Special Major Thesis
As a culminating activity, all special majors write a one or two credit thesis. Students select the focus of their thesis work; theses typically build on coursework and methods training in Educational Studies and the other department comprising the special major. Theses are supervised by a faculty member in Educational Studies and a faculty member in the other discipline.
Special majors are strongly encouraged to take EDUC 065: Educational Research for Social Change in the spring of their sophomore or junior year. This course, which can be taken for .5 or 1 credit, prepares students to write a special major thesis in their senior year.
Faculty members use a rubric developed by the Department of Educational Studies to evaluate one and two credit theses. These rubrics represent the department's learning goals for students and are provided to students as they begin their thesis work.
A range of special major theses can be accessed through Triceratops in the Swarthmore College Library.