Guidelines for Honors
Completing an honors thesis under the guidance of a faculty member in the department offers students a unique opportunity to do original research on a topic of special interest, and to hone their writing skills in their language of study, French, Italian or Spanish. Spanish, French or Romance Languages majors who want to pursue in-depth research in an area with which they have some previous experience, whether through coursework in the department or study abroad, and who have an outstanding academic record in their courses in Romance Languages may elect to undertake an honors project during their senior year. This involves two semesters of independent study, the writing of an honors essay of approximately fifty to seventy-five pages in French, Italian or Spanish, and its defense before a committee of members of the department.
Requirements and Timetable for Completion of Honors Projects
By spring registration of the junior year, anyone interested in pursuing honors work in the department should propose a thesis topic to the faculty member that they would like to have serve as the thesis advisor.
During the first week of the fall semester the student should present to the committee a detailed written proposal describing the theme, scope and central questions to be addressed by the project, together with a preliminary bibliography.
At the beginning of December the introductory chapter or a preliminary version of the full project, approximately twenty to twenty-five pages, will be turned in to each member of the committee, and a discussion of the project before the committee will take place prior to winter break. At that time, the committee will determine whether or not the project shows sufficient promise, and, if so, encourage the student to continue it in the second semester as an honors thesis. Students who do not continue in the second semester will receive a course credit for independent study for their first-semester work.
A draft of the entire thesis will be turned in to the committee for commentary by spring break, and the student will have the opportunity to revise the project during April.
A colloquium or defense of the project before the committee will take place during Reading period. During that meeting the student will summarize the evolution of the project and the central conclusions or revelations, and address the committee members questions.
In citing sources and preparing the bibliography, all theses in the Dept. of Romance Languages will follow the MLA guidelines contained in Joseph GibaldiÕs MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Fifth Edition (1999), which is available in the Hawthorne-Longfellow Library.
The Hawthorne-Longfellow Library distributes guidelines for format, title page, and deadlines for submission of the final version to the library, which are accessible through their website at http://library.bowdoin.edu/honors/index.html . Students are reminded that whether in French, Italian or Spanish, the title page should indicate that the honors project has been completed in the Dept. of Romance Languages. To clarify, it is suggested that students write at the bottom of the title page: An Honors Project in French (or Italian or Spanish) for the Department of Romance Languages.
To review topics of previous projects in the department, copies of which are available both in the Romance Languages department and in the library, see (website address)
Past Honors Theses
Below is a list of honors theses by recent graduates and directed by faculty members in Romance Languages.
Honors theses in French:
La Batardise Ou La Textualite Polymorphe De Violette Leduc by Anne Marie Alexander (2000)
Allen, James Neal. Le mythe gaulliste mis en question : Patrick Modiano, Louis Malle, et Marcel Ophuls (1999)
Brill, Lisa M. La femme et la ville chez Emile Zola (1995)
Corbin, David Ethan. Au bord du précipice de là-bas: l’oeuvre de Joris-Karl Huysmans (1998)
Ericson, Susan K. Le processus créatif: une étude des rapports entre la poésie, la musique et la peinture (1990)
Holland, Jennifer. Relire la "poésie féminine" dans Baudelaire et Desbordes-Valmore (1988)
Howard, Meighan Edyth. Le gouvernment de Vichy et les Juifs (1991)
Jobin, Marc Thomas. Simone de Beauvoir : La dualité d'une femme intellectuelle (1996)
Kabat, Katalin J. La découverte de soi et l'absence dans Le Ravissement de Lol V. Stein et dans L'Amant (1996)
Lappis, Karen. Récit, autobiographie, roman: l'emploi des genres divers dans le développement des "moi" d'André Gide (1988)
Larsen, Laura. Lutte et réconciliation: conflit social et politique dans des romans du Cameroun (1994)
Lucht, Rebecca. Pas-de-Duras (1994)
Markarian, Alexandra. La femme indépendante qui défie des rôles et des règles de la société (1995)
Mullen, Elizabeth A. A. Le rôle de la femme comme "l'autre" dans trois romans de Simone de Beauvoir (1988)
Nanovic, Kathryn. Flaubert et Sartre: théories d’écriture dans Madame Bovary et La Nausée (1990)
Page, David Hamilton. Le rôle et l'impact de la résistance française pendant la Deuxième Guerre Mondiale (1991)
Ranagan, Elizabeth. Le génie comme l'enfance retrouvée: des images de l'enfant dans le roman français du vingtième siècle (1994)
Rizoulis, Joanna I. La seconde vue : la preuve du génie artistique chez Balzac (1988)
Honors theses in Spanish:
Baldwin, Katherine E. Las voces del silencio: Un análisis de los cuentos cortos de Mario Benedetti y Juan Rulfo (1998)
Beecher, Brent. El sur trágico: La Andalucía de Azorín (1997)
Blickenstaff, Leslie Scott. El despertar de una conciencia política: La política y la sexualidad en la obra de Antonio Skármeta (1994)
Borg, Amy Danielle. La voz que no se puede callar: El Cinema Novo y la censura (1990)
Cordes, Matthew. Mario Vargas Llosa y su teoría de la novela: 'Un strip-tease invertido' (1987)
Dwight, Leslie Evangeline. La búsqueda personal de Octavio Paz: Una vuelta hacia México (1990)
Ford, Katherine. Mujeres rotas, verdades rotas : La poesía de Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz y Rosario Ferré (1999)
Garner, Julia Hilary. Política y narrativa en cuatro novelas de Mario Vargas Llosa. (2001)
Hackim-Amaral, Marisa. El vitalismo decadentista en la narrativa del 98. (2000)
Hahn, John Neil. Las relaciones entre EE.UU. y Cuba: Un estudio de la Ley Helms-Burton desde una perspectiva realista. (2001)
Harvey, Gregory S. Alexander von Humboldt : Científico, explorador, y catalizador de revolución (1995)
Hughes, Joseph. Antonio Buero Vallejo: Soñador para su pueblo (1991)
Melia, Michael. La desmitificación de un gigante en las crónicas de José Martí (1999)
Minicucci, Christina Anne. Empeños y desempeños : El cuestionamiento de la tradición del Siglo de Oro de Calderón a Sor Juana (1997)
Niebylski, Christopher. Re-encuentros con el Otro: Parodia y antropofagia en la novela histórica contemporánea. (2001)
Ríos, Julían G. En busca de la diferencia afro-hispana en tres novelas de Quince Duncan (1992)
Rohner, Kathleen M. "Todo por la Matria" : la función simbólica de la mujer en cuatro obras de Antonio Buero Vallejo (1992)
Sacaramella, Evelyn Elizabeth. Cultura mediática en la novela contemporánea española: Muñoz Molina, Millas, Puértolas y Manas. (2001)
Selcke, Gretchen. El Amor Cortés en La Celestina: Convenciones literarias en un mundo en transición. (2000)