A Guide to the ALM Thesis - iSites - Harvard University

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8 | 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
Chapter 1: Introduction and Administrative Procedures | 9 meetings or consultations may be most frequent at the early stages of the project, but the thesis director should not be expected to undertake remedial work. Upon completion of the research and writing, the student submits a written thesis to the thesis director. Most thesis directors prefer to review this work in successive stages, chapter by chapter, while others prefer to wait until the entire manuscript has been completed. (We strongly advise candidates to be proactive in requesting a chapter-by-chapter review of the work in progress, for this incremental review facilitates the process of revision.) In either case, it is the thesis director’s role to read the thesis, to request revisions as necessary, and, at the appropriate time, to grade the final version, submitting to the Extension School a letter grade and brief narrative evaluation of the project. Administrative Procedures The thesis is the most demanding phase of the ALM program and almost always takes longer than expected. Requiring close familiarity with the content and methods in a given discipline, it cannot be commenced until at least 24 ALM credits—the equivalent of six courses—have been earned. Enrollment There are three administrative stages in enrolling for this research course. First, the candidate consults with the appropriate research advisor, who assists the student in gaining familiarity with the relevant literature, formulating a suitable research problem, choosing an appropriate method of research, and identifying a prospective thesis director. These tasks prepare the candidate for writing the thesis proposal, which usually must be revised several times (the average is three drafts) before it is approved by the research advisor. Second, after the thesis proposal has been approved, and an approved-proposal form completed, the candidate and research advisor make arrangements to contact a member of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences with a teaching appointment in the relevant field, eligible to supervise the project as thesis director. At this point, the prospective thesis director may request some modifications of the proposed research. Typically, unless the changes are significant, these may or may not be incorporated into a revised proposal, depending upon the wishes of the prospective thesis director. Third, when the approved-proposal form has been completed by the candidate and signed by the thesis director, it is submitted to the ALM office for final approval by the Dean of Continuing Education. Afterwards, the candidate receives by mail notification of this approval and a request for tuition payment for this research course. If a student fails to pay for the thesis within two weeks, the research advisor will be notified and the approval may be rescinded. These arrangements are made independently of the usual semester course registration period. Thus the thesis need not begin at the start of a term. But it must be completed no later than nine months after the final proposal has been approved and a thesis director has agreed to serve. The due date for the thesis is indicated in the letter of approval from the Dean of Continuing Education. Those registered for the thesis are considered full-time students by the registrar, but all registered students must complete a downloadable thesis continuation form each term. This is especially essential for students on financial aid. (Click on “Forms” at the top of the Extension School website.) For graduation in May, the final draft of the research proposal must be submitted at the very latest by September 1 and approved by October 1; the thesis itself must be completed by April 1, regardless of the candidate’s individual due date. A Guide to the ALM Thesis
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