Students interested in pursuing honors study should first read the College’s guidelines for honors study.
Junior Year: EALC majors intending to submit an honors thesis proposal should begin consulting with their major advisor and relevant faculty. EALC majors who have maintained a 3.5 GPA average in their major courses above the 200 level are eligible to submit an honors thesis proposal. A proposal should be submitted to the faculty advisor before May 1st, and no later than the end of the spring semester of the junior year.
Senior Year: A full research proposal should be submitted to the advisor by the first week of September. If the thesis proposal is approved, the student should enroll in the two-semester honors study sequence in their senior year: EAS 497 and EAS 498. In consultation with the faculty advisor, the student needs to have two additional faculty members serving as thesis readers along with the faculty advisor. These three faculty members will comprise the student’s thesis committee. A revised proposal is due the latest by September 30th, the Registrar’s deadline to register for the honors thesis course.
Honors theses in EALC must include sources in the language of their major concentration (Chinese or Japanese). Translation projects may be acceptable, but must include a substantive critical essay accompanying the translated text(s).
Honors thesis students are expected to maintain regular communication with their thesis committee and submit all required work in a timely manner. See schedule below for the expected timeline. In addition to regular meetings with the thesis adviser (to be arranged between the student and professor), the student will participate in a mid-semester thesis workshop during the Fall semester with their committee. A revised proposal, thesis outline, and any preliminary research materials should be submitted to the committee at least 10 days in advance of the workshop.
A rough draft of the honors thesis should be completed by March 1st. The revised thesis must be submitted to the thesis committee no later than April 20th. With consultation and feedback from members of the thesis committee, the faculty adviser will determine the final evaluation and grade of the project. The final committee-approved version of the thesis must be submitted to the College and the Department by the designated deadline (usually late April).
In early May, the student will give a formal honors thesis presentation.
Honors Study Sequence and Deadlines:
May 1, Junior Year
Preliminary research proposal
End of first week of September
Thesis proposal
September 30 (latest)
Final revised proposal
Deadline to register for EAS 497
November 1
Complete outline due (or, in the case of a translation project, draft of the first 10 pages)
Mid-semester (before Thanksgiving break)
Thesis workshop (proposal, outline, and preliminary research/materials should be submitted to the thesis committee)
December 1
Bibliography (including Chinese or Japanese sources) and first section of text are due
February 28 (latest)
Deadline to register for EAS 498
March 1
First complete draft due
April 20
Final thesis due to the thesis committee. The College’s deadline for honors thesis submission is separate. Honors students are responsible for submitting the final version of their thesis to the College by the designated due date.
Late April/ Early May
By the deadline stated on the Academic Calendar, students must upload their completed and approved thesis and completed Honors Thesis Submission Form to the Library Moodle site. Late submissions are NOT considered for Honors.
Early May
Thesis Presentation