The Senior Project

General Information

In fulfillment of Yale College’s senior requirement, all students are required to enroll in one or two semesters of the “Senior Tutorial” (CLSS 4998/4999 for students in Classics and Ancient and Modern Greek, CLCV 4998/4999 for students in Classical Civilization). As all majors in Classics require 12 course credits, students who select the one-semester Senior Project option are required to take an additional course.

You have the option of choosing between three pathways for the senior project in the Department of Classics (see the “What form will your project take?” section). It is important to begin considering your options early in conversation with the DUS and your faculty advisor; the process must be initiated by the end of your sixth semester. The DUS will, at the beginning of each academic year, distribute to majors an updated handbook with all information about assignments and deadlines.

A two-term or a one-term senior project?

For seniors graduating in May, a two-term project begins in the Fall and is due soon after Spring Break in mid-April. A one-term project is completed in the Fall or Spring term, and students who complete a one-term project are required to take an additional Classics course for the major (to achieve the 12 required course credits).

What form will your project take?

Students have three options for senior projects: essays, readings lists, or creative endeavors. All students work with a faculty advisor to complete their project. Essays are the most popular option. Students who wish to complete an intensive reading list or creative project must submit to the DUS a written statement of intention summarizing their topic and research goals, what they have in mind for the project, and why it is a worthwhile way to complete their research; the DUS will review the proposal in consultation with the student’s faculty advisor and may request revisions.

The majority of projects will take the form of a senior thesis, a written essay. Writing is still the only universally accepted form of research and communication in Classics and related fields, and an essay project will provide excellent preparation for future academic research, graduate or professional school, and a wide range of careers in industry, teaching, and beyond. For two-term projects, the senior thesis will be no more than 12,500 words (roughly 45 pages). One-term projects are limited to 7,500 words (roughly 25-30 pages). Essay projects must also include footnotes and a bibliography.

The intensive language and literature study involves reading through a substantial amount of Greek and/or Latin with a faculty advisor; the faculty advisor must agree that the scope of the undertaking and the student’s investment is commensurate with that required by the senior essay. This senior project option requires:

A significant reading list drawn up by author or around a theme;
Regular meetings to discuss the primary texts, accompanied by a reading journal or other regular written response work;
And a translation/commentary exam or comparable mechanism for assessing student progress and completed work.

It is possible to pursue a less traditional, more creative project which does not take the form of a standard written essay. The decision to do a non-written or non-essay project should be made in consultation with the DUS (see below for formal approval requirements) and with the support of an advisor, and you must think carefully about how your project will advance your intellectual, research, and career goals. The following examples are meant only as starting points, and you should feel free to propose something else specific to your goals. In all cases, however, the project must be realized—it cannot simply remain a proposal, no matter how well conceived or researched. This non-essay project must clearly demonstrate serious engagement with primary and secondary sources and must involve the same level of effort and time required for a standard senior essay. All non-written projects must be accompanied by a written analysis of your argument, goals, and methods. This description cannot exceed 3,000 words. Part of this text may resemble a bibliographic essay, but the primary purpose is to explain what you have done and why. You must also submit a bibliography of primary sources. Expectations for the number, type, and variety of sources are comparable for written and non-written projects. Here are some possibilities, as we can envision them:

Website: you will need to be able to write all necessary code and find space to host the site. Evaluation of the project will be based on both its design and its content.
Exhibition: you will have to plan ahead to find a suitable place to host the exhibition, likely a year or more in advance; you will also need to locate and mount all materials. Yale libraries, museums, and archives all express interest in hosting student exhibits.
Exhibition Catalog: preparing a catalog requires a different set of skills from mounting an exhibit, and you can do one without the other. Layout and graphic skills will be important, but again the evaluation will be based on both form and content.
Film: this can be a traditional documentary film (complete with interviews, animations, etc.), or it can be more experimental. Format, length, and possible screening locations should be determined in conversation with your advisor.

This list, of course, is not exhaustive. With sufficient elaboration, students can propose and create podcasts and radio plays, stage a play, etc.; the possibilities are endless.

Questions?

For questions, please reach out to the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Email the DUS