Major in English with Discipline-Specific Honors

The Honors Program in the English Department is intended to offer outstanding students the opportunity to engage in certain kinds of advanced, academically challenging projects that they might not have the occasion to encounter in the standard English curriculum. The program involves two elements: a) English honors students will contract to perform honors work in four upper- level English courses; and b) they will write an honors thesis in lieu of the standard senior thesis. The honors thesis will build upon previous work undertaken in upper-level English courses, including work done for honors contracts.

Application Process

Students who meet the minimal requirements should submit an application to the Chair of the English Department. Admission is at the discretion of the English Department faculty. Applications must be approved by a majority vote of the English Department at the next departmental meeting.

Admission Requirements

The following students are eligible for admission to the discipline-specific honors program:

• English majors who have been admitted to the General Honors Program and who have attained a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher for one academic year
• English majors who have completed at least one academic year of coursework at Union, including at least one upper-level English course, and who have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.

English majors who do not meet the minimal GPA or residency requirements, but who have completed at least one full year of course work and have completed at least two upper-level English courses at Union, may submit a portfolio of their creative or critical work and appeal to be admitted to the program.

Upon admission to the English DSH program, the student will be assigned a faculty advisor who will oversee the student’s progress in the course of study and who will direct the senior honors thesis.

Progression

To remain in the program a student must:

• Maintain a 3.50 GPA in the major
• Earn at least a B in each honors contract course
• Complete each item in the Honors Project/Thesis timeline on time and to the satisfaction of the department chair or thesis director

Students who fail to meet any of these three criteria may be placed on probation; students on probation who fail to rectify their shortcomings within one semester may be dismissed from the program. Probation and dismissal decisions will be made by the department chair in consultation with the Director of the Honors Community.

Honors Project/Thesis

The honors thesis serves as the culmination of the student’s honors work in the English Department. Building on previous work, the honors thesis represents a mature, independent work of original scholarship or creative writing. All projects must be approved by the English Department prior to the beginning of the semester in which the work will be undertaken.

1. Literature-track students will write a work of literary or linguistic analysis of approximately 35-40 pages that draws upon at least 15-20 works of secondary criticism. These students will also submit an annotated bibliography of their research.
2. Writing-track students will write a work or collection of works in their preferred genre(s) totaling approximately 35-40 pages. These students will also prepare a short (3-4 page) reflective essay on five major literary influences on their writing.
3. All thesis writers will give a formal presentation of their findings or a reading of their finished creative work in a colloquium setting. All students in the English discipline-specific program will be expected to attend.

All students will work with a thesis director, who will take the lead in guiding the project and responding to early drafts, and with a second reader, who will provide some feedback later in the process (after a first draft has been completed).