Download the University Honors brochure to learn more.
Pedagogy
Criteria for selection will focus on how well the course meets the guidelines described below, especially in relation to experiential learning and the thematic areas.
Semester Content
Honors seminars align with one of the honors thematic areas - community engagement, global studies, leadership, and research and creative arts. Seminars are not expected to align with all four thematic areas. Rather, a course with an in-depth focus in one area is better received than a course that tries to fit in multiple areas on a surface level.
Honors seminars are expected to engage students in experiential learning. They should challenge students with creative projects and experiences that take learning beyond the typical classroom. Experiential components may include visits to local or regional museums or other sites, service-learning, integration of lab work, domestic or international study tours, or other activities in which students are actively engaged in learning outside of the typical classroom setting.
In the case of study tours, these can take place during the break period immediately following the semester or, for spring semester seminars, during spring break. Proposals with spring break study tours are encouraged.
Honors seminars challenge and broaden the intellectual horizons of honors students at all levels, regardless of the disciplines in which students are majoring. These courses should be rigorous and, therefore, are not introductory survey courses. At the same time, they do not normally require any prerequisites and should provide a positive learning experience for students from across disciplines. Proposals can come from any discipline in any college at the University. Interdisciplinary courses are encouraged.
It is expected that faculty/student dialogue will serve as a primary mode of interaction and that lecture will be kept to a minimum. Collaborative work is encouraged. Students should be challenged by reading primary sources and writing assignments that demand clear articulation of ideas. Use of innovative technology is encouraged. Evaluation of students should be based on their willingness to explore and critique concepts, rather than on absorption of facts.
Semester Structure
Semester honors seminars are typically offered as 3000-level, 3 credit hour courses and are listed by the faculty member’s department. Students from across colleges will enroll, which could generate revenue for the college under the university’s performance based budgeting (PBB) model. Under PBB in 2011-12 on quarters, the college listing the course receives $145 per student credit hour on semesters, for students who are majors in other colleges. The semester rate has not yet been announced.
Class size is typically 20-25 students. Honors seminars typically meet one or two general education breadth of knowledge requirements. The faculty member and his/her department, in consultation with the University Honors Program, will determine the scheduling of the course.
While honors seminars are designed for students enrolled in the UHP, undergraduate students who are not in the UHP may receive permission to enroll if the student has a cumulative university GPA of 3.4 or higher and there is space available in the class after priority registration for UHP students has been completed. Graduate students are not eligible to enroll in honors seminars.
UHP students are required to maintain learning portfolios to integrate and showcase their honors work. They are encouraged to include artifacts and examples of learning from honors seminars. Please keep this in mind as you design your course and think about what evidence/artifacts students may include in their portfolio from your honors seminar. Also, faculty teaching honors seminars are expected to support the administration of University Honors course evaluations (either in blackboard or survey monkey).