Master's thesis

In the past thesis topics have included:

• Contemporary European Art Images of Asylum Seekers: From Case Studies to Issues of Representation
• The Conceptual Notion of “The Streets” in Graffiti and Street Art: A Search for its Role, Meaning and Characteristics in the City of Utrecht.
• Give Me A Brain: Deleuze and the Ethics of Thinking in the Essay Film and Believing in This World
• Colonial Re-enactment?: Questioning Renzo Martens’ Empowerment Project Through the Arts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• The New Creative Class Crisis: A Critical Review of Creative Class Theory
• Arts and Society: An Alternative Option from the Periphery (Investigation of the role of the arts in opening up room for alternative ways of constructing identity and memory drawing on the work of Castrum Peregrini as a case study)
• From the Interstices: Performative Instances of Productive Liminality (Drawing on theoretical work from Turner, Bhabha and others to analyse subversive potential in the work of British theatre companies Forced Entertainment and Complicité)
• A Change Society: A Collaborative Research into the Possibilities of Changing the Society through Participatory Theatre
• “Listen to Us! Love Us!”: Issues of (Self-)Representation and the Asylum Seeker/Refugee Artists of Fada Theatre’s Talent on the Run

A Master's thesis is assessed by two lecturers. If your supervisor is one of the lecturers teaching in the Master's programme, then this person will also be the first assessor (or the 'examiner'). 

Your thesis is assessed using an assessment form (DOC). If there is a large difference of opinion between the first and second assessors, a third assessor will be engaged, who will always work with a separate assessment form (DOC).

Utrecht University takes all forms of academic deception very seriously. We expect all students to observe the ethical standards of proper academic conduct. So make sure you are familiar with the university's regulations regarding fraud and plagiarism. Lecturers or supervisors will report any suspected cases of fraud or plagiarism tot the Board of Examiners. 

Your thesis must be entirely your own work. You may not use a chatbot (ChatGPT or other generative AI) to write any part of your thesis. If you do, it will be considered fraud. If your supervisor suspects that you have committed academic fraud, they will report it to the Board of Examiners. 

This does not mean that you should avoid research on generative AI. You can discuss the generated text in your thesis, as long as the source is clearly explained and it is presented in your own words. If you are unsure about something, ask your supervisor or the thesis coordinator for more feedback on the proper use of generative AI.

Upload your thesis proposal

Do your supervisor and second reviewer approve your thesis proposal? Then submit your proposal in Osiris > Cases > Start a new case by using the plus icon in the bottom right corner. A new window will open. Make sure your pop-up blocker is turned off for the new window to open. Choose HUM: Thesis proposal. Your supervisor and second assessor will then officially confirm that you can start your writing process. You will be notified of this by e-mail.

Upload your thesis

When your supervisor has indicated that your thesis is ready for assessment, proceed as follows:

• You upload your thesis in Osiris > Cases > Start a new case by using the plus icon in the bottom right corner. A new window will open. Make sure your pop-up blocker is turned off for the new window to open. Choose Thesis and graduation > HUM: Thesis evaluation