An Italian Studies and Italian Language and Literature major who desires to conduct independent research on a specific aspect of Italian literature or culture during her senior year is eligible to apply for the honors program, either at the completion of the second semester of her junior year or before the end of the second week of classes in September of her senior year.
Normally, a student who applies to do honors work must have a 3.5 GPA in her major. Honors students work closely with a faculty advisor to conceptualize and carry out study that culminates in a thesis, written in Italian, of about 50-60 pages in length or an equivalent project; this work is done as ITL 430d (a full-year, 8 credit). ITL 430d may substitute for one of the 300-level Italian courses required to complete the ITS or ITL major however it cannot substitute the senior seminar or ITL 332/334.
During the reading/exam period following the second semester of her senior year, the honors candidate will take an oral examination based on her thesis and on the material covered in the classes she has taken for her major. The thesis defense will be a short presentation by the student (no longer than 10-15 minutes) followed by a questions/answers period. Sample questions will be provided to the candidate a week before the exam. The oral exam and the defense will be conducted in Italian. They will count as 20% of the final honors evaluation. The written thesis will count: 50%. The grades in the major: 30%.
