Honors College

THE HONORS COLLEGE

Dr. David Thomson, Director
Honors Faculty: Dr. Akoto, Dr. Atchley, Dr. Claar, Dr. Dunn-Whitener, Dr. Engman, Dr. Kanyiba, Dr. Lipton, Dr. Moyo, Dr. Rowland, Dr. Schultz, Mr. Sesser, Dr. D. Smith.

The Honors College is an integrated set of courses, seminars, colloquia, honors contracts, independent study projects, and other events designed to add unique dimensions and depth to the capable student's university experience within the context of the goals of the university mission. The college is supervised and evaluated by the Honors committee. The committee recommends admission and retention standards, plans the Honors Colloquium and Honors Seminar, and reviews proposals for departmental and school honors independent studies and honors contracts. The committee is responsible to the University Academic Council. A faculty member is named by the president to serve as Honors College Director and to chair the Honors Committee.

Objectives of the Honors College:
1. To identify students who have unusually high academic ability and interest as Henderson State University Honors College Scholars;
2. To provide these students with special advising while they are in the Honors College;
3. To involve the Honor Scholars with faculty members who are dedicated to the goals of honors scholarship and who provide challenging and rewarding opportunities for study and dialogue;
4. To offer a measure of recognition to students who participate in a minimum number of Honors courses, colloquia, seminars, honors contracts, and independent studies;
5. To encourage participating students and faculty to continue to excel in their scholarly and teaching vocations;
6. To contribute to the enrichment of the university's academic climate;
7. To enhance the ability of Henderson Honor Scholars to deal successfully with the challenges of their vocations and lives beyond the university by nurturing in each student the capability to

Think logically and critically,
Speak and write effectively,
Appreciate the complexity and diversity of world cultures,
Understand the physical universe,
Participate as a concerned, intelligent citizen,
Mature intellectually and emotionally, and
Discern appropriate uses of technology.

Admission to the Honors College

Entering freshmen with a composite ACT score of 26 or higher are eligible to apply for admission to the Honors College. Sophomore students with a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher may petition the committee for admission to the college. Upper-class students may petition to take specific honors courses without being admitted to the college.

Requirements of the Honors College

A student should maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.25 while taking a minimum of 28 hours of course work each academic year. Students who complete 24 hours of "Honors" designated course work, achieve a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.25, and satisfy all other requirements for graduation will receive their diplomas with the distinction of "Henderson State University Honors College Scholar."

During the freshman and sophomore years, students should take at least 12 of the following 21 hours of Liberal Arts Core honors courses:

ENG 1803 Freshman English-Honors
ENG 2793 Masters of Western Literature-Honors
HIS 1043 World Civilization since 1660-Honors
HUM 2093 Fine Arts-Honors
PHI 2083 Introduction to Philosophy-Honors
PSC 1263 American National Government-Honors
PSY 1073 General Psychology-Honors

During the junior and senior years, students are required to take at least 12 hours of "Honors'' designated courses at the 3000 and 4000 levels. At least 6 of these hours must be satisfied by honors contract work in courses in the student’s major field of study. Students usually satisfy the remaining 6-hour requirement by completing the following courses:

HUM 3073 Honors Colloquium
HUM 3083 Honors Seminar

However, students may consult with the honors director regarding options for completing these 6 hours of the upperlevel requirement.

Honors College Courses:

ENG 1803. Freshman English-Honors. This general education course develops the ability to read literature with appreciation and critical acumen, and to write effective compositions characterized by correctness, clarity, coherence, completeness, economy, and specificity. Substitutes for ENG 1473, Freshman English B.

ENG 2793. Masters of Western Literature-Honors. A general education course designed to provide the student with the opportunity to read, analyze, evaluate, discuss, and come to appreciate representative works by such masters of Western literature as Homer, Sophocles, Virgil, Dante, Chaucer, Montaigne, Cervantes, Shakespeare, Milton, Voltaire, Swift, Goethe, Wordsworth, Keats, Emerson, Whitman, Tennyson, Dostoevsky, Ibsen, Joyce, O'Neill, and Faulkner. Group and individual projects will augment the curriculum. Prerequisites: ENG 1463, ENG 1473 (or equivalent preparation) with a "C" or better, and honors standing. Counts toward the English major and minor.

HIS 1043. World Civilization Since 1660-Honors. A survey of civilization focusing on the evolution of ideas, politics, and society in civilization since 1660. Enrollment limited to honors students.

HUM 2093. Fine Arts-Honors. An interdisciplinary general education honors course examining the concurrent historical and theoretical developments in the arts, music, and theatre.

HUM 3073. Honors Colloquium. An interdisciplinary course designed to focus on crucial current issues which can be addressed from a variety of academic disciplines. Will count toward satisfying the 24-hour "Honors'' course requirement, but will not satisfy general education or major or minor requirements. May be repeated with change of topic for a maximum of 6 hours credit.

HUM 3083. Honors Seminar. An interdisciplinary study of a topic or issue which can be examined from the perspectives of the disciplines in arts, sciences, business, and education. It may be accepted as an elective in meeting major or minor requirements with the approval of the appropriate department chair and dean. May be repeated with change of topic for a maximum of 6 hours credit.

HUM 4061-3. Independent Study-Honors. An opportunity for students who wish to pursue an independent study project with "Honors'' designation. The project must be approved by the Honors Committee and the appropriate chair and dean. A maximum of six hours may be applied to a degree.

PHI 2083. Introduction to Philosophy-Honors. An exploration of some fundamental problems of human life and its meaning. Critical thinking about the nature of human knowledge and belief, the character of ultimate reality, and the status of values and the shape of moral life will be stressed. Enrollment limited to honors students.

PSC 1263. American National Government – Honors . A critical examination of foundational principles, organization and the process of the national government of the U.S. with special focus on the degree to which it is both responsive and accountable to the needs and demands of a diverse citizenry.

PSY 1073. General Psychology-Honors. This course is an experimentally based and writing-intensive introduction to the science of behavior, examining overt actions and covert mental processes, addressing all aspects of life including biological, cognitive, developmental, ethical, social, and spiritual dimensions. Weekly seminar readings and discussions explore psychological scholars such as Freud, James, Köhler, Lewin, Münsterberg, Skinner, and Watson. Students may choose to lead seminar sessions of all stripes examining other historical figures and topics inherent to the discipline of psychology.

*Each student should consult with his/her advisor concerning specific departmental honors requirements