Senior Thesis

The Senior Thesis represents the culmination of a Haverford student’s academic experience, and is one of the most important and rewarding ways that Haverford realizes its educational mission. It is an opportunity to do original research at levels usually reserved for graduate students, in partnership with faculty mentors. Haverford College is one of a very few institutions in the country that includes a Senior Thesis project as part of every student’s academic program.

Students become true scholars, and come to understand at a deep and practical level what it takes to create knowledge and to seek answers to challenging questions. In turn, they become more effective and influential agents for change in whatever field they choose.

What They Learned

A series exploring the thesis work of recent graduates. Read more on the Haverblog

What They Learned: TJ von Oehsen ’18
As a Haverford House fellow, the sociology major is continuing work he started with his senior thesis: highlighting the experiences of people of color in predominantly white environments.
What They Learned: Sabea Evans ’18
The linguistics major, religion minor, and Africana studies concentrator wrote her thesis using ethnographies and interviews to explore race and language in Ghana.
What They Learned: Becky Lytle ’18
The computer science major chose to write her thesis on a program analysis technique known as “abstract interpretation”—and its implications for how humans interact with technology.
What They Learned: Jeremy Graf Evans ’18
In his senior thesis, Graf Evans suggests a new approach to environmental activism— one informed by the Quakers’ theological beliefs.
What They Learned: Madison Arnold-Scerbo ’18
The history major and museum studies minor examined the history of science and social class through a botanical lens.
What They Learned: Justin Brendel ’18
The religion major wrote his thesis on the digitization of the Bible—and whether or not that has consequences for Christians’ relationship to its content.
What They Learned: Katie Sullivan ’18
The biology major and neuroscience minor explored “the unknown” in her thesis, conducting research on the cutting edge of the field of glycobiology.
What They Learned: Alexandra Morrison ’18
The chemistry major and environmental studies minor wrote her thesis on the impact of oil spills on the marine environment.
What They Learned: Abby Cox ’18
For her thesis, the English major and Spanish minor examined the intersections of blackness and femininity in Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple.”
What They Learned: Lincoln Satterthwaite ’18
The chemistry major wrote his thesis on the chirality, or “handedness,” of molecules, which refers to their planar asymmetry.