Honors Program
Overview
The Honors Program is a Christ-centered Great Books program for high-achieving undergraduate students at George Fox University.
Students enrolled in the honors program take one Great Books seminar each semester, in addition to major coursework and other electives within the university. Because the honors program provides a substantial liberal arts foundation, the program fulfills the general education requirements for all honors students, with the exception of one math and one lab science course.
Program Distinctives
- Liberal Arts Foundation: The foundation provided by the Honors Program is an ideal complement to all fields of study, as students gain proficiency in writing, reading comprehension, oral communication, charitable discourse, collaborative problem-solving, analysis, and creative and critical thinking. Honors students also develop an awareness of the history of ideas, enabling intelligent, informed engagement with a range of contemporary topics. Most of all, students learn to cultivate a rich interior life and a clear moral sensibility that will enrich their own lives, as well as the lives of their neighbors.
- Reading and Writing: The Great Books curriculum spans four years and is structured chronologically, beginning with the ancient world and ending in the present. In addition to reading and discussing the Great Books, honors students write essays that gradually progress in length and complexity, culminating in the Senior Thesis. Each course also includes smaller writing assignments and exercises, as well as comprehensive written and/or oral exams.
- Christ-Centered Learning: Over the course of the program, honors students are deeply immersed in Christian theology and history. Each seminar course includes texts from prominent Christian voices of the era, and scripture is interwoven throughout.
- Socratic Discussion: Within the seminar, professors use a modified version of the Socratic method, guiding the discussion through questioning, placing the responsibility of engagement on the students. This student-centered approach creates an interactive and dynamic learning environment in which students must be active, rather than passive, continually challenging each other to read and think more deeply.
- Student/Faculty Ratio: Each seminar is moderated by two professors and limited to around 18 students, which results in an average student/faculty ratio of 9:1. This low student/faculty ratio allows the honors professors to closely mentor honors students, both within the seminar and in one-on-one settings outside of class.
- Academic Rigor: Students in the honors program are expected to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above. Failure to maintain this standard may result in dismissal from the honors program.
Honors Requirements
(43 credit hours)
All honors students take blocks of 6-credit hours for six semesters, for a total of 36 hours. Students have the option of taking an additional 3-credit senior thesis course after completing the honors core.
Students must also meet the regular general education math requirement and take one lab science course. Collectively, these courses constitute the general education package for honors students.
Total hours required: 43 hours.