Honors Program in Political Science

The goal of the Departmental Honors Program is to provide students a graduate-level research and writing experience that results in a writing project that can be offered to prospective employers or graduate schools as evidence of the student's best analytical and writing achievement. Students who demonstrate high-quality efforts and initiative in political science classes work under the individual supervision of a faculty member during the student's senior year. Honors are awarded following the completion of a paper and a public presentation, which are deemed to meet a high standard. In recent years successful honors projects have been written on the prospects for democracy in Serbia and on the jurisprudence of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. The Aime and Gertrude Forand Scholarship for Honors in Political Science – a $400-$500 cash prize – is awarded to a graduating senior from the department who successfully completes an honors project. This award is based, in part, on financial need.

Frequently Asked Questions

Departmental Honors is a designation that is placed on your transcript when you successfully complete all requirements of the honors project. The honors project is a thesis: a significant research paper that you complete over the course of your senior year. It consists of two semesters of independent study (POL 491 and 492, 8 credits total) in which you work closely with the faculty member of your choice (your honors advisor) on a question of interest to you.

Students with an overall GPA of 3.25 or higher and a 3.3 GPA in the major are eligible to apply. They should have either successfully completed or be enrolled in POL 300 and 308 when applying.

It is never too early to start thinking about doing an honors thesis, but you’ll want to have developed a general idea of what you’re interested in and found a faculty member who is willing to work with you as your honors advisor by early in the second semester of your junior year, at the latest. Consult with your honors advisor to determine the date by which you must submit your proposal to him or her. Keep in mind that your advisor will have to sign off on your proposal before it can be forwarded to the department honors director, who must have the final draft of your formal, written proposal by March 25 for the Fall Semester or Oct. 25 for the Spring Semester.

In the semester before the thesis is to begin, you, in consultation with your honors advisor, must prepare a preliminary proposal. The length of the proposal should be two to three pages and include a bibliography of at least 10 sources that relate to your proposal and that you expect to examine in POL 491. You should submit both a hard copy and an electronic copy of the proposal to the honors director by the deadlines listed above (March 25 or Oct. 25). The honors director will make copies available to all political science faculty members who will vote for or against approval of the proposal at the monthly departmental meeting in the first week of April or November.

If the department approves your proposal, you will then need to complete an application for POL 491: Independent Study I. You can find this on the Records Office’s Forms page. You will need to work with your honors advisor to determine expectations for the independent study such as when you will meet with your advisor, what assignments you will do and how your grade will be determined. This form must be signed by the department chair and then the dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences or their designee by April 15 for the Fall Semester or Nov. 15 for the Spring Semester. If the department rejects your proposal, you will not be able to proceed with the project.

Beyond the special designation on your transcript (and an honors cords you wear at Commencement), successfully completing an honors thesis demonstrates that you have research and writing skills that are very much in demand and that you are able to complete independent intellectual work. Moreover, you will have an impressive writing sample for any employer or graduate program that requires one. Indeed, the Adams Library and the Political Science Department will retain a bound copy of your thesis, and it will be available through the Digital Commons, as well.

Program Details

Junior Year

First Semester

Determine your area of interest and select your honors advisor.
Register for HONR 351: Honors Colloquium (2 credits, recommended, not required).

Second Semester

Begin working with your honors advisor to develop a preliminary proposal.
Submit your preliminary proposal to your honors advisor by the agreed upon date.
Your preliminary proposal must be submitted to your honors director by March 25 (for projects to begin the following Fall Semester) or Oct. 25 (for projects to begin in the Spring Semester).
If approved by the department, you may work with your honors advisor to complete and submit your Independent Study Form for POL 491: Independent Study I (4 credits).
Submit your Independent Study Form to the department chair for signature by the Friday of the week preceding Nov. 15 or April 15.

Senior Year

First Semester

Complete an Honors Project Form.
If needed, apply for funds from the DeStefano Research Program.
Familiarize yourself with the American Political Science Association’s (APSA) Style Manual.
Work closely with your honors advisor to develop a final proposal (or to begin research/writing).
Submit your final proposal to your honors advisor by the agreed upon date.
Your final proposal (or work that has been done thus far) must to go the honors director by the Monday after Thanksgiving break (for spring defense) or the Monday of the second-to-last week of April (for fall defense).
If approved by the department, work with your honors advisor to complete and submit your Independent Study Form for POL 492: Independent Study II (4 credits).
Submit your Independent Study Form to the department chair for signature as soon as possible.
In consultation with your honors advisor, select three faculty (one of which may come from outside the department) to serve as your Honors Thesis Committee.

Second Semester

In close consultation with your honors advisor, (continue) researching and writing your thesis.
Submit the final draft of your thesis to your honors advisor by April 1 (if graduating in the spring) or November 20 (if graduating in the winter).
Defend your thesis before your Honors Thesis Committee, the honors director and your honors advisor by April 15 (if graduating in the spring) or by Dec. 5 (if graduating in the fall).
Receive signatures from the Honors Thesis Committee members, the department chair and your honors advisor on the thesis signature sheet.
If required, make final edits to your thesis.
Present your project at the Convocation of Scholars on the Monday before the Cap and Gown ceremony in the last week of April and attend the Honors Banquet that evening (highly recommended).
Submit a minimum of two properly formatted Dinner on Monday evening hard copies of your thesis to the Adams Library.
Upload an electronic copy of your thesis to the Digital Commons at the Adams Library.