Honors Course Proposal

How to Propose an Honors Course

The Honors Program offers faculty greater curricular latitude with students who have committed themselves to doing more than is required; it is also a testing ground for new or reworked courses that enhance both core and major education at the University. Teaching in Honors is an opportunity to work with highly motivated, responsive students and to enjoy the exchange and refinement of ideas. We offer some funding to support new course development.

All BYU instructors are invited to submit a proposal to teach in Honors. You have two options: print the PDF proposal form or download and save a Word version. The Word version can be filled in and saved for future proposals. The form should be used for both new courses and for courses previously taught in the Honors Program. 

Please submit the proposal form, signed by your department chair, to the Honors Program by mid-November for the following academic year. The Honors Faculty Council (HFC) will then evaluate each proposal taking into considering class size, teaching methods, writing assignments, qualifications of the instructor, likely student enrollment, and, if the class is intended to fulfill a GE requirement, the alignment of the course with General Education foundation documents. Each professor who submits a course proposal by mid-November, will be notified in writing of the HFC's decision by the end of January.

Honors Course Options

• Honors Program (HONRS) Courses: Honors offers a number of general disciplinary titles for faculty who wish to teach courses on related topics. Honors courses that fulfill GE requirements include Advanced Writing, Civilization, American Government & Society, Physical Science, Biology, Social Science, Humanities, Literature, Global and Cultural Awareness, Mathematics, and Fine Arts. A departmental course may be cross-listed with an Honors course when there is a natural affinity between them. A complete list of HONRS courses can be found in the University Catalog. For a complete listing of recent courses, go to the Honors website at http://honors.byu.edu/ and click Course Guide. Criteria for teaching Honors courses are found under Faculty> Course Criteria. Also visit the BYU Learning Outcomes site for further information on Honors courses. (http://learningoutcomes.byu.edu , Undergraduate Education>Honors.)
• The Honors Experience (HONRS 100R): This course, a variable one- to two-credit class, is intended to give incoming students a chance to get to know a faculty member personally while being introduced to academic practices such as critical thinking and reading, integration of the secular and spiritual, and some writing skills.
• Great Works: Faculty may also teach a one- to three-credit hour course (HONRS 290R) on selected works from the Honors Great Works list. Categories include literature, music, theatre, film, art, and science. For a complete list of works go to the Honors website and click on the Great Works tab.
• Departmental Honors (H) Sections: Your department may offer Honors sections of departmental courses, such as Honors Principles of Statistics (Stat 121H), Honors Cultural History of Germany (Germ 330H) and Honors Book of Mormon (Rel A 121H). Talk with your department chair if you are interested in teaching an Honors course for your department. We also need to have a proposal for the departmental H courses. This way the students will have more information, especially the description of the course and how it differs from a regular departmental course; the description will appear in the Course Guide that helps Honors students decide which courses to register for.
• Late Summer Honors: A select group of freshmen participate in a one-week intensive Honors experience just prior to fall semester. They enroll in a one-credit Honors seminar taught in a subject of the faculty member’s choice, often related to the Great Works requirement. A supplemental stipend is offered to instructors. In 2012, Late Summer Honors will be held from August 16-22. For examples of last year’s courses and more information on the program, go to http://latesummerhonors.byu.edu.

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL, PLEASE CONTACT KAREN PIEROTTI, GE & HONORS PROGRAM ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT AT 801-422-3388.