WASHINGTON AND LEE
UNIVERSITY
Honors in History
The W&L History Department
offers its most advanced students the opportunity, during their senior
year, to undertake significant original research culminating in an Honors
Thesis. Successful candidates earn a Bachelor of Arts degree "with Honors
in History."
Prerequisite
The prerequisite for honors in History is a grade point average in
all courses of 3.0 and a grade point average in all History courses of
3.5. If during the senior year, the candidate’s cumulative average drops
below 3.0 or his/her average in History drops below 3.5, the Honors Committee
may drop the candidate from the Program.
Application
Interested students should inquire about the Department's Honors Program
at the time they declare their major. Candidates must apply for admission
to the program no later than May 1 of their junior year. The applicant
must write a letter to the Head of the Department nominating the Honors
Supervisor and the other members of the Honors Committee and briefly describing
the subject of the thesis. The Honors Supervisor must be a member of the
History Department. One member of the Honors Committee may be a faculty
member from another department, but only if that faculty member's area
of expertise coincides with the subject of the thesis. Before submitting
the formal application, the candidate must ensure that all members of the
committee are willing to serve.
The Honors Supervisor
The Candidate must select a member of the History Department who knows
the candidate’s work and the area in which he/she proposes to study, and
invite that member to supervise the Honors project. Candidates must keep
in mind that other obligations may prevent a professor from accepting the
candidate's invitation. The Honors Supervisor will direct the thesis, schedule
and participate in the comprehensive examination, report the grade and
handle other matters related to the project. The Supervisor will also schedule
the oral examination, may invite all members of the Department to attend
the examination and will see that the candidate makes a copy of the thesis
available in the Department office for use by members of the faculty.
The Honors Committee
The Head of the Department will appoint the Honors Committee which
will consist of the Supervisor and two additional members. The Committee
will read and evaluate the thesis, participate in and evaluate the oral
examination, and by majority vote assign grades for the completed work.
The Honors Thesis
Before the candidate begins work on the thesis, he/she must have undertaken
appropriate study to establish the topic, the scope of the project and
the approach of the study. The candidate will complete an Honors thesis
under the direction of the Supervisor. The candidate should if possible
begin work on the thesis during the junior year, must begin work no later
than the first week of the Fall term, and work on the thesis during the
Fall and Winter terms of the senior year. The candidate should plan to
complete research during the Fall term and use the Winter term for writing
and revising. The candidate should submit preliminary drafts of each section
of the thesis to the Supervisor who will read and suggest revisions. Members
of the Honors Committee may also read and may request revisions of preliminary
drafts.
The text of the thesis should be no longer than 50 to 75 pages, double-spaced
with normal margins and follow all relevant guidelines laid down by Kate
Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations
or some other appropriate manual. Candidates must complete the thesis no
later than the last day of the final examination period of the Winter semester.
Exceptions may be approved by a majority vote of the Honors Committee after
written petition from the candidate requesting a new deadline and explaining
the circumstances that prevent him/ her from meeting the original deadline.
Honors Courses
During the Fall and Winter terms of the senior year, the candidate
must enroll in History 493: Honors Thesis. If the thesis is not completed
at the end of the Fall term, the grade will be WIP [Work in Progress].
When the thesis is complete, the Honors Committee will determine by majority
vote the grade awarded the thesis. That grade will replace all outstanding
WIPs.
Oral Examination
During the Spring term of the senior year, the candidate must present
and defend the thesis in an oral examination that will cover the thesis
and related course work. The Honors Committee will advise the candidate,
conduct the oral examination, and may invite interested members of the
faculty and students to attend and participate.
Termination of Candidacy
If the candidate withdraws from the program or a majority of the Honors
Committee votes to drop the candidate from the program, the Supervisor
will convert the candidate’s credits in History 493 to enrollment in History
473: Senior Thesis. The Honors Committee, by majority vote, will assign
a grade for work completed before the termination of candidacy. Candidates
who perform inadequately on honors work may use their work to complete
History 473 and to satisfy the requirements for the major.
Completion
Immediately after the oral examination the Committee will vote to award
or withhold Honors, and assign the grade for the work. The successful candidate
will provide a finished copy of the thesis to each member of his/her committee
who requests one, a copy to the Department and a copy to the University
Library. The candidate will consult with the relevant librarian to determine
the form and binding required for the Library copy. The Honors Supervisor
will notify the University Registrar of the award and the title of the
thesis so that he/she may be enter them in the Commencement program and
on the candidate's diploma.