Honors Seminars
Teaching an honors course is a unique opportunity to work with fully-engaged, high-ability students in an interactive environment. As the program grows we want to expand our curricular offerings with new honors seminars from faculty across the University addressing the technical, economic, societal, cultural and ethical aspects of the many challenges facing our society in the 21st century.
Seminars are offered for two or three credits (four credit courses with discussion sections have been approved at times), typically lack specific course prerequisites, and have enrollments that are generally limited to 20 students. 2xxx-level seminars are designed to be introductory and yet comprehensive courses focused on innovative ideas and topical issues. 3xxx-level seminars may address more complex themes through advanced reading, writing, and critical thinking.
2022-23 Honors Seminar Proposals
The submission period for academic year 2023-2024 seminars is now open!
Honors Seminars may be taught as a course overload for additional pay or, with the approval of your department chair, count toward your teaching load. The priority deadline for 2023-2024 academic year proposals is November 1st, 2022. Please use this form to propose a new HSem or renew a previously taught seminar.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the 2023-2024 HSem proposal process, please contact Ian Ringgenberg, Associate Director for Curriculum and Outreach.
Honors Thesis Committees
In addition to the department-specific major and thesis requirements listed on our website, UHP also has general guidelines for all Honors theses. The Honors Thesis must go above and beyond any project done for a course other than thesis or directed-studies/independent-studies courses. It may expand upon a term paper for a course, but may not simply be a repurposed project completed for another course or requirement. All students must demonstrate in this project:
- the ability to digest pre-existing work, present and summarize it succinctly, and, hence, articulate the context in which the student’s new work is situated;
- the ability to propose an idea in brief (i.e., the thesis proposal), and then bring that idea to fruition within a given timeline;
- the ability to present writing or recordings whose quality and polish are at a publishable or public-presentation level (even if the data, research, or ideas are still at a preliminary level);
- and, the ability to go beyond programmatic or major capstone requirements for non-UHP students.
Moreover, a summa cum laude thesis must also demonstrate:
- the ability to do original (i.e., not an extended literature review or synopsis of previous work), highest-quality work;
- the ability to meet department- or program-specific stipulations for summa-level thesis work (available at the website identified in the section above)
Honors Faculty Resources Google Site
Our Honors Faculty Resources Google site is home important information such as the Honors Faculty Handbook, lists of Honors students in specific majors, and more. If you receive a message saying "You need permission," just use the "Request access" button and we will get you approved.