Philosophy Majors with an overall GPA of 3.7 or higher at the end of their junior year are invited to pursue Honors in Philosophy. Students who do not have an overall GPA of 3.7 or higher can petition the Honors Program to waive this requirement; waivers are, however, granted very infrequently.

The Honors Program is a two-semester program. Students pursuing Honors in Philosophy can register for up to 4 credits of PHIL 495A during the first semester and up to 4 credits of PHIL 495B in the second semester.

If you are interested in pursuing Honors in Philosophy, you should, by the end of your junior year, make arrangements with a philosophy faculty member to supervise your honors thesis.

The requirements for graduating with Honors in Philosophy are as follows:

1. Overall GPA of 3.7 or higher.
2. Completion of an honor's thesis under the supervision of a Philosophy Department faculty member. Email Undergraduate Administrator Parker Ciliax for thesis completion forms.
3. Successful oral defense of this thesis before a committee consisting of at least 3 faculty members, one of whom must be from outside the Philosophy Department.

As a junior, please pay attention to the announcement for a meeting about the Honors thesis in the spring semester. There you will get an introduction and can raise questions.

Read more about the honors program on the Emory College of Arts & Sciences webpage.

Emory University has an unusually active Phi Sigma Tau undergraduate philosophy honor society chapter. Due to a generous 2006 grant, The Ronald and Patricia Nicholson Endowment has enabled us to acknowledge our new members each spring with a formal induction dinner attended by the department faculty and featuring a keynote address by a prominent scholar. During the year, Phi Sigma Tau sponsors a monthly Philosophy Circle program to which all undergraduates are invited, as well honors thesis workshops in the fall and spring semesters (see below).

Purpose

To serve as a means of awarding distinction to students having high scholarship and personal interest in philosophy; to promote student interest in research and advanced study in this field; to provide opportunities for the publication of student research papers of merit; to encourage a professional spirit and friendship among those who have displayed marked ability in this field; to popularize interest in philosophy among the general collegiate public.

Eligibility

Undergraduate students are eligible for membership if they have declared a philosophy major, completed three semesters of college courses with a minimum 3.2 GPA, and completed five philosophy courses with a minimum 3.5 GPA in those courses.

Philosophy Circle Program

Each month, Phi Sigma Tau sponsors a Philosophy Circle, in which a senior faculty member presents and leads a discussion on a topic of his or her special interest with a group of undergraduates. Though the honor society sponsors these discussions, they are open to any interested undergraduates, including those who have never taken a philosophy course and are interested in discovering more about the subject. The Circles take place early each month in the intimate and elegant Institute for Vico Studies (202 Bowden Hall). If you would like to learn more about the Philosophy Circles or be added to the Philosophy Club Learnlink Conference, on which all Philosophy Circle announcements are posted, please email Phi Sigma Tau President Linda Li or temporary chapter advisor Prof. Cynthia Willett.

Honors Thesis Writing Sessions

Each semester, Phi Sigma Tau sponsors an honors thesis writing session led by a senior faculty member. The Spring session introduces the thesis writing requirements and process to junior philosophy majors contemplating writing a thesis their senior year, and the Fall session goes into depth on the mechanics of thesis writing and defense.

The Emory Philosophy Club seeks to foster philosophical discussion among interested students in an informal, student-friendly environment. We aim to provide students with an outlet for discourse about philosophical questions that are important to them. The club has been re-instituted as of Fall 2022 and meets once a month at 6pm with exact dates shifting according to academic calendars. Meetings are student-led although guest speakers may join occasionally. We discuss a range of topics from contemporary moral issues (death penalty, genetic engineering) to more abstract questions (free will, the human condition, the good life) and use pop-culture media to do so (Black Mirror, viral videos/trends). 

There is no formal membership requirement: all undergraduates are welcome, including (and especially) those who have never taken a philosophy course. If you would like more information or would like to receive meeting notices by subscribing to the Philosophy Club Listserv, please email the president, Marlie Golden (mgolde8@emory.edu), the vice president, Jada Oriahi (jada.oriahi@emory.edu), or the temporary club advisor, Prof. George Yancy (george.d.yancy@emory.edu). You can also find us on Instagram at @emoryphilclub.

Emory Journal of Society, Politics, and Ethics is a peer-edited and peer-reviewed interdisciplinary undergraduate journal made by and for Emory College of Liberal Arts and Sciences students.  JSPE is a group of Emory College undergraduates with a mission to unlock the superpower of interdisciplinary humanities via public-facing projects at the intersections of society, politics, and ethics. 

Housed in and funded by the Department of Philosophy, JSPE was first envisioned by one of our distinguished alum, Sarah Lee (ECAS – Philosophy ‘20).  After a hiatus between 2020-2022, we have re-relaunched the JSPE as an Interdisciplinary Public Humanities Project.  For more information check out JSPE's Special Issue on Justice, Freedom, and Revolution.

Going forward, JSPE aims to publish two (2) issues a year, one in the Fall and one in the Spring.  They are especially interested in creative or academic work that is relevant to current sociopolitical concerns and pushes the boundaries of the humanitarian disciplines.

For more information, visit the JSPE website or email them at emorysjpe@emory.edu .