Leiden University · Faculty of Humanities

Thesis & Research Supervision

BAKS — Korean Studies

BA

The BA thesis in Korean Studies (Koreastudies) is a 10,000-word research paper that completes your undergraduate studies. It should demonstrate the knowledge and skills relevant to the discipline, including Korean-language ability, substantive knowledge of history, politics, or culture, command of theory and methodology, and academic writing.

BAKS students take the Thesis Seminar. For all seminar materials, assignments, the weekly schedule, and the style guide, visit the BAKS Thesis Seminar website.

Your next step: Confirm the rules below, then draft a one-page working plan that names your research question, likely sources, method, timeline, and questions for supervision. Start with the Getting Started Guide and Templates & Checklists. Use the Methods Guide and Ethics & AI if your project involves data, participants, sensitive material, or AI/code workflow.

Key Requirements

Requirement Details
Word count 10,000 words (±10%), including footnotes, excluding bibliography and appendices
Citation style Chicago Notes-Bibliography
Language English for this seminar. Official program rules allow Dutch or English, with another Western language only by Board of Examiners permission
Korean sources At least 10% of sources should be in Korean
Romanization McCune-Reischauer (MCR) system
Final deadline June 1, 2026

Key Deadlines (2025–2026)

Assignment Deadline
Assignment #1: Revised Research Proposal March 13, 2026
Assignment #2: Preliminary Draft April 3, 2026
Assignment #3: Empirical Draft May 6, 2026
Final Manuscript June 1, 2026

All assignments are submitted via Brightspace by 23:59 on the due date.

Assessment

Seminar Evaluation

Component Weight
Participation (including peer review) 10%
Assignment #1: Revised Research Proposal 20%
Assignment #2: Preliminary Draft 35%
Assignment #3: Empirical Draft 35%

Thesis Assessment

The final thesis is graded separately by a thesis committee (first and second reader). The official Prospectus lists five criteria.

  1. Academic literature and research question. Knowledge of academic literature and formulation of a research question based on it
  2. Methodology and primary sources. Consistent application of a methodology to primary sources
  3. Primary source processing. Careful processing of primary source materials
  4. Korean-language materials. Substantive engagement with Korean-language materials
  5. Communication. Language use, thesis structure, and apparatus

See the Assessment Standards page for detailed criteria and grade descriptors.

What’s Expected at BA Level

A strong BA thesis should demonstrate these abilities.

  • Identify a clear research question and a gap in the existing literature
  • Engage seriously with relevant scholarship, including Korean-language sources
  • Apply a suitable methodology and present your findings clearly
  • Write in competent academic English with proper citations

See BA vs MA Expectations for a detailed comparison.

Documents