All honors students, except for those studying abroad, must take History 498, the Junior Honors Colloquium, in the winter term of their junior year. This class will help students develop a thesis topic and write a thesis prospectus, as well as acquaint participants with some of the advanced methods and approaches used by professional historians conducting major research projects. Students who decide to leave the program after having taken History 498 still need to complete the history colloquium (History 496/497) to satisfy the major requirements. Please note that History 498 does not satisfy the LSA Upper-Level Writing Requirement.
History 499, the Senior Honors Colloquium, is a year-long writing workshop led by a faculty member, and is required for all thesis writers. In the workshop, students help one another with their projects by sharing experiences, advice, and drafts of their writing. Most of the work needed to complete the thesis, however, is done individually in close consultation with a faculty advisor.
The theses are due in late March, and are expected to be about 60-100 pages in length. The student’s advisor and one other faculty member evaluate the thesis on the basis of the quality of the research, analysis, and writing. History 499 satisfies the History Department colloquium requirement and the LSA Upper-Level Writing Requirement.
