Departmental Honors in International Studies

Purpose

The International Studies Departmental Honors Program provides an opportunity for committed and passionate International Studies and International Studies–War & Peace majors to conduct a senior-year independent honors research project under the supervision of a faculty mentor affiliated with the Center for International Studies (CIS).

Eligibility

The Departmental Honors Program is open to undergraduate majors who have completed at least 75 credit hours of university coursework before applying for the Honors Program, have earned an overall GPA of 3.5 or higher, and are interested in researching and writing an honors thesis project during their senior year. To receive departmental honors at commencement, graduating students will need to both complete an acceptable thesis project and maintain a minimum overall GPA of 3.5.

Thesis Research Project

The Departmental Honors Program allows students to improve their mastery of scholarly, intellectual, and analytic skills through the planning and completion of a sustained research project in the field of International Studies. These projects generally take the form of a substantial research paper of 40 to 50 pages in length; alternative non-traditional projects also may be acceptable with the approval of a supervising Faculty Advisor and the CIS Director of Undergraduate Programs. Students choosing a non-traditional thesis format will be expected to produce a 10- to 20-page paper explaining their methodological approach to the project, its scholarly and public significance, the sources used, and any additional topics requested by the Faculty Advisor.

Student candidates for departmental honors are expected to submit regular progress reports to the Faculty Advisor and the CIS Director of Undergraduate Programs. Students who do not demonstrate satisfactory progress on the project will not be permitted to continue beyond the first semester.

A final project that meets the College of Arts and Sciences Required Standards for Departmental Honors is due at least two weeks before the beginning of the final exam period just prior to graduation. It must be certified as being of sufficient caliber by both the Faculty Advisor and the CIS Director of Undergraduate Programs. Their judgment on the matter of quality is not subject to appeal.

Students are encouraged to present their research during the spring semester Student Research and Creative Activity Expo and to use their project as a writing sample for graduate school applications.

Thesis Hours

Students who are accepted into the CIS Departmental Honors Program may enroll in up to 12 hours (6 per semester) of INST 4940H during their senior year. These credit hours reflect the time that a student is devoting to thesis work. Students should consult with their Faculty Advisor, the CIS Director of Undergraduate Programs, and their College of Arts & Sciences success advisor about the appropriate number of thesis hours.

For International Studies (BA5238) majors, INST 4940H hours can be counted as either regional elective or thematic elective credit at the discretion of the Director of Undergraduate Programs. For International Studies: War & Peace (BA4419) and Global Studies: War & Peace (BA4409) majors, INST 4940H hours will be counted as War & Peace electives. Students in other CIS major programs should consult with the Director of Undergraduate Programs.

Application

Students should begin the application process in the second semester of their junior year by contacting the CIS Director of Undergraduate Programs. Before the beginning of their senior year, interested students should obtain the support of a Faculty Advisor who will supervise the research and then should submit an Advisor-approved proposal to the Center for International Studies Director of Undergraduate Studies. The proposal should be a 1 to 2-page document that details: (i) the thesis topic, (ii) the nature of the thesis (scholarly paper or non-traditional format), (iii) a selective list of research materials and sources that will be used for the project, (iv) a discussion of research methodology, and (v) a proposed timeline for research and writing.

Who to Contact

Any questions concerning departmental honors should be directed to the CIS Director of Undergraduate Programs, Dr. Joshua Hill at hillj6@ohio.edu.