All incoming freshman honors students will have the opportunity to work with senior faculty members in one of the Freshman Seminars offered in 2012. In their very first semester on campus, honors freshmen will get a sense of the research being pursued by faculty in a variety of fields ranging from medicine to the arts. All incoming freshman honors students are required to take Honors 1000, the Freshman Seminar. This 1-hour pass/fail course, offered fall semester only, is designed to provide first-semester students with an orientation to high-level academic work and exposure to a current topic. Taught in sections of 15 students or less, these seminars enable first-term freshmen to develop meaningful relationships with faculty members who can guide them toward opportunities for future research.
Review the list of the freshman seminars offered in Spring 2013 here.
Successful completion of two Honors interdisciplinary seminars called Honors Colloquia (HON 3260) is required for the Advanced Honors distinction. These courses typically approach a topic from interdisciplinary perspectives that foster critical thinking and conversations between students working in different majors. Students are also encouraged to propose topics or readings for these courses or for other Honors classes. Review the course descriptions for the Honors Colloquia offered for Spring 2013 here.
Honors-only sections of lower division courses that fulfill core curriculum requirements are offered each semester. These sections are typically limited to 19 or fewer students, offering students an alternative to large lecture sections as well as a chance to study innovative and alternative curricula.
Any upper level course with sufficient demand may have an Honors add-on component, in which a certain number of seats (typically five) are reserved for Honors students. In order to earn Honors credit, the students need to complete alternate assignments at the instructor’s discretion, and are expected to meet with him/her during the semester to discuss course material in more depth. As with all Honors course work, add-on courses should differ in kind and not merely degree with respect to work required. That is, Honors students may have other assignments in addition to the regular course requirements; these should not merely be more work but rather encourage the students to explore the subject in more detail or from a different perspective—e.g. primary sources, field work, original research.
Students who wish to write an Honors thesis work together with a faculty advisor to select a topic and plan a program of research and writing that typically extends over two semesters. Students register for Honors 4870 (research) and 4880 (writing), each for 3 credit hours. Typically, Honors theses grow out of students’ upper–level course work or research experience. You must have a proposal [DOC] approved by a faculty advisor, department chair, and Dean of the Honors College. For more information on completing an Honors thesis, check out the Honors Thesis Guidelines [DOC].
The Honors College offers a number of Maymester courses that enable students to earn academic credit away from the classroom and away from Atlanta. In recent years, Honors students have studied in Florence, Venice, Paris, Costa Rica, and on the coastal islands of Georgia. For more information on Honors study abroad opportunities, click here.
The Honors College offers a limited number of courses during the summer semester. Students may also choose to initiate Honors thesis work or take an Honors Dimension course during the summer. To do so, they must submit their proposal(s) by 5:15 p.m. on the first business day of the desired semester’s month, i.e. fall – first business day of August; spring – first business day of January; summer (May) – first business day of May, (regular semester) – first business day of June.
Students enrolled in good academic standing in the Honors College who have completed at least 18 semester hours of credit at Georgia State University and who are in their senior year (89 semester hours or more earned) may enroll in graduate courses in the College of Arts and Sciences, provided they meet all course prerequisites and have obtained the permission of the instructor, the Honors College, and (where required by the department) the Graduate Director of the appropriate department. Forms for applying for such permission are available in the Honors College office (428 UC). Up to 9 hours of course credit obtained in these courses may be applied toward Advanced Honors recognition, and up to 6 hours of such credit may be applied toward Research Honors.
Students wishing to earn Honors credit in an upper division course not offered as an Honors course may do so by proposing and gaining approval for an Honors Dimension. A typical Honors Dimension would require some readings in addition to those assigned to non-Honors students, meeting with the instructor individually one hour each week to discuss topics covered in more depth, and some additional written/graded component to the course. No more than 9 hours of Honors Dimension work can be used towards Advanced Honors recognition. Note: The proposed Honors Dimension must be approved by the instructor of the course and also by the Honors College. The form with faculty signature should be submitted to the Honors College for review by 5:15 p.m. on the first business day of the desired semester’s month, i.e. fall – first business day of August; spring – first business day of January; summer (May) – first business day of May, (regular semester) – first business day of June. Click here [DOC] for an Honors Dimension form.