This course is required for students who have chosen to write a masters thesis as a final project. The thesis is more than a paper-it is a major independent project that requires the best application of your analytical, writing, and research skills. The successful completion of a thesis signals that you have mastered the art of scholarly research, can synthesize complex information, can write clearly and creatively, and can convince others of the power of your ideas through argument and not polemic. This course will help you write a thesis proposal and design your thesis. The course is heavily interactive - we will work primarily with materials provided by you, the students. Using secondary texts and your own work we will cover issues such as formulating a research problem, defining your concepts, situating yourself in the literature, finding, using and presenting data, and the writing process. If you follow the course carefully, by the end of the semester you should be in very good shape to write and complete your thesis. This course is the prerequisite for registering for Thesis Supervision.