Harding University English Department Senior Symposium:
2006-07 Guidelines

I. Harding University English Department Senior Symposium: Purpose

The Harding University English Department senior symposium is designed to test the ability of
graduating seniors to research, write, and present a scholarly paper that validates their
undergraduate credentials and predicts success at the graduate level or in the workplace.

II. Explanation of key terms and requirements:

By “scholarly” in this context we mean workthat goes beyond good writing to reflect a
knowledge of literary history, genre, language and research methods appropriate to the
department’s curriculum and to the subject under discussion.

The minimum length for the project is 10 pages or 3,500 words, assuming standard margins
and font size. The text may need to be cut for the oral presentation, which has a time limit of
15 minutes.

Although the term “research” should not be equated solely with a list of sources, and although
not every topic will require a long list of sources, the works-cited page is a major determinant of
mastery of the subject. Therefore, as a rule, no fewer than 10 secondary sources will be
expected, and when appropriate, a works-cited page should include tertiary sources.* The
mentor will determine cases in which the presence of fewer than 10 secondary sources is
satisfactory. Such cases include but may not be limited to a literary work of recent vintage
(with very few available sources) or an especially original paper that makes go od use of a few
sources.

*The term “tertiary” refers to a source that, though not directly about the literary work in
question, offers ideas or information that may be applied to the work. For example, in a study of
Cooper’s Last of the Mohicans, the student could cite Tocqueville’s Democracy in Americato
make a point about the novel and thus demonstrate greater breadth of knowledge.

In plain terms, the senior symposium paper should be the best work of the student and, as a
test of someone leaving our program, will be evaluated more strictly than essays written
specifically for a certain class.

III. Guidelines for Students, Mentors, Other Faculty Evaluators, and
Symposium Supervisor

the Senior

The heart of the senior symposium process is the relationship between the student and the
faculty member assigned to supervise the project. This faculty member, known as the mentor,
will be assigned by the Chair or by the supervisor of the symposium, if so directed by the Chair.
Whenever possible, students will work with professors of their choice, but the total number of
students assigned to one mentor during a semester will be limited. The mentor guides the
project and assigns one grade to the student based on the finished paper and one for
performance during the process.