Honors Tutorial 685 (1-3H credits) OR Independent Study, Dept-699 or equivalent
What is Honors Tutorial/Independent Study?
Completing an Honors tutorial or an independent study can be a rewarding academic experience. With approval from the Honors College, students can propose an independent course of study completed through their academic department or under the supervision of an Honors faculty supervisor. Before you can enroll for one of these courses, however, you must define the course’s aims and content in a formal proposal. The draft proposal must be completed by April 1 for fall semester and November 1 for spring semester. The entire process should be complete by December 1 (for spring) and May 1 (for fall).
Develop Your Proposal
- Choose your topic. Choose something that will sustain your interest for a whole semester. Remember that your topic must be focused and flexible. Try to address broad issues through specific questions and a workable number of texts.
- Review the Non-Seminar Planning Sheet and schedule a meeting with Dr. Sands to discuss. In this meeting you can expect to discuss your ideas and to be given the opportunity to ask any questions. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Sands, please email him directly (sands@uwm.edu), or visit our front office in HON 154 for assistance.
- Consult your supervising instructor. Faculty members supervise independent student work on a voluntary but many will be pleased to assist a serious student with a course topic pertaining to their field of study or interest. A faculty member is most likely to participate if 1) they are familiar with the student’s work and 2) the student wants to study a subject of expertise or interest for the faculty member. The supervising instructor advises and guides you, monitors your progress, evaluates your performance, and assigns your grade. Once you have selected a supervising
instructor, you should set up a meeting to discuss the reading list, focus the study, and agree on the course requirements. The supervising instructor will help you determine a sufficient amount of work for the credits to be earned. You both must agree on the scope, length, and format of your work, the frequency of advising sessions, and a timetable for completion. - Prepare a proposal. Prepare a one- to two-page proposal that outlines your study’s purpose and scope as well as the course requirements. You may want to consider the course descriptions found in the Honors Course Book as a model. The proposal will outline the nature of your work and provide criteria for evaluation. In short, your proposal is a mutually agreed upon contract for the semester’s work. Do not treat this stage of preparation lightly. Your success ultimately depends on the quality of your proposal.
The proposal should include:
A. Describe the purpose of your study. What am I investigating or testing? How will exploring this question contribute to my educational growth and goals? Is the topic sufficiently narrow that it can be completed in the time proposed? Why am I doing this as independent study? (The last is especially important because independent study topics should not include topics offered in regular classes.)
B. Create a list of reading or reference works. Include full bibliographical data on books, films, and journals that will be used in addition to the required course readings. Your supervising instructor will suggest primary and secondary sources and advise you on the acceptable format (MLA, Chicago Style, APA, etc.)
C. Determine the schedule for your independent study. Set up a schedule with your supervising instructor, similar to a class syllabus, to determine reading due dates, the length and frequency of meetings, deadlines for the course assignments, and criteria for determining your grade.
D. Describe the product(s) you will generate. Clearly indicate the length and nature of the additional
assignments (journals, formal papers, experiments, performances, etc.).
Next Steps
- Submit your proposal through the online form: Honors College Non-Seminar Submission Form. You must include your SIGNED Non-Seminar Planning Sheet with your proposal.
- After the Honors College receives your form, it will be sent to Honors College Director, Dr. Peter Sands for final approval. If there are any questions about your proposal, Dr. Sands will be in touch with suggested revisions. The draft proposal must be completed by April 1 for fall semester and November 1 for spring semester. The entire process should be complete by December 1 (for spring) and May 1 (for fall).
- Once approved, the Honors College main office will send you an email.
- Registration. If you are enrolling in an Honors Tutorial, the Honors College will enroll you in HON 685. If you are pursuing an independent study with your department, you are responsible for enrolling in the correct class.
- Turn in your final product(s) no later than one week before the end of the semester. This can be delivered to the Honors College main office in room 154 or digitally at honors@uwm.edu. After Honors College administration can confirm that you completed the added Honors component and earned a B- or better in the course, Honors credit will be added to your transcript.
Forms
Non-Seminar Planning Sheet (please note you will need to Download the PDF to edit)