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Programs:
Thesis Honors Program
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.
Admission to 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 115.The student will meet regularly
with the thesis advisor during the fall semester. 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:
| April 7, 2010 |
Submit the first full draft to the thesis advisor. For answers to frequently
asked questions and a style sheet, go to the
ARC Senior Thesis Information & Support page. |
| April 26, 2010 |
Submit the final version of the thesis to members of the committee. Schedule the oral defense with members of the committee. |
| May 3-6, 2010 |
Oral defense of the thesis. |
| May 13, 2010 |
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
115.
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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.
Thesis Honors Candidate >>
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