Undergraduate Honors

Students seeking honors must apply to the honors program in Comparative Literature or Comparative Arts in the Spring of their Junior Year and must submit an application to the program no later than April 15 Spring of Junior Year. Admissions decisions will be made by the Undergraduate Committee in Comparative Literature following the submission of grades for the Spring Semester. Students must achieve at least a 3.7 GPA in the major to be admitted to the program.

There are three tracks in the honors program: Honors by Course Work, Honors by Thesis, and, for students in Comparative Arts, Honors by Creative Project. All three tracks require 33 units of course work in Comparative Literature, six more than the minimum required for the degrees Comparative Literature or Comparative Arts.

Admission to the honors program does not guarantee the award of departmental honors as that award depends on performance in the program, nor Latin Honors. Note: Eligibility for Latin Honors requires an overall GPA of at least 3.65 maintained through the sixth semester. Please note that if the Comparative Literature/Comparative Arts is a SECOND major with a primary major in a department other than Arts & Sciences, Latin Honors is NOT available through the secondary major program, and may only be awarded through the primary major department.

Honors by Course Work

All Comparative Literature and Arts students seeking honors by coursework will submit an application to the honors program to the DUS by April 15 of the junior year. Approval by DUS and honors committee is required before the student is considered to be seeking honors by course work.

• Students seeking honors by coursework in Comparative Literature will complete, in addition to Comp Lit 3050, 9 courses in Comparative Literature at the 300- and 400-levels; three of these courses must be at the 400-level. With permission of the DUS, the student may substitute up to 6 units of appropriate foreign literature courses at the 300- or 400-level. 
• Students seeking honors by coursework in Comparative Arts will complete, in addition to Comp Lit 313E, 7 courses in Comparative Literature at the 300- and 400-levels; three of these courses must be at the 400-level. With permission of the DUS, the student may substitute up to 6 units of appropriate foreign literature courses at the 300- or 400-level. 

The honors capstone for this track is the completion of a synthetic essay of roughly 1,600 words reflecting on how the three 400-level courses informed one another. That essay should be accompanied with 20 pages of critical writing, compiled from one to three papers written for 400-level courses, revised to represent what you regard as your best work in Comparative Literature. The capstone work should be submitted by the end of March in the student’s senior year. 

Senior honors by course work students will enroll in the IPH-Comp Lit Independent Work for Senior Honors (L16 Comp Lit 497) in the Fall of Senior Year and in the IPH-Comp Lit Independent Work for Senior Honors (L16 Comp Lit 498) in the Spring of Senior Year.

Honors by Thesis

Students seeking honors by thesis will submit a thesis prospectus as part of their application to the honors program by April 15 of the Junior Year. The prospectus is roughly a 3-page document; it describes the research project (framed, ideally, as a problem to be solved), articulates the ways in which the project draws on comparative methods, and includes a provisional bibliography. Students should name two possible mentors with whom they have consulted about the thesis project. Admission to the thesis track depends upon approval of the project by the Undergraduate Committee.

A second version of the thesis prospectus, signed by the thesis mentor, should be submitted to the Comparative Literature office at the end of the first week in September of Fall Semester Senior Year.  Students must complete a draft of roughly two-thirds of the thesis by the end of Fall Semester Senior Year.  Theses should be 50-100 pages; they should follow either the MLA or Chicago Style sheets. Completed drafts will be due on 2/21; directors will return drafts by 3/1; theses will be submitted to three readers, one of whom will be the thesis mentor, and another of whom will be the DUS, by 4PM on the Monday after spring break. The oral defense will be held roughly 2 weeks after submission. 

We strongly urge all thesis students in Comparative Literature and Comparative Arts to participate in the Arts & Sciences Research Symposium, submitting posters rather than presenting papers, since posters reliably reach the largest audience.

Senior thesis students will enroll in the IPH-Comp Lit Senior Thesis Workshop (L16 Comp Lit 403A) in the fall of senior year and in the IPH-Comp Lit Independent Work for Senior Honors (L16 Comp Lit 498) in the spring of senior year.

Honors by Creative Project (Comparative Arts majors only)

Comparative Arts students seeking honors by creative project will submit a project prospectus as part of their application to the honors program, by April 15 of their junior year. The prospectus is roughly a 3-page document; it describes the project and articulates the ways in which the project responds to comparative methods and to traditions of artistic practice; a preliminary bibliography should be included. Students should name two possible mentors with whom they have consulted about their project. Admission to the creative project track depends upon approval of the project by the Undergraduate Committee. A second version of the project prospectus, signed by the project mentor, should be submitted at the end of the first week in September.

Creative projects may be written (creative writing, translation) or take the form of a performance or exhibit, a visual portfolio or montage, or a link to an online creation. They will be complemented by a theoretical and/or critical reflection on the project of roughly 20-30 pages. Drafts of the written component of the project will be due on 2/21; directors will return drafts by 3/1. The written component will be submitted to three reviewers, at least one of whom is a member of the Comparative Literature committee, by 4PM on the Monday after spring break. The creative portion of the project should also be ready to circulate or display by this time. Performances or exhibits must open before the end of March. The oral defense will be scheduled to coincide with the performance or exhibit.

Senior honors by creative project students will enroll in the IPH-Comp Lit Independent Work for Senior Honors (L16 Comp Lit 497) in the Fall of Senior Year and in the IPH-Comp Lit Independent Work for Senior Honors (L16 Comp Lit 498) in the Spring of Senior Year.

Notable Dates for ALL Honors Capstone Options

	Comp Lit major	Comp Arts major	Application Deadline	Application Materials	Fall Senior Year	Spring Senior Year	Completed Draft Deadline	Draft Return Deadline	Written Component Deadline to reviewers	Performance/Exhibit Deadline	Oral Defense Deadline
Honors by Course Work	Yes	Yes	April 15 junior year	Approval by DUS and Undergraduate Committee and 3.7 GPA in Comp Lit/Comp Arts courses	L16 Comp Lit 497	L16 Comp Lit 498	NA	NA	End of March of Senior Year	NA	NA
Honors by Thesis	Yes	Yes	April 15 junior year	Thesis Prospectus and 3.7 GPA in Comp Lit/Comp Arts courses	L16 Comp Lit 403	L16 Comp Lit 498	February 21 of Senior Year	March 1 of Senior Year	4pm Monday after Spring Break	NA	~2 weeks after submission
Honors by Creative Project	No	Yes	April 15 junior year	Project Prospectus and 3.7 GPA in Comp Arts courses	L16 Comp Lit 497	L16 Comp Lit 498	February 21 of Senior Year	March 1 of Senior Year	4pm Monday after Spring Break (including final creative project)	Before end of March	Coincides with exhibit/performance