Les Miserable & Chinese

An Honors Thesis in English

What does it involve?

Prospectus

The prospectus is a document that establishes your intentions for your thesis and makes a strong case for why your project should constitute an Honors thesis. A strong thesis is usually a result of a well developed prospectus. Care and attention at the stage of the prospectus can help you save time and energy later on. The idea for the thesis sometimes grows out of work you do in one of your major classes. If so, the prospectus should show how the thesis will build significantly on the work of a course or a project with a faculty member and not merely lengthen it.

Whether you choose to write a scholarly or creative thesis, the prospectus should contain the following elements:

Purpose: A statement of your purpose in completing the project.

Background and Significance: An explanation of the context and issues central to your project.

Methods and Procedures: A description of the procedures you will use to conduct research and write your project.

Preliminary Outline: A detailed outline anticipating the final structure.

Preliminary Bibliography: A listing of sources already found to be relevant to the project in correct MLA format.

Qualifications of the Investigator: A statement of your qualifications to complete the thesis.

Qualifications of the Advisor: A statement explaining how the advisor is qualified to direct you in this particular project.

Timeline: A detailed schedule for completion of the various aspects of the project.

Budget: A list of anticipated expenses.

The Honors Program provides explanations of the various elements if you need further clarification.

Thesis

In English, an Honors thesis is either a significant scholarly project or creative writing produced at the undergraduate level. Either choice should make a contribution to the existing literature, although the contribution will be less substantial than is required for a graduate thesis. Your thesis should be the most developed research or creative effort of your undergraduate years. It can develop out of work you do in an upper-division course, but it should significantly extend that work.

There is no set length or content for your thesis. Generally, an academic English Honors thesis tends to be at least twice as long as a paper from your senior English course. You should plan on making the thesis a capstone of your learning in the English major, so it will, of course, be longer and more involved than anything else you have written. The exact length of the project will be determined partly by your focus—and your advisor will help you know what is appropriate.

The length of a creative Honors thesis can vary significantly, depending on the type of creative work being completed. For instance, a thesis built on poetry will be approximately the length of a chap book. If you are proposing a novel, however, you will probably only complete several chapters rather than the whole thing. No matter what creative option you choose, you will need to include an introduction or afterward that situates your writing in the field and raises critical issues relevant to the work. Again, your advisor will help you determine an appropriate length and depth.

In addition, it is a requirement for a creative Honors thesis that students complete English 218R and the appropriate 300-level creative writing course for the genre of the thesis---English 317R, 318R, 319R, or 320R.

Defense

Your advisor will be the primary person to determine if your thesis is ready to defend. Once you are ready and the Honors Program has been notified, you will help coordinate a time when you can meet with your advisor, reader, and a representative of the Honors program. The English department Honors coordinator may be invited, but it is not necessary that he or she attend.

If you have worked through the process conscientiously with your advisor, the defense should be fairly straightforward. The form of the defense can vary, but most often the defense begins with an oral explanation of your project. After your presentation, you should be prepared to answer a wide range of questions about your research and your conclusions. You can ask your advisor what kind of questions you can anticipate in your case. You will also