University Honors Education

102-A MSRB, PO Box 22600, (801) 378-5497

Dean: Paul A. Cox, Professor, Botany and Range Science
Associate Dean: Susan Easton Black, Professor, Church History and Doctrine
Associate Dean: James E. Faulconer, Professor, Philosophy
Assistant Dean: Neal W. Kramer

University Honors at Graduation

“University Honors” is a distinction awarded to all graduates of BYU who have met the honors requirements in general education as described below. This prestigious designation is recorded on the university diploma, on the official transcript of grades, and in the graduation program. All honors classes taken and the honors thesis title also appear on the transcript.

University Honors with Honors in a Major

Certain departments have established honors majors that build on the foundation of the honors requirements in general education. Students majoring in these departments who meet the requirements for graduation with University Honors have the additional option of meeting the requirements of the honors major and graduating with “honors in [a certain major].” Thus, a student may graduate with “University Honors and honors in chemistry,” for example. (Note, however, that it is not possible to graduate with honors in chemistry unless one satisfies the requirement for graduation with University Honors as well.) For the name of the honors advisor in a certain department, consult the University Honors Program Course Guide or contact the departmental office. Honors majors can be completed in art history, applied physics, chemistry, communications, comparative literature, economics, electrical and computer engineering, English, French, geology, German, history, humanities, Italian, management, mathematics, mechanical engineering, microbiology, molecular biology, music, philosophy, physics, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, statistics, studio art, and zoology.

Participation in Honors

Honors education provides an unusually rich and challenging experience for capable and motivated undergraduate students. Honors education is not merely a more intensive general education or a more strenuous program in a major. Rather, it attempts to link the broad university perspective with the specific concentration associated with a major. Students who pursue honors education at Brigham Young University will be offered the challenge of honors courses that form a part of their general education, as well as an intensive experience in their major.

To graduate from BYU students must meet not only the requirements of a major department but also the requirements of general education and religion. Most students complete the nonmajor requirements through courses in the general university curriculum. Capable and motivated students are invited to satisfy general education and religion requirements through honors. Although it is hoped that students will choose to complete all of the requirements for the University Honors designation, those who do not intend to do so are still invited to participate in the honors curriculum to whatever extent they choose.

Honors education is open to all capable and motivated students and only requires a formal commitment of intent (1) to graduate with University Honors, (2) to register for at least one honors course each semester of the first two years in the program, and (3) to maintain a 3.5 GPA. Commitment forms may be obtained in 102A MSRB.

Indicators of “capable” include a composite ACT score of 28 or above, a high school GPA of 3.8 or above, or a university GPA of 3.5 or above. Defining “motivated” is more difficult. It would be a mistake to recommend honors courses only to those students with high scores, either GPA or ACT, since it is difficult to gauge a student's ability from scores alone. Such scores may not say much about such important inner qualities as determination, discipline, and initiative or about recent achievements that may contrast with earlier performance. All students are invited to consider honors as a way to achieve the kind of academic experiences they seek. Students may register for honors courses at any time during their undergraduate years without necessarily intending to complete all the honors graduation requirements.

Honors and Grades

Anyone may register for honors classes, but they are taught at the level of the superior student. Statistics indicate that capable and diligent students do very well in honors classes. In fact, on the average, they receive slightly higher grades in their honors classes than in their other classes in any given semester. Honors courses are not graded on a curve. Because the classes are more demanding and fulfilling, most students are motivated to perform well.

The Advantages of Honors

Faculty

The most important advantage of enrolling in honors is the opportunity to participate in demanding, high-quality courses taught by some of the university's best professors. In addition, honors provides a stimulating learning environment outside formal course settings.

Curriculum

Honors offers a curriculum core consisting of two semesters in History of Civilization and an intensive writing course. Beyond this core, honors colloquia, seminars, and departmental honors courses provide a variety of experiences for honors students in the historical development of ideas, cultures, arts, letters, and the sciences; these offerings are discussed more fully below.

Honors Colloquia . Each semester, honors sponsors several honors colloquia that bring together teams of the university's most respected professors from diverse disciplines to teach a variety of broadly based subjects. The colloquia are interdisciplinary in nature and taught by at least two and often three professors from different fields. These courses allow a unique flexibility in method and content and stress the complementary nature of various disciplines in dealing with our cultural heritage and modern problems. Recent colloquia include “Use and Misuse of Human and Natural Resources: Man's Role in Changing the Face of the Earth,” “The Unacknowledged Revolution: Printing as an Agent of Change in the History of the World,” “The Daedalus Project,” “Texts of Influence on the Jewish and Christian Religious Heritages,” “Jerusalem: Past, Present, and Future,” and “Memoir and Imagination.”

The particular subjects and faculty differ across colloquia. Some provide an integrated approach. Others are intended primarily for students majoring in particular disciplines. All of the colloquia, however, are centered on intensive reading, discussion in large and small groups, and careful writing. Each colloquium involves a group of approximately fifty students and two or three faculty and offers an educational experience unlike that in any other class offered at the university.

Honors Seminars . A number of honors seminars are also offered each semester. They range across subjects as diverse as “Literature in Science,” “The American Judge,” “The World of the New Testament,” “History and Modern Perspectives in Chemistry,” and “Bioethics.” The seminars are centered within a discipline, but they are intended to be accessible to students who are not majors in that discipline. Like the colloquia, the seminars require critical reading, thinking, writing, and discussion. But unlike the colloquia, the seminars are more specialized, are directed by a single professor, and are usually limited in enrollment to twenty students.

Departmental Honors Sections . Departments within the university offer courses intended for honors students that are taught by their strongest faculty. Departmental honors sections of GE courses are usually smaller than regular courses and provide greater occasion for classroom discussion and additional reading and writing under the supervision of the professor. In addition, if the department offers an honors major, some courses in that major may be structured specifically for the honors student. These courses would go beyond the limits of the traditional major and would stress critical and analytical thinking and writing in the form appropriate to the subject of the major.

Honors Housing, the Honors Center, and Special Honors Activities

Students in honors benefit most directly from their association with fellow honors students and with honors faculty. Honors students have a center in the Karl G. Maeser Memorial Building, which provides them with a quiet study hall, a commons room for informal meetings and discussion, an advisement center, and classrooms. An honors computer lab is available in 1058 TMCB to students committed to graduating with University Honors.

Honors publishes the scholarly work of students in Insight, an intellectual journal with an all-student staff. Academic advisement is provided by student aides in the Honors Advisement Center, 102-A MSRB.

Requirements for Graduation with University Honors

Graduation with University Honors first requires commitment and then completion of the course work, portfolio, and thesis/capstone requirements. An outline of these requirements follows:

Commitment. Commit to graduate with University Honors by completing a University Honors Graduation Commitment Form (available in 102A MSRB).

Course Work. Complete the required course work:

Recommended course work: HonP 214R modules (focused on Great Works List of literature, music, art, and film).

Portfolio. By the end of the junior year, submit a one-page response for the specified items chosen from your Great Works Contract (ten works of literature, four works of music, four works of art, and two films). More information regarding the Great Works requirement may be obtained in the Honors Advisement Center, 102A MSRB. Submit your portfolio, together with your finished thesis, to the Honors Program by the printed deadline that follows. The portfolio should contain:

Thesis/Capstone Experience. To graduate with University Honors, a student must complete an honors thesis/capstone project. This requirement provides an opportunity for a student to work closely with a faculty member on a project of the student's choosing in the student's major. The thesis/capstone project represents an independent work reflecting the highest standards of achievement for undergraduates. It must receive both departmental and honors approval.

Thesis Deadlines*

*These dates are deadlines, but most students will need to have their thesis proposals approved considerably before the deadline, preferably more than two semesters before defending the thesis. Thus, those graduating in April should usually have their thesis proposal approved no later than the previous April.

Honors Courses

The University Honors Program Course Guide contains a complete list of honors courses and detailed course descriptions. It is an essential supplement to this catalog and the current class schedule. To obtain the course guide or further information about any part of the Honors Program, contact the Honors Program Office.

1. Writing Skills

200. Intensive Writing. (3:3:0)

Meets GE requirement in First-Year Writing.

300. Advanced Writing. (3:3:0) Prerequisite: completion of First-Year Writing requirement.

Approaches to advanced writing that differ from departmental offerings. Meets GE Advanced Writing requirement.

2. Arts and Sciences Core

201. History of Civilization 1. (3:3:0)

Colloquium or seminar in the history of civilization from antiquity to ca. A.D. 1500. Meets the GE core requirement for History of Civilization 1.

202. History of Civilization 2. (3:3:0)

Colloquium or seminar in the history of civilization from ca. A.D. 1500 to the present. Meets the GE core requirement for History of Civilization 2.

240. American Government and Society. (3:3:0)

Meets AHtg 100 GE core requirement.

259. Physical Science. (1-6:6:0)

Meets the PhyS 100 GE core requirement.

260. Biology. (1-6:6:0)

Meets the Biol 100 GE core requirement.

3. Honors Arts and Sciences Lower-Division Electives

Honors 203-220: Arts and Letters

203R. Literature. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Seminar in literature.

204R. Fine Arts. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Seminar in art, design, music, theatre, or cinema.

205R. Philosophy. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Seminar in philosophy or such related areas as religious and moral thought.

206R. Humanities. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Seminar in the humanities.

207R. Language. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Seminar in semantics, grammar, linguistics, or history of language.

210R. Civilization and Culture. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Seminar on the historical development of Western civilization and culture or non-Western civilizations and cultures.

211R. Colloquium in Arts and Letters. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

218R. Epistemology. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Epistemology for GE Arts and Letters credit.

Honors 221-240: Social and Behavioral Sciences

221R. Colloquium in the Social Sciences. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

222R. History. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Seminar in history or such related areas as archaeology.

223R. Behavioral Science. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Seminar in psychology, psychiatry, organizational behavior, etc.

224R. Political Science. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Seminar in political science, international relations, jurisprudence, or political and economic geography.

225R. Sociology. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Seminar in sociology or family science.

226R. Anthropology. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Seminar in anthropology or related areas.

227R. Economics. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Seminar in economics or related areas.

228R. Education. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Seminar in education or related areas.

229R. Business. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Seminar in business or related areas.

230R. Civilization and Culture. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Seminar on the historical development of Western civilization and culture or non-Western civilizations and cultures.

234R. Readings in the History of Ideas. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Seminar in scientific, political, and philosophical thought based on texts treating the human legacy, society, science, ethical challenges, aesthetics, etc.

238R. Epistemology. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Epistemology for GE Social Sciences credit.

Honors 241-260: Natural Sciences

241R. Colloquium in the Sciences. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

242R. Mathematics. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Seminar in mathematics.

243R. Physical Science, Elective. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Seminar in astronomy, chemistry, geology, or physics.

244R. Biological Science, Elective. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Seminar in biology, botany, microbiology, or zoology.

245R. Technology. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Seminar in computer science, engineering, technology, or related areas.

246R. Statistics. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Seminar in statistics.

250. Math Modeling—Toward a Personal Understanding of the World. (3:3:0)

Developing skills in arriving at quantitative models for the world as we see it. Some math skills reviewed and some new ones introduced.

254R. Readings in the History of Ideas. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Seminar in scientific, political, and philosophical thought based on texts treating the human legacy, society, science, ethical challenges, aesthetics, etc.

258R. Epistemology. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Epistemology for GE Natural Sciences credit.

4. Honors Arts and Sciences Upper-Division Electives

Honors 303-320: Arts and Letters

303R. Literature. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Upper-division seminar in literature.

304R. Fine Arts. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Upper-division seminar in art, design, music, theatre, or cinema.

305R. Philosophy. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Upper-division seminar in philosophy or such related areas as religious and moral thought.

306R. Humanities. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Upper-division seminar in the humanities.

307R. Language. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Upper-division seminar in semantics, grammar, linguistics, or history of language.

310R. Civilization and Culture. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Upper-division seminar on the historical development of Western civilization and culture or non-Western civilizations and cultures.

311R. Colloquium in Arts and Letters. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

314R. Readings in the History of Ideas. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Upper-division seminar in scientific, political, and philosophical thought based on texts treating the human legacy, society, science, ethical challenges, aesthetics, etc.

315R. Readings in the Classics. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Upper-division seminar in the classics based on key literary-
philosophical texts.

318R. Epistemology. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Epistemology for GE Arts and Letters credit.

Honors 321-340: Social and Behavioral Sciences

321R. Colloquium in the Social Sciences. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

322R. History. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Upper-division seminar in history or such related areas as archaeology.

323R. Behavioral Science. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Upper-division seminar in psychology, psychiatry, organizational behavior, etc.

324R. Political Science. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Upper-division seminar in political science, international relations, jurisprudence, or political and economic geography.

325R. Sociology. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Upper-division seminar in sociology or family science.

326R. Anthropology. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Upper-division seminar in anthropology or related areas.

327R. Economics. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Upper-division seminar in economics or related areas.

328R. Education. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Upper-division seminar in education or related areas.

329R. Business. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Upper-division seminar in business or related areas.

330R. Civilization and Culture. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Upper-division seminar on the historical development of Western civilization and culture or non-Western civilizations and cultures.

334R. Readings in the History of Ideas. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Upper-division seminar in scientific, political, and philosophical thought based on texts treating the human legacy, society, science, ethical challenges, aesthetics, etc.

338R. Epistemology. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Epistemology for GE Social Sciences credit.

Honors 341-360: Natural Sciences

341R. Colloquium in the Sciences. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

342R. Mathematics. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Upper-division seminar in mathematics.

343R. Physical Science, Elective. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Upper-division seminar in astronomy, chemistry, geology, or physics.

344R. Biological Science, Elective. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Upper-division seminar in biology, botany, microbiology, or zoology.

345R. Technology. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Upper-division seminar in computer science, engineering, technology, or related areas.

346R. Statistics. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Upper-division seminar in statistics.

354R. Readings in the History of Ideas. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Upper-division seminar in scientific, political, and philosophical thought based on texts treating the human legacy, society, science, ethical challenges, aesthetics, etc.

358R. Epistemology. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Epistemology for GE Natural Sciences credit.

Other Honors Courses

214R. Readings in the History of Ideas. (1-6:6:0 ea.)

Seminar in scientific, political, and philosophical thought based on texts treating the human legacy, society, science, ethical challenges, aesthetics, etc.

499R. Honors Thesis. (1-6:0:0 ea.)

Departmental Honors General Education Courses

Selected departments offer designated honors sections of introductory courses that meet particular general education requirements as well as honors requirements. In addition, Religious Education offers honors sections of religion courses that meet other university requirements. Approved departmental honors courses include:

Languages of Learning

First-Year Writing:

Phil 105H.

Mathematics:

Math 112H, 113H.
Stat 221H, 222H.

Advanced Writing:

Engl 311H, 312H, 313H, 315H, 316H.
MCom 320H.
Phil 311H.

Arts and Sciences

Core Requirements:

AHtg 100H.
Biol 100H.
ClCv 201H, 202H
CLit 201H, 202H.
Engl 201H, 202H.
Hist 201H, 202H.
Hum 201H, 202H.
Phil 201H, 202H, 210H, 211H.
PhyS 100H.
PlSc 201H, 202H.

Arts and Letters:

ClCv 110H.
Dance 260H.
Hum 261H, 262H.
Phil 110H, 205H, 317H, 422H.

Social and Behavioral Sciences:

Anthr 101H, 110H.
Econ 110H.
FamSc 160H.
PlSc 110H.
Psych 111H.
Soc 111H.

Natural Sciences:

Chem 111H.
Geol 101H.
Mcbio 221H.
Phscs 121H, 127H.
Zool 260H, 261H.

University Requirements

Religious Education:

RelA 121, 122, 211, 212, 301, 304, 320, 327, 421, 422.
RelC 130, 231, 324, 325, 333, 341, 342, 351.

Students should consult the departmental listings in this catalog, the current class schedule, and the University Honors Program Course Guide for further details about these courses.

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