Honors

The purpose of the Honors Program in Psychology is to provide a select group of students with the opportunity to become intimately involved with the activities of academic psychology. The program is intended for students who have a strong commitment to make personal contributions to the field of psychology and whose performance during their early contact with the Department clearly demonstrates their capability to think critically, communicate effectively, and work independently.

 

Program of Study

The Honors Program will entail a minimum of two semesters of study beginning no later than the fall semester of the student's senior year (or spring semester of the junior year for students intending to graduate in December). This study period is comprised of two parts: a pre-honors candidacy phase of study and an honors candidacy phase. During the pre-honors candidacy phase of study, any qualified student in the Department may work independently with a full-time faculty member of the Psychology Department to formulate a proposed honors thesis. If approved by the supervising faculty member, that proposal may be submitted to the Department as a part of the application for honors candidacy. If the Department find that the thesis proposal demonstrates a high level of excellence, the supervising faculty member and honors candidate will be instructed to appoint, with the Department's approval, a second honors committee member to work with the student in the implementation, analysis and documentation of the honors research. That second committee member may be selected from the full-time departmental faculty or from full-time faculty members outside of the Department. If, during the course of the honors project, the supervising instructor determines that the direction of the research has shifted and a different faculty member would better meet the program demands, the second committee member may be replaced with Departmental approval. Once having been advanced to honors candidacy, a student will complete his or her honors research under the supervision of the two-person committee and prepare a written and oral report of that research. Honors in Psychology will be awarded based on the departmental faculties' evaluation of those reports.

 

Selection of Participants

Participation in the Honors Program will be by invitation of the faculty of the Psychology Department. To participate in the Honors Program, a student must submit to the Department, by October 15 of the senior year (or February 20 of the junior year for students graduating in December), a completed honors research proposal sponsored by a full-time faculty member of the Department. Additionally, the student must provide the Department with documentation that they have met the following minimum criteria for honors candidacy:

1. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5 in courses offered for full credit. (A minimum of 8 courses must be used in calculation of that grade point average.)

2. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5 in Psychology courses other than Psychology 299, 444, or 499.

3. The completion of Psychology 100 (Introduction to Psychology), Psychology 111 (Statistics), Psychology 122 (Methodology), and at least two courses in Psychology at the 300 level, taken with Lewis & Clark faculty members. (The Department also strongly recommends that individuals applying for candidacy to the Honors Program also complete Psychology 311 (Statistics 11).

4. By December 15 (April 20 for December graduates), the student must submit to the Department a pre-candidacy progress report detailing the research completed during the first semester of the project.

5. By the end of the 1" week in April (2nd week of November for December graduates), the student must make an oral presentation to the Psychology Department and interested members of the Lewis & Clark community. This presentation should detail the project's rationale, procedure, and results. Suggestions made by members of the Psychology Department during the student's presentation should be incorporated into the final paper.

Based on the documented information provided by the student, and faculty members' evaluation of the student's performance in classes taken at Lewis & Clark, the faculty will select those students they deem appropriate for advancement to honors candidacy. Advancement will be based on a consensus of the full-time Psychology faculty.

 

Grading and Awards of Honors in Psychology

During the pre-candidacy phase of the Honors Program, students may enroll in Psychology 499 (Independent Study) under the supervision of their sponsoring faculty member. The student will be notified by the Department during the first week of the following semester whether or not he or she has been advanced to candidacy. Once having been advanced to candidacy, a student will enroll in Psychology 490 (Honors Thesis). Grades for those units of credit will be awarded by the student's supervising professor.

Upon completing the honors research, a written report produced by the student will be evaluated by the student's two-member honors committee. If approved by the committee, the student will present a public oral report of the research (see above). That oral report, along with a final written report, will be evaluated by the faculty of the Psychology Department. If those reports are deemed to reflect a high standard of excellence, the student will be awarded honors in Psychology upon graduation. If a student has completed the requirements of the program (the completion of the written report), but the award of honors is not seen as appropriate by the faculty, the student may receive credit for their participation in Psychology 490 if their honors supervisor judges their work is deserving of that credit.

Honors in Psychology will only be awarded to students maintaining candidacy standards through the completion of the program. A maximum of 8 credits of Psychology 490, Psychology 299, Psychology 499, or Psychology 445 (Psychology Internship) may be applied to fulfill the requirements for a Psychology major.