Academics
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 | "History is better understood as an ongoing tension between stories that have been told and stories that might be told."
- Lynn Hunt
 |
Every year a small number of senior majors complete advanced individual research projects in competition for honors and high honors. At the end of each year, the department also awards four prizes, announced at the honors convocation in the spring semester.
Honors and High Honors
Candidates for honors in history must
1. Have or exceed, by the time of graduation, a major GPA of 3.5 and an overall GPA of 3.0.
2. Complete an honors thesis which has been judged by the major adviser and one other department faculty member to be of A or A– quality. The thesis is normally expected to be completed in two terms. It may be started in any 400-level history seminar, any history 300- or 400-level independent, or the London History Study Group; papers may also be developed from the term paper in any 300-level history course. A candidate is encouraged to enroll subsequently in HIST 490 to complete the thesis.
Candidates for high honors in history must
1. Have or exceed by the time of graduation, a major GPA of 3.75 and an overall GPA of 3.0.
2. Complete an honors thesis which has been judged by the major adviser and by one other department faculty member to be of A quality.
3. Defend the paper in an oral examination before the two faculty readers. The examination must also be judged to be of excellent quality.
Awards
The Department Award for Excellence - goes to the senior with the best overall performance in the history major. The most recent award winner was Nicole Beletsky.
The Douglas K. Reading History Prize - goes to an outstanding junior or senior who is majoring in history with preference to Modern European History, Russian History or Ancient or Medieval History. This prize is given in honor of Professor Douglas K. "Doc" Reading, a legendary professor in the history department from 1938-1980. The most recent award winner was Conor Tucker.
The Scott Saunders Prize - goes to the best honors thesis written by a participant of the London History Study Group. Named in honor of Scott Saunders '89, who was on Pan Am Flight 103 that went down over Lockerbie, Scotland, victim of a terrorist's bomb on Dec., 21, 1988. The most recent award winner was Julie Huang.
The History Honors Award - goes to the best honors thesis written by a student who did not participate in the London History Study Group. The most recent award winner was Meredith Day.