CHAPTER 8 ACADEMIC REGULATIONS

PART I - Regulations for Students

 HONORS PROGRAM

8.60.10 Honors Program: Objectives. The principal objectives of the Honors Program shall be:

8.60.11 To provide for the development and maintenance of an intellectual community of scholars, students, artists and interested faculty.

8.60.12 To provide intellectual excitement and reward to all participants, both students and faculty.

8.60.13 To provide for examination of and training in critical, creative, and integrative thinking.

8.60.14 To provide students with opportunities to broaden their intellectual development and to become engaged in more sophisticated inquiry in their major fields of study than would normally be possible.

8.60.15 To provide students a series of defined intellectual products at each level as vehicles for practicing the skills and forms of thinking they have learned and to otherwise express their intellectual accomplishments.

8.61.10 Content. The Honors Program shall consist of four years of course work, integrated as follows:

8.61.11 100-level offerings shall be general courses one semester in length. They shall be courses specifically created for the program or existing courses that have been modified to serve its purposes. These courses shall be taught by URI or emeriti faculty and may enroll up to fifteen students each. No more than fifteen such courses, divided approximately evenly between semesters, shall be offered in a year. Except for the Analytical Thinking Skills courses which are for three credits, 100-level honors courses may be offered for one to four credits. Enrollment preference in 100-level honors courses shall be given to freshmen.

8.61.12 The 200-level offering shall be an interdisciplinary, one semester colloquium. URI faculty shall serve as coordinators for the colloquia. Outside lecturers shall also participate in the presentations. Emeriti professors also may participate. The size of the student enrollment shall be specified yearly. Three credits may be earned for participation in the colloquium. Enrollment shall normally be limited to students with sophomore standing or above. Students may take the colloquium more than once.

8.61.13 300-level offerings shall be tutorial courses organized by discipline or college or by groups of disciplines and/or colleges. These tutorials shall be semester long courses taught by URI or emeriti faculty. Enrollment in each tutorial shall be limited to eight students unless the instructor considers a larger number essential. Tutorials shall ordinarily be offered for three credits. However, in special circumstances they may be offered for one or two credits each semester as part of a three credit course which extends throughout a year. Enrollment shall be limited to students with junior standing or above.

8.61.14 400-level offerings shall consist of honors projects which culminate in major papers or other significant intellectual products, or special seminars which integrate substance or explore ideas. Projects and seminars shall extend through the senior academic year. However, especially well qualified students may begin projects in the last semester of their third year. Honors projects shall be directed by URI faculty. Special seminars may be taught by URI or emeriti faculty and shall be limited to fifteen students each. Honors projects and special seminars shall each be offered for three credits per semester.

8.62.10 Eligibility. Eligibility standards for each level of the program shall be determined on a yearly basis by the Honors Program and Visiting Scholars Committee and the standards for each year shall be announced by February 1st of the preceding academic year. Students who do not meet the announced standards may petition for admission to the program or for retention in it if they have already taken part in the program.

8.62.11 Eligible students may participate at any level in the Honors Program. Student who wish to complete the program and receive the transcript notation must begin their participation no later than the beginning of the 3rd year in the undergraduate program.

8.62.12 To participate in an honors project, a student must receive the endorsement of his/her respective department chair and academic dean.

8.63.10 Requirements. Students must complete at least 15 credits of course work in the Honors Program, and attain a QPA of 3.20 or better for these courses as well as a 3.20 QPA overall, in order to graduate with the notation "Completed the University Honors Program."

8.63.11 These courses shall include: (1) three credits at the 100-level; (2) 3 credits of the Honors Colloquium -- HPR 201 or 202 (required of all students); (3) 3 credits at the 300-level (tutorial); (4) 6 credits at the 400-level, which may be either (a) 6 credits of the Senior Honors Project (HPR 401, 402) or (b) 3 credits of the Senior Honors Project (HPR 401) and 3 credits of the Senior Honors Seminar (HPR 411).

8.63.12 The Registrar shall enter on the transcript of students who meet requirements: "Completed the University Honors Program."

8.64.10 Program Direction and Development. The Honors Program and Visiting Scholars Committee in conjunction with the Director of the Honors Program shall be responsible for directing and developing the Honors Program.

8.64.11 The Committee shall approve all courses offered in the Honors Program and the instructors for them. No faculty member shall be compelled to teach in the Honors Program or direct honors projects.

8.64.12 The Committee shall establish general standards for students' performance and productivity in the Honors Program courses.

8.64.13 The Committee shall conduct periodic evaluations of the effectiveness of the Honors Program and its separate components.

8.64.14 The Committee shall review the specific programs submitted by participating departments and colleges. These reviews shall insure that the separate programs meet the requirements of the Honors Program.

8.65.10 Department and College Responsibilities. University College advisers and the chairpersons of the departments shall inform eligible students within University College and their departments respectively about the Honors Program.

8.65.11 Departments and colleges may develop specific programs which complement the Honors Program. Participating departments shall submit to the Honors Program and Visiting Scholars Committee descriptions of their separate program for approval.

8.65.12 Neither departments nor colleges may establish requirements that prohibit eligible students majoring in their departments or colleges from participating in the Honors Program.

8.65.13 Department chairpersons shall consider Honors Program courses when scheduling teaching loads.