Beginning in Fall 2005, the Honors program has been changed. Please read the new description below.

The English Department Honors Program provides an opportunity for students to pursue a year-long independent project under the guidance of Department faculty.

The Honors program is open to English majors who, at the beginning of the second semester of their junior year, have maintained a B+ grade-point average in the major. Prospective honors students should have completed the 219/220 requirement by the middle of the junior year, and a seminar by the end of the junior year.

Students interested in joining the Honors program should contact Leandra Cain (leandra.cain@rutgers.edu), for an application form that must be completed by the end of the spring semester of the junior year.  This form asks for a short proposal for the project you wish to pursue and also requires the signature of an advisor who has agreed to work on the project. 

During the spring semester, there will be an orientation meeting for all students planning to write a thesis in the following year. At the meeting, the Honors Director will explain how to draft a proposal and discuss ways to secure the approval of a faculty advisor. Students join the honors track by submitting the draft proposal, signed by the advisor, before the end of the spring semester.

In the senior year, students will receive 3 credits per term for independent work on the thesis. In addition, all Honors students will enroll in the one-credit, seven-week Proseminar, led by the Honors Director, which will take place at the beginning of the fall semester. The completed thesis will be evaluated by the advisor and a second reader. A grade of B+ or better will be required in order to earn the Honors designation.

Please note:

Students wishing to complete an English honors project in conjunction with a College Honors program will be required to secure the approval of both the Undergraduate Director and the appropriate College Dean at the end of the spring semester of the junior year. The project will have to be framed to satisfy both sets of requirements and expectations. Such students will also enroll in the English Department Proseminar.

The Honors Director for 2007-08 is Professor Harriet Davidson. She can be contacted at: hardav@rci.rutgers.edu