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Writing an honors thesis offers students the opportunity to execute a substantial independent research project and to be considered for a Bachelor's Degree with Honors by the Department of Sociology. The following guidelines have been established to govern the process of applying for honors and its assessment by the department faculty.

Admission to the Sociology Department Honors Program requires:

• A minimum 3.5 GPA in Sociology and any other courses that fulfill the concentration by the end of Junior Year or a minimum overall GPA of 3.2. To figure out BOTH your Sociology GPA and overall GPA, check your transcript on Sage.
• Agreement by a member of the Sociology Faculty to be the principal supervisor of the thesis, preferably by the end of Junior year. This should be reported to both Undergraduate Advising Head Professor Laura Miller and Academic Administrator Judy Hanley by you or your thesis advisor.
• Enrollment in Sociology 99d in both semesters of Senior year. Important: this course will not be counted toward the requirements for the concentration.
• Attendance at Senior Thesis Information Meeting on Thursday, September 6 at 2:30 in Pearlman Lounge.
• For any further clarification of information contact Judy Hanley at x62630 (hanley@brandeis.edu). If you're having difficulty pairing up with a thesis advisor, consult with Department Chair Karen Hansen (Pearlman 209).

• A recommendation by your faculty thesis advisor to continue based on successful progress from fall term.
• If you or your advisor determine not to continue with the thesis in Spring term, you must withdraw from the SOC99d course bureaucratically with the Registrar. Failure to do so by the posted deadlines will create complicated problems for you as you approach graduation. Also, you must ask your thesis advisor to provide the Registrar with a letter grade for Fall term if s/he has not already done so. (Many professors report mid-year thesis grades as "satisfactory" or "unsatisfactory" to the Registrar.)

• Before the end of junior hear, you and your advisor should have achieved tentative mutual agreement on the thesis topic.
• At Fall registration you should obtain your thesis advisor's signature on an Add Form (print one from the Registrar's website) to enroll in SOC 99d. You must then BRING the form to the Registrar at Kutz.
• VERY IMPORTANT: If you are going to write a thesis based on data from human subjects - through interviews, participant observation, databases, etc. - you need to go through an approval process with the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Brandeis. The IRB's purpose is to make sure that you do not take advantage of your research subjects and that the research benefits outweigh the risks. IRB approval takes time, and you need approval before beginning your study, so submit your proposal as soon as you have a topic in hand to avoid any unnecessary delays in your research. An explanation of the forms you need to submit can be found at http://www.brandeis.edu/osp/hsintro.html. You should print out and complete the two necessary forms which are available on-line at http://www.brandeis.edu/osp/hsforms/facsponsor.pdf and http://www.brandeis.edu/osp/hsforms/researchreview.pdf. If you have any questions or would like feedback on your proposal before submitting it, see Professor Conrad. Once completed, it should be hand carried to the Office of Grants and Contracts in Bernstein-Marcus 117. The evaluation meetings normally only occur on the first Thursday of each month and the paperwork must be received by that office 10 business days in advance since all the committee members must read a very large volume of applications. Take care of this in September if at all possible or you may lose valuable time in your research. Students must also participate in a training session with the IRB. Two are held each term. Contact mclark@brandeis.edu to find out when they are scheduled for.
  • Tip: sometimes applications aren't approved and no notification goes out to you. Be sure you follow up on the status after the meeting in case you have more work to do.

• By Friday, September 21st, you should have submitted a thesis prospectus to your advisor and to Undergraduate Advising Head Laura Miller. Yes, TWO copies. Your advisor can suggest length and format requirements, but prospecti commonly include a proposal (problem statement, literature review, methods, significance), a list of bibliographic and other sources to be consulted, and a preliminary outline of the proposed work. These materials are to be presented in sufficient detail to allow your faculty advisor to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your plan for research and analysis and to make appropriate suggestions while the thesis is still in its formative stage. The prospectus can also be used to solicit comments at this point from faculty members you might consider as second readers.
• By Monday, December 3rd, you should have submitted the first major installment of your work to your thesis advisor. Whatever form it takes (e.g., a rough draft of the whole thesis, a draft of the first few chapters, or demonstrated completion of data collection) it should be of sufficient weight to allow your advisor to judge whether you are making satisfactory progress and therefore should be allowed to continue in the program.
• By Tuesday, January 15th, you should submit the second major installment of your work to your thesis advisor.
• By Friday, February 15th, you should have submitted a complete draft of the entire study to each of your departmental and outside readers.
• Tuesday, February 26th is the last day to drop this course without transcript notification 'W' (signature of instructor is required). If you drop the course, please let Judy know also.
• By Monday, March 24th, you should have completed your review of all readers' suggestions and conferred with them on the final thrust of your thesis. April 21-25 is spring recess, so it makes lots of sense to have conferred with your advisor well before then so you know what must be done over this pivotal recess.
• Wednesday, April 2nd is the last day to drop this course with "W." (Signature of the instructor is required)
• Wednesday, April 16th is the absolute deadline for submitting your complete, revised, final draft to each member of your thesis committee. This will allow faculty readers sufficient time during the busy end of semester period to read the thesis.
• On May 1 at noon a symposium is scheduled for you to briefly present your work. It's a fun and satisfying event for all. A great culmination to the year's work.
• Your Faculty advisor must turn in your thesis grade to the Registrar by Monday, May 5th at 10 a.m.
• Your individual oral defense should be scheduled by May 3rd at the latest. It is up to you to work out a date that is agreeable to you and your 3 faculty. Typically the defense lasts less than an hour. You may request help from Judy Hanley in finding a room.
• A 'clean' copy of your thesis, along with a Library Archives Permissions form should be turned in to Judy by May 5th. This copy must be unbound. Judy will record your information in the Department files, then deposit your thesis with the library archivist.

For any further clarification of information contact Judy Hanley at x62630 (hanley@brandeis.edu).

If you expect your thesis to also fulfill the requirements of other programs or concentrations, more than 3 committee members may be necessary. Your deadlines may need to be adjusted to accommodate those requirements as well. During FALL term consult with any other departments for their specific rules and deadlines!

A limited number of Sociology Graduate Students may be available to be paired with thesis writers as an additional resource during the thesis process. Let Professor Miller know if you think you'd like to work with a graduate writing mentor. Please provide him with your topic so he can make appropriate assignments.

Limited funding assistance through the University may be available to thesis writers who petition for it. It is also on a 'first come, first serve' basis. For further information go to the Dean of Arts and Sciences website (http://www.brandeis.edu/das).