The key to the continuing success of the Honors Program at Utah Valley relies on the creativity, focus, and approach of its instructors, particularly in the Legacies courses; Ancient Legacies (HONR 2000) and Modern Legacies (HONR 2100) function as the core curriculum for students in the Honors Program. The following guidelines should assist faculty who wish to propose or revise Legacies courses.

Key Principles for Successful Legacies Courses

(adapted from The National Collegiate Honors Council, https://nchc.site-ym.com/page/coursedesign )

1. Legacies courses typically enroll first and second semester freshmen. Honors freshmen may be more curious, more skeptical, more motivated, and more verbal than typical students, but they are not necessarily more organized, more mature, or better informed than non-Honors freshmen.
2. Legacies courses can be adapted to include readings from any discipline, but they should rely mainly on primary sources -published single works or original documents, in addition to the students’ own experiences, interviews, the results of surveys or questionnaires, works of art or music, museum exhibits, films, videos, etc.
3. Legacies courses should help students develop college-level reading, writing, and oral communication skills, through formal and informal essays, in addition to class discussion, presentations, projects, case studies, debates, experiential learning, etc. Keep in mind that almost all Legacies students are still completing either ENGL 1010/101H, 2010/201H, or 2020/202H and thus may need mentoring to develop ideas at length or use outside sources.
4. Legacies courses should set high expectations at the college freshman level. High expectations need to be clearly delineated for students so as to develop their abilities to organize their time and the course’s workload.
5. Legacies courses should help students become independent and critical thinkers by allowing them to work independently, yet under the guidance of responsive faculty who create a classroom environment open to many perspectives and points of view, where students are encouraged to take intellectual risks and feel safe doing so.

Successful Legacies Faculty Usually:

• Distribute a clear, detailed syllabus and calendar at the beginning of the term
• Assign readings with acknowledgment of complexity level for college freshmen
• Create a collaborative learning environment by assigning students to lead discussion, develop discussion questions, become ‘experts’ on a topic, author, or thinker, etc.
• Require several brief, formal writing assignments, such as discussion posts, response papers, etc. early in the term to gauge students’ facility with college-level writing
• Assign at least one 8-10 page paper, preferably with a required draft and peer-review. Most Legacies courses include about 12-15 pages of formal writing throughout the semester in addition to informal writing.
• Consider the use of out-of-classroom activities or experiential components that enhance student engagement (where possible—films, museum exhibits, plays, lectures by visiting scholars, etc.). Funds may be available from Honors to help with tickets for events.

Legacies Faculty Guidelines

HONR 2000 and HONR 2100, typically taken by incoming freshman in their first two semesters in college, form the core of the Honors Program’s formal coursework.  These two courses must be completed for a student to graduate with Honors, although they act as elective credits for all degree programs.

HONR 2000 HH: Ancient Legacies: Provides students with the opportunity to study selected great works from an interdisciplinary perspective. Examines Ancient, Medieval, and early Renaissance thought through primary texts composed before 1500 C.E. Focus of the class determined by instructor, but must include at least one text written during each of these periods, and at least one non-Western text. Emphasizes close study of primary texts drawn from disciplines including, but not limited to, astronomy, physics, biology, literature, history, philosophy, and religion. Develops strong critical thinking, writing, and rhetorical skills.

HONR 2100: Modern Legacies: Provides students with the opportunity to study selected great works from an interdisciplinary perspective. Examines Modern and Contemporary thought through primary texts composed after 1500 C.E. Focus of the class determined by instructor, but must include at least one text that adds diversity (for instance, in ethnicity, class, or gender). Emphasizes close study of primary texts drawn from disciplines including, but not limited to, astronomy, physics, biology, literature, history, philosophy, and religion. Develops strong critical thinking, writing, and rhetorical skills.

Objectives:

1. Integrate knowledge from different sources  
2. Demonstrate facility in analytical and critical thinking ability through class discussion and written assignments  
3. Display skills in formal writing, oral presentations, collaborative exchanges and intellectual dialogue  
4. Explain central ideas in Ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance culture (or Modern and Contemporary culture) and their relationship to present day society
5. Discuss how historical transformations affect social, political, scientific, and economic development    

Attitude & Traits:

1. Appreciate the importance of Ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance culture (or Modern and Contemporary culture) to present day society  
2. Gain insight about the fundamental questions and methods of investigation that are the foundations of academic inquiry.  
3. Respect for the value of interdisciplinary studies in investigating complex problem

In order to best serve the students and also to engage in thorough program review, the Honors Steering Committee asks all Legacies faculty to observe these guidelines and recommendations:

Course Design:

• The course should help students develop skills integral to becoming successful college students: careful reading and writing, curiosity, clear verbal communication, and collaboration.
• The course should be based on significant primary texts from the Ancient period (beginnings to 1500) or the Modern period (1500 to the present).
• The course should feature 10-15 pages of graded, formal writing.
• Instructors should consider requiring or allowing revisions of formal writing assignments, particularly for students scoring below 75%.

Course Assessment:

• Please be aware that the Honors Program Director observes all Legacies sections at least once per semester.
• Evaluations separate from the UVU SRI are conducted by Honors at the end of each term via Qualtrics; copies are provided to all faculty for use in tenure and promotion dossiers.