Senior Seminar - bmc.CITY.B398.001.F26
Section outline
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Due: Friday, September 11, 2026, 11:59 PM
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Due: Friday, September 18, 2026, 11:59 PM
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Due: Thursday, October 1, 2026, 11:59 PM
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Due: Wednesday, November 11, 2026, 12:59 AM
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Due: Wednesday, November 11, 2026, 12:59 AM
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Due: Friday, September 11, 2026, 11:59 PM
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Due: Friday, September 18, 2026, 11:59 PM
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Due: Thursday, October 1, 2026, 11:59 PM
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Due: Wednesday, November 11, 2026, 12:59 AM
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Due: Wednesday, November 11, 2026, 12:59 AM
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Due: Friday, September 11, 2026, 11:59 PM
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Due: Friday, September 18, 2026, 11:59 PM
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Due: Thursday, October 1, 2026, 11:59 PM
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Due: Wednesday, November 11, 2026, 12:59 AM
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Due: Wednesday, November 11, 2026, 12:59 AM
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Whole Group Class Meeting
Class content:
Overview thesis process; Intro research designs; Discuss primary and secondary data management, use of AI, IRB and human subjects; Workshop research questions. Note: Professors will assign primary and secondary advisors this weekend. Expect to know who your advisors are by Sunday, Sept 6.
Self-directed student research and writing tasks:
- Refine research question
- Build bibliographic source list
- Make appointment for research consult with Laura Surtees or other librarian
- Research question, working title, preliminary bibliography due Friday, 9/5 (!!) - submit below
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Due: Friday, September 4, 2026, 11:59 PM
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NO Class Labor Day - Individual Meetings with your Primary Advisor this week
Complete a draft of the student worksheet for the work plan before meeting with your advisor.
Class content (no class this year - content will be covered in 1:1 meetings):
This week’s priorities are (1) to assemble and read through your sources and (2) to identify a methodological strategy for your work. If you are conducting fieldwork, you will hopefully have already started and will continue to gather your data. Otherwise, you will identify the theoretical perspectives you will draw from and what you will use as evidence to make your argument.
In-class learning goals and activities:
- Workshop methods and primary sources
- Discuss access, permissions, consent
- Activity: Draft schedule for collecting primary sources - specifics, populations, archives, etc. (solo); discuss feasibility and additional ideas in small groups
Self-directed research and writing tasks:
- Description of research methodology
- Specific list of primary sources with as much collected primary data as possible (name of people to interview, documents or statistical to analyze, archives or photographs to view, etc)
- Research methods statement with research schedule and list of primary sources due Fri 9/11
- For students needing IRB review, full IRB documents due to primary advisor by Mon 9/14
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19.3 KB · Uploaded 08/13/26, 10:00
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137.9 KB · Uploaded 08/7/26, 11:14
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Meet in Whole Group
Class content:
This week’s priority is to continue your literature review to develop the framework you will use to analyze/understand your data and sources.
In-class learning goals and activities:
- Digging deeper into the literature review: better organizing, faster reading, and making connections as painlessly as possible
- Activity: begin concept mapping
Self-directed research and writing tasks:
- Read, read, read!
- Gather archive materials
- Literature Review Notes (Citation concept map with bullet notes/key quotes from major sources / list of images and precedents) due Fri 9/18)
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Meet in Primary Advisor Group or 1:1 Meetings (decided by Primary Advisor)
Class content:
The priority for this week is to begin to conceptualize and map the whole thesis. The first step is a progress check-in. Now is when you posit a core argument (thesis statement). You should assess the gaps in your data collection and analysis – and do what it takes to fill in the blanks.
The outline is an exercise in thinking about the overall structure of the thesis and the research/writing ahead. For example, you may need a background chapter examining history, context, or analysis of relevant terms historical models or key concepts. Also, think about how you can break your topic into chapters: by chronology, case studies, themes, or some cogent hybrid model.
In-person learning goals and activities:
- Introduce full structure of the thesis (outline)
- Present structure of the Introduction
- Q&A re data/source collection & analysis issues
Self-directed research and writing tasks:
- Continue data/source collection and analysis
- Draft full outline due 9/25
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Secondary Advisor Groups
Class content:
This week is about taking stock of where you are and what you need to do to complete data collection and analysis for at least one empirical chapter by fall break. We will also guide you in preparing your first ‘elevator speech’ on the thesis.
In-person learning goals and activities:
- Feedback on outline
- Finding your ‘aha!’ and preparing your elevator speech
- Finding throughlines in your argument(s), discuss tackling the first empirical chapter
Self-directed research and writing tasks:
- Continue data/source collection and analysis
- Draft literature review section (explain your analysis framework through the literature)
- Revise full outline per feedback
- Literature review with revised full outline and preliminary thesis statement paragraph due Th 10/1 by midnight via discussion forum (peer reviewed in class on 10/5)
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Primary Advisor Group
Class content:
This is a time to help your classmates by critically reading what they have written and supporting them as they look forward.
In-person learning goals and activities:
- Break into accountability groups for workshopping of draft intro, project outline
Self-directed research and writing tasks
- Begin draft of one empirical chapter
- Begin slides to present your empirical data
- Draft of one empirical chapter due Friday, Oct 24 (The Friday after break)
- Presentation slides of thesis empirical analysis due Oct 27 and Nov 3 for in class presentation
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The period over fall break should be spent writing your first empirical chapter (not the first chapter in your outline, but one of the chapters where you are presenting your data/sources and analysis).
The following weeks will be devoted primarily to writing. You will continue reading and researching in parallel to writing. Much of this will be involve independently managing your writing schedule to meet the scaffolded deadlines. Individual meetings with advisors are highly recommended.
In Week 7, You should prepare a short visual presentation (PPT, Google Slides, etc) to guide an audience through your research process and preliminary findings.
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Meet One-on-One with your Primary Advisor
In-person learning goals and activities:
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Meet One-on-One with your Primary Advisor
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Self-directed research and writing tasks:
- Begin work on second empirical chapter
- Draft of one empirical chapter due Friday, Oct 23
- Finish slides for in class presentation due 10/26 & 11/2
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Meet in Whole Group
In-person learning goals and activities:
- Short powerpoint presentations of thesis data to the groups
Self-directed research and writing tasks for this week:
- If presenting, upload your slides before class
- Complete work on second empirical chapter
- Start draft of other chapters
- Full draft due WED 11/11 for peer workshop on 11/16
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Meet in Whole Group
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In-person learning goals and activities:
- Short powerpoint presentations of thesis data to the groups
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Self-directed research and writing tasks:
- If presenting, upload your slides before class
- Work on third empirical chapter, revisions and additions to others as appropriate
- Compile and edit for full first draft
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Meet one-on-one with your primary advisor
From now until the final thesis is submitted, revisions and writing should continue in parallel to reading and researching.
In-person learning goals and activities:
- Presentation of direction re thesis formatting (ToC, Appendices, Tables and Figures, Abstract, etc.)
- Small-group discussion of progress, stumbling blocks, and next steps
Self-directed research and writing tasks:
- Complete full first draft!
- Submit by 11/11 in the public discussion forum for peer workshop 11/16 AND in your primary AND secondary advisor's assignment submission folder (that way your primary and secondary can get it easily).
- After you submit your full draft, take a few days away from your own thesis, come back ready to write!
- Review and make comments on the other drafts in your secondary advisor group to be ready to discuss on 11/16.
- Continue to research, write, and revise as you work toward a final thesis draft
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Use this forum to attach a Word document that will be shared with other students for peer workshopping. Add a new discussion topic for your post, then click "Advanced", then add your attachment.
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Use this forum to attach a Word document that will be shared with other students for peer workshopping. Add a new discussion topic for your post, then click "Advanced", then add your attachment.
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Use this forum to attach a Word document that will be shared with other students for peer workshopping. Add a new discussion topic for your post, then click "Advanced", then add your attachment.
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Meet in your Secondary Advisor Group
After the first draft, you should have a sense of the gaps in your work and/or holes in your argument. In addition, peer review will help bring clarity and hopefully re-charge your thinking by giving you an outsider’s perspective on your work.
Before this class, review and make comments on the other drafts in your secondary advisor group to be ready to discuss how your compatriots can improve their work.
In-person learning goals and activities:
- Small-group workshopping of full draft thesis
Self-directed research and writing tasks:
- Continue to research, write, and revise as you work toward a final thesis draft
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One-on-one Meetings with your advisor(s) as necessary
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Self-directed research and writing tasks:
- Prepare slides for public presentation of your work the week after Thanksgiving.
- Continue to research, write, and revise as you work toward a final thesis draft
- Set up one-on-one meeting with advisors as needed
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In-person learning goals and activities:
- Give public presentation of your work and learn from questions and feedback
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Self-directed research and writing tasks (do not submit):
- Continue to write, revise, and work toward a final thesis draft
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Final Whole Group Class!
We'll meet all together to discuss thesis formatting, answer final questions, and celebrate your work!