The course is designed to encourage students to:

• exchange information about research or other scholarly projects with honors students from a variety of disciplines
• formally present their disciplinary projects to students from other disciplines
• relate their disciplinary thinking to the larger body of contemporary research and thought
• question and evaluate projects from other disciplines

The requirements of the course are:

• involvement in the Honors Program with intention to graduate with Distinction as a University Scholar (15 hours of honors credit with 3.5 GPA; one 300-level honors ST course, preferably outside your major; 3.5 on last 60 hours)
• participation in a credit-earning research or creative project in the major department under the supervision of a faculty mentor
• willingness to discuss research or creative techniques and findings in languages appropriate to general, well-educated audiences
• three class presentations reflecting progress on the project and one public presentation of completed work
• completion of three written assignments and a final or work-in-progress research paper
• thoughtful and constructive response to the presentations of other class members
• full participation in all activities associated with the class
• excellent class attendance

The grade in this course will be determined by:

• complete, accurate, and thoughtful presentations
  (4 presentations: 10, 15, 15, 20): 60 pts.
• class attendance and participation: 60 pts.
• written assignments (3@20): 60 pts.
• work-in-progress research paper (and critiques): 60 pts.

Final grades will be earned from the total of 240 points within a 7-percent grading scale (e.g. 93%-100% = A). This scale is appropriate since there are no exams; students are therefore given adequate time to work on and complete each of the above requirements.

In order to learn more about the research process, and the presentation of that research, assignments will involve:

• critiquing professional and student publications and presentations
• composing an abstract for the final presentation (the Symposium) and for NCUR (the National Conference on Undergraduate Research).

All written assignments are expected to be typed, spell-checked, and have a professional appearance.

Each student will make at least four presentations during the semester. The first presentation (10 points) introduces the student's project and will be somewhat brief and informal. The second and third presentations (15 points each) are formal work-in-progress reports. The final, formal presentation (20 points) will be given at the UNCA Undergraduate Research Symposium. (An optional presentation may be given between the required third and fourth presentations as a rehearsal for the Symposium.)

All presentations will be scheduled in advance. It is expected that each student will not disrupt the class by rescheduling any presentation date.

As indicated above (under "Grading") students who are not making presentations are expected to attend all sessions and contribute to the evaluation and discussion of all other projects.

The UNCA Honors Program requires each student in this course to choose a faculty mentor for his or her project. It is the student's responsibility to keep the mentor informed about progress in this course. The student is encouraged to schedule his or her Symposium presentation at a time the mentor can attend. Mentors are also invited to observe and/or participate in class presentations.