Class of 2012

• "Combating Human Trafficking in the United States: Connecting the Streets and the Statehouse through Grassroots Activism,” Vaughan Bagley (Human Biology)
• "Conditional Sovereignty: The Ethics of Responsibility to Protect," Anais Berland (International Relations)
• "Whiskey is for Drinking, Water is for Fighting Over: Distributive Justice and California Water Law," Evelyn Danforth (History)
• "Freedom of Choice and Cultural Diversity: Multiculturalism and the Individual in France," Danielle DeLeon (History)
• "Considered Dissent: An Ethical Standard for Disobedience When National Security is on the Line," Alex Kasner* (Political Science)
• "Foreign Students at American Universities: A Normative Analysis," Eric Knudson (Public Policy)
• "An Ethical Approach to Drug Innovation," Emmanouel Liodakis (Computer Science)
• "Undocumented Immigrants, Membership, and Higher Education: Moral Arguments for Inclusion and Access to Higher Education," Ellis Reid (Political Science)
• "Equality of What? G.A. Cohen vs Ronald Dworkin," Jesse Stutt (Philosophy)
• "The Biopsychosocial Model Approach to Medicine: Understanding its Variation in Education and Implementation," Ashley Titan (Philosophy)

Class of 2011

• "The Demands of Dignity: Settling Parental Disagreements on Homeschooling,” Aysha Bagchi (History, Philosophy)
• "The Moral and Empirical Importance of Education Rights in School Finance Litigation," Alexander Berger (Philosophy)
• "The Need for an Exit Option: Autonomy-Enhancing Paternalism in Contracts of Surrogate Motherhood," Elizabeth Burstein (Computer Science, Philosophy)
• "Against Voter Manipulation," Kip Hustace (English)
• "The Death Penalty: A Broken and Unconstitutional Punishment," Michael Madderra (Political Science)
• "Governmental Paternalism and the Case of ‘Victimless’ Crimes," Nikola Milanovic (Philosophy)
• "Preserving the Online Public Sphere and the Ethical Value of Anonymous Speech,” Stephanie Parker (Communication)
• "The Ethics of Foreign Aid in Africa,” Hiyabel Tewoldemedhin* (Economics, International Relations)
• "Animal Exploitation, the Animal Welfare Movement, and an Interest Theory of Ethics,” Melanie Scheible (Public Policy)

Class of 2010

• "Ethics of Privacy on Online Social Networks,” Cristina Cordova (Political Science)
• "Philanthropy and Global Justice: the Case of Education,” Rachel Dowling (Philosophy)

Class of 2009

• "The Ethical Foundations of a Right to Health Care,” Adam Hepworth (Human Biology, Philosophy)
• "Examining Oil Market Failures and the Larger Implications for the Economic Model,” Carrie Mlynarczyk  (Biology, Economics)
• "Diminished Culpability: A Normative Assessment of California’s Three-Strikes Statute,” Sam Roberge (Philosophy)
• "Women and Human Rights: Toward a Conception That is Both Tolerant and Critical”, Connie Dang* (Philosophy, Political Science)
• "Finding a Framework in Rawls to Evaluate Economic Sanctions,” James Vaughan (International Relations)
• "The Ethics and Social Efficiency of a Rehabilitative Approach: Developing California’s Juvenile Justice System,” Angelica Zabanal (Political Science, Drama)

Class of 2008

• "Elimination or Preservation: A Practical Model for Intuitive Arguments Underlying the Philosophy of Race," Osprey Brown (Philosophy)
• "Who Gets the Goods?: The Ethics of Organ Distribution Policies," Jason Shen (Biological Sciences)
• Shana Daloria (Philosophy)
• "The Search for an Ethical Gun Control Policy," Kara Johnson* (Political Science)
• "The Ethics of Infanticide," Kevin Kampo (Chemistry)
• "The Role of Deliberation on Teacher's Right to Speak Politically," Eve Rips (Philosophy)
• "In Defense of Sitting: An Argument on Behalf of a Second Class," Aaron Zagory (Philosophy)

Class of 2007

• "The Role of Self-Awarenesss in Moral Theory," Neil Mukhopadhyay (Human Biology)
• "An Inconvenient Truth: The Situation of Children with Autism in Special Education," Michelle Shane* (Independently Designed Major & Philosophy)
• "Ethics & Enterprise: Towards a Different Normative Theory of the Firm," Tony Wang (Philosophy)
• "The Practice of Tracking in Education: A Violation of Stakes Fairness in Egalitarian Justice," Betty Zhao (Mechanical Engineering)

Class of 2006

• "Ethos, Incentives and the Basic Structure of Society Economics," Collin Anthony (Philosophy)
• "Domestic Policy Externalities: The Economics and Ethics of U.S. Agricultural Trade Policy," Katie Berk (Economics)
• "An Ethical Argument for Public Policies that Support Working Parents," Alayna Buckner (Public Policy and Philosophy)
• "Grief and Moral Responsibility in Contemporary America, " Tom Feulner (Philosophy)
• "An Ethical Argument for the Replacement of the Social Security Spouse Benefit with Earning Sharing," Daniel Grier-Roddy (Economics, Philosophy & Religious Studies)
• "A Right to Access Public Place," Emily Gustafson (Political Science)
• "Personal Autonomy as a Goal of Formative Experience," Kwesi Jefferson (Political Science)
• "A Philosophical Defense of Charter Schools," Emily Peltason (Political Science)
• "The Ethics of Foreign Aid," Aaron Roesch (Philosophy & Political Science)
• "Religion and Democracy: Public Reason in the Gay Marriage Debate," Matt Smith* (Philosophy)

Class of 2005

• "Ethics of a Skill Based Immigration Policy for the United States," Michael Albanese (Philosophy)
• "Forgiveness and Retribution: An Eye Only for an Unforgiving Eye," Kristen Bell* (History)
• "Differentiated Citizenship in US Territories," Jasmin Blak (Human Biologoy)
• "The Far Corner of Discrimination: 'Transgender Exclusions' and the Health Insurance Industry," Adam Forest (Psychology)
• "Possibility of Fetal Rights and of Applying Medical Standards of Personhood to Pre-Natal Humans," Katherine Hart (Biology)
• "Ethics of Targeted Killing," Jed Rich (International Relations)
• "First Person vs Family Consent to Organ Donation," Sumeeta Varma (Biological Sciences)

Class of 2004

• "Autonomy and Disease Prevention in Population-Based Genetic Screening: A Case Study," Cathy Barnard (Human Biology)
• "A legal and ethical case for extending civil rights protection to homosexuals," Anthony Berryhill (Political Science)
• "Just Intellectual Property Arrangements Between Economically Unequal Nations," Chris Bruner (Chemical Engineering)
• "Ethical Considerations in the Affirmative Action Debate," Abby Phelps (Religious Studies/ Philosophy)
• "An Ethical Analysis of Private Donations to Public Schools," Ranjana Reddy* (Science, Technology & Society)
• "The Legitimacy of South African Judicial Review for Social and Economic Rights," Seth Rosenbloom (Human Biology)
• "Confronting Colorblindness," Ian Slattery (Human Biology)
• "The Moral and Legal Status of Children in Medical Decision-Making," Yvonne Chan (Human Biology)

Class of 2003

• "Disordered Justice: Mental Health and the Juvenile Justice System," by Michael Areinoff
• "Compulsulry Education and Liberal Legitimacy," by Emily Cuatto
• "Selfless Liberalism: Saving Rawls for Religion," by Alan Dagovitz
• "Is There Anthing More to Western Criticism of Veiling in Islamic Societies Than Cultural Imperialism," by Tom Dannenbaum
• "'Cultural Equality in Health Care Provision for Minority Communities: Identifying Principles to Guide Health Care Delivery," by Ani Manichaikul
• "Disability, Work and Equality: Applying Democratic Equality to the Americans with Disabilties Act," by Eric Pai
• "The Ethics and Efficacy of Banning Human Kidney Sales," by Joe Shapiro* (Marshall Scholar)
• "Justifying Shaming Penalities for Acquaintance Rapists on College Campuses," by Sudarsana Srinivasan
• "An Economic and Ethical Argument in Favor of paid Adoption and Commercial Surrogacy," by Claudio Storelli

Class of 2002

• "Servility and Self-Respect Reconsidered: A Case Study of Filipina Domestic Helpers in Hong Kong," by Jennifer Yip*
• "Assessing the Virtue of Vouchers in American Education," by Marianna Stacey Lopez
• "American Loyalties: The Case for a New Oath of Allegiance," by Asha Leena Bhandary
• "Moral Education: A Child-Centered Approach," by Pablo Federico
• "'Child' versus 'Adult': An Ethical Legal Approach to Juveniles Who Kill," by Kate Hogan
• "Education for Culture, Education for Autonomy: A Liberal Theory of Cultural Accommodation for the Ultra-Orthodox School System in Israel," by Dana Howard
• "Intersubjectivity and the Cultural Subjective Perspective," by Alexandra Suppes
• "Liberal Education in the Digital Age," by Nathaniel Klemp

Class of 2001

• "Freedom and Responsibility: The Right to Reproductive Autonomy and China's One-Child Policy," by Mattie Johnstone
• "Conflicting Claims: International Patent Protection and the Right to Health," by Aarthi Belani
• "Sorting Students by Ability in Elementary Schools: A Civic Approach," by Nandini Gandhi* (Fulbright Scholar)
• "Beyond Blasphemy," by Kevin Brown
• "The Cosmetic Genetic Enhancement of Talents and Skills: Can Rawlsian Fair Equality of Opportunity Withstand the Test?" by Senta K. Georgia

Class of 2000

• Well-being, Agency, and the Quality of Life: A Senian Approach to Environmental Justice," by Shalini Bhargava
• "The Ethics of Parental Control: An Inquiry into Homeschooling," by Anne Wood
• "Unclaimed Infants: An Analysis of the Acceptance of Parental Responsibility in Surrogate Motherhood," by Seema Shah
• "Pragmatic Contracts? Questioning the Social Usefulness of Contractarian Moral Theory," by Christopher Jones
• "A Struggle Between what is Power and What is Fair: Compensatory Justice and Global Warming," by Jennifer Cromwell

Class of 1999

• "Breaking Down Trust: Managed Care's Effect on the Patient-Physician Relationship," by Richard Bae
• "The Ethics of Rationing Health Care: A Re-Examination of Medicaid Distribution within the United States Health Care System," by Amit Sinha
• "The Limits of Responsibility and the Inadequacy of Desert: A Philosophical Quest for Justice in Health Care," by Anna Yusim
• "American Prisons and Social Injustice: A Rawlsian Critique of Our Primary Method of Social Control," by Emily Wood

Class of 1998

• "Attempting to Undermine the Gene's Central Role in Evolution: Does Developmental Systems Theory Succeed?" By Kritika Yegnashankaran
• "Welfare Justice: A Rawlsian Response to the Personal Responsibility Act of 1996," by Eric Beerbohm (Marshall Scholar)
• "An Ethical Analysis of the Use of Genetic Information for Discriminatory Purposes in Insurance and Employment Decisions," by James B. Graham
• "Common Schooling in Northern Ireland: A Theoretic and Pragmatic Analysis of Multicultural/Integrated Education," by Natausha A. Wilson
• "Prefrontal Cortical Damage and Incapacities in Action-Plan Selection: Implications for our Conception of Criminal Responsibility and the Insanity Defense," by Gregory J. Woodhead
• "Harming Virtuously: The Case of Animal Experimentation," by Asha Iyer
• "The Kidnapping Industry: A Positive and Normative Analysis for Public Policy," by Christopher R. Wang

Class of 1997

• "A Crisis Unseen: Legal Aspects of the Identification and Provision of Humanitarian Assistance to the Internally Displaced," by Nathan D. Nielsen
• "A Misdirected Effort: The Censorship of Pornography will not End Gender Inequality," by Alyze Lowen
• "Native Hawaiian National Self-Determination," by David Wolitz
• "Distribution of Costs In a National Health Insurance System: Should Some People Pay More for Their Health Insurance?" by Robyn M. Lew
• "Genetic Manipulation in Humans as a Matter of Justice," by Jonathon Brown

Class of 1996

• "Exceeding Moral Bounds: China's One-Child Policy," by Birgitt Dau
• "Computers in the Classroom, American Educational Policy in the Boardroom: An examination of the Ethical Role of High-Technology Companies and their Grant Programs in the National Cyber-Classroom," by Colleen Krueger
• "Autonomy, Ulysses Contracts, and Dementia: Respecting the Autonomy of Dementia Patients," by Touraj Parang
• "Why Vote? Using Principles to Solve the Paradox of the 'Irrational' Voter," by James J. Prescott
• "Legalization, Regulation, Education: An Alternative Approach to America's Drug Problem," by Edward Prince

Class of 1995

• "Free Will & Genetic Determinism," by Rachel Zemans (Fulbright Scholar)
• "The Ethics of Human Genomic Interventions," by Athena Nicon
• "Public participation and Planning: Citizens as Creators of their Urban Environments," by John D. Lucero
• "The Incompatibility Between Rawlsian Liberalism and Capitalism," by Christopher I-Fu De La Garza Li
• "The Ethics of Obtaining Informed Consent During Cross-Cultural Medical Encounters," by Clifford Scott Perlis
• "Applying the Philosophy of John Stuart Mill to the Issue of Drug Prohibition," by Stewart Richardson

Class of 1994 

• "Women in Early Trials," by Jonathan Kaiser Ploudre
  "Two Models of Illness: An Ethical Perspective on Biomechanical and Holistic Models of Illness," by Irene Yeh
• "Identifiable Lives: AIDS and the Response to Dehumanization," by Rachel Maddow (Rhodes Scholar)
• "Schedule People and the Environment: An Adaptation of Rawl's Theory of Justice," by Michelle Friedland (Fulbright Scholar)

Class of 1993

• "Liberal Neutrality and Political Justification: Charles Larmore and Thomas Nagel," by Victor H. Jih
• "Achieving Equity of Access to Health Services: The Ethical Mandate for Change in the U.S. Health Care System," by Michelle Mello

Class of 1992

• "Conditions of Foreign Aid: A Legitimate Means of Promoting Human Rights," by Christy Colburn
• "Heaven Knows What Wild Ideas: A Comparison of Leo Tolstoy's and Adin Ballou's Theories of Christian Nonresistance," by Susan McKean
• "The Morality of Capital Punishment: Theory, Practice, and Reform," by Brian C. Park

 
* awarded the Golden or Firestone Award