Courses > Honors Program

2009-2010 Latin American Studies Honors Program

Overview

Latin American Studies majors interested in completing a major research project spanning at least two semesters are encouraged, pending faculty consultation and approval, to participate in the Honors Program. Occasionally, this also includes students who are majoring in other programs or an Independently Designed Interdepartmental Major (IDIM), but for whom a thesis supervised by a Latin American Studies faculty member might be appropriate. The program provides a framework through which to complete an in-depth research project whose findings are shared with the community through publication and public oral presentation.

The principal elements of the Honors Program are: (a) filing a declaration of intent to pursue a project; (b) completion of a research proposal submitted to the Latin American Studies faculty; (c) oral defense of the research proposal in front of the Latin American Studies faculty; (d) participation in the Senior Research Seminar (Lati 488) during Fall of the senior year; (e) enrolling in four credits of Honors Independent Study (Lati 644) during Spring of the senior year; (f) completing a major work of scholarly research and writing; (g) oral presentation and defense of the thesis; (h) publication of the thesis in the Macalester Library and on the Macalester Digital Commons; and (i) one other public sharing of your findings though, for example, an academic conference presentation, a journal article, a public talk in a community venue, or a summary (in translation) of your findings that can be shared with groups in Latin America.

The Department encourages qualified students to consider this unique research opportunity, noting that rigorous academic preparation is required and that successful projects demand a substantial intellectual and time commitment.

Eligibility Guidelines

•Has taken six LAS courses at Macalester (in addition to the three study abroad courses) by the beginning of the senior year.

•Cumulative GPA of at least 3.3.

•An advisor-approved research proposal, due September 21, 2009.

•A successful 20-minute oral defense of the proposal in front of LAS faculty members.

Initial Faculty Consultations and Declaration of Intent to Pursue an Honors Project

During Fall of the junior year, prospective Honors participants should consult with one or more faculty members. Many thesis projects emerge from research begun while studying abroad, so these consultations are sometimes general in nature. Other students outline a clear research interest before going abroad, allowing them to craft a research proposal and/or complete an initial literature review before conducting fieldwork in Latin America.

Since thesis writers must eventually assemble a three-member faculty committee (at least two of whom must be LAS faculty), it is a good idea to consult with more than one professor early on. At this stage, students must identify a likely thesis advisor, but it is best to wait until the project has developed further before asking a professor to officially sign on, as most projects undergo major changes prior to completion of the research proposal.

Juniors must indicate their interest in pursuing an LAS Honors project by filing an “Intent to Pursue an Honors Project” by April 15, 2009 with the LAS Honors Coordinator. Paul Dosh will be the LAS Honors Coordinator for 2009-10.

We also recommend that students prepare for the Honors Program in the form of earlier independent studies or research projects, research designs, reviews of the literature in advanced courses, or data collection during study abroad in Latin America. Macalester College defines an Honors Project as a year-long independent research project. Thus, students should expect to work on their project during the summer months between the junior and senior year. This includes, but is not limited to reading broadly on the topic, improving methodological skills, staying in contact with the thesis advisor and Honors Coordinator, and preparing a final draft of the research proposal.

Research Proposal Guidelines

The research proposal should include the following when it is submitted to the Honors Coordinator on September 21, 2009:

•Preliminary title.

•Proposed thesis advisor (following conversations with her/him).

•Two or more possible readers/examiners (at least one must be an LAS faculty member)

•Five double-spaced pages describing the proposed research project. This should include an explicit statement of the research question(s) that guides the research and a description of the method(s) that will be employed in the project. Be as specific as possible. Within the five pages, include a preliminary theoretical framework and a brief literature review of the most important and relevant scholarly sources. Be sure to connect the discussion of the literature with the research questions that drive the project.

•Bibliography demonstrating familiarity with the most significant and relevant scholarly literature about the project.

•If the project will involve human subjects (e.g. interviews, surveys), complete the forms on the Institutional Research Board website (www.macalester.edu/committees/irb).

For a sample proposal, read Cybele Kotonais'.

The Honors Coordinator will circulate student research proposals and the LAS Department will meet to evaluate their suitability and feasibility. Students will have 20 minutes to defend orally the proposals before members of the Department, usually during the 3rd week of Fall semester. The Department will evaluate proposals based on: (1) the intellectual clarity and promise of the project; (2) the amount of prior preparation for the project; and (3) an assessment of the student’s capacity to successfully carry out the project.

The Thesis Process

Students in the Honors Program enroll in the Senior Research Seminar (Lati 488) in the Fall and in four credits of Honors Independent Study (Lati 644) in the Spring. The Senior Research Seminar provides a peer workshop in which students discuss the design of their projects, including their methodological strategies, and begin testing their ideas. At the same time, students will work in frequent consultation with their thesis advisor on project conception, design, research and data collection, analysis, and writing. During spring semester, LAS thesis writers continue to meet occasionally as a group, but work principally in consultation with their advisor and other committee members.

The Honors Coordinator will consult with the thesis advisor to assess the prospects of each thesis project by the beginning of spring semester. The Coordinator and faculty advisor will make a mutual decision to terminate the project or allow the student to continue.

Thesis Evaluation

The thesis advisor and the student are responsible for assembling the committee of readers/examiners, and scheduling the public presentation and defense. Ordinarily, the committee consists of three members, at least two of which are LAS faculty at Macalester. The third committee member may be from any department (including LAS) and may possibly be from another college or university.

The thesis presentation and defense will include a formal, public presentation of the project, followed by a lengthy Q&A session including questions from both the committee and the audience. The presentation and defense typically lasts 60-90 minutes.

The thesis committee will conduct the oral examination of the student and the students’ project. Approval of the project for official submission and listing as a Senior Honors Thesis will be made by the committee on criteria appropriate to the context of each project but meeting the standards of exceptional research effort, distinctive analysis and interpretation, and effective writing. The committee will also provide the student with comments and recommendations for final revision of the project.

The final editing and preparation of the Honors thesis to be submitted to the Honors Program Office should reflect the recommendations of the thesis committee and meet the format and copy standards of professional scholars.

Sharing Research Findings with the Broader Community

As part of a college committed to civic engagement, it is important that thesis writers somehow share at least a portion of their research with constituencies beyond the Macalester campus community. There are diverse ways to fulfill this important requirement of the LAS Honors Program.

Some students present a version of their project at an academic conference or submit their findings for publication in an undergraduate journal or other community periodical. Other possibilities include arranging a guest class lecture or public talk at a high school or nearby college or university. Many grassroots groups and religious communities involved in work in Latin America also host guest speakers.

For some projects, it may be appropriate to share a shorter version (in translation) of the project with an organization or community in Latin America that is affected by the issues studied in the thesis. Thesis committee members and the Honors Coordinator can provide guidance in selecting a forum for sharing the research findings, but it is fundamentally the thesis writer’s responsibility to seek out and choose an appropriate and effective publication or presentation venue.

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