How to Write a Thesis How to Write a Thesis U E translated by Caterina Mongiat Farina and Geoff Farina foreword by Francesco Erspamer The MIT Press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England © 2015 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Translated from the original Italian, Come si fa una tesi di laurea: le materie umanistiche, © 1977/2012 Bompiani/RCS Libri S.p.A., Via Angelo Rizzoli 8 – 20132 Milano All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher. MIT Press books may be purchased at special quantity discounts for business or sales promotional use. For information, please email
[email protected]. his book was set in Chapparal Pro by the MIT Press. Printed and bound in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available. isbn: 978-0-262-52713-2 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 CONTENTS Foreword by Francesco Erspamer ix Translators’ Foreword xv Introduction to the Original 1977 Edition xix Introduction to the 1985 Edition xxiii 1 THE DEFINITION AND PURPOSE OF THE THESIS 1.1 What Is a Thesis, and Why Is It Required? 1 1.2 For Whom Is This Book Written? 4 1.3 The Usefulness of a Thesis after Graduation 5 1.4 Four Obvious Rules for Choosing a Thesis Topic 7 2 CHOOSING THE TOPIC 2.1 Monograph or Survey? 9 2.2 Historical or Theoretical? 13 2.3 Ancient or Contemporary? 16 2.4 How Long Does It Take to Write a Thesis? 17 2.5