FACULTY COURSE PROPOSALS
For academic year 2025-26, the Honors College welcomes creative proposals from permanent faculty to teach the following seminars:
- HON 1000 (1 credit hour): freshman introduction to seminar-style learning; explore a historical or current question, theme, or concept
- HON 3260: Interdisciplinary Seminar (3 credit hours) explore a compelling scholarly topic or question from an interdisciplinary perspective
- HON 3280: Service Learning (3 credit hours) integrate service with instruction
- HON 3750: Honors Forum (3 credit hours) Readings from classics in the liberal arts supplemented by attendance at concerts, art museums and galleries, or theatrical performances. May be repeated as readings vary.
- HON 3800: Global Approaches to Culture and Society (3 credit hours) explore social issues and cultural expression through a global lens; course counts for the Global Scholar distinction
- HON 3900: Virtual Exchange (3 credit hours) Promotes intercultural communicative competence by integrating a virtual exchange component into the curriculum. The course will focus on a particular topic and involve virtual exchange activities and projects that connect GSU students with students abroad. This course qualifies for the Global Scholars Distinction. Students may retake the course as topics vary.
- HON 4500: Enduring Questions (3 credit hours) explore unanswerable questions facing humanity through the ages
Honors College Course Proposal Workshops
Topics will include a reminder of the timeline for submitting proposals and for receiving decisions, a review of the course proposal form, suggestions for structuring the syllabus or thinking about topics, the difference between HON 1000 and upper-level seminars, and more.
Dates for Workshops via Teams
Thursday, January 16, 9:00 – 10:00 AM. Join HERE
Monday, January 27, 2:00 – 3:00 PM. Join HERE
More Details
Honors 1000 courses are intended to expose students to seminar-style learning and to provide incoming Honors students with an opportunity to explore a historical or current question, theme, or concept. The theme of the seminar should grow out of the faculty member’s research interests, but it should also be accessible to incoming freshmen with no special background in the field. We encourage proposals that relate broadly to the university’s strategic focus on complex challenges in cities and global perspectives, but all proposals will be accepted for consideration. Instructors are encouraged to design courses that incorporate university and Honors College events, helping students to cultivate a life of the mind; example assignments might be to attend a campus lecture or Honors College lunch and learn and write a reflection essay or iCollege discussion post.
This year, the Honors College has added the option of integrating Virtual Exchange into the curriculum, either completely or partially in the form of modules. Virtual Exchange is an exciting interactive teaching method that connects students and faculty at Georgia State University to students and faculty at an international university to work collaboratively on a project or theme. This approach promotes students’ intercultural competence and can use a variety of teaching strategies, such as peer review, cooperative learning, online discussions, project-based learning, service-learning, and co-teaching. For more detailed information, see The Virtual Exchange Initiative at Georgia State University.
Proposals for all courses will be welcomed from full-time faculty (TT and NTT) at the Downtown campus. Limited Term Faculty and part–time Instructors are not eligible.
Honors 1000
Teaching an Honors Seminar is an addition to one’s regular duties, and does not substitute for another course. Regular faculty teaching Honors Seminars receive a $1,500 professional development stipend from the Honors College that can be used for travel, equipment, books, or student assistants, etc. (but is not payable as salary). The Honors College transfers these funds directly to the faculty member’s department, center, or other unit shortly after the beginning of the semester the course is taught. Reimbursements for expenses will be placed through the faculty member’s department, unit, or center.
Honors 3260, 3280, 3750, 3800, 4500
The Honors College will compensate departments, not individual faculty members, $5,000 for each successful proposal. The Honors College transfers these funds directly to the faculty member’s department, center, or other units shortly after the beginning of the semester the course is taught. If resources permit, the Honors College will provide a modest professional development stipend to faculty to help them develop a Virtual Exchange component.
Funding Available for Course Activities and Support
Funds will be available only as direct reimbursements to the instructor (dependent on available budget.)