Challenge and Responsibility: The Senior Research Project

OVERVIEW

The Senior Honors Project is a two-semester sequence of independent work accomplished under the direction of a faculty member chosen by the student on a project topic from your major field. Projects for fine arts majors and creative writers present creative work along with a brief analytical introduction. The Senior Honors Project (HON 496) is a student's best chance as an undergraduate to dig deeply into a subject that interests him or her. Researching a topic, conducting field work, presenting artwork or performing can all be a good preparation for graduate work, but executing such complex projects can be useful in all careers. Any plans for the future will profit from the ability to work intensively under a mentor's supervision, to analyze a problem and devise new ways of solving it, to maintain a formal schedule of studio work or rehearsal, to track down data beyond the usual sources, to sift and organize a mass of conflicting or ambiguous evidence, and to make complicated information clear and persuasive.

In order to obtain clearance to enroll in the Senior Honors Project, HON 496, you must be prepared to tell Honors which faculty member has agreed to serve as your advisor. If you are unsure how to decide on an advisor or have trouble in your search, make an appointment to meet with the Honors Director.

The following will help you complete your project smoothly.

Meetings with the Honors Director

At the beginning of your first semester of work on the project, you must meet with the Honors Director and other students also starting their research. During the meeting, deadlines and procedures will be presented, and you will be given an opportunity to ask questions. At the beginning of the second semester of research work, you must make a half-hour appointment to meet with the Honors Director as soon as possible after the semester begins in order to provide him with a progress report.

Don't Procrastinate

Your years of college have taught you that a heavy class load comprised of subjects in several disciplines creates challenges in completing tasks in a timely, thorough manner. Although you are a part of the Honors Program because you have learned to handle such pressures, your Senior Project will be an especially demanding one. You have two semesters to complete the project, but don't think of it as a lot of time. The key to a successful project with the least stress for you is starting early and working on your project regularly. The Senior Honors Project can serve as a training ground for the rigors of graduate school and/or work experience. Accordingly, you are expected to be self-motivated in terms of your research project.

Regular Interaction between You and Your Advisor

A faculty member in your discipline possibly someone, with whom you have already worked, serves as your project advisor. He or she will be your chief resource for all manner of questions, from those about style and the format of the project within your discipline to those about the philosophical and methodological disputes which have shaped your discipline. You and your advisor are responsible for establishing a regular schedule of meetings to review progress on the project. Map out a plan for the completion of various project stages as soon as possible after your designate a faculty member as your advisor. Then, update the schedule as necessary. Remember, it is not your advisor's job to keep you on track, only to meet with you regularly and review your work. If you are experiencing significant problems with your advisor, contact the Honors Office immediately.

Current deadlines for various stages of the project during the semester in which you plan to graduate are:

Although these dates are negotiable--except for people removing incompletes--seniors have found that even a week's extension can wreck their exam schedule.

For questions related to your discipline, contact your Advisor. If you need further information about the Senior Project, call the Honors Director at 956-8391 or send an e-mail to honors@hawaii.edu.