SUPERVISE A SENIOR HONORS PROJECT!
It is very rewarding to work with undergraduate students as they begin their academic careers full of enthusiasm and excitement for their field. They need guidance, of course, but they typically respond well to direction and are appreciative of the help that a faculty mentor can provide. The Senior Honors Project provides a vehicle to develop a mentorship relationship with a talented and motivated undergraduate student working in your field, and will result in the completion research and creative work that will prepare them for graduate school and professional school.
1. What is the Senior Honors Project?
3. Resources for faculty advisors
1. What is the Senior Honors Project?
The Senior Honors Project is a two-semester sequence of research or creative work accomplished independently by the student under the direction of a faculty member. The sequence normally involves one semester of research or other form of preparation, and one semester of writing or creative work. Creative work should be accompanied by a written essay offering explanation, analysis and/or interpretation of the work.
Projects range from conventional theses, including research on a scientific or social problem, laboratory or other experimental work, archival research, surveys or interviews, to creative work such as fictional or biographical writing, installations and exhibition of art, performance of theater or dance, and projects in architecture and engineering. We are also open to students doing internships, design projects, action research or any other scholarly activity appropriate to the student's field, provided that the student complete a formal proposal for the project, that it is closely supervised by a faculty mentor, and that it is written up into a report that is bound and submitted to the Honors Program.
We are working on descriptions and rubrics for non-conventional theses and would be very happy to receive proposals from faculty and students for alternative forms of Senior Honors Projects.
The project will usually be within the student’s major field of study. In some cases, however, it may be in a different field as long as the student can make a case that it is related to their academic studies. In such cases, the advisor may be from a different department, in which case we ask that advisor and chair of the major department sign a Memorandum of Understanding (see link to sample below).
The Senior Honors Project culminates in a formal oral and poster presentation at the annual Spring Symposium or Fall Forum. These presentations effectively function as the "defense" of the Senior Honors Project. In some specific cases, however, there may be additional requirements: students in English Honors, for example, have a "conversation" about their project with their committee and the Honors Director in the English Department; and students in programs that mandate defense of a required thesis, such as Global Environmental Sciences, are expected to defend their thesis like others in their major. In other cases, only under special circumstances and with the approval of the Director of the Honors Program, should a formal defense be held.
2. Student Learning Outcomes
In HON 496 students will:
1. Conduct independent scholarly work of professional or near professional quality in their field;
2. Write up the results of their independent scholarly work into a “thesis” of a standard and format appropriate for publication in their field.
3. Resources for faculty advisors
Sometimes faculty members and students have questions about the scope of the project and the nature of their responsibilities, so we have put together some guidelines to help. Hopefully these will help both to get the most out of a potentially very rewarding relationship.
· Advisor's agreement (PDF)
· Guidelines for Developing Honors Projects (HON 496)
· Advising a Senior Honors Project (HON 496)
· Advisor's schedule for Senior Honors Project
· Advisor's progress report (HON 496 001) (PDF)
· Evaluation of a Senior Honors Project
Following are the deadlines for submission of the Senior Honors Project for graduation in each semester of AY 2008.
|
Project Deadlines |
Fall 2008 |
Spring 2009 |
Summer 2009 |
|
Advisor sees entire rough draft |
Nov 20 |
April 13 |
Jul 17 |
|
Committee sees examination draft |
Dec 1 |
April 27 |
Jul 31 |
|
Final bound copy due to Honors office |
Dec 15 |
May 11 |
Aug 14 |
|
Committee's evaluation due to Honors office |
Dec 15 | May 11 | Aug 14 |
Following are the deadlines for submission of the Senior Honors Project for graduation in each semester of AY 2009.
|
Project Deadlines |
Fall 2009 |
Spring 2010 |
Summer 2010 |
|
Advisor sees entire rough draft |
Nov 16 |
April 12 |
Jul 16 |
|
Committee sees examination draft |
Nov 30 |
April 26 |
Jul 30 |
|
Final bound copy due to Honors office |
Dec 14 |
May 10 |
Aug 13 |
|
Committee's evaluation due to Honors office |
Dec 14 | May 10 | Aug 13 |
