Religious Studies Honors Program
The Honors Program in Religious Studies offers Religious Studies majors with a record of academic excellence the opportunity to conduct in-depth and original research that will result in a written thesis. The thesis should be on a topic relevant to Religious Studies, and will be developed under the supervision of a faculty member associated with the Department of Religious Studies.
Writing the thesis, which is both longer (minimum 60 pages) and more intellectually sophisticated than other college writing assignments, is for many honors students the most fulfilling experience of their undergraduate careers. A student works one-on-one with a member of the Religious Studies faculty in developing an independent, focused work of scholarship that builds from the student's coursework and area of specialization. A student considering graduate or professional school is especially encouraged to write a senior thesis, although such an endeavor can be of great benefit to any undergraduate.
Majors who are candidates for Special Honors in Religious Studies should apply for admission to the Honors Program during the Spring semester of their third year. Honors students will enroll in the Honors Tutorial Course 679HA and 679HB during the fall and spring semesters, giving them 6 hours of credit in Religious Studies for the research and writing of a senior thesis.
The deadline to apply for the academic year 2009-10 is Friday, September 4, 2009. However, it is strongly recommended that students apply well before this date.
The requirements for admission to the Honors Program in Religious Studies are:
- A University grade point average of at least 3.0.
- A grade point average in Religious Studies of at least 3.5
- Upper-division standing
- Strong research and writing skills
Special Circumstances
- Transfer students may apply for the Honors Program.
- Students interested both in honors and in studying abroad should consult the honors director.
- We discourage students from receiving special honors in two departments as this necessitates writing two theses.
- Plan II / Religious Studies simultaneous majors wishing to write a Religious Studies thesis should apply. A Religious Studies thesis will satisfy the Plan II thesis requirement. Students pursuing this option will receive Special Honors in Religious Studies (not Plan II).
- It is possible to register for 679HA in the spring semester and 679HB in the fall. Occasionally, a student can enroll in either course over the summer. Students should consult the Honors Advisor in these situations.
Procedure
- Consult the Honors Advisor before or during the spring of your third year. The earlier you start thinking about your project the better.
- Find a faculty member who will agree to serve as your thesis advisor. Ideally this person should be a professor who shares your particular interests, and one with whom you have already developed a rapport.
- Submit the application form with your advisor's signature and a short personal statement to the honors advisor for approval by the first week of classes of your fourth year.
- Once approval is obtained, the honors advisor will enroll you in RS 679HA. This is a three-hour class extending over two semesters. The student and advisor will set up times to meet and discuss the thesis.
To graduate with honors, qualified students must fulfill the following requirements:
- Thirty-three semester hours of Religious Studies coursework, including completion of all major requirements.
- Religious Studies 679HA, Honors Tutorial Course, with a grade of at least B.
- Religious Studies 679HB, Honors Tutorial Course, with a grade of A, in which the student completes a senior thesis approved by the Chair of the Department of Religious Studies.
- Maintain a University grade point average of at least 3.0 and a grade point average in Religious Studies of at least 3.5.
- Completion at the University of at least sixty semester hours of coursework counted toward the degree.
Senior Thesis
An advisor and a second reader will read the completed thesis. Students and advisors should select their second readers as early in the two-semester honors sequence as possible.
The two readers will assess the thesis with the following criteria in mind:
- quality of argument
- breadth of research in primary and secondary sources
- quality of writing and organization
- conformity with current rules of proper academic conduct
A completed and bound copy of the thesis must be submitted to the department by the last class day of the semester in which the thesis was written.
Honors Advisor
Dr. Martha Newman
Chair, Department of Religious Studies
BUR 410
tel: 512-232-2264
newman@mail.utexas.edu
Contact
If you have any questions or concerns, contact Jared Diener in the Religious Studies Advising Office (512-232-7737).
