Department of English

English 311, the Honors Seminar, is an advanced seminar in literary research and critical writing, open to senior English majors who have been accepted into the 2020-2021 English Honors Thesis Program. This Fall course is the first part of the Program and will prepare students for more independent work towards completing their theses in Spring semester. English 311 functions primarily as a writing workshop and introduction to the elements of professional academic writing and research. Students will work on such elements of thesis-writing as articulating and developing the central argument, engaging with critical conversations in the field, explaining the logic and structure of the thesis, articulating critical method, using evidence, and conducting independent research. Along with exercises in all of these areas of writing, students will read each other's work and both share practical advice and intellectual support.