Deadline for applications to the Honors Program for writing Critical Theses: March 21st, Friday at noon, of your junior year.

Deadline for applications to the Honors Program for writing Creative Theses: October 1st of your senior year. For information, see the Creative Writing Program website at www.writing.upenn.edu or contact Gregory Djanikian.

The English Honors Program aims to provide the English Department's most accomplished majors with the chance to write a substantial critical thesis (usually 25-35 pages or more) and to engage in advanced research while working closely with a Faculty Director. The program is prestigious and selective, usually admitting 12-15 students from the 30-40 applications received.

Theses will be something of article length, and should be original scholarship. Students wishing to write a creative thesis should apply for the Honors Program in English Creative Writing, administered through the Creative Writing Program.

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.

Goals:

We see 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 within which graduating seniors can take their work to new levels of sophistication, clarity, and insight. In past semesters Honors 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 reasons, we expect Honors theses not only to make substantial and compelling arguments but also to situate these arguments within current critical debates. Honors Students therefore will experience first-hand what it means to contribute to an ongoing critical discussion.

Because the thesis often constitutes the first time students will have done sustained research over several months -- and because writing ambitious essays that participate in ongoing critical debates is difficult and rewarding -- the centerpiece of the Honors Program is English 311, the Honors Seminar, which functions primarily as a writing workshop. Thus, during the fall semester students will take English 311. In it they will meet once each week to read each others' works in progress, providing practical help and intellectual support to one another while mastering fundamental elements of critical writing. To provide students with relevant writing models for constructing their own arguments and framing their own projects, seminar participants read exemplary Honors theses and published essays in literary and cultural studies, usually along with relevant primary texts. In the spring semester, students will continue to work on their theses independently. They will have the option of electing an English 299 with the faculty member directing their thesis.

Who Is Eligible to Apply:

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

• They have a cumulative GPA of 3.6 or higher;
• They have been nominated by a member of the English Department faculty willing to serve as a Faculty Director;
• They are not already writing an Honors thesis in another department.

The steps in the application process are:

• Faculty will be invited to nominate students based on a list of eligible students determined by the Undergraduate Chair.
• At the same time, eligible students may approach prospective Faculty Directors and ask to be nominated for the program. That Faculty Director must be willing to work with the student closely on the thesis project and (whenever possible) should possess relevant expertise.
• All nominated students may then submit a formal application.

Applying:

Application to the English Honors Program are due March 21st. At that time, all students applying must have been formally nominated by a faculty member willing to direct the thesis. Students applying should submit the following materials to the Undergraduate Office. Incomplete applications cannot be considered.

An applications should consist of the following materials:

• A Statement of 500-900 words listing the Faculty Director, and describing the proposed project.
• A Writing Sample -- either the essay that will be the starting point for your thesis, or, for those intending to begin an entirely new project, an essay that represents your best work to date.
• A resume, which should a list of English courses taken, relevant academic and work experience, language proficiency and other skills needed to pursue the project.

Applications will be reviewed by the Undergraduate Executive Committee, Each application will be read by at least two faculty members. In mid-April, the Undergraduate Office will notify successful applicants.

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.

Calendar:

Junior Year:

• March of junior year: Faculty are contacted with a list of eligible students and invited to make nominations. Eligible students are invited to approach a possible Faculty Director for nomination.
• March 21st of junior year: Applications are due. The Undergraduate Executive Committee will review the applications and make selections. Once the Honors class has been selected, the Honors Director will schedule an introductory meeting. A November workshop on research methods will be scheduled, and students will schedule meetings with their Faculty Directors.
• Mid-April of junior year: Successful applicants notified. These students must elect English 311 as one of their fall semester courses. Students interested in applying for research support should do so immediately.

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.
• March 15: A full draft of your thesis is due to your Faculty Director and to the Honors Director.
• April 15: 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.
• End of April: At the Graduating Seniors Party, Honors distinctions, including the Best Thesis Prize, will be awarded.