Honors

Second Year: Urban Discourses

Students in the city

Explore New Perspectives

Learn how to tackle questions in the social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities by investigating how researchers approach problems in their fields.

The three connected courses of the sophomore year take the urban, and specifically the city of Portland, as an appropriately dynamic subject for research shaped by the three “domains” of academic knowledge: the social sciences, the humanities, and the natural sciences. Students progress through an integrated set of research projects that develop not only their understanding of the systems by which cities operate but also their own critical capacities as urban residents and knowledge producers.

All three courses are required, but they are not a sequence and can be taken in any order. Class size limited to 24.

HON 201: Urban Social Science

This course examines urban structures and processes through the application of social science methodologies such as: spatial analysis, ethnography, interviews, surveys, and archival research, among others. We will explore and put into practice these skills by conducting original research in the Portland area.

HON 202: Urban Humanities

This course examines the city as text, using humanities methodologies that produce close analysis of cultural artifacts and texts placed in cultural and historical contexts. Disciplinary approaches may include History, Languages and Literature, Film Studies, Gender Studies, Art History, Cultural Studies, and others.

HON 203: Urban Ecology

Utilizing Portland as a living laboratory, this course introduces methodologies in the natural sciences.  We explore foundations of experimental design while also sharpening observational skills and awareness of physical and ecological patterns and processes in the city.  Different focus areas depend on seasonal activity and include a range of topics such as stream ecology, plant science and ornithology.

Transfers

HON 260: Honors Writing for Sophomore Transfers is the expected entry point for transfer students coming in at the sophomore level.

Students who join Honors with sophomore standing (31-89 college credits) are expected to take HON 260: Honors Writing during their first quarter in Honors at PSU. This course is writing intensive and serves multiple purposes: it introduces students to ways of thinking about the urban experience; introduces and develops the basic writing and research tools necessary for junior seminars and the senior thesis; and provides working examples of disciplinary scholarship in the humanities. It also connects new transfer students with other new Honors students, helping create community and a cohort.

HON 260 replaces HON 202 for sophomore transfers. Following HON 260, students will take both HON 201 and HON 203 to complete Honors sophomore-level requirements. (HON 260 was previously HON 299; it is the same course and fulfills the same requirements.)