UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–ST. LOUIS
PIERRE LACLEDE
HONORS COLLEGE
A MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN EDWARD MUNN SANCHEZ, PHD I hope the information in this brochure sparks your interest and answers most of your questions about the Honors College. For thirty years, the Honors College has provided a unique learning environment that helps you individualize your education and take advantage of all a large university has to offer. Honors College students experience UMSL by taking courses that meet both core university requirements and basic requirements in their major. We are very proud of the opportunities we have to offer our talented students. I personally wish you the very best school year and hope you consider the opportunities at the Honors College at the University of Missouri–St. Louis!
HOW IT WORKS The Honors College is a certificate program. All majors are welcome.
OUR VISION The Honors College is a community that empowers students to develop unique paths that allow them to pursue individual goals. Small classes (on the average 13) allow students to learn by active questioning and conversation. Students develop strong communication and writing skills while exploring connections across areas of knowledge as they think critically within and beyond their majors. By exploring a wealth of beyond-the-classroom opportunities, honors students develop the crucial foundation for future professional success.
Once accepted, Honors College students have access to fullservice academic advising for programs designed specifically for freshmen and transfer students. A first-year experience program partners students with a peer mentor and offers other opportunities for individual guidance. Students enroll in honors courses that fulfill general education and other requirements for all majors. The honors program does not take additional time to complete. In addition to honors classes, students complete exciting independent studies such as undergraduate research, internships, practicums, and other types of hands-on projects to gain real-world, practical experience in their fields. Honors College curriculum culminates with a capstone course which allows students to meet one-on-one with a faculty member to work on rĂŠsumĂŠs, CVs, cover letters, graduate school and job applications, mock interviews, and any other support students may need for their future.
ACADEMIC SUCCESS Large university opportunities abound. Attending a research university offers students nationally accredited programs and connections to outstanding faculty, and cutting-edge research.
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UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–ST. LOUIS
Small class sizes foster intelligent discussion. A 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio builds a rapport with the talented, challenging, and caring educators. WHAT ARE THE PERKS? 13:1 STUDENT-TO-FACULTY RATIO
Small, seminar-style courses allow students to develop mentoring relationships with faculty, establish a strong peer network, and integrate themselves into the honors and university community early in their academic career.
HONORS SCHOLARSHIPS
All students admitted in good standing are awarded renewable Pierre Laclede Honors College Merit or Phi Theta Kappa scholarships ranging from $500 to $3,000. These scholarships are in addition to any scholarships awarded by UMSL and are based on your merit, not on your need.
INNOVATIVE HONORS CURRICULUM
Honors College courses focus on class discussion, writing, projects, and presentations that help with developing critical thinking, communication, and writing skills. Courses are interdisciplinary allowing students to explore connections between various topics and develop an understanding of different view points.
INTERNSHIP & RESEARCH
Students participate in competitive internships and undergraduate research projects related to their major. These opportunities allow Honors College students to be competitive whether they are applying for graduate school or entering the job field.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Students have the opportunity to continue leadership initiatives through involvement in the Pierre Laclede Honors College Student Association and other social and academic organizations.
HONORS CERTIFICATE
Courses in the Honors College can fulfill General Education, major and elective requirements. Students receive their certificate at graduation and recognition on their transcript upon completing the honors curriculum.
HONORS ADVISING
We emphasize one-on-one advising and work with students on all aspects of their UMSL experience and beyond.
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The Honors College nurtures a warm and friendly atmosphere. Students in the Honors College know and support each other. GET INVOLVED! Members of the Pierre Laclede Honors College Student Association (PLHCSA) host social events open to all UMSL students. PLHCSA is an award-winning student organization that organizes philanthropic and service opportunities for rewarding experiences that build leadership skills. From social events, literary publications, academic honor societies, community service opportunities, and art shows, the Honors College offers a thriving social environment that offers something for everyone. In addition to PLHCSA, you can take part in: • Brain Stew, a student-produced, satirical publication • The annual literary publication, Bellerive, produced by honors students • Celebrating the Arts, an annual art show hosted by the Honors College
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UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–ST. LOUIS
Attractive residential housing offers students numerous living arrangement possibilities, including the opportunity to live among other Honors College students.
SOCIAL SUCCESS 5
ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT An advising program assists students in shaping distinctive undergraduate academic careers that include individual research, internships, and independent study projects. Internships and undergraduate research projects boost Honors College students’ competitive edge whether applying for graduate school or going into the workforce.
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UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–ST. LOUIS
Biochemistry and biotechnology major Lauren Jenkins participates in the highly selective Research Experience for Undergraduates Summer Internship Program at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. Jenkins was one of 20 students selected from 237 applicants nationwide.
SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES The premier scholarship offered by the Honors College is the Opportunity Scholars Program (OSP), awarded to five honors students per year. OSP is supported by enthusiastic and visionary donors from the St. Louis metropolitan area. UMSL, a hometown public university, becomes the college of choice for top-performing, underserved, diverse students who later will contribute directly to the local community and economy. Along with the challenging academic programs available to these students at UMSL and the Honors College, awardees receive full funding for tuition, residential life facilities and meals, and books; additional faculty mentors and advisors; peer mentors; special social opportunities; free personal computers; and independent study and/or internship opportunities.
The tuition rate for honors courses is the lowest offered at UMSL. All students admitted in good standing are awarded renewable merit or Phi Theta Kappa scholarships ranging from $500 to $3,000. These scholarships are in addition to any awarded by UMSL and are based on your merit, not on your need. Opportunity Scholar Jalen Rhodes celebrates a proud moment. 7
FAQs Does being in the Honors College mean that I take extra classes?
If I’m in the Honors College, do I have to live on campus?
What are the advantages of being in the Honors College?
No. Honors classes fulfill general education, university requirements, and in many cases classes in your major. Honors students graduate on time!
We encourage honors students to live on campus, but it is not required. About half of all honors students have lived on campus at some point in their college career, and it’s a great way to enhance your college experience, but you don’t have to live on campus. Students who do choose to live on campus have many options. You do not have to live in honors-specific housing, but living with other honors students or being part of one of our Living Learning Communities is a popular choice.
• A focus on writing and communication skills that are needed in all career paths • Small class sizes with a lot of interaction with faculty and peers • Innovative and interesting seminar-style courses that aren’t found anywhere else on campus • A friendly and supportive environment with mentorship for incoming freshmen • Full service academic advising • Scholarship support • Research, internship, and independent study opportunities • Capstone course focusing on your plans for after graduation and the career documents you need to make these happen • Social and service opportunities • Creative opportunities—including an art show, annual literary anthology, satirical student newsletter, writing contest, and more
If I’m in the Honors College, will all of my classes be in honors? No. Approximately 1/3 of your coursework will be in honors.
Are honors classes harder? Honors classes are taught differently than many other classes. They are discussion based, and students work on papers, presentations, projects, and other types of engaging activities/assignments. If you learn more effectively in an interactive, hands-on environment, you will like our classes! Honors does not mean the same material as in non-honors classes but with faster lectures or harder tests.
If I’m in the Honors College, will I have enough time for my other classes/part-time job/co-curricular activities? Yes. Honors students are the most active students on campus! They hold leadership positions, participate in events and activities, do volunteer work, have parttime jobs, and spend time with family and friends just like any other college student. If you find that you’re having difficulty keeping up with any of your classes, we have an awesome support system. Please talk with any of our faculty or academic advisors. They are happy to help!
Can I be in the Honors College and be an athlete? Yes. The Honors College has students from all sports! Our advisors can help you design course schedules that fit extremely well with your practices and games.
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UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–ST. LOUIS
Will I have a traditional college experience in the Honors College? Yes. In fact, this is something that draws many UMSL students to the Honors College. Our students have the best of both worlds—a liberal arts education and a large research university. Many honors students have said that being in the Honors College was their favorite part of college.
Will my AP/college credits be accepted by the Honors College? Yes. Just make sure these transcripts are sent to UMSL.
Will honors work with my major? Yes. All students take general education and university requirements, so honors will fit with any major for incoming freshmen. Honors works for nearly all transfer students, depending on major and transfer credits. Please consider meeting with an honors academic advisor (contact Holly Pope) to see how honors will work for you.
Is the Honors College more expensive?
No. The tuition rate for honors courses is the lowest offered at UMSL.
What are the requirements? We know that you are more than just a number, so we look at each student holistically. This means that besides test scores, grades, and class rank, we also ask for writing samples, recommendation letters, and an opportunity to meet you inperson (or remotely, for students outside the area). Typically, students that apply have at least a 24 ACT, top 20% class rank, and a 3.5 GPA. Transfer students typically have a 3.2 or higher. We believe that anyone who is interested in the Honors College and this style of learning should apply!
askhonors@umsl.edu
ONLINE
honors.umsl.edu
Admissions Representative Honors College 1 University Boulevard Provincial House St. Louis, MO 63121-4400
The Honors College has approximately 600 undergraduate students from nearly every major that UMSL has to offer. Incoming freshmen, sophomores, and first semester juniors are eligible to apply—you must have a minimum of two years left in your education to apply for the certificate. Once enrolled, you must maintain at least a 3.2 GPA, follow the honors curriculum and enroll at UMSL full-time every semester. For more information on how to apply to the Honors College, visit umsl.edu/go/honorsapp
ELIGIBILITY & APPLICATION PROCESS
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COURSE HIGHLIGHTS
MORE THAN 50 HONORS CLASSES EVERY SEMESTER. Science in the News Have you ever read a news report about a new breakthrough in science or medicine and wondered how accurate it is? Are you confused by stories claiming that baby powder causes ovarian cancer or that eating red meat causes global warming? Scientific stories are reported in the news every day, and they often bear little resemblance to the facts. In this course, we will read science as reported in the news and evaluate those reports by examining the scientific studies and journal articles that the reports are based on. By looking at the published articles behind the media reports, students will gain an understanding of how the media distorts and simplifies scientific information. We will discuss how exposure to science in the news can create misconceptions and how those misconceptions influence what the public thinks about science. We will also examine how misunderstanding science and technology can influence politics and public policy.
Black Panther: Embracing Race and Gender in Filmmaking After shattering box office revenue records 10
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–ST. LOUIS
early in 2018 and — at the same time — smashing stereotypes while positioning more favorable images of culturally and raciallythemed movies, Black Panther started a vital and most uncomfortable conversation about race and the role of females. According to Shanita Hubbard for HuffPost, “it challenged long-held myths about the lucrativeness of casting Black leads all while countering stereotypes about African culture.” The film brought to the forefront a need for “real” conversations about the powerful message that we do not need any more stories about “white saviors.” Both native Africans and Black Americans are their own saviors and superheroes. Similarly, in film production, it challenged how significant women were in major leadership roles on the set. At the same time, Black Panther countered misinformation in a hyper-competitive, multibillion-dollar entertainment industry that often perpetuates counter-productive images and messages. In addition to discussions, periodic written reports, and a final team research project, students analyze film and video clips, lectures, presentations, and research materials. The course uses an
interdisciplinary approach that includes an examination of the context for art, business, culture, economics, entertainment, history, media, politics, society, and technology as it converges in filmmaking.
Swipe Right: Mathematics of Modern Dating and Love Technology has revolutionized the way we
meet each other, date each other, love each other, and cheat on each other. With the growing popularity of online dating and the Big Data that follows it, we are beginning to learn more about love and dating than we ever knew before. Tech giants like Facebook, Match, OKCupid and countless others hold the key to decrypting the ever mysterious subject of love. That key is mathematics. In this course we will discuss how mathematics, science, and statistics is used to evaluate and analyze human perception of beauty, form the framework of online dating through algorithms, track the spread of human population and STD’s, and how we can use data effectively to discover the truth about love when everybody lies.
Honors Legal Environment of Business
Urban Ecology: Conservation and Restoration
This course serves as an introduction to the nature and meaning of law, sources of law, legal process and institutions. The legal environment of business is defined as: the attitude of the government toward business, the historical development of this attitude; current trends of public control in taxation, regulation of commerce and competition; freedom of contract, antitrust legislation and its relationship to marketing, mergers and acquisitions; and labor management relations.
Conservation and Restoration is a handson, project-based outdoor environmental studies course. Students explore south campus and neighboring St. Vincent Park, study ecology and American conservation thought, and address natural area restoration. This course studies urban ecosystem management and connects environmental thinking, science literacy, and community development to improve urban sustainability. Student projects and data are shared with land managers to affect park and campus land use.
Field Study of Urban Ecology: Conservation and Restoration Through field and laboratory work, students will observe how individual organisms within a natural population vary and how these variations can, and sometimes do, lead to the development of new species. Environmental change can be a dynamic engine for such growth, and students will discover how to measure and describe environmental
change. Students will work in small ecological inquiry teams to contribute to the ongoing natural history of the site.
Men and Women in Non-Western Pop Culture Korean pop star Psy’s single “Gangnam Style” charted on the American Billboard Top 100, and almost dethroned “Call Me Maybe” from most-viewed video of the summer on YouTube. His single was not just popular, its lyrics and the dancers and actors appearing in the video represent specific ideas of the kinds of gender roles its writer values in women and men. It is also one of the many examples of the importance of gender roles in Asian popular culture and what they can tell us about the gendered values of those cultures. We will consider issues of gender and sexuality, their intersection with the local history and politics of the different nations and governments and how they appear in the films, music, and television of various Asian nations. Subjects of study include Bollywood musicals, Japanese horror films, Korean pop music, and Thai comedy films. 11
ALUMNI TESTIMONIALS
ELIZABETH A. EIKMANN
ERIC’EL JOHNSON
KYLE KERSTING, CFP
What an absolute joy it was to be a student in the Honors College. My time in honors was not only the best part of my UMSL experience, but it was also the place on campus that prepared me for success in my life after graduation. The Honors College faculty introduced me to the field of study that took me to graduate school, and the small, seminar-style courses prepared me for success there. While in honors, I gained university-level teaching experience, including instruction and course planning, invaluable skills I continue to use in the classroom every single day. But this skillset has also taken me beyond the classroom: as a business partner and guide for RenegadeSTL, I’ve created original tours of St. Louis for audiences of all kinds. Our tours uniquely approach storytelling in a way that engages tourists and locals alike with our region’s rich and complex history. Just as important as how honors shaped my career, though, are the lifelong friends I made. The Honors College introduced me to the kind of professional, teacher, and friend I aspire to be every single day.
As an engineering major, the idea of voluntarily taking writing-related courses was not something I looked forward to. However, I recognized the need for me to develop my writing and communication skills further, so I gave the Honors College a chance, and I’m so glad I did. I had a better understanding of different cultures and the ability to present complex information to different audiences upon graduation. Most importantly, because of the Honors College Internship Coordinator, I received my first internship with Boeing, where I have begun my career. Through the Honors College, I’ve developed lasting relationships and met professors who truly cared about my future. In addition, the Honors College helped me achieve my dream of traveling outside of the country. Although I entered hesitantly, I left reluctantly because of my wonderful experience with the Honors College.
I will always be grateful for the lasting impact the Pierre Laclede Honors College has had on my life. My professors and advisor proactively helped me define a major based on what was most important to me. They also helped me determine what I wanted to do after graduating and helped me build a resume and a plan to pursue a job in the financial services industry. As part of that plan, I was able to utilize my honors independent study to research local financial services companies and identify an ideal fit. The process connected me with Edward Jones, where I have since established a meaningful career in helping individuals accomplish their financial goals.
ENGLISH 2013
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UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–ST. LOUIS
ENGINEERING 2016
ECONOMICS 2011
COME VISIT! Honors Day is your opportunity to get a first-hand look at the Honors College. Visit with current students and meet the faculty. Tour the
Provincial House and the honors residence hall. Learn about academic, research and scholarship opportunities. Get answers to all of your questions. There is also plenty of time to fill out UMSL/Honors College applications. Bonus: If you apply to UMSL during Honors Day, your application fee is waived!
FULL-TIME FACULTY & STAFF Edward Munn Sanchez PhD, Emory University Dean of the Honors College & Teaching Professor Daniel Gerth MA, University of Missouri–Columbia Associate Dean of the Honors College & Associate Teaching Professor Nancy Gleason MA, University of Missouri–St. Louis Associate Dean Emerita, Professor Kimberly Baldus PhD, Northwestern University Teaching Professor Jennifer Richardson MBA, University of Missouri–St. Louis Academic Advisor Gerianne Friedline MA, University of Missouri–St. Louis Associate Teaching Professor Holly Pope PhD, Saint Louis University Admissions Representative Christoph Schiessl PhD, Wayne State University Associate Teaching Professor Ann Torrusio EdD, Maryville University Assistant Teaching Professor Kate Votaw PhD, St. Louis University Assistant Teaching Professor
CAMPUS FACULTY Anne Austin Anthropology Assistant Teaching Professor Maria Balogh Foreign Languages Associate Teaching Professor
Max Gillman Biology Curators Teaching Professor Charles Granger Biology Curators Teaching Professor David Griesedieck Philosophy Teaching Professor
James Bashkin Chemistry Professor
Margo Hurwicz Associate Professor Emerita of Gerontology
Melinda Bier Academic Director, Center for Character and Citizenship
Courtney McDermot Social Work Assistant Teaching Professor
Andrew Black Philosophy Teaching Professor Robert Bliss Honors College Dean Emeritus Ruth Bohan Art & Art History Professor Susan Brownell Anthropology Professor Joseph Carroll English Professor
Visit honors.umsl.edu for dates, registration, and more information. Contact Holly Pope at askhonors@umsl.edu or call 314-516-7769.
Jon McGinnis Philosophy Professor and Fellow in Public Policy Research Centers Joanna Mendoza Associate Professor of Music Amy Michael Foreign Languages and Literature Assistant Teaching Professor Jennifer Nolan Anthropology Assistant Teaching Professor
Nate Daugherty Study Abroad Coordinator
Ekin Pellegrini Business Management Associate Professor
Jill Delston Philosophy Associate Teaching Professor
Scott Peterson English Associate Professor
Beth Eckelkamp Associate Provost for Student Success and Teaching Professor
Gualtiero Piccinini Philosophy Associate Professor
Bernard Feldman Joint Engineering Program Professor of Physics
David Robertson Political Science Curators Teaching Professor and Fellow in Public Policy Research Centers
Anne Fish Associate Professor of Nursing
Waldemar Rohloff Philosophy Assistant Teaching Professor
Uma Segal Social Work Professor and Fellow in International Studies & Public Policy Research Centers Benjamin Torbert English Associate Professor Adriano Udani Political Science Assistant Professor Susan Waller Art & Art History Associate Professor Eric Wiland Philosophy Professor Sha Lai Williams Social Work Assistant Professor Jodi Heaps Woodruff MIMH Assistant Research Professor
314-516-5243 MAIN 314-516-7769 ADMISSIONS honors.umsl.edu
1 University Boulevard
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Provincial House
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St. Louis, MO 63121-4400
nonprofit org. U.S. postage PAID St. Louis, MO permit no. 3