Support Courses

Part of the philosophy of the honors curriculum is to have Honors students explore challenges and opportunities in many areas of Heidelberg, in particular, in all four discipline groups (Arts, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences). To this end, Honors students are required to complete four thematic seminar courses from the four disciplinary schema of “The Life of the Mind”: The Scholar, The Scientist, The Artist and The Citizen. In addition to the four required seminars, Honors students must complete courses in support of the thematic seminars. Each of the four themes must be represented in a student's curriculum.

The following guidelines for the required support courses must be followed according to your degree plan:

B.A. & B.S. Must take at least 10 different prefixes.
Five of them must be at the 200-level or above.
All four discipline areas must be represented twice.
Must be a course for credit.
B.M. Must take 2 support courses in 2 disciplines other than the Arts.

Honors students are strongly encouraged to complete a working copy of the support course plan with their facilitators and the Associate Dean of the Honors Program after they complete the plan in FYE 100 and/or HNR 111. Upon approval, the signed final version of the support course plan will be copied for the facilitator and the Honors Program’s records.*

Natural Sciences ATR, BIO, CHM, CPS, ENS, FSC, GEO, MTH, PHY (excluding BIO 120, PHY 104, MTH 090 and CPS 100)
Humanities COM, MED (except 255-6), ENG, HIS, Languages, REL, PHI
Arts Fine Arts is broadly interpreted to include applied art and applied music in addition to the more traditional fine arts course offerings. Students may select from the departments of Art and Music plus THR 105, 150, 207, 306, 320, 325, 327, MED 255 and 256, NDI 255 (Early Childhood majors only), 301, 302, 322, PHY 104, ENG 210
Social Sciences ACC, ANT, BAE, ECO, EDU, EIS, HPE (excluding 100 or 103), POL, PSY

*Appeals for a variance in the support course plan may be filed with the Associate Dean of the Honors Program.

Support Course Rationale

Honors students are required to complete courses in support of the four thematic seminars they take during the course of their eight semesters in the program. The following explanations are intended to help students in selecting support courses.

The Scholar

Courses selected in support of seminars on The Scholar may focus on developing skills for academic success and on developmental tasks aiding in the student's acclimation to the culture of academe. The central rhetorical mode that may be encouraged – both in spoken and written forms – in courses in support of seminars on The Scholar may be exposition. Courses which enrich student understanding of the educational climate and process may also be appropriate support to seminars on The Scholar. Assignments may focus primarily on basic quantitative reasoning skills and basic communication skills.

The Scientist

Courses selected in support of seminars on The Scientist may focus on empiricism, the scientific method, hypothesis building and establishing proof, and quantitative reasoning. Courses may include fundamental scientific information and conceptual discussions of such topics as paradigm shifts. The central rhetorical mode that may be encouraged – both in spoken and written forms – in courses in support of seminars on The Scientist may be process analysis. Assignments may include the computer program, laboratory report, data analysis and quantitative problem solving.

The Artist

Courses selected in support of seminars on The Artist may focus on the esthetic experience in a variety of creative or performance media or on the aesthetic experience through the appreciatory or critical perspective. In addition, courses which emphasize significant aspects of cultural dialog may be appropriate to support seminars on The Artist. The central rhetorical mode that may be encouraged – both in spoken and written forms – in courses in support of seminars on The Artist may be the response/critique. Assignments may include artwork in a variety of media, musical or theatrical performance, the critical analysis and musical or literary composition.

The Citizen

Courses selected in support of seminars on The Citizen may focus on exploration of issues of personhood and responsibility within various areas: the family, the community, the nation, the world. Course content may include conceptual discussions and experiential learning activities related to such topics as the individual, group membership, the environment, and justice. The central rhetorical mode that may be encouraged – both in spoken and written forms – in courses in support of The Citizen may be persuasion. Assignments may include the case study, data analysis, historical analysis, the experiential learning report and problem solving.