English Honors Program
Designed to enrich the experience of the English major for the best and most dedicated students, English Honors comprises a series of courses that fit within the normal course-load limits. The program consists of two honors seminars (English 401 and/or 402) and an independent study (English 501) that culminates in an English Honors thesis. All English Honors seminars meet WR (writing intensive) requirements and can count toward the major.
Students who complete the English Honors requirements receive a milestone on the transcript indicating this special distinction.
Admission
Admission to English Honors requires the following criteria. You should apply if you:
● are an English major with sixty or more credit hours completed
● have a 3.5 English and 3.0 overall GPAs
● have completed one of the following courses: English 301, 302, 413, 414, 415, 416, or 417
● have obtained a recommendation from an English faculty member
The admission application can be found here.
Contact Information
Pleaseaddress any questions about English Honors to:
Dr. Joseph Turner, English Honors Advisor
Email: joseph.turner@louisville.edu
Department of English
318b Bingham Humanities Building
University of Louisville
Louisville, KY 40292
Honors Seminars
English Honors seminars are thematically focused, small (maximum of sixteen students), interdisciplinary, and open to honors students only. The seminar format allows students to investigate topics in-depth and to discuss their findings with highly motivated peers. Seminar descriptions for the next academic year coming soon!
Spring 2025: ENGL 402: Thinking like Shakespeare, with Dr. Joe Turner (MW 2-3:15 in HUM 223)
This course is interested in how Shakespeare thinks and why that is important to us in the 21st century. Although we will examine Shakespeare’s plays as artistic achievements, our primary focus is what those works can teach us about thinking: what it looks like, how it works, what goes wrong when we do too little or the wrong kind. How - for example - can we use Shakespeare’s plays as a route to understanding earlier educational systems, which prized different habits of mind than we value now? Can we use Shakespeare to become more flexible, responsive, and empathic in our thinking?
My role is to help you to improve your analytical and expressive skills. As a result, my feedback will be tailored to each individual student’s strengths and targeted to address areas of improvement. In this course, you should expect to read great works of literature and to compose in response in a variety of media. You should also expect that the skills developed in this course will help you in other coursework at UofL and in your life outside of the university. Please reach out to me if you’re interested in this course and/or English Honors: joseph.turner@louisville.edu
English Honors Thesis
An independent study course (English 501), covering a topic of the student’s choice, is developed and completed under the direction of an English faculty member who serves as the student’s advisor. The resultant thesis may be submitted for English Honors and/or as an A&S Senior Thesis. The same thesis can satisfy both.
Students who wish to pursue an A&S Senior Thesis should consult with Katherine Rucker (katherine.rucker@louisville.edu) to ensure adherence to A&S guidelines. For students pursuing the A&S Senior Thesis and English Honors, the A&S guidelines supersede those included here.
Independent Study
Students typically take English 501 during the final semester of coursework. Although the bulk of the thesis is generally completed during the final semester, students are encouraged to begin work on the thesis earlier and devote time to it over the final two semesters of coursework.
The Independent Study must include a syllabus constructed by the student with input from the thesis advisor. The syllabus usually includes intended readings and a schedule for composing the thesis.
The English Honors Advisor can supply a sample syllabus. The thesis advisor must upload the syllabus to Blackboard and follow all SACS guidelines.
Thesis Guidelines
English Honors theses are typically between 30-50 total pages and may be creative or critical. Often, the thesis will grow from ideas developed in the student’s coursework in English and English Honors seminars.
Critical theses focus on a set of texts, an interpretive or social problem, or a historical period (among many other possibilities). The thesis should include a critical introduction that outlines the project’s scope and any important theoretical paradigms featured within.
Creative theses are often (but not limited to) a series of linked story stories, a collection of poems, or a section of a novel. Regardless of form, creative theses also have a critical introduction of 5-10 pages that outlines important influences, themes, and interpretative issues.
The thesis should be formatted according to a citation style of the student’s choosing (typically MLA).
The final thesis draft should be distributed to the committee two weeks prior to the defense.
Completing an English Honors thesis is great preparation for graduate school and many students use the thesis as a writing sample for graduate school applications.
English Honors Thesis Committee
The English Honors Thesis committee is composed of three faculty: the advisor, a second reader, and the English Honors Advisor. Students are expected to select and secure an advisor, which should occur by the end of the junior year. The English Honors Advisor can help select an advisor.
Scheduling the Defense
The thesis must be defended two weeks prior to graduation, although students are encouraged to schedule the defense date as early as possible. Defenses will be completed during regular hours in a Fall or Spring semester unless the entire committee has agreed to an alternative.
Students are responsible for scheduling the defense. The English Honors Advisor is happy to help.
Defense Format
The defense can be in-person or virtual (e.g., via MS Teams). It lasts up to an hour. The typical format is a brief presentation by the student (5-10 minutes) followed by roughly thirty minutes of discussion. The committee then asks the student to leave the room so they can decide among three possible outcomes: pass, pass with revision, and fail. “Pass with revision” is the most common decision by far. The student is then invited back into the room to discuss the committee’s decision. In the event of a “pass with revision,” the student and advisor determine a timeline for resubmission. In such an event, the advisor alone makes the final determination (that is, there is not an additional defense and the committee is no longer involved).
After all English Honors requirements are completed successfully (including the defense), the English Honors Advisor will add the English Honors Certificate to the student’s transcript.
Unsuccessful Defenses
In the event of a “fail” decision, the student can undertake revisions for a second defense. The committee will offer guidance on the scope of revisions. The decision resulting from the second defense is final.
Appeals of the initial “fail” decision can be made to the English Honors Advisor in writing within 48 hours of the defense’s conclusion.
