Objective: To document your thesis proposal, collecting all work done in the Fall, and sharing your plan for the Spring semester. This will be an entirely digital delivery of content, and your final document will be your Proposal as a single PDF.
Due on or before December 14th at 3pm
Shared via:
- PDF placed in our shared classroom folder
- link to shared folder forthcoming
- most PDFs are too large to email, so do not email them
Note:
Most, if not all, of the written content required for this document is
found within your Fall Journal, which you can export to a PDF.
FORMAT
- do final proofreading, spelling/grammar check, and edits and then export to a PDF
- composed and exported to a PDF as single pages, not spreads
- letter-size, 8.5-inches wide by 11-inches high, a.k.a. portrait format
- top, right, bottom, left margins 1-inch
- 12 point Times or Times New Roman
- page number set as Helvetica 8 point, in the footer, center-aligned, using numbers such as 1, 2, 3…
- content such as your GANTT chart, which may be landscape, will need to fit into the above format, while still being large enough to be readable; while rotating your chart to fit in the layout is one option, it may not be the best option
- if landscape images, tables, plates need to be placed on the format, they can be rotated with the top on the non-binding, non-hole-punched side of the paper
Requirement: Use the Writing Center, and have as much of your writing reviewed there as possible before handing this in. Grammar and spelling has also been checked during milestones in this class, but the more eyes you have review things, the better because grammar and spelling do factor into this term's grade.
THE DOCUMENT
Roman numerals are listed below for reference only. Do not use I, II, III, etc. when formatting and writing your paper.
I. Cover Page with Title of Thesis - no page number, center only this cover page content [bracket] text is for instructions only, replace its content with your personalized text.
[title of your thesis]
by [your first and last name]
An Undergraduate Thesis Proposal
Under the Supervision of Professor Jason Tselentis
Winthrop University
College of Visual and Performing Arts
Department of Design
To Be Completed Spring 2022
In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements
For the Degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts
Visual Communication Design - [Illustration or Graphic Design]
Rock Hill, South Carolina
December 2021
All other text is flush-left.
II. Table of Contents: this will list each section of your document, but will not have a page number on its own page
III. List of Images and Tables: this section will list each section of your document, but will not have a page number on its own page
- (itemizes all of the images, such as drawings, illustrations,
photographs, designs, maps, and any other visuals used throughout your
paper; tables refers to numeric-based information, such as your GANTT
chart, or other charts) and includes the pages that these items are on;
doing this item last is a good idea, since you'll have had all of your
material flowed into your document by then
- proposal, your abstract (this is your Written Explanation of Work that has undergone rewrites many times this term), which should include materials to be used, concept, and visuals, with an explanation of how or why you decided to take on this subject; state what your thesis will do, or is intended to do, and why this thing or these things of of importance. Keep the personal history component of this statement brief, since there is another section near the end of the paper for more personal, and reflective writing.
- What research you need to conduct to make your thesis.
- Reflection on what area or areas you see as the most challenging.
- What will you create, and why?
- What do you need to get in Fall, content-wise?
- What do you need to make in Fall, design-wise?
- The images below, a.k.a. the plates, may be flowed within your answers to the research questions you'll address above.
- Research Methods as shared in your Informal Presentation I and/or II.
- (Checklist) Things you will have to learn this term and next term in order to produce your thesis.
- (Checklist) Supplies, tools, and/or facilities that you will need.
- (Checklist) People you will have to work with to learn new skills or refine your skills to produce your thesis, and why you'll need their assistance.
- (Checklist) Upon completing and handing in your thesis at the end of Spring Semester, what thing or things will you deliver? Be specific about the quantity (total number of things), rendering (digital or printed or digital and printed), and state (prototype, professionally produced, finished product, functional website, etc.).
- GANTT chart, that includes Fall and Spring, may be ideal to break each month into its own letter-sized page to fit this format.
- Visual Comparison, at least two (2) images similar in topic, for example, you're making a board game, so show a similar board game.
- Visual Comparison, at least two (2) images similar in look and feel, a.k.a. aesthetics, a.k.a. style. Can also be medium or media used. You will need to cite who made it or what company made it.
- Visual Comparison, at least one (1) image of your own work, that most closely resembles how you'll execute, illustrate, design, render your thesis.
- Students may show more supporting imagery than recommended, and are encouraged to do so.
- DESCRIBE how you have gone about exploring the subject of your thesis work in Fall: material, mechanics, process, attitude, construction, technique, aesthetics, story creation, world building, mechanics, etc. Specific reference to your own work, the work of others, and sources should be included. State the work made this term, Fall, and why it was made this term, instead of Spring. May include items such as sketches, prototypes, designs, planning, renderings, etc., and may include visual aids to show us what you've made. Be as specific as possible, stating how many of each thing was made this term, if it's in color or black & white, etc., and why it was important to develop it now, in the Fall.
- All students need some design work they have made in Fall, shown in this Proposal.
- Show any design, illustration, art that they have done this term, especially work in a finished or near-finished state. The more progress that you can visually show at this point in the project, the better.
In many cases, answers to the following questions should be new, and updated since your Oct. 5 entry, to reflect the most current state of your thesis. Write your answers in paragraph form, in complete sentences, and without the question restated in the paper.
- At this moment, what aspect(s) of your thesis are you most excited about?
- At this moment, what aspect(s) of your thesis are you most concerned about? What can you do in order to alleviate those concerns, and how will that help you with your work?
- Five years from now, when you look back on your Thesis, what do you want people to say about it? And what do you want to say about it, and why?
IX. FEEDBACK FROM EXPERTS
- Background about your experts, should precede the feedback you get
from each of those experts. Who is your expert and why did you choose
them?
- Written explanation of feedback received from each of your outside experts, as well as feedback from the instructor. Reflect on what was said, why it was said, and how you will address the issues, solve the problems, and/or take action.
- Format as such: state an expert's name and title, then reflect on what they shared with you; begin a new section for the next expert, and reflect on their input; and so forth.
- Note: All students are required to have four experts, and you should ideally have received feedback from all of them this term.
X. WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY
- must contain at least 15 sources, that may be books, magazines, or journals, and that may include our textbooks, and may also include websites, and all of these need to be in MLA format; these should be secondary sources, but they may also be interviews you have conducted yourself, although these cannot be interviews conducted with your experts, which is a different component altogether
- may also be from additional reading posted on our class website
Each student is responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce
content that is copyrighted or that has been previously published, such
as writing, imagery, or otherwise that is not their intellectual property. Any images shown in your document
that are not yours must be cited in your bibliography, stating where you
found them, using MLA format for each citation.
For further information about formatting, thesis statements, and other information included here, consult our Prentice Hall Reference Guide textbook.