Social Sciences Program Area Faculty Committee: N. Chau, chair (NetID: hyc3); T. A. Hirschl, T. D. Park, and C. W. Scherer

Overview

Research projects in the social sciences include applied economics and management, communication, development sociology, education, and information science. Students are accepted into the social sciences research honors program of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences after meeting all the college criteria described above, after evaluation of the student’s written application, and on approval of a detailed thesis proposal.

The program provides an excellent opportunity for students to pursue independent study and research under the guidance/mentorship of a faculty member. Previously approved theses covered a wide range of topics and methodologies. A complete list can be found at http://ecommons.library.cornell.edu/handle/1813/2937.

Guidelines and Due Dates

A.  Application and Proposal:

Students must submit one hard copy of the completed application and proposal to the social science program area faculty committee chair two semesters before their prospective graduation date (see deadlines below). Late applications will not be considered.

Graduation Date         Proposal Due Date	Graduation Date           Proposal Due Date
May 2010                    September 15, 2009	December 2009           February 16, 2009
May 2011                    September 15, 2010	December 2010           February 15, 2010
	December 2011           February 15, 2011

Students are strongly encouraged to meet with faculty during their junior year in order to identify someone to serve as their honors thesis advisor. Honors thesis faculty advisors must be members of the graduate faculty. Exceptions may be granted for persons with special expertise pending petition to the committee.

Working with their honors thesis advisor, students should begin developing their thesis proposal during the second semester of their junior year. The purpose of the proposal is twofold. First, it formalizes a plan of study and establishes a set of expectations between the student and the faculty advisor. Second, the honors committee reviews the proposal to determine whether it is consistent with honors thesis requirements and to make suggestions for improvement.

The proposal should be 5 to 10 typed, double-spaced pages and include the following:

1. Research Topic: State the problem to be studied or the topic of interest. Review the basic literature and the background of the problem or topic; include a more extensive bibliography to be consulted.
   
   
2. Research Questions/Empirical Hypotheses: Specify the proposed questions to be answered or hypotheses to be tested empirically via collection of data and a mode of analysis accepted in the social sciences.
   
   
3. Research Methods: Discuss the models to be constructed (if any), sampling procedures, data collection procedures (including measurement instruments and survey or experimental designs, if appropriate), and proposed methods of analysis.
   
   
4. Expected Significance: State what new knowledge or information is likely to be forthcoming and why it is important. State any practical applications expected as a result of the research.

Students accepted into the honors program should register for credit directed by the honors thesis faculty advisor (e.g., AEM 4991, COMM 4991, DSOC 4991, EDUC 4991).

B.  Final Submission for Review and Approval Requirements:

Honors theses should be written according to the form of any standard journal within the appropriate field. Distinction in research is awarded upon approval of the research honors thesis by the committee. Both the results of the research and the methodology (or the logical argument by which the results were achieved) must be reported. Reviews of the literature, practical conclusions or applications, or broad characterizations of an area of inquiry may constitute part of the research report but are not themselves sufficient as research.

The committee recommends the submission of the thesis draft to the research advisor two months before graduation to permit sufficient time for revision.

Completed theses are due approximately one month before graduation:

Graduation Date         Thesis Due Date	Graduation Date           Thesis Due Date
May 2010                    April 15, 2010	December 2009           November 16, 2009
May 2011                   April 15, 2011	December 2010           November 15, 2010
	December 2011           November 15, 2011

One electronic copy of the final thesis (in pdf or Word format) should be sent by email to the Social Sciences program area faculty committee chair no later than the due date. A supporting letter from the faculty member supervising the work also must be submitted either electronically or as a hard copy.

The thesis will be independently reviewed typically by two faculty committee members within about two weeks. If further revisions are required, students will be informed and a revised draft will be requested. Students will be notified of the committee’s decision by the week of May 25.

Students may volunteer to submit electronically to the honors committee chair a copy of their final approved thesis (in pdf or Word format) for Mann Library. Mann Library has given CALS the opportunity to have theses available to the public electronically if this does not interfere with other plans, such as patenting or publishing in another journal. A permission form to allow the thesis to be made available online at Mann Library can be obtained from the honors committee chair.

In addition, students are required to submit electronically to the honors committee chair their thesis title, research advisor’s name, and abstract (in Word format). During each summer, the CALS Research Honors Abstracts publication is published (on the web beginning 2009) as a compilation of research honors thesis abstracts.