The capstone experience for History Majors requires the completion of a two-semester senior thesis. The student produces an extensive original research project under the direction of a faculty member on a topic within the faculty’s expertise. The first semester of work focuses on locating and narrowing the thesis topic, locating primary and secondary sources, and the writing up of the analysis of these sources. By the end of the first semester, the successful student will have a complete draft of the thesis that contains all the elements of a thesis as well as substantial original and historiographical analyses, and meets at least a minimum standard of a “C-” grade. In the second semester of the project, the student continues to work on her/his project in the areas of research, analysis, and writing, while refining and editing the thesis. A typical thesis contains a minimum of 20 primary sources and 20 secondary sources and is approximately 40-50 pages in length. Students usually complete the senior thesis in the last year of their degree work. Students are cautioned against heavy course loads while they complete their thesis work.