American Studies

Honors Thesis Schedule (AMST and ETHN)

The 2023-24 Honors Director for both AMST and ETHN concentrators is Professor Elena Shih. Email her at Elena_Shih@brown.edu with questions about the honors process.

Deadlines for Academic Year 2023-24
September 15 Honors application and proposal due to Honors Director (Elena_Shih@brown.edu)
December 12 One finished chapter due to thesis advisor
December 20 Progress report from thesis advisor due to Honors Director
March 18 (Recommended) Full draft to thesis advisor and second reader
April 19 Final draft of thesis in PDF format due to thesis advisor, second reader, Honors Director, and Concentration Advisor
April 26 Hard copy of final draft with signatures to department

 

Sample Schedule

Breakdown of a sample Honors Thesis schedule

September
  • Meet with thesis advisor. Go over prospectus. Have advisor suggest additional secondary sources.
  • Submit focused review essay (six to eight pages) on how secondary sources treat your topic (i.e. a reworking of the literature review in your thesis proposal).
  • Proposal due to departmental Honors Director during the second week of classes. Also submit a revised bibliography of secondary sources.
October
  • Submit a tentative outline of each chapter. Identify issues to be examined and primary sources to be consulted.
  • Submit detailed outline of first chapter with bibliography of primary and secondary sources.
November Submit draft of first chapter and detailed outline of second chapter with bibliography.
December
  • Submit a revised first chapter to your thesis advisor.
  • Submit a "state of the thesis" report to your thesis advisor (i.e. what you've accomplished over the semester and what your next steps will be in your research and writing).
  • Advisor submits a progress report to the Honors Director regarding the work done thus far.
January Submit draft of 2nd chapter.
February Submit draft of 3rd chapter.
March
  • Mid-March - Full first draft to your thesis advisor and second reader (chapters, introduction, conclusion).
  • Work on polishing bibliography, footnotes, and formatting while advisor/reader review draft.
April
  • Revise based on advisor/reader feedback.
  • Third Friday in April - Submit final thesis in PDF format to Thesis Advisor, Reader, Honors Director, and Concentration Advisor.
  • Fourth Friday in April - Submit hard copy of thesis with signatures to department.