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.).

A senior thesis is required in many of the university's disciplines. All senoir theses are gathered here.

Submit your senior thesis online

Submissions from 2010

The State in Disarray: US Oversight of Private Security Contractors, Rebecca A. Bernard

The Development of a Comprehensive Mechanism for Intracellular Calcium Oscillations: A Theoretical Approach and an Experimental Validation, Amanda A. Borges, Deanna Salter, Sandor Kadar, and Steven B. Symington

Screening Culture: Is Western Media to Blame for “Tainting” Traditional Third World Values?, Angelina M. Campbell

"Lord of the Flies": The Educational Value of Golding's Text, Erin M. Frank

Meaningful Meaninglessness: Albert Camus' Presentation of Absurdism as a Foundation for Goodness, Maria K. Genovese

"Persona Non Grata" A Tragicomic One-Act, Maria K. Genovese

The Conflicts of Secularization and Islam in Turkey, Emily Jones

Shrouded Sins: An Exploration of Child Sex Trafficking in South Africa, Jennifer L. Kennedy

Differential Damages Sustained from Hurricane Ike on Varying Growth Forms of Coral at Distinct Locations off the Coast of South Caicos, Turks and Caicos Islands, Caitlyn A. Kenny

Now Was Then, Then Is Now: The Paradoxical World of Fahrenheit 451, Michael R. LaBrie

Legal, Moral and Biological Implications of Poaching and Illegal Animal Trafficking on an International Scale, Meghan A. Pastor

Questioning Objectivity in Mainstream Broadcast Journalism: The Value of Subjectivity on "The View", Monika K. Raczkowski

Junior Mints and Their Bigger Than Bite-Size Role in Complicating Product Placement Assumptions, Stephanie Savage

Is Media Coverage of Steroids On The Verge Of Striking Out Baseball Stars?, Nicholas L. Silvestri

Leading Ladies?: Feminism and the Hollywood New Wave, Allison A. Smith

Submissions from 2009

Rhode Island's Greatest Natural Tragedy, Stephanie N. Blaine

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

Unity, Charity, and Fraternity: Father Michael McGiveny and the Knights of Columbus, Kathleen A. Bruno

Preventing the Next Enron, John Y. Cannaverde

Hugo Chavez: Socialism and Dictatorship, Kathryn E. Corridan

The Sick Man’s Last Fight: The Role of the Ottoman Empire in the First World War, Henry A. Crouse

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

Counting Girls In - Gender Issues in Science and Mathematics: An Examination of the Research Concerning Innate and Socio-Cultural Gender Differences in the Fields of Science and Mathematics in an Effort to Promote More Female Participation, Valerie R. Mackin

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

Italy: The Case for Division, Sara Jane Micali

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

Cosmopolitan Contract: Kaitiakitanga and Multicultural Conservation Ethics, Cezanne Perez

Madrassa Education in Pakistan: Assisting the Taliban’s Resurgence, Nicole M. Warren

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