A honors program is available to qualified sociology and anthropology majors who are seriously considering pursuing a graduate degree in the fields or have a comparable motivation in conducting advanced original research through a close working relationship with a faculty member.
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Conduct one semester of independent research (1 credit) in the fall semester of senior year devoted to the development of the honors thesis.
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Honors students must enroll in Senior Seminar during the spring semester.
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The completion of a thesis (50 to 70 pages) that contains original and empirical work using qualitative and/or quantitative data. Copies of the thesis must be made available to faculty supervisors and must meet honors requirements (separate from Senior Seminar standards) before the oral defense can take place. Students conducting a multi-disciplinary research project should work with a faculty member from that discipline as well as the faculty member conducting the department’s Senior Seminar, and have both faculty members evaluate the thesis.
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A presentation of the research at the department’s annual Senior Symposium in the spring.
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The passing of an oral defense of the thesis work conducted by two members of the department at the end of the spring semester of the senior year. Students with multi-disciplinary projects working with a faculty member from that discipline must have that faculty member participate in the defense.
Based on the evaluation of the thesis and oral defense, the committee will make a recommendation for the degree of honors to be awarded.
Department of Sociology & Anthropology