Faculty

Teaching an Honors Course

Our faculty enjoy teaching small, discussion-based honors courses to highly motivated and academically talented students. The Honors College staff is available to answer questions and support faculty teaching honors courses. Please consult our Honors College Faculty Handbook for more information about the Honors College students, mission, goals, requirements, and resources.

Creating an Honors Seminar

The Honors College invites faculty to create new honors seminars. Honors seminars are one-semester courses (typically three units) designed to enable students and faculty to examine special topics that are not usually part of departmental offerings. Honors seminars should encourage undergraduate research, interdisciplinary perspectives, critical thinking, and global awareness.

Examples of current honors seminars include:

• International Food and Culture
• Narrative Perspectives in Disability: Learning about Disability through Literature & Film
• Evolutionary Perspectives
• The Idea of the University
• Economics of Latin America

Enrollment in honors seminars is limited to no more than 20 Honors College students. Students with a diverse range of interests and backgrounds enroll. Honors seminars may be taught during any semester, including summer and minimester.

Faculty are eligible to receive $500 in course development funds after their honors seminars are approved by the Honors College Curriculum Committee. The Honors College is especially interested in offering honors seminars that also provide Core Curriculum credit.

Guidlines for proposing new seminars are available here. Faculty are welcome to meet with the Dean or Assistant Dean to discuss ideas for honors seminars.

Advising Honors College Students

Most Honors College students must complete 24 honors credits to graduate from the Honors College, although students who join the Honors College after their first year may be exempt from certain requirements. A comlete explanation of the Honors College Curriculum is available here. The following advising resources are also available to all Honors College students and advisors.

• Honors College at a Glance
• Honors College Advising Form
• Honors College Student Handbook
• Departmental Honors Handbook

Assessment of Honors Courses

All Honors College courses are evaluated by students each semester. Students answer honors-specific qustions as part of their one-time on-line evaluation of the course. Faculty are given a summary of the results at the end of the semester. A sample of the on-line student evaluation form is available in the Honors College Faculty Handbook.

Faculty teaching honors seminars that carry Core Curriculum credit must complete assessment reports according to the Honors College assessment plans. Assessment data is collected at the end of each semester. Honors College assessment plans and syllabus templates are available below.