The Honors Concentration
Archaeology and the Ancient World
(formerly Old World Archaeology and Art)
An Honors concentration in any of the tracks requires the successful completion of all the standard requirements with the addition of an Honors thesis. For the preparation of this thesis, students will ordinarily enroll in ARCH 1970 (formerly AE 191), during both semesters of the senior year (these courses may not be taken S/NC, nor may they be used to satisfy the standard requirements of the concentration). In order to qualify for honors, students must have received more A’s than B’s in concentration courses completed.
Honors concentrations are recommended for students considering graduate work in the discipline of archaeology. Any student interested in a course of graduate study should speak to the undergraduate concentration advisor as soon as possible, not least for advice about additional forms of preparation. Graduate work in the archaeology of the ancient world, for example, requires knowledge of appropriate ancient, as well as modern, languages. Students should start work on acquiring these skills as early as possible.
The Honors Thesis
The Honors thesis is an extended essay, usually of between 40 and 60 pages in length, written under the supervision of a faculty advisor and second reader. (Where appropriate, the advisor or the reader, but not both of them, may be in a unit other than the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World.) The specific topic and approach of the thesis are worked out between the student and the thesis advisor, with assistance from the student's second reader. This process should begin in the latter part of the student's junior year. Details on deadlines for a thesis prospectus, for thesis drafts and for a final public presentation of the work are available on request to the Director of Undergraduate Studies. The completed thesis will be evaluated by the advisor and second reader, who will discuss its strengths and weaknesses with the student; they will also agree a grade for both terms of ARCH 1970.
Evaluation
The Director of Undergraduate Studies will review the student’s overall record, in addition to the thesis evaluations. If all requirements have been successfully met, the recommendation will be made that the student graduate with Honors.