Admission requirements
Only Korean studies students who have successfully completed all courses in BA1, BA2, and the first semester of BA3 and are enrolled in or have successfully completed the Thesis Seminar may write a BA Final Paper (thesis).
Students can apply for supervision submitted by via the BA Korean Studies Registration for Thesis Supervision form until February 1, 2026.
Description
The BA program is completed with a thesis. In this thesis, the student reports in writing on research into a self-chosen topic that he/she has conducted under the supervision of a lecturer from the study programme.
A thesis formulates a theoretically substantiated answer to a research question that is based on an insight into the scientific literature. Not collecting data, listing facts, or reproducing information but writing a critically argued argument is the essence of a thesis. The quality of a scientific argument rests on an appropriate theoretical framework and an adequate research method. Using an appropriate methodology, you logically and insightfully develop a case study, or a particular insight based on primary and secondary material from a clearly defined theoretical framework.
Starting from a scientific approach (theory), familiar with the state of the research, and based on an appropriate research method and an analysis of relevant source material, you answer a self-formulated research question and formulate a clear conclusion. When writing a thesis, you pay attention to appropriate scientific language and follow the conventions associated with academic writing (i.e., footnotes, references, etc.) and the BA Koreastudies Thesis Protocol.
Provisions
Allocation of supervisor: students are assigned a supervisor by the programme and the examination board based on the their interests in research topics, method(s) and disciplines. The final allocation thereby remains subject to available capacity.
Supervision: supervision occurs on an individual level. Students follow a Thesis Seminar at the same time in which they are guided through the process of writing the thesis.
Research topic: the research topic of a thesis fits with the
Facultary rules and regulations
The Bachelor’s Thesis Regulations set out matters concerning, among other things, planning, supervision and assessment of the bachelor’s thesis. You will find these regulations as an appendix to the Faculty’s Course and Examination Regulations for the bachelor’s programmes
Course objectives
The course objectives consist of the following research skills:
1. Collect and select scientific literature using traditional and digital methods and techniques;
2. Analyse and assess that literature for quality and reliability;
3. Formulate a well-defined problem statement based on that literature; then
4. Set up and carry out research of a limited scope under supervision, considering the traditional and digital methods and techniques relevant to the field; and
5. Formulate a reasoned conclusion based on the findings of this research.
And the following writing skills:
- Explain research results clearly;
- Explain results in a substantiated way; and
- Use all relevant writing conventions as stipulated in the BA Koreastudies Thesis Protocol.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
Independent research and writing of the thesis.
Assessment method
Assessment Criteria
The BA thesis is assessed on the following criteria:
- Knowledge of an academic literature and formulation of a research question based upon it;
- Systematic application of a methodology to primary sources;
- Processing of primary source materials;
- Substantive engagement with Korean-language materials; and
- Communication skills, inc. language use, thesis structure, and apparatus.
General requirements
Thesis length: the thesis has a word count of 10,000 (including footnotes, but excluding bibliography and appendices) with a margin of +/- 10%.
Language: the thesis should be written in Dutch or English. The Board of Examiners may give permission for the choice of another Western language. A request for this must be submitted in good time, also with a view to the second reader.
Korean language sources: A reasonable amount of Korean-language primary/secondary source material (10%) must be incorporated in the thesis.
Assessment procedure, criteria and forms
For more information about thesis assessment (including assessment procedure, criteria and forms) see the document at the bottom of the Faculty’s webpage about Thesis and papers.
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to be familiar with the university's rules regarding plagiarism. Plagiarism will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Any work submitted under your name will be considered your own. For questions, the student should approach the teacher.
Deadlines
Two versions (Word and PDF) should be submitted to the supervisor by email with the email address BAthesis in cc. The theses will be checked for plagiarism by Turnitin.
- Submission of the final version of the thesis: June 1, 2026
Feedback and evaluation
All BA theses that are to be assessed in the current academic year (before August 31) must be submitted before the deadline of June 1. We work with a two-deadline policy for handing in the BA thesis. The first submission deadline is May 2. The second and ultimate submission deadline is June 1. As is the case with papers, students who submit a draft on or before the deadline are entitled to feedback from their supervisor. They will receive the feedback, including comments, from the supervisor within three weeks to enable timely revision and resubmission. Students who have not submitted a draft by the first deadline will forfeit their 'right to rewrite.' They do retain the right to submit a final version of their thesis on or before the date of the final deadline, without further prejudice, apart from the fact that they forfeit the right to revise and resubmit their thesis.
All final versions submitted by June 1, will be reviewed by the supervisor and the second reader. The assessment—and the final grade—will be announced within six weeks. Students may submit their graduation forms (see the ‘Remarks’ section in this e-guide) with a deadline of June 1 before the grade of the thesis has been entered.
Resit
Theses submitted after June 1 will only be assessed, and therefore only receive feedback, after the start of the first semester of the following academic year, i.e., from September.
Students who meet the attendance requirements and submission dates of the graduation seminar in the second semester, may complete their thesis after September 1 and until December 10, provided that approval has been obtained from the Board of Examiners and the study advisor has been informed.
- The final deadline for submitting this second attempt for the thesis is December 10, 2026.
Students who fail to submit their thesis by then, must write another thesis, in principle with a different supervisor, on a different subject.
Reading list
Not applicable.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap for the Thesis Seminar is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment 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: Herta Mohr.
Remarks
Graduation procedure:
- Submit the completed graduation form to the education administration no later than 1 June 2025. The graduation form can be found on the website. The graduation ceremony will take place in October or November 2025. Students will receive an invitation via the education administration.