Undergraduate Spotlight: Ethan McAvoy

Although housing activists argue that housing is a human right, the current U.S. economic climate and the real estate market are putting that “right” increasingly out of reach, especially for young adults. Ethan McAvoy used normative frameworks for exploitation and intergenerational justice, as well as the market characteristics of housing in his Ethics in Society Honors thesis, “Housing Affordability and Homeownership Among Young Americans,” to investigate increasingly limited housing accessibility and analyze potential solutions. McAvoy graduates with a bachelor’s degree in political science, a minor in history, and a master’s in sociology. Before graduation, we asked McAvoy about his experience in our Honors Program.

Why did you choose to participate in the Honors Program in Ethics in Society? 

I really enjoyed Alison McQueen's class, “Modern Political Thought,” and she was the faculty director of the undergraduate program, so I thought it was worth looking into. I felt that the opportunity to combine empirical and normative lenses, as well as the freedom we had in choosing and approaching our topics, made it more interesting than other programs.

What was the most rewarding aspect of your experience in the Honors Program? 

The most rewarding aspect was hearing the perspectives, motivations, and advice of the rest of the cohort. Everyone brought something different to the table and all of our theses were better for it.

In a few sentences, describe your honors thesis research.

First, I found as much information as I could about current and past U.S. housing markets and the economic situation of young people. Then I researched normative frameworks for exploitation and intergenerational justice, as well as the characteristics of housing as a market good. I then looked into the benefits and drawbacks of homeownership, before analyzing different solutions, which would either increase housing accessibility or increase homeownership, in particular.

What opportunities would you like to pursue within the next five years?

My next major goal is to study labor law, because I want to represent unions and workers attempting to unionize.

Carly Chillmon is the Communications Director at the McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society. Donna Hunter is a freelance writer, editor, and tutor living in San Francisco. She has a Ph.D. in English from UC Berkeley and was an Advanced Lecturer in Stanford’s Program in Writing and Rhetoric.