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Honors Courses

Information regarding the Spring 2009 Honors-only designated courses and Honors Colloquia are available here.

Honors students are not required to take honors sections of courses, however, many find the smaller class size creates a more interesting learning environment.  Although honors sections of courses are offered every year, they are not necessarily offered every semester. 

HONR 1000:  Introduction to The Honors College
All incoming honors freshmen are strongly encouraged to enroll in HONR 1000, An Introduction to The Honors College.   This course is designed to help incoming freshmen members of The Honors College understand the requirements of The Honors College and the demands of a university education.  It is also designed to offer students the opportunity to become a part of a community of scholars, develop leadership skills, and learn and develop skills necessary to be successful in Honors.

HONR 3000:  Honors Colloquium
Colloquia are multi-dimensional courses, the content of which change every semester to allow students to pick from a wide variety of subjects.  The colloquium is required and open only to members of The Honors College.  Honors students must take at least one colloquium while an undergraduate at UCM.  Since the topics continually change, the colloquium may be repeated  a maximum of 3 times (6 credit hours). 

Former colloquium courses have included:

The New Unconscious:  The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Impact of the Beatles on American Culture X-men, Clones, & Nanites The Holocaust in Memory Chemistry of Art and Archaeology Entrepreneurialism:  Why Climb the Corporate Ladder? Own It! Psychology of Music    Sex in the Media The Mystery of Time BOND:  James Bond, A Cultural History of the 007 Films, Creation and Evolution in American Culture

HONR 3900:  Introduction to Research Methods and Design
HONR 3900 examines methods for planning and conducting academic research, analyzing and interpreting data, and evaluating existing   research in a variety of academic disciplines.  It specifically addresses development of the Honors Project Proposal and the final product.  Particular attention is given to hypothesis development, data collection techniques, and research ethics. At the end of this course students will have the necessary information needed in order to complete their Honors Project Proposal.

HONR 4000:  Honors Project
The Honors Project is the final component of the Honors College Program.  It is an independent scholarly or creative research experience which gives students the opportunity to apply their abilities and knowledge. The topic of an Honors Project should be unique, creative, and go beyond the usual classroom experience.  Once students have completed 60 credit hours, they are required to meet with the Director of Undergraduate Research to discuss possible topics for their Honors Project.

Honors Project Proposals are approved by the faculty mentor, the Director of Undergraduate Research, and the Dean of The Honors College.  All students must have an approved Honors Project Proposal on file in The Honors College office no later than the end of their junior year. 

An approved proposal is required for enrollment in HONR 4000.  Students must enroll in HONR 4000 no later than the add/drop period of the semester they plan to complete their project.  Students submit their completed project to their faculty mentor for final approval and grading.  Completed projects are due in The Honors College office the Friday before finals week begins.  Final Honors Projects must be in a presentable format (including cover sheet, abstract, mentor approval, and project) and becomes property of The Honors College.  Upon our receiving the final project and grade report, a $1,000 research grant is deposited into the student’s revenue account.

Former Honors Projects have included:

  • The Globe Rebuilt:  Solving the Mystery of Shakespeare’s Theatre
  • Star Wars Animation
  • Re-construction of Quicksilver MX Ultralight Aircraft
  • No War, No Peace: Comparing the Conflicts in Vietnam with the Iraq Insurgency
  • United States Cryptology: A 200 Year Exploration
  • Signing With Babies: A New Way to Communicate
  • The Relationship Between Television Crime Drama Viewing and Perceptions of Psychology as a Profession
  • The Effects of Terrorism on the Aviation Industry
  • The Business of Professional Sports
  • An Analysis of Hate Crime in Missouri
  • The Relationship Between Religiosity and the Self-Perceived  Success of College Students
  • Risk-Taking Behaviors and Death Perceptions
  • Acculturation and the Development of Eating Disorders Among Mexican-American Women