Honors Program

All potential thesis writers are required to submit an application for the honors program.  The deadline for submitting an application is March 28, 2008, to Tina Salafia, Administrative Assistant in The Government Office.  Applicants will be notified of the Department decision by April 30, 2008.

Please note: Students are strongly urged to discuss their thesis idea with potential faculty thesis advisers before submitting the application.  In addition, some faculty have specific requirements and expectations beyond those specified on the Department web page.

If you are off campus this semester, you may submit your application materials electronically.

Students wishing to receive Honors or High Honors in Government must meet the following requirements:

 

1. A minimum Department GPA of 88.3 in Government Department courses. The grade average is based only the courses that have been completed at Wesleyan at the end of the major's spring semester junior year. Only regular Department courses (or courses allowed by the Concentration) will be counted. Thesis tutorials, teaching apprentice tutorials, and education-in-the-field credits will not be included in this calculation.

 

2. Completion of Stage I and Stage II General Education expectations by the end of senior year. Exceptions may be granted by the Chair, acting on behalf of the Department, upon the written petition of the student and the recommendation of the student's Department adviser.

 

3. Completion of a research and writing project that culminates in a thesis. The project must involve original, independent work on the part of the student and be judged to be of Honors quality. Students write a thesis under the supervision of a member or members of the Department. Students ordinarily enroll in two theses tutorials by enrolling in G409-410. Only one credit may be counted toward the major. Writing such a thesis can be a very rewarding intellectual experience provided that the student adequately prepares for a project and plans it well. Students who may wish to write a senior thesis should therefore begin to plan their project during their junior year. A number of faculty members are either unwilling or very reluctant to supervise a senior thesis unless the student who proposes it has completed at least one upper-division course with the prospective adviser, has a well-defined, imaginative, and feasible project, and demonstrates that he or she has acquired substantive knowledge and research skills pertinent to the proposed project. The formulation of an acceptable thesis topic is a more difficult and time-consuming task than it might appear. Students who anticipate writing a thesis may also wish to spend the summer preceding their senior year working in a job that is related in some way to their chosen thesis topic or doing preliminary reading and research. Moreover, students who wish to apply for Davenport Awards for summer research must begin preparing their proposals well in advance of the deadline for application, which is usually before Spring break.

 

4. The evaluation committee for each Honors candidate is composed of:

(a) in the case of Honors, the Tutor and a First Reader. The first Reader is appointed by the Chair, in consultation with the tutor. In the event the Tutor and the First Reader disagree in their assessment of the thesis, the Chair appoints a Second Reader;

(b) in the case of High Honors, the Tutor, the First Reader, and a Second Reader appointed by the Chair.

 

The decision to grant Honors is made by the Chair, acting on behalf of the Department, upon the positive recommendations of the Tutor and the First Reader. In the event of a disagreement between the Tutor and the First Reader, the decision to grant Honors is made by the Chair, acting on behalf of the Department, upon two positive recommendations from among those submitted by the Tutor, the First Reader and the Second Reader. For High Honors, a unanimous recommendation of all three readers is needed.

 

Any eligible Senior major wishing to write an Honors Thesis should register for a tutorial, G409, in September. Only one tutorial credit (of the two, G409-410, normally awarded) may be counted toward the major. A Government major must choose a Tutor from within the Department. Exceptions to this rule may be granted by the Chair, upon written request from the student and the student's Department adviser. Completed Tutorial forms are signed by the tutor and forwarded to the Chair for his/her signature. It is the student's responsibility to return the Tutorial Form to the Registrar's office. In mid-October students must submit a Statement of Intention signed by the Tutor to the Chair. The Chair gives these statements to the Administrative Assistant, and copies are placed in the Department's Honors file. In this manner, the Department has an opportunity to remind students who are delinquent in meeting deadlines.

Each fall Honors Board provides the department with a schedule of deadlines. Through the Thorndike Grant, Honors Board has funds available to provide financial assistance towards typing and binding costs. Thesis writers desiring funds should submit requests to the Coordinator of the Honors program. The Honors Committee distributes the awards after April 15.

The Chair, after consulting the tutor, is responsible for designating a Reader (or Readers in the case of disagreements or nominations for High Honors) for the Thesis. Honors Board sends the Chair the Reader's Form and s/he presents it to the Tutor. After a Reader has been assigned, the Reader's Form is returned to the Chair.

 

The Thesis is submitted directly by the student to Honors Board, and the College delivers it to the Department. The Tutor and Reader each receive individual copies. The Tutor and the Reader submit their written evaluations to the Chair. If the Tutor and the Reader agree with respect to Honors or No Honors, the Chair, acting on behalf of the Department, either grants Honors, or does not. If the Tutor and the Reader disagree with respect to Honors, or agree with respect to High Honors, the Chair appoints a second reader. A majority of readers is needed for Honors; a unanimous vote is needed for High Honors. Theses are returned to the Department and arrangements are made by the Department to return them to Honors Board. [Please note that the comments and grade are not included in the Thesis packet--they are given directly to the Chair.] The Administrative Assistant logs-in the recommendation and retains a copy of the comments. Evaluations are kept in the Department. In the case of a discrepancy, a third reader is selected.

 

When all evaluations and grades have been received by the Department and discrepancies settled, a written statement by the Chair is submitted to Honors Board. It only states whether the student received High Honors, Honors or No Honors. The tutorial grades and evaluations are not included. The evaluations are made available to the student by the Department or the Tutor. The Department retains a copy of each evaluation and award for the files.