DDRL-IHN - Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (IHN)

The Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) provides opportunities for undergraduate research through the CDDRL Undergraduate Honors Program and the CISAC Interschool Honors Program in International Security Studies.

The Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) Undergraduate Senior Honors Program allows students majoring in any Stanford academic department to conduct an independent honors thesis focused on the fields of democracy, development, and the rule of law. Students must complete a three-quarter-long honors research seminar that begins spring quarter of their junior year. They will spend the last quarter of the senior year working independently with their faculty advisor to complete and submit their honors thesis ahead of their formal defense in mid-May. Upon fulfilling individual department course requirements and completing the honors program, students graduate with a certificate in Honors in Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law.

Students interested in the program consult with their prospective honors advisors in their junior year to determine the tentative thesis topic, which should have some degree of policy relevance. Prerequisites for the program include a 3.5 grade-point average at the time they apply; a strong overall academic record; sufficient depth and breadth in the fields of democracy, economic and social development, the rule of law, and human rights coursework; and demonstrated skills in writing and conducting independent research.

Students are required to attend honors college in Washington, D.C., in September before autumn quarter classes begin. Applicants are discouraged from studying abroad during the CDDRL Undergraduate Honors program.