A highlight of the undergraduate Honors program is the required senior honors project. Honors projects involve an intensive exploration of a topic that is related to the student’s major and is studied within the context of the Christian faith. These projects demonstrate one way in which SPU students engage the culture in order to change the world.
Current honors projects are now included in this series. Past completed honors projects are included in the permanent collection at the SPU Library.
Honors Projects from 2019
Mission Driven? Applying Ethics and Capabilities to Organizational Level Responses to Homelessness, Madeline M. McDonald
Synthesis and Characterization of a Homogeneous Cobalt Catalyst for the Hydrogenation of Acetone to Isopropanol, Joselyn G. Molina
How Music Therapy Effects the Traumatized Brain: Neurorehabilitation for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder through Music Therapy, Jordan Winter Payne
Erotic Devotional Poetry: Resisting Neoplatonism in Protestant Christianity, Sarah M. Pruis
Co-Opted, Cults and the Classics: Highlighting the Magna Mater Cult in Rome, Janessa Reeves
The Annexation of Hawai'i: A Violation of Foreign Sovereignty by the United States of America, Larissa R. Schuermyer
THE PERSONALIZATION-PRIVACY PARADOX EXPLORED THROUGH A PRIVACY CALCULUS MODEL AND HOFSTEDE’S MODEL OF CULTURAL DIMENSIONS, Kellen M. Schwartz
ab initio Calculations of Changes in Sulfur’s Orbital Energies and Sizes with Oxidation State as a Means of Explaining Hypervalency, Anton V. Taraskin
Uber’s Strategy of Disruptive Innovation: The Implications of Negative Press, Margaret M. Taylor
Where's the Rigor? A Study of Direct Instruction vs. Inquiry-Based Learning in Math Education, Brianna Rae Warner
The Development of Orphan Drugs; A Financial and Ethical Decision, Emmett S. Worth
Honors Projects from 2018
A Story of Feminine Sacrifice: The Music, Text, and Biographical Connections in Amy Beach's Concert Aria Jephthah's Daughter, Clarissa E. Aaron
Domestic Economic Freedom and Regional Integration in Sub-Saharan Africa, Brevin Anderson
Presidential Selection: A Difference In Opinion, JJ Aylyng
I Got Hot Sauce In My Bag: Understanding Black Feminism Through The Lens of Beyoncé’s Pop Culture Performance, Kathryn M. Butterworth
The “Perfect Parent” Campaign’s Failure: Applying a Job Market Model for Successful Foster Family Recruitment and Retention, Alexis N. Collins
Granular Convection and Crystallization of a Two-Dimensional Granular Medium, Donley S. Cormode
Western Washington Elk-Hunting: Analyzing Willingness To Pay and Economic Benefits, Alex Donka
"Our shouts echoed in the silent street": Paralysis, Symbol, and Implication in James Joyce's "Araby", Luke R. Farquhar
The Impact We Can Make Through Investment: Securing Financial Freedom by Serving Others, Miles A. Flett
Voices from Verse: The Power of Poetry for Seattle's Homeless Youth, Savannah Grace Hadley
Iago the Moor Killer: The Geo-Political Context Behind Shakespeare's Othello, Elisha A. Hamlin
Understanding Humor in Female Leadership, Lillian Hollar
Where Woman Is Her Center: Interrogating Morality and Spatiality in the Works of Joan Didion, Hannah Nicole Martin
Open Space, Thin Blankets, and Snores: An Examination of Sleep in Young Adults Experiencing Homelessness, Claire Olivia Moore
Sigrid Undset's Sacramental Realism: The Body in Kristin Lavransdatter, Annesley Moore-Jumonville
Optimization of the split-Spinach aptamer for monitoring contiguous RNA nanoparticle assembly, Jack M. O'Hara
Care for Inmates with Mental Illness: What Can Nurses Do?, Rebecca K. Sakai
Wind Turbine Design: Analysis and Experimentation of Electro-Magnetic Alternator Design, Mark Hans Ewald Steinke
Globalization, Conflict, and the Effects of the Rate of Change of Globalization: An Empirical Analysis, Ashley Stephens
Honors Projects from 2017
Costs of Group Locomotion: How Infant-carrying and Group Members Mediate Walking Speed Decisions in North American and East African Populations, Leah M. Bouterse
Ruth: A Bible Storatorio, Lydia Hu Chaffee
Exploring the Impact of Olfaction on Short-Term and Long-Term Maternal Recognition in Peromyscus californicus, Mariah F. Conley
Discovery Learning Plus Direct Instruction Equals Success: Modifying American Math Education in the Algebra Classroom, Sean P. Ferrill Mr.
Empirical Aesthetics and the Philosophy of John Cage: A Literature Review and Experimental Study, Braden J. Gillispie
Intersections: A Theology and Social Justice Curriculum for Christian High Schools, Rachel Lanae Hollingsworth
Encryption Backdoors: A Discussion of Feasibility, Ethics, and the Future of Cryptography, Jennifer A. Martin
Defining Spanglish: A Linguistic Categorization of Spanish-English Code-Switching in the United States, Leah Mernaugh
The Validity of Historical Narrative and Its Use in Teaching History, Justin Taylor Ramsey
Epigenetics of Host-Pathogen Interactions: The effect of acetosyringone on Ti Plasmid methylation patterns in Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58, Genevieve Roberts
Smart grid technology in the developing world, Jacob R. Young
Honors Projects from 2016
Studio Magic: The Process, Value, and Ethics of Remastering, Julian D. Anderson
Biological Information and Its Origins: The Curious Case of RNA, Grace E. Andrews
Thinking Past Tomorrow: An Analysis of Policy Efforts to Reduce Homelessness In King County, Washington, Andrew R. Bell
Environment specific adaptation of antiviral genes in threespine stickleback fish, Andrea E. Belleville
Human locomotion: examining energy costs and human behavior associated with load-carrying, Gailynn Benjamin
Models of Reconciliation: From Conflict Towards Peace in Northern Ireland and South Africa during the 1990s, Alec Timberlake Bishop
The Struggle to Communicate: Art, Embodiment, and Overcoming Isolation in the Text and Illustrations of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Hallie Anne Brinkman
Relocating Pictures: An Interdisciplinary Analysis of Transnational Islamic Images, Mary S.W. Campbell
Faith and the Sublime, Carolyn Hu Chaffee
Accounting for Impact: A Path to Innovation Through CSR Reporting, Madison F. Davis
Restoring Ubuntu: Ecosystemic, Biopsychosocial, Afrocentric Networks for the Trauma-Healing of Sexual Violence Survivors in Eastern Congo, Summer D. Downs
Scenic Design for Seattle Pacific University Theatre's Production of Tony Kushner's The Illusion, Tucker Goodman
Animation or Cartoons: An American Dilemma, Andrew Meyer
Individualism in Portraiture: Accounting for the People in our Lives in Identity Representation, Erin Miller
Women in the White House: How Gender-Based Obstacles Affected Edith Wilson and Hillary Rodham Clinton While First Ladies, Hannah C. Monson
Golden Fantasy: An Examination of Generic & Literary Fantasy in Popular Writing, Zechariah James Morrison
Measuring Foreign Aid Effectiveness: Elite Capture of Foreign Aid Funds, Alyssa M. Ortiz
Height in Politics: The Role of Height in Electoral Success in the State of Washington, Joseph Wayne Rebbe
Open-Minded Religiosity: Investigating the Link Between Religious Commitment and Thinking Style, Carl W. Sallee
Stealing Revelation: A screenplay of The Thief accompanied by a religious analysis, Jean E. Sleight
In His Image: A Content Analysis of Evangelical Youth Books for their Representation of Gender Roles and Ideals, Taryn Renee Vis
The Long-Term Strategic Influence of Russia in the DPRK from 1946-1999: an Evolution with Leadership, Emma Wendt
Understanding Beef as a Business: A Corporate Social Responsibility Analysis of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Megan Wilford
The New Liberalism of International Relations in Context: An Analysis of Andrew Moravcsik's 'Taking Preferences Seriously: A Liberal Theory of International Politics', Zachary R. Zellmer
Honors Projects from 2015
Changing Climates, Fading Cultures: A Study of Place Annihilation as a Result of Climate Change, Brooks A. Bolsinger
Sweet Sacrament: Where Myth Meets Story in Ethiopian Christianity, Kelsey Ann Chase
A Theological Take on the Miracle of Ministry in the SPU Student Ministry Coordinator Program, Jake A. Crammer
Treating Trauma: The Efficacy of EMDR as a Treatment for PTSD, Grace S. Crawford
Where Do They Go: Christian Faith and Belonging in Gay Literature, Samuel D. J. Ernest
Isolation of the Individual in the Novels of Carson McCullers, Adam Hutchinson
Hybrid, Subversive, and Skeptical Performances of Gender, Power, and Space in the Postcolonial Avant-Garde, Alyson T. Inouye
Acculturative Family Distancing, Religious Support, and Psychological Well-Being Among Young Adult Eastern European Immigrants in Western Washington, Tatyana V. Lats
The Effects of Arginine Vasopressin on Maternal Behavior and Aggression in Peromyscus californicus Mothers, Nathaniel Ng
There Will Be Violence: A Critical Analysis of Violence in the Works of Cormac McCarthy, Matthew L. Robinson
Entrenched in Power: Path Dependence and UN Security Council Reform, Brian Valley
Honors Projects from 2014
The Strange Loop: Paradoxical Hierarchies in Borges's Fictions, Jessica Erin Beebe
Comparing Population Density Estimation Techniques for Columbia Black-tailed Deer (Odocoileus Hemionus Columbianus): Fecal Standing Crop and Distance Sampling Methods, Jubilee D. Brenneman
Road Profile Sensor: A Detection Method for Active Suspension Systems, Matthew Edel
Counter-Narrating the Nation: Homi K. Bhabha's Theory of Hybridity in Five Broken Cameras, Rachel Evers
The Decline of the West and the Rise of the Rest? An Analysis of Relative Hard Power Capabilities in the G-20 from 1991-2011, Joseph Van Zanten Gallagher
Investigating the Proposed Affordances and Limitations of the Substance Metaphor for Energy, Lisa Goodhew
The Business of Transition: A Curriculum, Hayley Hill
A Critical Assessment of SPU’s Urban Plunge: A Proposal for the John Perkins Center, Scott D. Jackson
Reading the Mind of the Internet: A Study of Collaborative Recommendation Algorithms, Ellie Janzen
Emergence, Scale, and the Layered Model of Biological Systems, Katie Morrow
The Privileged Voice, Gabriel Much
Case Study of HP to Learn About IP, Rachel Murphy
The Lord of the Rings and The Weight of Two Worlds: An Exploration of Faith in Fantasy, Danielle Myers
Gender Disparity in Effective Chest Compression Delivery during Cardiopulmonary Resusitation, Claire Grace Nieman
The Nature of Pilgrimage: Similarities and Differences Between El Camino de Santiago de Compostela and El Santuario de Chimayo, Miguel Ortega
Relationships between Equine Management Practices and Intestinal Parasite Infection, Abigail Pagel
Free Trade Zones: Development Possibilities for Nigeria, Lauren Pederson
Group Therapy Structure in Holistic Treatment of Homeless with Persistent Mental Illness, Sarah Peterson
Split-Spinach Monitoring of RNA Aptamer Assembly, Tucker A. Rogers and Grant Andrews
Giving Power to the Powerless: Elizabeth Gaskell's Presentation of Women in an Age of Change, Charis Tobias
A Foreign Text in a Foreign Land, Dylan A. Vernon
The Effects of Anosmia on AVP Regulation of Parental Behavior and Aggression in Peromyscus Californicus, Caroline Vokos