American Studies

Honors Thesis Schedule (AMST and ETHN)

The 2025-26 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 2025-26
September 19Honors application and proposal due to Honors Director (Elena_Shih@brown.edu)
December 12One finished chapter due to thesis advisor
December 19Progress report from thesis advisor due to Honors Director
March 16(Recommended) Full draft to thesis advisor and second reader
April 17Final draft of thesis in PDF format due to thesis advisor, second reader, Honors Director, and Concentration Advisor
April 24Bound hard copy of final draft with signatures due to department Academic Program Manager Gabriella Martinez

 

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.
NovemberSubmit 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.
JanuarySubmit draft of 2nd chapter.
FebruarySubmit 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. Start collecting signatures for hard copy signature page.
  • Fourth Friday in April - Submit bound hard copy of thesis with signatures to department Academic Program Manager Gabriella Martinez