Honors courses explore subjects in greater depth and at a higher level of academic rigor; they do not necessarily require more reading or the completion of more assignments; Honors courses inspire students to do additional reading on their own, outside of class, and expect students to bring their own knowledge and research to bear on the readings and class discussion.

Honors courses emphasize student-centered and collaborative learning and create more opportunities for student-faculty interaction. Students might be expected to work in teams and to play active roles in discussion and presentation of course materials. Students are engaged in the process of knowledge creation and encouraged to pursue independent research.

To enable greater participation and interaction honors courses generally have fewer than 25 students.

Honors courses often supplement or replace textbooks with primary source readings in the discipline, giving students the opportunity to encounter directly the words and ideas of key thinkers. Honors students critically engage and constructively challenge primary and secondary source material.

Honors courses often promote learning outside the classroom through community engagement, independent research, and co-curricular activities, such as field trips or guest speakers.

Honors courses often focus on the core principles of a discipline, helping students understand how that discipline makes and adjudicates knowledge claims. At the same time, honors courses can help students make connections across disciplines and develop a broad and integrated perspective on human knowledge.

Honors courses usually take advantage of smaller class sizes to provide more opportunities for students to develop as speakers and writers through a wide range of special activities, including class discussions, debates, simulations, role-playing, small-group work, oral examinations, journals, reports, essay writing, research projects and portfolios.

HNRS 101 Introduction to Academic Inquiry and the Honors College (4)
Explores ways of knowing across the disciplines; introduces students to Honors College learning goals; examines strategies for undergraduate success. Graded ABC/NC. Satisfies IHE and Block E (GE)

The comparative and interdisciplinary nature of the first year seminar emphasizes the epistemological strategies, or "ways of knowing," that shape one's apprehension of and action within modern urban environments. Students will learn how to render legible the complicated forces which shape cities and the different populations that inhabit them. They will acquire an appreciation of cultural difference that accounts for the multiple ways in which urban residents shape and are shaped by their experiences. Drawing on their work in HNRS 110, HNRS 120 and HNRS 130, students will develop the capacity to examine the modern urban city and its components from a variety of viewpoints and disciplinary strategies, and will bring to bear a critical, multifaceted examination of issues that affect them as citizens of their neighborhood and metropolis.

HNRS 110: Reading Los Angeles: Arguments in the City of Angels (4)
This course explores argumentation as a type of discourse, a philosophical method, and an instrument of critical decision making, focusing on arguments in the global metropolis. GE A2

HNRS 120 Reading Los Angeles: Expressive Cultures in a Global City (4)
Explores cultural expression and creativity in globalized urban contexts. Interdisciplinary exploration of artistic and creative expression (literature, art, theater, dance, film, and other cultural forms) in Los Angeles, and other global cities.GE C5

HNRS 130: Reading LA: Community and Structure in the Metropolis (4)
Strategies for understanding the social, political, economic, and cultural structures and processes that shape the modern metropolis. GE D (diversity)

HNRS 201: Angelenos and Air Quality: A Chemist's Perspective (4)
An intensive introductory course in physical science emphasizing how scientific inquiry is used to explore the effects of human activities on Los Angeles air quality. Lecture 3 hours, laboratory 3 hours. Curriculum is integrated with HNRS 202. Prerequisites: HNRS 101 or completion of Block A and GPA of 3.3 or higher. Fulfills Block B2 GE requirements.

HNRS 202 Angelenos and Air Quality Part II: A Life Scientist's Perspective (4)
Nature, history, methods, and applications of the discipline of biological sciences in relation to air pollution and human respiratory health. Emphasis on current events, scientific investigation, data analysis and communication. Lecture 3 hours, laboratory 3 hours. Prerequisites: HNRS 101 or completion of Block A and GPA of 3.3 or higher. Fulfills Block B1 GE requirements.

The details of the Honors civic engagement course(s) will be posted soon.

The third-year honors sequence consists of three interdisciplinary GE Upper Division Theme courses on Global Citizenship. The theme constitutes an integrated year-long exploration of the collective and individual responsibilities imposed by the ecological, commercial, economic, scientific, historical, educational, artistic, linguistic, spiritual, and technological connections linking the world's inhabitants in a complex network of interdependency. Individually and collectively, the three courses examine how the sciences, social sciences, and humanities help us understand our roles in a global community, and to produce knowledge that will lead to actions and decisions informed by a more thorough awareness of global context and a deeper sense of global responsibility.

HNRS 310 ABC: Human Rights and Literature (4)
Examination of how literature contributes to the conceptualization of human rights; discussing the ethics of storytelling in relation to global human rights issues, analyzing formal and cultural distinctions across a variety of genres. GE HONORS THEME (humanities) (d)

HNRS 320: Global Citizenship: Voices and Contexts (4)
Prerequisite: Upper division Honors College standing. Analysis of globalization's historical roots and political, economic, and cultural consequences, comparing novelistic, personal, and social-scientific perspectives; highlights dislocations, conflicts, opportunities, and transformations resulting from global migrations. GE HONORS THEME (Social Sciences) (d)

HNRS 330: Global Climate Change: The Science and Responsible Societal Response (4)
Global climate change and its impact on society. Investigation of environmental changes and the role of human activities on these changes; discussion of societal responsibilities and alternative solutions. GE HONORS THEME (Natural Sciences)

The Honors College Academic Plan culminates in the thesis, a required advanced research or creative project completed either in the student's undergraduate degree program or in the Honors College. The thesis project will promote focus, depth, and independence and will develop creativity, resiliency, and patience. By completing the thesis students will be demonstrating the ability to become producers of knowledge in their own right.

HNRS 495: Senior Thesis Prospectus (2)
Introduction to advanced research methods, writing the thesis prospectus, conducting a literature review, and designing a research plan. Prerequisites: satisfactory completion of the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR), and senior standing in the Honors College.

HNRS 496: Senior Thesis Project (4)
Advanced research or creative project connected with one or more of the Honors College learning goals. Prerequisites: HNRS 495, satisfactory completion of the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR), and senior standing in the Honors College.

HNRS 497 The Honors Institute (2)
Variable topic focused on interdisciplinary themes connected with the learning goals of the Honors College. Includes presentation of undergraduate research and senior projects and theses. Prerequisites: Senior standing in the Honors College.