Renée Crown University Honors Program
Contact Samuel Gorovitz, Founding Director,
306 Bowne Hall, 315-443-2759
The Renée Crown University Honors Program is a selective, demanding, and rewarding program for outstanding students who seek intense intellectual challenge and are prepared to invest the extra effort it takes to meet that challenge. It is marked by four distinguishing characteristics:
- Heightened expectations;
- Participation in a vibrant and active community of learners;
- Intensity of intellectual experience; and
- Special intellectual opportunities and responsibilities.
The program is open to qualified students from all undergraduate majors at Syracuse University. Its requirements, supplemental to those of the majors of participating students, stipulate demonstration of the attributes of “Depth, Breadth, Command of Language, Global Awareness, Civic Engagement, and Collaborative Capacity” by successfully completing the following Crown program requirements:
Depth
- An Honors Capstone Project, with written summary for a non-expert audience; and
- XXX 499, thesis preparation, in the major (e.g., HST 499 or ETS 499).
Breadth
A. Disciplinary Diversity (the following three requirements):
- An introductory honors seminar (HNR 100, the Honors seminar for entering first-year students; for students entering the program beyond first semester, HNR 210, HNR 220 or HNR 230);
- Six credits of HNR courses, from at least two of the following three areas: (a) Topics in Humanities Honors (HNR 240, HNR 340, or HNR 440), (b) Topics in Natural Science and Mathematics Honors (HNR 250, HNR 350, or HNR 450), and (c) Topics in Social Science Honors (HNR 260, HNR 360, or HNR 460); and
- Six credits of other Honors courses. These may be Honors sections of regular courses or Honors discussion sections of regular, department-based courses.
B. Interdisciplinarity Work (one of the following three options):
- An approved, three-credit HNR, Soling or other course with substantial interdisciplinary content; or
- An independent project experience, with prior approval from the Honors Program; or
- A clearly interdisciplinary thesis, with prior approval from the Honors Program and from the student’s major department.
Command of Language (the following four requirements)
- The Capstone Project as described under “Depth” above;
- A written description of the Capstone Project, as noted under “Depth” above;
- One course with a substantial public presentation requirement; and
- Either one course with a significant quantitative component or one course in creative expression.
Global Awareness (two of the following nine options; these must represent historically different cultural, ethnic, and linguistic heritages, and at least one must be non-Eurocentric in its focus):
- One course that has a non-US focus (other than language courses);
- A thesis project that has a non-US focus;
- A foreign language course (not the student’s native language) at a level of 201 or higher;
- An internship or other work with at least 50 hours with a documented global perspective;
- A semester or summer abroad in a University-approved foreign study program;
- An Honors-approved, short-term program that includes a foreign travel component
(see examples at: suabroad.syr.edu/programs/other/);
- At least one semester of residence in the International Living Center or in a Learning Community with an international focus (e.g., “Connecting Across the Equator”);
- An approved, sustained, reciprocal mentoring partnership with international students for one semester under the aegis of the Slutzker Center for International Services; and
- An alternative path approved in advance by the Honors Program.
If the requirements of a student’s major create a serious impediment to completing this requirement as stated, the student may, with prior approval from the program director, satisfy the requirement by completing two courses: one non-US, one non-Eurocentric.
Civic Engagement (two requirements):
- Successfully complete a 1-2 hour Introduction to Civic Engagement module; and
- Create a portfolio demonstrating active civic engagement of sustained involvement for several semesters. The successful portfolio will typically document at least 50 hours of activity.
Collaborative Capacity (one of three options):
Successfully complete an extended activity with a team of three to five collaborators that involves significant intellectual content appropriate to the Honors Program:
- An approved course or extended project through the Soling program or through other courses that involve substantial teamwork; or
- An independent project experience (in area such as drama or engineering), resulting in production of a deliverable artifact, such as a report, presentation, or performance (requires faculty approval before work begins and at the end of the project);
- An off-campus project (which may be done through an internship, field experience, or other activity), resulting in deliverable artifact, such as a report, presentation, or performance, and accompanied by a written description of the experience, signed by the faculty mentor.
All courses taken to fulfill the above requirements must be completed with a grade of B or better. Honors students must complete the program with a grade point average at least at the cum laude level in their home schools or colleges (for School of Architecture students, 3.2; for all other schools and colleges, 3.4).
Upon completion of these requirements, “Program Honors” is awarded on the diploma.
Courses
In addition to honors courses that are offered by individual departments, the Honors Program offers the following seminars and courses: