A Look Into the Senior Honor Thesis

Hoping to try out some graduate level work in your undergraduate degree?

We offer a chance for students to challenge themselves and test their mettle within our department.

Several philosophy seniors participate in the Senior’s Honor Thesis, an intensive research project which is then presented and defended at the end of the year with the possibility of publication.

Ali Hermetz, directed by Dr. Anderson, will be examining the struggle between freedom of speech and misinformation on the Internet. After studying current Internet regulations regarding speech and the origins of our free speech laws, Ali will formulate possible solutions to the current crises of hate speech and fabricated information splattered across the web.

Devin Zhang is researching the ontology of virtuality and how it decreases the paradoxical component of realism-antirelaism, which in turns prompts a primacy of aesthetics. Dr. Baba will be assisting with Devin’s project.

Katy Tanis, assisted by Dr. Epright, will question whether or not autonomy is sufficient as the basis for medical making within penitentiaries.  Katy will expound upon the fact that autonomy fails to properly and adequately serve those who are incarcerated, calling upon a new system for medical practice and bioethics within prisons.

Sarah Money, who will receive direction from Dr. Simmons,  will investigate agency and free will, applying the existential perspectives of Sartre, Beauvoir, and other philosophers on to the topic of substance abuse. She will ponder the question of whether or not addicts still have exercise will when regarding their addiction.

Dr. Anderson serves as the director for the senior thesis program in the department. For more information regarding what the thesis track entails, be sure to reach out!