CLARK HONORS COLLEGE: WHERE STUDENTS BELONG, CONTRIBUTE, AND LEAD.
Robert D. Clark Honors College is dedicated to teaching students to learn how to learn: to synthesize and evaluate information, to embrace change and grow because of it, to cultivate independence of thought, and to respect and celebrate research and knowledge.
Students emerge from an exhilarating four years with the skills, knowledge, and emotional intelligence to excel in their professional lives and to become leaders in government, industry, and research. Clark Honors College is where students find their purpose and prepare for their futures, wherever Surrounded by peers who those lead them. want to know more, Clark Honors College students are partners in a culture of learning that values curiosity, collaboration, and inclusion.
The Clark Honors Experience Advising: The CHC’s team of professional advisors now includes dedicated advisors for first- and second-year students, as well as faculty advisors assigned to each student who mentor them throughout their academic career years in the CHC. Students are supported by advisors from the moment they arrive on campus until graduation!
Calderwood Seminars in Public Writing: Originating at Wellesley College and now implemented at Smith College, Georgetown University, and Wesleyan University, CHC was one of several public institutions awarded a grant from the Calderwood Foundation to support deadline-driven, writing intensive seminars focused on teaching students to write for public audiences. Alumni of this program tell us that their Calderwood Seminars were the most meaningful classes they took at UO.
Inside-Out: A life-changing experience in which honors college students and incarcerated people study literature, political theory, and social issues together at the Oregon State Penitentiary.
Knight Campus Undergraduate Scholars Program: In an exclusive partnership, the Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact and CHC have created two $8,000 research awards for honors college students selected to conduct research in a Knight Campus-affiliated lab.
OHSU Internships: This collaboration between CHC and Oregon Health and Science University offers summer internships to honors college students in the Cell, Developmental, and Cancer Biology laboratories on the campus in Portland, Oregon, complete with stipend.
3+3: The 3 + 3 Program enables highly talented and motivated honors college students interested in legal careers to complete both a bachelor’s degree and a doctor of jurisprudence at the University of Oregon in only six years.
Liberal Arts Introduction to the Liberal Arts (HC101) introduces students to the vibrant world of liberal arts education. Designed for first-year students, HC101 explores knowledge, creation, and discovery by
LAUREN TOKOS CLASS OF 2024 JOURNALISM
analyzing and discussing texts and sources on a specific theme. Focusing on the writing process,
Employment: Receptionist at CHC front desk,
assignments teach students to develop clarity of
Writer for CHC Communications Team
expression and argument, use of evidence, and effective revision practices. Students evaluate
“The HC101 I took was Philosophy of Food with Dr.
the benefit of diverse perspectives and reflect
Cutting-Jones. This course prepared me for the
on the connections between scholarship and
workload of a typical honors college course and gave
society on subjects such as malaria, the US-Mexico
me insight into how honors college classes are run.
borderlands, the relationship between humans and
Additionally, Dr. Cutting-Jones’ enthusiasm inspired
dogs, artificial intelligence, and writing the genome.
participation among students in a manner I’d never experienced.”
Your First Year: Sample Schedule of CHC Classes
Fall Term
Winter Term
Spring Term
HC 101: Intro to Liberal Arts
HC 200: level Disciplinary Course
HC 200: level Disciplinary Course
CHC Disciplinary Courses are divided
These three courses will introduce
into three academic subjects:
you to intensive reading and writing,
Arts and Letters, Social Science, and
research methods, group projects,
Science. CHC students will take one of
and presentations skills. They serve as
each of these classes during their first
the foundation of your honors college
two years of study:
experience and will prepare you for the
HC 221: Arts and Letters HC 231: Social Science
high-level work you will encounter in upper-division colloquia. Transfer, AP, IB, and non-CHC UO credits cannot be used to fulfill these requirements.
HC 241: Science You can complete the CHC Disciplinary Courses in any order; the key is that you must take at least one of each.
Your First Year: Sample Schedule of CHC Classes
Fall Term
Winter Term
Spring Term
HC 101: Intro to Liberal Arts
HC 231: Social Sciences
HC 221: Arts and Letters
HC 241: Science
Colloquia At Clark Honors College, students should expect the unexpected. With our colloquia, unique and engaging courses are created specifically for CHC students with a focus on engaging students in different perspectives on ideas and topics, expanding their horizons, and building a strong foundation for a life of learning. With colloquia, students challenge themselves and each other, bringing majors together from every discipline across campus. Biologists talk to artists, literary scholars talk to business majors, and mathematicians talk to poets in courses taught by award-winning faculty members.
CLAIRE WARNER CLASS OF 2023 EARTH SCIENCES Employment: Video producer at Oregon Department of Corrections “I am deeply interested in mass incarceration and often find myself questioning common representations of incarcerated individuals as ‘criminals,’’murderers,’ or ‘bad people.’ Little did I know I would have similar experiences in other CHC courses through which passionate professors offered alternative insights
Our colloquia are uniquely specialized,
that helped me develop ideas of my own. Consequently,
interdisciplinary courses created specifically
I credit the CHC for the confident, well-rounded, and
for honors college students. CHC offers at least
independent student I am today.”
140 unique courses per academic year, focusing on topics ranging from inequality and action in climate change, the language of truth, techniques in prose fiction to LGBTQ history, the relationship between humans and the whale, and writing for social justice. At CHC, you’ll find colloquia on topics ranging from the whale to poison to Black rebellions to the physics of sport. CHC alumni tell us that the colloquia were one of the highlights of their college experience.
One Sample Schedule: Timing of CHC Colloquia
Fall Term - Year One
Winter Term – Year One
Spring Term – Year One
HC 101: Intro to Liberal Arts
HC 231: Social Science
HC 221: Arts and Letters
Fall Term - Year Two
Winter Term – Year Two
Spring Term – Year Two
HC 241: Science
HC 301: Research and Writing
Fall Term - Year Three
Winter Term – Year Three
Spring Term – Year Three
HC 441: Science
HC 421: Arts & Letters
HC 421: Arts and Letters (first elective)
Fall Term - Year Four
Winter Term – Year Four
Spring Term – Year Four
HC 431: Social Science
HC 441: Science (second elective) Or even like this, on a compressed schedule (good for study abroad or three-year graduation plans):
One Sample Schedule: Timing of CHC Colloquia
Fall Term - Year One
Winter Term – Year One
Spring Term – Year One
HC 101: Intro to Liberal Arts
HC 241: Science
HC 301: Research and Writing
HC 221: Arts and Letters
HC 231: Social Science
Fall Term - Year Two
Winter Term – Year Two
Spring Term – Year Two
HC 441: Science
HC 421: Arts and Letters
HC 441: Arts and Letters (first elective)
Fall Term - Year Three
Winter Term – Year Three
Spring Term – Year Three
HC 431: Social Science
HC 441: Science (second elective)
Thesis If there is a question you are passionate about answering, your thesis can allow you to explore solutions. When you write your thesis, you are in charge. The experience lets you harness your career and academic interests to a topic about
LAUREN JIN CLASS OF 2021 JOURNALISM/ADVERTISING
which you are interested in.
Employment: EMU box office, CHC graphic designer
During your first two years, you explore your
Thesis: “Who Belongs and Who Doesn’t: Gentrification
major, actively looking for questions and ideas
and the Golden State Warriors.”
that you would like to investigate further and choosing courses or lab internships with
Advice for students preparing for their thesis
professors who are experts in those topics. You
project: “What you, a CHC student, should do is find
can use study abroad experiences to conduct
a committee that cares about you and your topic. I
research on a thesis that spans continents.
wouldn’t be here, with a thesis successfully defended and submitted, without the guidance of my advisors.
Once you have an idea, and with the support of
They kept me on track when I was dangerously close
your faculty advisors, you will lay the groundwork
to veering off into the abyss. They believed in the
for your thesis project. The thesis offers you
merits of my research, which at times I couldn’t see
the opportunity to dive into research, immerse
myself. Barring personal motivation and ability, I
yourself in a subject, become an expert in it, and
think a good committee is the difference between
consider solutions to problems about which you
a bad thesis and a good one and a good one from a
care deeply.
great one. Go to those office hours and make those
Challenge yourself, satisfy your curiosity, then discover the answers through research, analysis, and collaboration. Your thesis can lead you to the answers to your questions as well as opportunities.
connections: you’ll be thankful for it, I’m sure.”
Thesis: Courses and Requirements The thesis is one of the most satisfying
required preparatory courses leading up
and memorable experiences on the
to your final thesis project:
Clark Honors College journey—an opportunity to stretch the boundaries of the university, and to venture out
HC 277: Thesis Orientation (2 credits) HC 477: Thesis Prospectus (2 credits)
into the larger world. You will conduct
Since HC 277: Thesis Orientation and
original research, complete a high-
HC 477: Thesis Prospectus are 2-credit
quality academic paper or project, and
classes, you can take these classes
orally defend your work to your faculty
in addition to your average 16-credit
thesis committee.
course load in a term. During those
The thesis defense itself is not a credit-
terms, you may be enrolled in 18 credits.
granting course; however, there are two
One sample schedule of when you might take these courses
Fall Term - Year One
Winter Term – Year One
Spring Term – Year One
HC 101: Intro to Liberal Arts
HC 231: Social Science
HC 221: Arts and Letters
Fall Term - Year Two
Winter Term – Year Two
Spring Term – Year Two
HC 241: Science
HC 277: Thesis Orientation
HC 301: Research and Writing
Fall Term - Year Three
Winter Term – Year Three
Spring Term – Year Three
HC 441: Science
HC 421: Arts and Letters
HC 477: Thesis Prospectus
Fall Term - Year Four
Winter Term – Year Four
Spring Term – Year Four
HC 431: Social Science
HC 421: Arts and Letters (first elective)
HC 441: Science (second elective)
MRP/IFP The CHC recently launched two new career readiness programs: the Mentored Research Program (MRP) and the Internship Funding Program (IFP). These programs allow CHC students to gain experiences that provide
MORNING GLORY RITCHIE CLASS OF 2023 ART HISTORY/ART
the kind of foundations that can help launch careers in industry, government, research, and
Employment: Research Assistant for Professor
many others.
Carol Stabile in the Clark Honors College
The MRP offers students the opportunity
Extracurricular Activities: Undergraduate Co-chair
to partake in paid student-faculty research
for the Art History Student Association
assistantships where they learn to work independently, manage deadlines, and develop valuable research skills. The IFP supports students’ participation in noncredit-bearing internships which relieve the financial strain of unpaid internships and provide students with valuable experiences and important skills while they explore career paths.
Internship: Springfield History Museum Advice: “Keep trying and putting yourself out there even if you don’t always succeed. It can be very easy to shy away from opportunities if you don’t think you are deserving of them. Try and push back on this self-doubt and talk to your professors during office hours, apply for scholarships, and step out of your comfort zone. Take advantage of the resources around you, such as the free tutoring services, which
Examining deep-sea larvae with the Oregon
helped support me during my first year. Don’t give up
Institute of Marine Biology; using ultrasound
on yourself; persistence and patience with yourself
technology to gather data on muscles
will bring you a long way on the road to success
and tendons in the knee; identifying and
throughout your academic career.”
briefing murder cases with potentially wrongful convictions; and cataloging historic photographs into museum archives for preservation: these are just a few of the firsthand opportunities CHC students have been able to take advantage of with the support of the MRP and IFP.
Calderwood Seminars One of the unique hallmarks of Clark Honors College is the Calderwood Seminars for Public Writing, an indepth learning experience that teaches students to take academic scholarship and research and present
“As a journalism student, I’ve taken a number of publicfacing writing courses. None compare to how much I learned in the Calderwood Seminar I took last term about writing for social justice. The class taught me how vocabulary, sentence structure and tone can communicate implicit biases and judgements you may not notice in your own writing. We learned to recognize these issues, then we focused on how to avoid them.”
it to public-facing audiences. Each section of the Calderwood Seminars is taught by an expert in that area of focus, and by using peer-topeer reviews, editing, and collaboration, students take information that is academically based and transform it into content that is accessible to the general public. Students gain experience in constructing opinion editorials, book reviews, and magazine-style stories that transform complex research into pieces that are both comprehensive and comprehendible to those outside the academic field.
LAUREN CHURCH CLASS OF ‘22/ JOURNALISM Employment: Assistant Editor at CHC Communications
SUMIT KAPUR CLASS OF 2021 POLITICAL/SCIENCE PHILOSOPHY
Employment:
The Classroom
The Rule of Thirds
One of the hallmarks of an honors college class is
Clark Honors College curriculum replaces university
the diverse set of majors it brings togehter. The rich
general-education requirements. Students take
exchange of viewpoints coming from many different
about a third of their courses in the honors college,
backgrounds means students learn from the
another third in their major, and the last third as
professor and from each other.
electives. Typically, you will take one or two courses in the honors college each term.
Mock Trial (2017–2021); President (2020–21) College Democrats of Oregon College Democrats of America Democratic Party of Lane County
honors.uoregon.edu
IM Basketball MAJOR
Undergrad employment:
CHC REQUIREMENT
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon UO Multicultural recruiter-ambassador Field office intern, Senator Ron Wyden Thesis: “Deconstructing Dialectic and Rhetoric in American Political Debate” What I’m doing now: “Today, I am pursuing a law degree at the University
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE
ELECTIVES
15
STUDENTS
of Virginia School of Law and am on track to graduate in 2024. As I adjust to the intellectual rigor of law school, I find myself incredibly thankful for the wealth of experiences that the CHC has given me to prepare for it. The students and professors that I met in my four years here made me a better person, a better scholar, and a better leader. From learning
MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE
us today to discussing case theories in UO’s stellar
19
Mock Trial program to meeting some of my closest
STUDENTS
about the lessons that Native philosophy can teach
friends in the student lounge, I found myself and my home in the CHC.”