Teaching Honors Courses

The University Honors Program is currently soliciting proposals from faculty members to teach courses in the undergraduate Honors program for delivery in 2025-26 and beyond. Faculty may propose new subtitles for HON 395 Special Topics courses, Honors 100 or 200 level seminars with any theme, and may propose to teach a current LAC-approved Honors course. 

Cost of in-load Honors teaching will be expensed to Honors/Undergraduate Studies, improving home department cost of instruction metrics. Cost may be covered as either appropriate percentage of faculty salary or as the adjunct replacement cost, if an adjunct is being hired to teach a course in the home department to replace the faculty member's teaching. Faculty who wish to teach an honors course as overload must have approval of their unit leader & college dean (confirming in-load duties will not be adversely affected) as well as the Schulze Chair and the AVP for Undergraduate Studies (confirming willingness to fund the overload in this case).

CFP: Schulze Interdisciplinary Course Development Grants

The University Honors Program is accepting proposals for interdisciplinary courses to be offered in the undergraduate Honors curriculum in Spring 2026. Faculty may submit proposals to teach either an existing LAC-approved Honors course or a new theme for 100 and 200-level Honors seminars or HON 395. Please note: there is a particular need for LAC courses.
 
A portion of the cost for teaching an Honors course as part of a faculty member’s regular teaching load will be covered by Honors/Undergraduate Studies, helping improve departmental cost of instruction metrics. Faculty who wish to teach an Honors course as an overload must obtain approval from their unit leader and college dean (to ensure in-load responsibilities are not negatively impacted), as well as from the Schulze Chair and the AVP for Undergraduate Studies (to confirm funding for the overload).

Grants will be awarded in the following amounts:

• $2000 for new, high-impact courses (LAC and GT Pathways)
• $1500 for all other new or extensively revised courses

Applications should include the following components:

• Instructor information: Name, email, department or program affiliation, and a current CV.
• Course proposal: Proposed course number, title, brief description, and preferred days/times for instruction.
• Student learning outcomes: A description of which Honors student learning outcomes the course will address, along with a brief explanation of how these outcomes will be assessed (refer to Teaching Honors Courses for guidance).
• Mission alignment statement: A brief statement (maximum 500 words) explaining how the proposed course supports the Schulze mission of interdisciplinary education and the Honors mission of inclusive and responsive teaching.
• Unit leader support: A brief statement of support from the instructor’s unit leader.

Please submit all application materials to corinne.wieben@unco.edu by Monday, April 21, 2025.

Robert O. Schulze served as Dean of UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences from 1972 until 1981 and was a Professor of Sociology here from the time of his arrival in 1972 until he retired in 1987. He was known and loved for his remarkable wit, buoyant humor, and academic passion. A strong believer in the importance of interdisciplinary work, he was instrumental in starting the Life of the Mind program as well as programs in Environmental Studies, Women’s Studies, Africana Studies, and Philosophy. The Schulze Honors Course Development Grant honors his legacy by supporting UNC faculty in the development or extensive redesign of courses with a dedicated interdisciplinary focus to be delivered as part of the University Honors Program.

If you have questions, please contact the program office at 351-2940 or Corinne Wieben, Schulze Chair for Honors and Interdisciplinary Studies at corinne.wieben@unco.edu.

Honors Course Basic Information

Course List

• HON 100 Honors Connection I (3 credits)— Interdisciplinary seminar that emphasizes the connections between areas of knowledge  such as the sciences, arts, philosophy, history, literature, and sociology. This course is normally developed around a specific theme or conceptual framework. (At least three SLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5)
• HON 180 Great Ideas in Context (3 credits)—An introduction to global intellectual and cultural traditions through reading and discussion of classic works of literature. LAA2- Arts&Hum-Lit&Humanities and LAIS-International Studies and GT (All LAC Content and Competency requirements plus at least three SLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5)
• HON 182 Confluence of Cultures (3 credits)— An exploration of African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, Native American or U.S. immigrant cultures from historical, literary, and artistic perspectives. LAA2-Arts&Hum-Lit&Humanities and LAMS- Multicultural Studies and GT Literature (All LAC Content and Competency requirements plus at least three SLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5)
• HON 185 Religions and Worldviews (3 credits)— Explores major religious and non- religious worldviews by examining the history, literature, rituals, and teachings of a selection of religious traditions and worldviews, as well as influential ancient and modern critiques of religion. Also considers the ways in which people construct worldviews, as well as the possibilities for inter-religious dialogue. LAA3-Arts&Hum-Ways of Thinking and GT Ways of Thinking (All LAC Content and Competency requirements plus at least three SLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5)
• HON 200 Honors Connection II (3 credits)— Interdisciplinary seminar that seeks to engage students in a concentrated analysis of their values in the context of the times, developed around a specific theme or conceptual framework. (At least three SLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5)
• HON 395 Honors Special Topics (3 credits) – VARIABLE TITLE An advanced study of selected topics of an interdisciplinary nature for Honors Program students. (At least three SLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5)
• HON420 Honors Research Methods(3 credits) - Examination of research paradigms and methodologies to develop the most appropriate research methods and data analysis processes to design and develop a successful honors thesis proposal. (At least three SLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4 or5)
• ANY NEW COURSE that would be proposed for future inclusion as an LAC/GT-Pathways course. May be rolled out as a Special Topics while submitting for LAC/GT-Pathways approval.

Select any course title above for a sample syllabus.

Course Sections and Course caps

HON 180, 182, and 185 are capped at 25 Honors students.

HON 100, 200, and 395 are capped at 25 students and typically enroll 12-25 Honors students.

Honors Student Learning Outcomes

1. Problem Solving using Creative and Critical Thinking (ILOs 1.b, 1.d., 3.a.) Apply critical thinking to analyze, integrate, and evaluate information.  Offer novel or innovative ways of solving problems.  Demonstrate ability to see and speak about ambiguities and complexity of issues.
2. Integrative Inquiry (Analytic Inquiry through Integrative learning) (ILOs 3.d., 4.a): Questions, connects and extends knowledge from one’s own academic focus to the world beyond UNC. Integrates multiple disciplinary lenses when considering issues or developing creative endeavors. Drives own learning by asking questions, designing investigations, and seeking out information to answer complex problems, rather than passively receiving information. 
3. Scholarly Communication(ILO 1.e., 4.a.)Communicate one's thoughts on paper and in speech effectively with a scholarly voice by using evidentiary support and critical reasoning, within philosophical, analytical and theoretical frameworks appropriate to the discipline. Uses appropriate citation and attribution for the discipline. Joins in the scholarly discourse. 
4. Intercultural Awareness (ILO 2.a., 3b. 3c): Develop the capacity to interact effectively with others whose identities, beliefs, behaviors, and values differ from their own.  
5. Community Engagement (ILOs 2.c. 2.d. 5.b. 5.c.): Invests in the community and empowers self and others to make a positive impact on their communities, such ascampus community, scholarly or research community, identity-based community, civic community, geographic community, global community or other communities in which the student engages. 

Honors Program Student Learning Outcomes: Full rubric of Honors Program Student Learning Outcomes with details and progressive levels of mastery. Honors 100-200 level classes should include SLOs at introductory or developing levels. Honors 300 level classes may include developing or mastery levels. Honors 400 level classes should include mastery levels.

Benefits of Teaching Honors Courses

• The opportunity to design and deliver robust interdisciplinary offerings highlighting your specific interests (all HON courses must be interdisciplinary by design).
• The opportunity to expand your pedagogical strategies (all HON courses must incorporate engaged, culturally inclusive projects).
• Support for team-teaching (if desired) and replacement funds (if needed). Note that a maximum of 3 credit hours is available per course.

Minimum Threshold for Determining Faculty Qualifications for Teaching in Honors

Approved May 2, 2018

Minimum Threshold Criteria

To be considered qualified to teach courses in the Honors program, a faculty member must meet one of the following three criteria:

• Master’s degree in an area relevant to the course taught.
• Master’s degree in a discipline or subfield other than that in which he or she is teaching if at least 18 graduate credit hours have been completed in the discipline or subfield relevant to the course taught.
• Tested experience relevant to the course taught. Determination of minimum qualifications by tested experience will refer back to the department relevant to the course taught.

In addition, the faculty member must have a record of research, creative activity, scholarship or professional achievement.

Prior to an appointment, the program will determine the appropriate level of experience required to meet the minimum threshold based on the nature of the appointment. 

The minimum threshold will be applied consistently to all faculty appointments in the program and expressed clearly in the position description used for the search.

Evaluation Procedure

When a candidate is considered for appointment through tested experience, the following procedures will be used to evaluate the candidate’s qualifications.

1. Members of the search committee or the search committee chair will review all documentation provided by the candidate relative to the minimum threshold criteria. 
2. Upon determining that the candidate meets the minimum threshold, the candidate will become part of the pool of applicants eligible for advancement in the hiring process, and all regular hiring procedures will apply.
3. If a candidate deemed qualified through tested experience is approved for hire, the program coordinator will document the appointee’s qualifications in Digital Measures or the current system for housing faculty hiring documents by attaching supporting documents and entering a written statement describing how the appointee meets the minimum threshold for tested experience.