Current and Prospective Students

The Program in Ethics in Society offers undergraduates the opportunity to write a senior honors thesis within a community of interdisciplinary scholars. Our course of study combines the analytical rigor of moral and political philosophy with the subject matter of each student’s self-chosen major to develop a sophisticated understanding of problems of social concern. Such problems include: the nature and implications of treating people with equal dignity and respect; the scope of liberty; the legitimacy of government; and the meaning of responsibility. The Program poses these issues, and others, in the context of debates which arise in our common public life. It thus extends moral concern and reflection across disciplines such as medicine, law, economics, political science, sociology, international relations, and public policy.

Students in the Program write honors theses on topics which use moral and political philosophy to address practical problems. Previous theses have considered such questions as the just distribution of health care, our obligations to future generations, the role of moral values in education, the moral implications of genetic engineering and the relationship between gender inequality and the structures of work and family. Many of our students have won scholarships to graduate study including Marshall, Rhodes and Fulbright Fellowships. Others have taken the step from moral analysis to moral commitment, pursuing careers of public service.

The Program in Ethics in Society is open to all students with a GPA of 3.3 or higher. Students take two required core courses in moral and political thought, a thesis seminar, and two electives related to their thesis topic. They spend their senior year writing their honors thesis. The Program fosters moral reflection, discussion and practice among students as well as encourages close work between faculty and students.

For more information about the Program, contact the Program's coordinator, Breana Dinh ([email protected]), or faculty director, Professor Rob Reich ([email protected]).

Also feel free to stop by the Program office, located at the Law School (Crown Quadrangle), room 323. 


What are the strengths of the Program in Ethics in Society?

The Program in Ethics in Society devotes itself to undergraduate education and we facilitate close interaction with distinguished faculty. The Program offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of ethics and includes course offerings from Philosophy, History, Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, Economics, and Political Science. Additionally, students who write an Honors Thesis in the Program major in many disciplines, including Earth Sciences, Human Biology, Economics and Religious Studies.

The Program in Ethics in Society organizes itself around the Senior Honors Thesis. Students take a broad range of courses that prepare them for the challenge of integrating ethical theories with real world moral and political problems.

The Program offers individualized advising, because of its committed faculty and small size. Students meet with an advisor upon embarking on their Honors Thesis, and continue a relationship with their faculty mentors until graduation.