Honors Program in Political Science - BA

Program Overview

The Honors Program in Political Science at AUC is a culminating experience for senior students, involving research under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Students engage in small, closed-enrollment classes in the fall semester and complete a thesis in the spring semester, preparing them for further study or post-graduate employment. The thesis is evaluated based on substantive content, research design, and communication skills, and successful completion is a capstone achievement for students in the Political Science program.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The Honors Program in Political Science is a crucial part of the department's academic life and a capstone experience allowing students to conclude their time at AUC by working one-on-one with a department member. Honors students will take small, closed-enrollment classes together in the Fall semester of their senior year. In the Spring semester of their senior year, honors students will complete research under the supervision of an adviser of their choice (subject to availability), preparing themselves for post-graduate employment or further study.

Assessment:

The thesis is evaluated by a pass/fail standard. Broadly speaking, the theses are evaluated in terms consistent with the type of evaluative standards one sees for other writing at AUC. The evaluation of writing in POLS 4000 provides examples. To simplify, a thesis that is grossly insufficient in any one of the following areas will be unlikely to receive a passing grade, and a thesis that achieves honors recognition will excel in these areas. The three areas are:

• Substantive content: showing competence in the research area/subfield, including the supporting evidence that the student uses to advance their thesis statement.
• Research design and methodology: the rigor, sufficiency, and insightfulness of the research design and its successful application to address the student’s research question.
• Diction and style: does the student successfully communicate their research to a non-specialist audience?

Teaching:

The faculty adviser is the primary adviser guiding the student through the process of writing their thesis. You will sign a contract with your adviser (see: advising contract, adapted with permission from Harvard University’s advising contract). You will use the advising checklist to make sure that each party (student advisee and faculty adviser) have a clear idea about the commitment they are making, and what each expects to occur during the thesis writing process. (See: advising checklist, adapted with permission from Harvard University’s checklist.)

Other:

Students wishing to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in political science or the political science minor should meet the minimum academic and admission requirements set by AUC. The student retains intellectual property in the thesis and may submit it in whole or in part for publication in other venues. Before submitting the thesis, the student will be asked to sign a waiver outlining several options governing the accessibility of the thesis in soft copy and hard copy.