Distinction in Research and Creative Works

To earn Distinction in Research and Creative Works in Linguistics, students should have done one or more of the following:

  1. Written a senior honors thesis in the department that is based on original research and/or scholarship, and is judged to be exceptional;
  2. Written a sole-authored scholarly paper that was (or will be) presented at a scholarly conference;
  3. Made a significant individual contribution to linguistic research, including research that has been published or presented in a public venue, and highlights the contributions that linguistics can make to other academic, scientific, community or societal spheres.

By the end of the 14th week of the Spring semester, students applying should submit electronically to Nancy Niedzielski, Department Chair at niedz@rice.edu​​​​​​​ a portfolio consisting of:

  1. A two-page description of how their research effort meets the requirements of Distinction. This two-page document should also place the student’s original contribution in broader scholarly linguistics research.
  2. If a paper or thesis has been written to qualify, students should also submit the paper.
  3. An application form including the endorsement of a faculty member. Click here to access this form.

Your electronic submission should have the subject: Distinction in Research and Creative Works in Linguistics, should be submitted by the end of the 14th week of the Spring semester, and should be complete (all forms, copies, and documents should be submitted electronically).