For some time students have been able to find graduate theses and dissertations by searching the Libraries’ online catalog or the Dissertations & Theses database, asking a reference librarian, or accessing the archives in Special Collections. The opportunities for discovery and access to student research have been expanded with a recently published collection from the Claremont Colleges Digital Library (CCDL): Senior Theses from The Claremont Colleges.
This senior thesis collection offers interesting, thoughtful, and relevant research by students. Each thesis in the collection has been recommended by faculty as an outstanding example of senior work. Subjects covered in the collection include art and art history; German and Russian; language and literature; media studies; physics and astronomy; public policy analysis; science, technology, and society; and sociology. Formats include PDF documents and QuickTime videos. Colleges represented so far are Pitzer, Pomona, and Scripps.
Who might use the collection? Students, faculty, prospective students, even administrators will find the senior thesis collection in the CCDL valuable. Start of pull quote: (skip pull quote) Now students can go online to find examples of senior theses and get a jump on their senior year preparations. . .End of pull quote. In the past, to view an undergraduate senior thesis, a student had to go to the appropriate college department and start the quest there. Now students can go online to find examples of senior theses and get a jump on their senior year preparations by looking at what other students have produced as senior level research across the campuses. Students can use the senior theses as a way of augmenting their research or finding an example of what is expected by faculty in a particular department. Faculty can point their students to the collection for examples of effective research, good writing, and appropriate formatting. High school students and their families researching colleges can read student scholarship from the college they are considering—an excellent indicator that a particular college is the right choice for any prospective student. Administrators may choose to feature their individual college theses on the college web site.
The CCDL would welcome more theses from all the undergraduate colleges. Faculty participation is integral to the success of this collection. Send us student theses that you think are the best ambassadors for your college, department, or program and The Claremont Colleges. Theses may be from past or current years. Do you know of theses that have won awards or were written by students who garnered honors? Do you have theses on file in your office or department as examples of excellent student work? Please consider adding these to the collection. We look forward to hearing from you.
Contact Pat Vince, Digital Initiatives Librarian, for more information:
pat.vince (at) libraries.claremont.edu
909.604.0496
