School of Civic & Economic Thought & Leadership
Kent Wright
About this opportunity
SCETL is a relatively new school at ASU, born of a partnership between the university and the Arizona State Legislature. The programs of study for its BA and BS degrees combine what is effectively a “great books” approach to liberal education with an emphasis on civic engagement, at both the national and global levels.
Thesis
The interdisciplinary character of the SCETL curriculum, and the diverse disciplinary background of its faculty – which includes political scientists and theorists, historians, classicists, and economists – make it ideal for students of these subjects who want to conclude their Barrett career with a truly imaginative and and distinctive honors project. For most students, this means crafting a research and writing project with the help of a main SCETL advisor, who will also help in putting together a committee (consisting of at least one more faculty member) that can assist in seeing the project through to a successful and conclusion and defense.
Academic Preparation
The interdisciplinary nature of SCETL - combining politics, history, economics, philosophy, and classics, not to mention languages and literature - makes it difficult to set down specifics in this - but it certainly conveys a sense of the possibilities, to be worked out in consultation with your thesis advisor.
Recommended Timeline
Although timelines are liable to vary considerably, depending on the needs of individual students and the actual shape of their projects, most students will want to zero in on a topic, and simultaneously secure the support of their main faculty sponsor, as early as possible in the junior year – goals with which the SCETL FHA can be expected to lend a crucial hand. That done, an idea approach would be to have all research for the project finishede by the start of the fall of senior year (or second-to-last semester before graduation), such that writing and revision could be completed, in preparation for a defense before a committee early in the graduating semester.
Other Honors Opportunities
Virtually every class in the SCETL curriculum – from the 100-level “Great Ideas in Politics and Ethics,” to a wide range of upper-level classes in politics, history, and economics – is a great candidate for honors enrichment contracts. The SCETL faculty is always keen to work these out with Barrett students, on a case-by-case basis – always with a premium on creative engagement with great books and key ideas in politics, history and economics. This goes not just for SCETL classes, but also for its extra-curricular short programs in literature (its famous “Shakespeare in the Pines” event), in foreign travel (with annual educational trips to India and Israel and the West Bank, with more planned), and its various government internships, and the local and national levels – all are equally amenable to honors enrichment contracts. For these and other possibilities, please consult the SCETL Web Page, as well as the SCETL FHA.