Program Components

• Honors Advising - Advice about courses, research opportunities and graduate school from the Honors Program Director (Professor Halfmann).
• Honors Events - Opportunities to meet other honors students and learn about sociology and the Honors Program.
• Honors Mailing List - E-mail invitations to department and university events and information about research opportunities, scholarships, and awards.
• Graduate Seminars - Opportunities to explore your interests with advanced students in small, discussion-oriented courses.
• Research - Course credit for assisting professors with their research.
• Honors Thesis - The honors thesis provides a taste of graduate school—students conduct their first original, in-depth research project under the guidance of a faculty member and with the assistance of fellow honors students.  Those who have done it agree that it is an unforgettable experience.  Recent theses have addressed such topics as: how HIV-AIDS counselors manage their emotions, prescription drug abuse, perceptions of the “ideal” woman across generations, racial profiling by police, high-school tracking, race relations in the schools, fixed-wheel bicycling, disaster relief after Hurricane Katrina, and the lives of “Gay-geeks”.  Before writing a thesis, students are encouraged to take an independent study course (Soc 199) with their thesis adviser in the spring of the third year.  An Honors Thesis is required for students seeking high or highest honors at UC-Davis.

Degree and Commencement Honors

Students are eligible for university degree and commencement honors if they meet the following requirements.

• Honors - meet the College of Letters and Science GPA requirements (see the General Catalog)
• High Honors - earn an “A-” in the Honors Thesis Seminar and meet College of Letters and Science GPA requirements for “honors”.
• Highest Honors - earn an “A” in the Honors Thesis Seminar and meet College of Letters and Science GPA requirements for “honors.”

Department Honors

Alpha Kappa Delta International Sociology Honor Society (AKD).  Each year the department recommends eligible students for membership in the society.

Undergraduate Research Award.  Each year, the department bestows the undergraduate research award on the student who writes the best honors thesis.

Eligibility

To participate in the Honors Program, students must maintain a 3.3 GPA in the university and the major.  Students may enter the honors program at any time (even in their first or second year and even if they have not yet declared a major).

How to Join

If you are interested in joining the program, please e-mail the following information to Professor Drew Halfmann (dhalfmann@ucdavis.edu).

1. Name
2. E-mail address
3. Expected year of graduation
   
4. Sociology subfields of interest
5. Career plans

Contact

If you would like more information or have questions, please contact the Honors Program Director, Professor Drew Halfmann (dhalfmann@ucdavis.edu) or the Undergraduate Advisors, Janet Gutierrez (jangutierrez@ucdavis.edu) and Delores D’Amico (dmdamico@ucdavis.edu).