Directed Reading, Thesis and Research Paper Guidelines
ARTH 5012 – [0.5 credit] – Directed Reading
Students must first gain permission from the Graduate Supervisor in Art & Architectural History. Students then meet with their Directed Readings Supervisor and agree on a topic. The Supervisor must then submit a basis of evaluation for the Directed Reading. The student must then submit (along with the signed Directed Reading Form) a brief topic outline including bibliography and key research questions.
Students are not permitted to register in a Directed Reading course until the Directed Reading Form is completed and signed.
ARTH 5908 – [1.0 credit] – Major Research Paper
ARTH 5909 – [1.5 credit] – Thesis
The thesis and the major research paper will be a critical test of your success as a graduate student, and recommendations for further study or for employment will be based heavily on the outcome. A main purpose of your courses is to provide the academic background and research skills necessary for a satisfactory research project.
A typical thesis has two or three chapters, plus an introduction and a conclusion. Thesis should be at least 60 pages in length, and it is strongly recommended that they not exceed 80 pages. Major research papers are typically 40 pages in length.
Students are encouraged to start thinking of possible thesis or research topics over the course of the Fall semester in their first year. There is a tendency for students to concentrate during the Fall and Winter terms on course readings and assignments, and to put off decisions about the thesis, resulting in the loss of the Summer semester as a constructive research period. The effective definition of a topic demands a good deal of thought, reading and preliminary research; it cannot be done quickly and therefore must be begun early.
Faculty also need to know their commitments in advance. Students trying to define a topic during the summer, without having secured the prior agreement of a supervisor, are apt to find that no one is available until September. It is considered normal to complete the M.A. with a thesis in Art History in fewer than six terms, but only if a topic and supervisor have been arranged and serious work on the thesis or research essay proposal has begun well at the end of first year.
Students are required to submit a thesis/major research proposal form to the graduate supervisor. The form can be found here.
Choosing an Advisor: MA thesis or research supervisors must be members of the Art & Architectural History faculty, or the director of the Carleton University Art Gallery, although professors from other departments and some museum and gallery curators may co-supervise a thesis or research paper. Students are encouraged to meet with faculty members in the Fall of their first year in order to discuss their research interests and identify potential advisors. Students are encouraged to approach faculty members to be their supervisors and should be advised that they may not necessarily get their first choice. Review the graduate handbook and contact your graduate supervisor should you require assistance.
Follow this link to find a directory of full-time Faculty in Art & Architectural History.