Honors Program
Source: https://anthropology.stanford.edu/academics/undergraduate-program/capstone-honors/honors-program Parent: https://anthropology.stanford.edu/academics/undergraduate-program/minor/how-declare-minor
The honors program in Anthropology provides eligible Anthropology majors with an opportunity to conduct original ethnographic, field, laboratory, or library-based research under the guidance of an Anthropology faculty member. All Anthropology majors are urged to consider applying to the departmental honors program in Anthropology. Interested Anthropology majors of junior standing may apply for admission to the honors program by applying first in Axess, submitting an honors application form, including a research topic/title of the proposed honors project, a two page abstract/proposal, a transcript, and a letter of reference from their faculty or honors adviser to the undergraduate student services officer on or by April 8th 2026 in the junior year.
Department majors are eligible to apply for honors candidacy with a 3.4 GPA in the department major, a 3.0 GPA in overall course work, and with no more than one incomplete listed on the transcript at the time of application*. Students must submit the final draft of their Honors Thesis to their Honors Advisor (1st Reader), 2nd reader, by May 15th of Spring Quarter. Honors Advisors must confirm a student’s Honors status and students will provide a final copy of the honors paper to the undergraduate student services officer by the published Late Application deadline for Spring Quarter Degree Conferral. If ineligible, students must withdraw their application to the Honors Program. Students interested in the Honors Program are encouraged to apply for summer research funding through the Department of Anthropology, VPUE Undergraduate Student Research Grants, and area studies centers. This process requires planning as the Spring Quarter VPUE research deadline falls before the honors application due date. The Department research grants deadline, however, is the same day as the honors application due date.
* Students who do not meet this requirement may pursue the Senior Paper option.
How to Apply
Application Deadline is April 8th
Honors application and all required supplemental documents must be submitted via Google Form listed below by 11:59pm. Apply for Honors on Axess after you have turned in your thesis (Spring of Senior Year). Letter of recommendation from Honors Advisor should be sent separately to the Undergraduate Student Services Officer (Staff).
- Honors or Senior Paper Application form (link to Honors/Senior Application Form)
- Proposal 2-4 pages double-spaced
- Detailed Itinerary and Budget
- Bibliography
- Transcript
Courses
Required Courses
The department offers a number of courses designed to support students throughout their research proposal and writing process.
- ANTHRO 92A: Undergraduate Research Proposal Writing Workshop (Autumn Quarter prior to submitting application,) OR
- ANTHRO 92B: Undergraduate Research Proposal Writing Workshop (Winter Quarter prior to submitting application)
- ANTHRO 93: Pre-field Research Seminar (Spring Quarter)
- ANTHRO 94: Post-field Research Seminar (Autumn Quarter)
- ANTHRO 199: Senior and Masters Paper Writing Workshop (Winter Quarter)
- ANTHRO 95B: Independent Study for Honors or Senior Paper (Taken in the quarter, the student plans to submit an honors paper. Students must enroll in the course with their faculty or honors advisor and pass with a grade of A- or better to be approved for Honors. Papers that receive a grade lower than a ‘A-’ will be considered a Senior Paper)
Optional Courses
- ANTHRO 95: Research in Anthropology
- Bing Honors College: VPUE funded 2-week intensive writing program for students actively engaged in researching and drafting their honors thesis.
Honors Research Paper Guidelines
Format
- 10,000 to 15,000 words (approx. 30-60 pages)
- Extended essay with subheadings or with distinct chapters
- Thesis must include an introduction and conclusion
- Formatted in a scholarly style with consistent referencing throughout
- Bibliography
- If figures and illustrations are included, there must be a table of contents listing each
- Chicago Style formatting is preferred (refer to the Publishing Style Guide)
Grading
- Grading average between two readers must be a letter grade of “A-" or better
Readers
- First Reader: Honors Advisor (usually your Faculty Advisor)
- Second Reader: Suggested by Faculty Advisor, may be outside of Department
Should Include - Discuss with Advisor
- Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Literature Review
- Contextualization of the question
- Discussion on Methodology
- Report on Fieldwork
- Qualitative Assessment
- Discussion of Results
- Conclusion
- Appendices
Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection
- Students who successfully complete their honors thesis have the option to publish their work in the Stanford Digital Archives. To view a collection of papers submitted by former students, please visit the Department of Anthropology’s Undergraduate Research Paper Archives.