Honors Program
I. Description
A student may pursue a curriculum in political science leading to a degree with Upper Division Honors or College Honors. Political Science majors satisfying the department's Honors requirements will be eligible to graduate with Upper Division Honors. Students who satisfy the program requirements will receive an appropriate indication on their diplomas and transcripts that they have graduated with honors. Honors students should have their program of study and their schedules approved by the Honors College advisor and by the Honors Advisor in the Department of Political Science and should coordinate their work closely between their departmental advisor and the advisors of the Honors College.
II. General Requirements
Students planning to major in political science and work toward a degree with Honors
should declare their intention to do so through the Honors College. They should meet
at an early date with a faculty advisor in the department and also with an advisor
in the Honors College. Students may enroll for Honors courses as freshmen and sophomores
and work toward the Sophomore Honors Distinction. Students seeking to earn a degree
with honors in political science should enter the program no later than the beginning
of their junior year. Students will not be considered for the program unless they
have at least three semesters remaining prior to graduation. To enter the Honors Program
a student must have a 3.3 average overall and a 3.5 average in political science.
In order to graduate with honors in political science, students must complete 36 hours
in political science, including 12 hours of honors work in political science; thesis
hours may be counted toward these 12 hours. Students must maintain an overall grade-point
average of 3.3 and an average in political science of 3.5. Honors students' course
distribution within political science will follow the established course distribution
for regular departmental majors except that the distribution must include at least
one course in each of the four fields of the discipline.
III. Honors Seminars
Political Science 3809, an Honors seminar, will be taught at least once each academic
year. Students pursuing a degree with College Honors will be expected to enroll for
this seminar. The seminar will be open to qualified non- Honors students who are majoring
in Political Science or in other disciplines.
IV. Honors Options
Students working toward a degree with Honors may complete the requirements of an Honors
Option for 4000-level courses in Political Science (with the instructor's approval).
Students must work out an Honors Option Agreement with the instructor and file it
with the Honors College office. Earning credit in connection with an Honors Option
will involve doing more work than is normally required in the 4000-level course.
V. Honors Thesis
A crucial part of the Honors program is the preparation of an Honors Thesis. Students
may complete their thesis over a two-semester period or a one-semester period. They
should consult with their thesis advisor about planning the thesis and about the composition
of the three-member thesis committee. The thesis committee will consist of their thesis
director and two other faculty members; the committee will serve as an examining committee.
Students who pursue the one-semester option will first register for independent study
courses in the department and then register for POLI 4998 HONORS. Students who choose to complete their thesis over a two-semester period will register
for POLI 4999 HONORS both terms.
The following calendar should be followed in connection with the thesis:
For the one-semester option: submission of a completed draft prior to the beginning
of the last week of classes of their thesis semester;
For the two-semester option: submission of a completed draft according to the deadline
established by the Honors College.