Find a Preliminary Topic. During the Winter term of your next-to-last year, begin thinking of a general topic area that you would like to explore more deeply. This can be an extension of a topic that touched on in course or in a term paper but did not have the opportunity to research in depth. Alternatively, it can be a topic of personal interest that is related in some way to your program. You can review recent honours theses to assist you in choosing your own topic.

Find a Supervisor. Also during the Winter term, being approaching faculty members with whom you would like to explore the topic. It is important to do this as early as possible since it can be difficult to make contact over the summer. You may have to approach several faculty members and refine your topic over a period of time before achieving a match between potential supervisor and topic.

Note: Although supervisors are typically faculty members from Communications & Culture, members of other faculties may also supervise your thesis if their area of interest is appropriate.  Supervisors must be regular faculty members.  Sessional instructors are not paid to take on extra tasks such as honours supervision.

Get the Forms. Once you have verbal agreement, or at least an indication of interest, from a faculty member who is willing to supervise you, print off the Honours Guidelines and Application Form.

Submit Form One. By June 1, submit Honours Form One and a summer reading list with your supervisor's signature and a brief (two page) proposal for your project to Dianne Fox in SS 110 . This proposal should be developed in consultation with your supervisor and include:

• An overview of the question you will research. The question should normally be related to your Communications & Culture major but interdisciplinary approaches are strongly encouraged. The question should also be focussed enough to be researchable in eight months.
• A mention of why the question is significant.
• An indication of how you will research the topic. Will you use mostly library materials or will you conduct primary research such as surveys, interviews, ethnography, etc.?
• A working bibliography containing at least some major sources of information (you needn't have read them all yet.)  You can see some examples of preliminary proposals here.  These will get you started reading over the summer.
  

Contact Honours Program Coordinator to make an appointment to discuss your proposal before June 1.

Get Ethics Approval if Needed. You will need approval from the Ethics Committee if your project involves interviews or any other form of research involving human subjects. Click here for more information and to download related forms. Your supervisor will help you with this process.