The Honor Scholar Program is open to DePauw students of any major who show unusual promise and commitment to the development of the life of the mind. Each year a small number of carefully selected first-year students are invited to participate in the program and the special opportunities it presents. During their final year at DePauw, Honor Scholars pursue independent work under the direction of a faculty thesis advisor and a committee of two or more additional faculty members, culminating in an Honors thesis.
Theses/Dissertations from 2022
A Child’s Mental Health Journey: Using an Activity Book as a Guide for Mental Health Literacy and Emotional, Social and Behavioral Development, Sage Sherfick '22
The Semiotics of Tension in American Punk Rock, Christian Smith '22
Furthering Philosophy for the Future: An Exploration of the Benefits of High School Philosophy Education and the Barriers It Faces, Alexander Spencer '22
The Red Line: An Examination of the Power Dynamics and Concepts Impacting the Bus Rapid Transit Plan for Marion County, IN, Kelby Stallings '22
How Love Ought to Be: The Power of Sapphic Representation in Animated Children’s Cartoons, Olivia Storz '22
A Dangerous Pursuit of Safety: The Value of Freedom of Expression and the Folly of Trading It Away, Nina Katarina Štular '22
Public Art In The United States By Black Artists (1980s - Present), Anthony L. Treadaway '22
Exploring Methods to Persuade Users to watch Social Problem Films through the Case Study of Race-related Films, Clay Troyer '22
Property Blockchains have Failed to Realize Their Promise, Alexander Walton '22
Theses/Dissertations from 2021
The Relationship Between Grassroots Activism and Government Agencies Confronting Water Contamination in Marginalized Communities., Hira Ahmad 21
Gimme One Reason To Stay Here: Analyzing Retention and Persistence Trends for First- Generation Students in the GLCA Through a Financial Lens, Emma Bailey 21
The Disaster that Lies Behind the Chalkboard: An Autoethnography about Education & the Power, Privilege and Diversity Requirement, Shafrarisi Bonner 21
Mostly Harmful? Phragmites australis and Typha angustifolia in a study of the meaning of invasiveness in an abandoned limestone quarry and beyond, Diana Borse '21
Between Two Worlds: The Literary Legacy of Southward Manifest Destiny and the Mexican American War, Connor D. Burns 21
An Unexpected Growth Journey: A Review and Self-Study of Health Habits & Why It Matters Today, Jacob Correa 21
The Lingering Shadows: An Examination of Collective Memory from Vietnam to the War on Terrorism, Kenneth Henry Decker 21
Exposing Racism in Fashion: How Black Women Navigate Societal Beauty Standards, Re'Nae Dillard 21
COVID-19 Connections: An Existential View of a Pandemic, Jacqueline Ebel 21
Custody Battles: Reimagining Persephone's Plight, Maggie Ephraim 21
Picking the Brain: Neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s Disease, Hannah Hutchison 21
Medical Veracity and the Erosion of the American Physician-Patient Trust Relationship, Jonah Jerabek 21
USWNT and Twitter: Resistance and Activism in the Equal Pay Campaign, Mia Manney 21
A Closer Look into American Humanitarian Intervention: How Understanding Humanity Tells Who and When We Help, Katie Noble 21
dilemma: A Magazine About Sexual Assault ft. Me, Emma Rees 21
The Power of Inclusion: Deconstructing “Normality” in Primary Education, Madison Smith 21
Theses/Dissertations from 2020
Contemporary Challenges Facing Small, Family Farms in America: The Grant Family and Their Maraschino Cherry Farm, Haley Allaben 20
Friend or Foe: Chaucer’s Depiction of Women in Troilus and Criseyde, Vanessa Balis 20
The Second Wave in Secondary Schools: Textbooks and Standards on the Feminist Movement, Melissa Browning 20
Caught in the Middle: Existentialism in a Contemporary Fantasy, Hannah DePauw 20
Multi-Ethnic Chronicles: Interrogating My Imposter Syndrome, Maria Flores 20
The Domestic and Global Implications of Considering Non-US Origin a Risk Factor for Tuberculosis in the United States, Emma Gile 20
The Narrative of Courtship: Literary and Biological Constructions and their Impact on Women, Drew Harris 20
Reflections from a Pre-Service Teacher: Finding Equity, Accessibility, and Compassion in Our Schools, Emma Houston 20
The Era of Commercialized Genetics: Examining the Intersection of DNA, Identity, and Personal Origin, Joanna Hutchins 20
A Revisionist History of Disagreeableness, Jasmeet Kaur 20
An Evaluation of Family Planning Initiatives in Developing Nations, Lauren Kaylor 20
Project-Based Learning in an Ever-Changing World: Experiential Revelations from the Field, Sarah Kelly 20
The Politics of Sports, Sydney Kopp 20
From Michigan With Love, Emma Krug 20
Spiritual Reclamation: Learning From Frida Kahlo and Entering My Personal Healing Journey, Sandra Laserna Cowal 20
Religious Identity and Religious Belief: The Subconscious Religiosity of Chinese University Students, Margot Leiner 20
The One Child Policy: A Moral Analysis of China’s Most Extreme Population Policy, Allison C. Lund 20
Fort Ancient and Woodland Pottery from the Hahn Site, Hamilton County, Ohio: A Petrographic Analysis of Chronological Changes in Ceramic Temper, Shelby C. Lutz 20
Going Beyond Abstinence Only: A Bioethical Analysis on Educating Adolescents on Birth Control and Other Contraceptives, Sam McCarty 20
Understanding Abu Ghraib: Accountability, the United States, and the Continuation of Torture, Julia Michaels 20
Virtual Reality of Underwater Nessebar, Caleb O'Brien 20
Cyber Security in the Healthcare Industry, Giovanni Ordonez 20
Housework for Revolutionaries: Between Theory and Experience, Megha Summer Pappachen 20
It’s Not Cuul to JUUL: Nicotine Addiction, the Rise of e-Cigarette Usage, and How Zebrafish Can Help, Anna Pearson 20
