Undergraduate Honors Program
The Honors Program in International Development and Social Change provides advanced students with an opportunity to carry out independent research on an issue of interest to her or him. To graduate with honors, you must conduct and successfully complete a two-semester independent Honors Thesis or project on a topic of relevance in the field of international development.
The Honors Program in IDSC is required for students wishing to apply to the IDSC B.A./M.A. program and is open to juniors who: 1) have a minimum grade point average of 3.25 overall and 3.5 in the IDSC major by the end of the first semester of the junior year, and 2) demonstrate that they are able to undertake independent research on a topic relevant to the major. If you wish to be admitted to the Honors Program in IDSC but do not meet the above eligibility criteria, you may petition the Director of the IDCE Department.
If you wish to participate in the IDSC Honors Program, you must successfully follow the procedure outlined below.
1. If you are an IDSC major who is interested and eligible, you must review the Honors Thesis guidelines and meet with the Undergraduate Program Coordinator in early March of your junior year (Please note: If you are interested in the Honors Program and plan to study abroad during junior year, you should speak to your faculty advisor, the Undergraduate Program Coordinator, and a potential First Reader before going away).
2. You should identify a potential First Reader, preferably from among the IDSC Program Core faculty, and develop a Prospectus for your Honors Thesis/Project in consultation with him or her. Your Honors Thesis/Project is supervised by an Honors Committee. This committee is composed of two members of the IDSC faculty, at least one of whom — preferably the First Reader — must be a core IDSC faculty. With the approval of your faculty advisor and/or the IDSC Undergraduate Program Coordinator, an IDCE affiliate faculty member may supervise your Thesis/Project.
3. No later than two weeks prior to the fall preregistration period, you should submit a two-page PROSPECTUS to the IDCE Office. Your prospectus should indicate the name of your First Reader (make sure you have asked him/her first) and:
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the central theme and research question of your thesis/project
- why this issue is important in the field of international development and the key debates around it
- four to six potential keywords of your thesis/project
- a title that captures the essence of your thesis/project and describes it succinctly
- a preliminary bibliography of six to ten scholarly sources that you have consulted so far and that you think will help shape your work. (Please note: Citations should be formatted in a correct and consistent manner.)
If you are abroad during junior year, you should consult with a potential First Reader via email and send the Prospectus to the IDCE Office by the same deadline as students in residence at Clark
4. You are encouraged to meet with your First Reader before the end of the spring term to set up a plan of work that you can pursue independently over the summer. Your reader will need a revised copy of your Prospectus and an extended preliminary bibliography in order to assist you as you write a proposal, which is the next step of your thesis/project.
5. In general, the Honors Thesis/Project consists of two credits given over two semesters. Most students will produce the Honors Thesis/Project during their senior year. Although in some circumstances, students may opt to enroll in the Honors Program for the spring semester of their junior year and the fall semester of the senior year. Regardless of the sequence, for the first semester you must register for an Independent Study (ID 299) under the direction of your First Reader. If you complete the first semester’s work satisfactorily, you are eligible to register for an Honors Thesis (ID 297) in the second semester of the two-semester sequence. Please contact the IDCE Office if you need help with registration. (Please note: If you are planning to conduct Honors work across two departments, see number 9 below.)
6. On the tenth day of classes of the fall semester if you still wish to undertake an Honors Thesis, you submit a five-page DRAFT PROPOSAL of your research to your First Reader. The First Reader helps you revise the draft and identify a Second Reader. Your proposal should contain:
- An introduction that clearly indicates the research question of your thesis/project and the particular aspects of the topic you plan to address
- A brief review of the literature in international development on the broader issues and debates surounding your topic,
- A discussion of your research methodology that indicates what evidence you will use, who or what are your sources, and how you plan to use this evidence to address your central question,
- A preliminary outline of subtopics or subthemes of your research,
- A bibliography of 10-20 sources (at least half of these should be secondary sources) annotated to explain how each source contributes to or is relevant to your thesis/project. Citations should be formatted in a correct and consistent manner.
7. By the end of September, you, in consultation with your First Reader, finalize a research plan for your Honors Thesis/Project and a timetable for submitting completed chapters. You also confirm a Second Reader for your Honors Thesis/Project at this time. Then submit a revised copy of your proposal signed by your First Reader, a timetable for the completion of your project, and the names of the members of your Honors Committee to the IDCE Office.
8. In the spring of your senior year, you make a formal presentation of the research conducted for the Honors Thesis/Project. You can present your work at an IDCE “Brown Bag Lunch,” during the Capstone Seminar (ID 290), or at Academic Spree Day. Your final Honors Thesis is due in the IDCE Office on the date determined by the University for all information required for inclusion in the year’s Commencement activities.
9. If you are a double major who wishes to undertake an Honors Thesis/Project to satisfy both fields of study, you could (a) write two theses, each subject to the criteria of the respective departments, or (b) write one thesis that satisfies the criteria of both departments under the readership of two faculty members, one each from among the core faculty of each department. It is possible that you may be granted Honors for your project from both departments or from one department but not the other. (Please note: If you choose option (a) you are required to sign up for two credits each semester, one in each department. If you choose option (b), you must sign up for an independent study or Honors credit in one department during the first semester and in the other department during the second semester.)
10. Being eligible for the IDSC Honors Program and being admitted to it does not automatically guarantee the awarding of Honors. If you are accepted into the program but your work does not ultimately meet the criteria for an Honors designation, you may still be eligible for one or two credits of independent research, depending on the level of your progress. You may also elect to withdraw from the program at certain junctures of the process and still receive some credit for the work you completed.
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Academic Catalog & Requirements
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Additional Resources
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Child street vendor in Rwanda. Photo taken by Akosua Ampofo '05.
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