The department of Hispanic Studies encourages qualified students to undertake Honors Study. Honors Study (497-498) provides the opportunity for independent research in the senior year under the tutelage of faculty advisers.

The library maintains a list of resources for Hispanic Studies research.

Juniors who have maintained a 3.5 GPA in their major courses during the sophomore and junior years may request permission to be admitted to Honors Study.  View the College's Honors Study Guidelines. 

Department Requirements for Honors Study

  • Complete one or more courses related to your proposed field of studies
  • Maintain a 3.5 GPA in Hispanic Studies courses
  • Complete one or more courses in the major

Procedures for Proposal for Honors Study

  • Preliminary proposal - Due April 15 of the Junior Year

Qualified students who want to do an honors thesis should receive written approval from a department faculty member who will act as adviser of the thesis project. Subsequently, students fill out and submit a departmental Honors Study Proposal Form accompanied by a 3-5 page proposal by April 15 of their junior year. The department will then review the proposal, make recommendations and inform students of the outcome by May 30 of the Junior Year.

The proposal should include the following:

  1. Purpose of the Study
  2. Relevance of the Study
  3. Brief review of existing literature identifying its main questions
  4. Main questions/hypotheses that your study will investigate
  5. Methodology
  6. Working bibliography and a projected timetable for fall and spring semesters.
  7. The proposal should be typewritten, double-spaced, paginated and presented in a clear and organized manner.

You may choose to write the honors thesis in Spanish or English after consultation with the department adviser. The second reader and any additional readers are chosen in consultation with the department. The required length for honors thesis is 75 pages and above.

  • Honors Study Calendar

Once the proposal has been approved, students enroll in Hispanic Studies (497-498) in the first semester of their senior year. It is recommended that students enroll in the library workshop on honor thesis research strategies and resources.

Students enrolled in course Hispanic Studies (497-498) will be given a temporary mark "In Progress" by their thesis adviser at the end of the first semester. This mark will be changed to a letter grade when the honors study has been completed. The adviser shall assign the final grade after consultation with the readers.

You are required to submit the final draft to the honor thesis adviser and separate copies to each reader five weeks prior to the end of classes. The completed thesis is due two weeks prior to the end of classes in the second semester of the senior year.

Department Honors upon Graduation

Connecticut College awards the degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honors Study in the Major Field to students who complete their Honors Study with a grade of A or A-. The college awards the degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honors Study and Distinction in the Major Field to students who complete their Honors Study with a grade of A or A-, and who have a GPA of 3.7 in their regular major courses, including those of the freshman year or its equivalent.