REM 505: Winter, 2009

What is a thesis:

A series of definitions from REM Faculty

With more below:

Bill Wood (Anthropology and Museum Studies): I think that, at the most basic level, a thesis is a contribution to an on-going conversation. What kind of contribution and what kind of conversation? Well, as I see it, going to graduate school and completing a thesis (or dissertation) is about joining a group of scholars who are debating an issue or problem and making an original assertion about that issue or problem. Making that kind of contribution requires: 1) being familiar with the conversation (knowing the literature) and what some of the important areas of debate are; 2) deciding what kinds of information (data) will support your assertion and how you are going to collect it; 3) actually gathering the data (doing the research) to support your assertion; and 4) using a body of theory to interpret your data and back up your assertion. Successfully completing a thesis, then, is a serious undertaking. Equally important is your choice thesis advisor, the person who helps to orient you to the conversation, formulate an appropriate assertion given the conversation, develop a plan to collect and interpret the information you’ll need, and (most importantly) read, provide feedback, and help edit the written record of your assertion you are leaving behind-- your thesis.

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