A question about college papers

[lilminx]

I was just reading the "classes" thread, and I saw references to people having "thesis papers" due- some mentioned 3 or 4 due ove the course of a semester.

It has always been my understanding that a thesis paper was something that was worked on throughout 2 semesters, where the student developed a topic of his or her own and researched it. That's what I had to do for my thesis paper.

So the question is: do you consider a thesis paper just a regualr papr, or is it something that is a long-term thing?

 

[Problem Child]

I always thought a thesis was the final paper that you deliver for a ph.D. Unless someone is attempting 3 or 4 ph. D's simultaneously (highly unlikely), I think what you are describing would be a term paper.

 

[lilminx]

I had to do a thesis for my Master's. It was a year-long thing involving a theory and a ton of research. It was considered a thesis by my school.

 

[sunstruck]

You may also (I did) have papers to turn in ON your thesis. I had to do a summary and several related research papers for 2 of mine.

It's not always required, but it could be what they are refering to.

 

[brokenbrainwave]

a lot of proffs call a large paper, like 40-50 pages a thesis paper when they really are not. God I hated those.

 

[millieteases]

In my limited experience - Undergrad in the U.S. and England, Grad School at several universities in the U.S. - a thesis is either the central argument of your paper or speech or is the longish essay submitted as part of the requirements for a Master's degree in the U.S.

It differs from a dissertation - the paper submitted as part of the requirements for a doctorate - in that it does not have to be an original contribution to knowledge or a significant reinterpretation of what is already known.

You also run into the occassional undergraduate thesis - a paper submitted as part of the requirements for a bachelor's degree.

As one of a number of papers/essays/whatever - I think that is just a weird use of language in that particular school or set of schools.

 

[Problem Child]

In my limited experience - Undergrad in the U.S. and England, Grad School at several universities in the U.S. - a thesis is either the central argument of your paper or speech or is the longish essay submitted as part of the requirements for a Master's degree in the U.S.

It differs from a dissertation - the paper submitted as part of the requirements for a doctorate - in that it does not have to be an original contribution to knowledge or a significant reinterpretation of what is already known.

You also run into the occassional undergraduate thesis - a paper submitted as part of the requirements for a bachelor's degree.

As one of a number of papers/essays/whatever - I think that is just a weird use of language in that particular school or set of schools.

I stand corrected on the definition of a thesis (how could I forget about dissertation?). Although I never heard of an undergrad having to give a thesis for a bachelor's degree, I suppose different schools have different requirements.

My university requires "senior projects", for example, which are papers which usually require the same amount of work as a 6-8 quarter unit class and take one or more quarters to complete. A lot of undergrads at other schools have never heard of them, but I suppose they could be viewed as a thesis.

 

[TN_Vixen]

In order to pass my Poly Sci Honors Course, I was required to give a thesis paper of b/w 50-100 pages and orally present it to a panel of 10 professors. This was undergrad, too.

 

[Problem Child]

In order to pass my Poly Sci Honors Course, I was required to give a thesis paper of b/w 50-100 pages and orally present it to a panel of 10 professors. This was undergrad, too.

smarty-pants.

 

[wink740]

I just submitted my thesis for my Masters. The fun begains again in the spring when I get to defend it to A group of fellow students.
The teachers board will grade my defense and decide then if I get the degree or not.

Why I do this to myself I don't know.....

 

[Azwed]

Some of the majors at tech have a optional senior seminar that you can take. The whole grade for the class is based off a thesis type paper and this is for undergrad.

My gf has to do a senior thesis for her undergrad degree in order to graduate. My exgf had to do one to graduate with honors from her university.

I have had some profs call very large papers thesis papers and I never liked that since they aren't really a thesis paper.

I have had a few prof's that get really worked up about thesis statements. You feel like you are being hammered by a thesis statement sledge hammer in their class.

 

[TN_Vixen]

smarty-pants.

lol
I had a good teacher. ;-)

 

[Sandia]

A thesis was required to graduate at my school too.

A lot of people didn't graduate. I almost didn't.

 

[seXieleXie]

if you want to graduate with honors from my school (and i do) then you have to write and honors thesis (and i will), and you are required to spend two semesters on it.

 

[kotori]

I had to do a "thesis" for my Architecture masters, but only one semester concentrated on that, the main emphasis being the design project. The paper was supposed to lay the theoretical foundation for the project.

As an undergrad, I had a course in Historiography, which was done as a seminar, and the only requirement was a final paper which was presented in progress to the group (only about five students).

 

[Hamletmaschine]

I think they may be talking about having 3 or 4 papers due in which they are expected to have a thesis--i.e., a central idea for their paper.

Chances are that none of the papers actually ended up with a thesis.

 

[seXieleXie]

I think they may be talking about having 3 or 4 papers due in which they are expected to have a thesis--i.e., a central idea for their paper.

i think it's really sad that this expectation would have to be explicitly stated. for christ's sake, it's college!

 

[Hamletmaschine]

You're right, Lexie. But, hell, I have to tell graduate students that on every assignment.

 

[alltherage]

I had to defend a thesis before three professors. Before the day I was to do it I learned that one of the professors was about to take a trip to Sri Lanka as part of an academic exchange. I was very close to a Sri Lankan woman from a prominent Sri Lankan family. My defense took about 3 minutes the rest of the time was spent discussing Sri Lankan politics and eventually penalogy in Sweden. Go figure. Yes I did pass.

 

[seXieleXie]

that's why i could never be a teacher. someone would ask me a question like "does it have to be in complete sentences?" or "do we need a thesis statement?" and i would go nuts. i don't think it would go over well.

 

[Hamletmaschine]

Usually, the term "thesis" as a name for the paper as a whole is reserved for a major resarch project at the undergraduate or Master's degree level--a senior honor's thesis or an M.A. thesis, for instance. Ph.D. students usually write a "dissertation" for their final project.

 

[Sandia]

Hamletmaschine, are you a college professor?

 

[BigDawg69]

I would've had to do what we called a Senior Thesis to get a BFA in Theater which is why I have a BA in Theater.

Term papers, I believe, are what those folks were referring to.

 

[Willing and Unsure]

that's why i could never be a teacher. someone would ask me a question like "does it have to be in complete sentences?" or "do we need a thesis statement?" and i would go nuts. i don't think it would go over well.

I actually have instructors here that tell us to make sure we do these things. Some of them have even given handouts on how to write complete sentences, how to write a thesis statement and so on. I thought it was rather ridiculous, at least until after they graded the paper and they would take time out to teach us about how to write a complete sentence.

I think if I were the instructor, I'd pull the whole "you're in college now, you should know this, and if not find someone to teach you" attitude towards something this simple.

 

[lilminx]

Usually, the term "thesis" as a name for the paper as a whole is reserved for a major resarch project at the undergraduate or Master's degree level--a senior honor's thesis or an M.A. thesis, for instance. Ph.D. students usually write a "dissertation" for their final project.

This is what I always took a thesis to be.

Don't get me wrong, I know that a thesis statement is also used as a topic for a paper, but it's not technically a thesis paper.

I hated doing a thesis. I was an English kajor in my undergrad and I had to do a bazillion papers. When I was in undergrad, I said I was never going into a profession where I needed a Master's degree just so that I didn't have to do a thesis paper. Well, THAT didn't happen.

Crazy me is actually thinking about getting my doctorate, but I don't think I have the discipline to do a dissertation.

Oh, and in some of my English classes (300 and 400 levels, mind you), I had techers explain how to write a paper. In grad school, techers have had to explain it. Fucking sad, really. Then students got all pissy when they didn't get a good grade, due to poor writing skills.