Honors Program
The Honors Program of the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program is designed for highly qualified majors, who have earned an overall GPA of 3.3, with an average of 3.5 on work in WGS.
Students interested in completing the honors program should first meet with Dr. Kristina Gupta, Honors Program Director, in the spring of their junior year. Students will then need to contact a WGS faculty member to request supervision as a thesis adviser. Once an adviser has agreed to work with them, it is the student’s responsibility to establish a schedule for completion of the honors program work in consultation with the adviser. A project prospectus must be approved by both Dr. Gupta and the student’s adviser. Interested students should complete the WGSS Honors Declaration Form.
Students may develop or write one of the following for submission towards their honors degrees:
- An honor’s thesis essay based on a research project
- A project or a performance with an accompanying reflection essay
Honors Thesis Essay:
WGS Honors candidates who would like to fulfill the honors requirement with an honors thesis may choose their own topics of interest related to WGS Studies upon consultation with their advisers. Theses may be developed from earlier foundation work conducted in previous courses.
Honors Projects and Performances:
Please note that for all honors projects and performances, the project must include some aspect of social activism for the enrichment of the campus or surrounding community. Projects may be developed from earlier foundation work. An accompanying reflection paper will be required upon completion.
Once the honors thesis essay or project has been completed, either in the Fall or Spring semester of the student’s senior year, upon the adviser’s approval the honors thesis student will submit the essay or present the project or performance during an oral defense. Students must submit the Honors Defense Form and make sure to obtain approval from advising faculty members.
Academic credit will not be provided for student work submitted in fulfillment of the Honors Program requirements. Majors who successfully meet the requirement by (a) completing an honors thesis or project, and (b) defending the honors thesis or project in an oral defense, will be awarded WGS Honors on their transcripts.
*For more information, please contact Dr. Kristina Gupta at guptaka@wfu.edu