UW Honors

Honors’ Global Challenges Events

Interdisciplinary Answers

GLOBAL CHALLENGES

INTERDISCIPLINARY ANSWERS

This UW Honors events series convenes speakers from (seemingly) unconnected disciplines in robust conversations that model ways of knowing and forms of respectful debate. Students hear hard conversations where differences are not only respected, but valued and absorbed into evolving perspectives.

Each year we examine a different complex societal problem through an interdisciplinary lens so that everyone can recognize themselves as agents of positive change. The topics of these 90-minute public conversations are prompted by students. We invite them to wonder about the biggest problems of our world. The scary stuff we can’t hope to solve alone.

students clean up a mess in national park

HONORS STUDENTS WORK ON THE MESSY STUFF TOGETHER

We don’t arrive at consensus, nor claim authority on any single subject. We model public discourse and global citizenship in practice. The Honors community is driven to learn and contribute in collaborative, interdisciplinary settings. This approach is at the core of our program, and reflects the public mission of the University of Washington.

how it works

  • Honors freshmen set the topic
  • Staff and faculty identify three diverse, dynamic speakers
  • Everybody is invited to join the conversation

past events