Our Curriculum
The program offers small discussion-based interdisciplinary seminars and reading courses in which students engage actively with each other and with professors. The senior year is dedicated to a year-long project of the student's own design under the guidance of a faculty committee shaped and selected by the senior Honor Scholar.
INQUIRY |
The First-Year Seminar & Reading Courses: Our Scholars enroll in a fall FYS course and two reading courses designed specifically for the program. Topics are integrative, explore implications of important ideas, and offer opportunities to make connections across disciplinary perspectives. These unique courses foster academic conversation, inquiry, exploration of ideas, careful reading of texts, and critical thinking. HONR 101 fulfills DPU's FYS requirement; reading courses are fulfilled by the end of the sophomore year. |
INTERDISCIPLINARY |
The Area Seminars: As upperclassmen, Honor Scholars complete three seminars focused in the Arts and Humanities, the Natural Sciences, and the Social Sciences. While centered in a general area, the 300-level discussion-based courses are interdisciplinary and on topics that require faculty and students to bring more than one disciplinary lens to bear on issues. Each seminar fulfills DePauw's general education distribution requirement, fulfilling one each in AH, SM, and SS and are exempt from the rule that students must use 6 different programs/departments to complete the distribution areas. |
INTEGRATION |
The Senior Thesis Project: During their final year at DePauw, Honor Scholars pursue independent work under the direction of a faculty thesis sponsor and a committee of two or more additional faculty members, culminating in an Honors thesis project. Serving as the capstone for the Honor Scholar Program, the thesis allows students to draw from expertise they have developed in majors, minors, or other substantial experience, and develop a project that is broad, integrative, and individualized to each student. Students enroll in two full credit-bearing courses allowing them sufficient time to research, create, and write. |
INNOVATION |
After DePauw: Upon graduation from DePauw University, our scholars bring their innovative thinking, academic expertise, and fearless leadership to positions in a wide variety of sectors, whether as students in graduate or professional programs, or in their first job placements. DePauw Honor Scholars go on to careers in which they embrace the challenges facing the world today. |
You may find the program's full required coursework linked here. Any questions should be directed to the program's directors: Rebecca Schindler (rschindler@depauw.edu) or Amy Welch (awelch@depauw.edu)
| Recent Thesis Topics |
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| From Caped Crusader to Dark Knight: An Application of Robert Ray's Official/Outlaw Hero Framework to Batman Daniel Cetina - Political Science and English (Writing) Moving to the Beat: Musical rhythm as a Cipher for Priming, Synchronizing, and Entrainment in the Dorsal Premotor Cortex Michael Padilla - Biochemistry and Music (Performance) (No) Women on Track: an Exploration of Women's Experiences in Motorsports Through Poetry Cole Pedro - Computer Science Heritable Health: An Exploration of Parental Epigenetics and their Impact on Individual and Public Health Brittany Hayes - Biology Seeing Candidates Through a Gendered Lens: How Differential Media Coverage Serves as a Barrier to Women's Political Participation Shelby Bremer - Communication The Impact of Arranged Marital Customs on Women’s Autonomy in Rural India Tazree Kadam - Economics |