Honors Projects

Honors Projects

Honors projects are coherent programs of independent work carried on by students, usually in their senior year, on subjects or problems of more than ordinary difficulty in areas that they have studied in considerable depth, usually in their majors or closely related areas. Honors projects normally are supervised by faculty members in appropriate departments and may culminate in written theses based on extensive individual research or in pieces of original work in the creative or performing arts accompanied by written presentations.

All Lawrence faculty members may serve as supervisors of honors projects. If the honors-project supervisor is a non-voting member of the faculty, he or she should enlist a voting member of the faculty to serve as a co-sponsor of the proposed project and periodically consult with the co-sponsor as the project develops.

An examining committee evaluates the results of each project, conducts an oral examination of the honors candidate, and considers what constitutes the appropriate level of honors in view of the strengths and weaknesses of both the thesis and the oral defense. The Committee on Honors reviews the reports of all such examining committees and submits its recommendations for Honors in Independent Study to the faculty for final approval.

Since honors projects frequently complement students’ work in their majors, they should discuss the opportunities for independent study with faculty members in their fields of concentration as early as possible in order to begin laying appropriate foundations in courses, tutorial work, and summer reading. In some fields, tutorials or courses in research methods can lead to the formulation of suitable thesis topics and methods of attack, while in other fields topics may stem from unanswered problems in regular courses, from students’ own interests, or from teachers’ suggestions. Whatever the field, students ought to keep in mind the possibility of doing honors projects as they plan their programs, especially in the junior year, or earlier if they will be off-campus at that time. Students do not have to take an independent-study course in order to submit an honors project.

Jointly written projects or theses undertaken jointly may be submitted for Honors in Independent Study. The work involved in such cases, however, must be equitably shared and demonstrate benefits clearly resulting from the merger of the authors’ different skills and knowledge. Students considering joint projects or theses must obtain the consent of their faculty independent studies advisors and the Committee on Honors well in advance of such endeavors.

Criteria for Honors in Independent Study

The following criteria are used in evaluating all Honors in Independent Study projects:

Cum Laude - Honors with distinction

To achieve honors, the project must fulfill all of the following criteria:

  1. Each of the three components of the project (the work, the written exposition, and the oral examination) demonstrates a substantial knowledge of, and facility with, previous work, underlying principles, and central concepts or theories in areas relevant to the project.
  2. The paper must clearly show that the student has established an original thesis or hypothesis, an original interpretation or analysis, a substantial and original synthesis or innovative pedagogical exposition of a sophisticated body of established work or has created a new work of art. In other words, the student must demonstrate that the project does not merely replicate, review, paraphrase, or compile previous work by others.
  3. The paper appropriately frames the original material in the project within the context of established work or relevant traditions in the discipline, provides documentation (e.g., bibliographic citations, tables and figures, illustrations) appropriate to the discipline, contains few and relatively minor grammatical or typographical flaws, is clear, well organized, and stylistically sound.
  4. The work itself is of very high quality. The project has been carried out competently, diligently, independently, and in a manner that fulfills the basic standards of the discipline.
  5. The oral examination reaffirms the high quality of the work, the originality of the contribution, and the student’s facility with relevant principles, concepts, and background material.

Magna Cum Laude - Honors with great distinction

In addition to fulfilling the criteria described above, the project must fulfill all of the following criteria:

  1. Each of the three components of the project (the work, the written exposition, and the oral examination) demonstrates a level of mastery of, and facility with, relevant previous work, underlying principles, and central concepts or theories of which few undergraduates are capable, as well as a solid grasp of related but peripheral material.
  2. The thesis, interpretation, analysis, synthesis, pedagogical exposition, or creative endeavor encompassed by the project demonstrates unusual and substantial creativity, conceptual innovation, or theoretical sophistication (i.e., an unusual degree of independence of thought) on the part of the student.
  3. The framing of the original material in the project within the context of established work or relevant traditions is remarkably sophisticated, revealing a sensitive and advanced understanding of the relationship between the student’s contribution and established traditions or theories.
  4. The paper contains almost no grammatical or typographical flaws and is particularly well written, lucid, and compelling.
  5. The work itself is of outstanding quality. The project has been carried out with a degree of technical competence, diligence, and independence of which few undergraduates are capable.
  6. The oral examination reaffirms the outstanding quality of the work. The student is able to give complete, clear, well organized, and satisfying responses to the examiners’ questions without the need for much guidance or prompting from the examiners.

Summa CumLaude - Honors with highest distinction

This level of honors is rarely achieved and is reserved for those instances in which all three components of the project (the work, the paper, and the oral examination) demonstrate a superlative level of excellence. In addition to fulfilling the criteria described above, the project must fulfill all of the following criteria:

  1. Each of the components of the project (the work, the written exposition, and the oral examination) not only demonstrates an exceptional level of mastery of, and facility with, relevant previous work, underlying principles, and central concepts or theories but also a sophisticated and original critical perspective on this material (i.e., the student possesses informed opinions about the strengths and weaknesses of previous work, theories, and traditions in the area). The student not only intimately understands relevant background material but also has the ability to view this material critically in a wider intellectual context.
  2. The thesis, interpretation, analysis, synthesis, pedagogical exposition, or creative endeavor encompassed by the project demonstrates a superlative level of creativity, conceptual innovation, or theoretical sophistication on the part of the student.
  3. The framing of the original material in the project within the context of established work or relevant traditions is elegant and subtle, revealing a rare and exceedingly advanced understanding of how the student’s project represents a significant contribution to established traditions or theories. The paper is not only technically flawless (or virtually flawless) but is exceedingly well written, compelling, and engaging.
  4. The work itself exceeds all expectations. The project has been carried out with a superlative level of technical competence, sophistication, diligence, and independence.
  5. The oral examination reaffirms that the work is a rare achievement that makes an original and sophisticated contribution. The student is able to give extraordinarily complete and persuasive responses to the examiners’ questions without the need for guidance or prompting from the examiners.

Special instructions for projects in the arts

The above criteria are used in evaluating all Honors in Independent Study projects with the exception of the brief paper written for a project in the arts. While the paper for a project in the arts must be clearly organized and well written, contain appropriate documentation when needed, and display a high quality of thought and presentation, it is considered to be supplementary to the work itself. In the arts, the criteria listed above should be used primarily to evaluate the project itself and the subsequent oral examination.

The Honors Thesis

The thesis need not be of any special form or length, provided that its form is appropriate to the discipline to which it belongs. Students’ advisors are responsible for providing guidance in regard to format and the conventions of scholarly documentation pertinent to their disciplines. Nevertheless, since all accepted theses are permanently retained in the Lawrence University library, their external form also is subject to a few standardized regulations suggested by the librarians and endorsed by the Committee on Honors. The chair of the committee may be consulted about these regulations.

Even though the committee permits candidates for honors to correct typographical errors or to make such other minor corrections as their examiners may require, it emphasizes that theses must be in final form when they are submitted early in May. Candidates must assume responsibility for accurate proofreading and checking of all quotations and references. Frequent misspellings, faulty punctuation or syntax, omitted references, or stylistic incoherence will disqualify projects despite the intrinsic merit they may otherwise exhibit.

The Examining Committee

The advisor, in consultation with the student and with the assent of the Committee on Honors, appoints an examining committee consisting of at least three voting faculty members, one of whom must be from outside the student’s department; the advisor, if a voting member of the faculty, acts as one of the three voting members of the committee. If the advisor is a non-voting member of the faculty, the co-sponsor acts as one of the three examining committee members. The non-voting advisor attends the oral examination and participates in all aspects of the committee's discussion of the project except voting on whether to award honors and the level of honors to be awarded.

In addition, the Committee on Honors assigns a faculty representative to act as the non-voting moderator during the examination. At the discretion of the advisor, after consultation with the student, another Lawrence faculty member or an outside expert who is uniquely qualified to shed insight into the quality of the project may also attend the examination. These individuals may not take part in the decision-making process.

Professional Evaluations

The Committee on Honors avoids substituting its opinion for that of professionals on matters requiring professional competence for their evaluation. Nevertheless, the committee is of the firm opinion that the evaluation of honors candidates can and should be made independent of questions regarding whether a respected professional journal would publish a particular thesis. In other words, Honors in Independent Study is not limited to students whose work would compete successfully with that of their professors for publication in professional journals.

Procedures and Guidelines

To apply for Honors in Independent Study, students must send to the Committee on Honors statements of their intentions to submit a thesis in candidacy for honors. These statements should include the Appleton addresses of the students, the topics of independent study, and both students’ signatures and those of the faculty advisors. The final date for receipt of such statements of intent is announced each fall in a notice to all seniors; normally it falls in the first week of Term III. If students expect to complete their projects during Terms I or II, they must submit their statements of intent at least three weeks before the anticipated date for submission of their theses. No thesis will be considered for honors unless the committee has received such a statement of intent; however, statements do not obligate such students to submit theses.

Sufficient copies of the completed thesis, one for each member of the examining committee, including the Committee on Honors representative, are to be submitted to the Committee on Honors at a place and by a date and hour designated each year, usually falling within the first few days of May. Students who find themselves unable to meet this deadline may petition the Committee on Honors for extensions, but they must do so well in advance of the deadline. The committee usually approves such petitions only when circumstances beyond the candidate’s control have arisen.

At this point, the honors thesis advisor, in consultation with the student, arranges for an oral examination of the thesis. Results of the examination must be reported to the Committee on Honors prior to its last meeting.

Although the Committee on Honors tries to keep its procedures as simple as possible, the extreme diversity of projects submitted for honors makes necessary certain clarifications and interpretations of the basic guidelines. Some statements concerning special types of projects and further details about the committee’s procedures are included here for reference by both faculty members and students.