Academic excellence
Departmental honors
What fascinates you?
A departmental honors project gives you the opportunity to explore your interests. Students have written research papers, developed art shows and created children’s books and novels. You will earn between 5-7 semester hours of credit spread over at least two semesters.
To begin, develop a proposal with the help of a sponsoring faculty member. Your proposal will be taken to a faculty committee. When your project is approved, you may begin work and meet periodically with your faculty sponsor.
Deborah Yoder, '23, departmental honors project, “The Water Collectors” an independent study project
in English.
Courtney Weekley '23, departmental honors project, “To Be a Servant of the Word Rather Than Making the Word Your Servant,” an independent study project in communication and media.
Over the last several years, students have completed a variety of projects:.
- Cara Echols, "CompSe Art Magazine"
- Katelyn Amstutz, "Digitizing and Analyzing a Small Hearbarium"
- Elizabeth Luersman, "Creating a Picture Book: Depicting the Effects of Depression and Anxiety on School-aged Children"
- Jena O'Brien, "Crisis Communication in Higher Education: A Rhetorical Analysis of Michigan State University and the Larry Nassar Case"
- Megan (Moreo '14) Etzkorn, "Zero Dollar Art Department: Creating Something out
of Nothing" - Kenneth Beeker, "'The Jefferson Lies:' Fundamentalizing America"
- Laura Galley, "Nutrition Assessment of Kenneth Butler Memorial Soup Kitchen, Hancock County, Ind."
- Ruthann Stuckey, "The Scheming of the Shrew"
- Dean Walters, "Mycobacterium Tuberculosis"
- Brianna Lugibihl, "'Demo': A Theatrical Exploration of Trauma in Adolescence"
- Rebecca Lapp, "Children's Literature to Share Culture, Faith, and Language: A Collection of Bilingual Children's Stories"
- Amanda Bartel, "Keeping Track of the Past: Cataloging the Bluffton University Historic Clothing Collection"
- Sarah Dhondt, "Do Ethics Prevail? The Role of Moral Development in Fraud"
- Ryan Johnson-Evers, "Improving the Sustainability of Bluffton University"
- Rebecca Juliana, "'The Beaver Monologues:' The Study of Social Work through Theatre"
- Carly Schweier, "It's a Healthy Obsession! An Analysis of Personality and Fandoms"