HONR 451
3 CREDIT HOURS
COURSE DIRECTOR:
COURSE DIRECTOR
OFFICE HOURS:
HONR SENIOR RESEARCH II
Spring 2013
Dr. Hank Rothgerber
Office: Pasteur Hall, P167
Phone #: 272.8045
Email: hrothgerber@bellarmine.edu
T
4:30–6:00 p.m. or by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
HONR. 451 Honors Senior Research – The senior honors thesis is the culmination of the honors
program. Each student will work with an advisor in preparing the project, submitting the final
research/document, and presenting a summary of it at a public occasion.
LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THE COURSE:
Working with your faculty mentor, you will complete your senior thesis that you initiated the previous
semester in HONR 450. It is expected that you will spend a minimum of 9 hrs per week in the following
possible activities: finishing data collection; data analysis; finishing construction of your own creative
work; reading important texts and/or scholarly articles to address your specific question; and for the
majority of your time, writing your senior thesis. In keeping with the Honors Program expectations, the
student should:
 develop critical thinking, communication and technical skills through research experiences
(assessed by regular meetings with thesis advisor, written formal report and oral report)
GUIDELINES FOR THE WRITTEN THESIS
1. The final Honors thesis, if it is a written product, should be approximately between 30 and 60 pages,
depending on your discipline. Science theses tend to be closer to 30; English theses, closer to 60. Look
at past theses to get an idea of what has been done, and of what is appropriate for your discipline. Or,
speak with your thesis advisor.
2. The thesis should be greater (quantitatively and qualitatively) than any other work you have done as
an undergraduate. As an Honors' thesis, it should be somewhere in between an excellent undergraduate
piece of work and a Master's thesis. In the best theses, the student discovers and learns something that
he/she could not have envisioned at the start. This occurs when the student explores and examines a
question, a topic, a claim beyond what is familiar and comfortable, into uncharted territory, and
discovers that there is more depth, more complexity, more importance to this question, topic, or claim
than he/she could have imagined.
3. Every thesis, regardless of the discipline, MUST include a substantial, critical, evaluative component.
--Creative theses, therefore, must also include a research-based, critical, reflective essay about some
component of the creative work. For example, a collection of original poems could include an essay
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addressing voice, or mood, or style, or subject matter contained within the poetry. A collection of
original paintings could discuss and evaluate the subject of the paintings, the medium, a particular effect
the artist was striving to achieve. etc.
--Scientific theses should not only report the experiment, they should also situate the experiment in a
context--what is it building on or testing, why is this significant, where do the results point in terms of
future work?
--Exegetical theses should not only seek to interpret and offer insightful comments about a particular
work, they also should situate the interpretation offered in a context--where/how does this fit in with
other literature, what is the significance of this, what are some implications of the interpretation/analysis
that is being offered?
The key in all of these cases is that you do not simply want to MAKE or to REPORT or to COMMENT;
you want to evaluate, critique, defend, offer an argument for the meaning, import, or other salient feature
of your thesis. It is this part of the thesis in particular that makes it worthy of being an HONORS' thesis.
4. Finally, and this should go without saying, the writing, grammar, style, punctuation, vocabulary
should be appropriate to the assignment. Make this a work to be proud of.
ATTENDANCE:
The amount of time you spend working on your thesis should be at least 9 hours per week. This should
be discussed in more detail with your faculty mentor so that you are clear about his/her expectations.
If there are absences that occur while you are representing the University in some capacity, Bellarmine
requires that you inform the instructor in two steps. During the first week of the course, students must
meet with each instructor to discuss the attendance policy and arrangements for absences related to
University-sponsored events. Second, students must provide the instructor with a signed Student
Absentee Notification Form, available via the student portal on the University intranet, at the earliest
possible opportunity, but not later than the week prior to the anticipated absence. The Student Absentee
Notification Form does not serve as an excused absence from class. Your instructor has the final say
about excused and unexcused absences and it is the student’s responsibility to know and abide by the
instructor’s policy.
TEXT: There is no assigned text for the class although you will spend time reading texts and articles
pertaining to your research topic.
SEVERE WEATHER:
Refer to the current student handbook for details regarding changes in schedule due to bad weather.
Faculty will arrange class schedules to meet learning outcomes in the event classes will be cancelled.
DISABILITY SERVICES:
Students with disabilities who require accommodations (academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids or
services) for this course must contact Disability Services Coordinator. Please do not request
accommodations directly from the professor. The Disability Services Coordinator is located in room
225 Horrigan; phone 452-8150.
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ACADEMIC HONESTY:
I strongly endorse and will follow the academic honesty policy as published in the 2009-11 Course
Catalog and in the 2009-10 Student Handbook. Both documents are available online via
mybellarmine.edu. Students and faculty must be fully aware of what constitutes academic dishonesty;
claims of ignorance cannot be used to justify or rationalize dishonest acts. Academic dishonesty can
take a number of forms, including but not limited to cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, aiding and
abetting, multiple submissions, obtaining unfair advantage, and unauthorized access to academic or
administrative systems. Definitions of each of these forms of academic dishonesty are provided in the
academic honesty section of the Student Handbook. All confirmed incidents of academic dishonesty
will be reported to the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and sanctions will be imposed as
dictated by the policy. Penalties range from failing an assignment or course to dismissal from the
University, depending, in part, on the student’s previous record of academic dishonesty. On the second
offense during a student’s academic career, the student will be immediately suspended for the semester
in which the most recent offense took place. On the third offense, the student will be dismissed from the
University.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
The following is a list of course requirements that will determine your grade in the class.

FORMAL WRITTEN THESIS
Each student will write a formal thesis. A first draft is due to your thesis advisor by April 1st at
the latest. It is optional whether you give your readers a copy of this draft. The final draft is due
to your thesis advisor, readers, and the honors director by April 22nd. Please consult with your
advisor on what format they prefer. It will vary by discipline and by professor. The written
thesis will constitute 70% of your final grade.

FORMAL ORAL PRESENTATION:
Each student will give a 20-25 minute presentation of their thesis at the end of the semester to an
audience of faculty, students, and family. A rubric for the presentations is presented at the end of
the syllabus. The thesis presentations will be April 14th from 12-5. Your attendance is required.
20% of your final grade.

VIDEOTAPED THESIS PRESENTATION
Each student will be asked to deliver a 5 minute summary of their thesis that will be videotaped
and potentially posted to the honors program website. There will be a window of time toward
the end of the semester in which this will be scheduled. 10% of your final grade.
GRADING:
Written Thesis
Formal Oral Presentation
Videotaped Presentation
TOTAL
350 pts
100 pts
50 pts
500 pts
% Total Grade
70%
20%
10%
100%
Your final grade will be calculated as a percentage of the total possible points using the following
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grading scale:
A
AB+
B
BC+
= 93-100% (A+ for highest grade above 95%)
= 90-92.9%
= 87-89.9%
= 83-86.9%
= 80-82.9%
= 77-79.9%
4
C
CD+
D
DF
= 73-76.9%
= 70-72.9%
= 67-69.9%
= 63-66.9%
= 60-62.9%
= Below 59.9%
SCORING RUBRIC FOR SENIOR HONOR PRESENTATIONS
Content
Organization
Excellent Rating
10
9
8
Speaker provides an accurate and complete
explanation of key concepts and theories,
drawing upon relevant literature;
contribution of student to literature is clear;
listeners able to develop an understanding of
the topic
Makes very effective use of introduction and
conclusion; very smooth transitions between
segments of the presentation; presentation is
in an understandable, logical and easy to
follow order
Knowledge/Depth
Speaker appears very knowledgeable and
qualified about topic; reveals a depth and
breadth in understanding of relationships
between facts, details, and ideas
Graphics/Visual Aids
Slides are clear, uncluttered and easy to read
from all points in the room
Rarely or occasionally reads from notes
All sources of facts and examples fully
documented and mentioned in the talk
Rarely or never uses ums, uhs, ahs, you
knows, and other crutches; has good eye
contact with individuals in the audience;
gestures are only used to reinforce or
compliment spoken words; stands
comfortably; voice is clear and audible,
voice is well modulated and words are
clearly enunciated; speaks fluently and with
a varied vocabulary; speech is clear, concise
and convincing
Speaker gives thoughtful and insightful
answers to questions from audience
Preparation
Documentation
Delivery
Response to Audience Questions
Length of Presentation
Within a minute of allotted time
Fair Rating
7
6
5
4
For the most part, explanations of key
concepts and theories are accurate and
complete; contribution of student to
literature is somewhat clear; listeners gain
some knowledge of the topic
Poor Rating
3
2
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No reference is made to literature or theory;
unclear what contribution student is
making; listeners gain no new insights
Makes favorable use of introduction and
conclusion; mostly smooth transitions
between segments of the presentation;
presentation is in a relatively
understandable, logical and easy to follow
order
Speaker appears somewhat knowledgeable
and qualified about topic; reveals an
adequate depth and breadth in understanding
of relationships between facts, details, and
ideas
Most slides are clear, uncluttered and easy
to read from all points in the room
Sometimes reads from notes
Some sources of facts and examples fully
documented and mentioned in the talk
Occasionally uses ums, uhs, ahs, you knows,
and other crutches; usually has good eye
contact with individuals in the audience;
relatively few distracting gestures; voice is
audible, usually well modulated and words
are usually clearly enunciated; speaks with a
relatively varied vocabulary; speech is
usually clear, concise and convincing
Marginal or poor use of introduction and
conclusion; distinct transitions or gaps
between segments of the presentation;
presentation is difficult to understand,
illogical and in a hard to follow order
Speaker gives mostly thoughtful and
insightful answers to questions from
audience
Within a few minutes of allotted time
5
Speaker lacks knowledge beyond superficial
understanding of the topic; reveals little or
no understanding of relationships between
facts, details, and ideas
Few (or no) slides are clear, uncluttered and
easy to read from all points in the room
Constantly refers to notes
No sources of facts and examples fully
documented and mentioned in the talk
Frequently uses ums, uhs, ahs, you knows,
and other crutches; frequently focuses on
only a portion of the audience or looks away
from the audience; frequently keeps hands in
pockets or arms in an unnatural position;
appears uncomfortable standing; rocks back
and forth pacing; voice is sometimes
inaudible, not well modulated and/or words
are not always clearly enunciated; at times,
pace is too rapid, too slow or sporadic
Speaker is unable to satisfactorily answer
questions from audience
More than 5 minutes too long or too short