Teaching Honors Courses
The University Honors Program solicits proposals from faculty to teach honors courses each semester. If you are interested in teaching in honors, please review the current Call for Proposals, and contact Corinne.Wieben@unco.edu with any questions.
Call For Proposals for Fall 2026 Honors Courses &
Schulze Interdisciplinary Course Development Grants
The University Honors Program is now accepting applications to teach Honors courses in Fall 2026. Faculty may propose:
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An existing ,
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A new course to be piloted as an HON 100 or HON 200 seminar, or
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HON 395: Special Topics.
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Their unit leader and college dean (to ensure in-load duties are not compromised), and
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The Schulze Chair and the Dean of Undergraduate Studies (to confirm funding for the overload).
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$2000 for new or extensively revised high-impact courses (LAC/gtP)
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$1500 for all other new or extensively revised courses
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Instructor information: Name, email, department or program affiliation, and a current CV.
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Course proposal: Proposed course number, title, brief description, and preferred days/times for instruction.
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Mission alignment statement: A brief statement (up to 500 words) describing how the proposed course aligns with the Schulze mission of interdisciplinary education and the Honors mission of inclusive, responsive teaching.
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Student learning outcomes: A description of the course’s content, activities, and assessments, showing how they align with the Honors student learning outcomes the course will address (see Teaching Honors Courses-Honors Course Basic Information section below, for guidance). Proposed LAC courses must also align with the relevant LAC/gtP outcomes.
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Unit leader support: A brief memo from the instructor’s unit leader confirming support for the applicant to teach a three-credit Honors course in Fall 2026 and verifying that the course can be offered as part of the instructor’s regular (in-load) teaching assignment.
Please submit all application materials to corinne.wieben@unco.edu. by Monday, November 3, 2025.
Honors Course Basic Information
Honors Course Approved Catalog Courses List
LAC/GTP Approved Honors Courses
- HON 180 Great Ideas in Context (3 credits)—An introduction to global intellectual and cultural traditions through reading and discussion of classic works of literature. LAA2- Arts&Hum-Lit&Humanities and LAIS-International Studies and GT (All LAC Content and Competency requirements plus at least three SLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5)
- HON 182 Confluence of Cultures (3 credits)— An exploration of African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, Native American or U.S. immigrant cultures from historical, literary, and artistic perspectives. LAA2-Arts&Hum-Lit&Humanities and LAMS- Multicultural Studies and GT Literature (All LAC Content and Competency requirements plus at least three SLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5)
- HON 185 Religions and Worldviews (3 credits)— Explores major religious and non- religious worldviews by examining the history, literature, rituals, and teachings of a selection of religious traditions and worldviews, as well as influential ancient and modern critiques of religion. Also considers the ways in which people construct worldviews, as well as the possibilities for inter-religious dialogue. LAA3-Arts&Hum-Ways of Thinking and GT Ways of Thinking (All LAC Content and Competency requirements plus at least three SLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5)
- HON267 Culture and Consciousness(3 credits) - This course explores relations between culture and consciousness, emphasizing how different cultural, social, historical, and philosophical contexts influence human perceptions and subjective experiences. It aims to deepen students' understanding of these relationships through interdisciplinary readings, discussions, and practical research. LAA3-Arts&Hum-Ways of Thinking and GT-AH3 Ways of Thinking. (All LAC content and Competency requirements plus at least three SLOs: 1,2,3,4, or 5)
- ANY NEW COURSE that would be proposed for future inclusion as an LAC/GT-Pathways course. May be rolled out as an HON100 or HON200 while submitting for LAC/GT-Pathways approval.
Non-LAC Honors Catalog Courses
- HON 100 Honors Connection I (3 credits)— Interdisciplinary seminar that emphasizes the connections between areas of knowledge such as the sciences, arts, philosophy, history, literature, and sociology. This course is normally developed around a specific theme or conceptual framework. (At least three SLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5)
- HON 200 Honors Connection II (3 credits)— Interdisciplinary seminar that seeks to engage students in a concentrated analysis of their values in the context of the times, developed around a specific theme or conceptual framework. (At least three SLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5)
- HON 395 Honors Special Topics (3 credits) – VARIABLE TITLE An advanced study of selected topics of an interdisciplinary nature for Honors Program students. (At least three SLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5)
- HON420 Honors Research Methods(3 credits) - Examination of research paradigms and methodologies to develop the most appropriate research methods and data analysis processes to design and develop a successful honors thesis proposal. (At least three SLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4 or5)
Select any course title above for a sample syllabus.
Course Sections and Course caps
HON 180, 182, 185, 267 are capped at 25-30 Honors students.
HON 100 and 200 are capped at 25 students and typically enroll 12-25 Honors students.
HON395 and HON420 may be capped between 15-20, depending on the course and the instructor preference.
Honors Student Learning Outcomes
- Problem Solving using Creative and Critical Thinking (ILOs 1.b, 1.d., 3.a.) Apply critical thinking to analyze, integrate, and evaluate information. Offer novel or innovative ways of solving problems. Demonstrate ability to see and speak about ambiguities and complexity of issues.
- Integrative Inquiry (Analytic Inquiry through Integrative learning) (ILOs 3.d., 4.a): Questions, connects and extends knowledge from one’s own academic focus to the world beyond èßätv. Integrates multiple disciplinary lenses when considering issues or developing creative endeavors. Drives own learning by asking questions, designing investigations, and seeking out information to answer complex problems, rather than passively receiving information.
- Scholarly Communication(ILO 1.e., 4.a.)Communicate one's thoughts on paper and in speech effectively with a scholarly voice by using evidentiary support and critical reasoning, within philosophical, analytical and theoretical frameworks appropriate to the discipline. Uses appropriate citation and attribution for the discipline. Joins in the scholarly discourse.
- Intercultural Awareness (ILO 2.a., 3b. 3c): Develop the capacity to interact effectively with others whose identities, beliefs, behaviors, and values differ from their own.
- Community Engagement (ILOs 2.c. 2.d. 5.b. 5.c.): Invests in the community and empowers self and others to make a positive impact on their communities, such ascampus community, scholarly or research community, identity-based community, civic community, geographic community, global community or other communities in which the student engages.
Honors Program Student Learning Outcomes: Full rubric of Honors Program Student Learning Outcomes with details and progressive levels of mastery. Honors 100-200 level classes should include SLOs at introductory or developing levels. Honors 300 level classes may include developing or mastery levels. Honors 400 level classes should include mastery levels.
Benefits of Teaching Honors Courses
- The opportunity to design and deliver robust interdisciplinary offerings highlighting your specific interests (all HON courses must be interdisciplinary by design).
- The opportunity to expand your pedagogical strategies (all HON courses must incorporate engaged, culturally inclusive projects).
- Support for team-teaching (if desired) and replacement funds (if needed). Note that a maximum of 3 credit hours is available per course.
- Improved department instruction cost metrics, as the cost of the faculty member teaching in honors is covered by the Honors Program.
Minimum Threshold for Determining Faculty Qualifications for Teaching in Honors
Approved May 2, 2018
Minimum Threshold Criteria
To be considered qualified to teach courses in the Honors program, a faculty member must meet one of the following three criteria:
- Master’s degree in an area relevant to the course taught.
- Master’s degree in a discipline or subfield other than that in which he or she is teaching if at least 18 graduate credit hours have been completed in the discipline or subfield relevant to the course taught.
- Tested experience relevant to the course taught. Determination of minimum qualifications by tested experience will refer back to the department relevant to the course taught.
In addition, the faculty member must have a record of research, creative activity, scholarship or professional achievement.
Prior to an appointment, the program will determine the appropriate level of experience required to meet the minimum threshold based on the nature of the appointment.
The minimum threshold will be applied consistently to all faculty appointments in the program and expressed clearly in the position description used for the search.
Evaluation Procedure
When a candidate is considered for appointment through tested experience, the following procedures will be used to evaluate the candidate’s qualifications.
- Members of the search committee or the search committee chair will review all documentation provided by the candidate relative to the minimum threshold criteria.
- Upon determining that the candidate meets the minimum threshold, the candidate will become part of the pool of applicants eligible for advancement in the hiring process, and all regular hiring procedures will apply.
- If a candidate deemed qualified through tested experience is approved for hire, the program coordinator will document the appointee’s qualifications in Digital Measures or the current system for housing faculty hiring documents by attaching supporting documents and entering a written statement describing how the appointee meets the minimum threshold for tested experience.