Honors in English
To graduate with honors in English, students must (1) complete 12 credit hours of English honors courses, of which six must be English 398 (Junior-Senior Honors Seminar) and English 498 (Senior Honors Thesis); (2) Earn an A or B in English 398 and 498; (3) have a 3.25 overall GPA or better; and (4) have a 3.5 or better GPA in the major. Students may complete their two elective honors courses via honors-by-contract or through the following offerings:
- English 207 and 208 Honors: British Literature I and II
- English 217 Honors: Introduction to Shakespeare
- English 218 Honors: Introduction to Jane Austen
- English 237 and 238 Honors: American Literature I and II
- English 247 Honors: Introduction to Poetry
- English 248 Honors: Introduction to Drama
- English 257 Honors: Public Writing
- English 258 Honors: Introduction to Fiction
- English 278 Honors: Themes in Literature
- English 357 Honors: Rhetoric and Writing
In order to enroll in sophomore honors courses, students must have a GPA of 3.25 or higher.
Junior-Senior Honors Seminar and Thesis
English Honors provides an opportunity for motivated majors to crown their studies by writing a substantial scholarly or creative thesis (typically 40-60 pages) under the direction of a professorial faculty member. Because it involves advanced research, organization, and writing skills, participation in honors is excellent preparation for graduate, law, or other professional school. See here for a list of past English honors theses completed at UT.
English 398 (Junior-Senior Honors Seminar) is given every fall by a faculty member in an area of their expertise. Enrollment is limited to around twenty students who have maintained a 3.5 GPA in the major and completed two upper division (300 or 400 level) English courses.
Past seminars have been offered on “Literature, Culture, and the Cold War,” “The Modernist Novel: An International Perspective,” and “Racing Early America.” Fall 2018’s “Law and Literature,” taught by Lisi Schoenbach, produced research that sent one student to the Global Undergraduate Awards.
The topic for the Fall 2024 seminar is “Life/Writing: Modern Memoirs,” which will be taught by Professor Urmila Seshagiri.
Students who receive a grade of A or B in English 398 may enroll in English 498, Senior Honors Thesis (usually in the spring). The senior honors thesis allows a student in the honors program to work on an independent creative or research project under the guidance of two members of the faculty. See here for past theses. Students wishing to write a thesis should reach out to the director of undergraduate studies as soon as possible so they can prepare.
Sigma Tau Delta Honors Society
The Alpha Epsilon Chi chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the English Honors Society, was inaugurated at the University of Tennessee in 1996. In addition to recognizing English majors with outstanding records, Sigma Tau Delta brings together students with an interest in writing, literature, and language in order to enhance their educational program through co-curricular activities. In the past Sigma Tau Delta has sponsored student-faculty mixers, social events, career panels, and group attendance at cultural events in campus and in the Knoxville area.
Sigma Tau Delta, the English Honors Society, is composed of close to 600 chapters located throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, and the Caribbean; it is the third largest of the 66 members of the Association of College Honors Societies. In addition to sponsoring scholarships and awards, Sigma Tau Delta organizes an annual convention. Students interested in learning more about the international honor society may do so at english.org.
In order to qualify for membership a student must be enrolled as an English major or minor, have completed at least three semesters of college work and two courses in English in addition to freshman writing, and have a 3.0 GPA and a 3.2 GPA in English courses. Currently enrolled students who are not English majors may be admitted as associate members if they meet the above requirements. The organization is open to undergraduates and graduate students. All students admitted into Sigma Tau Delta pay a $65 initiation fee, which includes dues for the national organization and local chapter.
Click here for the online Sigma Tau Delta Application, due by March 24, 2025.
Questions may be directed to Dr. Gerard Cohen-Vrignaud
