Senior projects: More than a typical research paper

Seniors now preparing to don their cap and gown have jumped one final hurdle in order to be handed their diploma: completing a senior project.

Luther’s academic catalog says , “the senior project draws upon a discipline’s methodology and provides a culminating, independent experience of the major.” This might mean a paper, project, public presentation or any mix of any of these elements a senior works on throughout the course of a semester.

Project topics range from creating computer databases to researching winemaking in the Midwest to studying the impact of homeschooling on democracy.

For accounting majors Tom Blattner (‘10) and Eric Krueger (‘10), the project took the form of a senior seminar and a group project.

“We met every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with a group of other accounting majors,” Krueger said. “Tom and I decided to pair up and do our project on not-for-profit organizations. We were nervous to turn it in because we wanted everything to be just right, but we had no problem meeting the deadline.”

Last week’s final due date meant seniors were scrambling to touch up their Powerpoints and finish last minute revisions.

Registrar staff member Doug Koschmeder said there are always seniors who don’t quite make the deadline.

“Whether they’re sick or just find that they’re not going to be able to get it done this semester, some students haven’t gotten their project in yet,” Koschmeder said. “We won’t know exact numbers until we hear from all of the project advisors.”

Luther students are not alone in their struggles and triumphs. Colleges such as Wartburg, St. Olaf, Gustavus Adolphus and Loras also have most students complete some form of a senior project. Like Luther, the requirements vary by major.

The process of conducting research, collecting information and presenting a final report can be stressful, but can also provide exciting experiences for soon-to-be graduates.

For students like history major Krista Solie (‘10), a senior project present opportunities to share research and even travel across the country. Sponsored by history honor society Phi Alpha Theta and the American History Association, Solie was invited to a conference in California, where she presented her research about children’s education in Nazi Germany.

“I’ve been interested in history since I was little,” Solie said. “Once I started this project, I didn’t want to do the work for any of my other classes.”

However, even with the most successful projects, students encounter a lot of stress.

“Time management was a huge issue,” Solie said. “There were nights when I’d stay up working on it until 6 a.m.”

In addition to digging into topics of interest, senior projects offer students the opportunity to select issues that have personal meaning. Political science major Koji Hayakawa (‘10) has spent the entire year working on a senior honors project that has forced him to rethink his own beliefs.

“I looked at how Japan is trying to silence its many ethnic minorities, such as the Ainu people,” Hayakawa said. “A lot of people in Japan have a racist tendency, and I didn’t realize until recently that I was one of them. This project has taught me that research can be a great way to build community.”

Two weeks ago, Hayakawa traveled to one of the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in Montana. He said it was a great experience for him and other student researchers to share their findings.

Like many other students, Hayakawa will present his research at the Luther College Student Research Symposium Friday, May 7.

While some may think senior projects are too much work and others look forward to in-depth research, each student will have to complete one before leaving Luther for good. To upcoming seniors, Hayakawa offers his advice.

“Senior projects can sometimes be a pain in the butt,” Hayakawa said. “But in order to figure out how you view the world, you have to do work.”