Honors Program
The honors project is designed to provide interested and qualified majors in Religious Studies with the opportunity to engage in independent study and more advanced research under faculty supervision. As described below, it involves planning and preparation beginning in the Spring semester of the student’s junior year. Students planning to graduate early should consult with the Department to establish an appropriate modified timetable.
The honors project provides several benefits to participants. First, it offers advanced students the opportunity to develop high-level research skills, improve their analytical and writing skills, and explore in depth a topic that has sparked the student’s interest in their more general coursework. Second, it is an opportunity to work one-on-one with a faculty adviser as the student pursues their own research project. Many find this invaluable both as an educational experience and as an opportunity for faculty mentorship. Finally, an honors project is particularly beneficial for students considering graduate school. Not surprisingly, admission officers (and even corporate representatives for that matter) are impressed with students motivated enough to execute a high-level research project that also entails the development of knowledge and skills important for success in graduate school. Moreover, faculty advisers often become a useful resource for future letters of recommendation because they get to know the student well.
To be eligible for Honors in Religious Studies, a student must meet the following criteria by the beginning of their senior year:
- Complete at least five courses in Religious Studies (normally including REL 200)
- Maintain a grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 overall and 3.7 in Religious Studies
- Submit the Declaration of Intent to pursue Honors during the second semester of their Junior Year (form is linked below)
- Identify a faculty adviser with whom the student has taken at least one course (The faculty adviser may request a GPA waiver from the Department Chair in cases where a student maintains a 3.6 GPA in Religious Studies)
- Enroll in REL 398: Honors in Religious Studies (3h) for Spring Semester
- Demonstrate sufficient foundational knowledge for pursuing the selected Honors topic (e.g., knowledge of a religious movement, the history of a region or tradition, relevant theoretical frameworks, or methodological approaches)
- Complete a proposal, thesis, and presentation of the project within the timetable noted below
While most honors projects are in the form of a written thesis, other formats are possible. Guidelines for alternative formats should be discussed in depth with the student’s Honors Committee. The student may register for three hours of Honors in Religious Studies either in the Fall or Spring of their senior year.
Note that Honors designation is contingent upon approval of the project by the student’s Honors Committee and the final grade point average. This typically means receiving at least an “A-” on the thesis and REL 398. Projects that are not approved as “honors” will be reclassified as a reading course on the student’s transcript.
Each student’s Honors Committee consists of:
- Primary Adviser: A full-time member of the Department for the Study of Religions who serves as the main supervisor of the project
- Second Reader: A full-time member of the Department for the Study of Religions, selected in consultation with the primary adviser
- Third Reader (optional): Faculty members outside the Department may serve as third readers when appropriate to the project. A third reader is, however, not required.
Together, the primary adviser and second reader constitute the core Honors Committee responsible for approving and evaluating the honors project.
Junior Year – Spring Semester
Declaration of Interest: Interested students must complete a Declaration of Intent form during their second semester of junior year. Students should begin thinking about possible honors projects during the spring and summer before their senior year. It may be helpful to explore a desired topic by way of a directed reading during an earlier academic semester.
Selecting a Faculty Adviser: Qualified and interested students should select a suitable faculty adviser to work with on the project. The adviser must be a full-time member of the Department for the Study of Religions with whom the student has taken at least one class. In addition, students, in consultation with their adviser, must also select a second faculty reader from the Department.
Senior Year – Fall Semester
Early September: Complete the Honors Project Registration and Overview form and submit it to your proposed adviser. This form provides an overview of your project and confirms your readiness to proceed.
Early to mid-September: Meet with your adviser to discuss expectations and the process. With an agreed upon plan and topic in place, begin formulating your proposal for the project.
Mid to Late September: Submit a thesis proposal draft to your adviser by the last week of September (or by the end of February for a Fall deadline).
Late September to Early October: Revise your proposal based on adviser feedback.
Early to mid-October: Submit polished proposal to thesis adviser and second reader by October 15 of your senior year (or mid-March for a Fall deadline). The adviser will then submit the pre-approved proposal to the Awards and Events Committee for official Departmental approval.
- Proposal Components The proposal should include the following elements (approximately 1000 words in length):
- Thesis: A research question to be studied, a potential hypothesis that answers the research question, and an explanation of the project’s significance.
- Texts/Sources: Discuss the chief texts or sources, primary and secondary, to be used in the research and address theoretical and methodological frameworks that will inform the project.
- Individual Preparation: Briefly explain coursework and readings that have prepared the student for this topic, demonstrating sufficient foundational knowledge for pursuing the selected Honors topic.
- Bibliography: Include an initial unannotated bibliography of primary and secondary sources, which will indicate that the student has already given the project considerable thought. It should include foreign language sources if they are required by the faculty adviser for the proposed project.
Research and Writing Phase
The adviser will supervise the student’s research, including the preparation of an Honors Thesis. In mid-April (or mid-November for a Fall deadline), the student will submit their final thesis to their Honors Committee. The student will then meet with their Honors Committee to discuss the project. The final project is due by April 15th (or December 1st for the Fall).
The final draft of the written thesis should normally be no less than 6,000 and no more than 10,000 words, conform in style and form to acceptable scholarly standards, and be submitted by April 15th/December 1st of the student’s senior year. If the project is something other than a written thesis, parameters for the final project should be agreed upon with the faculty adviser at the proposal stage.
Following submission of the project, each student will be required to meet with their Honors Committee for formal discussion and review. A recommendation of honors at graduation will be made by the Department to the Dean of the College based upon the student’s overall academic record and the quality of the final project, which should receive no less than an “A-” grade to qualify as honors.
Junior Year – Spring Semester
- Required: Complete and submit Declaration of Intent form
- Consider the option of Honors, review requirements for Honors
- Discuss the possibility of Honors with your adviser or a professor from the Department with whom you have taken at least one class
- Reflect on possible topics and research questions
Summer Before Senior Year
- Continue reflecting on possible topics
- Consider preliminary reading on your topic area
Fall Senior Year
- Early September: Complete and submit Honors Project Registration and Overview form to your proposed adviser
- Early to mid-September: Meet with your adviser to discuss expectations, develop a plan, and begin formulating your thesis proposal
- Mid to Late September: Submit thesis proposal draft to your adviser
- Late September to Early October: Revise thesis proposal
- Early to mid-October: Submit polished proposal to thesis adviser by October 15
Spring Senior Year
- Enroll in REL 398
- Throughout semester: Conduct research and write thesis under adviser supervision
- April: Submit final thesis to Honors Committee
- April: Meet with Honors Committee for formal discussion and review
- April 15: Final project deadline