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Key Honors Courses

Key Honors Courses

Course Descriptions

ACAD 1104-H: First Year Transition (2 credits)
Also known as "Introduction to Honors," ACAD 1104-H introduces students to ISU culture and opportunities.  In addition, this course informs Honors students of UHP requirements, processes, and the numerous opportunities and resources available to Honors students at ISU; connecting them to information, faculty, and staff, all of which are critical for academic success, retention, and graduation.

HONS 1101: Honors Humanities I (3 credits)*
A writing-intensive interdisciplinary course examining relationships between the arts and letters from the Classical Age through the Enlightenment. Partially satisfies Objective 1 of the General Education Requirements.

HONS 1102: Honors Humanities II (3 credits)*
A writing-intensive interdisciplinary course examining relationships between the arts and letters from the nineteenth century to the present. Partially satisfies Objective 4 of the General Education Requirements. S

*HONS 1101 and HONS 1102 are writing intensive interdisciplinary courses developed to expand the writing and critical thinking skills of Honors students, preparing them for rigorous upper-level college expectations.

ACAD 1111-H: Information Literacy & Inquiry, Honors (3 credits)
Introduces students to inquiry in a university setting. The course will introduce the academic culture of ISU through research and university academic resources. The course will primarily deal with the level of inquiry and evidence expected of university students. Student will learn how to identify an information need, evaluate information discovered, and use information effectively and ethically. Satisfies Objective 8 of the General Education Requirements. (The Honors section includes a focus on developing a research question, creating an annotated bibliography, and presenting research findings.)

HONS 2220: Information Research Techniques (1 credit)
Students develop strategies for recognizing, locating, and evaluating pertinent information and using it effectively in current and future research papers and/or in the field of endeavor.

HONS 3391: Honors Seminar (1 credit each)
Exposes student to a range of critical and theoretical approaches within various disciplines in multiple seminars. Students formulate research problems and incorporate the results of their research into a seminar paper and/or oral presentation. May be repeated for up to 4 credits with different content.

HONS 3393: Introduction to Honors Thesis (1 credit)
Prepares junior-level students enrolled in the University Honors Program to develop, plan, and begin their Honors Thesis or Honors Project, select a thesis or project topic, identify a thesis advisor, begin scholarship review for the project or thesis, and develop a timeline for completing the project or thesis.

HONS 4493: Honors Senior Thesis or Project (1-6 credits)
Supervised by a committee of at least two faculty members and approved by the University Honors Program Director. May be repeated for up to 6 credits. If needed, DEPT 4493H can be used.
Honors Project/Thesis Requirements: Each University Honors Degree student is required to complete an Honors project or thesis at the senior level in the department of his or her major or minor. The capstone project (1-6 credits) requires the University Honors student to prepare a project proposal for review by a departmental Honors Advisor. This project could be a research-based senior thesis or another discipline-appropriate project. The completed project is presented in a public forum and defended before a committee comprised of the major department Faculty Thesis Advisor, another faculty member in the department, and the Director of the UHP (or designee). Appropriate public venues for the presentation include, but are not limited to: a departmental seminar, the ISU Undergraduate Research Symposium, an honors regional or national conference, or a discipline specific conference.


Contract Courses: In addition to the interdisciplinary seminars, each University Honors student working on an Honors Degree must complete a minimum of 6 upper division credits of Honors Contract courses in the student's major or minor. Honors contract courses are departmental courses offered under an "Honors Contract" between the student and instructor. The course requires that the student and instructor agree, on a case-by-case basis, to a set of requirements for the course. All Honors Contracts must be approved by the Honors program director. In general, any non-objective class can be contracted with the proper permission from the instructor and the UHP director. (Terms of a contract must include: course syllabus, including general course requirements; specifications as to how the Honors course requirements will differ from the general course requirements; a description of the alternative assignments, testing, or performance criteria; and an explanation of how the Honors assignment(s) will be integrated into the final grade. Online courses are not eligible for Honors credit.)