Honors Program | The Honors Curriculum and Courses

The Honors Curriculum

Life is not specialized. It is “interdisciplinary.” Vocationally, we may be electronics engineers or neurosurgeons or accountants; but, when not practicing our profession, we “revert” to the human condition and find ourselves thinking as generalists again. Academic divisions are pragmatic ways of organizing vast accumulations of data, and of keeping specialists out of one another’s domains. But the undergirding philosophy of Belmont’s Honors Program is that to be educated liberally one must erase these imaginary boundaries and tear down the mental walls that hamper free access to fields of information. A holistic vision and appreciation of the human experience must be created. This philosophical commitment is best expressed in the organization of the general education experience of Belmont honors students. In these courses, teams of honors faculty members labor to overcome rigid compartmentalization and foster the synthetic worldview necessary to the unique person called a Belmont Scholar.

*Students must choose 6 hours during their entire program of study.

Honors Courses (HON)

HON 121. The Ancient World (6). A survey of the classical period (from the beginning of western civilization to AD 500).

HON 122. The Middle Ages (6). A survey of the Middle Ages (from 500-1500).

HON 136. Honors Tutorial (1). The freshman tutorial. One semester

HON 181. Honors Orientation (0). An introduction to the nature and expectations of the Belmont Honors Program.

HON 195-495. Studies Abroad (3-18). Study in a foreign country. Individual course titles and locations are assigned for each course taken. See Studies Abroad program for details.

HON 221. The Renaissance and Enlightenment (6). A survey of the Renaissance and Enlightenment Period (from 1500-1800).

HON 222. The Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries (6). A survey of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries (from 1800 to the present).

HON 235, 236. Honors Tutorial (2). The sophomore tutorial. Two semesters.

HON 32__. Honors Seminar (6). Two semesters.

HON 331, 332. Analytics: Science, Math and Logic (8). An examination of the techniques of critical reasoning, with emphasis on the development of the art of such reasoning. The course will include a study of informal logic, deductive and inductive reasoning, science and the scientific method. Two semesters. ($30.00 course fee)

HON 335, 336. Honors Tutorial (2). The junior tutorial. Two semesters.

HON 435. Honors Tutorial.(1). The senior tutorial. Fall semester

HON 436. Honors Thesis (3). Preparation, presentation and defense of an approved thesis in the student's major area.