The English Honors Program 2012-2013

The deadline for applications from Juniors to the Honors Program is Monday, March 12th, 2012 at noon.

(Students wishing to write a creative thesis should apply for the Honors Program in English Creative Writing, administered through the Creative Writing Program.  For more information, consult the Creative Writing Program Web site at www.writing.upenn.edu or contact Gregory Djanikian, Director of the Creative Writing Program.)

The English Honors Program aims to provide the English Department's most accomplished majors with the chance to produce original scholarship in the form of a substantial critical thesis (usually 25-35 pages), reflecting long-term engagement in advanced research conducted under the supervision of a Faculty Director. The program is prestigious and selective, usually admitting 12-15 students from the 30-40 applications received.

Admission to the English Honors program does not guarantee Honors. To receive this distinction, a thesis must be of superior quality, receiving the approval of both the Faculty Director and the Honors Director. In cases where these two readers disagree, the Undergraduate Executive Committee will make the final decision.

Participation in the Honors Program is the only way to earn the Honors distinction in the English Major upon graduation.  However, admission to the Honors Program does not guarantee the Honors distinction.  To receive this distinction, the thesis must be of superlative quality, receiving the enthusiastic approval of both the Faculty Director and the Director of the Honors Program.  In cases where these two readers disagree, the Undergraduate executive Committee will make the final determination.

Students may write theses independently of the Honors Program and are encouraged to consider this option.  However, independent theses are not eligible for the Honors distinction.  Students who wish to write independent theses must enlist the support of a Faculty Director willing to supervise the thesis, and they must enroll in English 299 (Independent Study) in either Fall 2012 or Spring 2013 (but not both).  Independent theses receive only one course credit (for English 299).

Goals

The thesis as an opportunity for our most ambitious students either to revise and extend an existing essay or to pursue a new critical project of current interest to them. Either way, the role of the English Honors Program is to provide an environment in which graduating seniors can take their work to new levels of sophistication, clarity, and insight. In past semesters Honors Program students have seen the thesis in a variety of lights: as an intellectual end in itself; as a culmination of their undergraduate study; and as an introduction to independent research or graduate study. Whatever the motivations, we expect Honors theses not only to make substantial and compelling arguments but also to situate these arguments within current critical debates, so that they may experience first-hand what it means to contribute substantially to an ongoing critical discussion.

Because for many students the thesis will be their first sustained research project conducted over several months, the heart of the Honors Program is English 311, the Honors Seminar, which functions primarily as a writing workshop. In the Fall, Honors students will take English 311, meeting once each week to read one another’s works in progress, sharing practical advice and intellectual support while learning how to master fundamental elements of critical writing. Seminar participants will also read exemplary Honors theses from previous years and published essays in literary and cultural studies as models for framing their own projects and developing their own arguments. In the Spring, students will continue to work on their theses with the guidance of their Faculty Director while enrolled in English 299 (Independent Study).

Who Is Eligible to Apply

Undergraduate juniors majoring in English are eligible to apply to the Honors Program if:

  • They have a GPA in the major of 3.7 or higher.
  • They have found a faculty thesis director.
  • They have completed at least 5 courses in the English major by March of their junior year.
  • They are not planning to write an Honors thesis in another department.


Applying

Complete applications to the English Honors Program are to be submitted to the Undergraduate Office (Fisher-Bennett Hall, 127) by Monday, March 12th, 2012, by noon. Incomplete applications cannot be considered.  Applications must include the following materials:

 

Applications will be reviewed by the Undergraduate Executive Committee, and each application will be read by at least three faculty members. The Undergraduate Office will notify successful applicants by Monday, April 9, 2012.

Students not admitted may still write theses—and, in fact, should. Students wishing to write theses should check to make sure that the faculty director is still willing to direct the thesis, and should elect to take English 299: Independent Study in either the fall or the spring semester, but not in both. A non-Honors thesis can only receive one credit.

Upon Admission

Upon admission, students should immediately set up meetings with the Honors Director and their Faculty Director to develop a research plan for the summer. It is essential and required that you do a large portion of your research before coming back to Penn in the fall. A prospectus (4-5 pages) is due at the beginning of the fall semester to the Professor teaching English 311. In addition, at the beginning of the fall semester, each student will meet with his or her Faculty Director to evaluate progress on the thesis. At this juncture the Faculty Director or the Honors Director can elect to abandon the project if the student has not made significant progress, in which case the student will be dropped from the program and from English 311.

Timeline, Junior Year

  • December, 2011-March, 2012: Applicants should find a Faculty Director willing and available to advise the thesis. It is preferable that the Faculty Director be a member of the standing faculty of the Department of English. Applicants should also ask a faculty member to recommend them to the Honors Program. The Faculty Director and the Faculty Recommender may be the same person.
  • Monday, March 12, 2012: Applications are due.
  • Monday, April 9, 2012: Successful applicants will be notified. These students must elect English 311 as one of their Fall 2012 courses. The Honors Director will schedule an introductory meeting as well as a November workshop on research methods.  Students will be responsible for scheduling a preliminary meeting with their Faculty Directors as soon as possible.  Students interested in applying for research support should do so immediately.

 

Timeline, Senior year

  • Summer: Students research their projects.
  • Early September: Before the beginning of classes, students submit a prospectus (4-5 pages) to their Faculty Director and to the Honors Director and schedule a subsequent meeting with the Director to evaluate its merits. In cases where little or no progress has been made, the Faculty Director may at this point withdraw from advising the thesis, which will result in the student being withdrawn from English 311.
  • Monday, March 11, 2013: A full draft of your thesis is due to your Faculty Director and to the Honors Director.
  • Friday, April 12, 2013: The final draft of your thesis is due to your Faculty Director and to the Honors Director.
  • Late April: All final decisions regarding the Honors distinction must be rendered.  At the Graduating Seniors Party, Honors distinctions, including the Best Thesis Prize, will be awarded.

Questions about the Undergraduate Program?
Contact Loretta Williams, loretta@english.upenn.edu