Proposal Submission Process
Honors seminars offer an excellent opportunity for
faculty members to try out new ideas in teaching and research
topics, to pilot a course that they may develop for their own
department or program, and to work with a small group (not more
than 20) of excellent students.
Professors interested in proposing a seminar for the
Honors Program should submit a proposal to the director for review
by the Honors Program Committee (HPC). The proposal should be
submitted one or two semesters prior to its proposed offering so
that the HPC has adequate time to review and comment on the course
and the director can coordinate with the relevant department and
the Registrar's office in curriculum planning. Please submit
proposals by early September for a spring course offering and by
early January for a fall course offering. Submissions made
earlier than these deadlines will be greatly appreciated and
receive closer attention. For specific deadlines each year,
please contact the Honors Program office at 568-6953.
Proposals should be about three pages long and
include the following information:
- a paragraph or two describing the course;
- a bibliography listing proposed readings;
- a brief outline of the course trajectory;
- a description of the evaluation process (papers,
exams, etc); and
- comments regarding what about the course makes it
an honors course.
Honors seminars should incorporate one or more of
the following attributes, which are not listed in any order of
priority: interdisciplinary content, use of primary
materials, writing intensive, independent research, discussion
intensive, or other features that call upon students to develop
high levels of critical thinking and writing.
It is preferred, although not required, for faculty
to make short (5 minute) presentations of their proposals to the
HPC so that we can discuss any questions with you. The HPC
then votes on the proposal via e-mail or in the subsequent
meeting.
For sample proposals, please contact the director or
the Honors Program office.
Signatures
All proposals should be signed by the faculty member
making the proposal AND by the department head.
Course Evaluations
All professors offering courses through the Honors
Program, including seminars, are requested to submit their syllabi
to the program office at the beginning of each semester and copies
of their evaluations at the end of the semester.
