The deadline for an AMES 86 proposal is the end of the fifth week of the term preceding the one in which the project takes place. For application to the Honors Program, submit a proposal for a Fall/Winter or Fall/Spring thesis by the end of the fifth week of Spring Term of the previous academic year, and for a Winter/Spring thesis, by the first Monday in October prior to that Winter Term. Honors students normally take AMES 85 for the first term of the project and AMES 87 for the second term. E-mail the completed AMES 86 or thesis proposal to the AMES chair, who will then forward it to the members of the Steering Committee for review and a decision on approval.

Proposals for both AMES 86 and Honors thesis projects should include:

1. The name of the adviser
2. A clear statement of the research questions
3. A review of publications related to the topic
4. A discussion of principal methods and sources (how the student plans to address the research questions)
5. A work schedule or timeline (students should meet with their advisers on a weekly basis)
6. A description of the student's curricular or other preparation for the project
7. A bibliography

The workload for an AMES 86 project should be equivalent to that of an advanced research seminar; the written work, whether it consists of one research paper or several papers, should total 30-35 pages.