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.
