The College Scholars Honors Program:

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1 For more information, please contact: Office of Academic Opportunities North Central College 30 N. Brainard Street Naperville, IL Kiekhofer Hall room 214 Perry Hamalis, Ph.D. Director North Central College The College Scholars Honors Program: ἀριστεῖα διὰ κοινωνίας Excellence through Community Sandra Chapman, M.B.A. Assistant to the Director

2 Dear College Scholars, Your decision to participate in our honors program confirms your commitment to personal, academic and professional achievement, and I am delighted that you are a member of our community of excellence. The material that follows provides details about the curriculum and reuirements for the College Scholars Program. It will assist you and your academic advisor as you plan your course of study at North Central, register for classes, design and write your thesis, and prepare for graduation. Our program s motto, Excellence through Community, communicates our conviction that the very best learning occurs with and through others who share our desire to understand, our passion for critical thinking, and commitment to serving the broader community. I hope you will take this motto to heart, and I look forward to seeing you make your uniue contribution to the program, the College and the world. Table of Contents History and Goals... 1 Becoming a College Scholar... 1 Retention in the Program... 2 Program Reuirements Overview... 3 Recognition... 4 Description of Reuirements... 4 Timeline... 7 Checklist... 8 With my congratulations and best wishes, Perry T. Hamalis, Ph.D. Cecelia Schneller Mueller Professor of Religion Associate Professor of Religious Studies Director, College Scholars Honors Program

3 HISTORY AND GOALS The College Scholars Honors Program was created at North Central College in 1981 in order to promote collegiality and provide an enriched curriculum for interested high-achieving students. From its inception to the present, College Scholars has been a honors program open to students from all academic disciplines, and its curriculum has been designed to be compatible with any of North Central s majors or minors. The goals of the College Scholars Honors Program are: To attract students capable of superior work and invite them to be part of a community of excellence, with increased opportunity for broader, more challenging intellectual experiences. To develop a coherent set of academic experiences emphasizing interdisciplinary and critical thinking, individualized research, global learning and the cultivation of leadership and teamwork skills within a community of highly motivated peers. To provide a range of social and academic activities that encourage honors students to build relationships with each other, professors and staff members on campus, as well as with honors students from other institutions through honors study abroad and state, regional and national honors conferences. RETENTION IN THE PROGRAM To remain a College Scholar in good standing, students are expected to maintain a cumulative honors GPA of at least 3.0 and a cumulative overall GPA of at least 3.0 at the conclusion of each academic year. Students who do not meet these criteria and who desire to remain in College Scholars will be placed on probation and given a certain amount of time to improve their academic performance. In order to graduate as a College Scholar, however, a 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA both within honors and overall must be earned. Members of the College Scholars Honors Program are expected to be models of academic integrity. Incidents of academic dishonesty, such as plagiarism or cheating on an exam, are dealt with on a case-by-case basis by the Office of Academic Affairs. In addition to penalties imposed by that office, members of the College Scholars Honors Program found guilty of violations are typically expelled from subseuent participation in the program. BECOMING A COLLEGE SCHOLAR Students may become members of the College Scholars Honors Program in one of the following ways: Selected high-achieving high-school seniors who are accepted to North Central College are invited to apply to the program as incoming first-year students based on their academic record, leadership, test scores and interest. Current North Central students who have demonstrated excellence are eligible to apply to the program any time after completing at least one full term at the College. The College Scholars Committee reviews applications from current students at least once each term.* Outstanding transfer students may apply immediately if they were members of an honors program at their previous institution; otherwise, they are eligible to apply after completing at least one full term at North Central.* *One or more program reuirements (especially FYE 100-H) may be waived for current and transfer students who are admitted to the program. 1 2

4 PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS OVERVIEW Students admitted to the program who complete all* of the following curricular reuirements and who maintain both a cumulative honors GPA of 3.0 or better and a cumulative overall GPA of 3.0 or better will graduate as College Scholars. Any grade lower than a C- in an honors course does not satisfy an honors reuirement. Reuirement Course Title/Description Credit Hours FYE 100-H Excellence, the City, and the Good Life HON 200 What is Truth? Methods & Arguments HON 300 Thesis Design Workshop HON 400 Honors Thesis, topic of student s choice HOI 102 or HOI 103 HOI 201 or HOI 202 or HOI 203 SCI 210-H or ECN 210-H IDS 3xx or IDS 4xx Study abroad or Additional IDS seminar History of Ideas I: Greek & Hebrew Thought or History of Ideas II: Roman & Christian Thought History of Ideas III: Medieval & Renaissance or History of Ideas IV: Early Modern Thought or History of Ideas V: 19th & 20th Century Thought Landmark Discoveries in Natural Science or History of Economic Thought Jr./Sr. Interdisciplinary Honors Seminar, topics vary from year to year Earn 3.0 credits through any credit-bearing study abroad (full term, D-Term, summer research, etc.) or complete another IDS 3xx/4xx honors seminar Total: 9 curricular reuirements or 3 Year typically taken 3.0 2, 3 or or 4 only 3.0 2, 3 or or 4 only *One or more program reuirements may be waived for current and transfer students who are admitted to the program. RECOGNITION Each graduating College Scholar who completes the entire honors curriculum as described above will be recognized at the spring term Honors Convocation, awarded a gold honors cord to wear at Commencement and identified in the Commencement program as a College Scholar. The designation College Scholar will appear on all official transcripts distributed by the Registrar s Office and may be included on a student s résumé. DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENTS FYE 100-H, HON 200, HON 300, HON 400 Seuence This four-course seuence constitutes the Independent Research thread in the honors curriculum. FYE 100-H, Excellence, the City, and the Good Life, introduces first-year students to images of excellence in the various disciplines and reflects on the disciplines significance to communal life. In addition, it explores some of the challenges that arise at the intersection of excellence and euality in a democratic context. HON 200, What is Truth? Methods & Arguments provides second-year students with an overview of the methods used in the various disciplines to defend truth or knowledge claims. As such, it provides students with a foundation on how different types of arguments and methodologies are employed in different research/academic contexts. In HON 300, Thesis Design Workshop, third-year students bring their major area(s) of interest together with their background in research design in order to develop their honors thesis ideas and generate, by the end of the course, a substantial thesis proposal. Finally, HON 400 is the senior honors thesis, a three-credit original research/ artistic project on a topic of the student s choosing. Working closely with a thesis director, honors thesis research typically begins by the end of the third year and students write and present their projects during the fourth year. More details about the honors thesis are provided in a separate handout. 3 4

5 History of Ideas The History of Ideas (HOI) seminar series introduces students to the groundbreaking texts, artwork and ideas from the classical era through the 20th century. Essentially interdisciplinary, the courses highlight connections between art, history, literature, music, philosophy, religion and the social sciences, utilizing a seminar format that encourages lively discussion. College Scholars are reuired to take at least one 100-level and one 200-level HOI course. In addition, many honors students opt to complete the full History of Ideas seuence, earning a History of Ideas minor. Students seeking further information concerning the History of Ideas minor should consult the coordinator of the History of Ideas program. HOI 102, 103 and 201 all satisfy both the all-college reuirement in Religion and Ethics and a Humanities general education reuirement. HOI 202 and 203 satisfy either a Humanities or a Social Science general education reuirement. SCI 210 / ECN 210 To complement the humanities focus of the History of Ideas seuence, College Scholars are reuired to take either honors SCI 210 Landmark Discoveries in Natural Science or ECN 210 History of Economic Thought. Both courses are designed as seminars that examine primary texts and are sensitive to historical context in a way similar to the HOI courses, but the subject matter centers, respectively, on influential texts and thinkers from natural science and economics. SCI 210 satisfies a (nonlab) Life and Physical Science general education reuirement. ECN 210 satisfies a Humanities general education reuirement. Study Abroad In addition to the Independent Research thread and the Interdisciplinary Learning thread, the honors curriculum includes a Global Experience thread that reflects the extraordinary pedagogical value of encountering a foreign culture and people firsthand. All College Scholars are reuired to fulfill this reuirement in any one of the following ways: Studying abroad for a full term or more Studying abroad through a D-Term course (earning at least 3 credits) Conducting research abroad through a Richter grant (earning at least 3 credits) Since some students are unable to travel abroad for legitimate reasons, the reuirement may also be satisfied by: Studying for a term at another college or university in the United States Completing an additional (second) Honors Seminar (IDS 3xx or 4xx) Completing the Chicago Term program In advance of the study abroad experience it is the student s responsibility to discuss their plans with an International Programs staff member and to complete all reuired paperwork. IDS 3xx/4xx Honors Seminars As a capstone to the program s interdisciplinary thread, College Scholars must complete at least one Honors Seminar during their third or fourth year. Seminar topics change from year to year, but all seminar topics are essentially interdisciplinary. The Seminars are offered as IDS honors sections at the 300/400 level (IDS 3xx or 4xx) and are open only to College Scholars members. Typically, at least one seminar is offered each term. 5 6

6 TIMELINE YEAR HONORS PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS / SUGGESTIONS 1 Take FYE 100-H (1 credit) Take at least one 100-level History of Ideas course Get involved with one or more extra-curricular activities Look into summer research / internships / leadership experiences 2 Take HON 200 (1 credit) Take at least one 200-level History of Ideas course Start planning for an Honors Study Abroad experience Consider applying for a Richter grant Consider presenting a paper/poster at an honors conference Look into summer research / internships / leadership experiences Start thinking about possible thesis topics 3 Study abroad if possible Take HON 300 (1 credit) Take ECN 210 or SCI 210 Take an Honors Seminar (IDS 3xx or 4xx) Talk with faculty about your thesis ideas and find a thesis director Submit thesis proposal to Office of Academic Opportunities and register for HON 400 (honors thesis) Start thinking about graduate/professional schools Consider applying for a national scholarship like Fulbright, Marshall, Rhodes, etc. Consider presenting a paper/poster at an honors conference CHECKLIST For graduating as a College Scholar Reuirement FYE 100-H Course Title/ Description Excellence, the City, and the Good Life Course taken to fill reuirement FYE 100 Term/ Year taken Grade HON 200 What is Truth? HON 200 HON 300 Thesis Design Workshop HON 300 HON 400 Thesis Title: HON 400 HOI 102 or HOI 103 HOI 201 or HOI 202 or HOI 203 SCI 210-H or ECN 210-H IDS 3xx or IDS 4xx History of Ideas I or History of Ideas II History of Ideas III or History of Ideas IV or History of Ideas V Landmark Discoveries or History of Economic Thought Seminar title: Done? 4 Study abroad if possible Complete Honors Thesis Take an Honors Seminar if you did not take one last year Finish any other reuired honors courses not yet completed Present your honors thesis at the Rall Symposium for Undergraduate Research and/or another research conference Graduate as a College Scholar! Study abroad or Additional IDS seminar Cumulative Overall GPA of 3.0 or better Cumulative Honors GPA of 3.0 or better Study Abroad program: Notes: 7 8