Political Science

Major Requirements for Students Pursuing Latin Honors

Common Honors Courses in Major

POL 1001H Honors Course American Democracy in a Changing World
POL 1025H Honors Global Politics
POL 3481H Honors Comparative Political Economy: Governments and Markets

Required Thesis Course

Pol 3108H, to be taken spring of the junior year. Contact Dr. Myers in November or December prior to taking Pol 3108H to begin discussing your ideas for a thesis.

Capstone Considerations

Honors students are not required to take Pol 4991. All honors students are required to complete a thesis, separate from the capstone course. Pol 4993 (Honors Thesis: Directed Studies) is recommended for students while writing the thesis.

Thesis Requirements

cum laude: Students complete a senior paper that shows theoretical and empirical understanding of the subject. In short, cum laude papers should be at least 20 pages and probably around 25 pages with original thoughts, arguments, and a high degree of rigor.

magna cum laude: These papers should be at least 25 pages in length and more likely should be between 30 and 35 pages. They should begin to demonstrate that the student can conduct original research in an independent manner. Magna papers show a much greater degree of independent thought, and include a substantially more intensive literature review.

summa cum laude: These papers are at least 50 pages long. They have substantial literature reviews, include the collection of original data (qualitative or quantitative) and analyze that data with appropriate methods. The idea is that these papers are as close as possible to a publishable paper. Summa papers must be submitted to the student's committee and summa candidates are subject to an oral examination.

Plan C Thesis Options

None

Honors Faculty Representative Info

Faculty Rep
Daniel Myers
Office
1474 Social Sciences Building
Campus Phone
(612) 624-4144