Argomenti di tesi proposti dal docente.
Suggested topics for theses:
Environmental sociology; environmental politics; ecological transition; natural resource management; rural development; energy transition; etc. Preferred geographical areas: West Africa; Europe; Turkey.
To initiate the supervision of their thesis, students should follow the following procedure:
A. Send a short email broadly describing your research and/or professional interests
B. Once approved the principle of supervision, students have to write a prospectus, indicatively within 3-4 months, following the steps below. Each step requires the completion of a short writing assignment followed by a meeting (on campus or online) to discuss the following steps.
Definition of the thesis topic and writing of the prospectus:
1. Abstract, 1-2 pages, plus preliminary bibliography (5-10 sources)
The abstract should include a broad description of the topic and the research question of the thesis; a preliminary answer to that question or hypothesis; an explanation of the significance of the thesis; an outline of the scope of your subject and an overview of your research strategies. The working bibliography should include 5-10 sources. By laying your project on paper, the abstract merely allows you to start thinking about your topic, its scope, feasibility and the methodology it will involve.
2. Annotated Bibliography, about 20-25 sources out of which at least 15 are annotated.
Annotated bibliography is a list of references. Each reference is followed by two brief paragraphs of around 150 words in total: the first paragraph summarizes the argument of the source, while the second paragraph assesses its relevance to the research and raises potential criticisms. Annotation serves to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.
3. Literature Review, 4-6 pages
Literature review, unlike a traditional essay, provides background information needed to understand your thesis. It asks you to evaluate and analyze existing research. It assures your readers that you are familiar with the important research that has been carried out in your area. You are supposed to include 1/ Well-established research in the field and 2/ Recent relevant research. This is not an annotated bibliography.
4. Methodology Outline, 2-4 pages
Methodology outline specifically explains how you intend to deal with your topic. The main question to consider is how your approach, your choice of field and the theoretical framework adopted, differ from or add to the existing scholarship.
5. Prospectus, 15-20 pages
The prospectus consists in an expanded abstract and similarly includes a description of the topic and well-crafted research question; a preliminary answer to that question (a preliminary thesis); an explanation of the significance of the thesis; an outline of the scope of your subject and an overview of your research strategies. The working bibliography should now include 20-25 secondary sources. The prospectus is important working documents. Although the finished project will often depart from the initial document as you learn more and your ideas and interests shift, the prospectus amounts to a contract, so if you end up departing significantly from what you propose here, make sure to discuss it with me as early as possible.
