Independent

The Independent Track accommodates students whose research interests cannot be a part of another Honors Track. Students should look at other tracks before requesting the Independent Track. Working with the Dean of the Honors College, students design a track that suits their needs. Students must take a series of courses or independent study classes as part of the track and they must complete a final thesis project.

The Track is Ideal For:

• Students whose research interests are not part of another Honors Track
• Students with an already existing research project outside of the Honors Tracks 

Curriculum:

Students interested in the Independent Track must meet with the Dean of the Honors College to discuss their interests. The student must locate one or two advisors from appropriate academic departments to help mentor them. The student and advisor will choose the courses for the track, and they will outline a proposal for the Honors thesis or project. The student will submit a 3-page proposal to the Dean of the Honors College that describes each class that will be part of the track and provides a description of the thesis or project. The Dean of the Honors College must approve the proposal for a student to enter the Independent Track. Students must submit an annotated bibliography no later than the first day of the semester prior to the semester in which they intend to graduate. See the Honors College Student Handbook for more information.

Course sequence for Independent Track

Independent Track Proposal

The proposal for the Independent track needs to be completed before the online application to the Independent track will be accepted. The proposal should be at least three pages with the following sections:

1. Topic of interest (broad explanation - one or two paragraphs)
2. Name of Thesis advisor(s), and how his or her expertise will help guide you (one or two sentences)
3. Courses you will take to make up the Independent track (list of five courses including one independent study)
4. Proposal for your thesis project (description of planned research topic, hypothesis, methodology, etc.)

Annotated Bibliography

Your annotated bibliography is a written document discussing at least 12 texts that demonstrate your intellectual growth. These "texts" are mostly books, but can also be academic articles, movies, artwork, music, TV shows, or other media that illustrate your intellectual journey and inform your thesis project. You must annotate the bibliography or provide a written narrative for it. The goal of the annotation or narrative is to relate the texts to the background of your thesis. The texts included should be works that are meaningful to you and that will inform your thesis project, and each text's meaning and impact should be the focus of the annotation. 

What projects have students completed in the past?

Students in the Independent Track have produced theses with the following titles:

• Ina Sharma, The Mental Health Impact of COVID‐19 on Healthcare Workers, 2021
• Oliver Rodriquez, A Study of Security Issues and Measures in Fog and Edge Computing, 2020
• Elijah Cook, Gold Nanoparticles with Mercaptan Drugs, 2020
• Dev Dave, Machine Learning Techniques for Software Performance Prediction, 2020
• Ashley Merchant, Violence and Security in Mexico, 2020
• Maximillian Rohrer, Using a Numerical Baseball Simulator to Analyze Batting Lineups and Hitter Streakiness, 2020
• Samantha Shortino, A Mathematical Mystery: An In-Depth Analysis of the Trisection Problem, 2020
• Cassandra Hillmer, Implementing Problem-Solving in Small Group Settings to Engage Students in Mathematical Practices at the Middle School Level, 2019
• Emmanuel Garcia, The Role of Music in Motion Pictures, 2019
• Dante Vocaturo, Evolution: An Analysis of Women's Roles on WWE Programming, 2019
• John C. Zeitler, Album Rollouts: How a Project's Rollout Influences an Album's Success, 2019

How do I enroll?

For further information on this track, consult the director, Dr. Barbara Andrew, at (973) 720-3658, or at ANDREWB@wpunj.edu. 

About the Track Director:

Dr. Barbara Andrew specializes in feminist theory, ethics, social and political philosophy.  Her most recent publications consider love and freedom as moral principles. Dr. Andrew served as Chair of the Department of Philosophy from 2011 until her appointment as interim Honors College Director.  She has taught at William Paterson University since 2002.  Previously, she taught at the University of Oregon and the University of Montana.