First Steps
Planning for a thesis in Classics should begin no later than spring semester of a student's junior year.
Advising
By early September of their senior year, a student should have a faculty advisor from the Department of Classical Studies who has agreed to direct the student's research.
In consultation with the student, the advisor will choose another faculty member as the second reader. Ordinarily, this will also be a member of the Department of Classical Studies, but in special circumstances, a second reader from another department (or another institution) may be chosen.
If a student is a double-major and is planning to write a senior thesis in classical studies to present for honors in two departments, a reader and an advisor from each department will be chosen. A third reader may be chosen before the oral defense.
Topic
By early September, the senior should have chosen a topic in consultation with their primary advisor/thesis director.
Research Course
During fall registration, the student should register for an Independent Research course (GRK, LAT, or CLAS 99d). The primary thesis advisor must sign the enrollment card.
Prospectus
By the beginning of the third week of September, the student should have written a formal prospectus. The prospectus should include: (1) a description of the project; (2) an outline of the planned research; (3) a suitable methodology; and (4) and a bibliography.
The Senior Thesis Form (pdf) must be signed by the student and all readers. Signed and completed forms must be filed with the department administrator before the end of September.
Note: Failure to meet this deadline will result in the transfer of the student from the Independent Research course (99d) to Directed Reading (98a). See deadlines on the Schedule page.
Research Assistance
During your research, you may need modest funding as well as source materials.
Library Research
The Goldfarb Library houses the university archives. A searchable database of theses and dissertations is available through the Brandeis Institutional Repository.
Other Library Resources
- Information on archived theses and dissertations in the library
- Research help
- Interlibrary loans
- Jim Rosenbloom is our subject liaison in Library Services; he can be reached by email or phone (781-736-4688).
Download the Thesis Release Form (pdf), which must accompany the submission of your approved thesis to the library.
Thesis Funding
Funding for thesis research is available through some campus offices.