In the past a thesis was required for graduation with any honors degree, but students who wrote a 40 to 60 page thesis could still graduate cum laude, depending on their thesis and course grades and performance on the eight-hour senior general examination at the end of senior year.

Writing a thesis is an involved process in any department. The English thesis is due a week before spring vacation and is capped at 40 to 60 pages, which makes it one of the shortest at the College.

Students graduating in the year 2000 and beyond will never have to take English 99r.

Instead, seniors who choose to write a thesis will take English 99hf, one full-year half-course. They will receive one half course of credit.

In the fall, they are expected to take four courses in addition to English 99hf. In the spring, they will take three courses in addition to English 99hf. The number of half courses remains 16, however an additional departmental half course is required to replace the spring term of English 99r.

Now, 99r counts as a fourth course for students in both semesters of senior year. This means that theoretically, students currently have much more time to work on their theses during fall term than they will after this year.

Chair's Reservations

Students electing to pursue the honors option without writing a thesis will be responsible for all the requirements, except English 99hf and the thesis. These are replaced with a second 90-level seminar or with a small group course taught by a department faculty member.

According to Marquand Professor of English Lawrence Buell, who is also the department chair, the policy changes were implemented because some students expressed a desire for an alternative track and because faculty members felt that too many of the theses did not represent "real capstone work."

Allowing students to graduate without writing a thesis is a deviation from longstanding tradition. The thesis is a major piece of work that allows students to focus on one topic after spending four years taking courses in wide-ranging types of literature.

I personally had reservations about it when the decision was originally made, because of my belief, which still holds, in the potentially very great importance of the thesis experience in the life of an undergraduate," Buell says.

Students who elect to not write a thesis will still have experience in completing extensive writing projects in the required undergraduate seminars, he adds.

More Options

The new option "has been particularly welcome to strong students who would like to further expand their knowledge of English and American literature in the broader ways that coursework allows, rather than specialize with a thesis," says Katherine E. Boutry, assistant director of undergraduate studies for the English department.

"The department does not want to dissuade students from writing a thesis, but it did want to offer all honors students a choice," says Werner Sollors, Cabot professor of English literature and director of undergraduate studies for the department