Honors Independent Study

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The Honors Independent Study provides a unique learning experience for students in the Honors College. 

Students enrolling in HNRS 4900: Independent Study in Honors (1-5 credit hours), have the opportunity to create an individualized course of study with a chosen faculty member. This course would provide students a learning experience not available through existing courses at the University. The course need not be focused within the student’s major area of study. The Independent Study may be interdisciplinary and may lead to development of the student’s Honors project. The Independent Study must be approved by the instructor of the course in conjunction with the Dean of the Honors College in advance (see deadlines above). As part of the expectations of the class, students enrolling in HNRS 4900 are required to present at either an approved BGSU symposium (e.g., the Undergraduate Research Symposium, Undergraduate Symposium on Diversity, the Teaching and Learning Fair) or a departmentally-approved professional meeting or conference.

Students enrolling in classes that utilize the following experiential learning opportunities are encouraged to consider an Independent Study in Honors: education abroad, service learning, undergraduate research, or internship/co-op. Please meet with your Honors advisor to discuss these opportunities in detail and to determine whether an Independent Study best meet your needs.

All petitions for approval must indicate how the work being completed meets at least one of the BGSU Honors College Learning Outcomes: Critical Thinking, Oral Communication, Written Communication, or Integrative Learning.

Honors College Learning Outcomes:

a) Oral Communication: imparting thoughts, opinions, and/or arguments in a clear concise manner through a prepared, purposeful presentation designed to increase knowledge, to foster understanding, or to promote change in the listeners' attitudes, values, beliefs, or behaviors.
b) Written Communication: imparting thoughts, opinions, and/or arguments in a clear concise manner and the development and expression of ideas in writing. Written communication involves learning to work in many genres and styles. It can involve working with many different writing technologies, and mixing texts, data, and images. Written communication abilities develop through iterative experiences across the curriculum.
c) Integrative Learning: an understanding and a disposition that a student builds across the curriculum and co-curriculum, from making simple connections among ideas and experiences to synthesizing and transferring learning to new, complex situations within and beyond the campus.
d) Critical Thinking: the ability to evaluate an argument, to be aware of the process involved in evaluating an argument and to come to some conclusion with respect to that argument. Critical thinking allows one to recognize the biases and values that underlie arguments and how these values and biases can shape decisions. Students should be able to:
    a. Identify an argument
    b. Identify the assumptions within an argument
    c. Identify and evaluate the evidence used (grounds for the belief and quality of evidence)
    d. Evaluate the logical construction of that argument
    e. Form a conclusion with respect to an argument

Please have already discussed the course plan, materials, timeline, and presentation with the faculty member before you complete this form.

This form needs to be completed, no later than the following dates based on semester:

Fall Semester: July 1st
Summer Semester:  May 1st
Spring Semester: December 1st

Complete form for Honors Independent Study here