Honors Program

Ellen M. Casey, Ph.D., Director

Overview

The Honors Program at The University of Scranton concentrates on directed independent work for selected students who desire greater depth and breadth in their education. The Honors curriculum is designed to fit into existing University course requirements and to support students as they move into increasingly independent work. The sophomore courses, open only to Honors students, enable them to meet a University general education requirement on a more advanced level.

Junior Honors students take tutorials both in and out of their majors. A tutorial is an exploration of a topic on an individually directed basis; the student meets with a faculty mentor weekly throughout the semester. Each Honors student must take three tutorials, at least one in the major and one out of the major or in the second major. The student may take a fourth and fifth tutorial. These tutorials count toward major, minor, cognate, or general education requirements.

In the Honors seminars, a small group of Honors students meets weekly with the director and assistant director for student-led discussions. The junior seminar is based on an interdisciplinary reading list; the senior seminar is based on the senior Honors projects.

There is no tuition charge for these seminars, since they are the only Honors requirements that do not satisfy ordinary graduation requirements.

Senior Honors students do a yearlong, 6- credit project in their majors, working under the guidance of a professor to explore a specialized topic, either academic or professional in nature. Upon completion, the project is defended before a board of three faculty members who judge whether it is of Honors caliber.

There is no extra charge for Honors work. In addition, honors students who pay flat tuition may take between 12 and 21 credits in their third and fourth years at the flat rate.

Honors Program Schedule

Admission to the Honors Program

Applications are accepted every fall from those students who have at least 18 hours of college credit and who expect to graduate after three more years of work at the University. Applicants must ordinarily have at least a 3.3 GPA; a minimum of a 3.5 GPA (cum laude) is required for graduation in the program. The number of spaces in the program is limited, and admission is based on the applicant's high school and college records, SAT scores, application, recommendations, and interviews. For further information contact Dr. Ellen Casey, Director of the Honors Program.

Course Descriptions

No Honors Program courses may be taken on a Pass/Fail basis.

HUM 286H — (C, W) Victorian Studies — 3 credits

This course uses literature to explore 19thcentury British social and intellectual history. Focusing on the period from 1832-1901, it examines Victorian attitudes toward industrialization, religion, art and gender.

SOC 217H — (S, W) Family Issues and Social Policy — 3 credits

This course examines the conditions, problems and policies associated with work-family issues, divorce, family violence and elder care. Students will use service-learning experience to evaluate these policies from a multicultural perspective, to determine who really benefits from them, and to assess any unintended consequences (positive and negative).

HONR 387H — Junior Honors Seminar — 2 credits

Student-led discussions of contemporary nonfictional works chosen for their variety and their importance.

HONR 489H — Senior Honors Seminar — 1 credit

Student-led discussions of the content, rationale, and methodology of Senior Honors Projects.

DEPT 385H-389H — Honors Tutorial — 3 credits

An exploration of a topic on an individually directed basis.

DEPT 487H-489H — Honors Project — 6 credits total

An independent project of academic or professional nature culminating in an oral defense before a board of three faculty members.