Admission requirements
Theories and Methods of Middle East en Islamic Studies
Description
The thesis is based on original research and makes substantial use of primary materials and professional literature. The thesis is written in English, and is up to 20,000 words in length, including footnotes and bibliography and reflecting the scholarly virtues of originality, focus and conciseness.
Course objectives
The thesis must show the student’s ability to conduct original research under supervision, and to make a contribution to scholarship in a way that inspires confidence in his/her ability to prepare written reports of good quality. Its author must show that s/he is conversant with the discourse as it emerges from influential publications in the field. References should be formatted consistently in accordance with the Chicago Manual of Style or the American Anthropological Association Style Guide.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
Thesis supervision
The thesis is supervised by a lecturer of the School of Middle Eastern Studies who possesses the appropriate expertise in the field addressed in the thesis. The Department assigns students to a lecturer from the department for thesis supervision. To find the best possible match, students must fill out an online form, available in Brightspace before October 1 (for Thesis supervision in Spring) or March 1 (for Thesis supervision in Fall).
The decision regarding the topic of the thesis depends on availability of staff. Students may be asked to change the subject of their topic and/or may not be able to work with their preferred supervisor.
Assessment method
Formal regulations around the MA Thesis
The formal regulations around the MA Thesis can be found in Appendix A to the Teaching and Examination Regulations.
Thesis supervision
The thesis is supervised by a lecturer of the School of Middle Eastern Studies who possesses the appropriate expertise in the field addressed in the thesis (see list below). The Department assigns students to a lecturer from the department for thesis supervision. To find the best possible match,, students must fill out an online form, one month after the start of their studies (1 October or 1 March, respectively) at the latest.
The decision regarding the topic and the supervisor of the thesis is taken by the Board of Examiners. Students may be asked to change the subject of their topic and/or may not be able to work with their preferred supervisor.
Rough time path
Students planning to graduate within one year, are advised to follow the Roadmap (for students starting in September and for students starting in February) with strict deadlines designed by the department.
As of 2019/20, thesis submission is limited to two deadlines per academic year. Students of the September 2019 intake need to submit the thesis before Tuesday 9 June 2020 in order to graduate in August 2020. If this deadline is not met, the next opportunity for submitting the thesis will be Tuesday 5 January 2021. In the latter case the date of graduation will be January 2021.
Supervisors are only appointed for a specified period, and for a specific number of consultations. Missing the dealines (not finishing the thesis within the set period) will result in serious consequences, which likely include the appointment of a new supervisor, and beginning a new research project.
It is important to realize that students need to hand in and discuss the separate chapters of their thesis over the semester. They are not allowed to hand in a complete thesis at once at the end of the semester. To facilitate this process and manage expectations, students and their supervisors are expected to fill out the appointment form (for students starting in September and for students starting in February).
Supervisors may have plans for research and may not always be available during the periods when no classes are taught. No supervision or grading will be done between 1 July and 15 August.
Re-sit
a) A full and complete final thesis was submitted on the set deadline in June.
A student granted this opportunity uses the comments given by both readers to rewrite, but does not get any further supervision during the rewriting. The deadline for this resubmission is on 31 August 2020. The rewritten thesis will be graded by the supervisor and a second reader. The student will receive the grade 3 weeks after the deadline.
In this case, the student will have to re-enroll and register in the new academic year for a month.
Reading list
Not applicable.
Registration
For the MA Thesis no registration in uSis is required.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office de Vrieshof.