The Honors Curriculum

Life is not specialized. It is "interdisciplinary." Vocationally, we may be engineers or neurosurgeons or entertainers; but, at all times we are subject we to the human condition and live our lives as generalists. Academic divisions are pragmatic ways of organizing fields of knowledge, and of training specialists for a specific domain. But the philosophy of Belmont's Honors Program is that to be educated liberally one must erase these imaginary boundaries and tear down the mental walls that hamper free access to fields of information. A holistic vision and appreciation of the human experience must be created. This philosophical commitment is best expressed in the organization of the Honors Program curriculum. In the courses, that make up our program of study, teams of honors faculty members move beyond rigid compartmentalization and foster the synthetic worldview necessary to become a Belmont Scholar.

Overview of Honors Curriulum -

Honors Courses (HON)

HON 1520. The Ancient World (4). Prerequisite: Membership in Honors Program. An exploration of the humanities during the period of antiquity, examining the interconnectedness of art, literature, politics, music, historical events, religion, philosophy, and other fields of knowledge, with a focus on the birth and development of early cultures, cultural artifacts, and cultural value systems.

HON 1810. Freshman Honors Colloquium (0). Prerequisite: Membership in Honors Program. An exploration of skills and knowledge required to succeed at Belmont and in the Honors Program, including evaluative critical thinking; interdisciplinary analysis; the structure and expectations of the Honors Program; the intellectual, social, and personal demands of college life; and the organizational and research skills necessary to locate, analyze, and synthesize information.

HON 1950-4950. Studies Abroad (3-18). Study in a foreign country. Individual course titles and locations are assigned for each course taken. See Studies Abroad program for details.

HON 2045. Honors Research and Rhetoric (3). Prerequisite: Membership in Honors Program. An intermediate writing course in which Honors students practice recognizing, evaluating, and constructing written arguments while developing the reading and research skills necessary to successful engagement with their Honors curriculum.

HON 2110. The Medieval World (4). Prerequisite: Membership in Honors Program. An exploration of the humanities during the period of the middle ages, examining the interconnectedness of art, literature, politics, music, historical events, religion, philosophy, and other fields of knowledge, with a focus on the origins of modern representative government, universities, languages and literatures, science, and philosophies.

HON 2310. Analytics: Science Models (4). An examination of the techniques of critical reasoning utilizing scientific paradigms, with emphasis on the development of the art of such reasoning.

HON 2360. Sophomore Tutorial (1). Prerequisite: Membership in Honors Program. Directed research training in the student's major field of study in collaboration with a faculty tutor in that field, consisting of weekly one-hour meetings with the faculty tutor or an equivalent series of directed experiences.

HON 2400. Societies, Institutions, and Teams (3). Prerequisite: Membership in Honors Program. An overview of the workings of societies, institutions, and small groups, with an emphasis on processes for developing an institution or small groups' capabilities to reach and sustain its optimum level of performance, including the use of intervention practices to facilitate change, an exploration of alternatives to traditional hierarchiacal models, and the development of strategies for influencing large-scale and group decision making.

HON 2520. The Early Modern World (4). Prerequisite: Membership in Honors Program. An exploration of the humanities between the years 1400 and 1800, examining the interconnectedness of art, literature, politics, music, historical events, religion, philosophy, and other fields of knowledge, with a focus on the renaissance, the reformation, and the enlightenment.

HON 2820. Sophomore Honors Colloquium (0). An exploration of skills and knowledge required for the planning and execution of a significant community leadership / advocacy project or a thesis / creative project as a culmination of a student's work in the Honors Program.

HON 3110. The Modern World (4). Prerequisite: Membership in Honors Program. An exploration of the humanities during the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, examining the interconnectedness of art, literature, politics, music, historical events, religion, philosophy, and other various fields of knowledge, with a focus on the changing nature of aesthetic and cultural values across the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.

HON 3045. Thesis Writing Workshop (3). Prerequisite: Membership in Honors Program. An advanced writing course in which Honors students consider the particular demands of the long-term, extensive research project. Each participant in the workshop will develop or refine his or her thesis prospectus and conduct research related to the thesis project.

HON 3310. Analytics: Math Models (4). An examination of the techniques of critical reasoning utilizing mathematical paradigms, with emphasis on the development of the art of such reasoning.

HON 3350. Junior Tutorial (1). Prerequisite: Membership in Honors Program.Directed research training in the student's major field of study in collaboration with a faculty tutor in that field, consisting of weekly one-hour meetings with the faculty tutor or an equivalent series of directed experiences.

HON 3360. Thesis Prospectus Planning (1). Prerequisite: Membership in Honors Program. Directed research in the student's major field of study leading to the development of a formal research proposal for the honors thesis, culminating in a formal presentation of the proposal to and official approval by the Honors Council.

HON 3400. Leadership and Advocacy (3). Prerequisite: Membership in Honors Program. An overview of principles for leading and changing societies, institutions, and teams, along with strategies for the planning and execution of large-scale projects and social movements, with a focus on principles of tactical and strategic planning, leadership concepts critical to operational success and group loyalty, and ethical principles necessary for courageous and inspirational leadership.

HON 3810. Junior Honors Colloquium (0). An exploration of skills and knowledge required for the planning and execution of a significant community leadership / advocacy project or a thesis / creative project as a culmination of a student's work in the Honors Program.

HON 4000. Team Project Coordination (1). Prerequisite: Membership in Honors Program. The development of a working plan for a major team project of a scale large enough to require the involvement and integration of participants who are not members of the team - volunteers, contractors, performers, etc. - with an emphasis on the development and application of criteria for the formulation of a project best designed to utilize and demonstrate the skills and training of the students on the team.

HON 4350. Thesis Research (1). Prerequisite: Membership in Honors Program. Directed research for the thesis or creative project in the student's major field of study.

HON 4360. Thesis Writing (3). Prerequisite: Membership in Honors Program. Production of a research thesis or creative work in the student's major field of study, executed with the highest level of undergraduate research or artistic skill in that field and including both written documentation and public presentation of the research or creative product.

HON 4400. Team Project Execution (3). Prerequisite: Membership in Honors Program. The execution and successful completion of the major team project developed in HON 4000, demonstrating skills in large-scale project planning, applied research and analysis, problem-identification and solution-generation, communication and management techniques and practices, and reporting outcomes to appropriate audiences in both written documentation and public presentation.

HON 4820. Senior Honors Colloquium (0). An exploration of the transition from college to career, as well as discussion and monitoring of the student's execution of a thesis / community project as a culmination of the student's work in the Honors Program.