George Whitworth Honors
George Whitworth Honors Program Mission Statement
The Whitworth Honors Program challenges talented and motivated scholars to pursue excellence of mind and heart, to cultivate leadership qualities and skills, and to commit to lives of service. The honors program does more than guide scholars to navigate the world as it is; it equips them to solve problems and to develop the world as it should be.
Program Learning Outcomes:
- Explore the liberal arts by means of interdisciplinary courses designed for integration, reflection and application of skills, knowledge and understandings.
- Reflect on how the liberal arts and disciplinary paradigms generate solutions to local and global issues.
- Apply the liberal arts and disciplinary paradigms by independently planning, carrying out, documenting and defending a capstone project within one’s chosen discipline.
- Articulate the benefit of the liberal arts as experienced in the learning opportunities of Nos. 1, 2 and 3.
The Whitworth Honors Program is rooted in the following principles that shape the program and reflect Whitworth’s core values:
- Applied liberal arts: Requirements for credits granted in honors-program learning experiences will invite students to make connections across our shared curriculum and with their major(s) in ways that emphasize the need for problem-solving.
- Active and collaborative learning: Learning experiences are characterized by joint intellectual effort among students and between students and faculty members in pursuit of deeper knowledge and understanding.
- Christian mission: The honors program includes experiences with a faith-learning integration component.
- Community and cohort: Registration for honors program offerings is elective and open to all Whitworth students. Participants in honors activities will find healthy interaction with fellow students and faculty members in enriching ways.
- Educational breadth: Honors graduates must complete academic-enrichment experiences across the curriculum (not just in proximity to their major) and are encouraged to make connections across the disciplines.
- Vocational preparation: Honors experiences are designed to provide a high level of preparation for post-baccalaureate educational and/or career opportunities.
- Versatility: The Whitworth Honors Program offers a dynamic program of study, one in which students from different backgrounds and with different goals can adapt to enhance their Whitworth education. Whether pursuing advanced academic study, pre-professional training or opportunities for community engagement, honors students can adapt the requirements to offer them the best possible undergraduate training.
Enrollment in George Whitworth Honors Program
Incoming first-year students admitted with honors are eligible to enroll in the Whitworth Honors Program. Students not admitted with honors may seek enrollment once they have demonstrated academic strength in Whitworth courses. Enrollment requires securing an honors advisor from the list of departmental liaisons.
Transfer and First-Year Students Entering with Credits
Students who matriculate into Whitworth with 30 or more credits have a reduced credit load to complete honors program requirements. Students entering with 30-44 credits must complete 15 honors credits. Students entering with 45-59 credits must complete 12 honors credits. Students entering with 60-plus credits must complete nine honors credits. Students in these situations should consult with their honors advisors for the best pathway to completion.
Requirements for George Whitworth Honors (18) | ||
|---|---|---|
| SC 126H | Connecting the Disciplines (Honors) | 1 |
| HN 300H | The Motivated Project | 1 |
| HN 400H | Honors Exhibition | 1 |
| Three credits of "H" designated work in the Belief Inquiry group (Biblical Literature, FRCI or Core) | 3 | |
| Three credits of "H" designated work in the Culture Inquiry Group (Culture and Diversity, Historical Analysis or Literature and Storytelling) | 3 | |
| Three credits of "H" designated work in the Expression Inquiry Group (Fine Arts, Oral Communication, World Languages or Written Communication) | 3 | |
| Three credits of "H" designated work in the Science Inquiry Group (Mathematics and Statistics, Natural Science or Social Science) | 3 | |
| Three credits of upper division (300+) "H" designated work * | 3 | |
- *
These credits are in addition to HN 300H and HN 400H
To be a George Whitworth Scholar, a student must complete at least 18 credits with a grade of "C" or higher within the Honors program. No more than nine honors credits can be earned within a single department. Honors courses cannot be taken for P/NC. If an Honors course is audited, it will not count toward the Honors requirements.
To graduate as George Whitworth Scholars, students must finish their degrees with a 3.5 cumulative GPA. Students who do not meet these requirements will still be enriched by these experiences, but will not graduate with George Whitworth honors.
Transfers and First-Year Students Entering with Credits:
Students who matriculate into Whitworth with 30 or more credits have a reduced credit load to complete Honors Program requirements. Students entering with 30-44 credits should complete 15 Honors credits. Students entering with 45-59 credits should complete 12 Honors credits. Students entering with 60+ credits should complete 9 Honors credits. Students in these situations should consult with their Honors Advisors for the best pathway to completion.
Following is a partial list of honors offerings
BI 114H - Resurrection Science. Professor/contact: Aaron Putzke
BI 120H - Introduction to Environmental Science. Professor/contact: Grant Casady
CO 150H - Ancient & Modern Worldviews. Professor/contact: Josh Leim
CO 250H - Worldview & Role of Reason. Professor/contact: Meredith Shimizu
CO 350H - Worldviews in Policy. Professor/contact: Kamesh Sankaran
CS 378H - How to Make Darn-Near Anything (Periodic). Professor/contact: Peter Tucker
EDU 201H - Honors Educational Psychology (Spring semesters). Professor/contact: James Uhlenkott
EL 110H - Writing I: Writing in the World. Professor/contact: Bert Emerson
EL 115H - Reading in Action (Fall semesters). Professor/contact: Bert Emerson
EL 211H - Intro to Professional Writing. Professor/contact: Jessica Clements
EL 340H - Writing in Virtual Worlds (Periodic). Professor/contact: Jessica Clements
EL 422H – Joyce & Woolf Seminar (Periodic). Professor/contact: Casey Andrews
HN 401H - Smithsonian Seminar. Professor/contact: Bert Emerson
COM 126H - Writing for Digital Media (Jan Term). Professor/contact: Erica Salkin
KIN 219H – Sport and Film (Jan Term). Professor/contact: Kirk Westre
PH 199H - Philosophy in the Real World. Professor/contact: Josh Orozco
PH 329H - God, Knowledge, and Language (Periodic). Professor/contact: Nate King
PY 499H - Advanced Senior Thesis (Spring semesters). Professor/contact: Alisha Epps
SN 465H - Don Quixote. Professor/contact: Angeles Aller
SO 372H - Sociology of Religion. Professor/contact: Mark Killian
SO 375H - Planned Communities. Professor/contact: Mark Baird
WL 498H– World Languages & Cultures Capstone (Fall and Spring semesters). Professor/contact: Jennifer Brown