Handbook
University Honors Program
Last updated: August 9, 2010
I. Description and Purpose of the
University Honors Program
II. Admission
Requirements and Procedures
B. Additional proficiencies and/or
courses:
III. Honors
Course Equivalencies
A. Honors course equivalencies for the
General Education unit system.
IV. Privileges
and Opportunities
V. Standards
for Student Progress
A. Good Standing in the University
Honors Program
VII. Governance
of the University Honors Program
B. Honors Executive Committee:
C. University Honors Program Director
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.
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.
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.
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
Honors
students may exercise the following special privileges, subject to approval of the
Executive Committee.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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.