Description
Students choose (one of) the thesis seminar(s) offered within their specialisation. It is strongly recommended that students start thinking about the topic of their thesis before the start of the classes. Attendance is compulsory for all classes. Detailed information about the study material and the writing process can be found on Brightspace.
Course Objectives
Objective 1: To deepen the understanding of theories and methods related to research on the theme of the Master Specialisation.
Objective 2: Applying them to a specific topic as part of the student’s Master thesis project.
General information session
See 'Information and Deadlines' for the time and date of the information session.
Thesis seminar Themes:
Theme 101: Global Justice, Climate Change and Democracy (Dr. G. Schaafsma/Dr Matthew Longo)
The purpose of the thesis seminar is to accompany you when you write your master thesis. Students develop draft proposals into a full research proposal, which will be the basis of their master thesis. This seminar supervises projects that engage critically with questions of climate change, justice, and democracy, broadly understood. Students are free to pick a subject of their liking, as long as it touches on these themes. This includes theses on climate justice (for example, the responsibilities of states, corporations and individuals; loss and damage; intergenerational justice), civil disobedience and political protest (including movements such as Extinction Rebellion, Fridays for Future, and Indigenous resistance), and the ethics and strategy of climate activism. Work on climate obstructionism, corporate lobbying, greenwashing, and the politics of climate denial is also welcome. Beyond climate-specific topics, the seminar accommodates theses in environmental political theory, global justice (e.g. migration, borders, global inequality, postcolonial critiques), and liberal theories of justice, especially where students connect more theoretical work to concrete political practices and institutions. As well as the standard conceptual/normative approach of analytic political philosophy, students can also draw on critical, applied, comparative, or interpretive political theory.
Additional Information: Students are recommended to check the substantive readings listed in the Reading List prior to the beginning of the seminar. The reading list will be available on Brightspace at least two weeks before the seminar starts.
Additional Information
Please note that for some seminars there will be no additional substantive readings than the ones discussed in the courses they build on.
Registration
See 'Information and Deadlines'.
Examination
The thesis seminar is composed of a research proposal (first 8 weeks) and a thesis (remaining of the course). The research proposal ensures that the student is on the right track to carry out the research and write the thesis. It must be approved by both readers (see below), but is not awarded a grade. The grade of the thesis corresponds to 100% of the grade of the thesis seminar.
Research Proposal
The research proposal includes a problem statement, theoretical foundation, conceptualization as well as a sound explanation of the methods and techniques for data collection and analysis. The proposal must be approved by the supervisor and a second reader. The second reader will be designated by the Director of Studies. Please note that teachers are not obliged to provide thesis supervision if the proposal is not approved. The research proposal is not graded, it receives only a pass/revise/fail evaluation.
Master Thesis
The MSc thesis needs to comply with high standards of academic research. The formal requirements of the Master thesis are stated on the page ‘Thesis seminar information and deadlines’. The thesis evaluation form with the evaluation criteria will be published on Brightspace.
Students that drop or fail the course have to retake the complete thesis seminar (in the 2nd semester of the next academic year). Students should contact the Exam Committee if they are unable to complete the master thesis by the deadline due to circumstances beyond their control.
Timetable
See 'MyTimetable'.