Guidelines for Honors Individual Studies

Honors Independent Studies

Honors independent studies (courses numbered 199H, 299H, 399H, and 499H), along with non-Honors independent studies, may originate in any department on campus. These independent studies may be conducted differently in different departments and Colleges. For example, students in the sciences might be registered for an independent study, the work for which is likely to take place in a laboratory setting and be supervised and graded there; while a student registered for an independent study in the humanities or social sciences is likely to be engaged in a tutorial study with an individual faculty member. This may vary. Honors independent studies (identified by an “H” after the course number) are different from the non-Honors sections in that they receive a regular letter grade upon completion, signifying that the depth and intensity of the work exceeds the scope of a regular independent study. When choosing to register a student for an Honors independent study, faculty should take the following into consideration:

• An Honors independent study should be qualitatively different from the non-Honors independent study normally undertaken in the department or discipline. Even in the laboratory setting, the Honors student taking an Honors section of independent study should be doing demonstrably different work than students registered for a non-Honors section of 199-499.
• This difference, indicating that the independent study is worthy of the honors designation, and therefore of a grade, should be indicated and described on the required departmental form for independent studies.
• This “demonstrably different work” will vary depending upon discipline, but in general should mean not additional assignments, but a deeper, more challenging and more intense engagement with the subject matter or work of the independent study.
• Faculty in individual departments shall determine, along with their colleagues in the discipline, what this specific and more challenging work shall be, but in general it might involve some or all of the following: engagement with theory, closer and/or more frequent contact with faculty members and/or principal investigators, interrogation of underlying assumptions and received wisdom, more advanced engagement with the material, faster progress through the curriculum for the course, and the like.
• Only active University Honors students should be registered for Honors independent study.

Honors Internships

Honors internships (courses numbered 193H 293H 393H and 493H) may be taken through the Honors College, but may also originate in other departments on campus where the Honors section of this course has been approved.

Internships originating in The Honors College (that is, HNRS 193H-493H) include different and additional requirements, listed here as an example.

Requirements for Honors internships (HNRS 193-493H) include, in addition to the regular work of the internship:

• Read selections from Wendell Berry's Citizenship Papers and write a 1-page paper explaining how the premise relates to the student’s internship.
• Identify and read another (scholarly) book pertinent to the internship.
• Keep a journal throughout the tenure of the internship.
• Use the book and journal excerpts to inform a 5-7 page paper that reflects on the internship.
• Participate in an internship symposium during the semester of the internship (or the following semester if the internship takes place outside of Tucson).

These guidelines may be followed in other departments where the Honors internship is allowed, or departments and/or Colleges may determine different requirements for the course. However, when choosing to register a student for an Honors internship, faculty should take the following into consideration:

• An Honors internship should be qualitatively different from the non-Honors internship normally undertaken in the department or discipline.
• This difference, indicating that the internship is worthy of the honors designation, should be indicated and described on whatever departmental form is used to delineate the requirements for the internship.
• This “demonstrably different work” will vary depending upon discipline, but in general should mean not additional assignments, but a deeper, more challenging and more intense engagement with the work of the internship.
• Faculty in individual departments shall determine, along with their colleagues in the discipline, what this specific and more challenging work shall be, but in general it might involve some or all of the following: research into the academic and intellectual questions raised by the work of the internship; an analytical requirement in which the student is required to write about the intellectual or academic questions addressed in the work of the internship; a self-reflective component, demonstrated in a journal or portfolio; a public presentation for the benefit of other students.
• Only active Honors students should be registered for Honors internships.

Honors Preceptorships

Like all preceptorships at The University of Arizona (courses numbered 391 and 491), Honors-level preceptorships may be offered in any department that has approved the course number. Honors preceptorships (designated with an “H” after the course number) should reflect a depth and intensity of work that exceeds the scope of a non-Honors preceptorship.

Whether assisting during a lab course, running study sessions, or supporting a professor directly, Honors preceptors should be required to exceed the standard preceptor duties, primarily by the addition of an intellectual, academic or research component. In addition to the preceptor’s standard duties, Honors preceptorships might include the following components:

• An assignment that includes both research into and analysis of information relevant to the preceptoring duties
• An assignment in self-reflection, which might include a portfolio or journal
• An in-depth study into a specific area of the discipline upon which the course is based, requiring the Honors student to engage more intensely with the material than the non-Honors preceptors
• Engagement in the study of theory appropriate to the discipline.
• Assessment of the learning outcomes from the assignments listed above would occur through an individual presentation to the class where the preceptorship is conducted, a panel presentation by several preceptors to the class, or a report submitted to the professor.
• Additional research or reading from which the student writes a 5 – 7 page paper that relates to the preceptorship experiences.
• Regular meetings with the faculty member in charge of the course in order to assist students in self-reflection and self-assessment
• Only active Honors students should be registered for Honors preceptorships