REVEnglish Honors and Indep Study Proposal Oct 2021_0

PROPOSAL FORM Honors and Independent Projects in English Revised October 2021 Name: CMR: Phone: Email: Proposed course (Please check the appropriate line): HONORS PROJECT _ 498 FALL-SPRING of Senior Year SENIOR PROJECT _ 489 FALL Semester _ 490 SPRING Semester JUNIOR PROJECT _ 389 FALL Semester _ 390 SPRING Semester Eligibility: Only English majors who meet the GPA and course requirements below can propose an honors project in English Both English majors and minors who meet the requirements below are eligible to propose an independent project in English GPA Requirements: Overall GPA: 3.0 AND For Honors Project: 3.6 in English For Jr or Sr Project: 3.4 in English Checklist: In addition to completing this form (front and back), your proposal must include the following materials: An unofficial transcript (from APR2) A list of English courses (see below) A list of possible faculty advisors (see below) A carefully written, typed prospectus (see below) A tentative reading list (see below) Deadlines: Proposals for honors and fall semester independent projects are due to the chair of the English department by p.m (EST) on March Proposals for spring semester projects are due to the chair by p.m (EST) on November -For committee use only -APPROVED: Project Advisor: List of ENG courses completed at the 300 or 400 level To qualify for an honors or senior project, students must have completed at least two 300- or 400-level English courses To qualify for a junior project, students must have completed at least one 300-level English course Finally, to qualify for any independent study in creative writing, students must have completed the full sequence of courses (intro and advanced levels) in the genre of their proposed project by the conclusion of the semester BEFORE they intend to undertake the proposed project Please list those courses here as well, if relevant: _ _ _ _ _ _ List of possible faculty sponsors Before submitting a proposal, you should identify the English department’s acknowledged specialist(s) in your project’s area of concentration Ideally, you will shape your proposal in collaboration with a faculty member who is willing and able to advise the project for its duration However, you should also consult with other possible faculty advisors in the event that your preferred choice becomes unavailable The Honors and Independent Projects Committee will select faculty advisors on the basis of availability In other words, the student, the project topic, and the faculty advisor must be a good match Please list three names: _ _ _ _ Prospectus Attach a carefully written prospectus for the project (3-4 pages for Honors Projects; 2-3 pages for Independent Projects) This prospectus should have a logical structure (in essence, you’re making an argument for why your project matters); it should read like a polished paper that you would submit for a course assignment (be as detailed and specific as possible; a cursory, general, or careless proposal will not be considered); and it should answer the questions below: • What is the focus of your proposed project? Is it a creative writing or literary studies project? What exactly you plan to do—write a memoir, analyze a work of literature? What form you imagine the project taking—a chapbook, a series of essays, a critical article? (Please state these intentions clearly in the first paragraph of your prospectus.) • For critical writers, what texts, authors, genres, or traditions you plan to examine, and why? What critical methodologies will you employ? In other words, you might explain your intended theoretical approach (e.g., feminism, postcolonialism, etc.) and identify one or two critical theorists whose insights you intend to apply You are not wedded to this critical approach, but it may help to have a tentative plan in mind • For creative writers, what stylistic or formal choices will you make in your project? In other words, you aspire to practice a particular genre or employ any particular stylistic approaches? Who are the key influences on your project? Can you identify a few authors or books that may serve as models for your own work? • What is the purpose or goal of your project? What is its significance or exigence? Why does it matter, and why now? Who is the intended audience for your project? In other words, answer the “so what” question • Describe the genesis of this project How did you become interested in it? Did it begin as work for a previous course? If so, how you plan to build upon that work? What is the rationale for working on this project as an independent study or honors project? In other words, explain why the work you propose to undertake cannot be accommodated by, or incorporated into, an existing course • Summarize your consultations with English department faculty members regarding the project With whom have you consulted thus far? Have you assembled this proposal in collaboration with any faculty members? Which faculty member would you like to serve as your project advisor? Is your commitment to the project contingent upon working with anyone in particular? Are there other faculty members with whom you would be willing to work? • Include a short reading list of primary and/or secondary works that you will consult during your project (Tip: In collaboration with a faculty member, you should be able to generate a list of at least 3-4 titles.) Please format this reading list in MLA style • For Honors Projects, please include a tentative outline of summer work that you intend to complete before returning to campus For more details, please see section II.A., Advance Preparation, in the guidelines below The department is concerned that all independent projects be academically rigorous This prospectus is your opportunity to demonstrate the value of your project as well as your level of commitment to it The Honors and Independent Projects Committee will reject proposals in which the prospectus lacks clarity, professionalism, and a sense of purpose This prospectus should be typed as a Word document (not as an email), double-spaced, in Times New Roman 12-point font with one-inch margins Include your name in the upper left corner and give your project a tentative title Please write 3-4 pages for Honors Projects and 2-3 pages for Independent Projects Finally, the Honors and Independent Projects Committee may also request that you send along a writing sample to address any concerns about your potential as a creative or critical writer You not need to include this writing sample in your original proposal submission, but please be prepared to respond to the committee’s requests ENGLISH 498: HONORS PROJECT GUIDELINES English Department St Lawrence University Literary Studies and Creative Writing Projects I Project Calendar II Procedures A Advance Preparation B First Semester Schedule C Second Semester Schedule D Formation of Evaluative Committee E Committee Evaluation of Project F Final Submission of Project III Specifications A Content B Length C Title Page Format Registration: Students must first submit a proposal for an English 498 project, and have that proposal accepted by the English Department, before they can be assigned advisors and enroll in the course The English Department’s Honors and Independent Projects Committee will review all proposals—insufficiently focused proposals will be rejected Project acceptance, and advisor assignment, are also subject to the availability of faculty personnel Deadlines: Proposals for honors projects are due to the chair of the English department by p.m (EST) on March The department will send solicitation letters to eligible students, and will include suitable lead time for students attending programs abroad during the spring semester Minimum GPA in English courses: 3.6 Credits: Honors projects are independent studies that begin during the summer and continue through the fall and spring semesters of the senior year However, these projects count for only 1.0 unit of credit Candidates register for this unit in the fall semester, along with 3.0 additional units In the spring semester, candidates must register for at least 3.5 units of credit, in addition to completing their honors projects, to maintain full-time status I Project Calendar MARCH (of junior year): Submit proposal to the chair of the English Department by March The Honors and Independent Projects Committee will inform students of their acceptance or rejection in advance of the registration period APRIL – MAY (of junior year): Attend the Honors Project Reception (see below) Meet with project advisor (preferably in person, though remotely is acceptable if candidates are studying abroad) to establish a summer reading list and syllabus MAY – AUGUST: Complete summer work as outlined in Advance Preparation section Report to project advisor on a regular (i.e., monthly) basis via email Advisors need not respond in depth; the purpose of this interval is to read and prepare a critical response LATE AUGUST: Submit summer work to advisor by first week of fall semester If the student has not completed summer work in a satisfactory fashion, the advisor may convert the project to ENG 489 (Senior Project) Within one week of the start of the fall semester, the Honors candidate must begin weekly meetings with project advisor SEPTEMBER: 498 Seminar #1 In early September, the English department’s 498 coordinator will convene a meeting during which students will report on their summer progress and discuss the formation of evaluative committees Evaluative committees will be finalized by the end of September OCTOBER – NOVEMBER: 498 Seminar #2 Before Thanksgiving, students will meet again with the Honors and Independent Projects Committee to discuss their ongoing progress In advance of this meeting, the 498 coordinator will send a list of questions in response to which students should prepare some formal talking points MID-DECEMBER: Submit first draft of project to advisor by last day of fall semester classes If the student cannot produce a satisfactory draft, the advisor may choose to convert the project to an ENG 489 This decision will terminate the Honors candidacy and result in a final grade for the course Note: Some of the following deadlines may shift slightly in accordance with the individual needs of different projects and the advisor’s discretion WINTER BREAK: During winter break, the advisor will outline additional work or revisions for the student to complete before the first week of spring semester classes MID-JANUARY-EARLY FEBRUARY: Submit second (revised) draft of project to advisor and evaluative committee during the first two weeks of spring semester classes If the student has not completed revisions in a satisfactory fashion, the advisor may choose to convert the project to ENG 489 EARLY-MID FEBRUARY: Students will receive feedback from evaluative committees (also known as “second and third readers”) no later than mid-semester break (mid-February) FEBRUARY – MARCH: 498 Seminar #3 Between mid-semester and spring break, students will meet again with the Honors and Independent Projects Committee to discuss feedback and revision strategies The 498 coordinator may choose to organize a revision workshop MID-APRIL: Submit final draft to advisor and evaluative committee The advisor should meet (in person) with the evaluative committee to discuss the project and determine whether or not it merits the honors designation LATE APRIL: Honors Project Reception Seniors who have completed honors projects will attend a public gathering during which some or all of them read portions of their projects Juniors who will complete a project the following year should also attend this event EARLY MAY: If the evaluative committee approves your project for honors, please submit three copies to the English department secretary for the purposes of binding Celebrate! II Procedures A Advance Preparation (Junior Year) Students must meet with project advisors before the end of the spring semester in which their proposals are accepted in order to establish a summer syllabus, clarify the expectations for summer work (e.g., reading list, annotated bibliography, reading response schedule), and plan for the fall semester Students should leave for summer break with a schedule of clear deadlines for the summer work to be completed by the first week of fall semester classes Students may utilize SLU Summer Fellowships as preparation for an honors project, but the work completed for the fellowship must fall within the scope of the honors project While it is possible that a student may bring a certain amount of previously drafted work to an honors project, the English department expects that the project will consist substantially of new work produced during the scope of the senior year Any previously drafted work will also be subjected to substantive revision and rewriting in the course of the project B First Semester Senior Year Schedule Weekly Meetings: During the fall semester, the student should plan on meeting with the project advisor at least once a week This phase of the project is intended as a time of intensive reading, research, discussion, and drafting, thus allowing the writer time to become conversant with the issues and challenges involved in the project English 498 Seminars and 2: In addition to weekly meetings with advisors, students are required to attend two seminar sessions with the Honors and Independent Projects Committee During each of these seminars, students will report on their progress, field questions from the Committee, and converse with other students completing projects The purpose of these meetings is to remind students of project procedures and deadlines, to monitor their progress, and perhaps most importantly, to provide a supportive space for the discussion of critical and creative writing projects Students may find that talking aloud about their projects enables them to work through challenges or better clarify their purposes The committee (and other students) may offer a fresh perspective on different projects and/or provide an additional source of motivation Likewise, the committee may encourage students to organize writing groups in which they share drafts of their written works with their peers These meetings will be convened by the English department’s Honors and Independent Studies Coordinator In advance of each 498 seminar, the coordinator may send students a list of questions to which they will be expected to respond during the meeting At the discretion of the Coordinator, students may be asked to prepare formal talking points in advance of the meeting Fall Deadlines: A complete first draft of the project is due by the last day of fall semester classes The project advisor will give the writer timely feedback on this draft, thus enabling the student to begin the task of revision and expansion over the winter break If the student fails to produce a complete first draft at the end of the fall semester, the advisor will issue a grade for the project at this time In this case, the student’s transcript will be adjusted to show participation in English 489: Independent Project, rather than English 498: Honors Project C Second Semester Senior Year Schedule Spring Deadlines: The student writer should return to campus in January with a new and thoroughly revised draft of the project The student should submit this revised draft to the project advisor and the evaluative committee during the first week of the spring semester The advisor and committee members will return their comments and suggestions for further revision no later than mid-semester break (in mid-February) After responding to the committee’s feedback, often by making further revisions, writers will present final drafts to their evaluative committees no later than mid-April, when committees will decide whether to grant honors or not If the student fails to produce a complete or satisfactory second draft upon returning from winter break, or the advisor feels at this time that the student writer is not prepared (or motivated, or capable) of pursuing the project to its final evaluation for honors designation, the advisor may terminate the project The advisor should consider such factors as the student’s ability to grasp intellectually the central issues vital to the pursuit of the project, the quality of the student’s writing, responsiveness to feedback, etc when making the determination to continue or to terminate the project In the case of termination, the advisor will issue a grade in May, and the student’s transcript will be adjusted to show participation in English 489: Independent Project, rather than English 498: Honors Project English 498 Seminar 3: Between mid-semester and spring break, students will meet again with the Honors and Independent Projects Committee to discuss feedback and revision strategies The 498 coordinator may choose to organize a revision workshop at this time Honors Project Reception: In late April, seniors who have completed honors projects will attend a public gathering during which some or all of them read portions of their projects Juniors who will complete a project the following year should also attend this event Students who have completed exemplary independent projects may also be invited to participate in this reception D Formation of Evaluative Committee Each project will be evaluated for the honors designation by a committee of three faculty members consisting of the project advisor and two other individuals with expertise or research interests in the subject matter of the project In most cases these second and third readers will be members of the English Department, but not always—for example, a study of eighteenth-century English Francophiles might usefully be read by a member of the Modern Languages Department who offers coursework in French Literature This committee will be constituted before the end of September, in order to allow faculty members to plan accordingly for the spring semester when they will provide feedback on the projects The 498 coordinator will propose committee assignments to the department (either via email or during a department meeting) with division of labor as the primary criterion, followed closely where possible by research interest/activity Once department members have approved these assignments, advisors should identify for their 498 students the other faculty serving as readers for their projects E Committee Evaluation of Project The issue of evaluation of an English 498 project must be divided into two concerns: grading the project, and determining whether the project merits the honors designation When the project continues, an X-grade is issued at the end of the first semester, in recognition that the student has had to spend a significant amount of time in researching and initial drafting The grade for the project, assigned by the project advisor at the end of the year-long process in April (see Second Semester Schedule above), should reflect the entire process independent of whether the student receives the honors designation for it or not Hence, a student who works very hard throughout the year may produce a project that receives the honors designation, but may also receive less than a 4.0 grade because of the advisor’s evaluations of the student’s ability to respond to criticism or advice, to meet deadlines, etc The converse is also a possible scenario The members of the evaluative committee are expected to write two rounds of responses to the project, both of which they should send to the project advisor (not the student) The first response consists of critical or creative feedback to the project draft received in late January or early February (For critical projects, this response may emulate the feedback given to scholars by journal reviewers when they submit articles for publication consideration Alternatively, for creative projects, this first response may emulate the kind of feedback that editors of publishing houses provide for their authors In other words, the first response identifies revisions necessary before resubmission.) The second response consists of a more concise summative evaluation of the final draft of the project received in April This evaluation should consider whether or not the final project has met the reader’s expectations for revision; it may or may not explicitly state the reader’s recommendation for or against the honors designation That level of discretion is up to the individual reader (Note: While project advisors may choose to share the first response with students, the second response should be kept strictly confidential See below.) Ideally, the project advisor will convene a face-to-face meeting in which members of the evaluative committee discuss their responses to the project, cast votes for or against honors, and arrive at a consensus decision If two members of the committee believe the project should be approved for honors, but a third member disagrees, the committee should carefully reconsider their evaluation of the project and consult with the English department chair or 498 coordinator, though the student can still be granted honors on a two-to-one vote in favor If two of the three committee members vote against honors, the student cannot be granted the honors designation Confidentiality: The vote count for and against honors must be kept strictly confidential Under no circumstances should a project advisor or member of the evaluative committee share the vote count with a student All faculty participants in honors projects should adhere to the following procedure for reporting consensus decisions for and against honors: o During the final week of the spring semester, the project advisor should report the evaluative committee’s consensus decision to the English 498 coordinator o The English 498 coordinator will then communicate the consensus decision to the student and the English department chair The 498 coordinator will only report whether or not the decision was for or against honors The vote count will be kept strictly confidential o The English department chair will then communicate English honors recipients to the registrar o All faculty involved in the project should refrain from discussing the consensus decision with the student until after the 498 coordinator has informed the student Thereafter, the project advisor may choose to meet with the student to explain the committee’s rationale The project advisor may only discuss the consensus decision with the student; the vote count and individual votes must be kept strictly confidential F Final Submission of Project Before the end of finals week, the student should email the FINAL thesis in pdf form to the English Department secretary The student must also create a separate title page WITHOUT signatures in pdf form (please follow the model at the end of this packet) and email that to the English Department secretary, who will then ask the project advisor and readers to sign all of the forms, so they can be submitted to the library for binding (by the secretary) All three signatures will be collected, even if one member of the evaluative committee has not approved the project for honors: the signature demonstrates membership in the evaluative committee, not approval for honors After the books are bound and delivered to the English Department from the Library, one copy will be sent to the student, one will be sent to the project advisor (who may decide to make this copy available to the student as well), one will remain with ODY Library and placed in the permanent archives, and one will go into the English Department’s library of honors projects in the Delmage Lounge III Specifications A Content Literary Analysis To qualify for the “honors” designation, a project must demonstrate: • originality of argument (that is, it must more than synthesize the critical arguments of other writers but instead make a meaningful intervention in the critical conversation); • familiarity with secondary sources relevant to the topic of the analysis; • a coherent and well executed critical methodology (in most cases, the writer will adopt an explicit theoretical position and employ a methodology or methodologies germane to that theoretical position); and • clarity and convincing quality of interpretive/argumentative thesis Structurally, the project should consist of a title page (see Section C below for format), table of contents (optional), article text, endnotes, and references (divided into Works Cited and Works Consulted) Stylistically, the project should follow the conventions of scholarly discourse as modeled by works of secondary scholarship published in academic journals or essay collections In other words, the student should aim to write a critical article with a logical organizational structure that includes an introduction (e.g., an attention-grabbing hook, a review of the critical conversation, a statement of the project’s central argument/thesis and critical contribution, an explanation of the critical methodology, etc.), multiple subsections (e.g., theoretical context, historical background, biographical information, textual analysis of different works, etc.), and a conclusion (e.g., recap the main points of the argument, emphasize the significance or ongoing relevance of the project, take the discussion to new territory by looking beyond the material at hand and connecting to contemporary or future concerns) The project should also follow the conventions of MLA or Chicago Style in terms of its format and citation style If using MLA Style, cite last names and page numbers in parenthetical citations and include a Works Cited list divided into Works Cited and Works Consulted In MLA Style, you may choose to use discursive endnotes if you wish If using Chicago Style, please use discursive endnotes (not footnotes) with short citation format and include a Bibliography divided into Works Cited and Works Consulted Writing Project To qualify for the “honors” designation, a project must demonstrate: • artistic merit (that is, it must display authorial intentionality, a keen sense of literary and generic conventions, originality, and polish); • more than passing familiarity and facility with the genre(s) and sub-genre(s) practiced; and • stylistic sophistication (carefully crafted diction, tone, etc consistent with acknowledged practitioners of the genre) In most cases, the writer will be drafting with the work of other genre writers in mind-not necessarily in imitation of them, or in response to them, but with them in mind as models of effective, respected genre practice Structurally, the project should consist of a title page (see Section C below for format), table of contents (unless project is a novel, screenplay or stage play), introduction or critical preface (discussing the genesis of the project, including research specifically related to it and articulating the process of revision employed by the writer; the writer should also identify the source of any work previously drafted before initiating the current project and include aims for that work regarding revision/rewriting), the collection/novel/screenplay/stage play/memoir/etc., and a reading list (including works by of influential stylists studied by the student writer in preparation for the project and/or works consulted during research for the project) B Length Literary Analysis Minimum of 25 pages (excluding endnotes and references), with average range between 30-35 pages Manuscripts of over 40 pages’ length must be justified by the complexity of the topic, comprehensiveness of treatment, etc., and must have the project advisor’s approval before submission for committee evaluation Writing Project Projected length for writing projects varies largely according to genre Below are the minimums to qualify (projects can be longer at the advisor’s discretion): • • • • • • • • POETRY: 30 pages SHORT FICTION: 50 pages NOVELLA: 60 pages NOVEL : 120 pages CREATIVE NONFICTION COLLECTION: 50 pages MEMOIR (BOOK-LENGTH): 120 pages SCREENPLAY: 80 pages, with industry format employed throughout STAGE PLAY: 80 pages 10 C Title Page [see following page for example] The title page consists of the following elements: title (centered, in large type font); the words “in fulfillment of the requirements for Departmental Honors in English” followed by the date on which the final manuscript is submitted to the English Department secretary after having been approved for honors (see Committee Evaluation of Project); the name and home address of the student; and the signatures of the student’s evaluative committee, with the project advisor’s name appearing first 11 Title: Subtitle (e.g., A Novel) in fulfillment of the requirements for Departmental Honors in English DATE Honors Candidate’s NAME Home ADDRESS Signature of Project Advisor Signature of First Project Reader Signature of Second Project Reader 12 ... the upper left corner and give your project a tentative title Please write 3-4 pages for Honors Projects and 2-3 pages for Independent Projects Finally, the Honors and Independent Projects Committee... proposal for an English 498 project, and have that proposal accepted by the English Department, before they can be assigned advisors and enroll in the course The English Department’s Honors and. .. completing their honors projects, to maintain full-time status I Project Calendar MARCH (of junior year): Submit proposal to the chair of the English Department by March The Honors and Independent