The Honors Core
Curriculum develops exceptional critical thinking, reading, and writing
skills in our students. Through two
successive critical reading and writing courses, Honors 190 and 191,
students engage in reading- and writing-intensive coursework designed to
challenge them intellectually and improve their abilities to succeed
academically. The Honors Core
Curriculum instructors, representing various disciplines and professions across
the university, work collectively to provide a curriculum reflective of their
particular fields of expertise and interest. This unique, inter-disciplinary
approach equips students with the critical thinking, reading, oral expression,
and writing skills necessary to excel in whatever field they choose.
The faculty in the
Honors Program expects all honors freshmen to master the following reading,
writing, and oral expression skills in Honors 190/191.
1.
Students will be able
to critique a work of fiction or non-fiction with respect to its genre, themes,
issues, style, point of view, characterization, setting, plot, imagery,
rhetorical strategies, prosodic techniques, and so on.
2.
Students will be able
to compare and contrast two written works with respect to their genres, styles,
ideas, theses, settings, cultural contexts, and so on.
3.
Students will be able to identify and critically assess a particular
text’s rhetorical style with respect to ethos, pathos, and logos and
author, audience, and purpose.
4.
Students will be able
to critique and contextualize their readings from a cultural, historical,
sociological, psychological, scientific, religious, ethnic, and/or philosophical
point of view.
5.
Students will examine a
text and will be able to persuasively argue the merits of a text with respect to
certain assumptions, key concepts and ideas, claims, and supporting
evidence.
6.
Students will be able
to summarize, orally or in written form, the plot of a work of fiction or
non-fiction (e.g., novel, short story, autobiographical essay, etc) and
paraphrase, orally or in written form, a poem.
7.
Students will be able
to identify and summarize, orally or in written form, the thesis and main points
of a secondary source (e.g., chapter in book of critical essays, journal
article, newspaper article, refereed on-line web source,
etc.).
8.
Students will be able
to create a well-organized and hierarchical outline of ideas, main points,
and/or issues based upon their reading of a particular
text.
9.
Students will be able
to evaluate claims and arguments in order to determine their merit and
value.
10.
Students will be able
to differentiate between relevant and irrelevant information, valid and invalid
arguments, and factual and value-based assumptions.
11.
Students will be able
to generate reasons, causes, solutions, and/or explanations in the evaluation of
a statement or position.
12.
Students will be able
to recognize and take into account cultural, gender, racial, and ethnic views in
the process of evaluating a statement or position.
13.
Students will be able
to identify problems, propose and evaluate solutions, and effectively use
appropriate tools in solving the problem.
14.
Students will be able
to construct a well-articulated argument for or against a specific claim,
provide sufficient evidence to support it, and adequately qualify or restrict
it.
15.
Students will be able
to demonstrate the ability to take information or principles learned in one
context and apply them appropriately in another context.
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