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International Relations

Honors

Doing a senior honors project may be one of the most intellectually rewarding experiences of your college career. Students conducting honors projects engage in in-depth, independent research on a topic of their own choosing under the guidance of a faculty advisor. They then share their work in the form of an honors thesis and oral defense.

Eligibility

There are two grade requirements for students considering an honors project:

1. You must have at least a 3.2 grade point average (GPA) in your major.
2. You must also have a minimum 3.0 cumulative overall GPA or at least a 3.0 GPA for your junior year alone.

Application Process

1. Submit a project proposal to the program by the last day of classes in the semester before you plan to start your project. (This usually means the second semester of your junior year.) A project proposal consists of:
   1. a clear statement of the problem to be researched;
   2. a brief, critical review of scholarly literature on the research topic;
   3. a description of the methodology to be employed;
   4. an approximate schedule of work;
   5. Application for Admission to Honors form [PDF].
2. Submit the signed application form to the Charles Center no later than the end of Add/Drop in the semester the project begins. (This is usually the first semester of your senior year.) The Charles Center will then verify your GPA and, assuming you meet the requirements, register you for Honors 495/496.

After your project is approved, all questions regarding honors should be directed to the Charles Center.

Past Honors Projects in International Relations

2005-06

Sean Fox, "Institutionalsim and Neorealism in NATO Interventions"

Mariel Leonard, "Living with the Sorcerer: Magic and Modernity in the African Postcolony"

Emily Meredith

Stephanie Reed, "Greenbacks as an Indicator of Green Support: What the International Environmental Allocations of the United States Have to Say about U.S. Foreign Environmental Policy and Global Environmental Governance"

Amy Rossnagel, "The Political Economy of Microfinance: A Comparative Analysis"

2004-05

Peter de Nesnera, "Peacekeepers for Hire: Private Military Companies and the United Nations"

Jonathan Lasken, "Getting the Message Across: A Quantitative Study on How to Deal with State Sponsors of Terrorism and the International Terrorist Groups They Harbor"

Nicole Schroeder, "Integrating the Balkans: How Slovenia and Bulgaria are Becoming Part of the European Union"

2003-04

Jennifer Maul, "The Changing Face of Trade: American Trade Policy and Competitive Liberalization"

Jessica Young, "The Problems with European Union Language Policy "

2002-03

James Long, "Citizens and Their Agents: Rebel Movements and Political Violence in Africa"

Bradley Parks, "To the Aid of the Environment? A Preliminary Exploration of Recipient-Level Factors Determining Bilateral 'Green' Aid Allocation"

Lindsay Manning, "At the Intersection of the International System and the State: The Case of the World Health Organization in Cameroon"