Honors Thesis Guidelines
Please visit the College Honors website for more detailed information about
this process.
I. General Information
All Honors College students in the College of Arts and
Sciences must complete a College Honors Project during their senior year
in order to graduate as
a Honors College Scholar. Most often, this project is a written thesis, although
for students in the arts (studio art, creative writing, theatre, or music)
it could take the form of a creative project (such as a video or a musical
performance).
As a rule, the thesis will be written under the supervision of your major
department or program. Students with dual majors may write their theses under
the supervision of either major, or both. In special cases, students may turn
to faculty outside their majors for supervision, and even outside the College
of Arts and Sciences (as when Biology students work under the supervision of
faculty in the School of Medicine).
The honors thesis is the single biggest hurdle to graduating as a Honors College Scholar. We are confident, however, that by following these guidelines carefully,
you can graduate with this highest Honors standing. Not only will you graduate
with Honors; you will have a lasting reminder of your college years -- a bound
thesis that is entirely your own work.
II. What is a thesis?
To get an idea of what a thesis is, we might begin by
noting that the Greek work thesis means placing or layingdown in the sense
of taking a position
or proposing something. A thesis presents your position on some topic in
your field of study, and it therefore includes argument (presenting evidence)
and, where appropriate, critical examination of opposed positions on that
topic. Unlike the typical research paper, then, the thesis will present
and defend a view that is distinctively you own.
At an even more general level, we could say that an Honors Thesis is an opportunity
to work closely with a faculty member on research that brings to a conclusion
your undergraduate experience. Though it is the biggest thing you will do as
an undergraduate, you shouldn't think of it as an overwhelming project. You
will most likely find it to be the most exciting, fulfilling and rewarding
experience of your undergraduate career.
III. Whom can I turn to for help?
The first step in writing a thesis is to
contact your academic advisor, or any other potential thesis advisor, early
in your junior year to discuss
your ideas and interests. Needless to say, any faculty member in your department
might also provide suggestions on securing a thesis advisor. .
IV. How do I select a topic for my thesis?
Selecting a topic is one of the
most important steps in the thesis writing process. Though different fields
define and identify topics in different
ways, the process usually involves some of the following steps:
- In your course work at UVM, you are bound to be struck by themes and
ideas that especially capture your interest. If you keep a journal or notebook,
you
might jot down ideas that excite your curiosity. Your aim in the end is
to identify a topic that seems interesting enough to pursue in detail for
one
whole year. Think of the thesis is your chance to explore in depth some
subject you find exciting or perplexing.
- As you take courses and meet with faculty
in your department, you will most likely strike up conversations with
teachers whose work you find especially
interesting. THESE CONNECTIONS ARE YOUR BEST LEADS IN SEEKING A THESIS
TOPIC. If you have not become close to a faculty member by your junior year,
you
should actively take steps to get to know one as soon as possible. Teachers
generally
know what topics are worth exploring in your field of study.
- Your readings
and studies will lead you to see that there are hotly debated questions
in your field. Two camps of scholars or researchers may disagree
on some topic, and you may find that you side with one group, or that
you would like to find out who is right. A review of the articles and books
discussing
this topic will give you clues as to what sorts of position you might
take. Here, the reference librarian will be your best friend in searching
the literature
on your topic.
V. How do I find an honors advisor?
Most of you will write your thesis under
the supervision of an advisor from your major department. The advisor will
help you prepare your honors proposal,
guide you in bibliographic work, meet with you to discuss your drafts during
the senior year, help you find two other faculty members for your thesis
committee, and ask questions during your oral defense of your thesis. In
the sciences, your advisor may be part of an existing research team, and
so can assign you a question to answer in his or her research program.
As soon as you have a rough idea of the area your thesis will cover, you should
ask your academic advisor for help in finding a thesis advisor. If you already
have some idea of who you would like to have as an advisor, you might drop
in and talk to that person during his or her office hours. Faculty are usually
glad to talk to students who are contemplating advanced work of this sort.
Don't hesitate to knock on doors or e-mail faculty members.
Students who will be abroad part of all of their junior year should make contacts
before they leave, or contact advisors by mail or e-mail.
VI. What does a thesis look like?
Different departments have different standards
and requirements for theses. Honors Theses range from 30 pages to 80 pages
or more, though most are between
40 and 60 pages. Normally, there will be a few chapters (between four and
six). Your advisor can give you an idea of how these are laid out in your
department. The Committee on Honors and Individual Studies can also provide
guidelines to help you with your final product.
VII. What is the process?
- Not later than the second semester of your junior
year, you should contact your advisor and, with his or her help, identify
potential advisors for your
project.
- Meet with your prospective advisor and agree on a topic for your thesis.
During this time you will work out a rough outline for your thesis, and,
with the help of the Reference Librarian (librarian contact for Honors College
students
is Patricia Mardeusz, 656-5718, patricia.mardeusz@uvm.edu) get a good,
initial bibliography of works on your subject for consultation during the
summer. Many
faculty members are away or are involved in research during the summer,
so you can't expect to be in touch with them during this time.
- During your senior year, you will take 6 credits of Honors work in
your department under the supervision of your advisor. Typically, these 6
credits
are distributed evenly between the first and second semesters, i.e., 3 credits
each semester. However, if, for reasons owing to a student's schedule (the
student is already registered for, say, 16 credits), a student wishes to
do so, College Honors credit may be variably distributed across the two semesters,
i.e., 2 credits the first semester and 4 the next (1 and 5, 4 and 2, or 2
and
4). Please note that this is an "accounting" issue only; students
are expected to do an equal amount of work both semesters regardless of how
the credit is distributed.
When you enroll for fall courses, sign up for your
thesis credits of Honors Work for your department listed under the Honors
course listings.
(For example, German lists German 228 and 229 as Honors/German courses.)
In addition, Honors College students in the College of Arts and Sciences
will register for HON 201, a required zero credit seminar meeting once a
month for
all Honors College thesis writers.
- During the summer you should read through the literature listed in
your bibliography, take notes, work toward drawing up an outline, and draft
the
proposal.
- As soon as possible in September of your senior year, give a copy of
your draft of the proposal to your advisor. This proposal will probably need
several
revisions before it is submitted to the College of Arts and Sciences Committee
on Honors.
- By the deadline for submission of the proposal (usually the end of
September), you should send five copies of the completed application and
proposal to the
College of Arts and Sciences Deans Office. If you have questions about
completing the proposal, you may contact members of that committee for help.
- With your advisor you should make up a schedule for doing research,
writing drafts of chapters, rewriting, and finalizing parts of the thesis,
so that
you don't end up having a rush of work to do at the end of your senior
year. Once the schedule is written up, stick to it!
- During your senior year, your advisor will help you find two additional
faculty members to serve on your thesis committee: one from outside your
major (who serves as the Chair of your committee), the other typically from
within
your major department. Keep in touch with these committee members and,
if they wish, show them drafts of your work during the year. Do not dump
a thesis on
them at the last moment and expect them to be supportive!
- The College Honors websites has a list of Important Dates. Keep track
of these deadlines and follow them. Note that the oral defense should be
scheduled early in the spring semester of your senior year, that the Honors
Committee
has to be notified two weeks prior to the defense, and that the completed
written work must be submitted one week before the last week of classes.
VIII. What do I get from all this?
Aside from the satisfaction of completing
a significant work of your own, you will graduate with College Honors and
(providing you have completed all other
HCOL requirements) you will be recognized at graduation as a Honors College Scholar, one of the most prestigious academic titles offered by the University
of
Vermont. Should you ever wish to continue your studies in some graduate
or professional program, this award will clearly identify you as one of the
very best students at UVM.
Last modified September 10 2009 05:06 PM
