Edgar Fellows Courses

(Each course carries 3 credits except where indicated.)

Please note: the Edgar Fellows Program will sunset in 2027 and is no longer accepting new students. SUNY Geneseo offers all students a distinctive honors college learning experience.

Requirements: 19-22 credits

 Additionally, the following experiences are recommended:

• HONR 211: Independent Honors Service Project (credit variable)
• HONR 230: Preparing a Scholarly Profile (1 credit)

Program Obligations

Edgar Fellows must maintain an overall cumulative grade point average(gpa) of at least 3.4. Each semester, students must complete at least 12 hours and earn a gpa no lower than 3.0. Additionally, students must complete HONR 101 and 202 in their first year in the program and take at least one honors course in each subsequent year, until the five required courses are completed. (With prior notification, exceptions are made for Study Abroad or similar circumstances.) Finally, HONR 101 functions as equivalent to INTD 105, so students who join the program as entering Freshmen do not take INTD 105.

Course Descriptions

HONR 101 The Nature of Inquiry

An examination of proposed standards for the evaluation of progress in inquiry, this course focuses on the concepts of knowledge, meaning, truth, and evidence and on classic texts addressing these topics, such as those of Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Hume, and Kant. Prerequisite: Admission into the program. Credits: 3(3-0) Offered every fall.

HONR 202 Critical Reading

A detailed and careful reading of a few selected texts from major disciplines, this course focuses on close reading and analysis through seminar discussion and extensive writing. Prerequisite: Admission into the program. Credits: 3(3-0) Offered every spring.

HONR 203 S/Honors Seminar in the Social Sciences: (subtitle)

This seminar offers an introduction to a topic or set of topics of social relevance as addressed by the social sciences. Typical subtitles might be: Nature versus Nurture, Interpreting the Bell Curve, or The Trap of Poverty. As a core course, it should engage all students and will not assume any prior knowledge of the discipline(s) involved. As a seminar, the class will focus on a lively discussion and analysis of the issues. Credits 3 (3-0). Prerequisite: HONR 202 or permission of a Director of the program. Offered once per year.

HONR 204 F/Honors Seminar in the Fine Arts: (subtitle)

This seminar offers an introduction to a topic or set of topics drawn from the fine arts, as designated by the subtitle. Typical subtitles are: Jazz and the American Experience; Picasso: Form and Vision; and Theater as Protest. As a core course, it will engage all students and will not assume any prior knowledge of the discipline(s) involved. As a seminar, the class will focus on a lively discussion and analysis of the issues. Credits 3 (3-0). Prerequisite: HONR 202 or permission of a Director of the program. Offered once per year.

HONR 205 Honors Seminar in the Sciences: (subtitle)

This seminar offers an introduction to a topic or set of topics drawn from the sciences, as designated by the subtitle. Typical subtitles are: Galileo, Medieval or Modern? What is Light? and Deciphering DNA. The course is designed to engage all students and will not assume any prior knowledge of the discipline(s) involved. As a seminar, the class will focus on a lively discussion and analysis of the issues. Credits 3 (3-0). Prerequisite: HONR 202 or permission of a Director of the program. Offered once per year.

HONR 206 Honors Seminar: (subtitle)

This seminar is introduction to a topic or set of topics drawn from the humanities and /or other disciplines, as designated by the subtitle. Typical subtitles are: Great Works of the Non-Western World, Wagner and Wotan, Dante and Cosmology. The course is designed to engage all students and will not assume any prior knowledge of the discipline(s) involved. As a seminar, the class will focus on a lively discussion and analysis of the issues. Credits 3 (3-0). Prerequisite: HONR 202 or permission of a Director of the program. Offered on demand.

HONR 207 Honors Seminar in Diversity, Pluralism, Difference: (subtitle)

This course will provide students the opportunity to examine distinct, overlapping, and shared cultural identities, traditions, and experiences. Each seminar will explore a selected topic through the lens of at least two of the following: race, ethnicity, gender, class, sexual orientation, religion, and disability. Seminar topics may focus on national, international, and/or transnational issues. Typical titles might be: Gender, Culture, and International Development; Religion and Class in Northern Ireland; and African American Migration Narrative. Prerequisite: HONR 202 or permission of a Director of the program. Credits: 3 (3-0) Offered on demand.

HONR 207 Honors Seminar in the Humanities and Western Civilization: (subtitle)

This seminar is an introduction to a topic or set of topics drawn from the Humanities and Western Civilization, as designated by the subtitle. The course is designed to engage all students and will not assume any prior knowledge of the discipline(s) involved. As a seminar, the class will focus on a lively discussion and analysis of the issues. Credits 4 (4-0). Prerequisite: HONR 202 or permission of a Director of the program. Offered on demand.

HONR 215 N/Science Seminar Lab: (subtitle)

The laboratory component of HONR 205 will provide students with a hands-on approach to topics under consideration. Students will collect and analyze data, develop and test hypotheses, and through these processes, come to understand the methodology of the scientific topics investigated in the course. Prerequisite: Co-requisite: HONR 205. Credits: 1(0-2).

HONORS 393 The Capstone Experience

The Edgar Fellows Capstone Experience will be a project of the student's own design that will culminate in a written critical analysis of that experience, and an oral presentation of its results to an audience of peers. The project can be a traditional honors thesis, an artistic/creative enterprise, scientific research, community service, or any endeavor that has intellectual integrity, challenge, and the potential for critical analysis. Proposals will be submitted to the program directors prior to the beginning of the senior (or the Capstone) year. The Capstone Experience will include attendance at mandatory Capstone Seminar (described below) that will meet approximately four times each semester. The seminar will prepare the student for both presentation and writing. The seminar director together with the Capstone Project advisor will determine the final grade. Credits: 3(3-0) per semester for a total of 6 (6-0) credits.

HONORS 394 The Capstone Seminar

The capstone seminar will meet regularly during the Capstone year. Students will share their experiences and report their progress to their peer Edgar Fellows and to the seminar supervisors, who will monitor progress. Students may be expected to provide annotated bibliographies, intermediate reports, or other measures of progress. Students will prepare oral presentations based on their Capstone Experience to be given in a public forum. Students must pass this course in order to receive an honors designation upon graduation. Co-requisite: HONR 393. Credits: 0-1.

HONR 211 Independent Honors Service Project

Students will design and carry out a community service project at the local, state or national level. As with any internship or independent study, the student will work with an advisor. Interested students should formulate a proposal with an advisor and submit it for approval to the Edgar Fellows Committee before commencing the project. A written report and analysis should be filed with the Edgar Fellows Committee at the completion of the project. This course is an optional course in the Edgar Fellows Program and will not count towards the five courses (in addition to HONR 393) that are required for completion of the Edgar Fellows Program. Course may be repeated once. Credits: 1 to 3 depending on the extent of the project. Prerequisite: Acceptance into the Edgar Fellows Program.

HONR 230 Preparing a Scholarly Profile

This course will help high achieving students to prepare for nationally competitive fellowships and graduate program applications in the senior year and beyond. Topics to be covered will include developing research and creative agendas as an undergraduate; making the most of opportunities for international study, internships, and service; identifying and pursuing career goals; learning about competitive fellowships and graduate programs; writing a personal statement; and preparing for interviews. Credits: 1 (0-2). Prerequisite: Acceptance into the Edgar Fellows Program. Offered every Fall.