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The UMass Lowell Commonwealth Honors Program An Overview

The UMass Lowell Commonwealth Honors Program An Overview. Part I The University’s Bigger Picture Part II: A University-wide Honors Program Part III: Joining Honors ( partially completed) Part IV: Transferring into Honors After You Start College

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The UMass Lowell Commonwealth Honors Program An Overview

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  1. The UMass LowellCommonwealth Honors ProgramAn Overview Part I The University’s Bigger Picture Part II: A University-wide Honors Program Part III: Joining Honors (partially completed) Part IV: Transferring into Honors After You Start College By Jim Canning - November 2013 ( Version 1.1)

  2. Part I The University’s Bigger Picture

  3. University of Massachusetts Lowell Academic Hierarchy 1 University 4 Colleges and 2 Schools 29 Departments and 2 more Schools 83 Undergraduate Degree Programs and Concentrations

  4. Each of the 83 degrees programs and concentrationsaresummarized by a curriculum grid.They vary in their amount of “freedom of choice” that a student may have.

  5. For example …. • Lots of Freedom • History • Psychology • Not Much Freedom • Chemical Engineering • Sound Recording Technology • In-Between Freedom • Accounting • Computer Science • Nursing

  6. Insert the example curriculum grids in this position.

  7. Embedded inside those grids are three levels of requirements…. you need to satisfy University Level Requirements College Level Requirements Department Level Requirements

  8. All students must satisfy university requirements: • College Writing I and College Writing II • 1 Mathematics General Education course • 3 Social Science General Education courses • 3 Arts and Humanities General Education courses • 3 Science and Technology General Education courses • 1 Diversity Badge • 1 Ethics Badge • A minimum of 120 college credits • A minimum of a 2.00 grade point average

  9. At UMass Lowell we havefour gen. ed. categories: • Mathematics • Social Science (SS) • Arts and Humanities (AH) • Science and Technology (SC, TN)

  10. How can you learn what courses are general education courses ? Answer: www.uml.edu/gened This website has the approved lists for each of the four gen. ed. areas: Arts and Humanities (AH) Social Science (SS) Science and Technology (ST, TN) Mathematics

  11. Example English Gen. Ed.AH English: • 40.248 (D, E) Values in American Culture (Also listed as 42.248) • 40.257 (D) The Family in American Literature (Also listed as 42.257) • 42.201 Great Books of Antiquity • 42.205 Great Books of the Modern World • 42.205 (D, E) Human Values in Western Culture I (Also listed as 59.205) • 42.206 (D, E) Human Values in Western Culture II (Also listed as 59.206) • 42.210 Drama • 42.211 Poetry • 42.212 Short Story  • 42.216  (E) Monsters, Apes, and Nightmares • 42.217  Horror Story English History Philosophy Cultural Studies Other …

  12. Example Social Science Gen. Eds.SS Political Science: • 46.101  Introduction to American Politics • 46.110  (D) Introduction to Politics • 46.112  (D) Comparative Political Systems • 46.121  (D) Introduction to International Relations • 46.175  Introduction to Environmental Studies • 46.215  (D) African Politics (Also listed as 57.225) • 46.218  (DE) Introduction to Politics and Sports • 46.231  (E) Intorduction to Political Thought • 46.235  (D) Constitutional Law and Politics (and honors section) • 46.237  (D) Civil Liberties Law and Politics (and honors section) Peace and Conflict Studies • PCS.205 (E) Restorative Justice (Also listed as 41.210) Psychology: • 47.101  General Psychology • 47.209  (D) Social Psychology • 47.232  Psychology of Personality • 47.255  (D) Community Psychology Political Science Psychology Criminal Justice Sociology Economics Other …

  13. Part II The Commonwealth Honors Program at UMass Lowell

  14. What We Are The UMass Lowell Commonwealth Honors program is a university-wide academic and social enrichment program whose graduates need to satisfy four requirements. They are: CHP-1: Earn a 3.25 GPA or higher. CHP-2: Submit one approved enrichment form (E1) each semester. CHP-3: Satisfy the H1-H8 honors course requirements. CHP-4: Create and present either an Honors Project or an Honors Thesis.

  15. What Commonwealth Honors is NotFirst: We are not Latin Honors. • Summa Cum Laude  3.850 - 4.0  • Magna Cum Laude  3.500 - 3.849  • Cum Laude 3.250 - 3.499

  16. Second: We are not a department level honors program. ComputerScienceDept. Honors Program. PsychologyDept. Honors Program. PhysicsDept. Honors Program. We are not a …

  17. Third: We are not a College Level Honors Program.Not a …College of Sciences Honors ProgramManning School of Business Honors ProgramCollege of Engineering Honors Program

  18. Fourth: We are not a national organization.Phi Beta KappaPhi Kappa PhiPi Mu Epsilon

  19. If you satisfy our four CHP requirements: • Your transcript will identify you as a Commonwealth Honors Scholar. • Your diploma will have a nice shiny gold embossed sticker on it. • You will be recognized at graduation. • Your honors project or honors thesis will be hard-bound and displayed forever– in full glory and with pride!

  20. One principal aim of the honors … … program is to ensure that students take a number of dedicated honors classes that are populated mostly with other honors students. These classes are taught by highly motivated faculty who love teaching undergraduates. They are some of the finest teachers on campus.

  21. Another principal aim … is to allow you … to express and practice your research/creative skills while being supported by a caring faculty mentor who will help you complete either a six month or a twelve month honors project or honors thesis.

  22. A third principal aim is to … strengthen your • Complex reading skills • Writing skills • Presentation skills • Critical Thinking skills

  23. A fourth aim is to … plant a few seeds: • You can earn an advanced or terminal degree. • You can do research and create. • Exploration and creativity is fun. Have you conquer the “bunny slope”. Before working on the “double-blacked diamond”.

  24. If you are a member of the Commonwealth Honors Program … • You have the option of living in honors housing. • You are able to register for classes before most of the other students on campus. • You get to receive lots of emails from Jim.

  25. Our standard honors curriculum is an 8-course, 24 credit program that includes: • a minimum of 5 dedicated honors courses populated with other honors students. At least four of these have majors from many disciplines. • either • a one-semester, 3-6 credit, Honors Project or • a two-semester, 6 credit Honors Thesis • at most one graduate level class or at most one 300/400 level Honors-By-Contract.

  26. Our honors curriculumgrid can overlay 80 of the 83 undergraduateprograms without requiring any extra classes.We are likely just a conversation away from including the final three.

  27. Recall our four CHP Requirements CHP-1: 3.25 GPA or higher CHP-2: One enrichment form (E1) per semester. CHP-3: The H1-H8 honors course requirements. CHP-4: One honors project or one honors thesis.

  28. CHP-1: Earn a 3.25 GPA or Higher If your GPA drops below 3.0 we will withdraw you from the Commonwealth Honors Program. If your GPA drops below 3.25 but remains at 3.00 or higher, we will put you on “honors probation”. If you are on honors probation for two consecutive semesters we will withdraw you from the program. Students on honors probation cannot compete for honors scholarships given by the honors program.

  29. CHP-2: Enrichment Requirement (E1) We want you to attend a campus-event or activity and report on it. You need to do this once per semester. We encourage you to do more than one. It should be an event that is not directly tied to your major. It should not fulfill a class requirement. If you do not submit an approved E1 form for a given semester, we will put you on “honors probation”. If you miss two semesters in a row, we will withdraw you from the honors program.

  30. CHP-3: H1 – H8 These eight honors course requirements do not need to be extra courses, they are enhanced or different courses that are already embedded into your major’s curriculum grid. You must earn a B or better in each of these classes. H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 H7 H8

  31. Honors Course Requirements H1 – H8 The Harry Chapin Approach H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 H8 H7

  32. At least four are at the 300/400 level H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 300/400 level courses H8 H7

  33. They can be taken in different orders. H2 H1 H3 H4 H5 H6 H8 H7

  34. You can double up in one semester. H1 H3 H2 H4 H5 H6 H8 H7

  35. Here is another possible order. H1 H3 H2 H4 H6 H5 H7 H8

  36. H1 and H2 H1 HON 110: FYSH (Arts and Humanities Gen. Ed) H2 Honors College Writing II 42.102 Section 3xx H3 H4 H5 H6 H8 H7

  37. H4 H1 H2 H3 H4 There are two ways to fill this H4 requirement. H5 H6 H8 H7

  38. H4: Take an Honors Gen. Ed. H1 H2 H3 H4 First Way: Take an Honors Section of a General Education Course ( AH, SS, ST, Math) H5 H6 H8 H7

  39. How can I identify if my section is an honors section? Answer: It is an honors section if the section number begins with a 3. For example, 301, 302, 303, …

  40. Honors Gen. Ed. Courses

  41. How do I know what honors gen. eds. are offered this semester? Answer: www.uml.edu/registrar and then click on the semester of interest. … and then click on honors courses. … then scope down the column labeled gen. ed. And do not forget – any Honors math, Honors Physics I, Honors Chem I, Honors Chem II are gen. eds. too!

  42. H4: Use an Honors Seminar H1 H2 H3 H4 Second Way: Take an Honors Seminar Ex. HON 320: Power: What it is … H5 H6 H8 H7

  43. What is an Honors Seminar? An Honors Seminar is a 300/400 level dedicated honors course that has the following properties: • It has an enrollment of 19 or less. • It is accessible and available to many majors across campus. • It does not have any firm pre-requisites. • Issues based critical thinking and communication are prevalent. This implies a fair amount of analysis and synthesis. This normally translates into a course that involves a substantial amount of reading, writing, discussion and/or presentation.

  44. Honors Seminars • HON 310 Honors (Thesis) Workshop • HON 320 Honors Topics • Difference Makers: Past, Present, and Future • The Radiance of Being • Power: What it is. What it Does. Why it is Important. • Heroes Through History • Smart Thinking: How to Analyze and Argue • Ideas Worth Spreading • Literary Works that Changed the World • Gender and Sexuality in Theater and Film • 95.316 Science and Technology in the Impoverished World • 48.330 Fast Food, Hot Planet: A Sociological Approach ... • 42.342 Women Writers and the Past • 43.311 The South in American Literature • 41.489 Seminar in Law • PCS 473 Seminar in Peace and Conflict Studies • Perspectives on Human Rights • Bridging Minds for Peace

  45. How do I know what is an honors seminar? At present, you need to either: • ask Jim, Beth, Elizabeth, or Megan • Read the email that Jim sends to you on the honors listserver. We are working on a better way to distribute this information.

  46. H6 H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 Honors Seminar H8 H7

  47. One Example of H1, H2, H4, and H6 H1 HON 110: FYSH (AH) H2 42.102, Section 308 Honors College Writing II H3 H4 47.101 Section 301 An honors section of General Psychology H5 H6 95.316, Section 301 Science & Technology in the Impoverished World H8 H7

  48. Another Example of H1, H2, H4, and H6 H1 HON 110: FYSH (AH) H2 42.102 Section 312 Honors College Writing II H3 H4 92.141 Honors Calculus I H5 H6 48.330 Section 301 Fast Food Hot Planet (SS – Gen. Ed.) H8 H7

  49. A Third Example of H1, H2, H4, and H6 H242.102 Section 301 Honors College Writing II H1 HON 110: FYSH (AH) H3 H4 58.101 Section 301 Honors Art Appreciation H5 H6HON 310, Section 301 Honors Thesis Workshop H8 H7

  50. Replacing H1 and H2 Sometimes there is a very valid reason why a student cannot take HON 110 FYSH or cannot take an honors section of 42.102 College Writing II. In this case, the student must replace H1/H2 witheither an honors AH gen ed or an honors SS gen ed or an honors seminar. In such cases, a student should identify the replacement course and submit an Honors Petition for Exception Form (see www.uml.edu/honors).

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