A major in Spanish or Portuguese who after the first semester of the junior year has achieved a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 overall and 3.5 in the major is encouraged to apply for admission to the Departmental Honors Program. While there is one option for honors in Portuguese, there are three options for Honors in Spanish:
  1. Language and Linguistics
  2. Literature and Civilization
  3. Translation and Interpreting
 

Requirements

1. Completion of at least twenty-four (24) credits in Spanish or Portuguese before beginning the Honors project.

2. Completion upon graduation of all requirements for the major.

3. Completion of Honors in Spanish (940:497 and 940:498) or Portuguese (810:497 and 810:498) credits (these credits may not substitute for any 400 level courses required in the major tracks).



Duration and Credit


The Honors project, to be written in Spanish or Portuguese, should be undertaken over two semesters, totaling six (6) credits.  The distribution should be three (3) in each semester.  The student receives a temporary grade for the Fall semester and a final grade for both semesters in the Spring when the project is completed. The cumulative average in the senior year must be maintained at the minimum levels needed to enter the Department Honors program, namely 3.25 overall and 3.5 in the major area.

Under special circumstances (for example, conflict with student teaching, study abroad, internship, etc.) the student may petition for a one-semester project.  The one-semester option is the exception rather than the rule, and the student must petition the Undergraduate Director and thesis advisor in writing, explaining the extenuating circumstances.  In the one-semester option, only three (3) credits per semester would be counted toward the major.

Please Note: Departmental Honors will be awarded to a student majoring in Spanish or Portuguese who completes the requirements for the SAS Interdisciplinary Honors Thesis, writes the thesis in Spanish or Portuguese, and maintains a 3.5 gpa in the major.  The student may count three (3) credits received for the Interdisciplinary Honors Thesis or Project (01:090:495-496) towards completion of the major. 

 

 

Oral Defense


The student is required to orally present the project in Spanish or Portuguese.  The student may present their work before an audience at a student conference (with the advisor in attendance).  Or, the students may do an oral defense before a committee assembled by the project director and the student.  The committee is to be composed of her/his project director and one other faculty member.


Project Ranking
The Department awards three (3) levels of distinction:
  1. Highest Honors
  2. High Honors
  3. Honors 

Guidelines for the Departmental Honors Candidate

1. The Department notifies the student of his/her eligibility for the Honors program. Any student meeting the minimum gpa requirements may also self-nominate.

2. Upon notification of eligibility, the student speaks with the Undergraduate Director or other faculty member in order to determine interest/focus of the project.

3. The student approaches a faculty member of her/his choice to determine if said faculty member is willing to direct the student’s honors project.

4. In consultation with the project director, the student writes a proposal which is submitted to the Project Director and Undergraduate Director for approval.  This proposal should be delivered to the Project Director and Undergraduate Director by April 30 of the junior year.  

5. Upon approval the student will receive a letter of acceptance into the Honors program and then will register for the appropriate courses (810/940:497 and 810/940:498).  Students working on projects requiring Human Subject Certification and approval by the Institutional Review Board must consult with the Project Director about additional deadlines.

6. If a student registers for Honors credit but fails to make contact with the sponsoring faculty member in the first three weeks of the semester, the student will be de-registered from those credit hours.

7. The deadline for the completion of the Honors project is April 15.

8. Honors projects are approximately 50 pages in length.  Previous projects are available to students as examples of the type of work expected of them. Students must follow a standard format, either MLA, LSA or Chicago. Two copies of the defended, corrected thesis must be submitted to the Department in black thesis binders.

9. Please note that all SAS students who are completing a department based honors thesis or an SAS Interdisciplinary Honors Thesis will be designated as SAS Paul Robeson Scholars.  SAS Paul Robeson Scholars will be eligible for extended library borrowing privileges and for nomination for consideration for a Henry Rutgers Thesis Award.

10. A one (1) credit course, Introduction to the Thesis (01:090:391, 392), is available to guide students in researching and writing an honors thesis.  This course is optional and may be taken before or during the process of completing the project.  It is recommended that the student contact the instructor before registering because the course involves peer editing and there may not be other students writing in Spanish or Portuguese. 

11. Funding is available in support of research.  All applications for research funds are submitted to the Aresty Research Center for Undergraduates.