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Honors

Students selected for the WGSS Honors program will take a graduate seminar, complete an honors thesis, and defend that thesis in an oral examination. Successful honors candidates are awarded their degree with Honors, High Honors, or Highest Honors. Students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.7 to be eligible to apply for the Honors Program.
 
There are also mandatory Emory College requirements in the Fall and Spring semesters, including meetings, deadlines for degree applications, and the electronic submission of the thesis. For a detailed explanation of the Honors Program please view the undergraduate handbook.

 

Step 1: Confirm a Thesis Advisor

  • Students must have a thesis advisor from WGSS core faculty confirmed before applying. 
  • Each WGSS faculty member is able to advise only one Honors project per year. The Honors candidate must approach a prospective WGSS faculty advisor by February 1 of their Junior year to discuss their Honors project and possible advising. The faculty member will notify a candidate by February 15 if they are able to advise their Honors project.

 

Step 2: Submit Honors Application

  • Complete the WGSS “Application for Honors” online form here by March 1st of your junior year.
  • The application materials include: a writing sample; a one-paragraph description of the proposed research project; a list of WGSS faculty who have taught the candidate in a class.

 

Step 3: Faculty Evaluations

  • The WGSS undergraduate program committee will evaluate the quality of the application and decide whether to accept a student into the WGSS Honors Program. The committee will solicit evaluations from at least two of the WGSS faculty (core and associated) who have taught the student in a class.
  • The Director of Undergraduate Studies will inform the applicant in writing of the outcome of their application.

 

Step 4: Project Proposal and IRB/Human Subject Deadlines

  • Students admitted to the Honors program must submit by email to the WGSS Director of Undergraduate Studies a two-page project proposal detailing their argument or question and planned methods of inquiry by May 1 of their junior year.
  • The proposed project should engage interdisciplinary scholarship on gender, sexualities, and/or women, and should employ some of the themes, texts, principles, approaches, and methods found in the field of WGSS. Examples of prior WGSS Honors theses can be found in the online Emory Theses and Dissertations (ETD) Repository.
  • Students whose research projects involve human subjects must submit an application for IRB approval for their project by May 1 of their junior year.

 

Step 5: Register for WGS495 (Honors Research)

  • Honors students take WGS495A in the Fall semester and WGS495B in the Spring semester of their Honors year.

 

Step 6: Register for a Graduate Course

  • Review the graduate courses and descriptions offered by the Laney Graduate School.
  • Get the approval from the instructor to enroll in a graduate class.
  • Request a registration access code by forwarding the instructor’s approval email to the WGSS Graduate Coordinator