This one-credit honors course examines Charles Darwin's theory of evolution from the vantage point of four different academic disciplines. The objective is for students to gain a holistic understanding of this topic and how a scientific theory has impacted history, economics and psychology. After establishing a basic working knowledge of the theory of natural selection, students are encouraged to consider evolution from multiple perspectives and develop their own informed points of view on this important scientific theory.

This one-credit honors course will undertake a multi-disciplinary examination of the impact drugs legal and illegal have on cultrue and society in the modern world. Drugs, including alcohol, have bestowed great benefits upon humanity and simultaneously have caused some of society's greatest ills. Drugs can provide life saving cures and cause fatal addictions. This course seeks to examine the promise and peril of drugs from a multi-disciplinary perspective and help students formulate their own views on the topic.

This one-credit honors course explores the sources of ethical values like religion and philosophy and seeks to difine some of the principles that guide different ethical systems. Taking a multi-disciplinary approach, the class will consider the questions of what role ethics should play in society and the life of the individual. Students will also examine contemporary issues from an ethical perspective and consider how to negotiate the competing claims of different ethical frameworks.

There is rather indisputable evidence that levels of social violence are higher in the U.S. than in Canada. Yet there seems to be little consensus upon why this is so. The goal of the course will be to give students analytical tools upon which will enable them to come to their own informed conclusions about some of the root causes of this North American paradox.

This course is designed for students in the Honors Program undertaking a thesis during their final two years. The student will work under the guidance of a faculty thesis director and should begin formulating the thesis in the beginning of the junior year. The student should complete a thesis prospectus formally outlining the thesis by the beginning of the second semester of her junior year and have the prospectus approved by the faculty thesis director and chair of her department. The student will then work with the faculty director in reviewing relevant literature and carrying out research related to the thesis. During the senior year, the student should be well under way with writing her theseis. Some students, however, may choose to do a non-written thesis project such as a video documentary or other project related to her field. In the final semester of the senior year, the student should register in the three credit Honors Thesis Course and complete the thesis. Upon completion, the student should arrange for a presentation to the campus community. Criteria will vary by department, but a written thesis should be in the range of 25-40 pages. The thesis will be evaluated by the faculty advisor and should include original research and work. It is expected that the thesis will represent highest standards of academic excellence.