The Honors Thesis Journey: Tania Sequeira

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The Honors Thesis is the culmination of Honors students' curriculum, research, and hard work, typically completed during their senior year. Some Honors students fulfill this requirement through a Thesis Seminar, while others do so through an Individually Contracted Thesis, which may involve a research manuscript or a creative portfolio.

This series will feature multiple students throughout the 2024-2025 academic year as they navigate their thesis journeys. This is the first of three articles focusing on Tania Sequeira, a senior double major in political science and communications, who is completing a creative portfolio that visually depicts how Kashmir people and the Kashmir conflict are viewed in India and Pakistan.

Read on to learn more about the beginnings of Tania's thesis project!

Q: What is your thesis/ creative portfolio about? How did you come across this topic?

A: I'm working on a creative portfolio about Kashmir, focusing on how India and Pakistan view the region and what the people of Kashmir feel about the conflict. Last year, I took a Junior Year Writing course where we had the opportunity to create and edit a video on any political topic we chose. I chose Kashmir because I've always wanted to learn more about it, and you don’t hear much about it due to the long duration of the conflict. As a result, it’s kind of fallen under the radar of political coverage.

A screenshot from Tania's stop-motion video that she created for her Junior Year Writing course.

So, I chose Kashmir for my video last year and focused on the history of the conflict and new developments. I became really interested in it. Because I was drawing everything for the project (which had a stop-motion style), I got even more captivated by the topic. It was fascinating to see how my art could communicate a political conflict. I thought it would be interesting to explore this concept further for my thesis, but on a larger scale.

Q: What was the proposal process like? Do you have any tips for students?

A: There are ups and downs, I think, because this relates to a tip I have. I did most of my proposal during the summer, but my thesis sponsor wasn’t as available during that time. Which makes sense—professors have their own lives too. 

However, a tip I would give students is to start a bit earlier, during the spring of their junior year. It’s helpful to reach out to the professor and begin working on the basis for the proposal in person. I think this can make the process of writing the proposal over the summer go much more smoothly.

In my case, I was studying abroad in the spring, so it was difficult right from the start. We did meet a few times over Zoom, which was helpful. But I would still advise students to bring up the proposal earlier, look at it before the summer, and discuss any questions with the professor ahead of time.

Q: How has your thesis come along so far? What are you planning to do next?

A: So far, I've written the literature review for my thesis. I’ve examined several sources that focus solely on the Kashmir conflict, without addressing art. My next step is to analyze academic sources on political art, such as political cartoons or propaganda. I’ll explore how these forms of art can serve a purpose and whether I can use that purpose to raise awareness about the Kashmir conflict.

Right now, the focus has been on gaining a deeper understanding of the conflict—what’s causing it and what’s happening now. The next step will be to figure out how to connect that understanding to art.

Q: How did you plan the execution of your ideas? 

A:  The goal is to have a mini gallery, a little exhibition open to campus because the purpose of the art is to raise awareness about the Kashmir conflict through a new lens—art itself. I want to include a mix of political propaganda, political cartoons, and my own original acrylic paintings of Kashmiri people. The more I look into the conflict, the more I realize that people rarely talk about the experiences of Kashmiris themselves. The conversation is often framed in terms of what India and Pakistan are saying about them.

I want to use my art to focus on the Kashmiri people. I believe portraiture is a powerful way to do this because it creates a kind of confrontation between the viewer and the artwork—not in an aggressive way, but in a way that draws attention to the person in the portrait.

Q; Why did you choose this topic?

A:  I chose this topic because it’s not often talked about, and as an Indian, I’ve only seen one side of it. My mom, who’s also Indian, only has one perspective on the issue. I know what her argument would be and what she supports. However, I think it’s important to explore all sides of the conflict—not just India and Pakistan, but the experiences of Kashmiris as well. That’s why I wanted to dive deeper into this topic and raise awareness about it.

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The Kashmir conflict is one of the longest-running in the world, yet it doesn’t get as much attention as it should. Despite that, people are still suffering under its effects, and I wanted to explore that further.

Q: How does it feel to be completing your Honors Thesis?

A: It feels fun! Of course, it’s a little stressful because I have some deadlines coming up, and I need to get everything in order. But I really enjoy the creative part of it. Throughout my time here, I haven’t had the chance to explore my artistic interests, even though I love art. So, this thesis has been a great way for me to combine art with my major. I really appreciate the flexibility that the thesis offers.

I feel like I’m going to learn a lot. Once I start painting, I’m really excited for that because I haven’t had the chance to do it in an academic context. I think it’s going to be a completely new experience, and I’m really interested to see how it plays out.