HONR 450
3 CREDIT HOURS
COURSE DIRECTOR:
COURSE DIRECTOR
OFFICE HOURS:
HONR SENIOR RESEARCH I
FALL 2012
Dr. Hank Rothgerber
Office: Pasteur Hall, P167
Phone #: 272.8045
Email: hrothgerber@bellarmine.edu
T/TH 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. or by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
HONR. 450 Honors Senior Research - Under the direction of an individual faculty member, students
will begin their senior research project and honors thesis in consultation with the Director of the Honors
program.
LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THE COURSE:
Working with your faculty mentor, you will initiate your senior thesis as outlined in the proposal that
you submitted the previous semester. It is expected that you will spend a minimum of 9 hrs per week in
the following possible activities: conducting experiments or collecting other data; constructing your own
creative work; and reading important texts and/or scholarly articles to address your specific question.
While this project will continue into the next semester, it is hoped that the majority of work will be
completed in the fall semester. 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)
ATTENDANCE:
The amount of time you spend working on your thesis should be 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.
1
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.
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.

REGULAR MEETINGS WITH YOUR ADVISOR:
You and your faculty mentor will determine an appropriate schedule for regular meetings to
discuss your thesis. I strongly suggest that you consult with him/her as soon as possible so that
you both have a clear idea of what is expected. Your attendance and preparedness will constitute
30% of your final grade.

FORMAL PROPOSAL PRESENTATION
By October 5th at the latest, you will be required to have a formal meeting with your thesis
advisor and two readers and present your initial plans for the project. Your committee will raise
issues of concern and offer guidance to help you improve the final product. 20% of your final
grade.

FORMAL WRITTEN REPORT
Each student will write a formal progress report and send a final copy to their mentor and to the
course director by November 30th. While it is difficult to put a page limit on this report, it
should be at least 5-8 pages if not longer. Please consult with your advisor on what format they
prefer. It will vary by discipline and by professor. This formal report will constitute 30% of your
final grade.
2
Once you have turned in the formal report, your mentor will decide if you need to make changes
before the end of the semester. Please discuss this further with your mentor.

FORMAL ORAL PRESENTATION:
Each student will present a 10 minute presentation at the end of the semester to share their
progress with their advisor. 20% of your final grade.
GRADING:
Regular Meetings
Formal Proposal Presentation
Formal Written Report
Formal Oral Presentation
TOTAL
150 pts
100 pts
150 pts
100 pts
500 pts
% Total Grade
30%
20%
30%
20%
100%
Your final grade will be calculated as a percentage of the total possible points using the following
grading scale:
A
= 93-100% (A+ for highest grade above 95%)
C
= 73-76.9%
A
= 90-92.9%
C= 70-72.9%
+
B
= 87-89.9%
D+
= 67-69.9%
B
= 83-86.9%
D
= 63-66.9%
B
= 80-82.9%
D
= 60-62.9%
+
C
= 77-79.9%
F
= Below 59.9%
3