The Robert D. Clark Honors College is accepting course proposals from faculty members across campus to teach with the college in the 2019-20 academic year.

The honors college directly enrolls incoming first-year students, and the college’s curriculum provides a four-year track that replaces standard UO core education requirements for undergraduates.

Honors college classes are discussion-based, with small groups of 15-19 highly motivated students with strong academic skills. Students come from every undergraduate major across campus, and classes encourage interdisciplinarity while cultivating critical and creative thinking, writing, reading and discussion skills.

The backbone of the Clark Honors College curriculum is a group of six classes at the 200 level and a group of five classes at the 400 level, with math and natural sciences, social sciences, and arts and letters represented within each group.

Applications for the 2019-20 academic year are currently being accepted for both 200- and 400-level honors college courses, particularly for courses proposed by tenured and tenure-track faculty members. Proposals are due Dec. 19.

“Teaching an honors college class can be a great way to translate current faculty research into the classroom, is an opportunity to bring an interdisciplinary perspective to a given topic, and provides excellent exposure to faculty and their home departments,” said Rebecca Linder, associate dean for undergraduate studies.

Each year the Clark Honors College brings on 40 to 50 affiliated faculty members from all departments at the UO. The current group spans 23 academic areas, from law to women’s, gender and sexuality studies, physics to ethnic studies, and earth sciences to architecture.

The college encourages teaching experimentation and innovation, and course categories are flexible enough to accommodate courses designed by faculty members in the professional schools. Attention to issues of diversity, equity and inclusion — in course design or content — is welcome.

For more information and instructions on how to apply, visit the Clark Honors College website. Questions can also be directed to Lindner at rlindner@uoregon.edu or 541-346-2484.