Economics 498 and 499
Senior Thesis
Eshragh Motahar/Fall 2024-Winter 2025

Senior thesis is an independent project.  It is a "capstone" course in the sense that it should display a very clear grasp of economic theory learned in core courses (micro and macro) as well as in other economics courses, and, where applicable, of econometrics.  In addition, it should be based on a thorough familiarity with the literature related to the thesis topic.  The thesis should be well-organized, and, in nearly all instances, focused on a central hypothesis or a core research question.  It should be written in clear and crisp English and be free of unnecessary jargon.  For guidelines regarding how to write your thesis, you must consult at least one of the following:

1.  Dudenhefer, Paul, "A Guide to Writing in Economics,"  Duke University, 2009.  Click here.
2.  Nikolov, Plamen, "Writing Tips for Economics Research Papers,"  IZA Institute of Labor Economics, 2022.  Click here.
3.  Greenlaw, Steven A., Doing Economics, Houghton Mifflin, 2009.

REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING POLICY

1. You are required to give a 10-15 minute presentation of your thesis topic during the seventh week of the Fall Term (i.e., during the October 16^th–22^th period). Each presentation will be followed by a five-minute discussion and question-and-answer period.  The audience will be my other senior thesis advisees and myself.

2. An oral examinations will be held some time during the ninth week of the first term of work (October 30^th  through November 5^th). This examination will play a part in determining your grade for that term. Your grade on this examination will become part of your thesis advisor's record and will influence your final course grade in the thesis. For this exam you should follow the instructions at this link (for general Departmental policies), and at this link for those policies specific to my thesis advisees.

3. A fifteen-page report on your thesis, accompanied by a plan for completion of the thesis, or a thesis outline.  This material must include your response to the feedback from your examiner.  This entire package, in pdf format, should be e-mailed to me by 4:00 pm, Tuesday, November 19^th, 2024. The fifteen-page report can be a draft of chapter one, or chapter one and part of chapter two, or indeed a draft of any chapter.

4. You are urged to see or contact me regularly during the two terms--normally, once a week--to discuss and/or report on the progress of your thesis.  In some weeks e-mail communication might suffice.  In some other weeks a Zoom or face-to-face meeting might be appropriate.  During the second term, you should adhere to a specific time-table by which you will submit to me drafts of various chapters and I will return these to you with comments to be implemented in the final draft. This time-table will be determined by each of you and myself at the beginning of the second term.

5. The final, complete, typed copy of your thesis, accompanied by a file or files containing the final data set used in your thesis (including sources and variable definitions), plus other econometric work (where applicable), is due no later than 4:30 p.m., the last day of the tenth week of the Winter term, Friday, March 14^th, 2025.  You should submit your entire thesis in one pdf format.  Specifically, one file containing the entire thesis, and one or more files containing your datatafile(s) (Excel or EViews).

6. Your thesis grade will depend both on the product which you produce and the process by which you produce it. After you submit the complete and final version of your thesis, it will be graded entirely on its own merits (these include economic substance, quality of writing, and the report from your oral examiner). Before this grade is reported to the Registrar, however, deductions, if applicable, will be made according to the following schedule:

a. Failure to make a presentation (see 1 above): one notch on the grading scale (e.g., a decrease from B to B-).

b. Late submission of the material in 2 above: one notch.

c. Missing more than four of the scheduled weekly meetings, or e-mail communications, during the first term: one notch.

d. Failure to submit the 15-page report and the accompanying material (see 3 above): two notches.

e. The drafts of at least three chapters should be submitted to me, in a gradual fashion, by the end of the eighth week of the second term. Please do not submit drafts after the last day of the eighth week (this is because there will not be sufficient turn-around time). The penalty for each non-submitted chapter draft is two notches. For the purposes of this clause, the 15-page report submitted at the end of the first term is not counted as a chapter draft.

f. Please note that the alternative to meeting the deadline of section 5 above is an automatic F on the thesis.

If extraordinary circumstances, such as severe illness, prevent you from meeting any of the above deadlines, please inform me (or have someone else inform me) well before the deadline in question.

7.  Honor Code.  The College's new Honor Code is now in effect.  "Union College recognizes the need to create an environment of mutual trust as part of its educational mission. Responsible participation in an academic community requires respect for and acknowledgement of the thoughts and work of others, whether expressed in the present or in some distant time and place.

Matriculation at the College is taken to signify implicit agreement with the Academic Honor Code, available at honorcode.union.edu.  It is each student's responsibility to ensure that submitted work is his or her own and does not involve any form of academic misconduct. Students are expected to ask their course instructors for clarification regarding, but not limited to, collaboration, citations, and plagiarism.  Ignorance is not an excuse for breaching academic integrity.

Students are also required to affix the full Honor Code Affirmation, or the following shortened version, on each item of coursework submitted for grading:  ``I affirm that I have carried out my academic endeavors with full academic honesty.'' [Signed, Jane Doe]"

OTHER INFORMATION

7. Below is some information designed to help you get started on your quest for truth.
 

• EconLit. I very strongly recommend the use of EconLit which is the bibliographic database of the American Economic Association and holds the bibliographic information of the Journal of Economic Literature for the period since 1969 to present. This is an extremely useful data base and is very easy to search. Make sure to use it for your literature search. If you need a tutorial on the use of EconLit please talk to someone at the Reference Desk in the Library. To reach this database click here, and then click on the link EconLit.

• ProQuest. This database is also available through the Schaffer Library.  One advantage of this source is that you can print the entire texts of some of the listed articles. However, the disadvantage is that, for economists, it is not as extensive as EconLit. To access this site click here.  Then click on ProQuest. Fill out the fields as desired and proceed.
   
• Economics Research Guide page at the Schaffer Library.  Click here.
   
• A list of senior thesis topics done under my supervision in past years.
   
• Please make sure to use the help provided by the Writing Center as soon as possible, and as frequently as needed.  Click here for their website.
   
• Please make sure to build into your planning and time management the probabilities of computer crashes, server breakdowns, printer problems, viruses, bad flash drives, corrupted files, and all other woes associated with the wonderful world of Information Technology.

8. Office/contact information:  My office telephone number is 518.388.6065. The most efficient way to leave messages for me is via e-mail: my e-mail address is motahare@union.edu.  Please sing-up here for individual appointments.

Eco 498/499 Home
Last revised:  Friday, August 09, 2024