Procedures for Students Interested in Pursuing Honors in Two Departments or Programs

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Minors, Certificates, and Concentrations

Any student with a double major who is interested in doing honors in both subjects should say so to each department or program at the point of application. (In cases in which the departments have different deadlines, the student should raise the issue with both departments at the earliest opportunity, typically in the spring of junior year.) Two options are available.

Two Separate Honors Projects
Some students will propose projects that are quite distinct. These students should meet with the honors coordinator in each of the two departments to discuss their plans for completing two separate honors projects, and they should complete the "Application for Dual or Interdisciplinary Senior Honors Projects" with each honors coordinator to document the substantial difference between the two planned projects. The statement should be signed by the research adviser and the honors coordinator in each department and then submitted to the Office of Undergraduate Studies and Advising,1922 Sheridan Road, for review by the college Committee on Undergraduate Academic Excellence. Forms should be submitted by May 21st of the student's junior year. If such a student meets both departments' honors requirements, he or she can then be nominated for honors in each department.

Honors in Interdisciplinary Studies
If a student proposes to write two papers that will overlap and inform each other (much as chapters in a book do) or, more dramatically, to do a single, synthetic project to be submitted jointly, a conversation must ensue between the appropriate members of both departments. It would be up to these faculty members to determine whether they were prepared to support such a project and, if so, to set some guidelines for the student (the length and scope of the paper, bibliography, research methods, and participation in the honors course work in each department would be addressed, among other things). Because the finished project will be considered for honors in two departments, it should be somehow more ambitious than a regular honors thesis-for example, in the number and variety of the sources consulted, the analytical methods used, or the sophistication of the problem being addressed. However, this does not necessarily mean that the finished paper or papers must be longer than a normal honors thesis. Supporting a request to write an interdisciplinary honors thesis (or theses) would also oblige the mentors in both departments to stay in touch with each other periodically during the preparation of the paper(s), especially in cases in which a single synthetic thesis is envisioned. Normally, students will be expected to register for and to complete successfully the honors sequences in both departments.

Application for Interdisciplinary Honors

1.  Students with adjunct majors

Students with adjunct majors will submit a proposal to their program director to pursue interdisciplinary honors between the adjunct major and (typically) their other required major by writing an interdisciplinary thesis.  For each proposal, the director will make sure that the appropriate faculty member(s) have helped with the proposal and approved it, and have agreed to advise the student over the course of the thesis-writing period.  Typically there will be two faculty members, one from each major.  If the director approves the proposal, the student will complete the appropriate forms, "Application for Dual or Interdisciplinary Senior Honors Projects", obtain the necessary signatures (two Thesis Program Coordinators and two faculty adviser signatures).  The signed form will be submitted to the Office of Undergraduate Studies, Tessie Cachola, in 1922 Sheridan.

These forms are due on May 21^st, 2012.

These are the adjunct majors in Weinberg College:  African Studies, Asian Studies, Geography, International Studies, Legal Studies, MMSS, Middle East Studies, Science in Human Culture, Urban Studies

2.  Students with free-standing majors

Students with two free-standing majors who wish to pursue interdisciplinary honors by writing an interdisciplinary thesis must submit a proposal to their two Thesis Coordinators. Both coordinators will make sure that the appropriate faculty members, typically one in each department or program, helped with the proposal and approved it, and have agreed to advise the student over the course of the thesis-writing period.  

Once the coordinators have approved the proposal, the student will complete the appropriate forms, "Application for Dual or Interdisciplinary Senior Honors Projects", obtain the necessary signatures, and submit the proposal to the Weinberg College Committee on Undergraduate Academic Excellence (CUAE) for review. 

These proposals are due on May 21^st, 2012.  Students will be informed of the CUAE’s decision by the end of Reading Period.

When the paper or papers are finished, they should be evaluated through the ordinary department channels, and if the work passes muster in both departments, the student should then be nominated for honors for interdisciplinary studies in the two subjects. For example, a student could be nominated for graduation with "honors for interdisciplinary studies in Sociology and Political Science," rather than for separate honors in each department. If the departments disagree in their assessments, it would be possible to nominate the student for honors in one subject only.