Support

a group of smiling students with balloons behind them

We provide extensive support for our students over the entire thesis writing process, beginning with planning for the project during junior year and continuing with research, analysis, and writing throughout senior year.  Juniors and seniors benefit from the guidance of their senior thesis supervisor in addition to their academic adviser. Our students also have access to many other thesis-related resources, many of which are unique to our program. 

Resources for Juniors 


Thesis 101

During their junior year, all students participate in a thesis workshop that provides helpful information on getting started with the thesis project, including choosing a topic, finding a thesis supervisor, and planning research.  The updated Guide to Writing a Senior Thesis in Social Studies will be distributed at these workshops. Registration for the workshops will take place in late October. 

Thesis Supervisor Database 

Social Studies maintains an extensive database of experienced thesis supervisors both within and beyond the department. Sortable by both region and topic, the database should be students’ first step in finding an adviser. Students should begin considering and contacting potential advisers early in the spring semester of junior year. Further guidance on selecting an appropriate adviser can be sought from the DUS, the ADUS, and academic advisers. 

Methods Training

Social Studies offers methods training in several different forms. First, in addition to Focus Field classes on topics potentially related to thesis topics, students will take two Junior Tutorials that introduce students to the processes of designing, conducting, and writing up original research. All fall Junior Tutorials include a workshop in the Harvard libraries. Second, Social Studies offers two methods courses designed to prepare students for thesis research: Social Studies 50, which introduces students to the foundations of quantitative and qualitative methods, and Social Studies 60, which focuses on the methods of theoretical and historical research. Students must take a methods course in the junior year; we encourage them to take either 50 or 60. Third, students should consult the methods resources section of the Social Studies website, which contains an array of online and print materials on research methods.   

Funding 

Social Studies students conducting thesis research have access to several funding sources. The Eaton Research Fund and the Woods Fellowship are open only to concentrators. Students should also explore the opportunities provided by the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (URAF), which organizes the Harvard College Research Program (HCRP) funding that many students use for thesis research, and Harvard research centers (e.g., the Center for European Studies, the Weatherhead Institute for International Affairs, and the Reischauer Institute, among others). Students pursuing joint concentrations should determine whether they are eligible for research support from the allied programs (e.g., the Ethnicity, Migration, and Rights Thesis Grant). 
 

Resources for Seniors 


Funding 

In the fall, seniors may apply for a final round of funding from the HCRP and Social Studies. Term-time HCRP funding is limited to $1,000, and the application is due in early September. Social Studies offers small grants up to $250 to cover unanticipated expenses related to thesis research. Small grant applications are available on the Social Studies website. 

Senior Thesis Writing Seminar 

The Thesis Writing Seminar is an optional, non-credit course that meets approximately every two weeks from mid-September to March. The seminar combines writing and (brief) reading assignments to support you during the year. Writing assignments will include free-writing exercises and, especially, drafting thesis chapters. Reading assignments include model theses from previous years, secondary sources on the writing process, and other students’ work. Much of the seminar will consist of reading and commenting on your peers’ writing. The ADUS will circulate information about the seminar in early September, and the seminar will begin meeting at the end of September. 

Thesis Writing Fellows Office Hours 

Between October and early March, Thesis Writing Fellows are available to meet with students in 45-minute sessions. Fellows can assist students with a range of issues—from writers’ block to style. They can help give you feedback on your ideas, on the evidence that you’re using to support your argumentation, and whether you’re making your claims accessible to someone who’s a social scientist but not necessarily a specialist on your topic. Many find these sessions most useful when they bring a short piece of writing (2-3 pp.) to workshop with a Fellow. Signups will be through the Social Studies 99 Canvas website. 

Thesis Presentation Workshop 

Early in the spring semester, students will have an opportunity to present material (approx. 15 minutes) from their theses to a small group of their peers in a workshop facilitated by a faculty member. This is an excellent opportunity to hone your arguments, explain how your evidence supports it, and give an overview of the organization of the text. Your peers will pose questions and offer feedback that will be very useful in the final stages of writing the thesis. Information will be provided in January. 

Past Theses 

Theses from previous years can serve as excellent examples as you determine the scope and shape of your own project. Several Social Studies theses can be found on the Social Studies 99 Canvas site. Recent Hoopes-Prize-winning theses can be found in Lamont Library and older prizing-winning theses can be requested online.  

Harvard College Writing Center 

The Writing Center offers Harvard College senior thesis writers the opportunity to work with tutors who can read drafts in advance and meet with you to talk about structure, argument, and clear writing. Thesis tutors can also help you plan your writing process. The Center can provide help most effectively if you contact them early or midway through your writing.  

Harvard Libraries 

The Harvard Libraries provide a wealth of resources for thesis-research and -writing grouped around “five Cs”: carrels in Widener Library, citation software, conversation partners, collections, and cases in point. Students should contact the Social Studies librarian, Susan Gilroy, early in the research process to make best use of the resources.  

Data Coding Workshops 

During the fall, Social Studies will offer two workshops in which students learn the skills needed to transform their raw data into the nuanced and revealing information that form the foundation of insights and arguments. The workshops will be capped at 15 students and will be identical. The ADUS will provide further information at the beginning of the fall semester; the workshops will take place between late-October and mid-November.  

Houses 

Sometimes, individual Houses will offer support to students writing senior theses. This support varies from House to House, but it may be worthwhile to contact your Houses to see available resources. 

Academic Resource Center 

The Academic Resource Center provides valuable support to thesis writers on a range of issues, including scheduling, prioritizing, and time-management strategies, techniques for focusing, and ways of overcoming writers’ block. Academic coaching, group workshops, and “accountability hours” are all available. To take full advantage of the ARC’s offerings, it is best to contact them early in the thesis-writing process.  

Guides and Books 

Useful books include: Joan Bolker, Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day (Henry Holt, 1998); Eviatar Zerubavel, Clockwork Muse: A Practical Guide to Writing Theses, Dissertations, and Books (Harvard University Press, 1999); and Nicole Newendorp, Guide to Writing a Thesis in Social Studies (2011).