- How does the year-long senior essay work?

Students who are interested in writing a year-long senior essay must identify an adviser and apply to the year-long senior essay program in the spring term of their junior year. (Note: Your adviser must be a PLSC faculty member. Please find a list of our faculty here. Only the DUS can grant exceptions.)

Students who are admitted to the program then take two courses related to their essay in their senior year. In the fall, year-long essay writers take PLSC 490 (“The Senior Colloquium”). In this course, students work with the PLSC 490 instructor to develop a research prospectus and begin both their research and writing. They also meet independently with their faculty adviser throughout the fall semester. In the spring, students take PLSC 491 (“The Senior Essay”; Intensive Majors enroll in PLSC 493: “The Senior Essay for Intensive Majors”). Both PLSC 491 and PLSC 493 are similar to a directed reading course in that students work independently with their faculty adviser outside of a traditional classroom setting as they complete their senior essay.