Science, Technology, and Society

Senior Thesis Expectations

Purpose of the STS Senior Thesis

The STS senior thesis is the culminating intellectual experience of the STS major. It is a sustained, year-long, independent research and writing project that demonstrates a student’s ability to integrate science, technology, and society through rigorous research, critical analysis, and original argumentation. The STS thesis is a scaffolded process designed to support intellectual risk-taking, deep engagement with scholarship, and the development of a distinctive scholarly voice. This document is written for a dual audience, serving both as a handbook and a statement of expectations for students navigating the thesis process, and as a shared statement of responsibilities and norms for faculty readers engaged in advising, mentoring, and evaluation.

1. Student Expectations

Students work independently, but not in isolation. The STS thesis process is intentionally communal and structured to provide intellectual, logistical, and peer support throughout the year. STS thesis students are responsible for:

  • Taking primary ownership of the thesis project, including topic development, research design, and time management.
  • Understanding the thesis as a year-long process rather than a single writing task.
  • Meeting required milestones and deadlines across the junior and senior years.
  • Initiating and maintaining regular communication with both thesis readers.
  • Preparing written work that is substantive, thoughtful, and responsive to feedback.
  • Participating fully in STS thesis workshops, poster sessions, and spring seminar pods.
  • Setting aside consistent, dedicated time each week for research, reading, and writing.

2. Student Timeline and Milestones

2.1. Junior Year (Spring Semester)

2.1.1 Meeting with the STS Director

All STS majors meet with the Director mid-spring to discuss the thesis process, expectations, timelines, and early ideas. This meeting is designed to demystify the thesis, encourage early thinking, and answer questions before the senior year begins.

2.1.2. Mini Proposal

By the end of the spring semester of the junior year, STS majors submit a brief mini proposal (typically about two pages) designed to incubate initial thesis ideas. The proposal allows students to begin articulating possible topics and questions, while also giving the steering committee a preliminary sense of the range of projects and potential faculty readers for the following year. Mini proposals are intentionally exploratory and provisional. Students should expect their topics and approaches to evolve as their research and thinking develop over the summer months and during the senior year.

2.2 Overall Senior Year Structure

STS thesis sequence across the senior year (1.5 Intensive units total)

Fall Semester

Spring Semester

  • STS 303, 0.5 unit (fall). This intensive is conditionally graded (i.e., graded as NA)
  • Informal complementary workshops for STS 303 (fall)
  • Reader assignments are communicated early in the fall semester. Students are expected to meet with their readers early to establish shared expectations for the year.
  • STS 304, 0.5 unit (spring). STS 303 and STS 304 together constitute a single year-long thesis grade. Final grades are assigned only after completion of the thesis in the spring.
  • STS 301, 0.5 unit (spring). Thesis pods (senior seminar)

2.3. Thesis Workshops

STS 303 includes a weekly meeting time reserved for thesis workshops. Although workshops convene only on selected weeks, students are expected to keep this time open in their schedules throughout the fall semester, attend all scheduled workshop meetings, and use non-meeting weeks as dedicated time for thesis research and writing. Workshop meeting times are communicated prior to fall preregistration during the junior year, and students are expected to avoid scheduling conflicts during this period. Typical workshops address topics such as (1) thesis proposal development; (2) library research strategies and literature review practices; (3) recursive writing; and (4) poster preparation and presentation.

2.4. Accountability Groups

Early in the fall semester, students are placed into small accountability groups. These groups are intended to encourage steady, consistent progress, provide opportunities for peer feedback and informal intellectual exchange, and reduce the sense of isolation that can accompany long-term research and writing projects. Accountability groups continue into the spring semester as the thesis pod (STS 301).

2.3. Fall Semester Milestones

2.3.1 Formal Thesis Proposal

The formal thesis proposal expands on the junior-year mini proposal and serves as a working plan for the thesis. It is understood to be a document in progress rather than a contract. The proposal provides a foundation for sustained discussion with readers and helps ensure the project is feasible, focused, and well-scaffolded. While projects evolve over time, the proposal should demonstrate:

  1. a clearly articulated thesis topic and research question;
  2. evidence of preliminary engagement with relevant scholarly literature;
  3. clear explanation of how the project constitutes an STS thesis;
  4. proposed methods, case studies, and/or types of evidence; and
  5. a provisional organizational structure.

2.3.2 Initial “Writing Chunk”

Nearing the end of the fall semester, students submit an initial extended piece of exploratory writing (a “writing chunk”). This submission is intended to:

  1. build momentum and get ideas onto the page;
  2. experiment with structure and analytical direction; and
  3. demonstrate engagement with relevant sources.

This work is not expected to be polished or chapter-ready. Portions may later be revised, reorganized, or relocated within the thesis.

2.3.3. Poster Presentation

The fall poster session serves as a formative milestone in the thesis process. Posters are intended to represent a mental map of the thesis as it currently stands and to open generative conversations with peers and faculty. At this stage, theses are understood to be works in progress, and students are not expected to present final arguments or conclusions. Instead, the emphasis is on clarifying research questions, scope, structure, and overall direction.

2.4 Spring Semester (STS 304 + STS 301 Pods)

During the first six weeks of the spring semester, students participate in small seminar pods led by STS faculty. These pods typically align with the accountability groups formed in the fall and may involve structured writing assignments, peer review and discussion, or short presentations and check-ins. While pod leaders determine the specific format and activities, the shared goal is to help students sustain momentum, refine their arguments, and move confidently toward completion of the thesis.

2.5. Spring Semester Milestones

2.5.1 Critical Mass Draft

Due early in the spring semester, the critical mass draft marks a major turning point in the thesis process and is intended to demonstrate that the core structure and argument of the thesis are in place. While some sections may still be under development, readers should be able to clearly discern the overall arc of the project, the organization of its chapters or sections, and the central argument and analytical direction. This draft allows students to better understand their own projects and provides readers with a foundation for substantive, global feedback.

2.5.2. Full Draft

The full draft represents a complete version of the thesis suitable for comprehensive reader feedback. While revision remains an essential part of the process, the argument, evidence, and structure should be fully articulated. The full draft is typically due prior to spring break.

2.5.3 Final Thesis Submission

The final thesis should present a coherent, well-supported argument or line of analysis, demonstrate deep engagement with relevant literatures, reflect sustained revision and thoughtful responsiveness to feedback, and clearly situate the project within the interdisciplinary framework of STS. The final draft is typically due in the last week of April.

All milestone submissions should be submitted to both thesis readers, the STS Director, and the STS Administrative Assistant.

3. Expectations of Thesis Readers

Each STS thesis is advised by two readers, who serve as equal evaluators of the thesis. Readers may be members of the STS Steering Committee or faculty from outside the STS Steering Committee. Theses must have at least one member of the STS Steering Committee as a reader. Readers act as mentors and evaluators, not co-authors. The intellectual direction, research, and writing of the thesis remain the responsibility of the student.

3.1 Readers are expected to:

  • Provide substantive, timely feedback on proposals, drafts, and revisions across the full academic year.
  • Help students refine research questions, scope, structure, and analytical frameworks.
  • Guide students toward appropriate scholarly literatures, methods, and theoretical approaches.
  • Establish expectations for meeting frequency, modes of feedback, and communication early in the fall semester, in conversation with the student and co-reader.
  • Encourage realistic scoping of projects and steady progress over time.
  • Confer with one another prior to the final steering committee meeting to discuss the thesis as a whole and arrive at a shared recommendation.

3.2 Readers Outside the STS Steering Committee

Readers who are not members of the STS Steering Committee serve as full and equal evaluators of the thesis and instructors of record for STS 303/304 since they play an essential role in the intellectual development and assessment of the thesis.

3.3. Evaluation Process

The STS senior thesis is evaluated through a collective, program-level process and is assessed holistically as a year-long endeavor rather than solely as a final written product. In addition to the quality of the final thesis, evaluation takes into account the student’s intellectual engagement over time, including sustained effort, responsiveness to feedback, participation in program milestones, and growth in thinking and writing across the year. Readers provide a shared recommendation based on their sustained engagement with the student’s work, and final grades are determined by the STS Steering Committee in consultation with those readers. The following practices govern the evaluation and grading of the STS senior thesis:

  • Theses are evaluated as Pass/Fail/Distinction.
  • STS 303 (fall) is conditionally graded; final grades for both STS 303 and STS 304 are assigned only after thesis completion in the spring. To prevent premature grading, the STS Director coordinates with the Registrar to record fall STS 303 grades as NA until final grades are rolled in the spring. Instructors do not submit grades for STS 303 in the fall semester.
  • Prior to the final steering committee meeting in May, the two thesis readers are expected to meet with one another to confer on the thesis and agree on a recommended final grade.
  • Attendance at the final steering committee meeting is strongly encouraged. The committee discusses all theses collectively and determines final grades with equal input from readers, including those external to the steering committee.
  • If a reader is unable to attend the meeting, they should submit a brief written summary of their evaluation of the thesis and the student’s thesis-writing process to the STS Director in advance.
  • After final grades are decided, readers are expected to write a joint letter of evaluation to the student reflecting on the strengths and limitations of the thesis, areas of growth, and the student’s engagement with the year-long process, with acknowledgement of the final grade.