Department of English
- Friday, March 29, 2019 - 12:00pm
-
Our prestigious and selective Honors Program provides majors with the opportunity to develop a substantial scholarly inquiry in close consultation with a faculty member. Selected students will explore cutting-edge research, workshop their drafts with fellow thesis writers, and present their scholarship to the Department -- ultimately to produce a 25-30 page thesis.
The deadline for applications for juniors to the Honors Program for 2019-20 is Friday, March 29, 2019, at noon. It is vital that you begin formulating your Statement and finding a Faculty Director well in advance of this deadline. In general, the Faculty Director will be a member of the Standing Faculty, but Non-Standing Faculty members may also direct theses. Graduate students and recent PhDs from our department serving as Lecturers are not allowed to serve as Faculty Directors.
Honors students in the fall of their senior year take English 311, the Honors Seminar, which functions primarily as a writing workshop. In it students read each other's work, share practical advice and intellectual support, and master the elements of critical writing. In the Spring, students will continue to work on their theses with the guidance of their Faculty Director; they may enroll in an English 299 (Independent Study) if they wish. Both English 311 and English 299 may count towards the required 13 courses for the major.
Completing the program is the only way to earn "Honors" in English on graduation. To merit this distinction, theses must receive the enthusiastic approval of both the student's 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 wishing to write a creative thesis should consult the Creative Writing Program website at www.writing.upenn.edu for deadlines and information, or contact Julia Bloch.
Applying
Undergraduate juniors majoring in English are eligible to apply to the Honors Program. All applicants must have a Faculty Director and an arresting, viable thesis proposal. Beyond this we recommend that applicants have at least a 3.6 GPA in the major.
Completed applications to the English Honors Program should be submitted to the Undergraduate Office (Fisher-Bennett Hall, 127). They can be sent electronically if you wish to Loretta Williams <loretta@english.upenn.edu>. Applications should include a completed application form and the following materials:
Download Honors Application form
- A Statement of 500 words describing the proposed project, the questions you're interested in exploring, and the arena in which you want to play.
- A Writing Sample.
- A printout of your transcript, or a list of English courses completed and grades.
- Most important: In addition, the Faculty Director of the thesis must provide a short letter of support, which can be sent by email to the Undergraduate Chair and to Loretta Williams <loretta@english.upenn.edu>.
Applications will be reviewed by the Undergraduate Executive Committee, and applicants will be notified by mid-April.
Students not admitted may still write theses—and, in fact, should! All you have to do is find faculty member willing to direct your thesis as an independent study. You'll fill out the independent study form (obtainable from Loretta Williams) and have your director sign it, at which point you'll be registered for English 299 (Independent Study) with your director. You should title your course "Senior Thesis" and you're ready to go. Please note, though, that non-Honors thesis can only be one semester long, and only receive one credit.