College of General Studies Programs
Among the other programs and services provided by the College of General Studies are:
General Studies 1100 Freshman Seminar. (1-0) This course presents the nature and structure of university education with special emphasis on the benefits and values of general education. Freshman Seminar tries to help entering students think through a most important question: "Why am I here; why is a university education for me?"
The one-hour Seminar, required of all incoming freshmen and all transfer freshmen with fewer than 17 hours, is coordinated through the College of General Studies where the course director is housed. The course should be taken during a student's first non-summer semester at SWT. Taught by approximately 100 faculty from every school of the university, the course introduces students to the process of college thinking by encouraging them to examine their present lives. Opening with the questions, "Who am I? What do I value? What do I want in life?", the course turns next to an investigation of the nature and purposes of a university. Finally, students are asked to relate these topics by exploring the connection between their university education and the lifestyle which they will build during and after college.
The Honors Program provides challenges and opportunities for talented students through a curriculum designed to enhance traditional courses of studies.
Honors classes are small seminars oriented around interactive discussion among students and their professors. Though specific topics vary, the courses normally cross traditional disciplinary boundaries and offer students an opportunity to pursue knowledge in an exciting and distinctive atmosphere. Recent offerings have included: Comedy and the Human Predicament; Astronomy in Art, History, and Literature; and World Geographic Problems.
The Honors Program is housed in Room 134 of the Psychology Building in the center of campus. In addition to the offices, there are two seminar classrooms, a computer laboratory, and a student lounge.
Entering freshmen with a minimum ACT score of 26 or SAT score of 1180 are eligible to apply for admission to the program, as are currently enrolled and transfer students with a GPA of at least 3.25. To graduate in the Honors Program, a student must complete at least five honors classes (which includes the Thesis Research Methods course and the Honors Thesis course) and maintain a minimum GPA of 3.25. Honors courses substitute for certain General Studies and individual departmental requirements and thus become integral parts of the degree program.
SWT rewards completion of the Honors Program requirements with recognition at commencement, a special transcript annotation, and an Honors Program graduation certificate as a supplement to the diploma.
All freshman/transfer applicants and currently enrolled students who have completed at least one Honors course may also apply for the Emmie Craddock Scholarships if, as freshmen applicants, they have a minimum ACT score of 27 or SAT score of 1200 or, as transfer or continuing students, they have a GPA of 3.5 or above. Information about the Craddock Scholarships is available from the Director of the Honors Program. Currently enrolled students who have completed 60 hours and at least one Honors course are eligible to apply for the James and Elizabeth Camp Scholarship if they have a GPA of 3.3 or above. Applications are available in the Honors Program office.
The following (HON) Honors courses are offered. Examples of previous topics are included.
(WI) *Honors 1390, History of Ideas I. (3-0) A course centering on selected aspects of culture, how these aspects contribute to people's understanding of themselves and their universe, and the relevance of these aspects to contemporary society. Examples: Greek Civilization; The Evolution of American Culture.
*Honors 2380, Contemporary Issues in Natural Science. (3-0) A course which addresses current issues in the natural sciences which have particular significance for today's society. Prerequisite: 7-8 hours of natural science. Example: Astronomy in Art, History, and Literature.
(WI) *Honors 2390, History of Ideas II. (3-0) A course which explores humans' quest for an ideal society and the ideologies that quest has produced. Examples: Old and New World Philosophy; Ideal Societies.
(WI) *Honors 2391, History of Ideas III. (3-0) A course which focuses upon intellectual and cultural developments in western history which have particular significance for contemporary society. Example: America in the Sixties; World Geographic Problems.
(WI) *Honors 3390, The Nature of Society. (3-0) A course which probes some of the antecedents of modern society as reflected in the philosophy, art, science, and religions of the medieval and early modern era of western Europe. Examples: Renaissance Concepts of Humanity; Arts and the Humanities.
(WI) *Honors 3391, The Nature of Man. (3-0) A course which explores some of the philosophical and ethical problems in the realms of modern science, technology, urbanism, and social and cultural change. Examples: Shaping of the Modern Mind; Philosophical Exploration in Film.
(WI) *Honors 3392, The Nature of the Human Experience. (3-0) A course which explores some of the historical, philosophical, and cultural aspects of our relationship to each other and to our society.
(WI) Honors 4390A Thesis Research Methods. (3-0) A course in which students who intend to prepare an Honors Thesis meet to discuss research techniques and their thesis projects, and to do basic research, in an atmosphere which provides the background and supervision needed to complete the thesis successfully. It is recommended that students enroll in this course the semester before they enroll in the Honors Thesis course (HON 4390B).
(WI) Honors 4390B, Honors Thesis. (3-0) A conference course designed to allow students to pursue an independent project of research, study, or creative achievement, which culminates in a paper, laboratory or field research problem, or creative effort of some size and scope.
Honors Faculty are: J. Bible (Business Law), M. Brennan (History), B. Brown (Geography), R. Brown (History), V. Bynum (History), R. Cohen (English), P. Deduck (English), S. Fling (Psychology), J. Forrest (Modern Languages), T. Grimes (English), M. Hansen (English), T. Hindson (Political Science), P. Hutcheson (Philosophy), C. Johnson (Health Administration), J. Laird (English), P. Leder (English), W. Liddle (History), D. Lochman (English), V. Luizzi (Philosophy), D. McCabe (Honors Program), A. McKinney (Philosophy), B. Neely (Music), D. Olson (Physics), C. Rodriguez (Political Science), T. Stimmel (Psychology), N. Thomas (Music), S. Ugalde (Modern Languages), S. Wilson (English), and J. Yick (History).
Student Learning Assistance Center(SLAC)
A growing number of students are finding that in order to be successful in college, they need outside tutoring in study skills and test preparation. Others with satisfactory test-taking and study skills may find they need help in specific courses. To help meet these needs, the Student Learning Assistance Center provides a wide range of free services.
SLAC provides students with a drop-in learning lab, residence hall tutoring sites, and campus presentations.
Currently enrolled students are eligible for tutoring and schedules are available at the SLAC lab in the Alkek Library as well as in selected residence halls. Lab materials such as books, study guides, audio and videotapes, and computer-assisted instructional software offer a wide range of topics and levels, from correcting comma splices to preparing for graduate school.
Among subject areas in which SLAC gives academic assistance are accounting, science, English, business, history, philosophy, languages, and math. In addition, the staff and student paraprofessionals provide help in the development of such skills as reading textbooks, taking tests, taking notes, overcoming procrastination, managing time, and setting goals.
Many students also visit SLAC for hints on how to prepare for the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) test and admissions tests for graduate, law, and business schools as well as local tests such as the Mass Communication Department's Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation (GSP) test.
SLAC supervises a Residence Hall Tutoring (RHT) program and Supplemental Instruction (SI) program in cooperation with the Office of Residence Life. RHT provides academic tutoring in specified residence halls on campus during late evening hours when the SLAC Lab is closed. Supplemental Instruction sessions are held in various residence halls, as well as other campus locations, for selected courses such as history and math. SI sessions blend course content and ways to study the material and are led by specially trained peer leaders. SLAC staffs and supervises all SI sessions.
On request, the SLAC Presentations staff will design specialized programs on study skills and academic improvement to fit the needs of a campus club, organization or professor.
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