Effective January 2012
Research Essays
A Research Essay is a thorough review of the existing state of the art with respect to a clearly stated topic in philosophy or the history of philosophy, presenting a well-structured, well-argued, and well-written exploration of the student’s own views on the topic, between 50 and 70 standard pages (formatted as required by the Faculty of Graduate and Posdoctoral Affairs).
Theses
Theses can take either of two forms:
1. A clear statement of a philosophical problem, or, in history of philosophy, an interpretive problem, followed by analysis and argumentation, all informed by a thorough understanding of the existing state of the art with respect to the topic. A thesis must have a thesis, a claim or idea or point of view to the presentation and defence of which the entire essay is devoted. It should be roughly between 80 and 100 standard pages.
2. The second option includes both of the following: (a) A critical literature review of between 50 and 70 standard pages, including a clear statement of a philosophical problem, or, in history of philosophy, an interpretive problem, followed by a thorough review of the existing state of the art with respect to the topic, in which the student’s perspective on the topic is made clear. (b) An article of between 20 and 30 standard pages, in which the problem is clearly and succinctly stated and situated in the literature, followed by analysis and argumentation for a novel solution to that problem.
In the second option, the bound final version of the thesis will include a departmental note explaining this option, followed by the article and the literature review, each identified as such in the table of contents.