The Pell Scholars Honors Program was created to serve as an interdisciplinary honors program that focuses on international relations and public policy. It was created to honor the life and work of former United States Senator Claiborne Pell (RI-D, Ret.).

The goal of the Pell Honors Program is to create a learning community of students from different disciplines. The honors education is an enhancement of the core curriculum with a focus in international relations and public policy emphasizing civic responsibility and action. Students are required to take classes together, participate in either an internship or study abroad experience, and write and publicly defend a senior thesis.

Submit your Pell honors thesis online

Submissions from 2009

The Injustice Of Justice: The Pursuit of a Harmonious, Just, and Merciful World, Robert W. Boyle

Preventing the Next Enron, John Y. Cannaverde

Terra Nullius: The Aborigines in Australia, Ashley M. Foley

The Legal See-Saw: The Rights of the Sex Offender v. The Perception of a Safe Community, Brittany E. Kane

The Legacy of Race Based Slavery in the United States, Jennifer Maloney

Flying the Pirate Flag: Understanding the Fight Against and Prevalence of the Internet Gift Economy, Zachary G. O'Leary

Submissions from 2008

Teaching Happiness: The Role of Positive Psychology in the Classroom, Jennifer M. Gilpin

The Changing Role of Women in Spain, Julie LaConte

Understanding Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Benefits of Thematic Center-Based Instruction, Santia Mazzaferro

Sobriety Checkpoints: The Case for Implementation in Rhode Island, Scott Naso

The Injustices Inflicted on Nonviolent Offenders in the U.S. Correctional System, Carly B. Ouellette

Fixing Foster Care: How Can We Best Support Foster Parents?, Erica S. Pistorino

The Mercury Connection: Autism and Childhood Vaccines, Sarah Rossi

The Emerging Role of DNA Analysis in the Criminal Justice System, Sandra Sherman

AlcoholEDU: Does It Work?, Jennifer Sousa

Submissions from 2007

A Study of Personality and Student Involvement on the College Campus, Kera Bisson

Structural Adjustment Programs and the Delivery of Health Care in the Third World, Bianca Brunelli

Chaos Theory and Military Applications, Judith Crane

Despair disguised as entertainment: Does Oprah Winfrey sensationalize human suffering in order to fuel her media empire and encourage other media to follow?, Alana D. Cullen

Investigation of Safe-Level Testing for Beta-lactam, Sulfonamide, and Tetracycline Residues in Commingled Bovine Milk, Richelle R. Goulette

The Greatest Advancement Since the Shovel: Remote Sensing on Three Historical Case Studies, Ian B. Kerr

Writers of the Harlem Renaissance at Odds: Wright and Hurston's Different Approaches , Sarah L. Labbe

Electrochemical Detection of Prostate Carcinoma Biomakers Using Nanotechnology, Kathryn Leonard

The Impact of Standardized Testing on Student Performance in the United States, Stephanie Linden

Language Shift: Spanish in the United States, Alison Philbrick

Rural Schools and Academic Achievement, Elissa M. Slason

Investigating the Worldwide Popularity of Forensics, Heather Stankiewicz

When Educational Technology Meets New Pedagogical Methods, Stephanee Synnott

Submissions from 2006

I Am: Identity, Maturation, and the Ideal Woman in Bronte’s Villette, Malissa Brennan

Stopping Racism Through Art, Courtney Cowsill

The Life of Simon Wiesenthal as Told by the New York Times, Mary Cate Kelleher

The Impact of the European Union on Spain, Christine Ryan

Submissions from 2005

Americanizing the American Woman: Symbols of Nationalism in the LADIES HOME JOURNAL, 1890-1900, Kaitlyn Kayer

Driver’s Licenses and Illegal Immigration: Issues of Controversy, Catherine M. Marshall

Guest Worker Programs: Problem or Solution?, Erin McKenna

Out of Sync: How Japanese International Students and American Students Misread Each Other, Jennifer Sousa