Hutton Honors College

Contact:
Terence Thayer
Honors Advisor
Ballantine 659
855-1046
thayer@indiana.edu

1. How is your honors degree program administered? Is there a specific person who acts as coordinator? Is there a faculty committee?

Departmental honors program work is coordinated by the departmental honors advisor, Professor Terence Thayer.

2. What are the requirements for admission into your honors program? How are students recruited for your program? May students recommend themselves?

Candidates for the departmental honors program are identified by faculty members teaching 300- or 400-level courses or who are otherwise familiar with the academic work of students at this level, and either nominated to the honors advisor or urged to go in for an interview. Students are welcome to nominate themselves. Approval for participation in the Honors program is granted only to students with a GPA in the major of at least 3.5 and an overall GPA of at least 3.3; self-nominators must secure the recommendation of 2 faculty instructors. The level of work done in G399 and G499 must complete an acceptable honors thesis in G499.

3. How does a student graduate with honors from your department?

A student must participate in either of the G399 options (see #4 below) and complete an acceptable honors thesis in G499.

4. What courses do students take as juniors and before in order to prepare for working on the senior project? How are these honors seminars and courses typically conducted? What are the usual requirements in such a course?

As stated in the Bulletin, honors candidates have two options for participating in the honors program, both of them listed for credit under the course G399. Credit in this course may be earned either by undertaking extra work in any 300 or 400-level course under the supervision of the instructor, or by doing a supervised independent study project with a faculty member. Either way, 2 or 4 credit hours of G399 are normally considered sufficient experience in doing independent work to warrant admission to the final step, the writing of an honors thesis.

5. What is the nature of the senior project and what are the requirements for completing it?

The honors thesis is written under the individual supervision of a faculty member, and under normal circumstances earns three credits in G499. The honors thesis takes the form of an extended paper of somewhere around 25-35 pages, not necessarily on the same topic in G399. This is usually on a cultural, literary or linguistic topic for which resources are available in the main library.

6. How might the work required for an honors degree be particularly beneficial in future endeavors?

An honors degree is evidence of achievement in one of the most important aspects of a university education: successful supervised experience in independent research, analysis, and writing. It is thus excellent preparation for any later field of work.

7. What are the advantages for students who pursue the honors degree compared to a regular degree in your area?

The student has at least twice the experience of working under the individual supervision of a faculty member and is thereby encouraged to develop independent thinking.