Thesis and Senior Project Guidelines

Although many senior concentrators in AFVS do a thesis or a senior project, it is not a requirement, except for joint concentrators, nor is it necessary to be recommended for an honors degree from the department. All senior theses or projects are designated with the course number AFVS 99A for the first part and AFVS 99B for the second part.  The thesis is ordinarily a two-semester project, but a Senior Project can be a one-semester undertaking. 

Joint concentrators whose primary concentration is not AFVS will enroll in AFVS 91R, and in the 99 of their primary concentration. They may have an adviser in both concentrations.

Academic Requirements

A thesis or senior project is a serious commitment and is the capstone experience in the department.  During this two semester project, the student meets at scheduled intervals with their thesis or senior project adviser to formulate, develop, and ultimately refine their thesis work.  In addition to independent meetings with their adviser, students doing film/video production and studio theses are required to attend the weekly group section meetings, ordinarily facilitated by a faculty member or graduate student, as part of the coursework. Attendance, participation, and engagement in the group are considered in the final thesis grade.

• A filmmaking or videomaking thesis should be the third year of work in filmmaking or videomaking.
• A studio thesis should be preceded by at least 4 courses that relate to the proposed subject of thesis.

Applying for a Thesis and the Proposal

Students apply to do a thesis or senior project in the term before the work begins. The AFVS Honors Board, which is made up of AFVS faculty members, reviews all thesis and senior project proposals before the project can go forward.

Sometimes project proposals will shift significantly from the time of initial application or the Honors Board will recommend that the proposal be re-written. In these cases, students should submit a revised proposal at the start of the following term.

Students with approved proposals will petition in my.harvard to enroll in AFVS 99, adding the course to their Crimson Carts for final approval by either the Director of Undergraduate Studies or the faculty leader of the AFVS 99 group.

For Joint Concentrators for which AFVS is the allied concentration, petition in my.harvard to enroll in AFVS 91R: Special Projects, and the 99 of the primary concentration.

Unsure about applying for a thesis or senior project, have questions about the department requirements? Definitely set up an appointment with your concentration adviser, the Director of Undergraduate Studies, or the Manager of Academic Programs.

Instructions for the proposal:

1. All areas/tracks: Describe the project you are proposing, giving an account of the concentration courses you have taken to this point, and how they inform your proposed project.

Studio projects should stipulate the likely medium or media and the scope of the work. What is the context for this project – in relation to work you have already produced, and/or to historical, theoretical, and cultural contexts? Thesis proposals often confuse the biographical roots of a project with the contexts that give it significance. Contexts are best indicated by annotated bibliographies or lists of works and artists. Include a link to a portfolio of images, clips, reels, etc., of past and current work.

Film/Video projects should stipulate the medium, estimated length, mode (documentary/fiction), and rough timetable. As with studio theses, the less determined the outcome, the more important the contextual surround. (See above.) Annotated bibliographies and filmographies are essential. Include a link to a portfolio of images, clips, reels, etc., of past and current work.

Written projects in Film and Visual Studies require a more comprehensive proposal. It should outline the scope of research, the project’s relationship to prior scholarship, and the overall plan for the thesis itself. These proposals should certainly include an annotated bibliography/filmography/source list with an emphasis on the major works that address the topic. We understand that at this point in the process, you may not have read or seen certain works. Indicate that alongside your reasons for including them.

2. Role of the Adviser:  It is imperative that you meet with your adviser, or potential adviser, at least one week before the thesis proposal is due. If you are unsure of who will advise your thesis because of faculty sabbaticals and visitors, please let the Director of Undergraduate Studies know before the application is due and indicate that you have done this on the application form. All proposals must include the AFVS Thesis Application Form  with your thesis adviser’s signature.
3. Space and Budget: If you are requesting studio space, please indicate that in the check box on the application form. If you are requesting departmental funds for your thesis, the AFVS 99 Thesis Budget Request Form is due with your proposal and thesis application form, signed by your adviser.

Finding an AFVS 99 Adviser

A student must find their own project adviser, and ordinarily that is a full-time faculty member in the Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies. Graduate students and faculty from other departments ordinarily do not serve as AFVS 99 advisers. Sometimes a project adviser will be a visiting faculty member who is not in residence until the following academic year. In this case, the student should apply by the designated due date and the project would not receive final approval until the visiting faculty member is able to meet to discuss the proposal.

In general, AFVS students should conceive their theses in conjunction with AFVS faculty, and with the idea of working with the department’s own faculty members as principal advisers. In the unusual circumstance that the appropriate AFVS adviser will be on leave during the thesis year or some part thereof, that AFVS faculty member should be consulted, in advance of the submission of the application, on which other colleague(s) might serve in their stead. Normally, only in cases where the AFVS faculty adviser strongly urges that a faculty member outside of the department supervise the thesis would the Honors Board agree to this arrangement.

Readers and Thesis Reviews 

An AFVS thesis has three readers also known as committee members, assigned. One reader is also the AFVS 99 adviser; and two other faculty members are assigned by the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Unlike in many other concentrations, in AFVS the readers are known to students before the thesis is completed. In fact, in studio and film/video theses, readers play an important role during the thesis review process. Senior projects do not have readers. At three times during the thesis process there is an hour long thesis review when each student meets with their adviser and two committee members. The Manager of Academic Programs schedules these reviews. 

Grading

The AFVS 99 tutorial (or 91R for allied joint concentrators) is given a letter grade by the adviser whether it is a thesis or a senior project twice: At the end of the first half, and the end of the second half. This grade appears on the student’s transcript. If the AFVS 99 tutorial is to be a thesis, in addition to the tutorial grade given by the adviser, the thesis work receives a Latin honors grade by the three readers (summa, magna, cum, and plus/minus versions thereof).* As with traditional letter grades, the Latin honors grades have numerical equivalents and the three reader grades are averaged together to determine a final thesis grade. The thesis grade does not appear on the student’s transcript as a separate course, however, this grade is averaged into the final department grade point average, and it is counted as two half-courses, since it is work done over two terms.

* If the thesis is not considered honors-level work, it is given a non-honors letter grade (B- and below).

In sum, if a student does a senior project they will receive a letter grade for the AFVS 99 tutorial. This ordinarily counts as two half-courses toward the department GPA. If a student does a thesis, they will receive a letter grade for the AFVS 99 tutorial and they will receive another grade for the thesis, which does not appear on the transcript but will count toward the department GPA. 

Grade Report

At the end of each term, fall and spring, the student’s progress in the Senior Tutorial (AFVS 99) is graded and the adviser may write a brief progress report of the tutorial to date. 

Reader Reports

Each of the three thesis readers assigns a Latin grade and writes a report on the thesis work. As explained previously, the three Latin grades are averaged together to form one final thesis grade. Students receive copies of the reader reports with their grades after the department’s degree meeting.

Honors

All AFVS concentrators are eligible to be recommended for an honors degree. The AFVS Honors Board calculates a recommendation for honors based on the factored grades of the thesis and the student’s grades in all concentration courses. This recommendation is presented to the faculty at their meeting in May for review (or December for February degree candidates). A faculty vote is taken and this decision is passed as an honors recommendation to the Registrar of the College. The decision of final honors to be granted on the degree is made by the Registrar based on departmental recommendation and grades overall. Students can consult with their Allston Burr Resident Dean to determine what final honors might be anticipated at Commencement. It is Department policy that there are no reports of decisions regarding the thesis until after the Faculty has considered and voted upon each recommendation for honors. After the faculty has voted honors recommendations, students will be notified of the department’s recommendation to the College and will receive copies of their thesis evaluations.

Discontinuing a Thesis

The process of undertaking thesis work is a serious commitment of time and energy for both the thesis student and adviser. In some cases it might be necessary to discontinue the thesis mid-year. If this situation occurs, the student or adviser must indicate this in writing to the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Two scenarios may result from this decision:

1. The student discontinues both the tutorial and thesis work by dropping the course. It is possible to discontinue a senior project by following these procedures as well. Deadline to drop AFVS 99 entirely and divide with credit: February 22, 2027.
2. Or, the student turns the thesis into a “Senior Project.” The student will continue to work with the project adviser for the rest of the year. There may or may not be a finished body of work at the end of the tutorial. The student would still remain enrolled in AFVS 99, but would not have work to submit at the thesis deadline and would not participate in any thesis reviews or have the work read/reviewed by the other readers/committee members. The adviser would then grade the AFVS 99 tutorial at its conclusion at the end of the semester. 

Financial Eligibility

Senior Projects and theses are eligible for financial support by the department. The Director of Undergraduate Studies and the Manager of Finance evaluate all projects on an individual basis. Each student can request funding to support their project by filling out a Budget Request Form. These forms are due when the thesis proposal is due. If you anticipate any unique or extraordinary budget requests, you must make an appointment with the Director of Undergraduate Studies and Manager of Finance before you submit the Budget Request Form.

Senior Project vs. Thesis?

There are a few main differences between a “senior project” and a thesis but since the student enrolls in AFVS 99 in either case, there is no discernible difference on the transcript. The first difference is that a thesis must conclude with a finished body of work, submitted by the specified due date. A senior project may or may not result in a finished body of work. The due date of a senior project is sometimes the same as the thesis, but is usually the last day of classes in a semester. The due date must be worked out in advance between the adviser and the student, particularly if it involves using department equipment or materials also used by regular classes. The second main difference is that there are no readers assigned to critique and grade a senior project, therefore the project receives only a letter grade, not a Latin grade. For information about turning a thesis into a senior project, please refer to “discontinuing a thesis” above.