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Classics & Religious Studies
Mailing address: Ellis 201

Departmental Honors in Classics & Religious Studies

Departmental Honors Guidelines for Classics & Religious Studies

Purpose and Goals

The Departmental Honors program enables Classics & World Religions majors in their third or fourth year with an exceptional record of academic achievement to design and conduct an advanced research/writing project under the direction of a full-time faculty member of their choice. Participation in this program allows students to enhance their writing and research skills while conducting an in-depth investigation into the culture that is the focus of their major. The intellectual rigor of the Departmental Honors program makes it especially valuable for those majors planning to do graduate work or apply to law or other professional schools.

Application and Eligibility

Admission to the Departmental Honors program involves completion of an application (available from the Departmental Honors Coordinator), as well as an interview with the Departmental Honors Coordinator. The application and interview should be completed no later than the beginning of Spring Break of Spring Semester of the student's junior year. Eligibility requirements include the following:

  • The Departmental Honors program is available only to majors on the Athens campus.
  • Students must have both an overall and major grade point average of 3.5 or higher, and they must submit the names of at least two Classics and World Religion faculty for recommendations.
  • In order to complete the application form, students must identify a full-time faculty member who will consent to serve as an adviser for the project. This adviser's area of expertise should be relevant to the topic of the proposed project. The adviser must review and sign the application form before it is submitted to the Departmental Honors Coordinator.
  • During their senior year Honors students will enroll in thesis hours (CLAS 4931H or CLWR 4931H) for at least 3 semester hours but no more than 6 hours (i.e., it must be completed within two semesters).

Thesis/Project Guidelines

Completion of an Honors thesis is necessary for achieving Departmental Honors. The project can be a research paper, a creative writing project involving research, or a textual analysis, all of which can also involve other approaches outside of the major discipline, such as sociological, historical, or cross cultural. Theses should result in a paper of at least 10,000 words exclusive of notes and bibliography. The topic of a research paper should be framed in terms of a question regarding the relevant topic/culture. The final product should include an abstract of ca. 250 words and a table of contents. Projects requiring illustrations should also have a list of illustrations giving the sources of the images. Style requirements for citations and bibliography for the thesis will be agreed upon by the student and the thesis adviser depending on the nature of the project.

Criteria for the Awarding of Departmental Honors

Departmental Honors will be awarded if students accepted for admission into the program meet the following criteria:

  • Continue to maintain a 3.5 grade point average overall and in the major.
  • Complete the schedule of research/drafting/writing/revision agreed upon by the student and the faculty adviser. Faculty advisers will submit evaluations of the student's progress to the Honors Program Coordinator at the end of Fall Semester; students will not be permitted to continue in the Departmental Honors Program if the evaluations of 4931H do not indicate satisfactory progress or performance on the project.
  • Complete a Departmental Honors thesis that demonstrates an outstanding level of proficiency in research, creativity, or language skills. Evaluation of the project will be performed by the faculty adviser and a second reader chosen by the faculty adviser in consultation with the Departmental Honors Coordinator; their judgment on the matter of quality is not subject to appeal.
  • Complete a Thesis/Project Submission Form with signatures from the faculty adviser and Departmental Honors Coordinator; this form must be sent to the Office of the Dean along with the thesis itself.
  • The thesis/project must be completed and submitted to the faculty adviser and Departmental Honors Coordinator one week before the deadline for submission to the Dean's Office of the College of Arts & Sciences. Students wishing to have their name published in the commencement program as Departmental Honors graduates must deliver the signed thesis/project submission forms, along with the actual thesis or project, to the Office of the Dean by their deadline.

Incomplete Projects

Students who withdraw from the program will be given credit for the sections of CLWR 4931H or CLAS 4931H that they have successfully completed, but these credits will not fulfill other departmental requirements. Students must complete their thesis work satisfactorily and according to schedule to remain eligible for Departmental Honors.