The honors project involves independent research under the supervision of a faculty director. The goal is to give you an opportunity to write a large-scale paper and investigate a single philosophical issue in more depth than you may have had an opportunity to do in course work. Doing such a thesis can be a very rewarding experience, although you should understand that it is not a project to be undertaken lightly. The rules below are designed to ensure that you will be sufficiently prepared to succeed in the project.
Overview of the process
The process of undertaking an honors thesis will take nearly two semesters. In the first semester you need to research your topic and form a reasonably specific plan as to what you will do in the thesis. Ideally you will do this by working with the faculty member who will be your supervisor in a 4000-level course he or she is teaching or in PHH 4911 Undergraduate Research in the History of Philosophy or PHI 4911 Undergraduate Research in Philosophy. In the second semester, you actually write the thesis while enrolled in PHI 4912 Honors Thesis. In both semesters you need to work with a faculty director who officially sponsors your thesis. When the thesis is completed, you will be subjected to an oral examination and defense of your work.
The proposal
In order to register for PHI 4912, it is mandatory that you submit and have approved a proposal for the thesis by the end of the preceding semester. More precisely, the proposal must be submitted by no later than the last day of classes of the semester preceding that during which you hope to take PHI 4912. The proposal, which you should develop in consultation with a faculty director, is to be submitted to the Undergraduate Coordinator by that date.
The proposal will primarily consist in a description of the project, including a statement of thesis you hope to defend, where that statement must be relatively specific. The following two statements, for example, are not adequate specifications of your thesis:
- My goal is to argue against utilitarianism.
- My thesis is that mind-body dualism can be defended against materialist attacks.
By contrast, the following two statements display an appropriate scope and specificity:
- My goal is to argue that utilitarianism cannot account for the value of friendship or other personal relationships.
- The most common objection against mind-body dualism is the claim that it cannot account for causal interaction between the mental and the physical. My thesis is that this objection can be successfully answered.
The statement of the thesis should be accompanied by a discussion (750–1000 words) of the issue in which you explain your preliminary thoughts on the matter, which questions you plan to pursue, what arguments you expect to address, and so on. While it is not required that the completed thesis adhere strictly to what you provide in the proposal, we do insist on a proposal that will give you a substantial starting point in your investigation.
When the proposal is submitted, it must be accompanied by three further things: (i) the explicit approval of the faculty director who agrees to work with you on the project (this may be provided simply by having the faculty member email his or her approval to the Undergraduate Coordinator); (ii) a bibliography of relevant readings, accompanied by a brief statement of which items you’ve already read and which you plan to read in the near future; and (iii) an indication of what courses you have taken or are taking that provide you with relevant knowledge in the field.
Completion and oral defense
A completed thesis, approved by the faculty director, needs to be handed in to the Undergraduate Coordinator (who distributes it to the undergraduate studies committee) at least two weeks before the last day of classes in the semester you’re writing your thesis. The two week time period is needed in order to allow that committee to review the thesis and to schedule an oral examination. At the same time that you submit your thesis to the Undergraduate Coordinator, you should also submit an electronic copy of your completed thesis to UF’s Institutional Repository. You will find guidance on how to do through IR@UF Honors Thesis , opens in a new window page. Please see the instructions listed under the tab labeled, “How do I submit?”
After the oral exam the committee will arrive at a judgment as to whether the thesis merits awarding honors, high honors, or highest honors. The Undergraduate Coordinator will notify you of your level of honors by email, and will also alert the college of your honors designation.