UMHB Honors Program

About Honors

The Honors Program at UMHB offers students a chance to cultivate their intellectual curiosity and social awareness. The program encourages students to investigate relevant moral and ethical systems and to enhance aesthetic awareness. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the Honors Program also attempts to give students an understanding of the relationships that unite all scholarly disciplines.

The Honors Program encourages students to begin a lifelong journey of understanding who they are and what it means to live a good life. Perhaps the greatest benefit to the honors student is the chance to become a part of a larger community in which academic curiosity is seen as normal and necessary.

What They Are Saying About Honors:

• "I was in the honors program in high school, and when I came to UMHB I wanted to continue that because I knew it would help me to enhance my abilities in college. Being in the Honors Program has helped me to meet other students who share the same high academic expectations I do." --Amber Copeland, Upper Division Honors

• "I did not want to just coast through college, and I thought joining the Honors Program would be a good challenge. I met a great roommate and suitemates because I am living in the honors community housing, which really helped me to make the transition from high school to college a smooth one. Also, I have enjoyed being surrounded by other students who care about their schoolwork as much as I do." --Amy Patterson, Lower Division

• "I see students grow in Honors classes as they interact with students who are willing to pursue difficult questions. It makes a huge difference to be surrounded by people who care about seeking the truth. It is remarkably liberating to belong to a community that is willing to grapple with difficult topics in a sincere and honest way, yet remain steadfast in the convictions of who we really are as Christians. For many students, the Honors Program provides the first real chance they have to belong to such a community." --Dr. Audell Shelburne, Honors Professor and Chair, Department of English

Lower Division Course Descriptions

ENGL 2321 (Honors): British Literature to 1785 (Dr. Shelburne)

This course provides a survey of the development of British literature from its beginnings to 1785.  In this course, we study a selection of representative works and literary genres, while keeping an eye on the literary, historical, and social contexts of the works.  Students will develop critical reading and writing skills in a variety of contexts (both formal and informal).  In addition to examining literary conventions and techniques in the literature of Medieval, Renaissance, and Restoration England, students will engage and discuss topics prompted by the literature, including questions of value, identity, cultural identity, faith, and virtue. 

HIST 2311 (Honors): American History to 1877 (Dr. Holcomb)

This course is a survey of the political, economic, and cultural dimensions of the United States from early explorations to 1877. Through the examination of primary and secondary sources, Honors students will address in papers, presentations, and class discussions, key themes in early American history such as:  the clash of native and European cultures in colonial America, the status of religious freedom in the British colonies, the causes of the American Revolution, the relationship between slavery and freedom in America, and the constitutional, economic, and social consequences of the Civil War. 

CSBS 1311 (Honors): Old Testament Survey (Dr. Oldham)

This course presents a general survey of the Old Testament with special emphasis placed on great characters, events, and religious teachings.  Because of the caliber of students in this Honors Course, we will be able to discuss critical issues at deeper level than is normally possible in the general OT Survey course.  Some of these critical issues include: the formation of the Old Testament, science and the Bible, Holy War, and Old Testament theology.

Detailed Program Description

Honors Program Application Information