2010-2011 - Sweet Briar College

honors programSweet Briar Collegeon the thesis and determines the level of honors(Honors, High Honors, Highest Honors)to be awarded. To be recognized for Honorswork, the student must earn a grade of B+ orhigher on her Senior Honors Thesis project. Acandidate who does not meet the requirementsfor successful completion of the Senior HonorsThesis project is transferred to candidacy forthe regular degree and will receive credit forindependent study for her work.II. The Honors DegreeThe award of the Honors Degree is noted onboth the student’s transcript and diploma. Astudent wishing to pursue the Honors Degreeshould consult with her advisor and the directorof the Honors Program as early in her collegecareer as possible. The Honors Degree hasthree major requirements:1) Successful completion of the Senior HonorsThesis project;2) Successful completion of seven Honorscourses which will include:a) the First-year Inquiryb) the First-year Honors Seminarc) five additional Honors courses- at least three of these five courses mustbe Honors seminars at the 200-level orabove- no more than two of the five coursesmay be Honors variants or sections- at least one Honors course (seminar orvariant) must be at the 300-level3) A cumulative grade point average of 3.4 orhigher at graduationStudents who are not admitted to the HonorsProgram at the start of their first year may petitionthe Honors Committee to accept alternatework as the equivalent of the first-year Honorscourse(s) in fulfillment of the Honors Degreerequirements, if they are accepted into theprogram after their first semester. Transfer studentsmay also petition the Honors Committeefor Honors equivalency credit for appropriatework completed at their previous institution tocount toward the course requirements for theHonors Degree. Students who complete a SweetBriar approved course abroad may petition theHonors Committee to accept it as the equivalentof an Honors course. Students must earna grade of B or higher in all Honors courses inorder to receive Honors credit. Successful completionof Junior Honors research is consideredequivalent to an Honors seminar.Course DescriptionsHNRS 101 (1)–Current Topics in Biologyand MedicinePrerequisite: Open to first-year Honors students;permission of the instructor. This FirstyearHonors Inquiry will examine recent questions,innovations, and discoveries in biologyand medicine. Students will explore the scientificcontent of each topic as well as the social context.Students will conduct research utilizingdigital and print resources, and will share theresults of their exploration in written and oralpresentations. Discussions and group work willbe emphasized. Offered alternate years.HNRS 102 (1)–Historic Preservation inVirginiaPrerequisite: Open to first-year Honors students;permission of the instructor. This is aFirst-year Honors Inquiry course. Virginia isthe birthplace of historic preservation, and thisseminar explores the movement’s impact in thestate - and on our campus - with an emphasis onphilosophical and ethical approaches, includingthe ongoing debate over preservation vs. restoration.The central tenets of historic preservationwill be subject to the critical evaluation ofcompeting perspectives, and supplemented byfirst-hand examination of historic structures,including visits to local sites such as Monticelloand Poplar Forest.134­