Fall 2010 Curriculum
After some 45 years of successful service to exceptional UK students, the Honors Program continues to allow students to explore the intellectual, social, and artistic history of the western world.
Students admitted into the Honors Program should register for the foundations course (HON 101) typically in their first semester. They will continue to take one Honors colloquium per semester until they have completed the core requirements. These interdisciplinary courses are aimed at a wide student population, so students from all majors benefit from the survey of the development of the western world to learn critical thinking, reading, writing, and speaking skills. The four core courses satisfy 12 credits in the USP humanities requirement, as well as the freshman writing requirement and the graduation writing requirement. Students then pursue independent projects (usually conducted in through their major departments) for their upper division Honors work; completion of 15 credit hours in Honors will lead to graduation with the Honors Program citation.
Students who are admitted to begin Honors in Fall 2010 will be offered a special invitation to participate in a pilot program of exciting new Honors course models; students who opt to take advantage of this opportunity will be given corresponding USP course credit for each course.
The Colloquia
The four core colloquia for Honors students are small, interactive seminars focusing on successive historical eras (the Ancient World, the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the Early Modern World, and Contemporary Civilization), which provide interdisciplinary investigations of the development of our heritage. The courses are designed to stimulate individual thought, to improve writing and critical thinking skills, and to explore the significant intellectual and cultural issues of our past and present. They concentrate on primary texts, especially the great works of western intellectual history, from philosophy and literature through art, architecture, and music. Students will study and put into context diverse figures and works, from Plato to Freud, from a Greek temple or a Gothic cathedral to a postmodern skyscraper, from St. Augustine to Virginia Woolf, from Galileo's discoveries to a symphony by Beethoven or a modern American film.
From Greek and Roman antiquity to early Christian centuries: an interdisciplinary course in intellectual history. Readings vary at the discretion of the faculty. (USP Writing Requirement (with HON 105) and 1 humanities course credit.)
From the Middle Ages through the Renaissance: an interdisciplinary course in intellectual history. Readings vary at the discretion of the faculty. (USP Writing Requirement (with HON 101) and 1 humanities course credit.)
From the development of the modern scientific method through mid-19th century industrialism: an interdisciplinary course in intellectual history. Readings vary at the discretion of the faculty. (Grad Writing Requirement and 1 humanities course credit.)
The contemporary world: an interdisciplinary course in intellectual history. Readings vary at the discretion of the faculty. (6 hour USP Electives satisfied and 1 humanities course credit.)