Below are examples of well-created past applications for Ad Hoc Honors and Honors 499 applications. Notice how these examples show complete and thoughtful effort in addressing each prompt. These examples are not meant to be used as a template for your own application.

 

---

 

Ad Hoc Example

Post-Colonialism Effects on South Asian Countries

Student Name: Hanna Dasgupta

Associated UW Course: ENGL 316 A

Quarter/Year: Autumn 2017

Credit Type: Interdisciplinary Honors – Additional Any

Have you previously applied ad hoc Honors credits towards the Honors Core? Remember that no more than 15 credits of ad hoc and HONORS 499 can count towards the Interdisciplinary Honors core.
No

What is the standard coursework for this class? Include details about assignments, resources, activities and interaction with the instructor.

The class focuses on literature written by Black Britons-immigrants or the children of immigrants from the Caribbean, South Asia, and Africa living in the U.K. As part of the plan for the course, we will read novels, short stories, critical essays and screen films in order to better understand notions of home, racial identity and imperialism’s legacy. Through these processes of thought, we hope to unravel the complicated historical and social ramifications of colonialism and imperialism and begin to understand how historical relationships of power, race, and privilege have shaped our contemporary world.

The standard coursework for this class consists of thoroughly reading and analyzing four separate texts related to post-colonialism by way of reflective essays, class discussions and debates, and other projects such as researching current events related to the postcolonial topic. The format of the class is typically a roundtable discussion with the professor guiding the conversation and providing thought-provoking questions and topics for the students to engage with. As such, the structure of the course is heavily geared toward student interaction and participation.

There are four major assignments as part of this course: First Look Epistemology paper, Current Events Analysis, Midterm Project, and Final Project. The First Look Epistemology paper is a Working Paper where students can reflect on how they know what they know about the world, and try to understand their vantage point and position in the world. The Current Events Analysis entails researching news related to postcolonial events and considering the language and the biases that may be present in the structure of these pieces in the media. The Midterm project will be an expansion on the First Look Epistemology paper and the Final project includes a broader question about post-colonial texts and a letter for the future outlining important takeaways from this course.

Besides the papers, the coursework consists of reading four texts including Small Island by Andrea Levy, Lara by B. Evaristo, The Intended by David Dabydeen, and Escape to an Autumn Pavement by Andrew Salkey in addition to other assorted short readings.

Outline your proposed ad hoc project. What is the primary focus of your project? What additional work will you complete and how does it differ from the standard coursework? Include details about assignments, resources, activities and progress toward overall objectives.

For this ad hoc Honors project I will be writing a research paper that will tie in themes and theories from various resources related to post-colonialism effects in South Asian countries like India and Bangladesh. Since our course mainly focuses on postcolonial effects of Black Britons, I would like to expand my learning to better understand the history of countries that am particularly interested in because they are relevant to my life. I am very curious about how the psychological effects of post-colonialism have carried on through my grandparents and my parents how they embody themselves in my own personality.

I will consult with Dr. Anu to locate a few sources that might help contribute to my study of post-colonialism in South Asian countries. Throughout the quarter I will be producing drafts of my paper in steps and meeting with Dr. Anu to develop the paper and explore other facets within the topic that could enrich my project.

In terms of the resources for my paper, I would like to read texts, short stories, and even watch films or documentaries related to the topic so that I can gain a more holistic understanding of the cultural and societal effects of post-colonialism.

Discuss your motivations for pursuing this ad hoc project. What do you hope to gain from completion of this project?
By completing this project I would like to gain a better understanding of my history and the sequence of events that have led me to the life I currently live. I have struggled with understanding my place in the American society that I have been raised in and figuring out how my culture can interact with others’ cultures in ways that will allow me to integrate into another culture while retaining my own roots. I think that completing this project will help me answer some of the questions of the way my immigrant parents and their friends approach their daily lives in America – questions that I haven’t fully processed into words yet but am discovering more and more as I learn about postcolonial psychology.

By completing this project I hope to have a better understanding of the history of colonization in South Asian countries through the lens of storytelling and first person perspectives rather than the dry history accounts that I have typically studied. This will be a way for me to reconcile the stories I have heard from my own relatives with the stories of others who experienced the post-colonization effects and see if there are any overlapping experiences between the countries we are studying in class and the ones I am choosing to focus on. It will allow me compare and contrast post-colonization throughout various countries and see what makes the experiences different.

How does this additional work connect with the educational goals of the course?
The course goals are defined as: to begin to understand how literary cultures function in relation to lived social realities; to begin to unravel the complicated historical and social ramifications of colonialism and imperialism; to begin to understand how historical relationships of power, race, and privilege have shaped our contemporary world; to build and nurture a collegial community of critical thinkers, readers and scholars.

I believe that through this project I will be attempting to understand my own and my family’s “lived social realities” by exploring the literary cultures of those affected by colonialism from my root country. With this project I aim to understand our contemporary world and how it is influenced by the cross-interactions of people from different countries who have their own extremely complex histories. It will allow me to understand what “culture” means and how it is distinguished from “race” and why this is relevant to my daily life.

Outline your plan of interaction with your instructor, including in-person meetings, forms of feedback, and additional communication.
I will be working with Dr. Anu as I complete stages of my research paper to get her feedback on how to further develop my study. Forms of communication will include meeting in person during office hours or emailing feedback. Her feedback can take the place of suggesting edits for the structure of my paper, providing additional resources to expand my thinking, or any other methods by which she can help me improve my research.

---

H499 Independent Study Example

A Human Migration Study in Germany

Student Name: Melissa Gile
Term: Autumn 2016
Credits: 5 Credits – Interdisciplinary Honors – Social Science
Grading System: Decimal grade

Course Overview:
The course topic will be human migration studies in Germany, particularly asylum seekers and refugees. I have previously taken an honors course on human migration through the UW Summer 2012 Honors in Rome program, and therefore have a basic knowledge of migration policy in the European Union and Italy in specific. However, as this is a very fluid topic that changes with political and social developments, I am interested in learning more about human migration in the European Union.

I am interested in studying human migration in the EU again because my previous experience studying human migration enhanced my cultural and personal awareness. I learned to notice pockets of communities with foreign cultures, and I began to understand the concept of cultural immersion, especially in the face of oftentimes-traumatic incidences. I had the opportunity to interface with people who I would normally pass over due to sheer unawareness, and quite frankly, it opened my eyes to the lives and difficulties of others. I found this to be very personally enriching, and since my experience in Rome, I have been making it a point to continue working with immigrants and refugees, as well as raise awareness in my own community about the struggles that some people go through as a result of political or social pressure. I see human migration as a direct consequence of current events, and it shapes the development of the global society that we have today. I see human migration as the “behind the scenes” part of current world politics. Beyond personal fulfillment, it is an important aspect of understanding the dynamics of international relationships and events.

Learning Objectives:
Through this project I hope to achieve a better understanding of human migration in Germany and the EU. Some general questions to be answered are as follows: what are the immigration policies in the EU and Germany? What are the similarities and differences between Germany and Italy, in the way that both countries handle refugees and asylum seekers? How do geographical, economical, social, political and other factors affect the way that Germany handles people with migration backgrounds? What are the overarching policies governing human migration in the EU and more particularly Germany? Why were these policies enacted, and how do they affect the lives of asylum seekers and refugees in Germany?

I aim to answer these questions using literature searches, case studies, volunteering opportunities, interviews and other available sources. I will also be going into more specific situations such as woman and underage children asylum seekers, as well as human trafficking issues that people with migration backgrounds deal with. Overall, this project will be a comprehensive study of refugees and asylum seekers in Germany.

In order to complete this project, I will use Professor Sabine Lang as my adviser, but also have Professor Kathie Friedman in the International Studies Department, who also deals with human migration. She also taught my class in Rome and may provide me with literature suggestions. I am already in contact with Agisra (http://www.agisra.org/index.php?de_home) in Cologne, Germany, a refugee support group that focuses woman refugees and asylum seekers, and was given information about active refugee organizations in Münster (e.g. GGUA, which I have just recently contacted and am still awaiting a response).

Assignments:
W 1: 9/24-10/1
Literature Search: Immigration policy in the EU — current debates and challenges
W 2: 10/2-10/8
Essay 1: 6 Pages: Immigration policy in the EU — current debates and challenges
W 3: 10/9-10/15
Literature Search: Asylum policy in Germany — historical development and current debates
W 4: 10/16-10/22
Essay 2: 6 Pages: Asylum policy in Germany — historical development and current debates
W 5: 10/23-10/29
Asylum policy in crisis: Case Study- Women asylum seekers (including literature search)
W 6: 10/30-11/5
Asylum policy in crisis: Woman asylum seekers — interviews with NGOs
W 7: 11/6-11/12
Essay 3: 15 pages, case study
W 8: 11/13-11/19
Literature Search: Underage children asylum seekers
W 9: 11/20-11/26
Literature Search: Trafficked women and asylum in Germany
W 10: 11/27-12/3
Final Journal Entry/Summary: Conclusion and outlook
W 11: 12/4-12/9
Final Essay: consists of previous three essays plus additional materials/interviews: 30 pages total.
Due December 9, 11am via e-mail.

Additional requirements:
– weekly journal entry 500 words minimum
– 40 hours of volunteer work total throughout the quarter
Weekly Schedule:

A weekly schedule throughout the quarter has been outlined in the section above. I just sent an email to GGUA (Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft zur Unterstützung Asylsuchender e.V.) (http://www.ggua.de/) asking for volunteering opportunities throughout the quarter, and may also see various churches in the area for volunteering opportunities as well, since both may provide largely different opportunities to work with refugees.

As described above, weekly goals/assignments will include:
– Weekly journal
– 3 hours of volunteering a week (this number is tentative depending on opportunities provided in the area, but the end goal is to have 40 hours of volunteering total by the end of the quarter)
– Weekly assignments as outlined above

Due to the distance (Germany-USA), the main method of contact will be via email, and the student is expected to demonstrate a level of proactivity when pursuing research, case studies, completion of assignments, etc. A more complete list of readings, reading assignments and activities will be developed and recorded throughout the quarter in the weekly journal. The journal will be an effective method of not only tracking progress, but also organizing course goals, progress and developments.

Grading:

Outline how the course will be graded, rubrics for assignments or final projects, etc.

Grading:
W 2 essay 10 %
W 4 essay: 10%
W 7 essay: 30%
W 11 Essay 40%
Weekly journal 10%

Journals will be graded in weeks 5 and 10.