Course Requirements for the Honors Program
Fundamentum
Pathways to Honors (1 course)
HON 100 Via ad Honors (2 credits)
This course prepares students for engagement in the Honors Program.
Writing and Mathematics (3 courses)
AWR 101/UT*** Reading Locally and Globally (4 credits)
AWR 201 Writing and Research: The Local and Global (4 credits)
MAT 155, MAT 160, MAT 170, MAT 201, MAT 225, MAT 260, MAT 261 or higher (4 credits)
Note that many majors require a specific mathematics course and that course can be used to fulfill the Honors math requirement as well. If a student does not have a math requirement in their
major, they are encouraged to take MAT 155 or MAT 160. All mathematics courses are 4 credits.
Honors Core
The Dialectics (3 courses):
A dialectic is a critical investigation of truth through reasoned argument, often by means of dialogue or discussion.
HON 220 Where Have We Been? (4 credits)
This is a one-semester course that will be taught by one professor in the Humanities, one professor in the Natural Sciences, and one professor in the Social Sciences. In this course, students explore the past by studying the foundations and development of various cultures’ sociopolitical, scientific, and historiographical foundational ideas from the dawning of time to the 20th century.
HON 230 Where Are We Now? (4 credits)
This is a one-semester course that will be taught by one professor in the Humanities, one professor in the Natural Sciences, and one professor in the Social Sciences. In this course, students explore the present by studying the foundations and development of various cultures’ sociopolitical and scientific foundational ideas in the 20th and 21st centuries.
HON 240 Where Are We Going? (4 credits) This is a one-semester course that will be taught by one professor in the Humanities, one professor in the Natural Sciences, and one professor in the Social Sciences. In this class, students will explore the future by studying cutting-edge thought innovations shaping tomorrow’s world from the varying perspectives represented by each instructor.
Idea Labs (3 courses)
HON 253 Idea Lab: Health Science/Natural Science (4 credits)
Idea labs are courses in thought experiments. In these courses, students will use critical inquiry to approach problems in either Health Science or Natural Science that present themselves locally (in Tampa Bay) or globally (in society).
HON 255 Idea Lab: Humanities/Fine Arts (4 credits)
Idea labs are courses in thought experiments. In these courses, students will use critical inquiry to approach problems in Humanities/Fine Arts that present themselves locally (in Tampa Bay) or globally (in society).
HON 257 Idea Lab: Social Science (4 credits)
Idea labs are courses in thought experiments. In these courses, students will use critical inquiry approach problems in Social Science that present themselves locally (in Tampa Bay) or globally (in society).
The Thesis
HON 490: Thesis (6 to 10 credits)
A standard thesis is an original argument that is, at minimum, the length of a publishable article. Creative theses are welcome. Students should attempt to publish or make public their thesis in an appropriate venue, whether that venue is a journal, conference, juried art show, or stage.
Students with capstone courses in their major that require an original research/creative project can use these projects as their Honors Thesis if the project meets the guidelines outlined above.
Students can work together to co-create a thesis if their director approves. Students can use transfer credit from another college or university, or AP credit under certain conditions, to satisfy the math, academic writing requirements, and 2 of the 3 Idea Labs. AP and IB scores for AWR 101/UT*** 110, AWR 201 and Mathematics are accepted based on the AP Credit Determination and the IB Credit Determination designations published on the UTampa Website. If a direct equivalent course published on the AP or IB Credit Determination pages is not needed for the major, then AP tests with a score of 5 or IB tests with a score of 5 that correspond to the Humanities Idea Lab (African American Studies, Art History), the Social Science Idea Lab (Comparative Government and Politics, European History, Human Geography, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Psychology, United States Government and Politics, United States History, World History, World History: Modern), or the Natural Science Idea Lab (Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Studies, Physics 1, Physics 2, Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, Physics C: Mechanics) will also be accepted. AP scores below 5 and IB scores below 5, as well as AICE credit, cannot be used as transfer credit for Idea Labs. No transfer credit may be applied toward the Dialectics. Students may also use Study Abroad courses taken while at the University to satisfy a maximum of two core Honors courses (Dialectics or Idea Labs), as long as the Study Abroad courses align with the course description and objectives. These Study Abroad courses do not have to have an HON designation.
Students who complete the Idea Labs and Dialectics but not the thesis must take 3 extra classes to complete their core: 1 Spartan Studies Core Humanities Course (4 credits); 1 Spartan Studies Social Science course (4 credits); 1 Spartan Studies the Visual/Performing Arts Distribution Course (4 credits). Finishing these 3 Spartan Studies classes but failing to finish the thesis will mean that the student does not graduate with Honors (but they will graduate with their degree if they meet all other major/Spartan Studies requirements).
Students who complete the Idea Labs and then transfer to Spartan Studies will receive humanities credit for Hon 255, natural science credit for Hon 253, and social science credit for Hon 257. Concerning Dialectics: If students have taken Hon 220 and Hon 230 OR Hon 220 and Hon 240, then they have satisfied the Humanities core requirement for Spartan Studies. If students have taken Hon 230 and Hon 240, then they have satisfied the Social Science core requirement for Spartan Studies. If students have completed at least 4 thesis credits, those thesis credits satisfy the Spartan Studies Culminating Experience requirement. There is no Honors equivalency for UTampa 200, UTampa 201, and the Visual/Performing Arts Distribution Requirement.