Susquehanna Academics

The Honors Program: Curriculum

Three creatively designed, interdisciplinary Honors courses taken in the first and second year fulfill requirements in Susquehanna's distinctive Core curriculum.

• Thought explores ideas and their expression. It examines how we learn and how we distinguish knowledge from opinion.
• Thought and Civilization examines the importance of philosophy, religion, literature and artistic tradition on the development of our culture.
• Thought and the Social Sciences studies political, psychological, and social thought and its impact on the way we live. Or you may choose
• Thought and the Natural Sciences, a history and philosophy of science course focusing on science as a human activity.

The Sophomore Essay offers a chance to explore a subject of your choice. A faculty advisor will assist you in developing and preparing the essay. Recent sophomore essay topics have included:

• The Women Beat Poets and the Men Who Loved Them
• Photojournalists Should Not Exploit People's Privacy and Grief
• The Future of Labor Unions in the Telecommunications Industry
• Musical Composition and Emotional Response
• Physician-Assisted Suicide: A Biomedical Ethical Perspective
• The Three Other Heroes in The Wizard of Oz

Junior and senior Honors seminars offer advanced alternatives to Core requirements. Some recent offerings include:

• Constitutional Law: Civil Liberties
• Philosophy in Science Fiction
• Choral Masterworks
• International Business
• Women in the Biblical Times
• Evolution of Human Behavior
• The History and Culture of Jewish Cuisine -- a class where you can eat and learn too!

The Senior Honors Research project is an opportunity for in-depth exploration of a topic in or outside your area of study. Recent projects have included "The Centralia Mine Fire: A Chemical Study of Ammonium Concentrations in the Soil at Centralia," "Local Non-Profit Organizations," "Engaging Secondary Students in the English Classroom Through Shakespeare." and "Sell Me My Soul: Advertising as a Necessity of Society."

The Senior Honors Futures Seminar brings the Honors class together in a capstone academic experience. Recent topics have included the future of the family and the future of science and technology.