Central to the Honors Program are two related courses culminating in a thesis at the end of the senior year. The first course, PHIL 497, enables the student to pursue the search for and development of a suitable topic. By the second semester of the senior year, the student should have the background necessary for writing an honors thesis in PHIL 498. Students interested in the Honors Program should submit a written request to the chair of the department before the second semester of their junior year.

Course Requirements

4.5 units of philosophy, including the following courses:

PHIL 120 Symbolic Logic
PHIL 200 Ancient Philosophy
PHIL 210 Modern Philosophy
PHIL 400 Ethics Seminar
PHIL 405 Epistemology Seminar
PHIL 410 Metaphysics Seminar
PHIL 497 and 498 Senior Honors

For normal sequence of courses, see "Friendly Advice," under major requirements.

Senior Exercise

All honors candidates must successfully complete the Senior Exercise.

Honors Thesis and Oral Examination

Upon completion of the thesis, an outside examiner and a department faculty member will read the honors thesis and participate in an oral examination on it.

Divisional Approval

The candidate must meet the requirements of the College and of the Humanities Division for admission to and retention in the Honors Program.