Developing Scholars

In addition to providing specific challenges and opportunities, the Honors Program is designed to help the brightest and best students mature as scholars. The following unique features of the program address specific areas of intellectualism and scholarship, developing cognitive and cultural awareness in the Honors Scholar.

Honors Forum (HNRS 101) - one credit
This course follows a discussion-based format in which the Honors students are challenged to discover differences in definitions and in the way they and others see the world.

Service Learning (HNRS 201) - one credit
After intensive preparation, Honors students experience first-hand the value and challenges of community service as they simultaneously participate in and analyze the culture of a local service institution. Students keep journals of their experiences and produce reflective analyses which apply the theories they learn in the classroom to their own experiences and those of their peers, culminating in the students developing their own personal philosophies of service.

Core Curriculum Courses - 18 credits
Special sections of required courses such as English composition are designated as Honors sections. There are a number of such courses offered each semester, and most Honors students select several from these during their freshman and sophomore years.

Honors International Study (HNRS 390) - three credits
All Honors Scholars are required to complete an international study experience at some point during their tenure at Southern , ideally during their sophomore or junior year. This experience is designed to promote the intellectual development of the students through immersion intoa culture other than their own. Following the experience the students will be guided through a reflective analysis designed to secure the benefits of the study to the maturing scholars.

Senior Honors Thesis/Project - three credits
As a summative honors experience, Honors students take at least one Honors course in their major during the senior year. Working under professors in their major field, they design and carry out independent projects investigating a topic in depth and utilizing original research methods. Each student makes a presentation of his or her research to an Honors Colloquium open to a campus-wide audience. The presentation is required of each student for completion of the Honors Program.