Honors Program | The Honors Curriculum and Courses

The Honors Curriculum

Life is not specialized. It is “interdisciplinary.” Vocationally, we may be engineers or neurosurgeons or entertainers; but, at all times we are subject we to the human condition and live our lives as generalists. Academic divisions are pragmatic ways of organizing fields of knowledge, and of training specialists for a specific domain. But the philosophy of Belmont’s Honors Program is that to be educated liberally one must erase these imaginary boundaries and tear down the mental walls that hamper free access to fields of information. A holistic vision and appreciation of the human experience must be created. This philosophical commitment is best expressed in the organization of the Honors Program curriculum. In the courses, that make up our program of study, teams of honors faculty members move beyond rigid compartmentalization and foster the synthetic worldview necessary to become a Belmont Scholar.

*Students must complete two Honors Seminars during their entire program of study. Seminars are offered every semester.

Honors Courses (HON)

HON 1210-1211. The Ancient World (6). A study of Antiquity and the classical period (from the beginning of western civilization to AD 500).

HON 1220-1221. The Middle Ages (6). A study of the development of western culture and the humanities during Middle Ages (from 500-1500).

HON 1360. Honors Tutorial (1). The freshman tutorial, a one-on-one weekly work session with a faculty member in the student’s area of study. One semester.

HON 1810. Honors Orientation (0). An introduction to the nature and expectations of the Belmont Honors Program.

HON 1950-4950. Studies Abroad (3-18). Study in a foreign country. Individual course titles and locations are assigned for each course taken. See Studies Abroad program for details.

HON 2210-2211. The Renaissance and Enlightenment (6). A study of the philosophical and artistic developments in the western world during the Renaissance and Enlightenment Period (from 1500-1800).

HON 2220-2221. The Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries (6). A study of the philosophical and artistic developments in the western world during Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries (from 1800 to the present).

HON 2350, 2360. Honors Tutorial (2). The sophomore tutorial. Two semesters.

HON 32___. Honors Seminar (6). The sophomore tutorial a one-on-one weekly work session with a faculty member in the student’s area of study. Two semesters.

HON 3310, 3320. Analytics: Science, Math and Logic (8). An examination of the techniques of critical reasoning, with emphasis on the development of the art of such reasoning. The course will include a study of informal logic, deductive and inductive reasoning, science and the scientific method. Two semesters. ($30.00 course fee)

HON 3350, 3360. Honors Tutorial (2). The junior tutorial, a one-on-one weekly work session with a faculty member in the student’s area of study. Two semesters.

HON 4350. Honors Tutorial.(1). The senior tutorial, a one-on-one weekly work session with a faculty member in the student’s area of study. Fall semester.

HON 4360. Honors Thesis (3). Preparation, presentation and defense of an approved thesis in the student's major area.