Faculty Handbook 2008-2009
The Honors Program is designed especially for outstanding students, and seeks to enhance the intellectual and creative life of the College. Among many other activities, it offers a series of innovative seminars intended to challenge the intellectual aspirations of highly motivated and academically gifted students. Working closely with the Director of the Honors Program and their faculty advisors, Honors students may enroll in multiple seminar offerings during their Denison careers. Other special academic events also take place each semester for Honors students. For example, visiting scholars meet regularly with students in the Honors Program.
Most Honors seminars meet a General Education requirement of the College. Any Honors seminar will meet the FYS 102 requirement. All students with a 3.4 or higher GPA (3.6 beginning with the class of 2010) are invited to participate in the Honors Program. Students may also graduate as a member of the Honors Program: a student must file a declaration of intention to complete the requirements, maintain a 3.4 or higher GPA (3.6 beginning with the Class of 2010), successfully complete four seminars in the Honors Program, and successfully complete an Honors Project in the student's department or program major.
All Denison faculty are invited and encouraged to submit proposals for Honors seminars to the Director. Calls for seminars go to the faculty in September and February. "Goals and Characteristics of an Honors Seminar" can be found on the Honors Program web page (www.denison.edu/honors). Faculty are encouraged to participate in Honors Program activities; events are listed monthly on the web page. The Honors Program newsletter, "Arete," published quarterly, keeps Honors students abreast of current activities in the Program.
The Honors Program Director and the Assistant Director of Fellowships assist students in applying for prestigious national and international awards such as the Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright, Truman, Goldwater and NSF. Interested students should meet with the Director or Assistant Director early in their academic career. The "Fellowship Opportunities" section of the Honors Program web page (www.denison.edu/honors/postdu.html) spells out in detail the requirements for each of these Fellowships. Faculty are asked to encourage their academically talented students to consider these Fellowships.
The Honors Program is located in Gilpatrick House.