibliography. The proposal is also a basis for discussion with your supervisor during your first meeting. You can refine and rewrite the proposal after your meeting with the supervisor. Before you submit your proposal to the Board of Examiners, it has to be approved by your supervisor. The Board will approve the proposal and appoint a 2nd reader.
Your proposal should include:
- A provisional title.
- The main hypothesis or research question.
- A brief introduction of your case studies.
- A reflection on the relevance of your research question(s) or hypothesis in relation to the field.
- A brief theoretical framework and outline of the methods that will be used to do the research.
- Provisional chapter outline.
- Provisional bibliography.
Individual supervision meetings on your research and writing
During the second stage of the thesis, you will have regular meetings with your supervisor. During the first of these, you and your supervisor will draw up an overall structure and chapter division for your thesis (if you have not already done so in an earlier stage). You will then set up a schedule for submitting the individual chapters. During supervision meetings, your supervisor will offer and discuss feedback on each of these, which you then incorporate into a revised version.
Submitting Your Thesis
Once your supervisor has approved the final version of your thesis, it can be sent to the second reader for assessment. You have to submit the final version of the MA thesis by e-mail to your supervisor and second reader. When doing so, you have to put the e-mail address MAthesis@hum.leidenuniv.nl in cc. If the supervisor and/or second reader request a paper copy, you should hand in a paper copy to the supervisor and/or second reader. Your supervisor will upload your thesis in the Thesis Assessment System. After the plagiarism scan, the assessment will be processed in the system.
A final version includes:
1. Cover (title, name of author)
2. Title page (name of author, student registration number, university dept. and Master program, name of supervisor and 2nd reader, date, number of words, email address)
3. Table of Contents
4. Abstract
5. Introduction (research questions and justification)
6. Chapters (usually about three chapters)
7. Conclusion
8. Bibliography
9. Appendix (e.g. illustrations) – if applicable
The supervisor and second reader have a total of four weeks to assess the thesis, plus an additional two weeks during July and August. For practical information on the thesis repository and the graduation procedure, see the graduation page.
Assessment method
Assessment
Your thesis is assessed on the basis of the following criteria:
Clarity, depth and originality of your research question;
Informed, appropriate, critical and creative use of relevant secondary and theoretical literature;
Critical analysis of your primary source materials;
Accuracy and clarity of structure and language;
The degree of independence which you have soon during the research and supervision process.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudymap is mandatory.
General information about MyStudymap is available on the website.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Arsenaal.
Remarks
Not applicable.