Student Profiles
Joe Brutto
Political Science and Philosophy
Class of 2007
Harwood Heights, Illinois
"I think it is safe to say that the academic component of the Honors Program has been the most rewarding part of my experience. During freshman year, Honors Program students get the opportunity to take courses with some of the best professors in the University. My freshman year honors seminar with Professor Buttigieg was amazing. During the first semester, we read many of the classics stretching back to ancient times. During the second semester, we focused on the novel, from Robinson Crusoe to the present.
"The professors I have encountered always encouraged me and helped me to expand my academic horizons. I remember being interested in the philosophy of Aristotle while reading The Poetics in my freshman year seminar. Professor Buttigieg encouraged me to develop my interests further and this led me to eventually become a philosophy major.
"This past summer, with funding from the Department of Political Science’s Strake Grant, I was able to attend a two-week conference at Princeton University on natural law and political liberalism. This was an area which I developed an interest in while taking a graduate seminar with Professor Michael Zuckert. Attending this conference broadened my academic horizons and gave me valuable information to use in developing a topic for my senior thesis. Professor Zuckert has also agreed to be my senior thesis advisor. He has encouraged me in all of my academic pursuits and significantly advanced my level of knowledge in political theory. He has also helped to make me a better writer and speaker, and he has encouraged me as I begin the process of applying to graduate school.
"It is amazing to see all the hard work and effort our seniors put into their theses and research projects. Attending the final colloquium has better prepared me for completing my own senior project. When I see the topics people study and the kinds of research that they do, I am both humbled and encouraged to work even harder at my own project. As I start work on my senior thesis this year, I will definitely incorporate what I have learned from attending the final colloquium to make my project a success."
