Thesis Information for Faculty Advisors

Thank you for agreeing to advise a CHID senior thesis. We are pleased to invite UW faculty to join our program's commitment to, and enthusiasm for, interdisciplinary study.

The thesis is a required component of the CHID program. The process of arriving at a research question, connecting with UW faculty on shared research interests, performing research, writing, and publicly presenting the thesis are all a part of this capstone experience. The thesis draws from CHID methodology and requirements and from each student's unique understanding of their topic.

Students will approach you and investigate the overlap of their area of interest and your expertise. If you agree to advise the project, then you agree to guide the student in developing a specific research topic and question(s), provide theoretical backing, and assist with the research and composition of the project. Students have the option of completing a 5, 10, or 15-credit thesis. CHID 491 (5 credits) is an instructional course dedicated to helping the student begin the thesis process. All thesis students take this class first. CHID 492 and 493 (5 credits each) are thesis-writing courses for those students who want to pursue a longer thesis project; these courses operate as independent studies and are to be supervised by the thesis adviser.

We recommend that 491, 492, and 493 follow each other in succession, each in separate quarters (unless circumstances do not permit). For the student to register for 492 and 493, CHID will need to generate a faculty code for the thesis adviser. You will be asked to send confirmation (via email) to our Academic Adviser that the student has permission to register with your faculty code. We request you contact the CHID 491 instructor twice during the quarter to confirm the student's progress.

Most students will do a 10-credit thesis over two quarters and we discourage students from doing only a 5-credit thesis, though for some, this is the only option. Some will complete a 15-credit thesis. Although there is no page limit corresponding to credits, the final project should reflect effort commensurate with the number of credits earned. Suggested page guidelines for written research projects are: 5 credit: 20-40 pages; 10 credit: 40-60 pages; 15 credit: 60-80 pages.

The project can take any form that embodies a critical intellectual component and serves the student in terms of facilitating the transition from CHID/University of Washington to the next stage in their life. Some students may opt to do artistic or performance-based projects that do not result in long written papers. We encourage creativity, but regardless of the form the thesis takes, students are expected to critically engage their topic in written form at some stage of the work. That is, students must write a reflective essay or analytical paper as one component of the project.

For the first 5 credits of any senior thesis (CHID 491), 50% of the final grade will be determined by the thesis adviser and 50% will be determined by the instructor of CHID 491. For students who choose the 10-and 15-credit thesis options, the grades for 492 and 493 will be determined entirely the directing professor after the thesis has been turned in (in the meantime, students will receive an "X" grade).

You and the student should negotiate the precise details of the senior thesis regarding acceptable project types, format and length. Please sign the 491 form once you have agreed to work with a student and have established mutual agreements and expectations. We hope that you enjoy this process and we always welcome your feedback.