Thesis Guidelines

Masters students in East Asian Studies are invited to write a Master’s Thesis. The defense of the Master’s Thesis is offered as an alternative to the Exit Examinations. Students who intend to pursue a Ph.D. are particularly encouraged to write a Thesis. Students should keep in mind, however, that writing a thesis requires considerable planning and organization, adequate time management, discipline, and an innate interest in research-related writing. The following guidelines have been devised to help thesis students stay on track:

Designating a Topic Area

Early in the student’s second semester in the program, s/he should be able to identify the area in which s/he intends to focus for the thesis. Once this has been accomplished, the student should select a primary thesis advisor. Because the East Asian Studies MA Program is relatively short, the student should begin considering potential topics/advisors as early after arrival as possible.

Selection of Primary Thesis Advisor

The student is responsible for designating a primary thesis advisor from among the East Asian Faculty at Washington University. Under special circumstances, the student may ask a University of Missouri-St. Louis faculty member to serve as the primary advisor. Before doing so, the student needs to consult with the Director of East Asian Studies.

In selecting the thesis advisor, the student should be attentive to the research interests and areas of expertise represented by members of the EAS faculty. The student should identify the faculty member whose expertise most closely relates to the student’s proposed thesis topic. The student must then ensure that the faculty member will be willing to work with him/her on the proposed topic. (Students should note that faculty members periodically take leaves-of-absence and may not be available during the semester when the student intends to complete the thesis.)

Prospectus

Once a topic has been identified, the student should work with the thesis advisor to draw up a prospectus. The prospectus consists of a brief statement outlining the central goals of the study and describing the methods and procedures to be employed in meeting those goals.

East Asian Studies Thesis Practicum

Students are required to participate in the East Asian Studies Thesis Practicum. The Practicum begins in March (after spring break) and will conclude in March of the following year. The Practicum will meet once a week, or at the convenience of the faculty involved, and will allow students to discuss issues related to research and writing with their advisors, other graduate students, and Honors Program students.

Bibliography

Typically, the summer months are used to collect data and compile a bibliography under the supervision of the thesis advisor. Students preparing to write a Master’s Thesis should also be prepared to incorporate reference materials—both primary and secondary sources—in the focus language. Those working on an issue that relates to Chinese political structure, for example, should be able to incorporate references in Chinese.

Secondary Advisors

Armed with the draft of the prospectus, the student should meet with other faculty members in East Asian Studies and seek their participation in the thesis project. Consultation with other faculty members may necessitate slight changes in the thesis prospectus.

Scope and Procedures Form

Once a student has designated the faculty members who will serve on the Thesis Committee, s/he needs to submit a “Notice of Title, Scope, and Procedure Form” to the EAS Office. This will allow the office to make arrangements with the Graduate School to have the student listed as “Graduating with Thesis.” Therefore, it is mandatory that students complete this procedure before the deadline for filing the “intent to graduate” form. (Note: For those intending to graduate in May, the deadline is December 1.)

Drafts

By the midpoint of the student’s third semester in the program, s/he should begin showing the thesis advisor drafts of the thesis. Naturally, these drafts will not yet be near a final form. But they will allow the thesis advisor a greater opportunity to provide direction and advice. Students will also have the opportunity to present their research at the regularly scheduled East Asian Studies Thesis Practicum and will continue to refine their arguments and approaches accordingly. By the start of the fourth semester, the student should have a complete draft to show the advisor. At the thesis advisor’s discretion, these drafts might also be circulated with the secondary advisors.

Defense Draft

Students will need to defend their thesis during their fourth semester. It is important for students to arrange for their defenses well in advance of the semester’s end. It is equally important for students to allow their advisors (primary and secondary) ample time to read the Master’s Thesis in advance of the defense. Under no circumstances should the student allow the advisors less than two weeks to read the defense draft.

Planning the Defense

It is the student’s responsibility to arrange a time when all members of his/her committee can meet for the defense. The student should make these arrangements no later than a month prior to the planned defense, and do so in consultation with the thesis advisor and the EAS Office. The student is responsible for arranging the date/time of the defense. The office will arrange the place.

The Defense

Having provided the committee members a complete and clean copy of the thesis well in advance of the designated meeting time, the student and his/her advisors meet on the day of the defense to discuss the content of the thesis. Generally the defense will last for one hour. The student will be asked to describe his/her project briefly. Next, the advisors will take turns asking questions, seeking clarification, and making recommendations for improvement.

Revisions

Based on the statements made at the defense, the student will be asked to revise his/her thesis accordingly. Although we would not wish for such to happen, it is possible that a thesis might not pass muster at the defense and that the committee recommends that the student not pursue revisions further. In such an event, the student will be allowed to incorporate the defense into an exit exam with details of procedure to be worked out with the Director of East Asian Studies and the thesis committee.

Students whose theses pass the defense may be assigned a number of revisions. Depending on the degree of revisions required, it might be necessary to submit the revised draft to the committee for approval. Hence, it is very important that students allow for this possibility when completing their drafts and scheduling their defenses.

Submission of Thesis

When a student has successfully incorporated the revisions recommended by the committee and has secured the approval of the Thesis Advisor, s/he should submit the manuscript online at http://library.wustl.edu/services/thesisguidelines.html. Please consult the Graduate School’s webpage for current guidelines pertaining to thesis submission. One hard copy of the thesis should be turned in to the EAS Office. The EAS Office will pay to have one copy of the manuscript bound for the student. As this procedure takes time, students should be prepared to wait up to six months for completion of the binding and return of the manuscript. Also, to insure that the bound thesis is delivered promptly, students should be sure to leave a forwarding address with the EAS Office.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences issues a Master's Thesis Guide which can be viewed by clicking here.