Senior Thesis Proposal Guidelines
Written Formal Proposal Requirements
Note: Only students with a 3.5 in the major can propose a Senior Thesis.
Introduction
THA 99a/99b: Senior Thesis is a two-semester in-depth inquiry, requiring a substantial investigation and execution of an artistic, production, and/or scholarly idea(s).
In this proposal, please use the following questions to have an in-depth conversation with us. Get us excited, engage us, and bring us into the conversation!
Thesis Proposals are due the Monday after February Break to Adrianne Krstansky (krstansk@brandeis.edu). After thesis proposal submission, you will be invited to attend a meeting with the Curriculum Committee to discuss your proposal (to be announced).
Proposal Questions
- Title: What is a proposed working title for your in-depth thesis inquiry?
- What is your artistic, production, and/or scholarly question(s) you hope to investigate in your thesis inquiry?
- In what way will you investigate this question(s) with your thesis study?
- Point to methodologies and philosophies from your major study (either in Theater Arts and/or in other departments) that will be studied/used in your deep inquiry.
- Point to specific courses you have taken that have informed your deep inquiry. How have these courses readied you for this undertaking?
- Discuss the specific importance of research (and how you envision your research process) in your in-depth inquiry. Examples: Will you engage with primary sources? Do interviews? Travel to specific locations? Do observations? Engage with the scholarly work/historical work of the field of interest? Engage with professionals in the field of study or within the topic of interest?
- What will be the final culmination of your thesis inquiry? Final culminations can be within or outside of the Senior Festival – please specify if you are interested in having your final culmination included in the Festival. Examples include but are not limited to:
- Performance
- Script Draft/Staged Reading
- Dramaturgical Research Portfolio
- Scholarly Paper
- Design Implementation and Portfolio
- Stage Management Production and Promptbooks
- Movement/Choreography
- Directing
- Discuss how this work connects to your other majors/minors/programs of study. Connect this work to your interdisciplinary study, if applicable.
- Discuss how this work connects to your future professional/educational goals.
- Why is this work important to the field? Why do you need to do this work now? Why would others need to see/be engaged in this work now (such as an audience, actors, fellow artists, scholars, etc.?)
- Please attach a working bibliography of resources you are considering for your in-depth inquiry.
- Senior Festival pieces must be within a 45-50 minute limit.
- We strongly recommend limiting the number of actors in your pieces to 5 or less. If a cast size larger than 5 is proposed for the thesis, the proposal must include additional create/conceptual justification. Preference for placement in Senior Festival will be given to pieces casting five or fewer actors.
- In addition to the Thesis Defense, seniors with pieces in the festival will prepare a short presentation to precede their thesis performances to discuss the process and introduce the audience to the work. Seniors must work with their advisors and/or any faculty member to prepare the presentation prior to the start of Senior Festival Tech. This is part of the academic requirement of a thesis being included in the Senior Festival.
Formatting and Deadline Details
Deadline for proposal submissions provided at the start of the spring semester.
- Double-spaced
- 4-6 pages including Bibliography.
- 1-inch margins
- Proofed and written with care
The Theater Arts Curriculum Committee will review proposals.
Committee Members:
- Jen Cleary
- Adrianne Krstansky
- Dmitry Troyanovsky
- Robert Walsh