Grading Policies
Your revised, final thesis must represent at least B quality work before it will be approved for signature by your primary advisor. Your thesis will be evaluated based upon:
- your demonstrated ability to articulate a research problem clearly;
- your familiarity with scholarly research in your area of specialization;
- your demonstrated ability to analyze a research problem independently and critically;
- your demonstrated ability to evaluate and interpret your results independently within the context of the published literature in your area of study and/or within the environmental, institutional, and political context within which your research problem arises;
- the clarity, organization and quality of your writing; and
- the completeness of your responses to reviewers' comments.
"Interesting" problems and "original" or "good" solutions contribute to, but do not necessarily make, better theses. Your advisors will emphasize evidence of your ability to analyze your problem critically within the context of the scholarly literature a nd the information you have gathered. You will also be evaluated, but not graded, on the quality of your departmental seminar. You should use comments received at your seminar to help you to clarify the substance and/or organization of your thesis. All faculty advisors and outside readers will be consulted in evaluating your thesis, but your primary faculty advisor is ultimately responsible for determining whether your thesis can be approved for signature.