Social & Behavioral Sciences

About this opportunity

The School of Social and Behavioral Sciences offers a variety of degrees from psychology, social justice and communication. It is an interdisciplinary school that explores the intersection of human behavior and science. By exploring the human mind and behavior, students and faculty seek to understand how we communicate with one another, how and why we organize into cultural and political groups as it relates to vital causes and issues, and ultimately how we make sense of our world and the many places we occupy within it. 

Degree programs include: 

• Aging 
• Communication 
• Conflict Resolution 
• Exploratory Social and Behavioral Science 
• Political Science 
• Psychology 
• Psychology (Industrial and Organizational Psychology)
• Psychology (Positive Psychology) 
• Social and Behavioral Sciences 
• Social Justice and Human Rights 
• Sociology 

Thesis

The thesis is an academic endeavor whereby students design and execute an in depth examination or applied project about a social phenomenon. This takes the form of writing a comparatively extensive research report, literature review, critical analysis, etc. The length of the thesis will depend on the area of interest, topic of choice, scope of the research, and committee/faculty expectations. It also, however, may take many different forms with the end goal being the production of some creative outcome. For example, this might involve building a repository of resources on a given subject, creating and hosting a podcast, developing a digital archive, or producing a short documentary film. While all students are required to complete a thesis, the form it takes can vary widely. Regardless of your choice, students are required to develop and work with the guidance of a faculty committee of and ASU professor for Thesis Director and a Second Committee Member, who is faculty or a qualified professional in the field of study. 

Academic Preparation

It is advisable for those pursuing a thesis to have taken the required methods courses in their major before beginning the thesis. Students are also encouraged to start work on honors enrichment contracts, research, internships and student leadership positions early in their academic careers. This will allow them to get to know faculty and begin to formulate thesis topic ideas. 

Recommended Timeline

Students typically begin thinking about and identifying their thesis topic in one's junior year. By the end of that year, students should have a clear idea of the thesis project direction. Students will need to solicit faculty to serve on their committee in the spring semester or summer of that year. This will ensure the committee is in place when one completes and submits the prospectus at the beginning of the senior year. It is customary to complete the thesis project over two semesters during your senior year.

To learn more about the faculty in SBS who could serve as directors or committee members visit the SBS Faculty Directory. To learn more about the various research labs/groups within SBS and the work they conduct visit the Research Labs page. Additionally, you can explore the Research Clusters in the School of Social & Behavioral Sciences, which are areas in which faculty and students explore interdisciplinary ideas across a range of topics. This can also be a helpful resource for finding faculty working in specific areas that might appeal to you.

If you would like assistance refining an idea for a thesis and/or if you would like some recommendations of faculty to contact as possible advisors or committee members for your thesis reach out Barrett’s SBS Faculty Honors Adviser, Dr. Jeff Kassing (jkassing@asu.edu).

Other Honors Opportunities

SBS students can earn honors credit through Honors Enrichment Contracts and faculty in the unit routinely work with students in this capacity. This is an excellent way to extend your coursework in SBS into honors credit. To do so, you should confer with the instructor of a given course at the beginning of the semester about the possibility of attaining honors credit in the course via an Honors Enrichment Contract. If and when a mutually agreeable plan for a contract is developed you should then follow the appropriate steps for submitting the necessary documentation. While no two honors contracts are the same, they typically require students to engage with the course content in a more extensive manner or to examine additional material relevant to but not included in the course. It is the responsibility of the students to apply for the honors contract through BHC via the student’s MyASU page. Faculty can only approve honors contracts after students have initiated the process.

Barrett students also can take advantage of research and internship opportunities. Barrett students can participate in Supervised Research by working with a faculty member on a specific project (399 or 499) for honors credit. This could take the form of the NCUIRE program, which enables students to work directly with New College faculty for a stipend or academic credit on a shared research project. For information regarding internship opportunities check the New College Internship page.

Additionally, students are encouraged to explore Study Abroad options available to them. ASU's Global Education Office has a robust set of offerings that student's can explore. You can search those offerings here. If you are interested in short courses, hosted by New College, you can explore those offerings on the IGLE webpage.