Junior Thesis

At GCDS, all students complete a Junior Thesis on a topic of interest by the end of their junior year. Building on the foundational skills of the 9th and 10th Grade Curriculum, this guided, year-long program is intended to be a highly personalized, transformative experience. The Junior Thesis represents a college-level work of original research that demonstrates mastery of a field as well as interdisciplinary methodologies and knowledge. It serves as an example of rigor and meaningful work where student choice and interests drive the learning. The thesis must include a substantial written component, but the student can tailor the format to their project, including a humanities research study, a scientific experimental research study, an engineering project, an artists’ statement, or linguistic analysis. The Thesis Program is also designed to provide the student with an example of advanced work to support their application to College/University, Arts School, and Engineering Programs during their Senior Year college process.

Students identify a field and a Thesis Advisor at the end of their 10th-Grade Year. Over the course of the 11th-Grade year, students work with their Thesis Advisor and with their Seminar teacher to dive deeply into their chosen field and to develop their research project. Iterative drafts are considered with feedback and critique. Projects are often aligned with internships or service/volunteer endeavors, and the thesis project can be a critical element in the college application process. The student and Thesis Advisor assemble a faculty committee for assessment of the thesis, and works of exceptional ambition, research, and expression are eligible for assessment at the Honors level.

GOALS

A product of original critical thinking and research, that is, research seeking evidence for a question devised by the student.

• The thesis should represent the gathering, analysis, and presentation of significant research.

• While focused within one field of study, the project should demonstrate significant facility with interdisciplinary thinking.

• It should address a real-world issue, contributing to an intellectual debate and representing a student’s engagement with the tools and discourse of a professional, artistic, or academic field.

• The form of the thesis product is up to the design of the student and their Thesis Advisor. The final product should include substantial research, analysis, and interpretation. The Thesis Program Facilitator will develop and distribute guidelines and standards at the outset of the program.

THESIS COMPONENTS

An intellectual product that represents an approach to research that a student will experience at the college/university level. For example:

• A 20-page research study in the humanities, social sciences, or sciences

• A scientific or mathematical research study

• An environmental impact study or policy project

• An Artistic Statement (incl. Curated works/composition to show process, as well as examples of influences)

• An original computer program or engineering project

A Formal Thesis Defense

• Including their thesis advisor, as well as 2 additional faculty members and a public audience

• The thesis committee assesses the thesis on an A-F scale, and the thesis grade appears on the transcript

A Public Presentation of Research

• Participation in the Junior Research Exhibition (Humanities and Sciences)

• Participation in the Junior Thesis Arts Exhibition/Recital (Visual and Performing Arts)

CURRENT THESIS PROJECTS INCLUDE:

• Analyzing Recidivism in the Federal Criminal Justice System

• Polluting Water: Policies & Data from Long Island Sound

• Psychological Bias Presentation in the Curation of Artwork

• Artificial Intelligence and Neural Network Modelling

• The "Startup Process:" Social Networks in American Political Campaigns

• Computer Engineering & "Quality of Care" in the US Health System

• Culture Calculus: Modeling the COVID-19 Outbreak and its Societal Effects in New York City

• Design for Impact: Applying Car Crash Protective Design to a new Model for Football Helmets

• Fast Fashion: The Economies of Design

• The Evolution of Language Exchange: From Primate Linguistics to Global Communities