HONORS PROJECT TIMELINE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT CLASS 2015

Transcription

1 HONORS PROJECT TIMELINE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT CLASS 2015 This document outlines the standard timeline for honors students completing the senior honors project in Communications and is designed for students who are pursuing a four- year course of study. Students following nonstandard graduation timelines are expected to consult with the Honors Director about how this timeline can be adapted to fit their circumstances. JUNIOR YEAR: SPRING SEMESTER I. Initial Steps By no later than March 1, 2014, every junior honors student should secure the agreement of a faculty member to serve as project mentor. A one- paragraph anticipatory abstract of the envisioned project should be submitted to the mentor. Project Proposal This proposal should be prepared in consultation with the project mentor and submitted by e- mail to Dr. Thane Naberhaus (naberhaus@msmary.edu) by March 14, The proposal must be 2 4 pages in length and should include the following elements: Name of faculty mentor Tentative title 2 4 paragraphs describing proposed topic Brief outline of research plan Summer reading list Brief explanation of the relation between honors project and the senior majors project (where applicable) If your proposed project deals with human participants or animals, a separate proposal must be submitted for approval to the Institutional Review Board prior to beginning your study. The necessary materials can be found at The proposal will be reviewed and evaluated by the Honors Committee according to the following criteria: Green Light: This means that the proposal has been judged acceptable by the committee. It has convinced the committee that the subject to be handled in the project is worthy of investigation, that the project can be brought to completion within the allotted time, and that it is consistent with the mission of our university. Yellow Light: If the committee is concerned that the project described in the proposal might not be able to be brought to completion in the allotted time, or that the subject to be handled in the project as described is not worthy of investigation, or that it conflicts with the university s mission, then the proposal will be given a yellow light. A yellow light may also be given if certain

2 2 of the elements specified above are not present or are inadequate in some way. In the case of a yellow light, a revised proposal should be submitted for approval by the resubmission deadline (given below). Red Light: If, in the judgment of the committee, the project as proposed is not viable, the proposal will be given a red light. In that case, a completely re- worked proposal, perhaps on an entirely different topic, should be submitted by the resubmission deadline, if the student wishes to continue with the senior honors project. I Resubmission (if necessary) If the proposal has received a yellow or red light, a new or revised proposal, developed in response to the Honors Committee s feedback on the original proposal, may be submitted. The new proposal should be sent by e- mail to Dr. Naberhaus (naberhaus@msmary.edu) no later than April 14, Special Advising Note: Students must enroll in CMHP 470 (3 credits) for the fall of the senior year. SENIOR YEAR: FALL SEMESTER Students must be enrolled in CMHP 470 (3 credits). You will not be charged extra for this course, regardless of how many credits it gives you. The grade for this course will be determined on the basis of the overall evaluation of the project (discussed below) and will not be determined until the end of the spring semester. The same grade will be given for CMHP 470 and CMHP 471. I. Initial Progress Report The initial progress report should be submitted by e- mail to Dr. Naberhaus (naberhaus@msmary.edu) as well as to the project mentor no later than September 19, The report must be at least 5 pages in length and should include the following elements: Title of project Abstract or summary of the project Tentative introduction to the paper or elaboration of the project based on the progress of summer research (2 page minimum) Detailed plan of action (in outline form), including dates Literature review (2 page minimum). Note: This is not simply a bibliographical listing of sources but should contain some discussion of sources, including an indication of their usefulness for the project. (If the student is doing a senior capstone project in the major) An explanation of the precise relation between the honors project and the senior project for the major, detailing which work is intended to count toward the honors project and which toward the senior majors project (7 credits in total).

3 3 The progress report will be reviewed and evaluated by the Honors Committee according to the following criteria: Green Light: If the committee deems the report acceptable, it will be given a green light. This means that, in the judgment of the committee, the project is viable, that it is consistent with the mission of the university, and that all the required elements for this report are present in adequate form. Work may proceed on the project. Yellow Light: The report will receive a yellow light if the committee has concerns about the project as described in the report while still finding it to be viable, or if certain of the required elements for the report are not present or are inadequate in some way. Red Light: If, in the judgment of the committee, the project described in the report is not viable, the report will receive a red light. This means that work should no longer proceed on the project, and the student should withdraw from CMHP 470. Important Note: If, during the fall semester, you decide not to complete your Honors project and to exit the Honors Program, you must withdraw from CMHP 470 by no later than Friday, November 7, Failure to withdraw by this deadline will result in an F for CMHP 470. Final Progress Report (Rough Draft) Due The final progress report should be submitted by e- mail to Dr. Naberhaus (naberhaus@msmary.edu) as well as to the project mentor no later than December 7, The report should be arranged in two sections: An abstract or executive summary of the project of no more than 200 words A rough draft (in term paper form) of the project (20 25 pages) The project mentor must also send a letter of confidence composed in Microsoft Word to Dr. Naberhaus (naberhaus@msmary.edu) indicating (1) that the quality and quantity of the work completed thus far is satisfactory, and (2) that the mentor believes that the project shows sufficient promise at this stage to warrant an expectation that the student will produce a senior honors project worthy of public presentation in the spring. The final progress report and mentor s letter will be reviewed by the Honors Committee, which will determine whether the project should proceed to the spring semester. Students will receive an e- mail from Dr. Naberhaus before the end of the calendar year with the committee s decision. The final progress report will be evaluated by the Honors Committee according to the following criteria: Green Light: If the committee deems the report acceptable, it will be given a green light. This means that the Honors Committee believes that the project can be brought to a successful conclusion in time for it to be publicly presented to the university community at SPARC.

4 4 Yellow Light: The report will receive a yellow light if the committee has concerns about the project as described in it while still believing that it can be brought to a successful conclusion in time for it to be publicly presented to the university community at SPARC. Red Light: If, in the judgment of the committee, the project presented in the report cannot reasonably be expected to be brought to a successful conclusion in time for it to be publicly presented to the university community at SPARC, the report will receive a red light. This means that work should no longer proceed on the project and the student should withdraw from CMHP 470. Special Advising Note: Students must enroll in CMHP 471 (1 credit) for the spring of the senior year. SENIOR YEAR: SPRING SEMESTER Students completing honors projects must be enrolled in CMHP 471 (1 credit) during the spring semester. You will not be charged extra for this course, regardless of how many credits it gives you. The grade for this course will be recorded by the Honors Director on the basis of the mentor s evaluation of the project (75%) and the evaluation of the public presentation by a member of the Honors Committee (25%). The final grade assigned to CMHP 471 will also be assigned to CMHP 470. I. Deadlines for revisions of Final Paper A. January 16, 2015: mentor s response (due to student) The mentor will provide a thorough response to the rough draft. B. February 20, 2015: final version of paper (due to mentor) C. April 18, 2015: presentation rehearsal A rehearsal of the presentation with the mentor should occur no later than this date. April 21 23, 2015: Celebration of Academic Excellence / SPARC Festival During this time, all senior honors students will present their projects to the Mount community. Presentations should be 30 minutes in length followed by a five- minute question and answer session. A podium, projector, computer, and screen will be available for the presentation. I April 24, 2015: Final Paper Submission to Dr. Naberhaus (no later than 4:00 p.m.) The final paper must be submitted by e- mail to Dr. Naberhaus (naberhaus@msmary.edu) and the mentor in.pdf format by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, April 24. Papers received after this deadline will be considered late. Late papers will be assessed a penalty of a 10% deduction to the grade for CMHP 471. IV. April 24, 2015: Senior Honors Banquet (5:30 8:00 p.m.) During the Senior Honors Banquet, we will celebrate your success! Graduating seniors will receive their certificates and their medals for completing the Honors Program.

5 5 Important Note: If you decide to withdraw from the Honors Program during the spring semester, you must withdraw from the CMHP 471 by the withdrawal deadline (March 27, 2015). Failure to withdraw by this date will result in an F for CMHP 471.