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BA Thesis Seminar I - JPB103

Title:	BA Thesis Seminar I
Czech title:	Bakalářský seminář I
Guaranteed by:	Department of Political Science (23-KP)
Faculty:	Faculty of Social Sciences
Actual:	from 2023
Semester:	summer
E-Credits:	4
Examination process:	summer s.:
Hours per week, examination:	summer s.:0/2, C [HT]
Capacity:	unknown / unlimited (80)
Min. number of students:	unlimited
4EU+:	no
Virtual mobility / capacity:	no
State of the course:	taught
Language:	English
Teaching methods:	full-time
Teaching methods:	full-time
Belongs to the student work of type:	bakalářská práce
Additional information:	https://moodle.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=641
Note:	enabled for web enrollment

Guarantor:	Mgr. Lukáš Hájek, M.A., Ph.D.
Teacher(s):	Mgr. Lukáš Hájek, M.A., Ph.D.
Incompatibility :	JPB160
Is incompatible with:	JPB160
Is pre-requisite for:	JPB104

Examination dates SS schedule Noticeboard

Annotation

Last update: Mgr. Lukáš Hájek, M.A., Ph.D. (20.01.2024)

A bachelor’s thesis is usually the first comprehensive academic work authored by students. Importantly, a successful defence of a bachelor’s thesis is one of the requirements to finish the study and receive the BA degree. Since the path to writing a bachelor’s thesis is quite long with many challenges, the course starts this process with essential assistance.

Aim of the course

Last update: Mgr. Lukáš Hájek, M.A., Ph.D. (20.01.2024)

The course presents all the formal requirements of bachelor’s theses and delivers tips and tricks on writing a bachelor’s thesis. Furthermore, the course focuses on specifics of theses from the field of either comparative politics, political economy, or political philosophy. Besides this, the course helps students prepare their bachelor’s thesis proposals so that they can find a supervisor and increase their chances of writing a great piece of work.

Course completion requirements

Last update: Mgr. Lukáš Hájek, M.A., Ph.D. (29.02.2024)

The course is finished by course credit. The teacher of the course gives the credits after the student’s supervisor registers the bachelor’s thesis in the SIS based on the student’s proposal. To get the credits, send an e-mail to the teacher of the course informing that the bachelor’s thesis has been registered in the SIS.

Teaching methods

Last update: Mgr. Lukáš Hájek, M.A., Ph.D. (20.01.2024)

To share materials and plan the semester, we will use an electronic platform Moodle. In total, there are 12 meetings – nonetheless, attendance is not mandatory, so students do not have to apologise for an absence. Still, students are strongly advised to attend all relevant thematic seminars and a selected group debate.

Syllabus

Last update: Mgr. Lukáš Hájek, M.A., Ph.D. (23.01.2024)

1. Introduction, Basic Information (February 21)

Students will be introduced to the content of the course. Besides this, basic information such as main aspects of bachelor’s theses or time schedule will be presented and discussed.

Reading:

Dean’s Provision no. 18/2023 – Dean’s provision governing content-related, formal and technical essentials concerning elaboration and submission of final theses and acts of their filing and accessibility in electronic form

2. Preparation and Writing (February 28)

The seminar describes the process of finding a supervisor of a bachelor’s thesis and preparing a research design together with registering the thesis in the SIS. Then, essential aspects of the writing process are presented together with information on the defence of the thesis during a final state examination.

Reading:

Faltýnek, T. et al. (2020). How to avoid plagiarism. Student Handbook. Prague: Karolinum Press.

3. Software (March 6)

The seminar presents the most helpful software tools for writing a bachelor’s thesis. To be more specific, these are text editors, data editors or citation managers.

4. Thesis on Comparative Politics (March 13)

The seminar will present specific characteristics of bachelor’s theses on topics of comparative politics. If you think about writing such a thesis, join the seminar.

5. Individual Consultations (March 20)

If you are unsure about the field or the topic of your bachelor’s thesis, you can discuss it with the teacher during a special individual consultation (of course, you can do that also during the whole semester). Before that, do not forget to make a reservation.

6. Thesis on Political Philosophy (March 27)

The seminar will present specific characteristics of bachelor’s theses on topics of political philosophy. If you think about writing such a thesis, join the seminar.

7. Thesis on Political Economy (April 3)

The seminar will present specific characteristics of bachelor’s theses on topics of political economy. If you think about writing such a thesis, join the seminar.

Group Debates Instructions

First, fill in the shared table with BA thesis topics.

There is no deadline, but try to do that as soon as possible.

Second, you will be assigned to one of the group debates (follow the table to know the date).
Third, come to the assigned group debate.

Present your research proposal in five minutes at most.

If you want to present something (you can employ the BA thesis presentation template with the instructions), upload it before the group debate to the shared folder.

Listen to your colleagues’ comments or ask specific questions.
You can also join other debates to listen to the others if you want.

8. Group Debate (April 10)