Honors Program

Director: Angela Russell Christman, Professor of Theology
Office: Humanities Center, Room 231a
Telephone: 410‑617‑2359
Website: www.loyola.edu/academic/honorsprogram

The Honors Program offers students a fully integrated program of study that corresponds to the University's core curriculum and is both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary. The Honors curriculum accomplishes the goals and learning aims of the regular University core, but does so through an alternate path that is designed to be flexible and to accommodate the requirements of all majors across the University. Since the Honors Program curriculum simply replaces University core requirements, enrollment in the program does not add extra courses to a student's program of study.

Honors students major in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging across the arts and sciences, education, and business. Honors courses cover all of the academic divisions within arts and sciences: humanities, fine arts, natural sciences, and social sciences. Honors courses are usually small and most are conducted as seminars. They not only require substantial student involvement and participation, but also present an exciting and challenging course of study.

The Honors Program also gives students and faculty the opportunity to attend a variety of cultural events, both on campus and off. Some of these are scheduled as a regular part of the curriculum, while others, although not tied to a particular class, offer students the chance to further enrich their education.

Learning Aims

Intellectual Rigor

The ability to evaluate a claim, analyze a problem, and make sound judgments based on evidence
The ability to understand and employ the scientific method
The ability to use mathematical concepts and procedures competently and to evaluate claims made in numeric terms
A broad grounding in the liberal arts and sciences
Excellence in a discipline or combination of disciplines

A Sense of the Timeless and the Timely

An understanding of the interconnectedness of all knowledge
Appreciation for intellectual endeavor and the life of the mind
The ability to connect the endeavors and events of the past with current events and future action

Eloquentia Perfecta

The ability to use speech and writing effectively, logically, gracefully, persuasively, and responsibly
Competence in a language other than one's own

Aesthetics

An appreciation of beauty, both natural and man-made
A cultivated response to the arts, including the ability to express oneself about aesthetic experience

Engagement

The use of knowledge to improve understanding and effect positive change
The development of intellectual curiosity, honesty, humility, and persistence
A lifelong love of learning

Self-Reflection

A habit of reflecting on one's intellectual and moral journey, the practice of discernment
The practice of reading and rereading
Thoughtfulness and intentionality about the appropriate use of leisure time

Intellectual Independence

Begin to establish ownership of one's own advanced scholarship
Begin to establish a personal library of books and readings to take through one's life

Intellectual Fellowship

The formation of intellectual friendships with students and faculty
The development of a four-year mentoring relationship with a faculty member

Jesuit Faith and Mission

An understanding of the mission of the Catholic university as an institution dedicated to exploring the intersection of faith and reason
An understanding of the history and mission of the Society of Jesus
A habit of reflection
An appreciation of and concern about the great moral issues of our time

Programs

Honors

Honors Program

Courses

Honors Program