According to Prof. Marlene Miner, RWC Representative to the UC Honors Council, the UC Honors program currently includes roughly 30 RWC students who are taking advantage of this opportunity. Prof. Miner adds that “while the program is not for everyone, there are many students at RWC who can benefit from the enriched educational experience provided by the academic and social opportunities open to those in the program.”
Although students can apply to the program as they are admitted to UC, most students at RWC enter after they have completed at least 12 hours of course work and earned at least a 3.4 GPA. Some even join as they begin their sophomore year.
To graduate “with honors,” students need 24 honors credit hours for an associate degree and 36 honors credit hours for a bachelor’s degree. To earn credits, students can take special honors courses (nine hours are required for the baccalaureate level) or complete an Honors Contract in a regular course.
According to Prof. Miner, “most of our students are earning their Honors hours through Honors Contracts in regular RWC courses. Both students and faculty have found this to be a very rewarding experience. It’s an opportunity for students to explore a topic in more depth or pursue an individual interest related to the course.”
Prof. Miner states that “at this time the college does not have the number of students to be able to offer entire honors sections of introductory courses, but faculty representatives from many RWC departments are working on creative ways to provide students with additional honors opportunities.”
Currently Prof. Jung Rno is teaching an Honors Special Topics course, Mathematics, Physics and Technology for Cosmology, and this spring quarter will be teaching Knot Theory from 6-8:40 p.m. on Tuesdays. Knot Theory is a class that investigates knots and their connection to mathematics and science. Both courses are held on Clifton campus.
Here on the RWC campus during the spring quarter, Prof. Louise Flavin will be teaching the Honors Special Topics course, Jane Austen: Literature and Film, on Tues. and Thurs. from 11-12:20 p.m. The course (course #38HNRS384H) will examine two of Jane Austen’s novels, Pride and Predjudice and Emma and their film adaptations and also consider Clueless, a contemporary version of an Austen novel.
Prof. Miner adds that “we’d like to see students who are in their first year apply to the program this quarter in time to plan their first contract work for Spring Quarter.” An Orientation to Honors is being planned for RWC students who are new or fairly new to the program, and a social event is being planned for those who have been in the program for several quarters.
To apply, simply complete the On Campus/Transfer application, which can be found online at www.honors.uc.edu and include a recommendation letter from a faculty member. For more information on the program, contact Prof. Miner in Room 370 Muntz, call 745-5684 or email at marlene.miner@uc.edu.