Steps To Get You Started

The Comparative Literature Program at Barnard College has established an advising system for all undergraduate majors pursuing a writing project in their senior year, culminating in an analytical Senior Essay to be submitted by the end of the spring semester. The purpose of the advising system in Comparative Literature is twofold: it assists students in developing and focusing on their senior writing project, thereby tying together the two languages and literatures of their choice; and it provides students with face-to-face opportunities to discuss individual aspects of the Senior Essay project with members of the faculty on a regular basis throughout their senior year.

At the beginning of their senior year, majors will make an appointment with the Director of the program to discuss their writing project and find advisers best suited to offer advisement and coordinate research plans. The two advisers chosen by a student may help define the topic of the Senior Essay, make suggestions about the most productive approach, and narrow or expand the scope of the comparative examination of texts. It is imperative that senior students meet with their advisors on a regular basis throughout the fall semester.

Each adviser will provide guidance in their discipline or field of expertise and assist students in setting up a research plan, identifying sources, and composing an outline as preparatory elements of the senior capstone experience.

When choosing your topic, bear in mind the following: some prior knowledge of the subject (through courses, independent studies or internships) is key to a deeper understanding of the subject matter; a clear indication of the range of your analysis is necessary to conduct thorough treatment of the subject matter within the available time frame; the questions you raise in your senior essay should guide you sufficiently to devote more than a semester of work to them.

Toward the end of the fall semester (November), majors will need to submit a prospectus to the advisers and the Director of the Comparative Literature Program. To complete this part of your research, you should write up your questions and preliminary findings in a rough draft so that you can use it as a reservoir for a more structured and coherent piece of writing; gradually, you will reach a more complete understanding of the subject and determine the overall direction of your essay.

The prospectus is a three page statement that describes the main questions, relevant sources, and appropriate methods a student will use in her research. This written document should indicate that the research project fits the required parameters. It should include:

1. A preliminary thesis statement
2. An indication of the material being used to conduct a comparative analysis, for instance a brief description of the literary texts (genre, period, number of texts, etc.) or similar cultural manifestations such as plays, films and essays, etc.
3. A bibliography
4. A clear reference to the languages being used; at least one of them needs to be a foreign language so that two literary-cultural traditions can be compared.

The prospectus may differ in style and form of presentation, but it should be organized around three main objectives:

1. Project Description: a clear, concise introduction to the topic, the main research question(s) you wish to answer, and why this subject is worthy of investigation.
2. Methods: It should outline the methods you will use to answer your questions (how you will collect primary sources and useful secondary literature and/or information and how you will analyze and discuss it).
3. Sources: It should list the basic sources you will consult. (NOTE: This might not be a complete list of all sources that are finally used in the research, but should indicate the research direction and the types of materials/sources you plan to examine and study).

In the spring semester, the advisers will continue to offer advice to graduating students who are then in the process of completing a senior essay. Graduating seniors are encouraged to set up regular meetings with their advisers and the Director as early as possible in the spring semester (January) and to plan regular consultations with their advisers throughout their senior year.

In the spring semester, you will continue with your research while taking a Senior Seminar that allows you to discuss your work with other senior students and the instructor; each student has the opportunity to present installments of her senior essay, culminating in a final presentation of the most central ideas at the end of the semester.

The Senior Seminar format involves weekly discussion of readings, frequent and regular in-class presentations of written work and development of research skills through completion of a 30-page (min) research paper, constituting the major piece of written work for the course. At the end of the semester, all writing projects are presented at the annual Senior Thesis party. The oral presentation is an essential part of the capstone experience of graduating students.

By the beginning of the spring semester, you should have clearly defined your senior essay topic and selected the most relevant sources, based on the recommendations you'll find in faculty's response to your prospectus. As the semester progresses, you will turn the initial drafts into a coherent piece of analytical writing and develop a consistent and persuasive line of argument; the research findings need to be structured according to the main aims and questions you have articulated in the opening section of your essay.