How to Write a BA Thesis, Second Edition: A Practical Guide from Your First Ideas to Your Finished Paper (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing) - Softcover

Lipson, Charles

Softcover

ISBN 10: 022643091X ISBN 13: 9780226430911

Verlag: University of Chicago Press, 2018

Inhaltsangabe

How to Write a BA Thesis is the only book that directly addresses the needs of undergraduate students writing a major paper. This book offers step-by-step advice on how to move from early ideas to finished paper. It covers choosing a topic, selecting an advisor, writing a proposal, conducting research, developing an argument, writing and editing the thesis, and making through a defense. Lipson also acknowledges the challenges that arise when tackling such a project, and he offers advice for breaking through writer’s block and juggling school-life demands. This is a must-read for anyone writing a BA thesis, or for anyone who advises these students.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Charles Lipson is professor emeritus at the University of Chicago, where he was the Peter B. Ritzma Professor in Political Science and the College.

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How to Write a BA Thesis

A Practical Guide from your First Ideas to your Finished Paper

By Charles Lipson

The University of Chicago Press

Copyright © 2018 Charles Lipson
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-226-43091-1

Contents

I. GETTING STARTED, 
How to Read This Book, 
1 Introduction to How to Write a BA Thesis, Second Edition, 
2 Useful Nuts and Bolts, 
3 More Nuts and Bolts, 
II. FRAMING YOUR TOPIC, 
4 Taking Effective Notes and Avoiding Plagiarism, 
5 How to Build a Reading List, 
6 Refining Your Topic, Writing a Proposal, and Beginning Research, 
III. CONDUCTING YOUR RESEARCH, 
7 What Is Good Thesis Research?, 
8 Using Case Studies Effectively, 
9 Every Thesis Should Have a Thesis, 
IV. WRITING YOUR BEST, 
10 Planning and Prewriting: How Do They Help Your Thesis?, 
11 Writing Your Best, 
12 Effective Openings, Smooth Transitions, and Strong Closings, 
13 Good Editing Makes Good Writing, 
14 Presenting Information Visually, 
15 Presenting Your Work to Others, 
V. WORKING YOUR BEST, 
16 Working Efficiently, 
17 Overcoming Problems, 
18 What to Do If You Get Stuck, 
VI. SCHEDULING AND COMPLETING YOUR THESIS, 
19 Thesis Schedule, 
20 Tips and Reminders, 
21 Frequently Asked Questions, 
22 What to Do When You're All Done, 
VII. DEALING WITH SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS, 
23 Thesis Defense and Second Readers: Questions and Answers, 
24 A One-Semester Thesis, 
VIII. CITING YOUR SOURCES AND GETTING MORE ADVICE, 
Appendix 1: Best Sources for More Help, 
Appendix 2: Footnotes 101, 
Appendix 3: Advice for New Faculty Advisers, 
Acknowledgments, 
Index, 
Footnotes, 

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION TO HOW TO WRITE A BA THESIS, SECOND EDITION

Writing a senior honors thesis is the capstone of your college studies. This book is designed to help you at every stage of that process, to pass along the experience of students who have gone before you and suggestions from teachers who know what works best, what doesn't, and what challenges you might face as you complete your research and writing.

All your previous college courses, readings, draft papers, and revisions have prepared you to write a BA thesis. You've taken the introductory and intermediate courses in your major, delved into more specialized topics in advanced courses, and written research papers. All of them prepare you to tackle your BA thesis, which many students say is the most rewarding project of their college years.

Why do so many students find it so worthwhile to research and write a thesis? Partly it's because they can choose the topic themselves. Partly it's because they can explore a subject in real depth. Partly it's because the research proves (to themselves and to employers and graduate schools) that they can take on a major independent project and complete it.

As an independent project, the BA thesis is different from all your previous courses. Until now your teacher always specified the assignment. If the course was about the French Revolution, you couldn't write about India's democracy. Now you can choose whatever you want.

That freedom is daunting. So is the length of the paper. It's longer than a normal seminar paper and requires more sustained research.

Don't worry. I will guide you through the entire process and show you how to ask others, especially professors and librarians, for guidance. I'll share what I've learned in advising students, and I'll share the answers they've given.

Let me begin with a few general points. I hope you find them helpful.

First, pick a subject that really interests you. After all, you'll be working on this project for several months, so you'll want something that keeps you interested. At this stage you don't need to have a precise topic, but you do need to know what really interests you.

Second, pick an adviser you can work with, someone who knows your subject and likes helping students. I'll give you some ideas about how to find the right person and then how to work with him or her.

Third, working with your adviser, move from your broad area of interest to focus on a specific research topic. The goal here is to move from your broad area of interest to a more well-defined topic. Your broad topic might be ancient warfare. Your more precise topic might be Rome's second war against Carthage or the differences between Athenian and Spartan militaries.

Only you can identify the broad area that interests you. Only you know if you enjoy reading about ancient warfare more than about medieval or early modern war, or reading Romantic poetry more than late Victorian novels. Only you know if you are primarily interested in Plato's thought or Augustine's, or perhaps a topic that has interested many thinkers, such as "what makes for a good life?"

What your faculty adviser can do is listen as you explain your interests and your prospective topic, and, with that in mind, help you move from a general subject like the French Revolution to a more specific one like "why did the Terror happen?" or "did Napoleon continue the French Revolution or end it?"

Those question marks are important. Fourth, turn your specific topic into a question you can answer. Posing that question, explaining why it is interesting, and answering it will be the heart of your thesis.

Don't worry if you can't answer the question right now. Actually, worry if you can. If you can already answer it, the topic will quickly bore you. It's okay to have a hunch about the right answer. But if the answer's already set in stone, carve a different statue.

The goal is to find a question that interests you and that you can eventually answer as your research unfolds. As you explain why the question is interesting, you will draw in the reader.

Your adviser can be a great help here. Work closely with her to narrow your topic and formulate your specific research question. She's done it many times before, not only when she advised other students but in her own work. Thanks to her training and experience, she knows what good research questions are, and she can help you formulate yours. But remember, you first need to know what interests you and why.

Finally, almost all students have the same worry as they begin a BA thesis: Can I really complete a big independent project? Can I write a research paper longer than any I have written before?

The answer is almost always yes, you can. That's not simply wishful thinking. It's based on my experience and knowing a trick that will really help you succeed.

Here it is. Once you have focused on your specific topic or question, do not concentrate on writing a thirty-five- or forty-page paper. Not only is that daunting; it's not how your real research and writing are done.

All serious research involves breaking down a large project into several key components and then tackling each one separately. If you are writing a book, those components are chapters. If you are writing a BA thesis or journal article, the components are short papers. Each of these short papers, or sections, is probably six to eight pages.

A typical thirty-five-page paper has

• a brief introduction, which states the question or problem, and why it matters;

• four or more sections that explain different aspects of the issue; they lay out the evidence, how others have seen the problem, and how you see it; these sections answer...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: University of Chicago Press
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2018
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 022643091X
• ISBN 13: 9780226430911
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Auflage: 2
• Anzahl der Seiten: 455
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Buchbär; info@buchbaer.de; ; Weberstr. 67; Osnabrück; 49084; Deutschland