Undergraduate Study in the Sage School

Honors in Philosophy

The pursuit of honors in philosophy affords students an opportunity in their senior year to undertake a specialized, in-depth research project under the supervision of a member of the Sage School faculty resulting in a substantial piece of written work, an honors essay. Honors are awarded to candidates upon completion of a satisfactory honors essay. Honors candidates typically devote two courses (8 credit hours) during their senior year to honors work. Students interested in pursuing honors should consult with their faculty advisors in their junior year. Application to pursue honors can be made in the Department of Philosophy office, 218 Goldwin Smith Hall.

Eligibility

To be eligible to pursue honors in the senior year a student must:

• be a philosophy major
• have an average of B- or better for all work in the College of Arts and Sciences
• have an average of B+ or better for all work in philosophy
• obtain the consent of a member of the faculty who is willing to supervise the student's honors work

PHIL 4900/4901 and the Honors Essay

In either or both semesters of the senior year a candidate for honors, with the permission of the faculty member who will supervise the honors project, enrolls in PHIL 4900/4901 and undertakes research leading to the writing of the honors essay by the end of the final semester. Honors students normally need to take both PHIL 4900 (fall) and 4901 (spring) in their senior year to write a satisfactory honors essay. Neither PHIL 4900 nor 4901 counts toward the eight philosophy courses required for the major.

Honors Awards

The decision to award a degree in philosophy with honors (cum laude), high honors (magna cum laude), or highest honors (summa cum laude) is made by the faculty of the Sage School. The faculty primarily considers the quality of the honors essay, but may also give some weight to the student's overall academic record, record in philosophy, and performance in PHIL 4900/4901. Candidates whose honors essays are judged by the faculty not to merit the award of honors may, at the discretion of the faculty, be awarded a passing grade for PHIL 4900/4901.