HONORS IN ANTHROPOLOGY

Requirements and Guidelines

There are two principal requirements for graduating with Honors in Anthropology: 1. you must be accepted into the Honors Program; and 2. you must successfully complete an Honors Thesis, which is written during the senior year. The thesis research is usually done during the Fall Semester of the senior year during which the student registers for Anth 497 (Independent Work), and the thesis is written during the Spring Semester when the student is registered for Anth 499 (Senior Honors). Each of these requirements is described below:

Acceptance into the Honors Program:

If you decide that you want to pursue honors, begin by talking with a faculty advisor or the undergraduate director. Ideally, you should do this no later than the end of your junior year. You should discuss possible thesis topics and identify possible members of a thesis committee. If you are unsure of a thesis topic, begin by meeting with faculty members who focus on topics of interest to you.

Your committee will consist of two faculty members, one called the "principal reader," and the other called the "second reader." Their job will be to help you develop your thesis topic, to provide advice while you are writing, and to evaluate your thesis once it is finished. As you choose your committee, you will want to identify people who specialize in your area of study. At this point, your topic need not be very specific or well developed--all you need is a general idea about the kind of research that you would like to pursue.

Once you have identified potential committee members, you should approach each of them individually, beginning with the principal reader. Tell him/her about your topic and ask if they would be willing to work with you. In the course of your conversation, ask for advice on your proposed topic, for the readers may be able to help you focus your research and assess whether your plans are realistic.

Once the topic is set and the two faculty readers are identified, you should apply for admission to the Honors Program. You do this by filling out the application form and returning it to the Undergraduate Director . The Undergraduate Committee will then meet and decide--based on your academic record--whether you qualify for Honors. Remember, even though two faculty members have expressed their willingness to work with you, admission to the Honors Program is not guaranteed. Unfavorable decisions may be appealed in writing to the Department Chairperson, whose judgement on the matter will be final. Ideally, you should apply for admission to the Honors Program at the end of your Junior Year. Producing an Honor's Thesis is a time consuming process. If you don't apply to the program in your junior year, you may not have enough time to finish a thesis before graduation.

We expect students in the Honors Program to have an overall grade point average of at least 3.2, and an average of at least 3.5 in Anthropology courses. Exceptions can be made, but only if a student shows other evidence of academic potential (such as recent improvement in grades, extracurricular intellectual achievement, etc.)

The Honors Thesis:

An Honors Thesis is a long essay that describes the results of an original and independent research project. Although there is no specific length requirement, a typical undergraduate Honors Thesis contains 40-100 pages of text (double-spaced and typed), a bibliography, and often illustrations and tables. To get a sense of what is expected, take a look at theses on file in the Department Office. Consult with your committee regarding issues of style (i.e., regarding format of bibliography).

An Honors Thesis is far more substantial and takes far more work than a term paper written for a course. It requires that the student master a certain body of knowledge. This cannot be done in a few weeks--instead, you should plan on several months of intensive research, followed by several months of writing and preparing the manuscript. If your thesis involves data gathering, you may need to initiate your research during the summer before your senior year.

Once you have been accepted into the Honors Program, you should register for Anth 497 (Independent Work) during the first semester of your senior year. Register for this course with your principal reader. This time (equivalent to the amount of time that you would devote to a 4-credit class) should be devoted to intensive research. Be certain to stay in touch with your principal reader so that he/she knows of your progress. Ideally, you should meet with your reader on a regular basis to discuss your research.

During the second semester of your senior year, you should register for 4 hours of Anth 499 (Senior Honors). Most of this semester will be spent writing, preparing illustrations, editing and so on. A first draft of the manuscript should be given to your committee by early April. Be certain to consult with your committee, who may wish to set firm deadlines. Your committee will then read the draft and suggest improvements; it is very likely that they will ask you to make some revisions. The final version of the thesis should be in the hands of your committee not later than the end of the final week of classes.

Based on the quality of your thesis, the readers will decide whether Honors will be awarded at graduation. If they agree that the thesis merits Honors, they will decide the level of honors to be awarded: Honors; High Honors; or Highest Honors.

Do you need research money?

You will incur expenses during the course of your honors research. You may want to travel to visit collections, or need to purchase supplies for your research. The Dean's Office provides Undergraduate Research Awards, up to $200. Apply for these early in your first semester of your senior year. Applications are submitted through Donald Blake (Associate Dean, Academic Affairs) in the Harpur Dean's office (LN 2430), or contact the Undergraduate Director for information.

Filing the Thesis

You must be certain to give your readers ample time to read and comment on your thesis, and you should anticipate revisions following their initial reading. Be certain to check with your committee members to find out when they want your first draft. Once you have completed revisions and your readers have accepted the thesis by signing off on a signature page (see below), you will deliver two clean copies of the thesis to Neil Novovesky at the Bartle Library (ask at the Circulation Desk for directions to his office). The library produces a bound copy of the thesis for the library and the Department. If you want additional bound copies, you will need to supply the copies, which the library will bind at a cost of $10 each (price subject to change).

Your thesis should include a title and signature page. The page should give the thesis title, your full name, a line that indicates that this the thesis is "Submitted in partial completion of the requirements for Honors in Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, Binghamton University," along with the month and year of submission. Below this you should identity the committee members, along with a line for their signatures. See examples of Honors theses in the Department office.

An Ideal Timetable

Spring Semester, Junior Year -- Decide whether you would like to pursue Honors, and discuss research topics with faculty members.

End of Spring Semester, Junior Yr. -- Apply for admission to the Honors Program; work with your principal reader to schedule research activities--background research, data gathering, analysis, and write-up.

Fall Semester, Senior Yr. -- Register for Anth 497 with your principal reader. Pursue thesis research, being certain to be in touch with your thesis advisor (principal reader). Prepare and discuss thesis outline with committee.

Spring Semester, Senior Yr.--Register for Anth 499 with your principal reader. Focus on writing, again be certain to stay in touch with your principal reader. Be certain to budget your time, allowing yourself sufficient time to prepare illustrations, tables, and to allow time for revisions.

Early April--Submit a draft of the thesis to your committee. Your committee members may wish to set a firm date, so be certain to consult with them in advance.

Late April--Reserve some time for revisions

Early May--Hand in the final version to your committee for their approval. Deliver 2 clean copies of the final version (with signature pages) to Neil Novovesky (Bartle Circulation) for binding.

Download Undergrad Honors Application PDF

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