What is the Honours Program?

The Honours Program in the Faculty of Communication & Culture provides the opportunity to undertake an extended research project in an area of interest.

The Honours Program is particularly good preparation for graduate school but may also be undertaken for the sake of deep exposure to a particular topic and the honing of research skills.

The major difference between Honours and a regular major program is that GNST 590 (Honours Thesis) replaces two optional half courses in your final year. GNST 590 consists of an eight month independent research project under the supervision of a faculty member. At the end of this project you will submit a written thesis of about 40 pages and be given an oral exam in your area of research by a committee of three faculty members.

Who can do an Honours Programs?

To qualify for the Honours Program in Communication & Culture you must:

• be registered in any Communication & Culture major program
• have a GPA of 3.3 over your most recent ten full course equivalents
• have completed at least fifteen full course equivalents by the beginning of the year in which you begin your Honours work (normally your final year)

 

What is the application deadline?

The deadline for receipt of forms in the Faculty is June 1.

If you try to submit a change-of-program request online, you may find that the Student Information System tells you that the deadline is April 1. Don't worry - the Honours Co-ordinator will override this if you are accepted into the Honours program.

Getting Started

During the previous Winter term you should do the following:

• Contact the Honours Program Coordinator to make an appointment for advice on your Honours program

• Find a Preliminary Topic
• Find a Supervisor
• Get the Forms
• Submit the Forms, a Reading List and a Proposal
• Discuss Your Proposal with the Program Coordinator
• Get Ethics Approval if Needed.

Click here for more details.

The Seminar

There is a seminar associated with the Honours Program, normally taught by the Honours Co-ordinator. It will meet for two hours per week to discuss writing and research techniques, examine theses from previous years to see how they are put together, and make interim presentations of work in progress. The seminar will allow you to see what other students are doing and discuss common issues.

It will not meet every week since your main job with be to go off and write your thesis. However, you will need to keep this time open for periodic meetings.

Once your proposal has been approved, you will need to register in GNST 590 yourself. You can do this any time before September.

Developed Proposal

By October 1, you will submit a more developed proposal to the Honours Co-ordinator. This proposal should be about four to five pages long and will represent a more refined and detailed overview of your project. You can see some examples here.

You are still free to change your project as it develops. If you plan a fundamental shift in direction, please discuss it with the Honours Co-ordinator.

Final Copy

Please submit a final hard copy within one week of the oral exam to the Honours Administrative Assistant.

Please also submit an electronic copy and, if you are willing, an electronic copy of your initial and developed proposals. If you are willing (use Form 6), these will be posted as examples for students in later years.

Writing

You will refine your topic and submit a more detailed proposal to the Honours Program Coordinator and your supervisor by October 1.

As you spend the Fall and Winter researching and writing your thesis, you will meet with your supervisor regularly, every two weeks. Two pieces of friendly advice:

• Pace yourself carefully.

Other courses will seem more pressing, tempting you to put off writing your thesis until late in    the Winter. Alternatively, you may become so interested in your thesis topic that you neglect your other courses. Project management is one of the main skills you will learn as an Honours student.

• Submit a full rough draft (not just an outline) as early as possible.

This is not just a long term paper, submitted once, marked and filed. It is an opportunity to write, receive feedback, and rewrite until your paper is the best it can be. Many times conceptual problems with a thesis are impossible to see until the full text is on paper. If this happens at Christmas, you can do something about it. If it happens in March, you probably can't.

Submitting / Oral Exam

Submitting:

Your oral will be scheduled for some time during the final exam period (see below). The final copy of your thesis must be submitted to the committee two weeks before this date.

The Oral:

The oral exam will involve your supervisor and two other members of Communication and Culture or other faculties chosen by mutual agreement between you and your supervisor.

You will be asked to clarify, expand on, speculate beyond, and in general to develop the ideas in your thesis. This is not intended to be an inquisition. Rather, it is a final opportunity to discuss the area of interest that will have occupied your mind for the preceding eight months. If necessary, it is also an opportunity to respond to and correct any problems, obscurities or omissions in the thesis. Normally the oral will work to your advantage, not disadvantage.

Immediately after the oral, your supervisor will assign your mark, in consultation with the other members of the committee. 

Celebrate--the essential final step in any extended project.