PDF version - Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
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Lasallian Honors Program<br />
Lasallian Honors Program<br />
Christian Michener, Ph.D., Director<br />
The Lasallian Honors Program is the general education core program for honors students. It is designed<br />
to provide an intellectually stimulating experience for bright and motivated students who wish to<br />
engage in “shared inquiry” in small, interdisciplinary classes. The hallmarks <strong>of</strong> the Honors Program are<br />
in-depth discussions <strong>of</strong> the Great Books and other notable texts <strong>of</strong> the Western and Eastern cultural<br />
traditions; service learning with organizations in the community; experiential learning in the fine arts;<br />
and participation in a community <strong>of</strong> learners who desire to grow intellectually, spiritually, and creatively.<br />
The program is grounded in the university mission and the Lasallian dispositions <strong>of</strong> faith, zeal, service,<br />
and community. The ultimate goal <strong>of</strong> the Lasallian Honors Program is to awaken and nurture the<br />
intellectual, spiritual, and personal development <strong>of</strong> learners in preparation for lives <strong>of</strong> servant leadership<br />
and appreciation <strong>of</strong> the world’s intellectual and cultural heritages.<br />
Students are invited into the Lasallian Honors Program based on their college-entrance test scores,<br />
their academic record, and their co-curricular activities and achievements. Through a series <strong>of</strong> eight<br />
seminar courses, students read and engage with the most important ideas in human history. Through<br />
service learning, students explore the practical dimensions <strong>of</strong> social justice in the local community and<br />
reflect on the Christian concept <strong>of</strong> servant leadership. And through innovative tutorials in the fine arts,<br />
students learn about and create a variety <strong>of</strong> works <strong>of</strong> art. Students in the Lasallian Honors Program<br />
develop advanced skills in analytical reading, writing, critical thinking, and oral communications.<br />
The curriculum promotes active learning, preparation for graduate study and pr<strong>of</strong>essional work, and<br />
camaraderie in a supportive community <strong>of</strong> peers and pr<strong>of</strong>essors. Faculty in the Honors Program assist<br />
students with applications for graduate school, scholarships, and study abroad and long-term volunteer<br />
opportunities, as well as employment resumes.<br />
Students are required to maintain a minimum 3.2 cumulative grade point average in order to remain in<br />
good standing in the Lasallian Honors Program. Students who spend a semester studying abroad can<br />
substitute one course taken abroad for one honors course.<br />
Lasallian Honors first-year students take LH105 and LH155; sophomores take LH205 and LH255; juniors<br />
take LH305 and LH355; and seniors take LH405 and LH455.<br />
Courses<br />
LH105 Origins <strong>of</strong> Human Thought and Culture 4 credits<br />
This first-year seminar provides an initial university experience that enables students to begin the<br />
process <strong>of</strong> developing a Lasallian identity: educated, compassionate, and engaged in their local and<br />
global communities. To facilitate a successful transition to <strong>Saint</strong> Mary’s <strong>University</strong>, emphasis is placed<br />
on developing critical academic skills and attitudes, learning about our Lasallian mission and Winona’s<br />
natural environment, and forming a community <strong>of</strong> honors students. Students encounter foundational<br />
heroic myths and sacred narratives from several cultural traditions, including those unique to the Upper<br />
Mississippi River region and to Lasallian education. The life <strong>of</strong> <strong>Saint</strong> John Baptist de La Salle, the epic<br />
poems Gilgamesh and Homer's Iliad, selected books from the Hebrew scriptures, and other texts both<br />
ancient and modern, serve as points <strong>of</strong> departure for understanding our intellectual, environmental, and<br />
spiritual traditions. This course also includes an Artscore component; students’ attendance at several<br />
performances at Page Theater allows the students to reflect on the nature and value <strong>of</strong> music, theatre,<br />
dance, and visual art in human culture.<br />
LH155 The Classical Tradition 4 credits<br />
This seminar introduces students to great texts from the Western Classical era, beginning with Greek<br />
epic, drama, and philosophy and continuing through representative texts <strong>of</strong> the Roman Empire<br />
and early Christianity. Selected texts may include Homer's Odyssey, plays by Aeschylus or Euripides,<br />
a dialogue <strong>of</strong> Plato, Virgil's Aeneid, Ovid's Metamorphoses, one <strong>of</strong> the four gospels, and Augustine's<br />
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