Commonwealth Honors College invites current and retired faculty to apply to teach a one-credit Honors Discovery Seminar (HONORS 391AH) for Fall 2024

Academics
Bright blue sky frames dormitories at the Commonwealth Honors College Residential Community at the University of Massachusetts

Faculty from across the campus are invited to apply to teach a one-credit 391AH Honors Discovery Seminar in Commonwealth Honors College for Fall 2024. 

Honors 391AH is intended to inspire a love of learning and to help prepare students with skills necessary for completion of senior theses and projects and the professional workplace. It is also designed to facilitate contact between Commonwealth Honors College students and departmental faculty in a small, seminar-style setting and to provide an intellectually stimulating, cross-disciplinary experience for both the faculty and students involved.

Course Description 
This one-credit seminar-style course meets once a week for 50 minutes. Every section is open to Honors students of any major.  Advanced knowledge of the topic should not be necessary. 

Curriculum Overview 
The subject matter of each section is chosen by its instructor.  There is no restriction on the field or topic around which the course is centered, but all courses should be accessible to students from all majors; no advanced knowledge should be required.  

**Preference will be given to courses that incorporate specific skills into the curriculum that will help prepare students for the Honors thesis (produced as a Manuscript or Portfolio). These skills include writing in general, and may also include writing abstracts and literature reviews, competence in research, definition of a research question, artistic/creative methods, computer literacy in presenting research results, and public speaking. 

The point of the Honors Discovery Seminar is to allow faculty members to create short, compelling courses in areas of personal interest to them and to teach courses they have always wanted to teach while helping students hone skills necessary for senior thesis or project work. Examples of courses that will be offered for the next semester are available on the Commonwealth Honors College website.

Enrollment in HONORS 391AH sections is limited to 15 students.  

Faculty teaching these seminars will receive faculty funds of $2,375  

  • Full-time faculty have two choices for receiving the funds: 
    • Additional Compensation 
    • Research Funds: Funds will be transferred to your department’s GOF (General Operating Fund 51342) or your Faculty Retention fund 52341.  
  • If you choose research funds, you will need to work with your department financial manager to access these funds (i.e., for research expenses).  
  • Faculty emeriti and part-time faculty will be paid directly by Commonwealth Honors College throughout the semester.   
  • Faculty also have the option of donating the stipend to the Commonwealth Honors College student research grant program.     

Apply 
The application for Fall 2024 is now open. To apply, please fill out the online application and submit it electronically.  

The deadline for applications is November 15, 2023. 

Please note that the application is now on CHC PATHS. For questions, please contact dusher [at] umass [dot] edu (Dominick Usher, Senior Assistant Dean). 

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