Honors College
Today’s top-performing students are tomorrow’s leaders. The Honors College telos—its aim, purpose, end—is to liberally educate the next generation of high-achieving, academically motivated Christian leaders, helping them develop the moral and intellectual virtue, the right habits of the heart and of the mind, to become global leaders.
The Honors College is for students who:
- Enjoy spirited conversation and debate
- Want to think deeply about important issues
- Desire to love God with their mind as well as their heart and soul
- Seek to grow in faith, virtue, and leadership
- Love to read and write
- Aspire to stir the hearts and minds of their generation
The Honors College is an opportunity to:
- Engage life’s big questions in discussion-based, intellectually stimulating colloquies
- Read classics about leadership, virtue, and faith
- Grow academically in a close-knit community of engaged, intellectual peers
- Learn without exams, textbooks, or busywork
- Complete two majors in four years
- Enjoy writing-intensive courses with writing support groups
- Benefit from “high-impact educational practices”
- Experience an Oxford-style tutorial
- Study away at Oxford University
- Reserve classes with priority registration
- Receive a $1,000-per-year Honors scholarship
Mission
The Honors College offers an innovative, enriching, and challenging Christian liberal education, emphasizing good leadership, moral and intellectual virtue, and the Christian tradition, to high-achieving, academically motivated undergraduate students.
Application to the Honors College
Students may apply to the Honors College as incoming first-year students, transfer students, or as second-year APU students.
In addition to completing the application form for admission to the university, a candidate must submit written responses to an essay prompt and three letters of recommendation. Applicants are considered on the basis of academic performance, demonstrated leadership ability, and exemplary character.
Admission to the Honors College is selective. Among those accepted and enrolled in the Honors College, the mean high school weighted GPA is 4.2 with an SAT score of 1320, ACT score of 29, or CLT score of 86.
Recipients of a Trustees’, President’s, Multi-Ethnic Leadership (MEL), or Haggard International scholarship are encouraged to apply for admission. Transfer and second-year APU students may apply for admission and will be considered if space is available.
Program Overview
Curriculum
The Honors College curriculum starts with the premise that good leadership requires the cultivation of moral and intellectual virtue—the habits of the heart and mind that enable one to determine what ought to be done and how best to do it. Such habits define one’s character. The content of a leader’s character is shaped, in part, by his or her answers to life’s most important questions: Who are we? Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where are we headed? Who is God, and what is our relationship with Him? What are our responsibilities to others? What is good? What is true? What is beautiful?
The classic works read in the Honors College curriculum perceptively address such questions. Their authors are cartographers, unveiling the lay of the land, providing ways to think and talk about life’s big questions.
The small, discussion-based, intellectually stimulating seminars are reading and writing intensive. The courses do not require secondary textbooks or traditional examinations. The selected texts nurture a deep understanding of the Christian faith, foster moral and intellectual virtue, and grapple with life’s most important questions. Wrestling with the ideas and arguments in those texts cultivates cognitive, expressive, and civic capacities (critical inquiry, analytical reasoning, problem solving, close reading, textual interpretation, attentive listening, effective language usage as a speaker and writer, and participating in and leading small groups/teams).
In this vein, the Honors College intends to produce scholarly disciples, equipped and worthy to assume positions of leadership, having grown in wisdom, virtue, faith, and eloquence.
There are 9-10 courses in the Honors curriculum (48 units). Completion of all 9-10 courses leads to an honors humanities major. The honors humanities major is not a stand-alone major; Honors Scholars are required to complete an additional major in another field of study.
The honors humanities major satisfies all requirements in the university’s General Education program. Students pursuing the honors humanities major are generally exempt from all assessment or placement exams associated with General Education. The honors humanities minor satisfies only a portion of the university’s General Education requirements.
The Honors College offers four ways of participating in the curriculum:
- Pathway One: Honors Humanities Minor
- Pathway Two: Honors Humanities Major
- Pathway Three: Honors Humanities Major for Advanced Degrees
- Pathway Four: National Merit Scholars and Trustees’ Scholarship Recipients
Study Away Opportunities
Study away is a uniquely enriching experience. To encourage Honors students to pursue study away, the Honors College has adopted the following practices:
- Honors students are encouraged to consider the Oxford Semester as a recommended study away option. In that program, it is possible to arrange to read texts similar to those in the Honors curriculum.
- Honors students who study away may substitute courses completed during a semester studying away for up to 6 units of Honors course requirements. The following requirements may be substituted only with the dean’s approval: HON 101, HON 340, HON 440, HON 450, and HON 460.
- Honors Humanities majors may utilize the study away course substitution above for up to two semesters, and Honors Humanities minors may substitute study away courses for one required Honors course (6 units).
Career Opportunities
The honors humanities major and minor are not designed as preparation for a specific career, but rather as preparation for life. Nonetheless, the ability to combine the major/minor with a second major while graduating in four years creates many career opportunities. The program provides a competitive edge for those seeking a great graduate school and produces top candidates for employers who seek deep thinkers and articulate communicators with strong moral character. It also cultivates key skills useful in every field of endeavor: critical thinking, teamwork, oral communication, and written communication.
HON 101, Leadership, 6 Units
A study of classic texts on leadership, including the Old Testament, that tackle key leadership questions- Who is a good leader? What does a good leader do? Is leadership an art or a science? How does one prepare for leadership? What ought to be the aim of good leaders? What is practical wisdom, and how does one obtain it? Are leaders constrained by any boundaries or obligations? Is virtue essential to good leadership? Is vice ever necessary? How should one lead in a situation that is less than the best? What can we learn from exemplary leaders? Taught by a faculty tutor in an integrative, interdisciplinary fashion.
Prerequisite: To enroll in the course, must be a student admitted to the Honors Program and be considered a member in "active" status.
HON 240, Core I, 6 Units
A study of select classic works, including the New Testament, that have shaped our spiritual and intellectual heritage and continue to influence us today. We join the authors in grappling with life's most important questions: Who are we? Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where are we headed? Who is God and what is our relationship with him? What are our responsibilities to others? What is good? What is true? What is beautiful? Taught by a faculty tutor in an integrative, interdisciplinary fashion.
Prerequisite: HON 101 or dean consent
HON 260, Core II, 6 Units
The second in a four course study of select classic works by thinkers who have shaped our spiritual and intellectual heritage and who continue to influence us today. We join them in grappling with life's most important questions: Who are we? Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where are we headed? Who is God and what is our relationship with him? What are our responsibilities to others? What is good? What is true? What is beautiful? Taught by a faculty tutor in an integrative, interdisciplinary fashion.
Prerequisite: HON 240 or dean consent
HON 280, Core III, 6 Units
The third in a four course study of select classic works by thinkers who have shaped our spiritual and intellectual heritage and continue to influence us today. We join the authors in grappling with life's most important questions: Who are we? Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where are we headed? Who is God and what is our relationship with him? What are our responsibilities to others? What is good? What is true? What is beautiful? Taught by a faculty tutor in an integrative, interdisciplinary fashion.
Prerequisite: HON 260 or dean consent
HON 300, Core IV, 6 Units
The fourth in a four course study of select classic works by thinkers who have shaped our spiritual and intellectual heritage and continue to influence us today. We join the authors in grappling with life's most important questions: Who are we? Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where are we headed? Who is God and what is our relationship with him? What are our responsibilities to others? What is good? What is true? What is beautiful? Taught by a faculty tutor in an integrative, interdisciplinary fashion.
Prerequisite: HON 280 or dean consent
HON 340, Nature, 6 Units
A philosophical and historical review of the rise of modern natural and social science, the kinds of questions science answers, how it answers them, and the limits and potential of scientific inquiry. The course highlights major revolutions in the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, psychology, and sociology as well as ensuing debates about the relationship between religion and science.
HON 360, Democracy, 3 Units
A study of the principles and practices of self-government in America. Taught by a faculty tutor in an integrative, interdisciplinary fashion.
HON 380, Wisdom, 3 Units
A study of Old Testament wisdom literature and its teachings about moral character as well as a comparative investigation of the Apocrypha and Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist, Egyptian, Babylonian, and Greek wisdom texts. Taught by a faculty tutor in an integrative, interdisciplinary fashion.
HON 440, Oxbridge Tutorial I, 3 Units
This tutorial is the first half of a year-long course devoted to exploring a single seminal text or the collected work of a single author. Students engage in self-directed research, learning on their own and thinking for themselves. Tutorial sessions are an opportunity for students to show the benefits of their independent work, especially their ability to read, comprehend, and interpret seminal texts and then analyze, appraise, and critique the ideas and arguments therein. In their papers and in conversations, students also demonstrate their ability to share their learning orally and in writing. This course may be repeated with dean's permission.
Prerequisite: HON 300 or dean's approval
HON 450, Oxbridge Tutorial, 6 Units
This tutorial is an entire semester devoted to exploring a single seminal text or the collected work of a single author. Students engage in a self-directed research, learning on their own and thinking for themselves. Tutorial sessions are an opportunity for students to show the benefits of their independent work, especially their ability to read, comprehend, and interpret seminal texts and then analyze, appraise, and critique the ideas and arguments therein. In their papers and in conversations, students also demonstrate their ability to share their learning orally and in writing. This course may be repeated with dean's permission.
Prerequisite: HON 300 or dean's approval
HON 460, Oxbridge Tutorial II, 3 Units
This tutorial is the second half of a year-long course devoted to exploring a single seminal text or the collected work of a single author. Students engage in self-directed research, learning on their own and thinking for themselves. Tutorial sessions are an opportunity for students to show the benefits of their independent work, especially their ability to read, comprehend, and interpret seminal texts and then analyze, appraise, and critique the ideas and arguments therein. In their papers and in conversations, students also demonstrate their ability to share their learning orally and in writing. This course may be repeated with dean's permission.
Prerequisite: HON 440 or dean's approval
HON 497, Readings, 1-6 Units
Consists of a program of study concentrating on assigned readings, discussions, and writing arranged between, and designed by, a student of upper-division standing and a full-time professor. An independent study fee is assessed for each enrollment in this class.
HON 499, Honors Thesis, 3 Units
This course provides honors students an opportunity to design, research, and write an honors thesis. The Senior Honors Thesis is the culmination of the Honors College experience, emphasizing critical thinking, writing and independent, creative work. Since thesis constitutes three to six semester hours of the baccalaureate degree program, it should reflect a significant time commitment, be of high quality and demonstrate personal intellectual growth. The thesis topic may relate to the student's major, or be selected from a topic within the humanities. The standards of scholarship of the selected discipline apply, and the written portion of the thesis should conform to the style and format of the discipline. The thesis course provides experience in writing a longer research paper, and prepares you for further work at the graduate and professional level.
Prerequisite: Honors College, Junior or Senior standing
Faculty
Dean
David L. Weeks, PhD
Professors
Robert Duke, PhD
Diana Pavlac Glyer, PhD
Rico Vitz, PhD
Associate Professors
Marcia S. Berry, PhD
Christine Kern, PhD
Assistant Professor
Mark Bernier, PhD
Faculty Fellows
Joseph Bentz, PhD, Professor, Department of English
Courtney W. Davis, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Communication Studies
Emily Griesinger, PhD, Professor, Department of English; Program Director, MA in English
Kevin Sheng-Lin Huang, PhD, Professor, Department of Biology and Chemistry
Louise Ko Huang, PhD, Acting Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Director, Center for Research in Science
Carole Lambert, PhD, Professor, Department of English
Bradley McCoy, PhD, Chair and Professor, Department of Mathematics, Physics, and Statistics
Joshua Morris, PhD, Professor, Department of Biology and Chemistry
Bala Musa, PhD, Professor, Department of Communication Studies
Christopher Noble, PhD, Professor, Honors College and Department of English
Daniel Palm, PhD, Chair and Professor, Department of History and Political Science
Windy Counsell Petrie, PhD, Chair and Professor, Department of English
Ethan Schrum, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of History and Political Science
Abbylin H. Sellers, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of History and Political Science
Caleb D. Spencer, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of English
Adjunct Faculty
Mihretu Guta, PhD
George Haraksin, MA
Alain Leon, MA
Roger White, EdD
Faculty Emeriti
Christopher Flannery, PhD