Major Requirements for Students Pursuing Latin Honors
PHIL 1001H - Honors Introduction to Logic
PHIL 4888H -or- a combination of HCOL 3101H/3102H and PHIL 4893. Students are encouraged to take PHIL 4888H, but those who pre-date the department's 2022 capstone changes may take the HCOL/PHIL combination if they prefer.
See below for additional specifics, but in general honors theses completed through PHIL 4888H are distinguished from a typical capstone in philosophy in terms of quality, length, and the requirement that a 3-member committee rather than a single advisor pass judgment on whether it satisfies relevant requirements. To include committee members who are not tenured/tenure eligible faculty in the Philosophy department or its U of M — Twin Cities affiliates, students should speak with their advisor and with the department's Director of Undergraduate Studies. Except in the unusual case of what UHP terms a "Plan C" thesis (see below) the process for writing an honors thesis in philosophy would most resemble the first capstone option described above. Other options for capstone students would not apply to those writing honors theses.
Those wishing to complete an honors thesis in philosophy at any level must identify a departmental honors advisor in the term prior to the one in which writing will occur and produce a 3-5 page thesis proposal. Proposals will outline the topic, expected line of argument and likely sources, and demonstrate the student's familiarity with the philosophical issues in play and the ways other philosophers have addressed them. The departmental advisor must accept the proposal as demonstrating adequate student preparation as well as the project’s viability before the student may begin work on the project. In addition to generally being of greater length than a cum or magna cum laude thesis, and being suitable for an undergraduate publication with little or no revision beyond shortening the thesis or excerpting some element(s) to meet page limits, summa theses must be successfully defended in a 1-2 hour oral exam before a three member committee that includes the advisor.