On 8 April 2025, students and staff members of the Department of English gathered for the annual MA Thesis Symposium. The event has been organized since 2013, so one could safely say that it is turning into a true tradition of the English Department.
The MA Thesis Symposium showcases MA research done at the department. Major students who have just completed or are about to complete their MA Thesis give a short presentation where they talk about their thesis topic, methodologies and key findings, and often also about what it is like to write an MA Thesis. The symposium is specifically aimed for students starting their MA Thesis seminar, who might wonder about topic selection and the process in general, and BA level students, who are thinking about what to specialize in in their MA studies. The symposium also gives the speakers an opportunity to talk about their research and gain public speaking experience in a relaxed and friendly environment.
This year, we were lucky to have speakers from each of the Department’s MA tracks: philology, discourse, second language acquisition, literature, and multilingual translation studies. The level of maturity, professionalism and enthusiasm of the presenters was impressive. Each outlined their topic with confidence and was well-versed in academic language and presenting style, all the while making their varied topics accessible to everyone in the audience. The presenters carried themselves well through the lively discussions and answered questions from the audience knowledgeably. The event certainly served as encouragement to those still a bit apprehensive about writing an MA Thesis.
I asked the presenters to join me in writing this blog, and Salli Salolahti and Kim Vo hopped onboard. Here they reflect on their experience of writing an MA Thesis and creating a short presentation based on it. They also touch on what it felt like to talk about their research in front of a live audience.
Salli Salolahti (Discourse track):
The MA thesis process definitely taught me a lot more than I initially thought it would! I perhaps naively thought that I would just get it done and that the biggest obstacle would be writing a paper this extensive. However, it turned out that for me the biggest obstacle to overcome was not the writing or any theory – it was perfectionism!
To make progress in the MA thesis process, you have to go through different steps like turning in your topic proposal, research plan, first draft, and so on. I had to accept that these would be less than perfect and that the whole process is simultaneously about showing what I have already learned and learning something new. I spent a lot of time experimenting with different approaches before finding the ones that I could make work. While this was at times frustrating, it was also great to realise that I was able to reflect on and solve many of the issues myself.
When it came time to present my thesis, I assumed squeezing it into a ten-minute presentation would be easy, but it turned out that was not the case. It had been a while since I submitted my thesis, and I had promptly forgotten how much ground it covered! While ten minutes initially sounded like plenty of time, in the end it went really fast.
I was both excited and nervous to present my research. Speaking in front of a live audience did not make me nervous, as I am used to it, but the idea of possibly misrepresenting something about my own research, methods, or theories stressed me. But I needn’t have worried about it: as soon as I started talking, it felt like I remembered everything. It was actually quite nice to talk about something that I myself had done and was proud of and also knew more about than anyone else in the room!
Kim Vo (Literature track):
My MA thesis explores a deceptively simple question: is motherhood an innate, natural instinct — or a social construct shaped by culture and expectation? As it turns out, writing about motherhood felt a lot like… well, becoming a mother.
The early days of thesis writing were filled with anticipation – glowing, even. I was excited, full of ideas, and ready to dive in. Then came the “morning sickness” phase: nausea-inducing literature reviews, endless source hunting, and the creeping dread that maybe I’d bitten off more than I could chew. But just like in pregnancy, there were those magical kicks – moments when my analysis clicked, and I felt the baby (read: thesis) growing into something real.
The final stretch? Labor. Pure, exhausting, deadline-driven labor. Pulling everything together felt like pushing through contractions – painful, but with a purpose. And finally, there it was: a fully formed thesis, screaming for attention and citations.
Presenting my work was another surprise. Despite two years of teaching experience, I still felt butterflies facing a new audience. But once I started talking, the nerves melted away. Ten minutes flew by – barely enough time to scratch the surface – but I was proud to share my research and answer questions.
This journey taught me that writing a thesis isn’t just academic – it’s deeply personal, occasionally chaotic, and ultimately rewarding. And like any proud parent, I’m just glad it’s finally out in the world.
Text and photos by Ira Hansen, Salli Salolahti and Kim Vo