Core Curriculum
The Honors Core Curriculum will fulfill University core requirements. The primary benefit of the Honors Program is to freely explore academic subjects in depth with students of similar motivations, abilities, and interests. The Honors Core Curriculum also emphasizes:
- understanding ideas of greater complexity in a chosen field of study
- profound depth of understanding and critical analysis;
- independent thinking, exploration of ideas and pursuit of individual interests;
- a “student-centered” classroom in which individuals share with the instructor the responsibility for planning and evaluation;
- regular use of discovery learning, problem-solving approaches to learning that develop students’ skills of inquiry, investigation, analysis, synthesis, evaluation and decision making;
- Individualization that will allow students to determine their pace of learning, self-selection from alternatives, and self-evaluation of accomplishments.
Honors Program students at Albany State University pursue majors in any of the degree
programs available to undergraduates through the Colleges of Arts and Humanities,
Business, Education, and Sciences and Health Professions. In fulfilling departmental
Honors Program and University requirements, Honors Program students have the opportunity
to choose the combination of Honors courses and regular course selections that best
meet their needs and interests.
Honors Program courses have limited enrollment and are reserved for successful and
motivated students. These courses encourage participatory learning through the interchange
of ideas among students and between students and professors. Honors Program courses
may be special sections of regularly offered courses or special courses available
to Honors Program students. Some courses are interdisciplinary in nature while others
explore specific content topics or current interests.
The Honors curriculum may be customized through Honors Contracting and or Honors Independent
Study. With approval of the instructor and the Honor Programs Director, students may
receive honors credit by enrolling in a non-honors advanced level course and engaging
in a written “Honors Contract” to undertake more challenging work and to meet with
the professor for individualized instruction. Honors Program Students may also undertake
special interest topics of study or research by registering for Honors Independent
Study. Honors Contracting and Honors Independent Study are available to Honors Program
students after they have completed one (1) semester of regular Honors Program courses.
Honors seminars are small and informal a combination that can lead to lively interaction
among students. The seminars are structured to be intellectually challenging, academically
exciting and personally rewarding.