
Honors
Program (HSS)
The College of Arts
& Sciences
112 Foust Building
336/334-5538
www.uncg.edu/hss
Mission
Statement
The Mission of the University Honors Program is to enrich
the intellectual life of able and highly motivated undergraduate
students, to create a community of students and faculty who love
learning, and to celebrate the outstanding achievements of students.
The Honors Program is the program of choice for students who have
the talent and determination to take full advantage of their time
at UNCG. Through special courses and research projects, a variety
of extra-curricular activities, and the camaraderie of top students
and faculty, the Honors Program provides students with opportunities
and challenges that enhance their education at UNCG. Along the way,
the Honors Program staff stands ready to provide guidance, support,
and encouragement to help students craft a program of study that
meets their individual needs and interests and opens up new possibilities
for the future.
Honors Courses
Teachers of Honors courses, who are among the best teachers
at UNCG, are deeply engaged with their disciplines and dedicated
to helping students achieve their greatest potential. Their Honors
courses are small (20-22 students); foster discussion, collaboration
and mutual discovery among students and faculty; and typically fulfill
a variety of University and departmental requirements. Among the
many offerings are:
-
Honors Seminars in which students explore topics in greater breadth
and/or depth than in typical courses while fulfilling General
Education Core requirements;
-
Honors
sections of regular UNCG courses which allow students to explore
other topics or continue to do Honors work in their major;
-
Honors Tutorials and Honors Independent Study through which students
either individually or in small groups work with a professor on
a topic of mutual interest;
-
Senior
Honors Project in which a student under the guidance of a professor
produces a research project;
-
Contract
courses that allow students to modify a regular undergraduate
course and receive Honors credit for the course.
Many
of the advanced Honors courses, such as the Senior Honors Project,
allow students to do original and sophisticated work, and are an
excellent preparation for graduate school, professional training,
and other post-graduation endeavors.
Extracurricular Events
The Honors Program sponsors a number of extracurricular
events, many of which are developed and managed with the help of
its students. Among these events are weekly coffees, where students
and faculty get together to discuss various issues, the annual Raft
Debate, the annual Student Symposium, lectures and special performances,
field trips, pizza parties, and community service projects.
Honors Advising
The Honors Program staff offers top-rate advising to help
students discover the best ways to take advantage of the Honors
Program and UNCG, and to make sure that students have the needed
support and encouragement along the way to completing their degrees.
Guidance, support, and encouragement are also provided for students
interested in opportunities beyond graduation including graduate
school and a variety of prestigious postgraduate fellowships such
as the Fullbright, Rhodes, Marshall, Goldwater, Mellon, Truman and
Udall. Students are invited to a variety of lunches and dinners
throughout the year for less formal advising and discussion about
their studies at UNCG and their plans for the future.
Honors Awards
The Honors Program administers awards that recognize high
achievement. At an Honors Convocation every spring, the Program
bestows the Student Excellence Award, the University’s highest
undergraduate honor, on about 25 outstanding juniors and seniors.
The Program also hosts an annual banquet to honor those students
who have completed Honors Program requirements.
Honors Abroad
In collaboration with UNCG’s Office of International
Programs, the Honors Program provides interested Honors students
(through an Honors enrichment course, HSS 310) with the chance to
have more than the usual study abroad experience. Students meet
together with a UNCG faculty member before going abroad to discuss
readings about their trip and the character of the country that
are about to visit. Once abroad, students and the UNCG faculty member
spend approximately a week exploring and taking in cultural activities
before classes begin. During their semester, students take classes,
travel, and engage in a variety of writing assignments that allow
them to reflect on their experience.
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