The Distinction and Honors Program
The new Distinction Program in English: (effective Spring 2007).
For the Critical Thesis Option
The graduation with distinction program is designed for the department's most serious students, whose coursework and achievements have prepared them for a sustained and significant writing project. The program consists of two courses-either independent studies taken over successive terms or a "home seminar" (see below) to be followed by an independent study. The completed honors thesis is typically a sustained, well-researched, and carefully revised piece of writing (~70 pp. or more) .
Whereas the standard major in English asks for a total of ten courses, students pursuing honors in English will take nine courses plus two independent studies/seminars for the honors thesis. The department encourages students to commence with an honors project in the spring term of their junior year. Research and mentoring support may be available through the department and Trinity College during the intervening summer. Students beginning during the spring semester of their junior year will conclude their thesis project by the end of the fall term of their senior year. Alternatively, students may use both terms of their senior year to undertake an honors project. In either case, the thesis must be completed in two consecutive semesters (that is, honors projects begin in a spring semester must be completed by the end of the following fall semester, and honors projects begin in the fall semester must be completed by the end of the following spring semester).
HOME SEMINAR: As an alternative to the independent study, students wanting to write an honors thesis should consider approaching a faculty teaching a seminar (100- or higher) on a topic that is clearly related to their proposed thesis project. With the permission of the faculty member, the student may enroll in that seminar and, under the guidance of the instructor, conduct research and write a long chapter (~ 35 pp.) towards their thesis project rather than the standard writing assignments.
HOW TO APPLY: In order to be admitted to the distinction program, students must provide two copies of the following materials and meet the criteria below:
• A 3.5 or higher GPA in the major
• A writing sample from an English course (~ 10 pp.)
• Application Cover sheet and a letter of recommendation from a full-time English faculty member with whom you have taken a class.
• A project description and basic bibliography (1 page single-spaced).
• Copies of these materials must be submitted both to the DUS and to the faculty member who is to direct the first installment of the guided research/independent study by
Nov. 15th (for a Spring-to-Fall honors project) or March 17th (for a Fall-to-Spring honors project )
Upon approval by the instructor, a copy of the completed honors thesis is to be submitted to the Director of Undergraduate Studies by December 1st (for a Spring-to-Fall honors project) or March 31 st (for a Fall-to-Spring honors project ) of the senior year. The earlier deadline during the Spring term is necessary so as to ensure that all distinction projects can be considered for university-wide prizes. The Director of Undergraduate studies and his/her advisory committee will evaluate all honors theses and award distinction, high distinction, highest distinction, or none of these if the work is unsatisfactory. Levels of distinction are based on the quality of the completed work. Theses awarded distinction will be bound and deposited in Perkins library. Before completing your final copy, please refer to the physical standards at
http://www.lib.duke.edu/archives/about/theses.htm
Students who have done satisfactory work in the seminars but whose thesis is denied distinction will simply receive graded credit for their seminars and/or independent studies.