English

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Honors Project Course Information

ENGL:482—Senior Honors Project in English (1–3 credits; may be repeated for between two and six credits)
Prerequisites: Completion of ENGL:111 and ENGL:112 or their equivalents, or permission of the instructor, senior standing in Honors College and approval of honors preceptor; open only to English majors enrolled in the Honors College; 64 credit hours required to enroll.

Independent study leading to completion of senior honors thesis or other original work.

Format and Style

The faculty sponsor is responsible for ensuring the academic rigor of the project. However, the following directives should be used as a guide.

Literary Research or Analysis Projects

• 3-credit literary analysis project: 22-25 double-spaced pages or a minimum of 7,500 words.
• 6-credit literary analysis project: 44-50 double-spaced pages or a minimum of 15,000 words.
• Length requirements for analysis projects of 2, 4 or 5 credits should be set in accordance with these guidelines by the faculty sponsor.

Short Stories, Poetry and Creative Nonfiction Projects

These projects have a three-part structure consisting of: (1) a critical essay of 8 to 10 pages, designed to give the student an opportunity to come to terms with authors whom the student finds important as influences, (2) a 5 to 7-page self-analysis or self-evaluation focusing on the work submitted for the Honors Project, and (3) a body of creative work. Length requirements for the creative portion of the project:

• poetry projects: 3 credits, 15 pages of poetry. 6 credits, 30 pages.
• fiction or creative nonfiction projects: 3 credits: 20 double-spaced pages or a minimum of 6,000 words. 6 credits, 40 double-spaced pages or a minimum of 12,000 words.
• Length requirements for creative projects of 2, 4 or 5 credits should be set in accordance with these guidelines by the faculty sponsor.

Timeline and Schedule

Junior Year

• first semester: Discuss project requirements with Prof. Lisa Rhoades, the English Department Honors Advisor
• second semester: Identify your faculty sponsor and two additional readers for your project. Write your project proposal and obtain signatures. Your project proposal and completed signature page are due to the Honors College on Friday of Week 15 of your second semester of junior year in order to be enrolled in the Honors project course for credit.

Senior Year

• first semester: Meet regularly with faculty sponsor and set deadlines for the first stages of your project. By the end of this semester, the student is expected to have drafted a substantial portion of the project. A semester grade of “IP” from the faculty sponsor means that the sponsor is satisfied that the project is on track for successful completion the following semester.
• second semester: Initial drafts to your research Sponsor: You should be updating your research Sponsor every few weeks as you meet to discuss your project. Expect revisions to be requested as you submit written work. You should have a nearly final draft of the project submitted to your research Sponsor by Week 12 of the semester. Subsequent drafts to your two readers: Be sure to keep your Readers informed of your progress on the project throughout your final semester. Send them copies of your work at regular intervals. Expect revisions based on your Readers' comments. Once you've incorporated changes from your Readers, your Sponsor needs to approve the final copy. The due date for your project to be with your readers is Week 13 of the semester. It is your Sponsor who gives you the grade for the formal coursework. Final submission of your project to the Honors College office. Your research project may also be submitted electronically. Alternately, an unbound and unstapled copy of your project, together with the signature page, should be on file in the Honors office no later than 5pm on Friday of Week 15.

General Guidelines

• You must receive a grade of "B" or higher on your Honors Research Project to graduate as an Honors Scholar. If you do not achieve this grade you may still meet the requirements to graduate as an undergraduate student in your major. Please contact your Honors Advisor for more information.
• When there are multiple students involved in an Honors Research Project, each student should be included as authors on the final report, even if they are not part of the Williams Honors College. Every student should receive the proper recognition for thier contributions.
• Every committee must be composed of a Sponsor and two Readers. More information on these roles is available here.
• Students expecting to work on an honors project involving the use of human subjects should be aware that such projects may need to be evaluated by the University of Akron Institutional Review Board (IRB). The IRB reviews all proposals for research involving human participants to insure appropriate ethical and safety standards are observed. Depending on the nature of the proposed research, IRB review and approval may be required prior to moving forward with your study. In the same way, any research involving live animals will require review by the University of Akron Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC). Please communicate with your project sponsor regarding the need for IRB or ACUC consideration as it relates to your specific project. Information concerning research applications and review procedures can be obtained via the University of Akron Office of Research Administration (ORA).