Political Science 100
I. Procedures for Enrolling in PSC 100
Students eligible to take departmental honors in political science will receive a letter from the department chair informing them of their eligibility before the end of their junior year. Interested students must inform the chair of their intention to pursue honors and must seek out a faculty advisor willing to supervise their essay. The honors essay must be a major piece of research (not necessarily original), to be completed before the end of the senior year, under the supervision of the faculty advisor. Generally, students will meet with their advisors at least once a week.
It is strongly recommended that students wishing to write an honors essay begin the process in the fall semester of their senior year (perhaps registering for an independent study course like PSC 161), even if they do not actually register for PSC 100 until the spring semester. Preliminary work in the summer between the junior and senior years can also prove very helpful in meeting the demanding schedule of research and writing required by the course.
When completed, the thesis of the honors essay must then be defended before a committee of the department. The quality of this oral defense will aid the department in deciding whether to confer honors and, if conferred, what level of honors the student has attained.
II. Writing an Honors Essay
- The student must select an analytical research question, combining theoretical and empirical concerns, and allowing a logical and feasible research agenda.
- The essay must clearly explain the link between the theoretical perspective employed and the empirical analysis conducted.
- The essay should lay out clearly the argument being made and its contribution to political science. Though the study may not yield original conclusions, it should build on scholarly literature in a significant way.
- The essay should be based upon a wide range of sources: books, scholarly journals, periodicals, government documents and (where appropriate) interviews.
- The essay, when completed, should be approximately 45-60 pages, typed and fully referenced (footnotes, endnotes, or in-text references).
III. Oral Defense
- A departmental Honors Committee (composed of at least three faculty members, one of whom shall be the student’s advisor) will set a date for the student’s oral defense of the honors essay. At this defense, the student will explain the nature of the research question investigated and discuss the scope of the research.
- Students may, if they choose, invite a few other honors students to attend their defense. However, invited students may only attend the student’s presentation and will be asked to leave before the departmental committee begins its questioning of the student.
- At the conclusion of the defense (which typically lasts 30-45 minutes), the Honors Committee will meet to determine whether “Honors” or “High Honors” should be awarded.
- While the thesis itself constitutes the primary basis for determining the level of honors awarded, the Honors Committee may also consider the quality of the oral defense in its overall evaluation.
IV. Level of Honors
Three credits will be granted for the honors course (PSC 100), if all work is satisfactorily completed, even if Honors are not ultimately awarded.
To receive Honors, a student must satisfactorily complete the honors essay, while also achieving a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.40 and a GPA of 3.50 in political science courses. These are university requirements that must be met for the awarding of departmental honors.
“High Honors” are awarded for honors essays that are judged to be of unusually high quality, as measured by theoretical and conceptual sophistication, exceptional clarity of analysis and writing, and marked diligence in data-gathering. Skillful presentation of the oral defense may also be considered.