Playwriting Theses and Theses in Other Genres and Media

Playwriting Theses

Students may apply to write a play as a senior thesis. Please plan on submitting either a complete short play of approximately ten pages or ten pages from a longer play with your application. Application may be found at https://bit.ly/ENGPlayApp

APPLICATIONS are due by Monday, May 8, 2023 at 5:00 PM.  Additional materials may be uploaded to the Department's DropBox using this link: https://bit.ly/ENGPlaywrighting Please mark file with your name and playwright (eg. lastname_playwright.doc).

Theses in Other Genres and Media

Majors in English usually write senior theses in literary or cultural criticism. By special application, the department may approve theses that are partly in other genres (poetry, fiction) or media (film, photography, podcast, etc.). In all cases a substantial critical essay (ordinarily of 30-40 pages) must accompany the submission.

If you are interested in undertaking such a thesis, please fill out the application linked below, which will ask you to  write 200-300 words describing your intended project, to identify any faculty who might be especially qualified to advise you, to list any coursework outside English that has provided you with relevant knowledge or skills, and to indicate whether the project would benefit from co-advising in another department. It is a good idea to talk to potential advisors in advance—if you have discussed the project with faculty in English or elsewhere, please include this in your description.

We will evaluate applications on the strength of your ideas and your preparation to realize them. (That is, you should not apply to make a film if you have no experience or coursework in filmmaking.) The plan you submit is not binding — if your direction has changed by September, you are not bound to follow it — but if it is approved, we will use it to pair you with an advisor who can respond to your work in an informed and rigorous way, and to help arrange outside co-advising as relevant.

APPLICATIONS are due by Monday, May 8, at 5:00 PM. Application may be found at https://bit.ly/ENGMediaApp

Additional materials may be uploaded to the Department's DropBox using this link:https://bit.ly/ENGPlaywrighting. Please mark file with your name and media (eg. lastname_media.doc).