jmu honors essays

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Writing a Senior Honors Thesis in History

As part of its commitment to student research and writing, the Department of History encourages students to write a senior honors thesis.  Any student with a cumulative 3.5 GPA or higher is eligible to write a senior honors thesis.   If you are eligible to write a senior honors thesis, the History department will notify you by email in the spring of your junior year. Feel free to inquire if you do not hear.   Students who plan to write a senior honors thesis begin by identifying a topic of interest and a faculty member to serve as project director. The project director will help the student to create a thesis prospectus (at least 3 pages in length) and a full bibliography and to identify two additional readers for the work. This information goes on to the Honors Application, which the student submits to the Honors College office.

The Senior Honors Project handbook and the  Honors College  are resources for your planning; History majors and minors follow  Track III.   Assuming that the Honors College accepts the proposal, the student should also complete the History Department's  History 499 Application . This form alerts the department to create a space for the student to enroll in History 499, Honors Thesis, for the two semesters of the senior year.   Students must maintain a GPA of 3.25 throughout the process.

The Department of History honors thesis should be sixty to seventy-five pages in length and make use of primary sources.  Typically, the senior honors thesis is divided into chapters.  The faculty director should be certain to record a final grade at the end of each semester’s work and should consult with the readers, where appropriate, to determine the grade.  The student should meet with his and her thesis committee sometime during April of the junior year to discuss the thesis.  It is an opportunity to fine tune the topic, discuss possible research approaches, suggest primary sources and consider questions. 

At this meeting, a basic review process should be agreed to.  For example, does the committee want to review each chapter as it is submitted, or do they want the director to review chapters, then send them along later?  Or, some committees may want to read a draft of the entire thesis.  Finally, this meeting is designed to help the student begin work on the thesis in a collegial manner, and to set expectations.

It is urged that beginning with fall semester of the senior year, the student and thesis director meet on a regular basis (weekly or bi-weekly) to discuss the thesis and to help the student make satisfactory progress in research and writing.  It is strongly recommended that a draft of about one half of the thesis be completed at the end of the fall semester.  Students will receive a grade for HIST 499 fall semester, which indicates the progress made to that point.   A completed draft of the thesis should be submitted to the director before spring break.  A draft should be given to the readers in late March.  Such deadlines will allow all committee members the time to read and review the draft and allow the student the opportunity to make any necessary changes before the Honors College deadline of mid-April.  The thesis should be about sixty to seventy-five pages in length.

The Department of History encourages its senior honors thesis authors to present their research at conferences.  Venues such as the National Council for Undergraduate Research (NCUR) and the regional Phi Alpha Theta conference (history honorary society) provide excellent opportunities for students to present a research paper based on their thesis.

The Department of History has a fund to help defray student travel research expenses.  Students who need to travel to conduct research are encouraged to petition the Clive R. Hallman Fund for travel funds.

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, jmu honors college - how competitive is it.

I'm a junior applying to JMU Honors College next year, but I'm not sure how tough it is to get into their program. Can anyone share the acceptance rate or tips on how to strengthen my application? Cheers!

The acceptance rate for the James Madison University (JMU) Honors College is not publicly available, but it is generally considered to be competitive. While it's difficult to provide an exact number, the Honors College admits a select group of high-achieving students each year and offers a challenging curriculum for them to delve deeper into their disciplines.

To strengthen your application for the JMU Honors College, consider focusing on the following areas:

1. Academic Excellence: Make sure your GPA and relevant coursework reflect your commitment to academic success. Honors College programs typically look for students who excel in their studies and are willing to challenge themselves.

2. Test Scores: While it's unclear if JMU Honors College considers standardized test scores, having strong SAT or ACT scores can demonstrate your academic potential and help your overall application. However, remember to check on their specific policies regarding test scores.

3. Extracurricular Involvement: Demonstrating your engagement in extracurricular activities that align with your interests and showcasing leadership roles show you are a passionate and well-rounded candidate. Honors Colleges appreciate students who can balance academics with real-world experiences and who can contribute to the campus community.

4. Personal Statement: The JMU Honors College application may ask for an essay or personal statement. This is your opportunity to stand out from other applicants by sharing a compelling story, showcasing your passion and interests, and explaining why you would be a great fit for the Honors College.

5. Recommendation Letters: Strong recommendation letters from teachers or other adults who can attest to your dedication, intellectual curiosity, and involvement in meaningful activities will provide additional support to your application.

6. Research Potential Programs: Learn more about the specific opportunities that the JMU Honors College offers, such as research and study abroad programs, to express your enthusiasm about the program and how you plan to take advantage of the resources offered.

Being well-prepared, knowledgeable about the program, and presenting a thoughtful application will increase your chances of gaining admission to the JMU Honors College. Best of luck!

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Bethany Blackstone, Dean

Fawn-Amber Montoya, Associate Dean

Félix Wang, Assistant Dean

Phone : (540) 568-6953                                                                  Location : Hillcrest House Website :  http://www.jmu.edu/honors

The Honors College seeks to develop a diverse community of inquisitive and aspirational learners from all parts of campus through distinctive and challenging educational experiences. Under the guidance of recognized teacher-scholars, this program offers students the opportunity to cultivate the habits of critical thinking, independent analysis and creative expression through classes and independent study. The program offers a setting in which students who share a similar enthusiasm for learning are brought together in intellectual fellowship and provides public recognition for superior academic achievement. 

Honors Interdisciplinary Studies Minor    

Honors Project for Non-minor Students

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Britain Memorializes a Queen, With Smiles and Bronze Corgis

Sculptors have immortalized past British monarchs with imposing, stern-faced statues. For Queen Elizabeth II, they’re taking a different approach.

By Alex Marshall

While reporting this story in Oakham, England, Alex Marshall met six corgis.

It looked like a corgi convention.

On Sunday afternoon in Oakham, a quaint English market town, hundreds of local residents stood behind a temporary barrier and craned their necks to see the 50 or so dogs waddling past in the local library’s gardens.

The yapping mutts were just a sideshow, however, to the main event, which was announced from a dais by Sarah Furness, a local dignitary: the unveiling of Britain’s first memorial statue to Queen Elizabeth II.

The seven-foot bronze work, by the London-based sculptor Hywel Pratley , shows the queen in flowing robes, with three corgis at her feet. “What most of us remember about Queen Elizabeth is her warmth,” Furness said in a speech. “By showing Queen Elizabeth’s love of dogs, we show her humanity,” she added.

Eighteen months after Queen Elizabeth II’s death, Britain is beginning to memorialize the former monarch, with municipalities and institutions across the country unveiling statues in her honor.

Sculptors began working on some of these long before the queen’s death, including one at York Minster in the north of England, unveiled in 2022 , that presents her in full regalia. Another, at the Royal Albert Hall in London , shows a younger, glamorous monarch on a night out at that concert hall, wearing a fashionable dress and tiara.

But many, including the Oakham statue, are more recent commissions. And most of those, unlike the stern statues of Queen Victoria found across Britain, depict the queen as warm and approachable.

This fall, authorities in the town of Newcastle-under-Lyme plan to unveil a work in bronze by Andy Edwards that shows the queen smiling and clutching flowers . The local government for Test Valley, in southern England, this year plans to unveil two sculptures of the queen by Amy Goodman , one of which depicts a beaming monarch waving at passers-by.

In 2026, a joint committee set up by the royal family and the British government plans to unveil its ideas for a national Queen Elizabeth II memorial.

Pratley, the Oakham statue sculptor, said in an interview that depicting the queen in a relatable way reflected many Britons’ memories of her as “an almost motherly figure.”

It also reflected a move in public statuary toward sculptures that encouraged interaction, he said, rather than depictions that glared down from high pedestals. (He hoped that children would sit on the corgis in Oakham, he added.)

Furness, the local dignitary, said she came up with the idea for a monument in September 2022, almost immediately after the queen’s death. As the Lord-Lieutenant of Rutland, Furness represents the monarchy at events around Oakham, and she said that residents kept “stopping me in the street, and saying what a shock it was the queen had died and how much she meant to them.”

After speaking with a local foundry, Furness approached Pratley with a commission.

The sculptor’s first idea was for a statue depicting an elderly queen wearing a pillbox hat, sitting on a bench surrounded by corgis. That idea was “charming,” Furness recalled, but it hadn’t felt right. “If it were a statue of my grandmother, I’d have loved it,” Furness said, “but I thought for the longest serving monarch, and a statue that’ll last for hundreds of years, she had to look like a queen.”

Soon after their first meeting, Pratley changed tack and made a maquette featuring the queen in flowing robes, though he kept the corgis. With that model on view, Furness said, it had been easy to raise the statue’s cost of 140,000 pounds, or about $177,000, from the public.

But in Britain, months of commemorations have also led to some fatigue, said Graham Smith, the chief executive officer of Republic, an anti-monarchist organization. He pointed out that London’s transport authorities had recently named a subway line after Queen Elizabeth, adding that she hardly needed to be carved in stone or remembered in bronze, too. “Maybe we just give it a rest,” Smith said, adding “there were better people to celebrate” in public places.

At Sunday’s unveiling, the popularity of Pratley’s statue in Oakham was clear. After Furness slipped away the sheet covering the art work, the local bishop, Debbie Sellin, gave a blessing — “May it bring joy and encouragement,” she said — a bagpiper played a lament and the crowd sang Britain’s national anthem. (“God Save the King,” these days.) Then, residents and tourists lined up to take selfies in front of the new landmark.

Charlie Farrow, 62, who had brought along her own corgi, Edith, said that she thought the bronze queen looked “a little thick” around the waist, but, overall, Pratley’s artwork was “a really nice piece.”

She especially liked the corgis. “In many respects these dogs symbolize what she was,” Farrow said: “Her Majesty was fabulous, really good-natured and no trouble.”

Alex Marshall is a Times reporter covering European culture. He is based in London. More about Alex Marshall