Alyssa GregoryMany seniors have begun writing honors theses in the past few weeks. While completing a thesis project is a noble and ambitious goal, the steps leading to the thesis should be more clear and uniform throughout the university in order to encourage such a worthwhile project.
Nearly one-fourth of students opt to spend a significant amount of time during their senior (and possibly junior) year to study a particular problem or question in depth. Students may embark on thesis projects to learn something more about a field within their major, to achieve the award received upon completion, or to help prepare themselves for graduate school.
A thesis project means different things in different departments. For students in some departments, taking on a thesis project means writing a lengthy paper, or enrolling in certain classes in conjunction with writing a paper; in other departments, it may mean doing independent research or completing an oral examination.
In the English department, for example, one can graduate with honors by writing a thesis or by taking additional coursework to be followed by writing assignments and an oral exam. But in anthropology, one must write a 60-page paper.
Whatever the project, students are essentially working towards the same ends, to achieve Latin honors (cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude). Such an award is an internationally recognized achievement and will help students who are applying to graduate school or want to enter the world of academia.
In a university that stresses equality in so many sectors, making Latin honors requirements similar across departments-and, moreover, across undergraduate schools-makes sense.
For example, the minimum GPA required for students to be allowed to write an honors thesis varies across departments; it is usually between 3.3 and 3.5 at the low end, with exceptions sometimes made.
Students should know their options well before senior year. Few underclassmen realize that when they choose their major and major advisor, they are also beginning a path that may lead them toward, or away from, a thesis project.
Thus, students need to be notified sooner about honors programs in general. Neither Bearings nor the semi-annual course guide clearly explains the different permutations by which students can graduate “with honors.”
Few students realize that if they choose not to write a thesis, they can still graduate with what is called “college honors” if they have cumulative 3.5 GPA after seven semesters.
Ask a group of students about the differences between college honors and Latin honors, or about the departmental distinctions and guidelines for writing a thesis, and one will receive confused looks and dozens of different answers.
A biology and psychology major may both research mice during their senior year, for example, but depending on a number of variables-such as GPA, major advisor, and time available-their research may end up counting as a class, an independent study, an independent research project, a capstone project, or a thesis project.
This lack of consistency may discourage students in some departments from initiating positive learning experiences for themselves and for the WU community.
The administration as well as students can take steps to improve the process.
The joint faculty and student Curriculum Committee, headed by psychology professor Mitchell Sommers, should lead an effort to review the honors programs and encourage departments to seek a consistency across majors. Such a study has been conducted in the past, but there is room for further improvement.
More money should be given for undergraduate research to encourage students to learn about whatever interests them and to minimize monetary and travel concerns.
The ArtSci Council should quickly appoint a student representative to the Curriculum Committee. “The students who have served on [curriculum] committees have been fantastic,” said English professor Joe Loewenstein, who is also head of the Curriculum Implementation Committee. He stressed the importance of getting student input on honors programs.
With the help of faculty and students, the conditions by which one graduates “with honors” can become more consistent across the university.