Final Thesis
1. Length
State Exam Thesis: 60-80 pages
BA Thesis: 35–40 pages
MA Thesis: 60-80 pages
(Only the actual running text counts. Cover page, table of contents, bibliography, etc. do not count.)
2. Formalities
You can write your thesis either in German or in English.
Font: Times New Roman; font size: 12pt; line spacing: 1.5; Default setting for page margins (2.54 cm on all sides). For citation style and bibliography, please refer to either the MLA Handbook (9th ed., 2021) or The Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed., 2017; author-date). Use in-text references in parentheses.
The work must be accompanied by an affidavit stating that it is not plagiarism. You will receive the template for this from the examination office.
3. Topic
The choice of topic should take place in close consultation with your supervisor. Before you first attend your supervisor's office hours, try to develop – even vague – ideas about the topic, which can then be discussed and narrowed down.
4. Structure
- Cover
- Abstract (if the thesis is written in German)
- Table of Contents
- List of Illustrations
- List of Abbreviations
- Text: Introduction – Main Body – Summary/ Conclusion
- Illustrations
- Bibliography
- Appendix
- Statement of Autonomy
The text part of your thesis consists of the introduction, the main body and the conclusion.
Introduction
- Describe your topic
- Specify and explain your leading question and, most importantly, your thesis statement (For advice on how to write a thesis statement).
- Give reasons for the scope of your study
- Give an overview of the current state of research
- Outline your structure and method
Main Body
Usually, no more than 1/3 of the main body of your thesis consists of an introduction to the theoretical frameworks you will apply in the following as well as a framing of your discussion in, e.g. (media) historical and genre terms. The rest is dedicated to the close analysis and interpretation of your chosen primary texts (e.g. films, TV series, literary works), drawing upon and applying the theoretical frameworks introduced in the previous section. You should, moreover, demonstrate that you can critically and skillfully engage with secondary literature. Make sure that all parts of your text are of obvious relevance to your thesis statement, i.e. your overall argument.
Summary/ Conclusion
can contain:
- a summary
- a conclusion
- an outlook or open questions
If you wish to gain a feeling for topics and what Cultural Studies theses look like, you could use our small library where you can have a look at the list of former topics as well as examples.
For more information on how to write your final thesis, you could use the following books:
Brauner, Detlef Jürgen und Hans-Ulrich Vollmer. Erfolgreiches wissenschaftliches Arbeiten. Seminararbeit – Diplomarbeit – Doktorarbeit. Sternenfels: Verlag Wissenschaft & Praxis, 2006.
Brink, Alfred. Anfertigung wissenschaftlicher Arbeiten – ein prozessorientierter Leitfaden zur Erstellung von Bachelor-, Master- und Diplomarbeiten; in acht Lerneinheiten. München; Wien: Oldenbourg, 2007.
Eco, Umberto. Wie man eine wissenschaftliche Abschlussarbeit schreibt. Doktor-, Diplom- und Magisterarbeit in den Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften. Heidelberg: C. F. Müller, 2005.
Wagner, Lothar. Die wissenschaftliche Abschlussarbeit. Ratgeber für effektive Arbeitsweise und inhaltliches Gestalten. Saarbrücken: VDM-Verlag Müller, 2007.