Honors HQ
Originally uploaded by wsuhonors.
Hello Honors Students!
Welcome back - how's your semester shaping up? Me, things are a little hectic, but good. Can you believe Summer is almost over, that's just crazy...
Now that the preliminaries are out of the way, here's what you'll find in this week's Honors Digest:
1. Monday, September 10: Welcome back bagels
2. Wednesday, September 12: Student org day
3. Need just two (three or maybe four) more credits? Detroit Fellows Tutoring Project is still open!
4. Honors Advising
5. Honors Thesis and Honors Option
6. The Honors HQ
7. Graduating in December 2007? Apply now!
8. Coming up in the next Honors Digest...
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1. Monday, September 10: Welcome back bagels
Stop by the Honors office (2100 UGL) for a morning snack. The feeding frenzy starts sometime after nine. First come, first serve.
2. Wednesday, September 12: Student org day
Next Wednesday, September 12, is the annual Student Organizations and Student Services Day, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Gullen Mall. This is a PERFECT opportunity to get involved at WSU. Over 140 student organizations will have tables promoting their organizations and getting you involved in them (look for the Honors table - you might get your picture taken!). University offices and departments will also have tables with staff members present to answer your questions and help you be successful at Wayne State.
3. Need just two (three or maybe four) more credits? Detroit Fellows Tutoring Project is still open!
CRN 15063 - no block lift required! First class meeting: Monday, September 10, 4:00 pm 2100 UGL
Earn 2 to 4 Honors credit hours while teaching reading skills to children in kindergarten through fourth grade who need additional help in Detroit Public Schools. This is a special opportunity for Honors Program students and is open to all majors.
Detroit Fellows work three (earns 2 credits), five (earns 3 credits) or seven (earns 4 credits) hours per week at the school. The schedule is established by you based on your availability and the number of credits for which you sign up. Tutors work during regularly scheduled school hours: 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
4. Honors Advising
Some of you have already come by the Honors office asking to set up an appointment to meet with me, the Honors advisor. Unfortunately, my availability for fall term will need to be reserved primarily for HON 1000 and Scholars Day freshmen. My schedule is a little tight due to a national review and I will be away on a conference, so basically the entire month of November is booked. Yikes!
I will be holding open hours for quick questions most Monday afternoons from 1 - 4 pm. I will post a sign at the front desk when I am available for open advising. Open advising does not include graduation audits or declaring a major. To declare your major, please try to hold off until Winter term to come and see me.
If you would like a graduation audit because you are applying for December graduation (see below), please e-mail me an electronic copy of your Pipeline transcript, your name and WSU ID to honors@wayne.edu. Please also include what your major is supposed to be and whether or not you are pursuing University and/or Department Honors.
For the sophomores and junior, if we met last year and you just want to do a review of your file, please ask if a peer advisor is available to meet with you. Bring a printout of your Pipeline transcript and you and the peer advisor can sit down with my copy of your notes and he or she will help you check off what you've already taken.
And of course, you are always welcome to ask me questions at honors@wayne.edu. I will be working with the RAs for the Honors floors to schedule a few evenings at the Residence Halls, all Honors students will be welcome to stop by and ask their questions. Thanks for your patience!
5. Honors Thesis and Honors Option
Many of you have asked about the Honors thesis. The Honors Thesis (HON 4998) is basically a 20 page research paper written under the guidance of a full-time faculty member. If you are taking HON 4998, you will be sent an e-mail within the next week or two asking for information about your intended project and the professor who will be grading the final outcome.
If you are pursuing department honors, there is usually a department version of the Honors thesis that will fulfill the requirement for department and/or university honors. You will want to talk with the department advisor to see if there are any additional guidelines in regards to the department thesis. As for what format that final paper uses, or how many sources, or any other details about the research and thesis are between you and the professor. Some departments combine the Writing Intensive with one of their upper level courses and then allow you to expand that topic for the Honors thesis. If you are pursuing University Honors only, you may decide to write your thesis on your major or find a professor to help you conduct an independent study on some other area of interest.
Honors Option can only be added to a class at the 2000 level or above taught by a full-time faculty member who agrees to grade an additional assignment or project. There is a form you can pick up from our front desk during the first week of classes and it is due back to us by the end of the third week. The form is also available on our website, www.honors.wayne.edu (under "Curriculum and Courses.") Some professors may be willing to supervise an extra assignment, but won't know too much about it, so be prepared to coach them through the process. I suggest looking over your syllabus to identify a topic that you wouldn't mind exploring more fully.
Full-time faculty have the title of Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Full Professor (sometimes just listed as Professor) on the department's website. Part-Time or Adjunct Professors or Graduate Teaching Assistants are generally not eligible to supervise an Honors Option.
6. The Honors HQ
The Honors offices are open from 8:30 am - 5:00 pm, Monday - Friday. Please be sure to sign in at the front counter when you stop by. If the main study area is too noisy or crowded, please check with the front desk to see if the quiet study areas are open. There's a 20 seat computer lab (printing capability not available) and a seminar room. If you are hanging out in the common area, please be considerate of other students working and studying. If you are planning on listening to music or watching videos, please bring a set of headphones or keep the volume very low.
7. Graduating in December 2007? Apply now!
The deadline for applying for December 2007 degree certification is Friday, September 28. Students who graduate in December will be invited to the Spring commencement in May 2008. For more information, go to Pipeline (www.pipeline.wayne.edu). If your major needs to be changed or corrected, I would go ahead and apply for graduation and e-mail me so I may contact the Records office.
8. Coming up in the next Honors Digest...
Whew! That's a lot - but there's always more to come. Here are a few topics for next time: the Honors seminars, how to read the Undergraduate Bulletin, upcoming "An Hour with Honors" events, and maybe even a contest (for fabulous prizes, of course).
Until next time! :)
As much as possible we will do our best to keep these broadcasts to a minimum for announcements that are not directly through Honors, but that we feel are excellent opportunities for our students. If you have any ideas, questions, or items for the weekly Honors Digest, please e-mail us at honors@wayne.edu
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Wayne State University Honors
2100 Adamany Undergraduate Library
(313) 577-3030
honors@wayne.edu
honors.wayne.edu
