This workshop meets bi-weekly for discussion of students' thesis research, analytic issues, and writing strategies. In addition, at the discretion of program faculty, students may be awarded transfer credits for graduate courses completed elsewhere. Conference Work in Women's History Conference work lies at the core of the Sarah Lawrence educational system. In the Women's History M.A. Program, it usually culminates in a research paper of approximately 20-25 pages. Advanced courses require conference work with primary sources.
Students meet individually with their professors to plan and develop conference projects.
These biweekly meetings begin with sessions devoted to defining the research topic or question, compiling a bibliography, and drawing up a project prospectus. In subsequent meetings, students report on their progress toward the final paper and may submit outlines and rough drafts, depending on the professor's requirements. In most seminars, students also share conference work with each other via oral presentations or group readings of conference papers. The thesis should make a fresh contribution to scholarship on women's history. Based on research in primary sources and a mastery of relevant secondary literature, it must present an original argument grounded in historical evidence, demonstrate the author's analytic skill and methodological rigor, and be well written.