January 27, 2023

The Dorothy and Bill Cohen Honors College Weekly Update

By Kyndal Dorzweiler

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Events & Deadlines

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I do if there are no Honors courses in my major or an area that interests me?

    • You can request to turn a regular course into an honors course. Review the online honors option agreement form for suggestions, talk with your instructor, and turn in the form by the third week of classes. Remember that not all instructors will have time to design honors-level work for the course. Don’t be offended if your instructor says no.

How can I change my Cohen Honors College track?

  • You can add, remove, or change your honors track yourself in the Change of Major app in your MyWSU portal.

What do I do if I’m not able to take an honors course this year?

  • To maintain good standing in Honors, we ask you to keep a minimum overall GPA of 3.25 and complete at least  3 honors credits per Academic Year (Fall, Spring, Summer) or complete a 12-credit track. If you can’t take a course every year, email honors@wichita.edu and explain your plan to stay on track to complete requirements.

Can I request an exception to an Honors requirement?

  • Yes, we encourage you to design your honors education to challenge you and work with your major or professional goals. Complete the online petitions for exceptions form to request an exception to an Honors requirement.

Calling All Seniors! Apply for the Outstanding Cohen Honors Student Award

Pop art Graphic with a megaphone with text to the right that reads " Attention Seniors: Apply today to be recognized as the Outstanding Cohen Honors Student 2023. Applications due February 15th by 11:59pm. Outstanding Cohen Honors Student."
This award recognizes a high-achieving senior leader who takes on challenges and demonstrates commitment to academic excellence in Honors. Students who have completed at least 90 credit hours by the end of summer 2023, are in active standing with Honors, and have maintained a 3.25 minimum overall GPA are eligible to apply. For more information including the application please visit our website here. The application is now open and due Wednesday, February 15, 2023 at 11:59pm. Question can be directed to honors@wichita.edu. 

Apply to the 2023 Kansas Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol

The Kansas Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol event is an opportunity for students to present their research experiences virtually to state lawmakers, Board of Regents members, and the WSU community on March 1st, 2023.

Up to 40 students participate each year representing each of the state’s eight public four-year institutions. Projects from a broad range of disciplines are encouraged, especially those that relate to the state of Kansas and issues important to the State Legislature (e.g. education, health, agriculture, aviation, biotechnology, energy, transportation, manufacturing, environment, and social services).
Up to five projects will be selected from each institution, and students working on the same research project are encouraged to apply as a group.
Click Here for more information and to apply. Applications due by January 31st.

Wednesday, February 1st at 6pm: Virginia Eubanks Presentation at Newman University

White grapic with geographic design on the right. In the top left corner there is text that reads "Virginia Eubanks is coming to campus. Automating Care: Technology, Caregiving, and the Labors of Love. Come listen to Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Albany, Virginia Eubanks, tak about her past and future works. Open to anyone! Wednesday, February 1st, 6 pm. Newman University, Dugan conference center."

Honors Students are Encouraged to Participate in a Student Honors Thesis Research Survey

Graphic with pink, purple, blue, and black gradient background. Black circle in top left corner that says "Research Volunteers Needed." Kansas residents of age 18 or older are invited to participate in a research survey to evaluate their color vision proficiency by identifying a series of numbers within intentionally colored backgrounds from the official Ishihara color blindness test. The results of this study will serve to build connections between color vision and gender for a student Honors Thesis research project.  For any further questions or concerns, please contact Jaden Wood at Jqwood@shockers.wichita.edu or Dr. Mary Jameson of WSU's Biology Department at maryliz.jameson@gmail.com.

News & Information

Still looking for an Honors course for spring? Try philosophy!

These courses still have seats available. 

PHIL 355 Minds and Machines - Honors 
HYB 2:00pm-3:15pm Fiske Hall 209
Dr. Susan Sterrett susan.sterrett@wichita.edu

General education humanities course. People have constructed machines designed to imitate living creatures in some way long before there were electronic computers. When is a machine’s behavior appropriately called "intelligent?" Must it be capable of using a language? Must a machine be capable of learning in order to be regarded as intelligent? Must it be able to communicate with humans? What criteria are appropriate for judging that an animal's behavior is intelligent; should the same criteria be used for machine intelligence? What lessons about machine intelligence should be taken from debates over recent studies of intelligence in animals with nervous systems very different from humans (e.g., corvids, cephalopods)? Students consider these and other, related questions. Course takes a historical and interdisciplinary approach, drawing on works in philosophy, literature, science and history of science.

PHIL 315H Late Modern Philosophy - Honors (3) 
TCI 9:30-10:45 TR Fiske Hall 209
Dr. Susan Castro susan.castro@wichita.edu

General education humanities course. Studies philosophical thought in the 18th century with selections from philosophers such as Berkeley, Hume, Reid, Adam Smith, Butler, Hutcheson, Wolff and Kant, and movements such as empiricism, rationalism, the Scottish common sense school, and idealism.

Honors Outcomes Pilot and Other Faculty Resources

A group of faculty met throughout academic year 2020-21 to develop an initial set of Honors outcomes and a rubric based on the student-written college charter, AAC&U VALUE rubrics, and feedback from students, faculty, and alumni. We’d like faculty to try to incorporate at least two outcomes total from two different pillars and let us know how they work for your course. At the end of the year, you’ll be invited to give feedback on the outcomes and the extent to which they worked in your course. 

For a faculty resource handbook visit the Resources for Faculty in Honors page on our website. 

Honors Calender