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Sierra College Honors
The Honors Course Contract Proposal
PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE INSTRUCTION PACKET CAREFULLY!
*SAVE THIS DOCUMENT AS FACULTY LAST NAME.STUDENT LAST NAME. COURSE #
(EX: SMITH.DOE.ENGL 1A)
Enter your responses below (including signatures)
SECTION I
1. Semester and Year: Fall 2015
2. Student First and Last Name: Jane Doe
3. Student Nine-Digit ID#: 900-00-0000
(Give all nine numbers)
4. Student Telephone Number: (555) 867-5309
(Include area code)
(Please use your Sierra College email)
6. Course ID Number AND Name: Humanities 10, World Religion
(Example: “Music 002, Music Appreciation”)
7. Course Meeting Days and Times: T/THURS 2:00 - 3:20
(Example: “MW 11:00am-12:20pm”)
8. Faculty First and Last Name: John Smith
9. Faculty Work Phone: 916-867-5309
(Include area code)
10. Faculty SC Email Contact: jsmith@sierracollege.edu
11. What is the overall objective/purpose of this Honors Contract?:
The overall purpose of this Honors Contract is to engage talented students with the major theoretical approaches utilized
in Religious Studies Departments across the country. Students will be exposed to multiple theorists from the discipline of
Cultural Anthropology (E.B. Tylor, E.E. Evans-Pritchard, and Clifford Gertz), Sociology (Emile Durkheim and Max
Weber), Political and Economic Theory (Karl Marx), Psychology (Sigmund Freud) and History of Religions (Mircea
Eliade). This honors curriculum will prepare them for a high level of engagement in these and related disciplines, in both
the upper division and beginning graduate levels.
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SECTION II
What are the individual student learning objectives of this Honors Contract? A minimum of 3 out of the
following 7 objectives must be addressed (you may include more). Provide a detailed description of the
assignments or activities ONLY for the appropriate objectives.
1. Demonstrate Excellence: Objective: Student will demonstrate a higher degree of leadership, class
participation, and academic performance. Describe assignments or activities to be completed and tangible
evidence to be produced that will demonstrate achievement of this particular learning objective:
2. Demonstrate Greater Understanding
Objective: Student will develop and explore in greater depth and/or breadth the subject matter of the
course/discipline. Describe assignments or activities to be completed and tangible evidence to be produced
that will demonstrate achievement of this particular learning objective:
Students will read Eight Theories of Religion, by Daniel Pals. This is an upper division/lower graduate level book
that discusses theories of religion from interdisciplinary perspectives.
Students will incorporate one or more of these theories in their course term paper; the page limit will be raised
from 6-8 pages (standard assignment) to 8-10 pages in order to accommodate the theoretical perspectives.
Demonstration will be measured by their utilization of the perspectives in their papers.
3. Exhibit or Present Learned Expertise: Objective: Student will demonstrate the ability to develop work at a
quality suitable for public presentation along with exhibiting or presenting the work to an audience. Describe
assignments or activities to be completed and tangible evidence to be produced that will demonstrate
achievement of this particular learning objective:
4. Use Resources Outside of the Classroom
Objective: Student will gain knowledge about accessing and using resources outside of the classroom to
enhance his/her preparation for continued education and/or careers. Describe assignments or activities to be
completed and tangible evidence to be produced that will demonstrate achievement of this particular learning
objective:
Students will be required to cite three journal articles in the Works Cited Page for their term papers. Tangible
evidence will be verified in the term papers themselves.
5. Use Primary Source Material
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Objective: Student will gain knowledge about accessing and critically evaluating the value of source materials
beyond discipline textbooks. Describe assignments or activities to be completed and tangible evidence to be
produced that will demonstrate achievement of this particular learning objective:
Students will be required to incorporate a minimum of 2 primary sources in their term papers. Demonstration will
be evident in the term papers themselves.
6. Attain a Heightened Appreciation of the Field
Objective: Student will gain a deeper and more critical appreciation of the field and thus be better equipped to
succeed in upper division courses and/or the business or professional world. Describe assignments or
activities to be completed and tangible evidence to be produced that will demonstrate achievement of this
particular learning objective:
Students will add a significant dimension to their understanding and appreciation of the topic through Pals’
book. They will demonstrate their competency with the material during an end-of-the-term exam with 10 ID
questions and one compare/contrast essay. This will be given in the testing center during the penultimate class
period, while the rest of the class is reviewing for the final.
7. Pursue Original Research
Objective: Student will understand, initiate, and implement the process of developing original work that adds to
the body of knowledge in a given field. Describe assignments or activities to be completed and tangible
evidence to be produced that will demonstrate achievement of this particular learning objective:
SECTION III
Assessment criteria: How will the student’s success be determined? Describe specifically what assessment
criteria will be used to determine if the student receives the Honors designation for the course. For examples,
please see the Instruction Packet. Student’s achievement of the individual objectives in Section II will be
assessed using the following specific criteria:
To earn honors credit, students must receive an “A” on their term paper (at least 18/20) AND receive an A or a B
on their end-of-term exam.
SECTION IV
How do the components of this Honors Contract differ from the regular course components? What will the
student gain beyond the regular classroom environment? Please be specific. See the Instruction Packet for
examples.
The components of this contract will allow the student to gain the following, which is above and beyond what is
acquired from the regular classroom environment for this course:
Honors students will read Eight Theories of Religion, a 352 page book not assigned to the rest of the class; they
will incorporate this material into an extended term paper, with mandatory minimum requirements in primary
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sources (2) and journal articles (3) that are not in place for the rest of the class. In addition, they will take an end-
of-term exam on the material not required of regular students.
Students who successfully complete this contract will have a significantly greater understanding of religion and
how scholars understand it than do their peers in the classroom. It will contribute greatly to upper division and
beginning graduate level work in humanities, religious studies, anthropology, sociology, and related disciplines.
SECTION V
By typing their names below, both the student and instructor agree to meet at least 15 minutes every two
weeks until this Honors Contract is successfully completed or discontinued.
For the purposes of this Honors Contract, names typed below constitute electronic signatures representing
agreement to/approval of the contract.
THE PROPOSED HONORS CONTRACT HAS BEEN REVIEWED AND APPROVED:
Faculty Signature John Smith Date 9/9/15
Student Signature Jane Doe Date 9/9/15
Honors Committee Approval
Division Dean
