The honors program in English consists of two phases: a track of
honors course work, to be completed by the end of the junior year, and
the writing of an honors thesis, to be carried out in the senior year.
Transfer students entering as juniors, or other students who can show
some special circumstance, may apply for admission directly to the
thesis phase (see below).
Phase One: The Honors Track
Entering the Track. The honors track is open to all students who
declare as English majors before the end of their sophomore year, and
who have a grade-point average of 3.3 or above. Eligible students
normally should apply to the undergraduate office in the second term of
their first year or the first term of their sophomore year. They will
be assigned an honors adviser with whom they will be expected to meet
at least once per term.
Course of Study. Students must
take the following courses and fulfill the following requirements by
the end of the junior year:
1. At least one Faculty of Arts
and Sciences (FAS) honors section of the 200-level surveys of British,
American, or African-American literatures.
2. 01:350:219 and 220, as required by the major (strongly recommended for sophomore year).
3. At least one course in literary theory, as required by the major (recommended for junior year).
4. Two additional writing-intensive courses (as designated by the
undergraduate office). These may include an additional FAS honors
section of any English course, 01:355:201, a seminar, or 01:351:496
Advanced Research Methods.
Phase Two: The Thesis
Admission. All students who have completed the honors track by the
end of the junior year and have maintained a B+ average in the major
will be admitted automatically to write the thesis. Students who wish
to gain admission by application should consult with the undergraduate
office in the fall term of their junior year.
Requirements. Students will receive 3 credits each term for
independent work on the thesis. The completed thesis will be evaluated
by the adviser and a second reader. A grade of B+ or better will
be required to earn the honors designation.
Honors in Creative Writing
Procedures and requirements for honors in creative writing are
identical to those outlined above, with the following exceptions:
1. In addition to the other requirements, students must take the creative writing option.
2. Students may count one approved creative writing course toward the writing-intensive requirement.
