Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Construct Your Own Honors Course Approval Form

Because the Davidson Honors College is committed to student engagement in learning, we offer the opportunity for students to collaborate with faculty in developing their own Honors courses.  Any DHC student in good academic standing may make a regularly scheduled 3- or 4-credit course into an Honors course by approaching the faculty member teaching that course and asking them to grant one credit of independent study (HONR 192, 392, or 492) as a space to complete additional coursework. The faculty member must be willing to evaluate and grade the student’s independent study work, and the student must complete additional assignments (such as additional reading, writing, fieldwork, research, or community service) to earn the additional credit. Students are limited to a maximum of two “construct-your-own” Honors courses that count toward the eight Honors experiences required by the DHC for graduation as a University Scholar.

The independent study work can be used to develop ideas for a capstone Honors project or simply to enhance an existing course. Your faculty mentor will provide the discipline-specific criteria necessary for your work. Generally, it is a good idea to devise independent study coursework that will complement or supplement the material covered in a regular course. For example, a standard textbook can be supplemented with current research articles; a laboratory course can be complemented with readings on the history of the discipline; a research methods course can be supplemented by devising an actual research project.

Guidelines:

·  The Construct Your Own Honors Course Approval Form should be completed by you with support and approval from the faculty mentor and will include a description of the proposed independent study project. The completed form should be submitted no later than the end of the third week of the semester (different deadlines for summer sessions).

·  The online form will ask for your information, your faculty member's information, and a 200-300-word description of the work you propose to add to the existing course to make it into an Honors course.  Be sure that the description includes learning objectives, specific assignments, and the requirements for completion. If you have a project title, please include it. The description should include any scheduled meetings and due dates for materials as discussed between mentor and student.

·  If the proposed faculty mentor for a Construct Your Own Honors Course is not a tenured or tenure-track faculty member at The University of Montana, then a department chair’s approval is required . The department chair’s approval certifies that the faculty member is appropriately qualified to supervise the proposed Honors independent study project. The DHC will request approval when nescessary, however it is your responsibility to speak to both the faculty mentor and department chair prior to submitting the form. 

·  When completing the form, select the appropriate HONR level to complement your existing course. For example, if your non-honors course is a 100 or 200 level, select the HONR 192 option, if the course is a 300 then the 392, and if a 400 level select the 492.

·  Once the Construct Your Own Honors Course Approval Form has been submitted a DHC staff member will email you with registration information.

·  The Honors independent study course must be taken for a traditional letter grade. The regular course grade will NOT be affected by the successful or unsuccessful completion of the independent study project.

· At the end of the semester the DHC will contact the faculty mentor to request the grade. The letter grade will them be recorded through CyberBear. If the independent study coursework has not been completed by the end of the semester, the faculty mentor should still submit an appropriate letter grade (either “I” incomplete or “N” in progress), to be followed by a final grade when the work is complete.

Davidson Honors College Learning Objectives:

• Think critically. Identify, evaluate, and integrate available information and arguments; develop logical and reasonable positions across a wide range of issues.
• Communicate. Express ideas and arguments through oral and written strategies; develop strong listening skills.
• Collaborate. Contribute to, and lead if necessary, a diverse team in pursuit of a shared goal. 
• Solve problems. Employ rigorous quantitative and/or qualitative analysis to identify informed solutions to complex challenges.
• Design and execute an original project. From initiation to manifestation and public presentation.
• Act ethically. Make decisions based on the University of Montana’s four guiding principles: innovation and creativity, openness, partnership, and impact.
• Engage as a citizen. Strengthen commitment to meaningful service and community.

Proposals will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.  

We are thrilled you are interested in offering an honors course. To help us process requests, we have established the following form.

After you fill out the form, we will review your request in line with student needs, resource allocation, time schedules, and alignment with learning objectives.

ESSENTIAL LEARNING OUTCOMES

The Davidson Honors College experience is distinguished by our dual commitment to hands-on learning and thoughtful reflection. Davidson Honors College graduates will be able to:

• Think critically. Identify, evaluate, and integrate available information and arguments; develop logical and reasonable positions across a wide range of issues.
• Communicate. Express ideas and arguments through oral and written strategies; develop strong listening skills.
• Collaborate. Contribute to, and lead if necessary, a diverse team in pursuit of a shared goal. 
• Solve problems. Employ rigorous quantitative and/or qualitative analysis to identify informed solutions to complex challenges.
• Design and execute an original project. From initiation to manifestation and public presentation.
• Act ethically. Make decisions based on the University of Montana’s four guiding principles: innovation and creativity, openness, partnership, and impact.
• Engage as a citizen. Strengthen commitment to meaningful service and community.

Each student will submit a 2-3 page reflection to the DHC elaborating on your experience as an honors student and how your experiential learning, capstone research, and other honors courses/experiences have contributed to meaning-making during your time at the Davidson Honors College. The reflection is due at the end of your final semester.

This reflection should include a thoughtful examination of how you have met the DHC's learning objectives through your time in the honors college.

Davidson Honors College Learning Objectives:

• Think critically. Identify, evaluate, and integrate available information and arguments; develop logical and reasonable positions across a wide range of issues.
• Communicate. Express ideas and arguments through oral and written strategies; develop strong listening skills.
• Collaborate. Contribute to, and lead if necessary, a diverse team in pursuit of a shared goal.
• Solve problems. Employ rigorous quantitative and/or qualitative analysis to identify informed solutions to complex challenges.
• Design and execute an original project. From initiation to manifestation and public presentation.
• Act ethically. Make decisions based on the University of Montana’s four guiding principles: innovation and creativity, openness, partnership, and impact.
• Engage as a citizen. Strengthen commitment to meaningful service and community.

The Honors Pathways Project is an initiative designed to provide a resource for students, advisors, and faculty that illuminates an honors pathway through academic degree programs at the University of Montana. Collaboration to identify intersections between honors requirements and programmatic degree requirements early on in student's academic planning will assist with persistence and retention in honors. 

For Internships:

Each student will submit a 2-3 page reflection to the DHC elaborating on your internship experience and its connection to your other honors courses/experiences. The reflection is due before the end of the semester in which you complete your internship.

Your reflection should include a thoughtful examination of how you have met your learning objectives through your honors internship and how this connects to your future goals and objectives.

For Study Abroad:

Each student will submit a 2-3 page reflection to the DHC elaborating on your study abroad experience and its connection to your other honors courses/experiences and your future goals. The reflection is due before the end of the semester in which you complete your study abroad.

Your reflection should include a thoughtful examination of what you have learned about yourself, the country in which you were studying, how this contributes to your academic journey, and how you will apply what you've learned in the future.

For Independent Study/Research:

Each student will submit a 2-3 page reflection to the DHC elaborating on your experience and its connection to your other honors courses/experiences and your future goals. The reflection is due before the end of the semester in which you are enrolled in credits.

Your reflection should include a thoughtful examination of what you have learned about yourself through this experience, how this contributes to your academic journey, and how you will apply what you've learned in the future. 

Independent Study Course Approval Form
Because the Davidson Honors College is committed to student engagement in learning, we offer the opportunity for students to collaborate with faculty in developing their own Independent Study Honors courses.  Any DHC student in good academic standing can work with a faculty member to design an independent study (HONR 192, 392, or 492) experience. The faculty member must be willing to evaluate and grade the student’s independent study work. Students can use two independent study opportunities to count toward the eight Honors experiences required by the DHC for graduation as a University Scholar.

The independent study work can be used to develop ideas for a capstone Honors project or simply to enhance the student's areas of interest. Your faculty mentor will provide the discipline-specific criteria necessary for your work. 

Guidelines:
·  The Independent Study Honors Course Approval Form should be completed by you with support and approval from the faculty mentor and will include a description of the proposed independent study project. The completed form should be submitted no later than the end of the third week of the semester (different deadlines for summer sessions).
·  The online form will ask for your information, your faculty member's information, and a 200-400-word description of the work you propose to add to the existing course to make it into an Honors course.  Be sure that the description includes learning objectives, specific assignments, and the requirements for completion. If you have a project title, please include it. The description should include any scheduled meetings and due dates for materials as discussed between mentor and student.
·  If the proposed faculty mentor for an Independent Study Honors Course is not a tenured or tenure-track faculty member at The University of Montana, then a department chair’s approval is required . The department chair’s approval certifies that the faculty member is appropriately qualified to supervise the proposed Honors independent study project. The DHC will request approval when nescessary, however it is your responsibility to speak to both the faculty mentor and department chair prior to submitting the form.
·  When completing the form, select the appropriate HONR level to complement your existing course. For example, if you are a lower-classperson then select the 198 course, if you are are an upper-classperson then the 398 or 498. The depth and scope of the course will also dictate the level selected.
·  Once the Independent Study Honors Course Approval Form has been submitted a DHC staff member will email you with registration information.
·  The Honors independent study course must be taken for a traditional letter grade.
· At the end of the semester the DHC will contact the faculty mentor to request the grade. The letter grade will then be recorded through CyberBear. If the independent study coursework has not been completed by the end of the semester, the faculty mentor should still submit an appropriate letter grade (either “I” incomplete or “N” in progress), to be followed by a final grade when the work is complete.

Davidson Honors College Learning Objectives:

• Think critically. Identify, evaluate, and integrate available information and arguments; develop logical and reasonable positions across a wide range of issues.
• Communicate. Express ideas and arguments through oral and written strategies; develop strong listening skills.
• Collaborate. Contribute to, and lead if necessary, a diverse team in pursuit of a shared goal. 
• Solve problems. Employ rigorous quantitative and/or qualitative analysis to identify informed solutions to complex challenges.
• Design and execute an original project. From initiation to manifestation and public presentation.
• Act ethically. Make decisions based on the University of Montana’s four guiding principles: innovation and creativity, openness, partnership, and impact.
• Engage as a citizen. Strengthen commitment to meaningful service and community.

Please fill out this application if you are interested in applying your expertise to instructing Ways of Knowing, the foundational honors course at the University of Montana. Compensation is available to instructors for this course.

Course description

Using diverse readings and other sources from multiple cultures representing more than 2,500 years of human experience, we will explore alternative ways of knowing:  experientially, spiritually, mythologically, rationally, and scientifically.  We will become acquainted with some of the deepest reflections of the divine, the natural world, the self, and society.  We will consider not only how we as a human race have come to know what we know, but also the ethical implications of this knowledge and the relevance to our world today.  Our critical engagement with the readings, plenaries, experiences and discussions will both deepen our cultural literacy and give us a broad appreciation for the various ways humans understand the world. 

This course will succeed for all if we approach it as a discussion-based course, where we all bring to class questions and ideas concerning the readings.  Your active engagement during the class sessions will be the focus of both your learning and the learning of the other students.  This approach requires that you complete the assigned readings ahead of the scheduled time of discussion so that you come to class having reflected on the reading. 

We will quickly see that there are few “right” or “wrong” answers to the questions we raise.  The readings are selected for their ability to generate questions and to foster various points of view.  Our attempts to reflect upon them will be imperfect and usually come with ambiguity.  Consequently, a fundamental premise of this course is that we will respect one another’s views, especially when different than our own.

Learning Outcomes

1. Engagement with human ways of knowing:  Students will understand a variety of ways of addressing the central question of the course through an exploration of major works that have shaped human thought through recorded history.  The selections represent seminal thinking that derives from mythological, philosophical, scientific, and literary approaches. 

2. Analytical thought and self-understanding:  Students will develop the ability to analyze the thinking of intellectually influential people and groups, at the same time challenging themselves to a deeper understanding of their own views of the present and historical world.  They will develop a stronger sense of who they are as individuals and their respective roles in society.

3. Analytical discourse:  Students will develop strong analytical communications skills, demonstrating understanding of selected works through effective writing and discussion.  One of the most important skills we will cultivate is the ability to formulate and ask probing questions.