Departmental
Honors Program
English
Honors provides an opportunity for students to pursue an independent project
under the guidance of Department faculty. Students choose one of two options: a
critical/research thesis or a creative writing thesis. The program begins in
the second half of spring semester junior year and runs through senior year.
Candidates
for honors in English must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or
better and an average of 3.6 or better in English at the end of junior year.
They will also have completed 359:201 and at least one 400-level course in
either the 358 or 359 subject codes for a critical/research thesis or 351
subject codes for a creative writing thesis. (Note that students, especially
transfer students, with strong records of achievement who have not fulfilled
these requirements will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.)
Interested
students should register for the Junior Honors Seminar (359:496), a 1.5-credit
mini course running in the second half of spring semester. Students who are
studying abroad or have other obligations that take them off campus in the
spring of junior year will be able to join the course remotely. Upon completion
of the course, students continuing with departmental honors will have secured
the approval of a faculty advisor for their thesis proposal.
Completion
of English Honors entails a total of 9 credits of coursework: the Junior Honors
Seminar (359:496, 1.5 credits); the Senior Honors Seminar (359:497, 1.5
credits); and two semesters of independent study, the Senior Honors Tutorials
(359:498 and 359:499, 3 credits each). The completed thesis will be evaluated
by the advisor and a second reader. A grade of B+ or better will be required in
order to earn the honors designation.
Students
wishing to complete an English honors project in conjunction with the Honors
College, SAS Honors, or other College Honors Programs will also be required to
secure the approval of the appropriate College Dean by the end of the spring
semester of the junior year.
