Director: Dr. Kristen Foster

Disciplinary Honors in Humanities in English, History, Philosophy, Theology, and Languages, LIteratures, & Cultures: Classics, French, German and Spanish.

Disciplinary Honors in Humanities is designed to encourage and support interdisciplinary study across the humanities fields and beyond and to support and mentor students in undergraduate humanities research. In the program students consider the role and importance of the humanities in their own lives and in our cultures and workplaces more broadly.

Curriculum Requirements

The curriculum is comprised of 12 credits: 3 1-credit HOPR seminars, a 3-credit thesis-writing course in the student’s home department (which may count for major credit and in some cases may substitute for the major capstone requirement), and 2 upper-level 3-credit Disciplinary Honors courses in the humanities, one in the student’s major (which may count for major credit) and one outside the major.  Students may petition the Director to substitute a non-humanities course for the second upper-level Disciplinary Honors course, if appropriate for the student’s project. 

In the spring of their sophomore year students interested in the program enroll in HOPR 2954H, Introduction to Honors in the Humanities (1 cr), and at the end of the semester they submit an application to the program if desired.  Students interested in the program who are studying abroad during the spring semester of sophomore year should contact the Director.  In their junior year, after identifying a faculty mentor, students take HOPR 3954H: Developing a Humanities Honors Project and Writing a Research Proposal (1 cr), and the following year as they complete their Honors project they enroll in HOPR 4954H: Humanities Honors Project Seminar (1 cr).  As they complete their Honors project they also enroll in a 4999H course in their own department, Honors Senior Thesis (3 cr), the official instructor of which is their faculty mentor.  The two upper-level Honors Humanities courses are preferably taken in the junior year, as students design their Honors projects. Students should have finished at least one before enrolling in the 4999H course. All Disciplinary Honors projects and theses are reviewed by the faculty mentor and by the Disciplinary Honors in Humanities Faculty Committee chaired by the Director. 

Additional Requirements
A minimum 3.2 cumulative GPA in the major is required to graduate with Disciplinary Honors in Humanities. 

Eligibility and Application

Applicants to the program must have at least a 3.2 cumulative overall GPA.  Sophomores interested in pursuing Disciplinary Honors in Humanities should enroll in HOPR 2954H (Introduction to Honors in the Humanities) during the spring of their sophomore year. Sophomores are eligible to apply to the program near the end of the spring term.  Application materials may be obtained from the department office of the student’s major, and should be submitted to Director Kristen Foster. Contact the Director with any questions.