The University Honors Program gives special attention and recognition to superior students by providing them with opportunities to develop their abilities and interests in an individualized manner, within the framework of a high quality liberal education. All aspects of Honors Education should be judged on the basis of their facility in promoting this purpose.

The University Honors Program is a specially chartered University program which endeavors to provide academically enriched and intellectually stimulating experiences for a small group of select students. At Stetson the overall goals for undergraduate general education are set by the faculties of the respective colleges. The University Honors Program addresses these goals through a uniquely integrated curriculum consisting of a combination of specially designed seminars and special educational opportunities and experiences. In addition to the Honors Core curriculum (designated in the catalogue with the prefix HONORS), Honors students take regular courses from the undergraduate curriculum to fulfill the requirements in their majors.

The Honors Seminars offer a distinctive and challenging learning environment in which the student is asked to take an active role in the educational process. In particular, these seminars are designed to be interdisciplinary, team-taught, discussion-intensive and to have restricted enrollments, so that students might actively confront primary works. During these discussions, students are asked to analyze, critique, and react to the primary authors’ viewpoint, as well as to fellow students and the discussion leaders interpretations. In the junior or senior year, students will participate in a Junior Honors Colloquium.

In addition to their general education within the Program, students elect a major field for concentrated study. A number of them pursue a minor and in some cases a second major as well. The skills and attitudes developed in the active learning environment of the Honors Core Courses serve as important tools as the student pursues the in-depth study of a particular discipline.

As this suggests, Honors education does not consist only of certain classes and assignments. Honors education is a commitment of interested professors and select students united by their common interest in intellectual adventure. It entails also extracurricular conversations, gatherings, outings, and friendships of both a planned and spontaneous nature. It includes special advising and counseling opportunities intended to help Honors students derive the greatest benefit possible from their education.

II. Admission Requirements and Procedures

Admission to the University Honors Program requires special application to the University Honors Program Executive Committee. The Executive Committee desires to locate those select students of the undergraduate body who have the talents and interests actively to participate in the community of Honors here at Stetson. The Executive Committee tries to identify students who contribute to the Honors experience as well as benefit from it. To this end, the Committee will gladly receive the application of any student so inclined. In general, Honors students will have graduated within the top 10% of their secondary school classes and have combined SAT scores exceeding 1300, with Verbal scores above 600. However, at the discretion of the admissions committee, these requirements may be waived.

A. Graduation Requirements

Five Honors classes:

1. Foundations of Knowledge and Understanding I (1 semester, 1 unit)

2. Foundations of Knowledge and Understanding II (1 semester, 1 unit)

3. Self and Society (1 semester, 1 unit)

4. Justice and Ethics in Global Perspective (1 semester, 1 unit)

5. Junior Honors Capstone Colloquium (1 semester, 1 unit)

6. Honors Credo and Honors Oral Exam (taken by graduating seniors during the month of April)

B. Additional proficiencies and/or courses:

1. Additional proficiencies and/or courses from the regular undergraduate curriculum as required by the students respective college for the degree being sought, as determined by the Honors Council and stated in the current University Bulletin.

2. Final overall GPA of 3.0 or better

3. Final HONORS GPA of 3.0 or better

NOTE: Some of the specific class requirements may be waived by the Honors Executive Committee if the student has a convincing argument stating why an exception should be made in his or her case.

III.Honors Course Equivalencies

A. Honors course equivalencies for the General Education unit system.

To graduate, a student is required to fulfill the specific course requirements for his or her college and major.

For students who do not complete the program, Honors courses and experiences will substitute for the following non-Honors requirements:

For the College of Arts and Sciences:

Writing	(General Education)
Quantitative Reasoning	(General Education)
The Modern Languages requirement from the 5-unit set of requirements (for the rest of the student body, this is an option inter alia; it is required of all students in the University Honors Program)	(General Education)
Honors 1: Foundations of Knowledge and Understanding I	(Fulfills FY Seminar)	Honors 1 and Honors 2 must be taken sequentially and consecutively during a student’s first year in college.
Honors 2: Foundations of Knowledge and Understanding II	(Fulfills the Physical and Natural World requirement from the 5-unit set)
Honors 3: Self and Society	(Fulfills TWO requirements: Individual, societies, and social systems requirement AND Cultures and belief)	Honors 3 and Honors 4 may be taken in any order, anytime during a student’s second and third year.
Honors 4: Ethics and Justice in Global Perspective	(Fulfills TWO requirements: Local, national or global justice (from the two-unit requirement set) AND Historical Inquiry (from the five-unit set)
Honors 5: Capstone Seminar	(Fulfills the Junior Seminar requirement from the two-unit set, when pertinent)	The Capstone Seminar should be taken during a student’s third year, but can be taken during the fourth.

For the School of Business and the School of Music: Please contact the director.

IV. Privileges and Opportunities

Honors students may exercise the following special privileges, subject to approval of the Executive Committee.

A. Audit/Credit conversion.

Students who register to audit a course may change their registration to receive graduation credit and a grade for the class. Such a change must have the agreement of the instructor.

B. Self-defined Major.

Students may design a personalized major which is different from any of the existing majors defined by the University Catalog. Proposals for self-defined majors are submitted to the Honors Executive Committee for review and approval. Among the criteria by which the Committee evaluates proposals are these: (a) Is the proposed major at least equivalent to existing majors in respect to depth and substance? (b) Has the proposal been reviewed by one or more professors in each of the departments most heavily involved? (c) Can the students provide a cogent explanation of why the existing majors will not meet their needs, while the proposed major will?

C. Late Drop/Change of Registration.

Honors students may drop courses later than the date established by the University calendar if certain conditions are met. The Late Drop/Change of Registration Status may be exercised at the student’s discretion if

1. It is the students first such drop at Stetson.

2. The student’s course load is not reduced below three units/12 hours.

3. The course is not in the students major or an Honors Core course.

The student must receive the approval of the Honors Executive Committee for a late drop under other circumstances. To exercise the Late Drop/Change, regardless of circumstances, the student must obtain the signature of the Honors Director.

Note: All paper work for registration changes must be completed no later than 15 calendar days before the first day of the Final Exam period.

D. Honors Living:

Honors students may elect to live in a special section of the residence halls set aside especially for them. They are not required to do so.

V. Standards for Student Progress

A. Good Standing in the University Honors Program

A student who meets the following criteria will be considered to be making acceptable progress toward graduation in Honors and will remain in good standing. Otherwise the student will be placed on Honors Probation. The criteria are that the student has

1. Made adequate progress towards completing the Honors Curriculum. At a minimum, a student should have completed Honors 1 and Honors 2 by the end of his/her first year; Honors 3 and Honors 4 by the end of his/her third year.

2. Maintained a minimum overall GPA at or above the level specified by the Honors Council.

3. Maintained a minimum Honors GPA at or above the level specified by the Honors Council.

Note: If unavoidable circumstances prevent enrolling in an Honors class, students may request, in writing, that the Executive Committee not place them on Honors Probation.

Note: The current minimum overall GPAs are 2.6 after the second semester at Stetson, 2.7 after the third, 2.8 after the fourth, 2.9 after the fifth, 3.0 after the sixth.

B. Honors Probation

Under certain circumstances, the Honors Executive Committee will designate students as being on Honors Probation. A student with this status is still an Honors student, but may not exercise the Options or be elected to the Honors Council. Honors Probation is not a form of punishment and is a temporary status that normally lasts for one semester. No permanent record of this status is kept. Students might be given this status if they are not maintaining acceptable progress toward graduation in Honors.

VI. Honors Courses

Brief descriptions of the Honors courses follow; more extensive syllabi are kept by the Honors Director and by the Dean of Arts and Sciences. Students are free to peruse these for additional information on the Honors curriculum.

Honors 1 Foundations of Knowledge and Understanding (1 unit)

The first of a two-semester sequence designed to set the historical foundations of human knowledge and understanding. The seminar will undertake a critical comparative study of knowledge “now and then.” Approaches to knowledge and understanding beginning with the ancients and continuing until the 17th Century will be contrasted, compared, and evaluated in the light of contemporary models of knowledge. Texts from across disciplines (the natural sciences, the humanities, the fine arts, and the social sciences) will be used to present ideas that have had significant impact on the development of knowledge. The course includes a laboratory component in which issues in earth, life and physical science, along with issues in psychology, sociology and commerce will be integrated into discussions of philosophy, religion, politics, literature and art. The course is team-taught by three professors, representing three different academic disciplines.

Honors 2 Foundations of Knowledge and Understanding (1 unit)

The second of a two-semester sequence designed to set the historical foundations of human knowledge and understanding. The course description is the same as Honors 1 except that this course begins with the 17th Century and the rise of modern science and continues to the present and beyond, taking into consideration future prospects for knowledge and understanding. The focus of the course is on the development of knowledge and understanding in science, technology, art, economics and politics. As in the first semester, this course features a natural and social science laboratory component and is team taught by three professors, representing three different academic disciplines. Pre-requisite: Honors 1.

Honors 3 Self and Society (1 unit)

A seminar examining dominant images of self and society. Students and faculty consider the impact of institutions, practices, and traditions on the formation of collective and individual identity and examine the impact of cultural heritage, ideology, and social categories on experience, perspective, and values. The course is team taught by either two or three professors, each from a different academic discipline. Pre-requisite: Honors 2.

Honors 4 Justice and Ethics in Global Perspective (1 unit)

A seminar considering cross-cultural perspectives on justice and ethics and focusing on how different historical, political, and cultural traditions give rise to divergent ideas about freedom, rights, responsibilities, individualism, and community. The course is team taught by either two or three professors, each from a different academic discipline. Honors 2.

Honors 5 Honors Capstone Colloquium (1 unit)

In the junior or senior year, students will participate in a senior colloquium coordinated with the major lecture series on campus (e.g., Values Council Lecture Series, Howard Thurman Lecture Series, Lawson Lecture Series, Woodrow Wilson Fellows Lectures). In addition to attending these lectures, students will read pertinent texts, meet to discuss these texts before the public lecture, and gather after the lecture for further discussion and analysis. As often as possible, the lecturer will also attend the post-lecture colloquium to offer a “lecture on the lecture” and to entertain further questions. Students will attend six to eight lectures per semester and the concomitant pre- and post-lecture colloquia.

VII. Governance of the University Honors Program

A. Honors Council:

The Honors Council establishes all policies for the University Honors Program subject to review by the Council of Deans and subject to the limitations the University bylaws.

1. Membership

2. Faculty members elected by their respective division or school serve for two years. (Staggered terms allow for continuity from year to year.)

College of Arts and Sciences

Education Division....................... one representative

Humanities Division..................... one representative

Natural Sciences Division............. one representative

Social Sciences Division............... one representative

School of Business........................... one representative

School of Music................................ one representative

Faculty members who coordinate the Honors Courses serve for four semesters: the two semesters preceding their course, the one during the course, and the one following the course.

3. University Honors Program students in good standing elected by Honors students of their respective academic classes serve for one year:

Fourth-year Class.......................... one representative

Third-year Class............................ one representative

Second-year Class......................... one representative

First-year Class............................. one representative

4. The Honors Director serves as an ex-officio (non-voting) member.

5. Functions

6. It serves as the curriculum committee for the University Honors Program.

7. It establishes the standards for admission into, and retention in, the University Honors Program.

8. It establishes requirements for completion of the Honors curriculum and graduation in the University Honors Program subject to the limitations of the bylaws of the University.

9. It defines the functions of the University Honors Program Director.

10. It defines the structure and function of the Executive Committee.

11. It cooperates with individual schools and departments in developing and administering the Honors curriculum.

12. It conducts business when a quorum of 40% of membership is present at duly called meetings.

13. Reports: The council reports its actions as follows:

14. It sends the minutes of its meetings to the Council of Deans.

15. It communicates actions taken in respect to its curriculum to the Chairpersons of the Curriculum committees of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Schools of Business and Music.

16. Its members apprise their respective constituents of pertinent action pending or taken.

B. Honors Executive Committee:

1. Role

The Honors Executive Committee implements the policies of the Honors Council and takes such other actions as it is directed to take by the Honors Council.

2. Membership

The membership of the Committee is constituted as follows:

3. The Honors Director is a permanent member and serves as the Committee’s Chairperson. The Director casts a vote on motions only to break a tie.

4. Additional members are appointed from the Honors Council membership by the Honors Council Director and include four to six faculty members and two student members, typically but not necessarily the sophomore and senior representatives.

5. Functions

The functions of the Executive Committee include but are not limited to the following:

6. It considers and acts on applications of students for admission into the University Honors Program.

7. It reviews the academic progress of Honors students, and if it deems appropriate places them on probation or dismisses them from the program.

8. It certifies completion of requirements for graduation in the University Honors Program.

9. It reviews and takes action on petitions from individual Honors students, including but not restricted to granting waivers or substitutions for University Honors Program requirements and approving self-defined majors.

10. Reports

The Executive Committee reports its actions by submitting official minutes of all its meetings to the University Honors Program Council.

C. University Honors Program Director

1. Role

The University Honors Program Director carries out the regular functions defined by the University Honors Program Council and such additional tasks as may be assigned by the Council or the Executive Committee.

2. Appointment

The University Honors Program Director is appointed for a three-year renewable term by the Dean of Arts and Sciences on recommendation of the Honors Council.

3. Functions

The functions of the University Honors Program Director include the following:

4. The University Honors Program Director or his or her designee calls the Council into session at least once each semester, giving due notice of meeting date and agenda, and then presides at its meetings.

5. Works with the University Honors Program students in such ways as the following: recruiting them for the Program, advising them on academic matters, and serving as a liaison between the University Honors Program and the governing committees and University administration.

6. Maintains records and files reports necessary to the operation of the Program, including the following: student profiles and records of progress; budget request and reports; minutes of meeting of the Council and Executive Committee; and the Annual Report, submitted to the Dean of Arts and Sciences, with copies to the Provost and the Deans of Business and Music.

7. Fulfills regular administrative tasks necessary to the operation of the Program, including the following: recruiting faculty and arranging schedules for Honors classes; supervising the election of student representatives to the Council; scheduling Honors orals; supervising the budget of the University Honors Program; maintaining the description of the University Honors Program in the Bulletin; and sitting as a member of the Committee of the Department Heads of the College of Arts and Sciences.

8. Maintains the Handbook of the University Honors Program, which delineates:

9. Admission Requirements and Procedures

10. Graduation Requirements

11. Privileges of Participation

12. Standards of Student Progress

13. Curriculum

14. Reports

The Honors Director reports his or her actions through periodic briefings as requested by the Honors Council or Executive Committee and through the Annual Report and Budget Report, which are reviewed by the Honors Council and submitted to the Dean of Arts and Sciences.