Honors

The Honors Program in Latina/o/x Studies provides a wonderful opportunity for students to explore an area of interest to them in depth. Students work closely with their advisor and two readers to produce a substantial piece of scholarship or another form of presentation (e.g., video, art, theater) in the interdisciplinary field of Latina/o/x Studies. The thesis program aims to provide students with the maximum flexibility for pursuing their interests while assuring the rigorous standards of excellence required to receive Honors at the successful completion of their project. The final project, completed over one semester and winter study, may be a research thesis of thirty to fifty pages, or another form of presentation, or combine a shorter research thesis with another medium.

Eligibility:

• Declared concentrator
• Grade point average, generally, of 3.3 in LATS courses
• Approval of project proposal in spring of Junior year
• The honor’s course and winter study are in addition to the five courses required for the concentration.

Application:

• Juniors must submit a thesis proposal to Professor Carmen Whalen by    4:00 pm EDT on Monday, May 8, 2023.
• Students should meet with their potential advisor no later than a week prior to the proposal due date, to see if the potential advisor approves their proposal and is able to serve as their thesis advisor.
• The proposal should include the project’s aims and methodology, demonstrating what you already know, what you hope to learn, and why it is important. It should also identify your proposed LATS faculty advisor for the project, and include evidence of competence in the relevant media for non-thesis forms.
• The proposal should be no longer than 5 pages plus a bibliography.

Process and Timeline:

• After your proposal is approved, the student should meet with your advisor to discuss your research plan for the summer. You will begin your project over the summer.
• During the first two weeks of the fall semester, all thesis students will submit a 5–8 page revised proposal plus an annotated bibliography to their advisors and to the two readers, assigned by the Chair.
• For a thesis during the fall semester, the first chapter or equivalent is due to your advisor and readers no later than the beginning of Thanksgiving break.
• For a thesis during the spring semester, the first chapter or equivalent is due to your advisor and readers no later than the second week of the spring semester.
• Additional deadlines are set by your advisor, and your readers may request additional work from you.
• The final thesis is due to your advisor and readers at least one full week prior to your oral presentation and defense, the date for which is set early in the semester.
• Acceptance into the Honors program does not mean that a student will receive Honors; this is not automatic. On-going communication with the advisor and readers and meeting all set deadlines is critical. Whether or not to award honors, as well as semester and winter study grades, are determined by the Latina/o/x Studies Program, and includes the advisor and two readers. A project that does not meet the requirements for Honors is converted into an Independent Study and graded accordingly.
• Students are responsible for meeting the College deadlines and procedures for the submission of your thesis—these are on the Library web page.