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The Department of
Asian Studies

Professor sitting on desk speaking with students in class

Honors Program

The Honors Program requires a high level of accomplishment in a rigorous program of coursework and research.

A three-member Honors Committee of Asian Studies faculty administers the honors program. The committee will set guidelines for the thesis topic proposal, publish deadlines each year, and administer the oral examination. Students submit the name of the faculty adviser and the proposed thesis topic to this committee for approval early in the second semester of the junior year. If the student is studying abroad that semester, the proposed thesis topic should be submitted in the first semester of the junior year or arrangements should be made to submit the thesis topic from abroad during the second semester of the junior year.

Study abroad in a country relevant to the honors research project is strongly recommended.

In addition to following the requirements set by the College of Arts and Science, the following must be satisfied:

  • All of the requirements for the major in Asian studies or Asian American and Asian diaspora studies.
  • 3 credit hours of ASIA 3980: Juniors Honors Readings. If ASIA 3980 is not offered, this requirement may be substituted by an alternative course, with approval by the department chair or the director of undergraduate studies.
  • ASIA 4998 (3 credit hours) and 4999 (3 credit hours). Honors research must be taken while in residence at Vanderbilt. The candidate will write an honors thesis while completing the two-semester honors research sequence. The honors thesis is a research paper on a topic defined by the student in consultation with the faculty adviser and approved in advance by the Honors Committee (see below for definition of Honors Committee).
    Note: 3980, 4998, and 4999 may count toward the 36 credit hours required for the major.
  • A minimum 3.30 cumulative grade point average with a minimum 3.50 grade point average in courses that count toward the major in Asian studies upon completion of the honors requirements.
  • An oral examination on the thesis typically scheduled within the two months prior to graduation.