Prospectus Guidelines
Introduction
Before commencing work on the final Project each student must prepare a Prospectus of the Project. The following guidelines are intended to assist students in satisfying this program requirement.
Explanation of Purpose
Because each student designs an individualized program of study which is completed by the Project, it is not possible to have a universal qualifying exam (as is common in many graduate programs). The Prospectus thus serves as a measure of the scholarly development of the student. In presenting a prospectus to the Program Committee for approval, students are expected to demonstrate (1) that they have sufficient academic background to undertake the proposed project, (2) that they have adequately focused the proposed project so that it may be completed in a timely fashion and (3) that the student has already performed a thorough search for and preliminary study of sources and has identified from the study of the sources the crucial scholarly work in the chosen area of study.
Elements of the Prospectus
Essay
The essay in the prospectus should persuade the Program Committee that the student is adequately prepared to begin work upon the proposed project. The elements of this "argument" will vary depending upon the nature of the Project . All will contain a clear statement of the specific area of study. In most cases ( excepting creative works ) the essay will clearly identify the research problem and present a thesis that resolves the research problem. All prospectus essays will also include a discussion of the materials included in the bibliography. The ability to write a critical discussion of the existing scholarly materials demonstrates the adequacy of the student's academic background. That critical discussion also contributes to the clear focus and more likely timely completion of the proposed project. Each essay should also include a chapter-by-chapter outline.
Bibliography
Each prospectus must include a detailed working bibliography. The development of the bibliography is a major part of the prospectus and must be done with significant attention. Current electronic bibliographic search methods far too often produce a false sense of adequacy. A long list of sources found by a key-word search of a large data-base is merely a beginning of a bibliographic search. The working bibliography included in the prospectus must be a selected bibliography drawing upon all types of bibliographic materials and it will include only those sources directly relevant to the proposed project.
Timeline
The preparation of a prospectus is a time-consuming task. One should begin working on the prospectus two full quarters before beginning work on the Project. At no later than the beginning of the second quarter preceding the planned commencement of work on the Project the student should meet woth the Program Director. In this meeting the student's final Program of Study should be approved. Also in this meeting a Director of the proposed Project must be suggested. The student should then seek the agreement ot the director and begin working immediately upon the final defining of the project. Also work on the bibliography should begin immediately. During this quarter the student should, in consultation with the Project Director, make agreements with the two other Project Committee members.
The process for getting the approval of the Prospectus is fundamentally different from work done in regular classes, graduate or undergraduate. Traditional student papers are prepared by the student, given to the instructor and then returned to the student with a grade and comments. The Prospectus, on the contrary, is presented to the Project Director and committee in a series of drafts. Each draft is returned with comments/suggestions for revision. Students must allow ample time for this revision process which ends with the approval of the Project Committee that is required before the Prospectus is presented to the M. Hum. Program Committee for final approval. In order to allow time for Project Committee approval it is recommended that a penultimate draft of the prospectus should be given to all Project Committee members no later than the end of the first week of the quarter preceding the quarter for beginning of work on the Project . Keeping in mind that the Humanities Program Committee meets in the middle and at the end of each quarter, the student must allow ample time for final revisions of the prospectus before meeting with the Humanities program Committee.
Students who follow these guidelines will less likely be asked to make revision in the prospectus by the Humanities Program Committee.
Last updated: March 13, 2008