Students admitted to the Honors Program are required to take English 194H in winter quarter of their Senior year, and English 195H in the spring quarter.  Students completing the Honors Program will receive appropriate notation on their transcript.

In the winter quarter, English 194H is taught by the member of the English Department faculty who is coordinating the Critical Program.  English 194H introduces students to methods of critical reading and asks them to engage in intellectual discourse and collaboration with each other.  The class is limited to fifteen members so that students can interact with each other as well as with the professor in charge.  In addition to completing reading assignments and participating in discussions, each student will be required to sharpen the focus of his or her Honors Thesis during the quarter and to designate an individual faculty advisor who will serve as a mentor during the thesis writing process.

The Honors Thesis itself is a scholarly essay that reflects each student's particular literary interests.  The completed thesis is normally 25-30 pages in length.  As a course, English 195H has no class meetings; instead each student is required to schedule regular meetings with his or her faculty advisor during the spring quarter.  Students receive four units of credit for working on their thesis projects under the direction of the faculty advisor.

Eligibility

English 194H and English 195H are open to senior English majors with a 3.50 GPA overall as well as a GPA of 3.50 in the major*.  Advanced-standing juniors who expect to graduate in mid-year may also apply for admission.  In addition to the GPA requirement, applicants are expected to have completed ENL 110A or 110B and at least one Advanced Studies course, preferably a seminar (see Advanced Study section under "Major Requirements" for a complete listing).  As part of their application, students must submit a sample of their writing as well as a short prospectus about their plans for the honors thesis.

*Graduation with "honors" requires that a student meet the appropriate grade point requirement described in the General Catalog for all UC courses completed.  Students who meet the grade point requirement for graduation with honors, and who complete a Departmental Honors Program, may be recommended by their departments for graduation with high honors or highest honors on the basis of an evaluation of their academic achievements in the major and in the honors project in particular.
More information

More information is available from the Undergraduate Counselor, Lynda Jones, or Professor Gregory Dobbins.

Submission deadline

The submission deadline for the 2009-2010 Honors Program is November 18, 2009. 

Click here for Honors application.