Guidelines for the Senior Honors Thesis in
Jewish, Islamic and Near Eastern Studies

Jewish, Islamic and Near Eastern Studies majors who have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher after six semesters are eligible to apply for candidacy for departmental senior honors. Once they receive departmental approval, candidates must satisfactorily complete a senior honors thesis to be recommended to the College for honors.

The senior honors thesis is a research project that is significantly larger than the usual term paper. It is usually 50-60 pages long. In writing this thesis, the candidate is expected to make use of both primary and secondary sources and to demonstrate critical and analytic skills. The candidate is also encouraged to make use of any foreign-language skills she/he may possess for the research. Proper citation of sources and a clear and consistent stylistic format will be expected.

Candidates, in consultation with their advisors, should choose their area of interest and find an appropriate faculty member to serve as their thesis supervisor in the spring semester of their junior year. They then need to apply for the honors program in writing to the Director of Jewish, Islamic and Near Eastern Studies by September 1. The written application should contain a tentative description of the project, the supervisor's endorsement of the candidacy, and the candidate's unofficial transcript with the latest GPA clearly indicated. This early planning allows candidates to use the summer months to conduct preliminary research. Candidates must enroll in JINES 499, "Independent Work for Senior Honors,” in both the fall and spring semesters of their senior year (normally for a total of six credit hours).

The responsibilities of the thesis supervisor include: setting up regular meetings with the candidate; helping the candidate design a research and writing plan; monitoring the candidate's progress through meetings and periodic written drafts; and offering feedback in a timely fashion.

The responsibilities of the candidate include: setting up regular meetings with the thesis supervisor; adhering to the research-and-writing plan jointly developed by the candidate and the supervisor; seeking out the supervisor for help when needed; meeting agreed-upon deadlines and abiding by the guidelines outlined in the Statement of Student Academic Integrity.

The candidate needs to write a substantial progress report (a 20-30 page document with an outline of the thesis, a schedule of completion, and a bibliography) by the first day of the spring semester. No candidate will be allowed to continue the program unless this report is submitted on time and is accepted as satisfactory by the supervisor. The student will receive a grade of I for the fall semester.

By the first week of March, candidates should submit a final draft of their thesis to their supervisor. The thesis will be evaluated by a committee of two faculty members, including the supervisor. It is extremely important that this draft be submitted on time: late submission will be sufficient cause for candidates to lose their chance to receive Honors.

Committee members may suggest revisions to the thesis. They will also decide whether or not to forward their recommendation to the director of Jewish, Islamic and Near Eastern Studies that the candidate be awarded Honors.

By or before April 15th, the candidate should submit the completed thesis, with revisions if necessary, to the JINES office.

The final draft should be typed (please use 12-point font), double-spaced, with 1" margins all around. It should either be bound or placed in a notebook, so that it can be shelved in the program office along with other theses and dissertations. The supervisor will then submit the grade for both semesters of JINES 499.

Please note that awards of A.B. cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude currently require cumulative averages of 3.5, 3.65, and 3.8 respectively. Also, transfer students must have earned at least 40 graded units within the five residential undergraduate schools of the University prior to the final semester; grades earned at other institutions do not figure in the calculation of minimum averages required for eligibility for Honors.