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Honors Program

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Information for Faculty

How to Propose an Honors Course

If you have an idea for a new course, talk to Doug Sugano or Bendi Benson Schrambach. If Doug and/or Bendi encourage you to proceed, sign up for the next summer honors faculty workshop. Consult with your department chair about the course's feasibility and its role in your rotation of courses. Develop your course through the workshop and with Doug or Bendi. Think seriously about effective ways to advertise your course.

Overseeing Honors Projects

Students may request the oversight of faculty as they participate in certain types of honors experiences. Honors research with faculty members, internships, study abroad and creative projects must be approved by a faculty member before the student may enroll. See below for details on the responsibilities of faculty.

Honors Off-Campus Programs

Students have the option to participate in several Whitworth-led honors off-campus programs, in which case no additional documentation is required.

Those choosing to add an honors designation to a regular Whitworth-led study-abroad program may do so by registering for a 392H (one credit) course in the subject matter of the study program (e.g. a student participating in the off-campus Jan Term in Paris, FR 338 Intensive Oral French in France, would register for FR 392H). Supervising faculty help students understand the intercultural nature of their study-abroad programs by comparing the student's cultural quotient (CQ) pre/post-experience assessments and by discussing these results in light of the Expand Your Borders text (available from the honors program), which students are required to read.

Honors students also have the option of choosing from several IES (www.iesabroad.org) study programs, for which they should apply through the Off-Campus Program's office.

Overseeing Honors Reading Courses 

In most cases, these readings courses (HN 1/2/3/486) will supplement a simultaneous (or recently taken) course which need not be an honors offering.  In some cases, this course can be a stand-alone offering.  The faculty member and the student will agree to an appropriate number of texts (books, articles, online resources) for the number of credits offered (1-3).  The purpose of this course is to broaden or deepen the student’s comprehension of a specific topic or course of study, not to provide remediation.  The course may also be used to help a student prepare for a graduate program or for an advanced examination or experience, such as an internship.  The grade will be determined by the student’s engagement with the material, responsibility in making all of the required meetings, and a final project appropriate for the reading list. 

Overseeing Honors Teaching Assistantships

Honors teaching assistantships are the same as regular teaching assistantships with the following exceptions: the supervising faculty member and the teaching assistant will meet regularly to discuss pedagogy in the discipline (and what’s happening in the classroom at hand); the supervising faculty member and the teaching assistant will meet to discuss the assistant’s career goals. A short project, such as a reflection paper or annotated bibliography, would be appropriate. 

Honors Internships

A student can complete an honors internship by enrolling in a 390H (one- to three-credit) course in an appropriate department. We recommend that these internships exceed what you require of your major students in one or more of the following ways: disciplinary readings and research that accompany the internship; a journal/blog for the internship; interviews with those at the internship site; a presentation for the internship site and/or the department; a researched paper that integrates readings, interviews, and the internship experience. The faculty member will coordinate with the site supervisor and then oversee the internship experience along with one or more of the suggested experiences. Like all Whitworth internships, honors internships must be coordinated via the career services office. See details here.

Honors Independent Research and Creative Projects

Students can complete this research or project by enrolling in a 391H/491H (one- to three-credit) course in any department or program. A student in art, English, music or theatre may complete a creative project in his or her major, using the same course numbers in respective departments. Students may design their own research or creative projects with faculty supervision. Faculty may also invite students to participate in research or creative projects. The faculty member will then oversee the development and the completion/continuation of these projects, expecting students to produce one or more of the following in response to the project: a researched paper; a journal/blog detailing the learning process in the project; a poster presentation; or a formal presentation for the department or for a regional conference. For creative projects and performances, exhibits – videos or podcasts – are acceptable.

Questions? Contact Bert Emerson, associate professor of English and director of honors (dbemerson@whitworth.edu).