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Interdisciplinary Honors
IHNOverview
The Honors Program in Ethics in Society allows undergraduates to write a senior honors thesis within a community of interdisciplinary scholars. The course of study combines the analytical rigor of moral and political philosophy with the subject matter of each student’s major to develop a sophisticated understanding of the moral foundations of social problems.
Students in the program write honors theses on topics such as: the just distribution of health care, the nature of our obligations to future generations, the role of ethical values in education, the moral implications of genetic engineering, the relationship between gender inequality and the structures of work and family, and more.
The program, as such, encourages reflection across disciplines such as medicine, law, economics, political science, sociology, computer science, international relations, and public policy.
Students in the program regularly attend graduate school and have won numerous scholarships, including Marshall, Rhodes, and Fulbright fellowships. Others have taken the step from moral analysis to moral commitment, pursuing public service careers.
Application Requirements:
The honors program in Ethics in Society is open to majors in every field and must be taken in addition to a department major. Applicants should declare a major before applying to the program, should have an overall GPA of 3.3 or higher, and should plan to take all required courses for the program for a letter grade.
See the Prerequiste Courses (Part 1-3) sections below for additional course requirements required as part of the application process. These courses do not count towards the units required for completion of the Interdisciplinary Honors Program. Prerequiste Courses can be double-counted. Questions about this policy should be discussed with the Student Services Specialist.
Students cannot both earn a Minor in Ethics in Society and enroll in the Honors Program. Students must choose one or the other.
The honors program application cycle begins during the fall quarter of students’ junior year. Students interested in writing a senior honors thesis in Ethics in Society are strongly encouraged to contact the Student Services Specialist, before their junior year to discuss the application process.