CSUSB - Faculty Senate

POLICY ON A UNIVERSITY HONORS PROGRAM

FAM 495

FSD 88-19
Executive Committee

1. Preamble

The California State University, San Bernardino is committed to the establishment of an Honors Program curriculum designed to meet the needs of highly motivated students who seek an exceptional, intellectually challenging experience. This program will add breadth and depth to the student's undergraduate course of study. Honors students will be encouraged to take an active role in their own learning process, to think about problems they will face in creating the future, and to explore their roles in addressing these problems. Integration of subject material across the curriculum is a primary goal of the program, as is emphasis on the cognitive development of the student. Students will be encouraged to develop thinking skills and to use these skills in analyzing and evaluating problems of contemporary society.

2. The Honors Curriculum

An Honors Program shall be established to supplement, not replace any existing academic programs of the University. The program is to be phased in over a four-year period. A detailed program is provided for the first year and tentative outlines are included for the second, third and fourth years. The program will accept the first group of students into the first year of the program for Fall Quarter, 1989.

2.1	First Year. During their freshman year in the Honors Program, Honors students will enroll in a three-quarter integrated basic skills course sequence which will meet the General Education requirements for basic skills, including communication, composition and critical thinking. The course sequence will focus upon specific issues and topics and will teach students basic skills in the process of dealing with these topics. For example, in dealing with an issue such as balancing economic growth and environmental risks, students will learn research methods, apply techniques of examining arguments and evidence, and prepare both written and oral reports.
2.2	Second Year. During their Sophomore year, honors students will be expected to continue to enroll in the lower division Honors seminar each quarter. Additional honors-specific courses will be developed within the General Education area.
2.3	Third Year. Students will enroll in a sequence of three courses that begin a multidisciplinary approach to course material. The intention of the third year courses is to integrate course material across the disciplines.
2.4	Fourth Year. Student will participate in an honors activity. Students will be expected to work with a faculty member or a team of faculty members. Such work will lead to a major performance, project or thesis which exhibits exemplary creative activity.

3. Honors Program Committee.

A permanent Honors Program Committee shall be established as a special committee of the Faculty Senate.

3.1

Membership. This committee shall consist of one representative from each of the Schools; one representative from the Library; one representative from the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, one student representative; and the Director of the Honors Program. The school and library representatives shall be appointed by the Executive Committee to two-year staggered terms. The student representative shall be elected to a one year term from and by the Honors program participants.

3.2

Duties. The Honors Program Committee will serve as a Board of Directors for the Honors Program.

The Committee's first order of responsibility will be to develop and submit for curriculum review and approval through regular curricular channels and on appropriate program and course proposal forms a complete honors program. A final draft of the complete program (after department- and school-level reviews have been completed) shall be due in the Office of Academic Programs by December 4, 1989 for technical review prior to review by the General Education Committee, the Curriculum Committee, and the Senate.

Committee members will act to voice concerns of the separate academic units and to disseminate information from the Committee to the academic and administrative units. The Committee will be actively involved in program design, course planning and admissions/retention decisions. In addition, members of the Committee will be expected to act as advisors and counselors for students in the Honors Program.

The Committee will be actively involved in selecting, evaluating, and recommending the approval of courses and faculty for the honors program.

4. First-Year Curriculum for 1989-90

For the 1989-90 school year, honors sections will be scheduled for the currently-existing general education courses in English 101, Philosophy 105 and Communication 120. Enrollment in these sections will be restricted to honors students by withholding the course code number from the published schedule and noting that the section is restricted to honors students. In subsequent years, new course titles will be given to the courses in the sequence to emphasize their integrated nature; for example Humanities 103 or Integrated Studies 103, sections A, B, and C. These courses will be approved through the normal curricular channels.

Students will also enroll in a lower division Honors seminar each quarter, 1 credit per quarter (3 credits total). These seminars will emphasize analysis and evaluation of current ideas and events. The lower division Honors seminars serve two purposes. The first is to solidify the group of honors students, ease their transition into the University, and establish a group identity. The second is to provide an intellectual forum in which students may discuss issues, exchange ideas, present papers and be introduced to research methods. This seminar requirement will begin when the courses have been approved through the normal curricular channels.

A lower-division Honors seminar (IS 105) will be authorized for one academic year (1989-90) through this document on a temporary, emergency basis pending approval of the course in tandem with a complete Honors program through the normal curricular channels.

Approved by the Faculty Senate
John H. Craig, Chair 5/16/89
Reviewed by the Council of Academic Deans
Robert C. Detweiler, 6/29/89
Vice President, Academic Affairs
Approved by the President
Anthony H. Evans 6/29/89

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