Students writing senior theses in the History department enroll in History 498-01 during the fall semester. This course is a senior thesis research seminar taught by Prof. Ronald Spencer. In the spring, they work independently to complete the researching and writing of an historical paper of up to 150 pages. A public presentation of the thesis takes place on Thursday, April 29, 2004, beginning at 8:30 a.m. in Rittenberg Lounge.

Please read below for more information on the senior thesis, including a listing of thesis topics 2002-2003, as well as thesis application procedure and deadlines. 

Thesis Topics, 2002-2003:

• Michael Evans -  Disputations between Jews and Christians in the Middle Ages - Sponsor: Jonathan Elukin

• Charles Fox - New Park Avenue: The Birth, Death and Rebirth of a Hartford Economic Center - Sponsor: Andrew Walsh

• Nathaniel Goodwin - Bonnie Kilted Lad: The Story of the Highland Image - Sponsor:Jonathan Elukin

• Ryan Lerner - The Development of the Idea of the Martyr in the Early Church - Sponsor: Jonathan Elukin

• Erin Linehan - The Experiences of Indian Children in the Federally Sponsored Boarding School Movement - Sponsor: Johanna Fernandez

• Lesley Milner - The Experiences of Women in the Vietnam War - Sponsor: John Chatfield

• Elizabeth Overton - The Home Front effort in Connecticut during World War II - Sponsor: Eugene Leach

• William Sullivan - Printed By Elisha Babcock: The Hartford American Mercury and the Republican Ascendancy in Connecticut - Sponsor: John Chatfield

• Abigail Thomas - Beyond the Studio and the Salon: The Public Selves of Marie Bashkirtseff, Berthe Morisot and Suzanne Valadon - Sponsor: Kathleen Kete

Senior Thesis Application Procedure

All juniors who expect to write a full-year senior thesis during the senior year must submit a thesis proposal (cover sheet). Applicants will be notified in writing by the chair of acceptance by the end of the spring semester. Students should follow the following procedure in developing a thesis proposal:

1. As early as possible, but no later than Friday, March 26, 2004, consult with your desired thesis sponsor about your topic. If you do not know the appropriate faculty member, ask your advisor or the department chair.

2. Write a draft proposal of no more than two pages plus bibliography. The proposal should explain the topic, indicate the historical questions you intend to address, discuss the methodology and sources you intend to use, and review earlier historical thinking on the topic, to the extent possible at this preliminary stage.

3. Submit the draft to your thesis sponsor and revise according to her/his recommendations.

4. When you and your sponsor are satisfied with the proposal and bibliography, fill out the cover sheet, sign it, have your thesis sponsor sign it, and turn the completed packet (cover sheet, proposal, preliminary bibliography) in to the Department.

The proposal is not a contract or an unbreakable commitment but a first step toward defining your topic. We expect that your thinking about your subject will change, perhaps radically, as you pursue your research. Nevertheless, the proposal is a serious exercise, the only instrument the Department has on which to judge your preparation to undertake a full-year thesis; we urge you to give it serious thought and to consult often with your thesis sponsor in the process of drafting it. Sample proposals are available from the Department administrative assistant, Gigi St. Peter, and online.

Thesis students must register for History 498, "Thesis Seminar," in the fall semester. Every student who is accepted to write a thesis is guaranteed a spot in the seminar, but students must enroll in the course, with permission of instructor, either during the preregistration period in the spring semester or in the add-drop period at the beginning of the fall semester.

History Department Thesis and Prize Deadlines, Spring 2004

Below we list in chronological order deadlines particular to the History Department. For College-wide deadlines, consult the 2003-2004 version of the Catalogue. For further information, contact the Department Administrative Assistant, Gigi St. Peter. For information on the graduate program, see the Graduate Program page.

• Friday, April 16, 2004   -     2004-2005 Thesis proposals due
• Wednesday, April 14, 2004  -    Papers and Senior Theses due for 2004 History Prize consideration.