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Honors Program

In accordance with requirements established by the Emory College Honors Program, MESAS offers honors coursework for eligible students majoring in MESAS or Arabic, during their senior year. Students are required to enroll in MESAS 495A in the Fall semester and MESAS 495BW in the Spring semester. Students interested in the honors program should consult with their preferred faculty advisor and together complete the MESAS Application for Honors Program form.

Additional Details

The MESAS Honors Program offers the opportunity to:

  • Work with specialists in Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies.
  • Conduct original research in a topic of interest.
  • Hone skills in analytical thinking and writing, and interdisciplinary and comparative methodologies.
  • Build rigorously on knowledge and linguistic skills.

Schedule:

  • This is a senior-year, two-semester program. Students will be formally admitted into the program in their senior year, but students are expected to conduct preliminary work on their thesis in the spring semester of their junior year.
  • The Fall semester course (MESAS 495A addresses methodology and meets regularly as a group, under the guidance of the honors thesis faculty coordinator.
  • The Spring semester course (MESAS 495BW) resembles a directed study course with the student's main thesis advisor, with occasional group meetings.

Project:

  • Eligible majors must submit a thesis proposal to their main advisor, including a detailed plan of research and a preliminary bibliography.
  • Students are encouraged to apply for SIRE research grants.
  • Students conducting field research that involves human subjects must obtain IRB training well in advance.

Committee:

  • The main thesis advisor must be a MESAS faculty member.
  • Additional advisors and readers of the thesis may be from other departments; at least one member must be from another department.
  • Students must consult with their main advisor in choosing other committee members.
  • Students must submit final drafts of their thesis to committee members at least a week in advance of the examination.
  • The thesis examination must be scheduled at least two weeks in advance of the College due date for thesis submission.