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Arizona State University Main Office Location:
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THE THESIS/DISSERTATION COMMITTEE You should begin thinking about the membership of your thesis or dissertation committees as soon as you are admitted to the graduate program. As you take courses to fulfill degree requirements, look for thesis or dissertation topics and directors (many theses are more fully developed seminar or other course papers). Once you have decided on a chair, it is appropriate to ask that person's advice on other members who might be asked to serve as readers. And, of course, you should feel free to consult with your advisor/program director. In this, as in many matters, it is assumed that you will be talking to other students and gaining from their experiences. The chair and members of a graduate committee will not be changed once work has begun on the thesis or dissertation, except for extenuating circumstances (for example, if because of illness or radical changes in the topic). When a change is proposed, the thesis director and the student will meet with the director of graduate studies to discuss the issue. If consensus cannot be reached, the director of the graduate program will arrive at a decision consistent with academic standards and the student's best interests. If it is proposed that the chair be changed, then the director of graduate studies will meet with the chair of the committee, the student, and the chair of the department to discuss the proposed change. Once an agreement is reached, the director of graduate studies and the student will meet with the new chair of the committee to discuss the change. To make the proposed changes official, a Committee Change Request must be submitted. The chair of the committee determines when the thesis/dissertation is ready to be read by other committee members. At this point the student should arrange a date for the defense and see to it that the manuscript is circulated among committee members. The Graduate Committee has approved the following set of criteria to judge a passing performance of the oral defense of the thesis/dissertation: 1. Thorough knowledge and understanding of primary sources; 2. Acquaintance with secondary sources cited, as well as other key sources relevant to the topic; 3. Ability to demonstrate the relation of the study to the area of specialization in general and to other writers and significant critical studies in particular; 4. Ability to state the thesis (hypothesis) succinctly and clearly without contradicting what has been written; 5. Ability to define all terms clearly and to use them consistently without equivocation; 6. Ability to field questions confidently and respond to them directly, articulately, and clearly, without evasion or digression; 7. Ability to defend the validity and soundness of the arguments, conclusions, and methodology; 8. Ability to elucidate, explain, and support all assertions and arguments in the study; 9. Ability to demonstrate the worth of the study as a significant contribution to criticism in the field; 10. Ability to discuss potential for publication, including possible revisions to be made and tentative plans for forms and avenues of publication. It is not possible to schedule examinations and defenses during the summer. Because of the difficulty of convening committees during the summer, oral and written examinations and defenses will ordinarily be scheduled only during the academic year. Students may, of course, continue writing the thesis/dissertation during the summer months if the director is available and willing to serve during that time. The defense, however, would have to be scheduled during the fall semester. With the approval of the entire committee, the defense could be scheduled as soon in the fall term as faculty members are required to be on campus. Thesis and dissertation defenses are intended to be public events with all committee members present. All oral defenses are announced in the English Department via e-mail and posted on the bulletin board on the fifth floor of the Language and Lit. A student preparing for his/her defense should send an e-mail to Sheila@asu.edu which will include student name, thesis/dissertation title, date, time, room, committee chair, committee members, adn a brief abstract. The abstract should be in the body of the e-mail, not as an attachment.
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