Bachelor's Thesis in European Studies

The bachelor thesis is the final coursework in the Bachelor in European Studies. The bachelor thesis is an individual, scientific analysis of a topic pertaining to European Studies, including European relations after 1945, the process of European integration, the EU as an actor or the EU political system. The thesis must engage with the existing scholarship in the field and, when applicable, draw upon a relevant theoretical and/or conceptual framework. The Bachelor Thesis should try to emulate the form of a journal article. It should have a length comprised between 7,000 and 8,000 words (including footnotes, but excluding tables, graphs and bibliography). The thesis can be written in a foreign language. In the bachelor thesis, students need to identify and formulate a relevant and clear research problem, which is examined analytically through an appropriate choice of theory, methods, material and data. During the course, students will be supervised by an academic with expertise in the field but are also expected to work independently on their thesis.

Upon successful completion of the BA thesis candidates are expected to have acquired the following knowledge and skills:

Knowledge

Candidates

• have a thorough empirical knowledge of their chosen topic
• are knowledgeable about relevant research and theory pertaining to this topic
• are familiar with writing an academic analysis in a journal article format

Skills

Candidates can

• work independently with academic questions
• delineate a topic, formulate a research question and conduct an academic analysis
• find relevant sources and data and critically analyze them
• formulate a structured and reader-friendly longer text that meets the criteria of academic representation and argumentation
• hone in their academic writing and argumentative skills

Lectures/seminars and individual supervision. The lectures/seminars are offered at the beginning of the semester. They will provide students with the methodological tools that are necessary to research and write their bachelor thesis. Individual supervision will be given by a supervisor assigned to each student at the beginning of the semester. Compulsory assignments: Project draft.