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The curriculum of SUNY Brockport's Honors College allows students to integrate Honors courses into their existing General Education (GE) and academic major requirements, as well as to tailor Honors courses to their personal interests and goals. Honors course requirements are adapted to when students begin the program. (See below for course descriptions).
- First-year students: Honors students who enroll as first-year students (i.e., entering freshmen) complete a total of nine Honors courses while at Brockport (22-24 credits total, including 13-15 GE credits).
- Transfers and Brockport sophomores or juniors: Students who join the Honors College as transfers or as Brockport sophomores/juniors complete a minimum of three Honors courses: Honors Contemporary Issues (GE), HON 395 "Thesis Practicum," and HON 490 "Sr. Honors Thesis" (7 credits total).
Honors General Education Courses
- HON 112 "Introduction to Honors" (4 credits): Topic-based seminar required for all students who join the program in their first year of college. Focuses on the development of foundational skills and knowledge essential to success in college and beyond. Satisfies multiple General Education requirements: Academic Planning Seminar, Written Communication (Q), Oral Communication (Y), Diversity (D), and Gender Perspectives (W).
- Two additional lower-division Honors General Education courses (6-8 credits): Required for all students who join the program in their first year of college. A variety of options are offered each semester, and together they expose students to knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world. Recent examples include "HON American Politics" (PLS 113), fulfilling the Social Science (S) GE requirement; HON Environmental Science (ENV 202), fulfilling the Natural Science with Lab (L) GE requirement; HON Improvisational Theater (THE 232), fulfilling Fine Arts with Performance GE requirement (P); and HON Jane Austen and Popular Culture (ENG 234), fulfilling the Humanities GE requirement (H).
- Honors Contemporary Issues (3 credits): Required for all Honors students, including transfers. The Honors Contemporary Issues (I) course satisfies an upper-division General Education requirement. At least three Honors "I" course topics are offered each fall and spring semester, each of which analyzes a major issue with contemporary and enduring human significance (e.g., HON Life in the Digital Age, HON Confronting Death, HON Global Perspectives on Women & Gender).
Specialized Honors Courses
- Two sections of HON 380 “Interdisciplinary Colloquium” (1 credit per section, 2 credits total): Required for all students who join the program in their first year of college. These pass-fail interactive seminars involve a “deep dive” into a special topic that touches upon a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Topics will vary from semester to semester and will focus on analyzing a particular text, ethical issue, pedagogical concern, or research question that is relevant to multiple fields of study. Recent examples include: “Consciousness & Science Fiction” and “Social Psychology, Prejudice & Discrimination.”
- Honors Engaged Learning Experience (3 credits): Required for all students who join the program in their first year of college. Honors students may satisfy this requirement, which focuses on student-driven and/or experiential learning, in a variety of ways, including but not limited to study abroad, internships, supervised teaching, teaching assistantships, clinical or field experiences, independent or directed studies, service-learning courses. and certain studio or lab courses or experiences. Students are required to submit an Honors Engaged Learning Experience Proposal Form for review by the Honors Director during the semester prior to enrolling in the course. Students also have the option of petitioning to satisfy this requirement through a non-credit equivalent (e.g., completion of community service or shadowing hours, Gold Certificate in the Leadership Development Program, or the Summer Research Program).
- HON 395 "Thesis Practicum": (1 credit): Required for all Honors students, including transfers. This pass-fail practicum course prepares students to embark on the Senior Honors Thesis and is usually completed during the junior year. The course guides students through the process of planning their thesis, including selecting a topic and faculty director, developing an appropriate methodology of research, and getting acquainted with available campus resources.
- HON 490 " Senior Honors Thesis" (3 credits): Required for all Honors students, including transfers. As the capstone experience of the Honors College, the Senior Thesis is a scholarly or creative project designed by all Honors students under the direction of a professor in their academic major (or a closely related area). It requires both a written product and a formal presentation consistent with the research practices in the relevant field of study. The deadline to submit an Honors Thesis Project Registration form to the Honors College Office is the end of the second week of the semester during which a student is enrolled in the course.
Honors Contract
- In the case of unusual circumstances, Honors students may utilize one Honors Contract as a substitute for taking Honors (GE) courses. The Honors Contract enables a conventional course to count for Honors credit — whether in General Education or an academic program — through special arrangement with the instructor and approval of the Honors Director. The deadline to submit an Honors Contract proposal form to the Honors College Office is the end of the second week of the semester during which a student is enrolled in the course.