First Year

First-Year Honors Sequence:  Ancient Mesopotamia to Early Modernity

In two team-taught interdisciplinary seminars, led by faculty in English, Religion, and other areas, first-year Honors students will explore life’s enduring questions by carefully examining classic works and their histories. Through intensive reading, writing, and discussion, students will investigate the historical, literary, philosophical, political, and religious ideas that have shaped humankind from the ancient world to the early modern period, from The Epic of Gilgamesh, an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia, to Descartes’ Meditations, a founding work in modern philosophy.

HON 1110   Word and World I (4)
This course focuses on the historical, literary, philosophical, political and religious foundations of the world from the earliest civilizations through the early Hellenistic period. Offered every fall semester.

HON 1120  Word and World II (4)
The course builds on the first and focuses on the historical, literary, philosophical, political and religious foundations of the world from the early Hellenistic period to the Ming Dynasty in the 17th century. Offered every spring semester.

In order to enroll in either HON 1110 or HON 1120, a student must first be admitted to the Honors Program. Successful completion of HON 1110 satisfies the College’s General Education requirement for ENG 1100; successful completion of HON 1120 satisfies the General Education requirement for ENG 1120; successful completion of both HON 1110 and HON 1120 satisfies, in addition, a third General Education requirement, the second component of the General Education requirement for Religion if students have met the prerequisite by successfully completing either REL 1110 or REL 1120.