Senior Year

Senior Requirements

During the senior year, each student in the major completes work in the area of concentration in one of three ways: enrolling in an upper-level seminar, completing a one semester senior project, or undertaking the intensive major and completing a two-term senior project.

Upper-Level Seminar (AMST 400-470, excluding 471a and 472b)
Students may enroll in an upper-level seminar within the area of concentration. Students should apply interdisciplinary methods and undertake original research to produce a final paper of twenty to twenty-five pages. Students much complete all course requirements to fulfill the senior requirement.

One Term Senior Project (AMST 491a or 491b)
The student may complete a one-term senior project or essay. The product should be a thirty-page essay or its equivalent in another medium. All students writing a one-term senior essay participate in a proseminar on theory and method. To apply for admission to AMST 491a or b, a student should submit a prospectus, signed by the faculty adviser, to the director of undergraduate studies.

The Intensive Major (AMST 493)
The student may enroll in the intensive major and work independently for two terms. The intensive major offers an opportunity for significant original research, leading to a substantial senior project. AMST 493 carries two terms of credit; its final product should be a sixty-page essay or its equivalent in another medium. All students in the intensive major participate in a yearlong proseminar on theory and method. One term of the two-term project may count as a course in the area of concentration. To apply for admission to AMST 493, a student should submit a senior essay prospectus, signed by the faculty adviser, to the director of undergraduate studies.

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