FAQ
- What is the Humanities Honors program?
-
The Humanities Honors program is an interdisciplinary and globally focused series of four lower-division courses that interrogate knowledge production throughout human history. In these team-taught courses, students integrate modes of knowledge production, literature, philosophy, art, culture, performance, ecology, and social institutions.
-
- Do I need to apply?
-
No. Humanities Honors welcomes all students to the program who desire to develop a broader understanding of the world. Humanities Honors allows students to decide if they want to be an honors student not based on their high school academic performance but rather on their university-level work.
-
- What about the pandemic’s impact on learning?
-
Recognizing that the pandemic and individual school districts' responses had a wide range of impacts, Humanities Honors is open to all first-year students joining San Jose State University. Humanities Honors allows students to decide if they want to be an honors student not based on their high school academic performance but rather on their university-level work.
-
- Am I required to take all four courses?
-
Students may take one, two, or all four of the Humanities Honors courses based on their general education needs and schedules. Flexibility has been intentionally built into the program to permit students to meet their educational goals in a manner that meets their needs.
-
- How do enroll in a Humanities Honors course?
-
To enroll in a Humanities Honors course, students will use the same process as they would for enrolling in any other course at SJSU. In consultation with their academic advisor, students will determine if all or a combination of the Humanities Honors courses will meet their educational goals and needs.
-
- Whom should I talk to about how Humanities Honors fits into my education plan?
-
The Humanities Honors coordinator can answer questions about the program and provide general guidance.
As each educational goals, needs, and circumstances are specific to each student, the Humanities Honors program highly recommends that students contact their academic advisor in their college’s students’ success center. The success center advisors are extremely knowledgeable and often will have the most current information on courses, requirements, and deadlines that students will need to determine what courses they will need to move toward graduation.
-
- Why should I join Humanities Honors
-
No matter where you choose to go on your educational path at San José State and beyond, no matter what career you pursue after you graduate, studying Humanities will benefit you. Becoming an individual who has cultural awareness, is well-read, is proficient in writing and verbal skills, and demonstrates the ability to work at learning with integrity is of great benefit to all of your future endeavors. The Humanities Honors Program can provide a student with a solid foundation of cultural awareness and understanding, making university life's first experiences supportive and nurturing.
-
- What will I be studying in the Humanities Honors program?
-
The Humanities Honors curriculum focuses on primary texts and artifacts from all studied periods (pre-history to the present). In delving into and analyzing these primary sources, students will learn how cultures transform and influence one another throughout history and have brought about the world's cultures today.
-
- How much work will I be doing?
-
Humanities Honors courses are six units, lectures, and seminars together. Students will have assigned readings for lectures. Those lectures will expand on the assigned readings. In the seminar, students will continue to work with the readings for the lecture through large and small group discussions, individual assignments, and presentations.
Students in Humanities Honors should expect to put in 12 hours of homework each week and budget their time accordingly. The work for this course should be considered half of a student's semester schedule for a full-time 12-unit load.
-
- What is a team-taught course?
-
A team-taught course is where more than one professor works with students throughout the semester to deliver content. Professors work together to develop the syllabus and course content drawing on their areas of expertise and research. Through team teaching, the Humanities Honors program integrates expertise in literature, history, philosophy, art, music, economics, political and social science, etc., to create a broader perspective on the world.
-
- Are there benefits to taking a team-taught course?
-
Team-taught courses provide an opportunity to expose students to more perspectives and content knowledge than a single instructor can provide. Additionally, team teaching allows for more one-on-one interaction between professors and students. The emphasis of team teaching is on student and faculty growth, balancing initiative and shared responsibility, specialization and broadening horizons, the clear and interesting presentation of content, and student development.
-