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College of Arts and Sciences

Honors Research in History

The honors research program invites outstanding undergraduate history majors to pursue intensive, year-long research on a topic of their own choosing under the supervision of a faculty mentor.  The program allows admitted students to produce a senior thesis reflective of the highest standards of the scholarly discipline as part of a community of history honors students.  Projects should be based on extensive primary source research, advance an original thesis, and demonstrate a clear grasp of existing scholarship on the selected topic.

History majors may apply to the program if they meet the following eligibility criteria.

  • Senior standing
  • A 3.3 GPA in both the history major and overall
  • A clear articulation of a proposed research topic

NOTE: Under current history major requirements, the second semester of honors research is pursued in addition to the 36-credit major. It does not require that you have finished all requirements for the major prior to applying, but HIST 5711 does not count as an upper-division elective.

Program Structure

Students will be admitted to the honors program in the spring semester of their junior year and undertake two semesters of honors course work (for a total of 6 credits) during their senior year. 

During the fall semester of their senior year, admitted students will participate in a designated honors section of HIST 5199: Senior Seminar.  This section of HIST 5199 will be organized around broad historiographical and theoretical issues rather than focused on a particular chronological period, geographical area, or theme.  Throughout the fall semester, each student will continue to consult with his or her individual thesis advisor.

For more information, please contact the Honors Research coordinator, Prof. Sara Fieldston. Students who are interested in pursuing Honors Research in AY 2019-2020, are encouraged to view the application »

Current Honors Research Projects

  1. John Ruela, "Between Bear and Eagle: Turkey in the Early Cold War." Advisor: Dr. Golbarg Rekabtalaei
  2. Samantha Schell, "Origins of Intersectionality: Black Communist Women in America During the Cold War." Advisor: Dr. Sara Fieldston
  3. Luke Schreder, "Native American Imagery and Masculinity in the Early Years of the Boy Scouts of America." Advisor: Dr. Sara Fieldston
  4. Ethan Wojciechowski, "Rationalizing Political Oppression: Abram Flaxer, Joseph Shelly, and Anti-Communism in the American Labor Movement." Advisor: Dr. Sara Fieldston