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Honors

Students wishing to complete Honors in the Major in the Department of English should meet with the Honors Coordinator or the Undergraduate Advisor to discuss the application process and their personal plan to complete the honors curriculum. We suggest that, if possible, students begin the honors curriculum in their sophomore year. Students wishing to earn Honors in the Major must first declare the English major and then apply for admission to the honors program.

Why pursue honors in the English major?

- opportunity for one-on-one relationships with faculty

- excellent preparation for graduate school 

- ability to enroll in honors-only courses and discussion sections

Honors Program Entrance Requirements:

1. Declaration of the English major
2. Completion of ENGLISH 215 and one additional course in the major.
3. A GPA of 3.5 in English courses

Honors Program Graduation Requirements:

1. A minimum GPA of 3.5 in English major courses
2. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3
3. At least 15 credits in English taken for honors credit
4. Completion of the following:
   
   • One major course in English (outside the required honors classes) taken for honors credit
   • ENGLISH 381: Sophomore Honors – Research Methods in English
   • ENGLISH 481: Junior Honors Seminar in the Major

• e. Thesis

• ENGLISH 681 and 682: Senior Honors Thesis in the Major - for students who are writing a literature oriented thesis
  • Students who have declared honors with an emphasis in Creative Writing take an Advanced Creative Writing Workshop (ENGLISH 303, 305 or 307) and ENGLISH 695 in place of ENGLISH 681 and 682. The advanced workshop and Directed Creative Writing (ENGLISH 695) will ordinarily be taken sequentially and will be the equivalent of a two-semester honors thesis. Students are encouraged to take more than one Advanced Creative Writing Workshop.

• Recommended: ENGLISH 482: Honors Seminar in the Major

 

Study abroad opportunities for honors students

 

ENGLISH 681/682 Senior Thesis Requirements

The curriculum for Honors in the Major in the English Department culminates with the senior thesis project. The thesis is probably the most challenging part of the honors experience, and for most students it also proves to be the most rewarding. The Senior Honors Thesis is a two-semester (or summer and semester) effort. Students enroll in first-semester Senior Honors Thesis (681) followed by second-semester Senior Honors Thesis (682).   These two courses may not be taken concurrently. The final grade for the entire thesis is assigned after 682 has been completed.

Students who intend to write a senior honors thesis should begin to plan the project during their junior year.

Copies of theses written by students majoring in English are available through the Undergraduate Office in the Department of English (7195 H.C. White Hall).

Prospectus

The Honors Program has a policy that requires students who will be writing a thesis to submit a thesis prospectus and indicate the name of their director in the spring semester of their Junior year (or the semester prior to their registration for ENGLISH 681). Specifying a research focus early, determining the major texts you will be working with, and gaining some preliminary sense of the originality of your project and the organization of your analysis are all crucial ways to ensure that you have momentum when you begin your thesis in earnest.

Thesis Prospectus Requirements

The thesis prospectus must be submitted no later than the last day of class in the semester prior to the registration in ENGLISH 681.

The prospectus should consist of a two-page narrative which indicates:

1. the title and topic of the thesis
2. the approach to be taken
3. the primary texts to be examined
4. the sequence of chapters and their anticipated content
5. some discussion of how the approach and/or claims of the thesis will produce an original contribution to the scholarship on the student's subject

You should also attach a bibliography (to be developed with the thesis advisor) of 1-2 pages.

Information about the mechanics of writing a thesis

Students often ask about the length of the thesis. Obviously this will vary depending on the needs of the individual project and the expectations of your thesis advisor, but as a general principle you should anticipate an extended piece of writing that will run roughly 50-80 (or more) pages in length. A typical thesis will consist of a brief introduction (say 3-10 pages), three chapters (each 15-20 pages each) and a conclusion (3-5 pages), with Endnotes and Bibliography (constituting another 5-10 pages). It is important to emphasize, however, that what I have presented here is simply a model and that students are free to take other approaches (i.e. two longer chapters, four or five shorter chapters, or some other configuration).

Thesis Guidelines

 

Funding

Travel Grants Information about obtaining a grant through the Department of English to complete thesis research.

Other Funding Opportunities

 

Dual Thesis (Use of a single thesis to complete the requirements in two departments)

Honors students in the Department of English who wish to complete one senior honors thesis but use it to fulfill the thesis requirements in two departments, i.e., in English and also another department in which they are completing the Honors curriculum must:

1. Meet with the either the Undergraduate Advisor or the Honors Coordinator to discuss this intention. A decision will be made regarding which department will be considered the “primary” department and which department will serve as the “supporting” department. See below:
   • - The primary advisor/department registers the student for the 681/682.
   • - The supporting advisor/department will take the appropriate academic action in L&S to see that the student will receive credits for the thesis in their department also.
2. Complete the “Dual Use of Thesis” form for the Department of English – including signatures of both faculty advisers.  Attach to the completed form a cogent rationale for the interdisciplinarity of the thesis.  Specifically, define the distinct disciplinary methodologies you expect to offer in the thesis and explain how you expect them to address or illuminate your project.
3. Submit a Thesis prospectus to the English Undergraduate Advisor.
4. When the thesis is completed:
1. submit a copy of the Thesis to the English Professor (if the English Professor was the primary thesis advisor) so that you can receive your grade or
2. submit a copy of the Thesis to the English Professor for approval (if the English Professor was the supporting advisor) so that you will be granted the credits and will thus complete the curriculum for Honors in the Major in English.
5. Submit a copy of the Thesis to the Undergraduate Advisor; it will be added to the Thesis Library we are attempting to maintain for the use of future students.

The Department of English supports this arrangement when it is clearly understood that one of the departments/professors has the primary say in the production of the thesis and the other department/professor will offer advice from time to time and eventually will give a final approval to the thesis and grant the earning of the credits in the additional department.