Required Honors Curriculum Freshman through Senior Years

CORE 115H: Honors Common Ground

Incoming traditional students are required to complete this first-year course, which explores historical and current ideas about the common good and introduces the critical thinking skills vital to active citizenship. Those interested in the Honors Program should successfully complete the Honors level of CORE 115.

Service Element

Students must successfully complete one service learning credit.

HRN 400: Honors Capstone

Each student presents a review of his or her best undergraduate work. Some students choose an aspect of their departmental capstone project, while others reflect on their earlier Honors work. Some showcase campus or community service.

A Combination of Four of the Following

  • Honors Seminar Courses - Available in any major
  • Honors Contract Courses - If Honors level does not exist in course, Honors students and faculty can create an Honors experience within an existing course
  • Approved Travel Courses - Students and faculty travel to domestic and international locations to study classroom lessons in real-life settings

Sample Honors Project

Topics in Literature: James Joyce & Ulysses

Zachary Hacker ’12 worked closely with Dr. Drew Shannon, associate professor of English, to read the works of James Joyce with particular emphasis on Ulysses. They also studied numerous film adaptations of Ulysses and the cultural impact of the controversial text. Zach prepared an essay that examined the flipping of expectations throughout the novel, with most attention given to the violations of the Homeric structure and the switched gender roles of Molly and Bloom compared to Penelope and Odysseus in “The Odyssey.”