Honors Seminar Proposals, University of Cincinnati

University Honors Program

Download the University Honors brochure to learn more.

Honors Seminar Proposals

Faculty are invited to submit proposals to teach University Honors seminars in 2014-15. Honors seminars are the backbone of the UHP curriculum and are critical to each student's experience and success.

The University Honors Program (UHP) comprises the top 7% of UC undergraduate students, from across colleges and disciplines. Admission is very competitive, with entering students having an average ACT score of over 31.

University Honors is committed to helping students maximize their educational opportunities at UC while discovering and pursuing their passions in life and using their gifts and talents to make meaningful contributions to society. Students are challenged through honors seminars and experiential learning projects focused on:

Community engagement
Global studies
Leadership
Research and creative arts

Faculty from across UC's colleges are engaged in teaching honors seminars. Faculty from all disciplines are invited to submit proposals!

Pedagogy and Structure

Honors seminars have a unique nature that you can learn more about on our pedagogy and structure page. Criteria for selection of honors seminars is based on how well the course meets the guidelines described under pedagogy and structure, especially related to experiential learning and the thematic areas.

Guidelines and Proposal

Guidelines -  Download the guidelines (PDF)

Propsoal -     Download the proposal (MS Word)
                    Download the proposal (PDF)

Deadline and Submission

Proposals are due Tuesday, October 1, 2013.

Please submit the following via email to honors@uc.edu:

Proposal Form: Completed proposal form (submit as a pdf when possible)
Syllabus: Course syllabus (submit as a pdf when possible)
CV: Curriculum vitae (for each faculty member involved; submit as a pdf when possible)
Statement of Support: A statement of support from your department head confirming that, if the course is approved, you will be able to offer it during the 2014-15 academic year. The statement does not need to evaluate the proposal and can be brief. This statement should be emailed directly to honors@uc.edu by the department head.

Compensation - $6000 per honors seminar + PBB funds

UHP Funding:

For each course accepted and offered, the originating department will receive a $6000 payment from University Honors.
In the case of a team-taught course, $8000 will be split amongst participating departments.
The funds are transferred to the department(s) at the end of the add/drop period in the semester in which your course is taught, provided that the course has an enrollment of 12 or more University Honors students. If the course has an enrollment of 11 or fewer University Honors students, the amount will be pro-rated.
The use of the funds is determined by the college/department. If a faculty member has questions about how the funds will be used, he/she should talk with the department head.

PBB Funds:

In addition, performance based budgeting (PBB) plays a role. University Honors students come from all of the undergraduate colleges. Therefore, students from across colleges will enroll. Typically, 2/3 of students in each honors seminar will likely originate from a different college.
Under PBB in 2012-13, the college listing the course receives $222.40 per student credit hour for students who are majors in other colleges. With a class of 20 students, if 2/3 (13) are from outside the listing college, then the college could generate $8673.60 additional dollars (13*$222.40 *3credits).

Proposal Review Process

Proposals are evaluated by a subcommittee of the University Honors Council, comprised of faculty and students from across colleges.
Criteria for selection will focus on how well the course meets the guidelines described under pedagogy and structure, especially related to experiential learning and the thematic areas.
The number of courses accepted is based on budget. We anticipate being able to fund 25-30 courses. We typically receive 60-70 proposals.
Notification - faculty and department heads will learn of the status of proposals via email in late-November 2013.