Criteria for Participation
To apply to the ICS distinction/honors program, you must:
- have an updated and approved curricular plan on file with the ICS Program:
- have completed ICS 195, Critical Approaches to Global Issues, before applying.
- be on track to complete, by the end of your junior year, a substantial portion of the ICS major (roughly 11 courses, including language);
- be in good academic standing
Tips on designing an ICS Thesis Project
A thesis in International Comparative Studies is a scholarly work that includes the following aspects: a focus on phenomena reflecting transnationalism/globalization in the contemporary world; application of critical theory; and interdisciplinary method. In a traditional prose format, it is generally 70 to 100 pages, consisting of an introduction, three or more body chapters, a conclusion, and bibliography/footnotes or endnotes.
Students conduct original research as the foundation for the thesis. This research can take many forms, including (but not limited to) archival work, ethnographic research, oral history, film and/or literary analysis, and visual and media analysis. Students often use a variety of these methods to conduct research for the thesis.
We recommend that students choose a topic that they have familiarity with through previous course work or research. Rigorous scholarship is built on a deep understanding of a topic, so it is in your best interest to start with a topic you have done a substantial amount of reading about before. You might start by thinking of a big theme (for example "immigration" or "colonialism") and then start to narrow it down to a geographic site, a time period, or even a set of objects (films, novels, newspapers, photographs, etc) that you want to explore in relation to that big theme.
Arts-Based and Other Nontraditional Research
You may pursue an honors project in documentary form (film, podcast, or website, for example), using various creative writing elements or community-based collaborations, or in other nontraditional forms. If you would like to pursue this option, schedule a meeting with the ICS Distinction Program Coordinator to discuss your plans before submitting your application. Past examples of such projects include:
- an audio documentary about women laborers in Pakistan;
- a comparative look at Palestinian identities through the perspectives of refugees in the Middle East with accompanying photographs;
- a zine about the history of student organizing for Asian American Studies at Duke.
Application Elements and Requirements
A Distinction Program application includes (3) Elements
1. Project Proposal
3-5 pages
The project proposal should demonstrate that you have already begun to research your project; you have some notion of what question you are trying to answer, whose ideas you wish to respond to in your research and what audience(s) you hope to reach, as well as what might be some of the challenges to carrying it out.
It is particularly important to have taken at least one non-introductory university course that provides foundational knowledge related to your research and to have taken at least one university course that required an independent research paper (on any topic). If you are concerned that you may not have had these experiences, please contact the 2026-267 Distinction Program Director, Professor Jessica Namakkal (jn101@duke.edu) to discuss.
Your Honors proposal must include the following three items:
A statement of the research problem or question(s) you’d like to address. Why does your topic matter, and to whom? We recommend starting with a descriptive rather than prescriptive question: not “Should reparations be paid to indigenous communities in Brazil?” but, “What kinds of reparations demands have indigenous communities in Brazil made, and how are they uniquely informed by Brazilian history?”
A discussion of the original or primary source(s), such as interviews, oral histories, government or NGO documents, first-person journals and narratives, that you intend to analyze and how you plan to acquire them. (Note: the research problem and sources often change and evolve as the project develops, but it's helpful to begin thinking in these terms.);
A discussion of how you became interested in your topic and how your past courses, research, study abroad, paid or volunteer work, etc., makes you the right person to write about your thesis topic in a rigorous and ethical manner. This is also a great place to consider the skills and knowledge you still need.
2. Basic Bibliography
1-2 pages
The bibliography should include two kinds of materials: primary sources you will analyze or interpret as part of your thesis; and relevant secondary scholarly sources you have consulted as you have begun thinking about your project. The initial bibliography should reflect a cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary engagement with your sources. It is helpful to discuss your proposal and initial bibliography with your prospective research supervisor with these expectations in mind before you submit it.
If your planned research includes interviews or observation of human interactions (even if virtual), you must receive clearance from the Institutional Research Board before undertaking your research. You may also obtain information about this requirement at the Office of Research Support website. ICS will provide more information about these requirements to students accepted into the Distinction Program.
3. Recommendation From Your Prospective Research Supervisor
The recommendation should be obtained from a Duke faculty member who is willing to serve as your research supervisor. Your supervisor should ideally be someone who has worked with you in a classroom setting and who is interested in your proposed project and qualified to guide you through it. You should ask your recommender to send an email to the Distinction Program Coordinator, Prof Jessica Namakkal (jn101@duke.edu) with an evaluation of your project and an explicit statement of willingness to supervise your work on it.
Deadlines*
All three parts of the application (Proposal, Bibliography, and Recommendation) should be emailed directly to the 2026-27 Distinction Program Director, Professor Jessica Namakkal (jn101@duke.edu). Research supervisors can email the director directly to express their support of your thesis proposal (they do not need to write a formal letter).
We encourage you to get your application in by Friday, March 20th, to receive full consideration for the program. If you cannot meet this deadline, but intend to submit a proposal, please contact Prof. Namakkal as soon as possible.
The Scott Lee Stephenson Memorial Fund allows the ICS Program to offer research travel grants related to honors/distinction projects. These generally do not exceed $800, and we recommend supplementing them with other sources. If you are planning summer research and need funding, submit the research funding application (below) with your proposal.