Final Theses

Notes on the Supervision of Final Theses

Students have the opportunity of writing their final thesis within the framework of the research project “’Welfare Queens’ and ‘Losers’: A Critical Race and Intersectional Perspective on the US-American Welfare State”.

General note

• Please come up in advance with a possible research question within the subject area of structural racism in the U.S. Note that research questions will not be assigned; finding a suitable topic and researching relevant material and data is already part of the accomplishment of a final thesis.

Notes on Formality

• The final assignment must be written in English.
• The length of a bachelor’s thesis usually covers 25 pages. 
• The length of an admission paper usually covers 60 - 80 pages for those who study in depth and 50 - 60 pages for non-in-depth students. 
• The title which is indicated in the official registration is final and cannot be changed. The title must therefore appear exactly in this form on the later title page of the final assignment.
• Please use the standard stylesheet of the American Studies Department as a point of orientation for the assignment.
• A signed declaration of authorship must be included in the assignment.

Please also adhere to the respective notes of the examination office (Prüfungssekretariat) under https://www.uni-passau.de/pruefungssekretariat/abschlussarbeit/

Topics of Previous Final Assignments

• "The Role of Race and Gender in the Meritocratic Discourse in the US" (B.A.)
• "Educational Inequality at the Intersection of Race and Class. A Critical Race Perspective on African American and Impoverished Students in Minnesota's Education System" (B.A.)
• "A Critical Race Perspective on U.S.: Felon Disenfranchisement Laws" (B.A.)
• "Controlling Black Women's Bodies: Vulnerabilities at the Intersection of Race and Gender" (Zula)
• "Systemic Racism in the US: The Prison-Industrial Complex Clearing the Way for Modern Slavery" (B.A.)
• Celebrating Black Empowerment? Reviewing the Colorblindness of "Black History Month" (B.A.)
• "Housing Inequality in California: The Impact of Race in Residential Segregation" (B.A.)
• "Conceptualizing Systemic Racism: Obstacles for Black Americans in U.S. Labor Market" (B.A.)
• "Critical Race Theory and its Political Defamation: A Paradoxical Reinforcement" (B.A.)
• "Struggles for Reproductive Justice: A Critical Race Analysis of Abortion Rights and Black Women's Experiences in Texas" (B.A.)