Honors
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is the honors program?
The departmental honors program is for senior French studies majors interested in conducting independent research on a specific aspect of French or Francophone literature or culture. Honors students work closely with a faculty member to conceptualize and carry out study that culminates in a paper of about 50 pages in length or an equivalent project. At the end of the year, honors students present their projects to the department as a whole. Successful completion of an honors thesis leads to departmental honors upon graduation.
What are the eligibility requirements?
You must have a 3.5 GPA within your French studies major and have a research project in mind.
How should I prepare myself to do an honors thesis?
Students contemplating honors work should begin talking to professors in their area of interest during their junior year, at the latest. Many honors projects have developed from interests fostered by coursework done at Smith or on a Junior Year Abroad.
How do I find an honors adviser?
Most students approach professors of classes that they've especially enjoyed or whose research interests coincide with theirs. The departmental director of honors can be a resource for matching student interests to faculty expertise. When a student thinks she knows with whom she wants to work, she should make an appointment to meet with the professor to discuss the possibility of doing an honors project.
How do I get approval for honors?
First, you have to apply to enter the departmental honors program. You must draft a written proposal of your subject (500-1,000 words, 2-4 pages) and draw up a brief preliminary bibliography; these need the approval of your thesis adviser. You must also complete a cover sheet, available from the senior class dean's office Web site. When you have completed these materials, you submit them to the director of honors for the French studies department. The honors director will bring your proposal to the French studies department for review and approval.
Can I do honors if I go abroad junior year?
The answer is a resounding "yes." In fact, the idea for many honors projects begins on a Junior Year Abroad program. You should be prepared to approach your potential Smith adviser while you are still abroad. Do not wait until the beginning of your senior year to make the initial contact.
Do I do my honors project in French or in English?
In consultation with your thesis adviser, you may choose to do your honors project in either French or English. The nature of your subject and your goals in improving your writing skills weigh into the decision.
How is an honors thesis different from special studies?
A special studies is a scholarly project conducted during the junior or senior year under the supervision of any member of the department, who evaluates the project. It is worth 4 credits, and normally takes the form of a paper of 20-30 pages in length written in French.
The honors thesis is conducted only during the senior year, is worth 8 credits, normally takes the form of a paper of approximately 50-80 pages in length or an equivalent project, and is subject to evaluation by both the thesis adviser and an outside reviewer. The thesis may be written in either French or English, the decision residing with the candidate and the thesis adviser. You must also make a 20-minute oral presentation of honors project before the French studies department, your adviser and second reader at the completion of the project. This is commonly called a "thesis defense."
What are the benefits of doing a thesis or honors project?
The honors project provides you the unique opportunity of immersing yourself in a research project to greater depth than anything else you will experience in your undergraduate studies. Your research and writing skills will develop immensely during the process. Many students derive great satisfaction from bringing an idea to full development and expression in an honors project.
What are the disadvantages to honoring?
Honoring requires an enormous commitment of time and intellectual energy. The 8-credit thesis may mean that you take fewer courses during your senior year, which may limit your options for studying a wide variety of subjects. Some students report being intimidated by the writing commitment. However, if you think of the thesis as a related group of 3-4 papers, each 15-20 pages in length, accompanied by an introduction and conclusion, the task becomes feasible.
What are the resources available to support honors thesis research?
You can procure funds from the Tomlinson Memorial Fund, administered by the college's Subcommittee on Honors and Independent Projects (SHIP). To request funding, you need to complete a Tomlinson application, available from the Class Dean's Office; you will need to submit this request with your application to enter the honors program. The Tomlinson request requires a proposed budget and justification of fund requests as well as a letter of support from your thesis adviser.
You are required to complete a library instruction session for your honors project during the fall semester. This one-hour session provides an introduction to research materials available at Smith, online, in the Five Colleges, and through interlibrary loan.
How is honors evaluated?
You are graded by your thesis adviser for research and progress; this grade is given at mid-semester for a one-semester thesis or at the end of the first semester for a two-semester thesis.
Upon completion of your honors project, your thesis adviser and a second evaluator will give you a grade on the final product of your work. This grade constitutes 60% of the final honors designation that you will receive ("honors," "high honors," or "highest honors"). 10% of the final honors designation will be based upon the grade given by your thesis adviser and the second evaluator for your oral presentation ("thesis defense"); the remaining 30% of the final honors designation will be determined by your grades in the French studies major.
What is the timeline for completing an honors thesis?
Junior Year
- Identify an aspect of French studies that you would like to pursue in depth
- Find a faculty adviser and begin to define a topic for research
- Consider applying to the honors program at the completion of second semester of Junior Year rather than waiting until next fall
- Plan courses for senior year
Summer
- Do preliminary reading for your project
Senior Year Fall semester
- Submit honors application to the director of honors by the first Monday after the beginning of classes
- Complete library instruction session
- Present preliminary draft of at least one chapter or one-third of your thesis to your adviser by the end of the fall semester
Senior Year Interterm
- By the end of interterm, present at least one additional chapter or an additional third of your thesis to your adviser. Failure to do so may result in your withdrawal from the honors program and the conversion of your project into special studies.
