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CURRICULUM

The Honors Program is a 4-year program, constituting 25-29 credits, approximately 20-25% of credits required for a major.  Residential Honors Students do not have to take General Education Requirements (36 credits) unless a General Education class is necessary for their major field of study.  Residential Honors students thus have the opportunity to develop minor fields or a double major

YEAR ONE
HON 1000: FRESHMAN HONORS SEMINAR I: BEGINNING HONORS
Through an investigation of specific topics, the course is designed to orient students to higher-level academic work and to examine the relationship of the life of the mind to the world outside college. All honors students must take this course in the fall of their freshman year.
4 credits.

HON 1100: FRESHMAN HONORS SEMINAR II: EXPLORING HAWAII‘I AND THE PACIFIC
Through an interdisciplinary seminar students will deepen their understanding of Hawaii‘i and the Pacific region. Emphasisin this course is on direct involvement with the Hawaii‘i and Pacific community and environment, experiential learning, and the transfer of theory to problem solving outside of the classroom. All honors students must take this course in the spring of their freshman year.
4 credits.

YEAR TWO
HON 2000: SOPHOMORE HONORS SEMINAR I:
This interdisciplinary seminar is specifically targeted to develop important analytical skills through the practice of quantitative analysis and formal symbolic reasoning. Courses focus on the presentation and evaluation of evidence and argument and the understanding of the use and misuse of data. Topics will vary depending upon instructors. Students take this seminar in the fall of their sophomore year.
4 credits.

HON 2100 AND 2200: SOPHOMORE HONORS SEMINARS II AND III:
These interdisciplinary seminars are taken in the fall and spring semester of the sophomore year. The seminars take skills developed in freshman honors courses and apply them in an interdisciplinary analysis of critical and enduring issues. Students will grapple with important texts and ideas which require careful analysis and reflection. Courses are team taught by faculty from differing disciplines and topics will vary depending upon the instructors.
4 credits.

YEAR THREE
HON 3000: JUNIOR HONORS COLLOQUIUM:
This seminar helps students to build the skills necessary for the successful completion of their senior honors project.
3 credits.

YEAR FOUR
HON 4900 AND 4901: SENIOR HONORS PROJECT:
All Honors students are required to complete a senior honors project. This Honors project may take the form of a thesis, but in all cases the experience will be a mentored research or creative project. The project will span at least 2 academic semesters (HON 4900 and HON 4901) and display a high level of intellectual ability or creativity across at least 2 distinct disciplines. A product of the first semester will be a project proposal, and, as a culminating experience of the second semester, all thesis students will give an oral presentation and lead a discussion of their work at the HPU honors symposium. Students are also encouraged to present their work at other venues such as an honors or undergraduate research conference or a professional conference. Senior honors projects may be completed in the student’s major or in the honors program but must contain an interdisciplinary element.
2-6 credits.