Robert Donald Clark Honors College
Carol Stabile, Acting Dean
108 Chapman Hall
1293 University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon 97403-1293
honors@uoregon.edu
The Clark Honors College provides curious and motivated students with a broad-based liberal arts education that combines challenging academic coursework with hands-on learning experiences, internships, research, and other opportunities that allow them to develop skills that will support their individual career goals. Our award-winning faculty and staff empower students and help them develop into critical thinkers, excellent communicators, and future leaders so they can help find solutions to some of the world’s most urgent issues.
Clark Honors College is a community rich with diverse perspectives and opinions, reflected in the make-up of faculty, staff, and students, and the content of curriculum and programming. We offer small classes capped at 19 students. Our students learn from a curriculum taught primarily by core faculty who are dedicated to teaching excellence, pedagogical innovation, and student success. Our interdisciplinary curriculum emphasizes critical thinking, strong written and oral communication skills, collaboration, and problem-solving through coursework and special degree and course opportunities, and support for the research-informed pedagogy that teaches these skills.
Faculty
Dare Baldwin, Professor, Psychology
Corinne Bayerl, Senior Instructor I, Comparative Literature, German/Scandinavian
Anita Chari, Associate Professor, Political Science
Nicole Dudukovic, Senior Instructor I, Neurosciences Major Director, Psychology
Daphne Gallagher, Senior Instructor I, Clark Honors College
Alison Gash, Associate Professor, Political Science
Lindsay Hinkle, Instructor, Clark Honors College
Trond Jacobsen, Instructor, Director of Forensics, Clark Honors College
Ian McNeely, Professor, History, European Studies, German & Scandinavian
Brian McWhorter, Professor, School of Music and Dance
Michael Moffitt, Professor, School of Law
Kate Mondloch, Professor, History of Art & Architecture
Barbara Mossberg, Professor of Practice in Literature, Clark Honors College
Lisa Munger, Instructor, Clark Honors College
Carol Paty, Professor, Earth Sciences, Physics
Elizabeth Raisanen, Officer of Admin, Clark Honors College
Angela Rovak, Office of Admin, Clark Honors College
Casey Shoop, Senior Instructor I, Clark Honors College
Carol Stabile, Professor, Women & Gender Studies
Lisa Wolverton, Professor, History
Emeritus Faculty
Henry M. Alley, Professor emeritus.
Louise M. Bishop, Associate Professor emerita.
Joseph G. Fracchia, Professor emeritus.
David Frank, Professor emeritus.
Roxann Prazniak, Professor emerita.
Academic Requirements
Requirements in the honors college satisfy the core-education requirements that other University of Oregon students meet for graduation. Honors college faculty and professional advisors advise honors college students concerning these requirements and mentor them concerning their academic choices. Students retain full responsibility for understanding and shaping their study programs.
Depending on test scores, students may use advanced placement or international baccalaureate credits as well as transfer credits from other higher education institutions toward honors college outside course requirements, second-language requirements, applicable major requirements, cultural literacy requirements, or university electives. To earn a BS degree, students must complete one year of college-level mathematics or the equivalent. Advanced placement, international baccalaureate, and transfer credits may help fulfill either such a math requirement or the language requirement.
University and Major Requirements
Honors college requirements, which replace university core-education requirements, represent roughly one-third of a student’s total four-year schedule. Before graduating, Clark Honors College students must also meet the requirements, listed elsewhere in this catalog, of their major department or professional school. They must maintain a 3.00 or better cumulative grade point average (GPA).
Clark Honors College students who have completed the CHC core education requirements (HC 101H, 221H, 231H, 241H, and 301H; Area of Inquiry approved courses outside the CHC in Arts and Letters, Social Science, and Science (one course in each area); an approved quantitative reasoning course; and 20 credits in upper division CHC Colloquia) have fulfilled the university’s Area of Inquiry requirements. Should a student leave the CHC after successful completion of all of these requirements, the student will retain their clearance of the university’s Area of Inquiry requirements.
Honors College Degree Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundations in Liberal Arts Inquiry | ||
| HC 101H | Liberal Arts: [Topic] | 4 |
| 200-level Disciplinary Requirements | ||
| HC 221H | Arts and Letters Inquiry: [Topic] | 4 |
| HC 231H | Social Science Inquiry: [Topic] | 4 |
| HC 241H | Scientific Inquiry: [Topic] | 4 |
| Research and Writing Requirement | ||
| HC 301H | Research and Writing: [Topic] | 4 |
| Outside Course Requirements | ||
| One course in quantitative reasoning or mathematics from the UO approved Bachelor of Science list | 4 | |
| One additional Science course from the UO approved Areas of Inquiry list | 4 | |
| One additional Social Science course from the UO approved Areas of Inquiry list | 4 | |
| One additional Arts and Letters course from the UO approved Areas of Inquiry list | 4 | |
| Second-Language Requirements 1 | ||
| Demonstrate second-language proficiency equivalent to completion of second college year in second language; satisfy all requirements in university department, program, or school that offers a major leading to a BA or BS | ||
| Cultural Literacy Requirements | 8 | |
| University cultural literacy requirement 2 | ||
| Colloquia Requirements 7 | ||
| HC 421H | Honors College Arts and Letters Colloquium: [Topic] | 4 |
| HC 431H | Honors College Social Science Colloquium: [Topic] | 4 |
| HC 441H | Honors College Science Colloquium: [Topic] | 4 |
| Any two additional colloquia 4 | 8 | |
| Thesis Requirements | ||
| HC 277H | Thesis Orientation | 2 |
| HC 477H | Thesis Prospectus 3 | 2 |
| Successful completion and defense of a thesis | ||
| 1 | The second-language requirement is waived if a department, program, or school requires 90 or more credits of course work for a major leading to a BS degree (see Majors, Degrees, and Contexts Waiving Second-Language Requirements list). No case exists in which Clark Honors College language requirements replace departmental language requirements. |
| 2 | Designated honors college colloquia carry a supplemental course number if they satisfy one of the below categories—, Honors College Global Perspectives Colloquium: [Topic] (HC 434H), HC US: Difference, Inequality, Agency Colloquium: [Topic] (HC 444H)—or any approved UO courses may be used to satisfy the multicultural/cultural literacy requirement. |
| 3 | Course taken at least one term before intended graduation to formalize the thesis project. |
| 4 | Students may substitute four credits of independent thesis research (401, 403, 405, or other course numbers as applicable), taken within or outside the honors college, in place of an elective colloquium. Independent research credits may be taken P/NP |
Majors, Degrees, and Contexts Waiving Second-Language Requirement
An up-to-date list that includes newly added majors is available on the CHC website.
- Accounting
- Biology
- Business administration
- Biochemistry
- Chemistry
- Computer science
- Data science
- Earth sciences
- Environmental science
- Environmental studies
- General science
- Human physiology
- Math and computer science
- Marine biology
- Multidisciplinary science
- Music, only in cases in which the second language is not a requirement for the student's chosen degree (Note: The second language requirement is not waived for General Music and Popular Music concentrations)
- Bachelor of Music in Music Education
- Music Composition
- Music Performance
- Music Technology
- Neuroscience
- Jazz Studies
- Physics
- Product design
- Bachelor of architecture
- Bachelor of interior architecture
- Bachelor of landscape architecture
- Students pursuing a bachelor of fine arts degrees (students must still fulfill the BFA Language or Math/Science Requirement)
Writing
The honors college is committed to excellence in writing. The core curriculum integrates instruction and practice in fundamental rhetorical skills—writing, reading, speaking, and listening—with the subject matter of the courses. If they choose to leave the honors college, students who pass HC 101H with the minimum grade of C- or P have completed the university's Writing 121 requirement. Students who pass HC 221H with the minimum grade of C- or P have completed the university's Writing 122/23 requirement.
Four-Year Degree Plan
The degree plan shown is only an example of how students may complete their degrees in four years. There are alternative ways to navigate the CHC curriculum. Students should consult their advisor to determine the best path for them.The Robert D. Clark Honors College is not a major. Students who follow the honors college curriculum fulfill all of the University of Oregon’s core education requirements. Honors college requirements must be taken for a letter grade, unless pass/no pass is the only option. In addition, only courses passed with grades of C– or better will fulfill honors college requirements.
Bachelor of Arts
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Milestones | Credits | |
| HC 101H | Liberal Arts: [Topic] | 4 | |
| First term of first-year second-language sequence | 5 | ||
| Quantitative Reasoning Course | Non-HC course with >4 or >5 core education designation | 4 | |
| Elective or Major Course | 4 | ||
| Credits | 17 | ||
| Winter | |||
| HC 231H | Social Science Inquiry: [Topic] | 4 | |
| Second term of first-year second-language sequence | 5 | ||
| Arts & Letters Course | Non-HC course with >1 core ed designation | 4 | |
| Elective or Major Course | 4 | ||
| Credits | 17 | ||
| Spring | |||
| HC 221H | Arts and Letters Inquiry: [Topic] | 4 | |
| Third term of first-year second-language sequence | 5 | ||
| Social Science Course | Non-HC Course with >2 core ed designation | 4 | |
| Elective or Major Course | 4 | ||
| Credits | 17 | ||
| Total Credits | 51 | ||
| Second Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Milestones | Credits | |
| HC 241H | Scientific Inquiry: [Topic] (HC Disciplinary Courses Complete) | 4 | |
| First term of second-year second-language sequence | 4 | ||
| Science Course | Non - HC course with >3 or >4 core ed | 4 | |
| Elective or Major Course | 4 | ||
| Credits | 16 | ||
| Winter | |||
| HC 301H | Research and Writing: [Topic] | HC Research & Writing Complete | 4 |
| Second term of second-year second-language sequence | 4 | ||
| Elective and Major Courses | 8 | ||
| Credits | 16 | ||
| Spring | |||
| Third term of second-year second-language sequence | Completion of HC second-language requirement | 4 | |
| HC 277H | Thesis Orientation | 2 | |
| Elective and Major Courses | 8 | ||
| Credits | 14 | ||
| Total Credits | 46 | ||
| Third Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Milestones | Credits | |
| HC 421H | Honors College Arts and Letters Colloquium: [Topic] | 4 | |
| Elective and Major Courses | 12 | ||
| Credits | 16 | ||
| Winter | |||
| HC 431H | Honors College Social Science Colloquium: [Topic] | 4 | |
| Elective and Major Courses | 12 | ||
| Credits | 16 | ||
| Spring | |||
| HC 477H | Thesis Prospectus | 2 | |
| Elective and Major Courses | 12 | ||
| Credits | 14 | ||
| Total Credits | 46 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Milestones | Credits | |
| HC 441H | Honors College Science Colloquium: [Topic] | 4 | |
| Elective and Major Courses | 12 | ||
| Credits | 16 | ||
| Winter | |||
| HC 421H |
Honors College Arts and Letters Colloquium: [Topic] or Honors College Social Science Colloquium: [Topic] or Honors College Global Perspectives Colloquium: [Topic] or Honors College Science Colloquium: [Topic] or HC US: Difference, Inequality, Agency Colloquium: [Topic] |
4 | |
| Elective and Major Courses | 12 | ||
| Credits | 16 | ||
| Spring | |||
| HC 421H |
Honors College Arts and Letters Colloquium: [Topic] (Completion of HC colloquium requirements) or Honors College Social Science Colloquium: [Topic] or Honors College Global Perspectives Colloquium: [Topic] or Honors College Science Colloquium: [Topic] or HC US: Difference, Inequality, Agency Colloquium: [Topic] |
4 | |
| Thesis defense | Thesis defended | ||
| Elective and Major Courses | 12 | ||
| Credits | 16 | ||
| Total Credits | 48 | ||