Information for Our Current Students
Here, current Honors students can find guidance through the Honors curriculum, class equivalences, information on your senior thesis and the Honors Symposium. This information will keep you on track in your studies and alleviate any anxieties about approved credits. We also encourage mentors and counselors to use this guide when advising current and future Honors students.
You'll also find instructions for contracting a course in your major as well as the required forms for your Honors senior thesis proposal, schedule, and contract as downloadable PDF files.
Questions? Contact the Honors Program director Dr. Emma Woelk.
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"The Honors Program at St. Edward’s University empowers high-achieving and curious students to create a community of learning, explore enduring questions, and engage in research and creative scholarship." - Program Mission Statement
Honors students are required to fulfill 24 credit hours of coursework through the Honors Program.
(The following curriculum applies to students who entered the program during or after the 2015-16 academic year. Students entering before that will work with the program director to identify the best course of study for each student.)
General Education
Two of the following first-year LLC small seminars:
- Ecology and the Community / Biology sequence for Honors students in the natural sciences
- The Printed Page and Silver Screen
- Theologies and Religion: Living as Neighbors and Strangers: Religion, Violence, and Community
- Speaking Truth to Power
6 hours
See equivalences in next tab.
Two of the following team-taught courses:
- Art and Ethics: Van Gogh’s Ear, Blendered Goldfish, Burning the Flag and Beyond
- The Shaping of the Modern World
- The Shaping of the Modern World II
- Why the Batman IS the Joker: Literary and Psychological Perspectives on the Self and Other
- Graphic Novels: The Interplay of Image and Text
- Studies in Religion and Theology
- Literature and Ethics
- Medical Ethics
- Art and Ethics
6 hours
See equivalences in next tab.
Three One-Hour Honors Seminars
- Community and a Liberal Arts Education
- Curiosity Seminar
Investigating Creativity
The Visual Art of Reading
Seeking Life Balance Through Yoga, Mediation and Chocolate
Income Inequality and Tax Policy
Questions
Austin as Text: Reading/Mapping/Describing/Living
3 hours
Courses in the Discipline
- Contracted Course in the Major
- Senior Thesis Preparation/Research/Internship
- Honors Senior Thesis
9 hours
Total
24 hours
First-Year Courses
Ecology and the Community / Biology sequence for Honors students in the natural sciences
Equivalent: Science in Depth or Biology 1307 (fall) or Biology 1308 (spring)
The Printed Page and Silver Screen
Equivalent: Creativity and Making or Exploring Artistic Works
Theologies of and Religion: Living as Neighbors and Strangers: Religion, Violence, and Community
Equivalent: Studies in Religion and Theology
Speaking Truth to Power
Equivalent: Oral Communication
Borderlands
Equivalent: Diverse American Perspectives
(Choose two of these four courses during your first year.)
Team-Taught Courses for Sophomores and Juniors
Why Batman IS the Joker: Literary and Psychological Perspectives on the Self and Other
Equivalent: Exploring Artistic Works and/or PSYC 2349 Elective
Art and Ethics: Van Gogh’s Ear, Blendered Goldfish, Burning the Flag and Beyond
Equivalent: Ethics
The Shaping of the Modern World
Equivalent: Global Perspectives
The Shaping of the Modern World II
Equivalent: Global Perspectives
Graphic Novels: The Interplay of Image and Text
Equivalent: Creativity and Making
Studies in Religion and Theology
Equivalent: Studies of Religion and Theology
Literature and Ethics
Equivalent: Ethics
Medical Ethics
Equivalent: Ethics
Art and Ethics
Equivalent: Ethics
Questions? Please contact: Dr. Emma Woelk, 512-637-5618
Your Honors senior thesis is where you will engage in independent research and thesis creation. Past thesis projects include creative work such as graphic novels, plays, and fashion designs, as well as varied academic research on Gothic architecture and gentrification and art in Harlem and East Austin. Your final project is intended for you to reflect on your individual passions and create a work close to your own interests.
You will prepare for your senior thesis with a semester-long research or internship project constructed with the support of a research mentor within your major. This research can also occur during the summer before the fourth year, and is often supported financially through the Office of Fellowships.
SENIOR THESIS SCHEDULE AND CONTRACT
Your research will be presented to the university community at the Honors Symposium and submitted to your faculty mentor as your senior thesis.