Honors Enrichment Courses (1 Credit/Graded S/NC)

Honors Enrichment courses (Honors 291, 296 and 498) are 1-credit courses, graded Satisfactory or No Credit (S/NC), and capped at 20 students. These smaller seminar-size classes are intended to build community among Honors students and to engage participants in timely, socially compelling topics while offering experiential learning opportunities.

There are currently three Honors 498 courses: Multicultural Events (fall semester), the Honors Common Read (spring semester), and the Honors Seminar (spring semester). Honors Travel Study (spring semester, Honors 291) takes place the spring semesters that the Honors Seminar does not. Honors 296 courses are Special Studies courses, and thus change from year to year. Visit the Honors Course Flyer to see what courses are being run in a given semester.

Since the specific topic of each course differs from year to year, students may repeat these courses up to six (6) times. Successful completion of an Honors Enrichment course earns an Honors student one Honors credit (which also counts as one University credit).

Below is a brief description of each Honors Enrichment course:

HONORS 296 SPECIAL STUDIES INTRODUCTION TO BRIDGE

This course seeks to teach the basics of the card game Bridge, with the main goal of instilling an interest and enjoyment of the game. Bridge can be an intense mental activity that hones logical, strategic, and intentional thinking skills. No prior experience is necessary.  

HONORS 498.01 MULTICULTURAL EVENTS

Students attend four (4) multicultural events on campus of their choosing (from an approved list) and share what they learned with the class. (In some cases and with the instructor’s permission, an off-campus multicultural event may be substituted.) The class will meet every other week during the fall semester.

HONORS 498.02 HONORS COMMON READ

A different instructor will lead this 5-week course each spring semester. The Common Read book will concern a multicultural theme and will often coincide with a lecture by an invited campus speaker and/or a relevant co-curricular event such as a field trip or a regional conference. Recent Honors Common Read books include Colin Beaven's No Impact Man (in 2019), Paul Loeb's The Impossible Will Take a Little While (in 2018), Malala Yousafzai's I Am Malala (in 2017), Will Allen’s The Good Food Revolution (in 2016). The list of special components and more information about this course can be found by emailing honors@uww.edu. Offered in Spring semester, 1st five weeks.

HONORS 498.03 HONORS SEMINAR / HONORS 291 TRAVEL STUDY

A different instructor will lead this 5-week course each spring semester. Participation in a relevant experiential learning activity such as a field trip, a conference, or other off-campus activity will be a special component of the seminar.

The topic of the Honors Seminar in 2016 was Racism without Racists: Learning from Ferguson and Baltimore and culminated in students’ participation in a roundtable discussion at the Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies conference.  The topic of the Honors Seminar in 2017 was "The Art of Questioning" led by Dr. Chris Calvert-Minor. The topic of the Honors Seminar in 2018 was "Diversity and Multiculturalism" led by Dr. Laura Porterfield.

During some spring semesters a travel study will be offered in place of the seminar. The topic of the Travel Study in spring 2019 was the timely issue of immigration in the US; during spring break the class traveled to New York City for experiential learning in locations such as Ellis Island and the Tenement Museum. This course was be led by Alexandria Delcourt. The 2018 Honors Travel Study discussed Octavia Butler's Kindred, traveled to Washington DC, and was led by Dr. Laura Porterfield.

HONORS 498.04 SERVICE LEARNING: BRIDGING TECHNOLOGIES

This course is open to Honors students who completed INTRAUNV 124 Service Learning and to sophomores and above who are technologically savvy. Professor Melissa Deller will lead students in assisting the elderly at Fairhaven Senior Services with navigating their social media and electronic devices. Students will also have the chance to bridge the generational divide with bingo, card games, and conversation. Please email honors@uww.edu for details and enrollment assistance.