Note: Not every course is available every semester. Check with the Honors Colllege office for a schedule.

I. Honors Core (Interdisciplinary Courses for First- and Second-Year Students)

Students must include at least one HCOR class in their 18 semester hours of freshman-sophomore honors credit. Choose among these five:

Honors Humanities is a set of three courses that survey world civilization through history, literature, religion, and fine arts. Honors students may take any of the three, in any order. (Counts for literature or history credit in General Education requirements. If you take all three, the third can count as Fine Arts.)

• Ancient Questions - HCOR 221 (fall, spring) - This course covers material from the earliest recorded culture at Sumer through the Middle Ages into the rise of Islam. Some aspects that will be covered are the language, architecture, and politics of this time.
• Cloister to Revolution, 1200-1789 - HCOR 222 (fall, spring) - This course covers the Medieval period through the European Enlightenment. This course will look into the history and contributions made to humanity in this time frame.
• Keep the Revolution Going - HCOR 223 (fall, spring) - This course studies the philosophy and history in world civilization from the Revolutionary Era and Colonialism to Relativity and Islamic Fundamentalism to the complicated present.

Honors Seminar in Social Sciences (HCOR 120) is an introduction to and comparison of psychology, sociology, and political science. This is a service-learning course designed to help you apply the three social sciences to the world around you. The course focuseson citizenship and community while you serve at some of Abilene's nonprofit agencies, such as Abilene Adult Day Care, Faithworks, and Just People. Inc. It's a fun and lively discussion-based course.(Counts for social science credit in General Education requirements)

Honors Arts in Human History (HCOR 240) treats highlights of (mostly Western) music, theatre, visual arts, and film. Students make team presentations to connect various artistic expressions and spend time exploring the cultural offerings at the University and across Abilene. We also give attention to a Christian's response to the arts and responsibility for the arts.  (Counts for Fine Arts credit in General Education requirements)

II. Honors Versions of General Education Courses

Most people have to take at least one of these courses, so why not enjoy a small, thought-provoking experience!

Important note about fall semesters: Entering Freshmen do not make their own fall schedule. It is made for them when registering for Passport (orientation).They are able to tweak their schedules when they come to Passport.

Life and Teachings of Jesus - BIBL 101 (fall) - This course examines the four gospels as well as other historical documents in trying to show who Jesus really was and is. Jesus will be looked at in historical and cultural contexts as well as religious.

Acts to Revelation - BIBL 102 (spring) - This class focuses on the writings of the New Testament, with emphasis on the more significant books. Students will be challenged to find and grasp the basic theological message of each book and then use that for further study. The class will mostly talk about issues that were important to the first-century church, but also discuss how each concern can be applied to our own time.

Message of the Old Testament - BIBL 211 (fall) - This course examines the Old Testament, looking at key texts to understand how God has acted and dealt with people throughout the centuries. The arrangement will be discussed as well as many of the theological themes.

Christianity in Culture - BIBL 212 (spring) -This course explores the basic principles of the Christian faith and investigates the relationship of basic Christian values with those of contemporary culture..

General Chemistry Lecture I - CHEM 133 (fall) - This course is intended for math, science, or pre-health profession majors, but anyone who needs a science class is welcome. The course covers the fundamental principles of chemistry including the structure of matter, stoichiometry, periodicity, bonding, and reactivity.

General Chemistry Lecture II - CHEM 134 (spring) -In this course the properties of solids, liquids, gases, and solutions will be explained. Additional topics include chemical equilibrium, thermodynamics, and kinetics.

Composition and Rhetoric - ENGL 111 (fall) - This class will experiment with style and voice while exploring five distinct categories of essay. The emphasis is to stretch the stylistic rhetoric while being careful to not rip through its fragile wall.

Composition and Literature - ENGL 112 (spring) - Based on the writer's response to assigned literary texts, the essays produced in the course will, nonetheless, allow generous opportunity for personal creativity. In addition to the more traditional literary genres, films will be discussed and dramas enacted.

Fundamentals of Communication - COMS 111 (fall, spring) - This course examines public speaking, interpersonal communication and small group discussion. Several speeches will be made and one will be videotaped for self-evaluation.

Intro to Psychology - PSYC 120 (spring) - This course overviews major areas, including development, psychological disorders, personality and industrial psychology. Students will conduct mini research projects or experiments in major areas.

Film Appreciation - THEA 250 (spring) - This class examines on film each week in the context of humanity as artistic, creative beings, made in the image of God. The discussion is likely to range from the philosophical and cultural underpinnings of various films to techniques, technical aspects, economics, and history. There will be some attention given to the key figures in movie history and emphasis will be on the American cinema: how it is influenced by, and in turn influences the cinema of other cultures.

III. Honors Program Colloquia

Colloquia are available only to honors students who have completed three semesters of full-time college.  A colloquium is a discussion-heavy class on a topic that crosses several disciplines. They earn 1 semester hour's credit and last a maximum of five weeks.  Four colloquia are offered each semester, and topics vary--Three Abrahamic Faiths, Science and Religion, Science and Mass Media, The 60's, Utopias and Dystopias, and more. Some are repeated every few semesters.