Honors in Literary Studies
Honors Prospectus Guidelines
Requirements : Enroll in English 497, Individual Study, in the first semester of your senior year. The prospectus should be submitted to the Undergraduate Committee no later than the end of the sixth week in your first semester of your senior year.
Writing the Prospectus: A prospectus, as the etymology of the word suggests [pro+specere], is a brief document that looks forward, sees ahead, or anticipates another work – a book, dissertation, article, or, in this case, Honors Thesis. In another sense, prospicere means to face, as in to face the matter just beforehand – to acknowledge the project is coming.
Content : A good prospectus should give an overview or synopsis of your project, articulate its working thesis (or hypothesis), suggest how it contributes to ongoing scholarship about the topic, and sketch out the basic steps of your supporting argument. When appropriate, you should discuss your methodology (or theoretical framework for your argument).
Length : For purposes of the Undergraduate Honors program in English, a good prospectus should be about five to eight pages (1250-1750 words), excluding the Works Cited page. The Works Cited page should contain only those works cited in the prospectus, but it should be substantial enough to show that considerable preliminary research has gone into the project already.
Documentation Style : Documentation and style should follow the most recent MLA Guidelines. (Note: If you are doing a Professional Writing Thesis, you may use the style guide appropriate to the subject of you proposed thesis – e.g. Chicago, APA, or MLA. Consult with your faculty advisor for the appropriate style manual.)
Outline of Contents: In outline form, the prospectus would look something like this :
- Cover page listing the title of the prospectus, name of the student, advisor, student’s email address, mailing address, and telephone number
- A short letter from your advisor approving the prospectus
- On the Prospectus proper, only include the title; leave out the information of your name and address for the purpose of blind submission.
- Overview of Project:
- What is the purpose of your project?
- What is your working thesis or hypothesis?
- Discussion or Description of the Project:
- Why is your project important or necessary?
- How does the project contribute to the ongoing scholarship or critical discussion about your topic?
- Who else has written on this topic?
- How does your discussion differ from these, expand these, or otherwise enter into dialogue with these?
- What is unique about your thesis or approach to the topic?
- What methodology or theoretical framework will you use to make your argument?
- What steps will you take to support your argument (that is, how will you organize your project/paper?)?
- Summary:
- What are the implications of your discussion/thesis?
- What other questions or research might it point to?
- Works Cited:
- Only include the list of the texts (books, articles) you cited in your prospectus
Honors Thesis Guidelines
Description : The Honors Thesis - a critical essay, a creative project, or a professional writing project - may be an extension of work written for a regular class or new material written just for this purpose. The Thesis is expected to be a significantly more ambitious and substantial piece of writing and research than work done for a term project in a class. As the dates for approval of Prospectus and Thesis suggest, we assume that this is a year-long research and writing project, and that the bibliography is being constructed even before senior year begins.
Steps in the process: During the student’s first semester of his or her senior year, the Prospectus is submitted no later than the end of the sixth week. Upon its approval, the student proceeds to the Thesis itself, which is submitted no later than the end of the tenth week in the second semester of your senior year. (See dates posted in the Office for Undergraduate Studies, Humanities 223.)
Length : While the exact scope of the work is determined by the student in concert with his or her faculty advisor as outlined in the approved Prospectus, in general the Honors Thesis is intended to be 30-50 pages in length, excluding the Works Cited page. The Works Cited page should contain only those works actually cited in the thesis; similarly, each work cited in the thesis must be represented on the Works Cited page.
Documentation Style : Theses in Literary Studies or in Creative Writing must follow the most recent MLA Guidelines. A thesis in Professional Writing must follow the most recent guidelines of the style appropriate to the subject of the thesis - e.g. Chicago, APA, or MLA - as approved by the student’s faculty advisor.
Your Thesis should be accompanied by:
- A cover page listing the title of the prospectus, name of the student and advisor, student’s email address, mailing address, and telephone number
- On the thesis proper, only include the title and leave out the information of your name and address for the purpose of blind submission
- A letter from the advisor evaluating the thesis
Prospectus and Thesis Deadlines
September 26, 2008: DUE, Prospectus for Spring 2009 Thesis
October 31, 2008: DUE, Thesis for Fall 2009
February 20, 2009: DUE, Prospectus for Fall 2009 Thesis
March 20, 2009: DUE, Thesis for Spring 2010
Note: Both the Prospectus and Thesis must be accompanied by a letter of recommendation from your faculty advisor, who should submit the letter directly to the Director of Undergraduate Studies in English by the due date.
Honors Capstone Courses
Fall 2007 : Professor Dan Mueller:
“Image In Narrative”
Spring 2008 : Professor Mary Power:
“Short Story / Modernism”
Fall 2008 : Professor Aeron Hunt:
"Coupling: The Literature and Culture of Courtship"
Spring 2009 : Professor Lynn Beene:
“Rhetoric and the Spy Narrative”
