Writing a Paper and an MA Thesis in Political and Social Sciences

Seminar offers students a practical, hands-on, assistance with their papers and MA thesis writing by familiarizing them with paper/thesis structure and helping them to improve their writing skills

  • Data: dal 19 maggio 2023 alle 11:00 al 27 maggio 2023 alle 15:00

  • Luogo: Piattaforma Teams

  • Modalità d'accesso: Ingresso libero

Series of Lectures

Coordinators: Dr Bojan Bilić and Prof. Sonia Lucarelli

In presence and online

This seminar offers students a practical, hands-on, assistance with their papers and MA thesis writing by familiarizing them with paper/thesis structure and helping them to improve their writing skills. The seminar consists of an overall introduction to writing an MA thesis and three additional meetings focusing on International Political Economy and International Relations and Area Studies.

Writing an MA Thesis – Dr Bojan Bilić

  • Friday, 19 May, 11.00-13.00, Lecture 1: What Is an MA Thesis? In this session we will look at the structure of an MA thesis in the social sciences explaining and illustrating all of its major constitutive parts. We will also engage with the difference between primary and secondary sources and discuss the importance of applying a specific referencing style.
  • Saturday, 20 May, 9.00-11.00, Lecture 2: Writing in Academia In this session we will zoom in on the writing process and explore some of the most important techniques for writing in a clear, concise, and convincing way. Special attention will be paid to effective paragraphing and argument construction.
  • Saturday, 20 May, 11.00-13.00, Lecture 3: Analysis of Examples  In the final session we will look at a series of examples coming from the theses that the lecturer has either supervised or examined over the last ten years. The objective is to identify recurrent issues and think about possible alternatives.

Specialised Disciplinary Seminars 

  • Saturday, May 27, 9.00-11.00 – Designing  a paper and an MA thesis in International Political Economy, Prof. Carolyn KadasIn this session we will look at the specific facets of a paper and an MA thesis in International Political Economy.
  • Saturday, May 27, 11.00-13.00 – Designing  a paper and an MA thesis in International Relations and Area Studies, Dr Nicolò Fasola In this session we will look at the specific facets of a paper and an MA thesis in International Relations.
  • Saturday May 27, 13.00-15.00 – Designing  a paper and an MA thesis in International Relations and Area Studies, Dr Federica Duca – Only online In this session we will look at the specific facets of a paper and an MA thesis in Area Studies.