Senior thesis hits shelves nationwide

Though most senior theses are quickly forgotten, Katherine Adam, BC '07, followed a different path. With the help of Charles Derber, professor in the sociology deparment, what started as research for a typical senior endeavor evolved during her senior year and last summer into something much more. The resulting book, The New Feminized Majority: How Democrats Can Change America with Women's Values, is already on bookstore shelves across the country.

When Adam came to him in the fall of 2007, Derber said she was in the very early stages of her honors sociology thesis. At this point, Adam said she had only a vague idea of how she wanted to approach the work, but she knew that she wanted to write something different than the run-of-the-mill undergraduate honors thesis.

She said that she approached Derber one day after class and asked him if he would be interested in advising her. "He is known among students as being an advocate," Adam said. "I knew that before I knew him."

Last spring, Derber and Adam worked on crafting her final thesis. At this time, there was no speculation that the project might result in a book. For Adam, the subject matter itself was a strong motivator. "Write about what you know," Adam said about her choice of topic. At Boston College, Adam was involved in the BC Democrats and interned for Senator John Kerry as a sophomore.

Adam said that her activities on campus contributed to her thesis from its inception. "I wanted to examine gender and politics and how they play out in the progressive party," Adam said.

Derber shared this enthusiasm for the project. "I think people would be interested to see that there is a way of looking at values that isn't just religiously based, but also looks at gender and class," he said. "The discussion about values has been distorted by the view of Christian voters as the values voters."

Derber is a noted social critic. He has published 12 of his own books, and his articles appear frequently in various periodicals. He said that he writes his books with the average reader in mind, but not at the expense of scholarship. "I think of myself as a public intellectual," he said.

As work on the thesis progressed, the relationship between Derber and Adam grew. Adam said that they would spend two or three hours a week discussing the ongoing research. "We would just spend several intense intellectual hours," Derber said. "It was her basic frame and idea and she was very open to some concerns I had."

"He was a really good listener," Adam said, "but then also would critique my work very well. There is incredible resistance to undergraduates getting too much of an ego about their own work."

Nevertheless, as they became increasingly serious about the research, Derber told her not to doubt herself and offered words of advice: "I know it is really rare [that an undergraduate be published], but your work is really good, regardless of your age."

Derber said that his previous experience publishing his work led him to consider the possibility of Adam's thesis being published. It was a long shot. Undergraduate research rarely receives any particular acclaim and is almost never granted a publication deal.

"It just sort of evolved into this draft of a book," Derber said. "I could see ways in which this thesis could evolve and turned into a book."

Adam said that even with the possibility of publication, it was her enthusiasm for the work that continued to motivate her.

"It was such an intense and exciting project … it was wonderful," she said. She said that she remembered thinking, "It would be great if this were published, but even if it's not, it's a great writing workshop."

The combination of Adam's enthusiasm and hard work and Derber's insight and experience began to bear fruit over the summer - book-shaped fruit. She said that she spent most of the summer continuing her research and writing six days a week. Adam said that the support Derber provided during this time was very important. "He never let me doubt the importance of the work," she said. "My age didn't diminish what I was talking about."

The book has hit shelves just in time for election season. "What makes the new feminized majority is that a growing number of men are sharing these feminized values," Derber said. These values are characterized by a "much more collaborative, cooperative view of the world," he said. These values, which research data and statistics show have been historically carried by women, have become a majority perspective because of men who have begun to carry them as well.

"If you look at gender-gap research, there are significant value differences," Derber said. "The feminized majority is definitely voting with Democrats," he said. The feminized majority, however, is not bound by party lines, he said.

Adam is currently conducting research at Drexel University. She said that the experience of having her work published so early in her career has been very exciting. "[It's] an amazing new experience for me," she said. "This is my first book, and I'm so young." She described the experience as, "fantastic and a little overwhelming." Adam plans to make an appearance on campus promoting her book sometime in the near future.