Ball State Honors College: Senior Thesis & Senior Project Features for Fall 2023!
When Honors says that your thesis can be anything you dream of, it can be anything! Whether you’re writing a children’s book, student teaching, designing a theatrical set, conducting research, or crafting a website, we want you to accomplish your dreams! When choosing a project, it can be difficult to narrow down what you want to do because there are so many options. This can also be difficult if your major requires a thesis or capstone project, but the good news is that our Honors Curriculum lets you kill two birds with one stone- no need to do multiple senior projects! Some of our amazing students have submitted information on their projects for Senior Thesis Features to help you find your capstone! We’re so incredibly proud of their hard work to make a project that encapsulates their college experience, and we hope that you can take inspiration for your future project!
Meet Our Seniors!
Cassidy Esch
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Year: Senior
Major: Elementary Education (Concentration in Kindergarten and Primary Education)
Project: Student Teaching
Cassidy’s senior capstone is to complete her required Student Teaching through the Teacher’s College. She is excited to be placed in a kindergarten classroom in Delaware Community Schools! The pride in her project, she says, is inspired by the students, “Nothing beats the way a student’s face lights up whenever they learn something new. It’s the greatest feeling to be a part of that!” After graduation this spring, Cassidy plans to teach in her own elementary classroom.
Grace Carman
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Year: Senior
Major: Public Relations & Advertising (Concentration in Hospitality, Minor in Theatre)
Project: Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity, Accessibility, and Belonging in the Performing Arts
Hi, there! It’s your author here! As I approach graduation this spring, I took the time to build a website to compile research for DEIAB in the performing arts world! With a dual major in PR and Advertising, with a minor in Theatre, I see a lot of complications in how we communicate DEIAB initiatives with audiences. My project combines many DEIAB initiatives that arts spaces or organizations implement and explains how to communicate them in meaningful ways, which is what I’m most proud of with my thesis. After graduation, I plan to begin working for a public relations agency with an expertise in entertainment and events.
Lily Weidenbach
Pronouns: they/she
Year: Senior
Major: Theatre (Concentration in Directing)
Project: The Little Prince, The Cave Theatre: December 6th – 10th
Lily’s thesis is a true representation of what they have learned in their four years at Ball State, showcasing the storytelling skills refined through the theatre department, including the ability to understand narrative structure, character, and visual communication of ideas. Part of the work in crafting The Little Prince, Lily says, was also supported and inspired by their Honors courses, especially their Humanities sequence with Dr. Berg. They love how this project and the story that they chose to tell is a story of expression, joy, grief, and truth- all human experiences that they had the opportunity to explore personally and academically in Dr. Berg’s classes. After graduation, Lily plans to obtain their MFA in Directing and certification in Theatrical Intimacy Direction while taking every opportunity to tell stories and produce theatrical work.
About the Honors Senior Thesis Project:
But how does the Senior Project or Senior Thesis experience work? The answer is that there is no straight path for your project- in Honors, we recognize that every student has a personal journey and a personal major/minor experience. Whether your major requires you to take a capstone class, complete your project on your own timeline with a trusted faculty advisor, or even take the Honors 499 asynchronous course that allows you to do your thesis over a semester- we want you to complete your project in the way that works best for your specific journey!
To see more about the Honors curriculum and requirements, especially as it relates to Senior Honors Projects, visit our website! Interested in looking at the many thesis projects that have been completed in previous years? Check out Cardinal Scholar’s log of all Honors College projects! These Honors Senior Thesis Features, including other blogs such as Caitlin May’s Indiana Woodlands project (2021), are just one small collection of the thousands that have been completed by students dating back all the way to the 1970s!