Why join the Integral Honors Program? |
| If exploring new ideas intrigues you, if academic challenges excite you, and if intellectual discussion and debate energize you, then the Integral Honors Program is for you! Honors students have wide-ranging interests, both inside and outside the classroom, but all enjoy the life of the mind; learning for the love of learning is a hallmark of the program. So too is interdisciplinary study: courses are team-taught by experienced, deeply committed faculty from different disciplines, and each Honors course covers at minimum the four humanities Core disciplines of English, history, religious studies, and philosophy. Courses are taught as seminars, with comprehensive class discussions and active participation by students in all class and co-curricular activities.
Joining the Integral Honors Program allows you to earn the highest undergraduate degree Le Moyne College awards. Honors graduates gain a significant competitive advantage when applying for graduate or professional school, fellowships and scholarships, or jobs after graduation. More immediate benefits for students in the Honors Program include 24/7 access to the Honors Penthouse, with its computers, kitchen, and comfy couches; broader library privileges; course overloads without tuition charges; and an increased printing allowance. The greatest benefit, however, is the intellectual and personal growth that comes through challenging yourself to reach your full potential as a scholar, a humanist, and a leader. |
Are Integral Honors courses more difficult than regular courses? |
| Yes, Honors courses do demand greater intellectual energy, analytical reading and writing skills, and to some extent preparation time than other courses. Thoughtful reflection, openness to new and different viewpoints, and active participation in discussions are expected of all Honors students, so coming to class well prepared is a key to success in Honors courses. Careful reading of assigned material is probably the most time-demanding activity; writing and revising papers are also important components of Honors courses that require time and thought. In short, Honors courses, designed as they are to challenge Le Moyne’s brightest students, are more difficult than regular courses, but many students prefer taking one 6-hour Honors course to taking two 3-hour core courses on different subjects. |
May a student who wants to study abroad be in the Honors Program? |
| Yes, absolutely. Study abroad in the first semester of junior year is not only possible but encouraged. If you plan to study abroad during any other semester, however, you will need to arrange with the Director to make up the required Honors courses offered the semester you are studying abroad. |
May a student who wants to earn NYS teacher certification be in the Honors Program? |
| Again, yes, absolutely. Earning both an Honors degree and teacher certification will demand extra diligence and focus on your part, however, because the certification program requirements are extensive. You and the Honors Program director will need to plan your program of study very carefully, especially in your senior year, as you will need to meet special, early deadlines for your senior Honors thesis project and your thesis defense to accommodate the student teaching semester required by the teacher certification program. |
May a student join the Honors Program after his or her first year? |
| As a rule, no. While an occasional second-year student is admitted to the Honors Program, this happens rarely, usually with a transfer student or a student who was wait-listed as a first-year Honors Program applicant. Second-year students considering applying should first confer with the Honors director to see how their previous courses fit into the requirements for an Integral Honors degree. After their second year, students are no longer eligible to join the Honors Program. |
May a student leave the Program without losing core credit earned in Honors courses? |
| Students may withdraw from the Honors Program after discussing their decision with the Director and signing a withdrawal form. Credits for Honors courses completed will be converted to regular core credit upon submission of a signed withdrawal form to the Registrar. |
What is the typical Honors course curriculum? |
| Twenty-one credits of the 27 credit-hour Honors curriculum fulfill College Core requirements. The remaining 6 credit hours are primarily devoted to producing the Honors thesis; they fulfill free elective credit requirements, or, with the permission of the student’s department chair, requirements for the major. Core courses and courses in the major that not covered by the Honors Program must be completed by the student in appropriate or convenient semesters. Download complete curriculum. |
What sorts of activities are available for Honors students? |
| A variety of intellectual and social activities take place during the academic year. The Honors House is available to Honors students for academic and social activities, such as pizza nights, the dinner for new students, holiday parties, and late-night paper-writing or study sessions. The Honors Program sponsors a variety of lectures, films, and programs on campus, as well as off-campus trips to plays, operas, symphony concerts, museums, and scholarly conferences. Overnight class trips have included visits to the Stratford (Canada) Shakespeare Festival; to art galleries, the Natural History Museum, and a Broadway play in New York City; to the United Nations and the NY Stock Exchange; and to the Holocaust Museum, Mount Vernon, and the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. Every other year (depending on staffing and funding availability), HON 402, The World of the Other, is offered to Honors students in May and June in Guatemala; this unique four-week, three credit intensive living/learning course is taught in English by Le Moyne professors also fluent in Spanish.
Honors students are welcome to suggest and/or organize additional scholarly and social activities. |
How does a student apply for admission to the Integral Honors Program? |
| Students apply to join the Integral Honors Program in October during their first semester at Le Moyne. An application form can be downloaded here (pdf), or contact the Director, Dr. Elizabeth Hayes.
Students should complete the application and email it to faculty secretary Monica Sondej at sondejmj@lemoyne.edu with "HONORS APPLICATION" as the subject line; or deliver a hard copy to the Director’s office (Reilly Hall 318); or mail a hard copy to Elizabeth Hayes, Integral Honors Program Director, Le Moyne College, 1419 Salt Springs Rd., Syracuse, NY 13214-1399.
The deadline for applications is Sunday noon, October 24, 2010.
Presidential Scholars are guaranteed acceptance into the Integral Honors Program, but only if they apply. They need only complete sections I, II, and III of the application form; they do not have to complete sections IV and V. Dean's Scholars, although not guaranteed acceptance, may also complete sections I, II, and III only.
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...Integral Honors Application form, 2011 |
| Click here to download the application |
More questions about the Integral Honors Program? |
| Contact Dr. Elizabeth Hayes, Director, Integral Honors Program at hayes@lemoyne.edu or (315) 445-4470 for additional information. |
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