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Languages and Cultures Departmental Honors

Thesis

The Department of Languages & Cultures offers eligible majors the option of completing a thesis for
departmental honors. To receive this honor, the student must meet eligibility requirements, propose a
thesis topic, and register with the appropriate professor within the department for the A495 Capstone
course for 1 hour of credit during the fall semester of the senior year for research, and the A498 course for
3 hours of credit during the spring semester for the writing and presentation of the thesis. This should be
mapped out during the spring semester of the junior year for preparation and completion during the senior
year. Reading and research should most likely begin over the summer after the junior year. The A498
course will be titled as follows: “HNRS: title of the thesis”. The Languages & Cultures Departmental
Honors Thesis may be proposed in any of the major concentrations: Asian Studies, Classical Studies,
French, Latin American Studies, or Spanish. In the spring semester, the student will present the thesis at a
gathering of department professors and students. Specific deadlines will be arranged between the
professor and the student, with consideration of other potential deadlines imposed by the Dean of
Humanities and Natural Sciences.

Eligibility

Students who have achieved junior status and have a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the major courses, and a
minimum GPA of 3.0 overall, are eligible to request the Languages & Cultures Departmental Honors
option. The research project should be approved by the supervising professor and the department chair.

Criteria of the Thesis

The Departmental Honors Thesis should be a carefully researched, original work of approximately 30
pages in length, plus a bibliography. The thesis should be written in the language of the designated major,
if feasible. Various drafts of the thesis should be handed in and revised over the course of the final
semester, with a presentation of the main ideas to interested fellow students and faculty.

Approved by the Dept. of Languages & Cultures
November 3, 2011