All Human Rights Studies students complete theses at the end of their course of study. The thesis is a substantive text of original research and analysis that requires the critical examination of a human rights research question, related to the students’ selected concentration.
The thesis should demonstrate knowledge of specific human rights principles, debates, and contextual issues (social, economic, political, etc.) relevant to the chosen topic, demonstrate a mastery of the current literature, present findings that are objectively defensible, and make an original contribution to knowledge in the field.
A list of past students’ theses is available online. Current students who wish to view particular titles can contact the ISHR for full text access.
Proposal
Thesis forms and information for download:
Hard copies of submitted theses are available for current students to read at ISHR’s office.
The thesis proposal is a statement of approximately 1000 words describing the topic, the nature of the resources to be used, and plans for the way in which the topic analysis will be approached. A brief bibliography indicating an awareness of current work on the topic should also be included.
Prior to the term in which students plan to write the thesis, they must submit the printed proposal with the supervisor’s signature on the Thesis Registration and Approval Form to the program director.
The Human Rights Studies Program registers students for the thesis course selected on the Thesis Registration and Approval Form; students do not register themselves.
Deadlines for Thesis Proposal
- November 17th for writing in the Spring 2012 term
- April 19th for writing in the Summer 2012 term
- August 20th for writing in the Fall 2012 term
No one may undertake research that involves human subjects, including interviews, surveys, or related methods, without prior review and approval or evidence of exemption from the Institutional Review Board (IRB). IRB guidelines are summarized in presentation notes available as a PDF or PowerPoint file. Further details and applications are available at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/irb/.
Registration
Students must be registered for one of two courses: G4999 Supervised Individual Research or G8020 Human Rights Graduate Research Colloquium II.
The program registers students for one of these two courses upon receipt of the thesis proposal and Thesis Registration and Approval Form. Students do not register on their own via SSOL for the thesis course.
G4999 Supervised Individual Research
G4999 Supervised Individual Research is the traditional method of writing the thesis as an independent study under the supervision of a faculty member (thesis supervisor). Students must have one supervisor. A second supervisor is optional if the guidance and advice of a second supervisor is wanted or the thesis spans different academic disciplines. Supervised Individual Research is available in the fall, spring, and summer terms.
Students are responsible for finding their own faculty thesis supervisors. All supervisors must be current Columbia faculty members of a relevant department and must hold a Ph.D. or other comparable degree. If there are two supervisors, both approve the proposal and decide on the grade for the final thesis.
Students are encouraged to meet with professors whose research and courses relate to the student’s concentration early on in their studies. Most academic department websites list faculty profiles and research interests.
Meeting with professors to discuss your research interests several weeks prior to the thesis proposal deadline can help you narrow your thesis topic, identify useful resources, and determine which professor would be the most appropriate advisor.
If you write your thesis through this course, please provide a copy of or link to the Fact Sheet for Thesis Supervisors.
G8020 Human Rights Research Colloquium II
G8020 Human Rights Research Colloquium II provides a class-like structure to the research and writing process of the thesis and aims to ground the student ’s thesis in current human rights research. The instructors of the course are the thesis supervisors. Students are also encouraged to work informally with faculty members with expertise in the thesis topic, but they do not grade the thesis. The thesis proposal for the colloquium must be approved by at least one of the colloquium instructors. The colloquium is available in the fall and spring terms.
Completing and Submitting the Final Thesis
The final version of the thesis and the Thesis Evaluation Form must be submitted the HRSMA program office before the student can be certified for graduation.
With attention to the final deadlines below, the student and the supervisor(s) must agree on their own schedule for discussions, revision, and grading of the thesis. Be sure to allow enough time for the supervisor(s) to read and grade the thesis and to make any final revisions based on their comments (three to four weeks prior to the final thesis deadline is recommended).
The student is responsible for submitting a hard and electronic copy of their final thesis to the program. The final physical copy of the thesis should be submitted to the HRSMA program office. An electronic copy of the thesis should be uploaded using the link above.
Please see the thesis guidelines for additional information.
Students are responsible for submitting a final bound copy of the thesis to the ISHR office and must also upload an electronic copy.
Please see the thesis guidelines for additional information.
Deadlines for Final Thesis and Evaluation Form
- April 19th for May 2012 graduation (spring term)
- September 20th for October 2012 graduation (summer term)
- January 18th for February 2013 graduation (fall term)
ISHR cannot guarantee that students will be certified to graduate on time if we receive the signed evaluation form and the final copy of the thesis after the listed deadline.
