<p>Hi :D
I'm a little confused about whether 4th-year Reed students take classes while they do research for/write their thesis. Do they/you? If so, do you take fewer classes and have a lighter workload than in previous years?</p>
<p>The thesis is a single two-semester course (1 “unit” each semester), typically one of three or four courses you take each semester during senior year. You can read here how this is done in political science: <a href=“http://academic.reed.edu/poli_sci/resources/seniorthesishandbook.htm[/url]”>http://academic.reed.edu/poli_sci/resources/seniorthesishandbook.htm</a></p>
<p>Yes, we still have to take classes our senior year in addition to our thesis. I think you have to take at least 6 courses/units during your senior year in order to graduate (thesis counts as 2, 1 per semester), and at least 3 per semester to get financial aid. For other years, it’s usual to take 7-9 courses/units per year. Most people try to plan their schedules so that at least during the spring semester, they only have to take 3 classes (including thesis) in order to have a lighter load, which is a really good idea.</p>