Honors in History

Honors in history presents students with the exciting opportunity to do history themselves: to put into practice the skills they have learned, and to draw on the wealth of reading they have done, over the course of the major. The history honors project is an original piece of scholarly research which, drawing on primary sources, presents a significant intervention in the existing historical debate. In other words, students become historians as they conceptualize, research, and write their honors thesis.

The honors program in the history department is more than a thesis. The program has a dual aim. First, it supports students in researching and writing a substantial, original piece of scholarship as a capstone to the major. Second, the program provides intentional, thoughtful instruction in how to go about conceptualizing, researching, and writing this project. The honors program is, thus, as much focused on the process of producing a thesis, as it is on the thesis itself. As a result, the program requires students to be engaged fully throughout the year-long duration of the honors course. 

The process is constituted of distinct components, each of which is intended to assist students in researching and writing a thesis of the highest quality: 

1. Writing and submitting a proposal for the project (summer, early fall semester)
2. The Honors colloquium (fall semester)
3. Application for funding for archival research (October)
4. Archival or other research (January)
5. Writing up the project (spring semester)
6. Presentation at CLAS (April/May)

Prospective students must identify a potential supervisor in the department over the course of the summer preceding their senior year. They will work with that supervisor to craft a proposal, usually to be submitted to the department for approval by the end of September. Upon the completion of the Honors Colloquium and at the end of the fall semester, students and supervisors will meet to discuss students’ progress, evaluating if the student will continue to the next phase of the honors project, or, rather, turn their fall semester work into an independent study.

The colloquium is taught primarily by those faculty who advise honors students, although other faculty and staff from within and beyond the department may contribute as well. Each session of the colloquium is organized by one faculty member, and should be taught according to their own interests and experiences, including what they feel might be the most useful and important skills, information, and other guidance.

The colloquium meets once a week over five weeks for about an hour during the fall semester. Attendance is obligatory for honors students, who are also required to do the reading or other exercises set by faculty. The colloquium begins with a class on the intellectual stakes of the Honors project, and subsequent weeks move on to the practicalities of writing a literature review and grant applications, how to do archival research, and, finally, guidance on preparing a research plan. By the end of the colloquium, students should have a thorough understanding of the skills they need to complete an honors thesis–skills that should stand them in good stead for projects in other departments, as well as beyond graduation.

Students must fulfill the following requirements:

• Admission to the honors program requires at least a 3.5 grade point average in the history major and approval by the department.
• A total of up to eight credits may be given for the year, including January Program credit. Honors students are not allowed to register for an independent study during JanPlan for honors work. To stay on campus during JanPlan, honors students can register for 0 credits.
• Once you registered, your honors work appears as HI483 on your transcript
• Alongside an advisor in the department, students must also identify at least one other faculty member from the department, who will read and offer feedback on the thesis. Students are also welcome to ask an additional faculty member from another department whose research overlaps with the project.
• Students must attend the Honors Colloquium.
• Students must present their honors project at CLAS.
• The honors thesis must receive at least an A- grade for the student to graduate with “Honors in History.”

Spring semester and summer junior year

Friday, April 12, 2024: Interested students are encouraged to attend the information session on doing an honors thesis in history. At this time, students should reach out to potential advisors to see if they have the time to supervise their honors work.

Summer 2024: Prospective honors students are expected to begin exploring the feasibility of their honors project by collecting information over the summer months.

Fall semester senior year

Friday, September 20, 2024: On the Friday of the third week of classes students submit their honors proposal to the chair of the history department. Within a week from the submission date the history department communicates who is allowed to enroll in the honors program. 

October and November: The departmental honors coordinator supervises an honors colloquium, which supports students in writing a literature review, putting together a budget for their research proposal, doing archival research, and more. 

Friday, October 11, 2024: Applications are due for fellowships, including those of the history department like the Sarah Janney and Barry Funds. Honors students are encouraged to apply to support their research agendas.

Friday, November 1, 2024: Honors students must submit a substantive first section (or a chapter) of their thesis work. 

Friday, December 13, 2024: Students are expected to submit a significant portion of their thesis, such as (a) chapter(s) based on secondary sources. 

JanPlan

January: During JanPlan honors students conduct primary and secondary research, which might include archival research on-site sponsored by Colby fellowships (see above).

Spring semester senior year

Friday, February 28, 2025: Honors students must submit another substantive section (or a chapter) of their thesis work. 

Friday, April 4, 2025: Students have completed and submitted the first full draft of their thesis. The thesis advisors review the draft and allow honors students time to revise.

Thursday, May 1, 2025: Students present their work at the Colby Liberal Arts Symposium.

Friday, May 9, 2024: On the last Friday of classes students hand in their final version of their thesis.

The Honors Timeline Checklist can be downloaded here.

Students who want to do honors work should submit a research proposal by Friday of the third week of classes in September that the History faculty will review. Keep in mind that the purpose of a proposal is to sketch your path to completing the Honors Thesis and show that it is feasible. Note that we expect your research question and thesis statement to evolve through the process of your research as you work on it and you should consult regularly with your thesis advisor. Your research proposal should be formal in structure (e. g., quotations should be properly footnoted), should be about 5-6 pages in length and should include the following components, generally in this order:

Title of the Project: The title should clearly indicate what the thesis is about. You can revise it later, but formulating it carefully at the outset can help you to clarify your thinking. 

Introductory paragraph: It should briefly provide context for the reader, orienting them to your topic, and conclude with your thesis statement. In the paragraph you should also indicate the defining research question underpinning your thesis statement. 

Literature Review:  The Lit Review should place the secondary scholarly literature in the field into conversation indicating how your Honors Thesis will fit into it. In the process you should clarify for the reader the significance of your intervention and what is new about what you are contributing to the scholarly conversation. We do not expect for you to account for everything that has been written on the topic, after all this is the beginning of your research, but you should indicate that you have a firm grasp on the state of the field.

Primary Sources and Methodology: In this section you should identify the primary sources available and how you will use them. You should also indicate where they are and when/how you will access them. Part of the purpose of this section is to ensure that there is enough material to make the case that you propose to make and that you have an effective plan for using it. 

Bibliography: Using the Chicago Manual of Style, include the primary and secondary sources that you have already consulted or that you have identified as needing consultation. We know that this is a preliminary bibliography and understand that there will be flux in it.