Minor Faculty Admission Honors Program Curriculum Honors Courses |
HonorsChurchill Scholars Honors ProgramComputing Services Center 210
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Each year, fifteen to twenty sophomore students officially take their places as Churchill scholars. The Churchill Honors program affords this select group of students an unusual opportunity to learn in close association with highly capable peers who are equally serious about their college education. The program is designed to provide these students with a strong liberal arts foundation and training in critical thinking and writing. Each Churchill Scholar embarks on a three-year humanities-based study with a special emphasis on ethics. The sophomore-level curriculum is grounded in literature, philosophy, history, science, and sociology. Juniors gather for honors seminars focusing on global traditions in ethics. Seniors concentrate on research-based community service projects in their own majors. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in all honors and non-honors University work is required for graduation from the program. Back to top of page.MinorThe minor in interdisciplinary ethics is conferred on all students who complete the full 30-credit program with a minimum GPA of 3.0 in all of their courses. Back to top of page.FacultyMany of the program’s outstanding professors enjoy national reputations as scholars, writers, and researchers. Back to top of page.AdmissionChurchill Scholars Honors ProgramThe Churchill Scholars Honors Program seeks excellent students just entering their sophomore year at Southern Oregon University. The program does not rely on any single academic admission criterion. Equal and careful evaluation is given to each student’s motivation, potential, self-discipline, scholarship, industry, and achievement within a broad definition of excellence. Students who have made the most of available opportunities and have pursued academically demanding curricula during high school and their freshman year at SOU have a decided edge, even over those who may have higher GPAs in less-demanding programs. It is recommended that students complete the Colloquium and at least one or more of the following introductory courses: World Literature (Eng 107, 108, 109), World Civilizations (Hst 110, 111), Introduction to Philosophy (Phl 201), Elementary Logic (Phl 203), and Ethics: Moral Issues (Phl 205). Students are also encouraged to complete the philosophy sequence before entering the senior year of the program. Churchill Scholars Associates ProgramThe number of Churchill Associates accepted into the program is limited. Recommended by faculty, these well-qualified students join honors classes after their sophomore year. Back to top of page.Honors Program CurriculumSee Course Prerequisites PolicyYear I| Sophomore Seminar: Ethical Systems in the West | | 12 credits | | Each of the courses in this sequence is designed to instill students with an ability to identify ethical issues. Students develop the capacity to arrive at informed and reasoned judgments. In fall, the seminar focuses on the historical development of moral thought in the West (The Ancient World); in winter, it addresses the ethical dilemmas raised by social and political institutions (The Rise of the Individual: Renaissance and Enlightenment Periods); and in spring, the seminar explores contemporary ethical problems associated with the sciences, social sciences, and humanities (The Modern World). |
Year II| Junior Seminar: Global Ethics | | 9 credits | | The second-year curriculum provides an ethical counterpoint to the systems of the West studied in Year I. Focuses on established voices of ethical thought and alternative philosophies from India, China, and the Islamic world. Fall term begins with An Indian View of Ethics: Tradition and Revolution. The winter term focuses on ethics in Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Analysis of Islamic Ethics: History and Culture occupies spring term. |
Year III| Senior Seminar: Community Ethics | | 9 credits | | Third-year courses are based on the following: independent study, mentored or directed research, community-based topics, collaborative work, and a yearlong guided research/community service project. Students use the knowledge of ethics traditions acquired during the previous two years of coursework to complete a project based on their own interests. The seminar involves a yearlong research/community service project coordinated and mentored by faculty in collaboration with individuals from the southern Oregon community. |
Back to top of page.Honors CoursesSee Course Prerequisites PolicyLower Division Courses| Ho 291 Seminar: The Ancient World | | 4 credits | | Introduces the beginnings of ethical dialogue in the Western world through selected Greek dramatists, philosophers, and Judeo-Christian scriptures. Students read contemporary works that comment on, dramatize, or extend concepts found in the classical texts. Readings are supplemented by films, creative activities, and lectures by visiting scholars. Approved for general education (Explorations). |
| Ho 292 Seminar: The Rise of the Individual–Renaissance and Enlightenment Periods | | 4 credits | | Considers the ethical questions raised when the individual is first emancipated from the benevolence and tyranny of the state, bringing about the fragmentation of political power, the growth of the middle class, the intermingling of diverse cultures, volatile discoveries in science, the humanist backlash, and the emergence of pragmatism. Approved for general education (Explorations). |
| Ho 293 Seminar: The Modern World | | 4 credits | | Explores ethics in the modern West. Discusses deontological ethics and obedience to authority, challenges to the political order, the decline of absolutism, expansion of the franchise, and ethics as an individual choice in the context of twentieth century upheavals. Approved for general education (Explorations). |
Upper Division Courses| Ho 391 Seminar: An Indian View of Ethics–Tradition and Revolution | | 3 credits | | Examines the nature of ethics in the Indian tradition, including Hindu and non-Hindu systems such as Buddhism and Jainism. The study begins with the Vedas and forest dialogues of the Upanishads, traverses various orthodox and heterodox schools, and culminates in a look at contemporary Indian society and ethical debate. |
| Ho 392 Seminar: Ethics in Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism | | 3 credits | | Considers the major philosophies indigenous to China (Confucianism, Legalism, and Taoism), as well as the major imported religious tradition (Buddhism). These ethical traditions are considered within historical contexts: How did they change over time? In what ways did they influence each other? How did they work in practice? In what ways may they be seen as shaping elite culture? What impact did they have on folk culture? To what extent do they remain influential today? Readings are drawn from these philosophical and religious traditions and from elite literature and folktales. |
| Ho 393 Seminar: Islamic Ethics–History and Culture | | 3 credits | | Concentrates on textual analysis of the Qu’ran and Hadith, the ultimate sources of Islamic ethics. Emphasizes concepts such as adl (justice), zakat (alms tax), and ulul-amr (holders of authority). After discussion of these and other related concepts of Islamic ethical traditions, students analyze their uses in different historical and cultural contexts. Through analysis of the Islamic texts, students make continuous historical, ideological, and cultural interpretations of Islam and Islamic societies. Emphasizes the Islamic Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. |
| Ho 407 Seminar | | Credit to be arranged |
| Ho 491 Seminar: Contemporary Ethical Issues I | | 3 credits | | During fall term, students explore current ethical issues in the larger community and the ways these issues are addressed by professionals in the field. In the process, they select and research a collaborative project topic, which is linked to a community or faculty mentor. Students develop a project timeline for the remainder of the year. They also arrange mentor-led seminar sessions. Readings and discussion of contemporary ethical theory and practice complement work on the projects. |
| Ho 492 Seminar: Contemporary Ethical Issues II | | 3 credits | | The winter term seminar allows more time for students and community or faculty mentors to collaborate on compiling, organizing, and refining each project. In Years I and II, the students, faculty, and Year III mentors attend a student-led discussion of ethical issues raised by each project. The outcome of this process is a final draft of the project. Continues readings and discussion of contemporary ethical theory and practice. |
| Ho 493 Seminar: Contemporary Ethical Issues III | | 3 credits | | During spring term, students formally present their project results to the program’s faculty and students, as well as the southern Oregon community. Publication of project outcomes in the form of articles, brochures, videotapes, or manuals is strongly encouraged. Students also work with Year II students to prepare them for entrance into Year III of the program. |
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