Independent Study (POLS 3800) and Senior Thesis (POLS 4990) are opportunities for students to undertake individual research projects with the supervision and guidance of a political science faculty member. While students register and receive credit for these in the same way that they do for their other classes, Independent Study and Senior Thesis do not have a fixed instructor or meeting times. Instead, interested students agree with the faculty member supervising their work on when they will meet and the expectations for their research projects.

 

Students can register for Independent Study for one, two, or three credit hours. Independent Study counts as elective POLS credit for political science majors. Senior Thesis provides three credit hours. Senior Thesis meets the University's requirements for writing-intensive (W) and oral communication (O) general education goals. Senior Thesis satisfies the requirement that political science majors take a 4000-level POLS class. Successful completion of the class POLS 2220: Political Science Methods is a prerequisite for Senior Thesis.

 

If you are interested in pursuing either Independent Study or Senior Thesis, follow these steps:

 

1. Ask a member of the political science faculty to supervise your Independent Study or Senior Thesis. (Independent Study and Senior Thesis both list Professor Walsh as the instructor. But other faculty members approve and supervise your work, so you should secure their approval for your project before asking Walsh for permission to add this class). You should approach a faculty member that has some expertise in the topic you wish to investigate. The benefit for the faculty member is working with and learning from students undertaking interesting projects. You are more likely to convince a faculty member to agree to supervise your project if you have given some serious thought to the topic and general approach beforehand. Independent Study and Senior Thesis are not offered to accommodate conflicts in your schedule, so only seek to enroll if your objective is to undertake a research project. 

 

2. Work out the details of your project, including a schedule of meetings and due dates, with the supervising faculty member. Then fill out, and have the supervising faculty member sigh, the enrollment request form for Independent Study or for Senior Thesis.  Give the signed form to Professor Walsh, who will then issue an authorization that allows you to sign up for credit. Note that students are responsible for going online and actually registering for Independent Study or Senior Thesis on their own once this authorization is issued.

 

3. At the completion of your project, have the supervising faculty member tell Professor Walsh what grade to assign.