Philosophy - Senior Thesis Guide

Philosophy majors finishing up their junior year may choose to submit an application to write and publicly defend a senior philosophy thesis as one of their elective courses. While the department sees in the writing and defense of a thesis an extremely valuable “capstone” experience, students should note that the approval process is competitive, and that some applications may not be approved. Enrollment in the course will not go beyond the number of philosophy faculty able to direct a thesis in a given year.

The Proposal

Majors intending to write a thesis should come into their third year on the way to formulating a topic. Please bear the following in mind:

  1. Students wishing to propose a thesis should begin the process in the second semester of their junior year
  2. Decisions will be made before the beginning of the next semester and be conveyed to you directly, or (if over the summer) via email
  3. You should develop a syllabus for PH 498 (there being five possible sections, A through E), containing:
    1. The thesis topic, along with its rationale (why is this an important topic, what does the student hope to learn from writing and defending this thesis)
    2. A list of possible resources for the thesis, to some level of detail
    3. Suggested directors for the thesis (optional)
    4. A timeline for completion of the thesis, from the beginning of the first semester of senior year through the defense date, including:
      1. Mandatory meeting times with the director, impacting the student’s “class participation” grade for the course
      2. Mandatory reading/outline/draft deadlines, impacting the student’s overall thesis grade
      3. Final paper deadline
      4. Defense date
    5. Your contact information (including an active email address)
  4. A model syllabus can be found here.

The Department’s decision to approve or not to approve will likely depend upon a number of factors:

  1. Faculty competence and availability
  2. The likelihood of a successful completion of the thesis and defense as proposed
  3. Whether the amount of academic work warrants the granting of three credits
  4. Adequate details (regarding the topic, rationale, resources, and timeline /deadlines) sufficient to make a reasonable judgment regarding the above three

Theses are to be written under the direction of a member of the philosophy department. Though students will possibly and even likely be consulting other members of the Department throughout the writing of the thesis, they must choose one member to direct the process and report on its progress. This faculty member will also direct the public defense, asking the opening question and seeing to it that the defense proceeds smoothly.

Be certain to consult with your choice of director before submitting your proposal. Not only is it common courtesy to let the director know of your proposal before it is submitted to the department, but your director is there to advise you. The choice of a senior thesis topic is often most efficiently done in consultation with someone who knows much about philosophy and writing philosophy papers. We in the department are here to be utilized: take advantage of that. You and the director should meet regularly.

Writing the Thesis

While your director can advise you best on matters concerning content and style, there are a few general guidelines it would be well to follow, for purposes of standardization.

  1. Do not use a font size greater than 12 or less than 10 for the final thesis. Stick to easily-read fonts (like Palatino, Georgia, or New York) and avoid very "fancy" fonts (like Old English or cursive fonts). Foreign language fonts are acceptable.
  2. Use one-inch margins at the top, bottom, and right side of the page, but a one-and-one-half inch margin at the left-hand side (for binding). Write on one side of the page only.
  3. Number pages consecutively from the first page through the last (1, 2, 3, and so on), excluding introductory material (like the table of contents, a preface, the defense panel, and digest), which should be numbered with small roman numerals (ii, iii, and so on). The title page should not be numbered, but is figured into the numeration of the introductory pages; so, the page after the title page will be number ii (small roman numeral).
  4. Footnotes are preferred to end notes.
  5. The introductory material should include the following, in order:
    1. A title page, with the title, author, date of submission, and the notice: “Submitted to the Philosophy Department of Benedictine College in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for a Major in Philosophy”
    2. A page indicating the members of the defense panel and the date of the defense and (if you are defending the thesis). For example:

      Thesis Defense Panel:
      Dr. Jean Rioux, Philosophy, Director
      Dr. Edward Macierowski, Philosophy
      Dr. Mark Zia, Theology
      15 April 2015
    3. A one-page summary of the thesis
    4. A table of contents
    5. Preface (if desired)
    6. Acknowledgments (if desired)
  6. Place appendices at the end of the thesis, after the bibliography. (Be certain they are referred to in the Table of Contents.)

Submission and Defense

We strongly encourage students to defend their theses on Discovery Day. Theses are due in to the director two weeks before the defense date. Students should submit five copies of the final thesis, three for the members of the defense panel (the two members of the philosophy department and a third panel member) and one for binding.

Past Theses

Fall 2022

  • Jane Spencer: “Keeping Company with the Divine: How Noble Goods Allow for Justice and Friendship”

Spring 2021

  • Grace Rembold: “Hobbes’ Positivism and the Argument for Natural Law”

Spring 2019

  • Joseph Strandquist: “Music: An Imitation of Emotion”
  • ​Marie Rioux: “Newton’s Flaming Laser Sword and Meaning Beyond the Planck Length”

Spring 2017

  • Thomas DePauw: “The Principles of Distinction in Material Substances in the Philosophy of St. Thomas and St. Albert”

Spring 2015

  • Nicholas Sparks: “Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility: A Response to Harry Frankfurt”
  • Paul Burghart: “The Human Happiness: An Exploration of Man’s Natural End and Its Necessity Given Natural Law”
  • Paige Gorman: “Descartes and Sensory Skepticism”
  • Benjamin Rioux: “Concerning Knowledge and Certitude: An Investigation into Whether or not Scientific Knowledge is Possible.”

Spring 2014

  • Joe Gifford: “In the Eye of the Beholder: A Thomistic look at Whether Beauty is Objective or Subjective”

Spring 2013

  • Josh Kuestersteffen: “God’s Erotic Love: The Compatibility of Eros and God’s Nature”
  • Megan Oliver: “Zeno’s Paradox: Mathematical Responses and Philosophical Reactions”
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