Honors Program proposals due Jan. 30

The Honors Program at Western Washington University invites proposals for not fewer than nine seminars to be offered during the 2015-2016 academic year. Proposals are due by 5 p.m. Jan. 30.

Honors seminars are three-credit, junior-level courses and may be on any subject; interdisciplinary proposals are strongly encouraged. Seminars are small, with a limit of 15 students, and are highly interactive focusing on discussion, paper writing, problem solving, or group projects. For the coming academic year, the program is especially eager to offer seminars with natural science subject matter, and proposals from those areas are especially encouraged. Unfortunately, the program cannot accept proposals for team-taught classes.

Proposals should not exceed two type-written, double-spaced pages but may include in addition, sample syllabi, bibliographies, or other attachments. Instructors who have taught in Honors previously must include class evaluations for those classes or a representative sample. Faculty who have not previously taught an Honors class should include evaluations for similar classes, e.g., small, discussion oriented or problem-solving classes. Send proposals in electronic form only to honors@wwu.edu.

An Honors Seminar is an excellent way to try out a new class and to teach a group of highly motivated, high-achieving students. Many Honors seminars are born from the ideas of faculty who have always wanted to teach an experimental class, sometimes in the faculty member’s department, and sometimes in another, allied area, but the opportunity has not been available. In many instances, Honors seminars become part of the faculty member’s suite of permanent course offerings. Faculty are limited to one seminar proposal per year, and no seminar will be taught in consecutive years, though a faculty member may teach different seminars in consecutive years.

Questions? E-mail or call the director at george.mariz@wwu.edu or 360-650-3446.