The nationally-recognized Knox College Honors Program provides support for advanced independent study, producing a major piece of research or creative work.

The program has been recognized by graduate, law and medical schools around the country as offering outstanding preparation for careers in research and the professions. It has been cited by the federal Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education as one of two model programs in the nation.

Here are three recent examples of Honors Projects:

Michael DeGroot, "The Role of Symbolic Representation of Country and Parent/Child Attachment in the Formation of Patriotic and Nationalistic Ideals: A Cross-Cultural Study"

It's no secret that "patriotism" means different things to different people in the United States. But how does this patriotism compare to that found in other countries? For his Honors project in psychology, Michael DeGroot, a senior from Wisconsin, found important differences when he compared the United States and Spain.

"Compared to the U.S. patriotism, especially post 9-11, it is very different in Catalonia, the part of Spain that I studied," DeGroot says. In the United States, patriotism is linked to the nation, but "in Catalonia, people are very aware of their independence, their separate identity from the rest of Spain," DeGroot says. "Spain is a small country, but it's very diverse, and each region has its own culture."

DeGroot studied in two off-campus programs at Knox—one in Barcelona, Spain, and one in Buenos Aires, Argentina. "I took Spanish all through high school, but at Knox, I left the country to study Spanish," DeGroot says. "One of the reasons I chose Knox was that I knew I wanted to study abroad, and Knox has terrific study-abroad programs."

Hera Cha, "Negotiating Artistic and Socio-Economic Identity in Late 19th Century America: The Muralists of the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building of the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893"

Murals glorifying the world of work often don't show any "real" work, according to Knox art history major Hera Cha, who studied a series of massive murals created more than one-hundred years ago for the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

That makes one of the murals by Chicago artist Walter McEuen—recently discovered at Knox—all the more interesting. "McEuen's mural is the only one in a realistic style, showing workers actually toiling," said Cha, who received College Honors in art history for her research. "Other murals, at the Columbian Exposition and elsewhere, glorify work using mythological figures—a style that was preferred by the upper classes in American society."

After the 1893 exposition closed, the murals were distributed to several colleges in the Midwest; half of them have been lost, and the only remaining murals are at Knox and the University of Michigan. The murals at Knox had been stored in an attic and were only recently rediscovered.

Amanda Erwin, "It Feels Like I'm Grounded for Life"

Teenage mothers might have a hard time parenting because they are so young, but are there ways their communities and families can help them to be successful parents?

That's what Amanda Erwin wondered.

During her junior year, Erwin worked with area teens through a group called Initiative for Girls, helping set up a "What If" day, which explored real-world situations like getting pregnant. "That got me thinking about the teenage girls in this area who have gotten pregnant, and what it must be like for them," she said.

For her senior Honors project, Erwin set out to find out what kinds of forces exist in their communities that can help them be successful. Erwin's project defined "success" for teen moms as finishing school, being good parents, and being contributing members of society.

Erwin, a Sociology and Anthropology major from Peoria, Illinois, conducted anthropological field research by interviewing teen mothers, as well as experts in the area, and sat in on parenting classes. Her research, titled "It Feels Like I'm Grounded for Life," focuses on how teenage mothers are most successful when they can live on their own and be independent, but still receive strong support from their families and communities.

After graduation, Erwin will work with adolescent women in a social service agency before pursuing a master's degree in social work.

"I've learned so much through doing this Honors project," she said. "I've learned that it's about taking on something you can be comfortable with for a whole year—or actually, for your whole life, because it might lead you to what kind of career you pursue or what you might study in graduate school, and beyond."