The University of Arizona

English Honors Program

The English Honors Program recruits eight to twelve students each fall to participate as a group in a series of intense seminars and independent studies, usually beginning in the spring of the student’s junior year, and leading to the writing of a thesis by the end of the senior year. Students may be self nominated, or a member of the faculty may recommend them. The program accepts applications from Literature and Creative Writing students, as well as from students who are not majoring in English. Students may be enrolled in the University Honors Program, but they do not need to be in University Honors in order to be admitted to English Honors. Admission is competitive, but not dependent on any single factor, such as grade point average. The program offers students the opportunity to do advanced work in literary studies, to work in tutorials and small classes with Department faculty, and to learn from and with a small peer group of like minded students.

The English Honors Program consists of 12 units (four courses): 496a (Honors Seminar, Spring); 496b (Honors Seminar, Fall); and two independent studies (498H), normally taken in the fall and spring of the senior year. These 12 units can be used to fulfill the requirements for the English major; Creative Writing majors can use 9 of the English Honors course units in fulfillment of their major requirements. Many Honors students are double majors, or plan a semester abroad during their junior or senior year; the requirements for the Honors Program can usually be successfully coordinated with individual needs.

Each of the two Honors seminars (one of which typically deals with American literature, the other with British literature) focuses on a specific problem, or series of problems, in the interpretation of literature. From the close reading of literary and critical texts in these seminars Honors students are expected to acquire enough experience to enable them to pursue, under supervision, independent research on a topic of their own choosing. The Honors thesis involves a two semester sequence of independent studies designed to guide students through the process of conceiving and writing a thesis. For students in University Honors, this thesis will satisfy requirements in that program, as well as in the English Honors Program. In preparation for the thesis, and with the approval of a faculty advisor, some students will enroll in a graduate level course in their senior year.

Applicants are expected to submit a portfolio of no more than fifteen pages, representative of their work in English studies; complete an application form; write a statement of purpose; and submit letter(s) of recommendation from faculty. The application procedure usually begins mid- to late-October. It is best to apply before the last three semesters of a student’s undergraduate career.

If you have any questions about the Honors program or the application process, please contact Professor Jason Brown. You may leave a message for him at 621-5421, email him at jbb@email.arizona.edu or see him in ML 450 during his regular office hours.