A Guide to the ALM Thesis - iSites - Harvard University

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| Chapter 1: Introduction and Administrative Procedures
Role of the Research Advisor
There are currently four research advisors in the ALM program, all with experience in guiding students on the
thesis. They advise ALM candidates on all aspects of the development of the thesis topic and on the preparation
and presentation of the thesis proposal, which is a prerequisite to writing the thesis. Furthermore, they help to
identify faculty whose research and teaching interests coincide with proposals on specific topics and who may
be subsequently recruited to serve as thesis director.
In the humanities, Dean Sue Weaver Schopf, who can be reached at (617) 495-9942 or at sue_schopf@harvard.edu,
is responsible for students in Celtic languages and literatures, classical civilizations, dramatic arts, English;
foreign literature, language, and culture; linguistics, literature and creative writing, religion, and visual arts. In
the biological sciences, Dr. James Morris, who can be reached at (617) 998-8549 or james_morris@harvard.edu,
is responsible for the fields of biology; history of science, technology, and medicine; and legal studies. In the
behavioral sciences, Dr. Dante Spetter, who can be reached at (617) 496-4967 or spetter@hudce.harvard.edu, is
responsible for anthropology and archaeology, clinical psychology, and psychology. Similarly, in the social
sciences, Dr. Donald Ostrowski, who can be reached at (617) 495-4547 or don@wjh.harvard.edu, is responsible
for government, history, and international relations. Some interdiciplinary fields, such as Medieval and Middle
Eastern Studies, may be guided by any of these advisors, depending upon the area of emphasis.
Each research advisor holds a general orientation meeting at the beginning of the term, fall and spring, to
outline the administrative details and strategies appropriate to the ALM thesis. All ALM candidates who expect to
undertake the thesis during the subsequent academic year are urged to attend the meeting appropriate to their
field of concentration. In addition, the research advisors hold a monthly proposal-and-thesis-writers discussion
group, open to all candidates who have completed six courses, at which both general questions about the
proposal-and-thesis-writing processes and specialized ones concerning individual projects are addressed.
After the research advisor approves a student’s thesis proposal, the research advisor will send to the candidate
an approved-proposal form, which must be completed by the candidate and signed by the thesis director. The
research advisor will arrange for consultation with a member of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences eligible to serve
as the director. As soon as a faculty member accepts this role, he or she then becomes responsible for guiding
the thesis. Students should be aware that, in extremely rare instances, the research advisor may not be able to find
an eligible, available thesis director—despite the acceptability of the project. Factors such as sabbaticals, leaves
of absence, changes in appointment, or too many concurrent responsibilities can sometimes affect a potential
director’s availability. In such cases, it may be necessary for the candidate to wait until a director becomes available
or even to develop another research proposal on a different topic in order to obtain a thesis director.
Role of the Thesis Director
The thesis director must hold a teaching appointment in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard at the
rank of senior lecturer, assistant professor, associate professor, full professor, or professor emeritus/emerita; or
an analogous appointment at the rank of full professor in another Harvard school, such as Law, Education, or
Medicine. The thesis director may request modifications in the topic or other changes in the research problem
or method; he or she may be especially helpful in redefining a question, providing focus, and obtaining certain
resources. But the responsibilities for acquiring basic research techniques and identifying an initial research
problem lie primarily with the student. A description of the specific duties of the thesis director is sent from the
ALM office to all faculty serving in this role.
The faculty director meets in person with or consults by telephone or e-mail with the student at appropriate
intervals during the thesis process to assist with problems as they arise and to ensure adequate progress. These
A Guide to the ALM Thesis