Theatre Studies 4999E - Thesis Project

2024-25 Academic Year

Theatre Studies 4999E is individual instruction in the selection of a topic, the preparation of materials, and the creation of a thesis project with a focus on theatre or performance studies. The outcome may be a written piece of research or a performance-creation project. Students who wish to take this course must apply to the Program Director, Theatre Studies. This course is restricted to students with an 80% or above average and who have completed at least 1.0 course(s) from Theatre Studies 3000-4999 or approved substitutions.

It is the responsibility of students who wish to take Theatre Studies 4999E to decide on an area in which they wish to work, to find a professor who is willing to undertake the supervision of the thesis, and then to obtain Special Permission from the Program Director, Theatre Studies to register for the course. The thesis supervisor should inform the Program Director, in writing, of his or her consent to supervise the thesis and of the subject agreed upon.

  • Theatre Studies 4999E is equivalent in weight and value to other honours courses. It will require approximately 25 hours of consultation during the year.
  • The thesis should be not more than 12,500 words and a substantial bibliography should be appended.
  • Within the first month, a reading list will be established which will eventually become part of the bibliography for the thesis.
  • Students should submit a short proposal with the preliminary reading list by the end of October.
  • The student will produce a first draft of the thesis on a mutually satisfactory date but no later than the first week of March. It may be revised or re-drafted on the advice of the supervisor. The final draft must be submitted no later than the last day of classes.
  • The supervising professor will be responsible for finding a second reader. [One of the readers must be a full-time member of the department.] Together they will assign a grade which will be given to the Chair of Undergraduate Studies within one week after the end of classes.
  • An undergraduate thesis need not make an original contribution to knowledge on the subject (though it may do so) but it is expected to be a coherent, literate, intensive analysis of a challenging literary topic or problem.
  • There is no regular timetable for Theatre Studies 4999E. But at the beginning of the year, thesis students will be called together by the Chair of Undergraduate Studies to meet with each other and to discuss methods of research. Again, in mid-year either before or after December break, they will be called for a progress report.

At the end of the year, students are expected to deliver a short presentation on their research during Honours Thesis Day. This will provide the department with an opportunity to celebrate the work of these undergraduate students. As for any other course, a grade of INC (Incomplete) must be approved by the Dean’s Office, for a specific reason supported by documentation.

AGREEMENT/CONSENT OF SUPERVISION FORM (Fillable PDF) PDF download