THE HONORS COLLEGE
Brian Railsback, Dean
Steve Carlisle, Interim Associate Dean and Director of Humanities Program
Susan Clarke Smith, Director of Honors/Pre-Professional Advising
140 Reynolds Hall
(828) 227-7383
The College serves over 1000 Honors students, and manages programs that are open to all undergraduates at Western Carolina University. The Honors College is a student-centered enterprise that enhances the educational experience for high-achieving students, encourages innovative teaching, learning, and curriculum development, serves students and faculty across all disciplines, and encourages and supports undergraduate research.
Honors College Benefits. Honors College students are invited to live in the two Honors residences, Reynolds or Buchanan Hall. Honors students also benefit from a special diploma (see “Honors College Diploma” below), priority registration, the opportunity to customize their curriculum (see “Honors Curriculum” below), access to Honors courses, special library privileges, and free copying/printing at the Honors Office in140 Reynolds Hall. Note: social events put on by The Honors College Student Board of Directors, such as dances, parties, special trips, tournaments, or events through the Jerry Jackson Lectures in the Humanities Series, are open to all Western Carolina University students.
Admission. To be considered for The Honors College, incoming first-year students must have a high school record that meets at least one of these standards: 3.75 GPA, 1250 SAT or 30 ACT, or top 10% of the high school class. Students who achieve a 3.50 GPA or above on at least 12 credit hours in the first semester at Western Carolina University will be invited to join The Honors College. After the first semester, students who have at least a cumulative 3.33 GPA are welcome to meet with the Dean to be considered for admission on a case-by-case basis.
To Remain in The College. Honors College students must maintain a 3.10 cumulative GPA at 30 credit hours, a 3.20 GPA at 60 hours, and must have a cumulative 3.33 GPA at 90 hours. A student who is dropped from The Honors College may be reinstated if the cumulative GPA is brought up to an acceptable level.
Advising. Honors students who have not yet declared a major are advised by the Honors Director of Advising, the Associate Dean, or the Dean. Honors students who have declared a major are usually advised by a faculty member in the major department; for questions related to The Honors College or its programs, students are welcome to meet with an Honors advisor.
Honors College Curriculum. Because of their academic achievement, Honors students are able to “customize” their Liberal Studies and degree programs. In Liberal Studies, an Honors student may elect to take a higher level course in place of the Liberal Studies course (this requires a completed approval form, available at the Honors Office). If the Honors student completes the higher level course with a B- or higher, the student will receive Honors credit for the course. Honors students may create their own degree program (Special Studies degree) with “fast track” approval. For more information on the Special Studies degree and the approval process, contact the Honors Dean.
The Honors College Diploma. The diploma, available in any major at Western Carolina University, is a special honor—a signal of high achievement to employers and graduate school admissions officers. Honors College students must complete 30 Honors hours and have at least a 3.33 cumulative GPA upon graduation to receive the diploma. Graduation from The Honors College will be designated on the transcript.
Honors College Credits. Honors students do not take extra hours to earn the College diploma; they do enroll in special Honors classes, usually in the Liberal Studies Program, to earn the hours needed for the College diploma. At the major level, Honors students may arrange for an Honors contract with the instructor of the course (this is a one-on-one project worked out between the student and the instructor) to earn Honors credit. Contract forms are available at the Honors Office. Transfer students who have Honors credit from other institutions need to meet with the Dean to determine how Honors credits will be accepted at Western Carolina University. Honors students who travel abroad may earn Honors hours for the experience by working out a special Honors contract with the Dean before they travel.
Honors College Scholar Program. This is designed for exceptional students who are interested in preparation and sponsorship for prestigious national or international scholarships (for example, the Goldwater, Truman, or Rhodes). Honors College Scholars are allowed to enroll in special tutorial courses with top professors; these experiences usually lead to regional or national undergraduate research experiences. To complete the program, Honors College Scholars must complete at least 12 Tutorial hours (these are not additional hours, however, but they do count as Honors credit). Incoming first-year students who have achieved a minimum weighted 4.0 high school GPA and at least a 1300 SAT or 33 ACT score may be admitted. First-year students who make at least a 3.75 cumulative GPA on at least 12 hours may be admitted. Honors College Scholars must maintain at least a 3.75 cumulative GPA to remain in the program. Graduates of this program will receive special recognition on the diploma and transcript.
HONORS COLLEGE PROGRAMS THAT ARE OPEN TO ALL UNDERGRADUATES:
The Humanities Program, B.A. Degree
The Humanities Program is designed to enhance the academic and social university experience for humanities students at Western Carolina University. In addition, the Humanities Program allows students to double-major in four years (a total of 120 hours). Participating departments include Art (art history major), Communications, Theater and Dance (speech communications major), English (literature, motion pictures studies, or professional writing majors), Modern Foreign Languages (German and Spanish majors), Philosophy and Religion (philosophy major). In the Humanities Program, for example, a student could complete majors in literature and art history in 120 hours. To maintain the interdisciplinary spirit of the program, students cannot double major in the same department (literature and professional writing, for example). All students admitted to Western Carolina University are eligible for the Humanities Program.
Students who enroll in the Humanities Program must complete two special 27-hour majors specifically for Humanities students (for a total of 54 hours). They must complete at least six hours of a modern foreign language at the sophomore level (MFL 231 and 232 or 240) and the 42-hour Liberal Studies Program. They are also required to complete one-hour Humanities Seminars in the freshman, sophomore, and junior year for a total of 3 hours. Fifteen general elective hours will complete the total of 120 hours required for the Humanities Program.
Humanities students are invited to live in the Norton Road Residence Hall, a gathering place for student artists, creative writers, literary critics, and philosophers. For more information, contact the Dean of The Honors College at (828) 227-7383.
The Humanities Program Double Major (120 hours total):
Liberal Studies, 42 hours
Humanities Seminars (3 hours):
PAR 103: Humanities of the Region, 1 hour
PAR 203: Humanities in the Nation, 1 hour
PAR 303: Humanities for World Citizens, 1 hour
MFL 231-232, 6 hours
Elective hours–any 300-400 level courses the student chooses, 15 hours
Two majors (B.A. degrees) from the following (27 hours each, for a total of 54 hours):
Art History (27 hours)
ART 136: Art History Survey I, 3 hours
ART 137: Art History Survey II, 3 hours
Nine hours selected from:
ART131: Intro Drawing, 3 hours
ART 132: 2-D Design, 3 hours
ART 141: Life Drawing, 3 hours
ART 142: 3-D Design, 3 hours
12 hours selected from 300-400 level art history electives or nine hours or nine hours of 300-400 art history electives and three hours of Phil. 310: Philosophy of Art.
German (27 hours)
German Core (12 hours):
GER 301: German for Everyday Use I, 3 hours
GER 302: German for Everyday Use II, 3 hours
GER 321: German Civilization I, 3 hours
GER 322: German Civilization II, 3 hours
German Language and Culture (15 hours):
At least six hours selected from:
GER 310: Intro to German Prose and Poetry, 3 hours
GER 331: Survey of German Lit I, 3 hours
GER 332: Survey of German Lit II, 3 hours
GER 431: Studies in German Literature, 3 hours
At least six hours selected from:
GER 401: Contrastive Features of German and English, 3 hours
GER 451: Advanced German Grammar, 3 hours
GER 452: Advanced German Conversation, 3 hours
GER 393: Special Topics in German (Distance Learning), 3 hours
Literature (27 hours)
Literature Core (15 hours):
ENGL 231: The Interpretation of Literature, 3 hours
ENGL 251: Survey of English Literature I, 3 hours
ENGL 252: Survey of English Literature II, 3 hours
ENGL 261: Survey of American Literature I, 3 hours
ENGL 262: Survey of American Literature II, 3 hours
12 hours of 300-400 literature courses to be determined by the student and advisor.
Motion Picture Studies (27 hours)
Motion Picture Studies Core (15 hours):
ENGL 278: Introduction to Film Studies, 3 hours
ENGL 310: Screenwriting, 3 hours
ENGL 378: Film History, 3 hours
ENGL 468: Film Studies, 3 hours
ENGL 478: Film as Literature, 3 hours
12 hours of 300-400 level courses to be determined by the student and advisor. Suggested but not required: CMEM 351, PHIL 309, ENGL 308, ENGL 331, ENGL 405.
Philosophy (27 hours)
Philosophical Foundations of Humanities (6 hours):
PHIL 102: Western Moral Traditions, 3 hours
PHIL 230: Legal, Scientific, and Critical Reasoning, 3 hours
History of Philosophy or History of Religious Thought (9 hours):
Select any 9 hours of courses within the History category of Philosophy or Religion.
Philosophy and the Humanities or Religion and the Humanities (6 hours):
Select any 6 hours of courses within the Humanities category of Philosophy or Religion.
Philosophy and Culture or Religion and Culture (6 hours):
Select any 6 hours within the Culture category of Philosophy or Religion.
Professional Writing (27 hours)
Professional Writing Core (6 hours):
ENGL 303: Introduction to Professional Writing, 3 hours
ENGL 412: Grammar for Writers, 3 hours
21 hours of 300-400 level professional writing courses to be determined by the student and advisor; 6 of these 21 hours may be selected from 300-400 level literature courses.
Spanish (27 hours)
Language and Culture courses (6 hours):
SPAN 301: Topics of the Hispanic World I, 3 hours
SPAN 302: Topics of the Hispanic World II, 3 hours
Civilization and Culture courses (6 hours):
SPAN 321: Spanish Civilization, 3 hours
SPAN 322: Spanish-American Civilization, 3 hours
Electives, which must include two literature courses–6 hours (15 hours total):
SPAN 304: Spanish for Careers and Professions
SPAN 310: Intro to Prose and Poetry
SPAN 330: Masterpieces of Spanish Peninsular Literature, 3 hours
SPAN 333: Masterpieces of Spanish-American Literature, 3 hours
SPAN 401: Contrastive Features of Spanish and English, 3 hours
SPAN 432: Studies in Spanish-American Literature, 3 hours
SPAN 451: Advanced Grammar, 3 hours
SPAN 452: Advanced Conversation, 3 hours
Speech Communication (27 hours)
Required Speech Communication courses (9 hours):
CMCR 250: Public Communication, 3 hours
CMHC 410: The Rhetoric of Performance, 3 hours
CMHC 411: Rhetorical Theory and Criticism, 3 hours
Elective Speech Communication courses (18 hours selected from):
CMHC 414: Gender Communication, 3 hours
CMHC 415: Intercultural Communication, 3 hours
CMEM 351: Comparative Studies in Film/TV, 3 hours
CMTA 300: Dramatic Literature and Criticism I, 3 hours
CMTA 301: Dramatic Literature and Criticism II, 3 hours
CMTA 310: Black Theatre Experience, 3 hours
CMTA 400: History of Theatre I, 3 hours
CMTA 401: History of Theatre II, 3 hours
CMTA 493: Selected Topics, 1-3 hours
DA 252: Ethnic Dance, 1 hour
ENGL 378: Film History, 3 hours
ENGL 473: Modern Drama, 3 hours
HIST 474: Introduction to Oral History, 3 hours
Suggested Course Sequence for Humanities (B.A.)
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Students may finish earlier if they attend summer school at WCU or another approved institution.
National Student Exchange. Western Carolina University is part of a student exchange consortium of over 150 universities in the United States and its territories. Students participating in National Student Exchange pay regular tuition to WCU and study at another university for up to one academic year; any student with a GPA of at least 2.50 may apply to go on exchange. The deadline for applying to the exchange for the following year is February 1. Students are welcome to contact the Associate Dean of The Honors College for more information at (828) 227-7383.
Pre-Professional Programs. Pre-Medicine, Pre-Pharmacy, Pre-Law, Pre-Veterinary Medicine, Pre-Physical Therapy, Pre-Dental, Pre-Optometry, Pre-Physician’s Assistant, Pre-Engineering.
Students who attend the university to prepare for admission into a professional school are provided with a variety of options for the programs they may pursue. Students should make decisions early in their undergraduate career regarding preparation for professional school. The majority of professional school programs now require a bachelor’s degree for admission, although there are still some exceptions. To make wise decisions regarding undergraduate prerequisite courses and selecting an undergraduate major, students should contact the Pre-Professional Advisor at The Honors College. Call (828) 227-3277, email smithsc@wcu.edu, come by 140 Reynolds Hall, or visit the website at www.wcu.edu/honorscollege/professional.htm.
Undergraduate Research. The Honors College sponsors Undergraduate Project Grants, which are grants of up to $500 each, to support supplies or travel related to student research and creative/performance projects. Students who are accepted to present at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research will have lodging, travel, and registration expenses paid for by The Honors College. Please contact the Dean for more information about these programs at (828) 227-7383.
This page is maintained by Nancy Carden in the
Office of the Provost.
Last updated: 10/26/2005
Copyright 2005 by Western Carolina University .