HNRS 1000 Honors Summit (0 Credits)

Welcome to DU Honors! This is the first course of the core Honors sequence. It provides space for you to reflect on your values and what brought you here and to set goals for your college journey and your participation in the Honors community. We also want to be sure you have all the resources that you need to succeed in the University Honors Program, and to introduce you to the staff, faculty, and other students in the program. We will focus on advising and graduation planning that will help you to maximize your college experience. Additionally, we will highlight the resources at DU that are particularly important for Honors students, including opportunities for undergraduate research and other signature work, competitive external fellowships, and distinction resources. This is a zero-credit course. Students must attend one in-person four-hour session.

HNRS 2000 Extreme Academics: Defining Success and Forging Your Path (0-1 Credits)

Colorado draws many skiers, snowboarders, and other extreme sports enthusiasts who want to push the rules and find creativity and self-expression through movement. Extreme sports can be scary and require stepping out of your comfort zone. But for many people, extreme sports are what make them come alive. We know that Honors students have developed the academic chops necessary for conventional academics: you have honed your thinking skills and have trained extensively in studying, getting the grades, and learning the content. But what if you could take your academic journey to the next (extreme!) level: thinking beyond grades and actively cultivating the resources, networks, and experiences that are most meaningful to you. In this class, we will encourage you to question charted paths: What does success even mean to you? … are you climbing the mountain you want to climb? We will encourage you to lean into failure: How will you weather – and learn from – the inevitable crashes that come from trying new and scary things? And we will lead you in reflection and visioning exercises: What growth areas are most exciting to you, and how will you cultivate support, joy, and community as you explore them? In short: How can you shape your academic journey into something that makes you come alive?.

HNRS 2400 Honors Seminar (0-2 Credits)

A number of these seminars are offered every year on a rotating basis. Topics vary every quarter. Honors Seminars are taught in a faculty member’s area of expertise – often on niche subjects that bring students directly into dialogue with faculty research, scholarship, or creative work. They are an opportunity for students to get to know faculty and engage with advanced content in small discussion-oriented seminars that are open to students from all majors.

HNRS 2401 Adventures in Fellowships (0-2 Credits)

This course is designed to empower students to develop their personal narratives and to pursue “good-fit” fellowship competitions that create pathways to impact. Students will explore external fellowships, parse funding organizations’ criteria and priorities, and work through applications to tell a coherent narrative with attention to common application components such as personal statements; letters of recommendation; and reflections on leadership, service, and impact. Class sessions and assignments will guide students through reflection about interests and goals, telling the story of their experiences, and identifying and preparing for competitive fellowships that will help them drive change on the issues that matter to them. Students will gain a foundation for expanded knowledge and growth in line with the 4D Experience as well as practical tools and strategies for crafting competitive applications for external opportunities. Cross-listed with LDRS 2920. This course counts as an Honors Seminar (HNRS 2400) for the University Honors Program and as an elective towards the Leadership Studies Minor.

HNRS 3000 Into the Unknown (0-1 Credits)

For many high-achieving students, college is a given. It is the clear next step in life after high school. As you consider your post-baccalaureate plans, the future may feel less certain. This course is designed to give you space to reflect on your college experiences and to articulate their meaning – both to yourself and to potential future employers or collaborators. It also provides opportunities for you to consider goals and strategies for the future, including questions like: How do you define success and design the life you want? How do you decide whether an opportunity is a good fit? How do you assess and redirect when you experience failure, ambiguity, or change? The course provides repeated opportunities to engage in structured self-reflection, both individually and in community with peers who are also preparing to go into the unknown. This course is intended for Honors students in their final year at DU.

HNRS 3991 Independent Study (1-5 Credits)

By arrangement.

HNRS 3995 Independent Research (0-10 Credits)