UIUC Anthropology Honors Thesis:
Levels of Distinction, and Turn-in Schedule
The UIUC Department of Anthropology offers four levels of “Distinction” to students who complete an Honors Thesis:
 Highest Distinction
 High Distinction
 Distinction
 No Distinction.
The guidelines below offer clarity and uniformity to the process and schedule of how we designate and confer levels of Honors Thesis “distinction.”
Normally, the student’s advisor and second reader decide on the level of
“distinction” to be conferred. In case of uncertainty, they may consult with the
Anthropology Undergraduate Advisor and/or Director of the Undergraduate
Program in Anthropology for additional input.
The level of “distinction” is noted on the student’s transcript. If the thesis is turned in by the relevant deadline (see below), the level of distinction is also noted in the program and announced at the convocation ceremony.
In order for the level of distinction to be noted in the convocation program and announced at the convocation ceremony, students need to turn in a close-to-final draft of the Honors Thesis to their mentor and second reader by approximately four
weeks before Convocation. In spring, this is usually around April 15. This early turn-in date will allow the faculty advisor and second reader approximately one week to read the Thesis, assign the appropriate level of “distinction,” and communicate their decision to the Undergraduate Anthropology Advisor. The
Undergraduate Anthropology Advisor will notify you what this year’s exact date will be for students to turn in a close-to-final draft to the advisor and
second reader. (In spring 2013, this date is: April 15.)
The advisor and second reader must decide on the level of distinction by approximately three weeks before Convocation, and report this to the
Undergraduate Anthropology Advisor, who will ensure that this honor is published in the convocation program and announced at the convocation ceremony.
Supervising faculty and second readers: The Undergraduate Anthropology
Advisor will notify you what this year’s exact date will be to report the level of
distinction to the Undergraduate Advisor. (In spring 2013, this date is: April 22.)
The final, correctly formatted thesis should be turned in to the student’s advisor, second reader, LAS Honors Office, and the Undergraduate Anthropology Advisor

Honors Thesis—Levels of Distinction 2 one week after the last day of the term. The Undergraduate Anthropology
Advisor will notify you what this year’s exact date will be to turn in the final
Thesis.
The following guidelines explain the four levels of “distinction” available:
Highest Distinction:
GPA of 3.6 in Anthropology
GPA of 3.5 overall
To merit the honor of “Highest Distinction,” an Honors Thesis should meet the standards listed below and even move significantly beyond those expectations:
 is of an overall high enough quality that it could realistically be submitted to either a student journal, a mid-tier professional journal, or a national student paper competition without significant revisions
 constitutes an original contribution to anthropological thought or debates
 is based on a significant and notable level of independent research (whether library, archival, lab, or fieldwork-based)
 is unusually well written and well organized, grammatically error-free, employing smooth word usage, and perhaps even contains extra pizzazz or special creativity
 integrates data and theoretical framework to make a cogent argument that is clearly presented, internally cogent, and well developed

 offers a sharp and thoughtful discussion and/or critique of relevant literature within and/or outside anthropology
 credits and cites a sufficient number of relevant works within anthropology and other relevant disciplines
 meet technical (sub)disciplinary expectations for citations, bibliography, formatting, length, and pagination
High Distinction:
GPA of 3.6 in Anthropology
GPA of 3.3 overall
 goes beyond a general summary of what is already known about the topic
 integrates data and theoretical framework to make a cogent argument that is clearly presented, internally cogent, and well developed
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Honors Thesis—Levels of Distinction 3
 is based on some independent research (whether library, archival, lab, or fieldwork-based)
 is well written and well organized, free of grammatical errors and word usage issues
 offers a sharp and thoughtful discussion and/or critique of relevant literature within and/or outside anthropology
 credits and cites a sufficient number of relevant works within anthropology and other relevant disciplines
 meets technical (sub)disciplinary expectations for citations, bibliography, formatting, length, and pagination
Distinction:
GPA of 3.6 in Anthropology
GPA of 3.0 overall
 is based on some independent research (whether library, archival, lab, or fieldwork-based)
 offers a thoughtful and cogent argument that is internally consistent, clearly stated and well developed
 is well written and well organized, containing minimal grammatical errors and word usage issues
 engages with relevant literature within and/or outside anthropology
 credits and cites a sufficient number of relevant works within anthropology and other relevant disciplines
 meet technical (sub)disciplinary expectations for citations, bibliography, formatting, length, and pagination
No Distinction:
 Does not meet the standards laid out above (either for GPA, quality of the
Honors Thesis, or both).
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