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.