Thesis and Capstone Projects

The thesis and capstone project serve the same purpose. They allow a student to demonstrate mastery of both a specific topic and the relation of this topic to the broader subject of American history and government. The thesis or capstone project should also demonstrate the student's analytical and interpretive skills. Both the thesis and the capstone project serve as a summative expression of what a student has learned in the Masters program.

The thesis and capstone differ in the way they serve their common purpose. A thesis is a written work stating a claim or interpretation and supporting it with data and argument. For example, a thesis might claim that a certain type of protestant theology is responsible for political reform movements in the United States and support that claim by examining the civil rights movement of the 1960s. A thesis must be no more than 30,000 words.

A capstone project combines different kinds of practical experience (e.g., as a docent) or other written work (e.g., historical fiction) with analytical and interpretive writing in the form of one or more essays. A capstone project, for example, might examine the civil rights movement by developing interpretive materials for an historical site connected to the civil rights movement.

Capstone projects might also include:

• Selection of materials (e.g., primary documents) to enhance a curriculum, with essays providing justification of the selections and analysis and interpretation to assist in their use. (N.B. The Master's program would not assess the merits of the curricular proposal but of the analysis and interpretation supporting the selection of the primary documents.)
• A series of lesson plans.
• Participation in a Civil War battle reenactment, with interpretive essays explaining the significance of the battle in the military and political outcome of the Civil War.
• Development of an exhibition at a school or library, along with analytical and interpretive essays explaining the significance of the exhibition.

Both the thesis and the capstone project require approval of the program's faculty committee, which will review proposals to make sure that they meet substantive and methodological requirements of a Master's program.

The Thesis and Capstone Project Process

From the moment a student begins the Masters program, he or she should be thinking of a thesis topic or a capstone project. This is particularly important for those doing capstone projects, since their completion may depend on events or activities whose schedule the student does not control.

Research Methods – The formal thesis process begins when a student enrolls in AHG 690 (Research Methods), usually after completing 20 credits. For more information, including how to register for Research Methods, please contact David Tucker. The Research Methods course has two purposes. The first is to make sure that by the time each student finishes the course he or she has a thesis or capstone proposal signed by a thesis/capstone advisor and a second reader. This will signify that the student is ready to begin working on the thesis or capstone project. The second purpose is to introduce students to research methods and analytical and interpretive techniques necessary to complete the thesis or capstone.

Thesis/Capstone Project – During the Research Methods course, the student and the Research Methods instructor will discuss a possible Thesis/Capstone advisor, as part of the process of selecting a topic and developing a proposal. The instructor will then contact the potential advisor. If the individual agrees to be the advisor, then the student and the advisor will finish working up the Thesis/Capstone proposal. The student, the advisor, and the instructor should then select a potential second reader. The advisor should be a faculty member in the MAHG program; the second reader need not be. The second reader needs to approve the proposal, once the advisor has approved it. (Template for the thesis proposal; template for a capstone project proposal.)

Once the thesis/capstone Advisor and the second reader have signed the proposal, the faculty committee and the Chair review it. The Chair signs once the faculty committee approves.

Once all signatures are obtained and the student completes AHG 690, the student may register for AHG 691 (Thesis) or AHG 692 (Capstone Project) and begin work. Please note that this is a four credit hour course. Thesis work may be done concurrently with the students final course work or after the course work is complete. Once the thesis/capstone Advisor and the Second Reader approve the finished thesis, they sign the thesis approval form and submit it along with the thesis to the Chair for his approval. The Chair must also approve. The Chairs signature signals that the student has completed the thesis/capstone requirement.

When the thesis/capstone advisor and second reader sign the proposal they are attesting that the scope of the project is suitable for a Masters degree, that the student is prepared to undertake the work, has sufficient research resources available to complete it, and that the thesis or project is of a quality sufficient for a Masters degree. It is the responsibility of the thesis/capstone advisor to notify the Chair of any changes to the students thesis plan as work progresses. A change of advisor requires that the proposal be approved again.

When the thesis/capstone project is completed, the student shall produce a Cover Page (template for Thesis Cover Page; template for Capstone Project Cover Page). The student should sign and date the cover page, and forward it along with their project to their thesis/capstone advisor.

When the thesis/capstone advisor and second reader sign the thesis or capstone project they are attesting that it is of sufficient quality and scope for the masters degree.

A student has two years from the completion of AHG 690 to finish the thesis/capstone project. The Chair may grant a one year extension. A further extension of one year requires the approval of the Faculty Committee and the Chair. All requirements for the degree must be completed within ten years from first enrollment.

The Chairman's Award

The Chairman's Award for Outstanding Thesis and Capstone Projects is awarded to a graduating MAHG student who produces a thesis or capstone project which stands out as unusually persuasive and well-developed, or successfully investigates a topic in a novel way. Recipients of the award are nominated by the student's thesis or capstone advisor and chosen by the Chairman of the Master of American History and Government program.

Graduates of the Masters of American History and Government Program

• Karen Dombrowski – May 2008 Graduate from Pickerington, OH
  Capstone Project: The Origins and Creation of the U.S. Bill of Rights
• Luke Loboda – August 2008 Graduate from Cincinnati, OH (December 2008 Ceremony)
  Thesis: America and Muhammad: The Founding Conceptions of Religious Freedom in America and Islam
• Erik Iverson – December 2008 Graduate from Black Hawk, SD
  Thesis: The Swearingen Report
• Heather Merckens – December 2008 Graduate from Huron, OH
  Capstone Project: Remembering the Civil War: A Secondary Travel Curriculum
• Sarah Morgan Smith – May 2009 Graduate from Oak Ridge, NJ
  Thesis: Predestined for Liberty: The Political Theology of Joseph Buckminster (1751-1812)
• Emily Swogger – May 2009 Graduate from Akron, OH
  Capstone Project: From Revolution to Women's Suffrage: How the "American Mind" Led to the Women's Rights Movement
• Matthew Lo – August 2009 Graduate from Indianapolis, IN
  Thesis: Article I, Section 9: A Principled Act of Prudence
• Brandon Fox – August 2009 Graduate from North Royalton, OH
  Thesis: Constitutional War Power: Examining Original Meaning
• Michael Kathrein – December 2009 Graduate from Mansfield, OH
  Capstone Project: Mark Twain: The Shaping of the American Mind