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Programs:
Thesis Honors Program
For answers to frequently asked questions and a style sheet, go to the
ARC Senior Thesis Information & Support page.
The Thesis Honors Program involves independent study that leads to a senior
thesis and a qualifying oral examination. The program aims to develop individual
initiative and habits of critical analysis. These are qualities that impress
potential employers, and the thesis itself is evidence that its author can
develop and complete a project of substantial magnitude. Completing such an
in-depth study is a personally rewarding and educationally valuable capstone to
the major, offering students the opportunity to explore an issue in depth and
assess their interest in an academic career.
Members of the department are available to meet with students to explore their
ideas for honors theses, help them navigate the application process, and direct
them to sources of research support.
The Thesis Honors Program is normally restricted to students who have been on
the Dean's List at least two times prior to their senior year. Application is
usually made by the end of the junior year, but must be made no later than the
end of the second week of the senior year. Students who plan to study abroad for
all or part of their junior year should begin to think about the program before
leaving campus, but they can apply for admission and do the necessary planning
from abroad.
The student is responsible for identifying a thesis advisor in the Department of
Sociology and forming an advisory committee. Three members are recommended, but
the committee can have two members. The chair of the committee will be a member
of the Department of Sociology, and one member can be from outside the
department. Admission to the program requires consent of the student's advisor
and approval of the chair of the department. The membership of the committee and
the title of the thesis must be registered with the Academic Resource Center.
The committee will direct the student's reading and research and guide the
student in preparing for the qualifying examination. Students will register for
two consecutive one-credit thesis courses (Sociology 199); a grade for both is
recorded after the thesis is approved.
The thesis can be a critical review of the sociological literature on a given
topic, a re-analysis of data collected by others, or an original piece of
research. The thesis should develop a theoretical argument and situate the
subject in contemporary sociology. The subject and scope of the thesis will be
agreed upon in advance by the student and the chair of the committee and will be
approved by the whole committee. Most theses are 75 to 100 pages in length.
Theses have been written on the following topics: the birth and evolution of the
profession of occupational therapy; the interpretation and experience of
motherhood by HIV-positive women; cardiovascular disease among African
Americans; the environmental movement in Japan; and the social language of
clothing among millennial women. Students interested in looking at past theses
should contact the staff assistant in Eaton Hall 102B.
The student will meet regularly with the thesis advisor during the fall semester
of the senior year. The whole committee will meet with the student at least once
during the fall semester to discuss the student's progress. The following is a
guideline for completion of the thesis during the spring semester of the senior
year:
| April 7 |
Submit the first
full draft to the thesis advisor. |
| April 26 |
Submit the final
version of the thesis to members of the
committee.
Schedule the oral defense with members of the
committee. |
| May 3-6 |
Oral defense of the
thesis. |
| May 13 |
Submit a final copy
of the thesis electronically to Digital
Collections and Archives (DCA) in Tisch Library.
Contact the DCA for information on how to submit
the thesis.
Give a hard copy of the thesis to the Department
of Sociology staff assistant in Eaton Hall 102B. |
Immediately after the oral defense, the committee
determines the level of thesis honors: Bachelor of Arts
with highest thesis honors, with high thesis honors, or
with thesis honors. The level of thesis honors will be
indicated on the student's transcript, but not on the
diploma. Students who, in the judgment of the committee,
have not attained the standards required for a thesis
honors designation, but whose work is worthy of a
degree, are recommended for the Bachelor of Arts degree
subject to the general regulations. Students who, in the
judgment of the committee, have attained the standards
required for a thesis honors designation can also
receive their degrees summa cum laude, magna cum laude,
or cum laude.
Register at SIS Online.
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