Honors Program in Sociology and Justice Studies

To be eligible to take part in the departmental honors program, you must either be a sociology major with a 3.25 GPA in required sociology courses and a 3.0 cumulative GPA, or a justice studies major with a 3.25 GPA in required justice studies courses and a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Transfer students without established GPAs at Rhode Island College may be considered for honors eligibility on the basis of their transcripts from their previous institution(s).

1. You must submit your application for departmental honors to the chair of the Department of Sociology for sociology honors and to the director of the Justice Studies Program for justice studies honors. The chair/director will work with you to find a faculty member to serve as your mentor. The department Honors Representative is also available to discuss your project, help you find a mentor, and ensure you are aware of deadlines and requirements. You will be responsible for completing and submitting the Independent Study Form. 
2. Your proposed project must be different from the paper or project you will complete in SOC 460: Senior Seminar in Sociology and/or JSTD 466: Seminar in Justice Studies. 
3. Your project will require approximately the same amount of time as a class (including both in-class and out-of-class work) bearing the same number of credits. This will include an average of one hour per week in meetings with your faculty mentor, though the specific schedule will be determined by you and your faculty mentor.
4. You will enroll in SOC 491/492 or JSTD 491/492, as appropriate. 
5. If your project is in the form of a paper, your paper must be approximately 40 pages in length and use an approved departmental format. Your faculty mentor will ensure you know the requirements.

The following are the procedural steps you will complete as part of the Honors Project: 

1. You must submit to your faculty mentor by the middle of the first semester an outline of your project, describing the activities you intend to accomplish over the two semesters. At this time, you will work with your faculty mentor and the Honors Representative to select a second committee member. For a sociology project, this person must be a member of the the Sociology Department Faculty; for Justice Studies projects, the faculty member may be selected from among all participating departments. This committee member must agree in writing to serve.
2. You must submit to your mentor and both committee members by the end of the first semester a first semester report, which includes an overview of your project (including methodology) and a tentative bibliography. If your project is a paper, you must also include an introduction and review of the literature. This material will also serve as the basis for you to submit a new Independent Study Proposal for the second semester of the project, and the committee may provide guidance and feedback at this time.
3. You must submit a progress report to your faculty mentor by the fourth week of the second semester. 
4. You must submit your completed paper/project to your faculty mentor by the eighth week of the second semester. 

When your paper/project is completed, the following schedule is used: 

1. Your mentor will grade your paper and return it to you by the ninth week of the second semester. 
2. You can make corrections/revisions and present your paper/project to your committee by the tenth week of the second semester. 
3. You will present an oral presentation and discuss your paper/project before your committee and interested students and faculty in the eleventh week of the second semester. Your committee will notify you and your mentor as to their approval of your paper/project by the twelfth week of the second semester.
4. Your committee may require revisions. In some cases, your faculty mentor will certify that the revisions are complete, while in others, your committee may want to see the paper again. These revisions must be completed by the final grade deadline in order for you to earn Honors. Once the project is complete, it must be submitted to the library via the established procedure.
    

If you are interested in learning more about the departmental honors process, the composition of the Honors Committee, the appeal process or other details, or if you are interested in pursuing an honors project, see the chair of the Sociology Department, the director of the Justice Studies Program, or the Honors Representative as soon as possible and no later than three semesters before you graduate from Rhode Island College. If you require funding to complete your independent honors research, you may be eligible for a Destefano Undergraduate Research/Creativity Award.