HON Seminars
What Are HON Seminars?
The HON Seminar courses are a key component of the University Honors experience. The HON Seminars are designed to motivate students to become knowledge-creators within their own discipline; to develop habits of mind that will serve them well as knowledge-creators; and to understand what it means to create new knowledge in fields with which they may not be familiar. Regardless of the course topic, students are expected to understand both the history and consequences (ethical dilemmas, social and political changes, etc.) of discoveries, inventions, new art forms, new ideas, and books, for example, as each has impacted the focal point of the course. The HON Seminars stimulate an undergraduate culture of research by providing a holistic “mind-on” research experience within a cross-disciplinary context. HON Seminars also promote critical thinking, reading, and problem-solving skills. The small class size provides an ideal setting for constructive argumentation, analysis, synthesis, and pointed conclusions.
The HON Seminar Requirement
University Honors students are required to pass two HON seminars in their first two years in the program. Students may elect to take more than two HON seminars if they are interested, and if the courses fit into their schedule.