Honors Thesis Timeline

Last Updated 11-15-2010

1. Prerequisites?	Check with CAS Honors. Currently (fall 2010), students can do College Honors if they have a GPA of 3.40 or higher, but this rule can change.
2. Approaching a topic during the  junior year	Sociology majors are strongly encouraged to complete their SOC001, SOC100, and SOC101 requirements before beginning research for their thesis in sociology. Without these courses, a student is unlikely to have marshaled the materials necessary for a successful thesis project. In addition, it might be beneficial to have taken at least one 200-level course before the end of the junior year. The choice of a thesis topic may be based on personal interest, but it may also derive from a student’s encounter with materials in other sociology courses. Examples of recent thesis topics in sociology include Christian Fundamentalism and its Effects on United States Abortion Attitudes and U.S. Health Care in Crisis: Synthesizing a Solution.
3. Contacting faculty during the junior year	Note that students need to have a faculty advisor who are tenured or tenure-track faculty, in this case, in sociology. Lecturers, Instructors, or faculty from other UVM colleges do not qualify. Students might wish to approach or several such professors in the sociology department following the advice given in the FAQs at the CAS College Honors website, namely by “writing down some ideas that you might like to explore in your thesis. Next, summarize these ideas into two or three short paragraphs-- no more than a page or so. Then, make an appointment with several professors that you think might want to work with you and bring the page with you to show to the professors. Leave it with them so that they have some way to match you with your ideas. If you don't get a response right away, call back those professors you are most eager to work with.” Note that there are special rules for CAS students who are in UVM's Honors College.
4. Getting ready at the end of the junior year	Students should register for 3 credits of HON254 in the following semester, after approval from the sociology Chair. The student should also set up a schedule of consultation with the advisor for the succeeding months, to ensure that the application materials will be ready for submission by the ensuing deadline (see next step). In the past, 3 credits of HON254 counted toward the 200-level sociology requirements, whereas the remaining 3 credits for HON254 (second semester) could be used as a “free elective.” For students who minor in sociology, 3 credits of HON254 counted as a 100–level course and 3 credits of HON254 as a free elective in fulfillment of the requirements for a soc minor.--Please check about the current rules with the Chair.
5. Beginning of senior year	Usually at the beginning of October (calendar), the student needs to submit materials by email to the CAS Honors Committee: 1. the completed application form; 2. the thesis proposal; In addition, the faculty thesis supervisor needs to supply a supportive statement. . The guidelines need to be followed exactly; otherwise, the proposal might get automatically rejected. It is highly advisable to study past successful proposals (check out the ones closest to sociology).
6. Committee review	Once all of the above materials have been submitted by the deadline, the Committee on Honors and Individual Studies will reach a decision on the merits of the proposal: accept, revise, or reject. In case of rejection, the project as a thesis ends, but students in the past were able to get credit for their research as 3 credits of SOC297 Readings and Research in the first semester and 3 credits of SOC298 Readings and Research in the second semester; SOC297/298 could be used toward fulfilling requirements in the major and in the minor in the same way as 6 credits of HON254.--Please check about the current rules with the Chair. In case of revision, the student has to rewrite her/his proposal to bring it into compliance with the changes proposed by the Committee. Revisions are usually due within 2 weeks (see link in step 7 for exact date)—there is not much time to revise.
7. Thesis committee	After approval by the Committee, students select two additional faculty members to serve as an advisory thesis committee. Note that the chairperson of the thesis committee must be from a department other than the one in which honors work is being performed (i.e., not be in the sociology department). The student also needs to sign up for another 3 credits of HON254 in the last semester of the senior year.
8. Second semester senior year/last steps	For “successful completion,” the student needs to create a written document (the “thesis”) and defend the written document in an oral examination (the “defense”) before the three-person thesis committee comprised of the chairperson (from outside the sociology department), the student's advisor, and a third professor. The thesis and the defense must be completed and evaluated by the end of the examination period in the second semester of the project. The committee will determine a grade for the work, and indicate whether or not Honors shall be granted. Note that, as the College Honors web page explains, “students should generally give their thesis committee members at least a week to read the written proposal prior to the defense. Thus, the written document must be finished at least a week ahead of the scheduled defense. Also, the thesis committee and the student's advisor will usually recommend that some corrections be made to the written thesis based on the student's performance at the defense. These corrections should generally be completed within a week following the defense.” For exact dates, see the link provided in step 7. If the thesis committee decides that the student passes the defense at the “Readings and Research” level, the student can get credit for SOC297/298 instead of HON254 (see also part 8 above).
9. Celebrate	Almost done – don’t forget to attend the Senior Sociology Major Reception (even if you are minoring in sociology), where students who successfully defended their thesis in sociology be honored. This reception is typically held the day before University graduation. Please inquire with the Sociology office.