Click here for a list of Honors classes scheduled for Spring, 2010

 The Honors Program at CSN

Welcome to the Honors Program web pages.  The mission of CSN is to offer Nevada's students access a diverse range of educational opportunities.  It is to this end that we proudly offer students our new Honors Program.  We believe that academic success comes from different kinds of creativity, passion, and intelligence, so we do not select our honors students based solely on their high school GPA or their SAT/ACT sores.  We believe that YOU are the best judge of whether you belong in the Honors Program.

After you read the information about the Honors Program below, if Honors feels right for you, simply click on  Honors Program Information Form (link with be active soon) and send your name, e-mail address, and the campus that's most convenient for you.  Feel free to register for an Honors class.

Or, you can click on either the Honors Program e-mail address, honorsprogram@csn.edu or my e-mail address, georgia.standish@csn.edu and send your name, e-mail address, and the campus that is most convenient for you.

Myths about Honors

Aren't Honors classes just harder and more work than regular classes? 

Honors classes aren't about doing MORE work!  In our classes you don't "accelerate" or "speed" through the course material.  In our classes you're not lectured to.  Instead, you are more involved, and the classroom offers you different opportunities for self-direction and creativity.  In Honors classes, students and instructors work together to think more deeply and experience new approaches to a subject.

What's the point of taking Honors classes?

First, everyone in this competitive world needs an edge.  Not only does Honors prepare you for upper-level courses, but you also receive the Honors distinction beside every Honors class on your transcript.  An Honors Certificate of Completion will  make your application stand out.  It shows you mean it.  But even more than this, Honors offers a unique learning experience. Why not make "getting there" fun, too?

Isn't Honors "elitist" and snobby?

Not at all.  While our Honors Program nurtures and advances those who already have confidence in their abilities, we are also in the business of creating honors students.  That's why admittance into the Program or into an Honors class doesn't include SAT scores or GPA requirements. We believe that you are here to learn! (See our Mission and Vision.)

CSN's Honors Program offers you these advantages:

Smaller class sizes with CREATIVE, INNOVATIVE classroom experiences
A PERSONAL faculty advisor
Enhanced PREPARATION for a four-year degree
In-depth CONNECTIONS between different disciplines of thought
Opportunities to ENGAGE with community and culture
Motivated and academically TALENTED faculty
Opportunities to TRAVEL and present your work at national and regional honors conferences
DISTINCTION on transcripts
Special RECOGNITION at Graduation

Students Have Two Options

Option one:  Students who seek an Honors Program Certificate of Completion and special recognition at Graduation can enroll in the Honors Program and complete up to 12 credits in Honors courses.  To apply for an Honors Certificate of Completion students must obtain an AA, AS, AB, or AAS Degree with a cumulative GPA of 3.2.  Or, students may apply for a Letter of Recognition signed by CSN's Vice President of Academic Affairs and the Honors Program Coordinator if they complete 12 credits in Honors courses with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 without completing a degree. 

Option two:  Those who wish to take a course with limited enrollment and a specialized curriculum can sign up for an Honors class. 

All Honors classes will receive a special notation on student transcripts.

Take a Moment

 If you click on the link just below you will find a brief series of questions that will help guide your decision as to whether the Honors program at CSN is right for you.  Take a moment to reflect on your interests and abilities.  Talk to your family, friends, and teachers about yourself and your educational goals. Generally speaking, if you answer "YES" to 6 out of the 10 questions, you'll probably enjoy your experience in the Honors Program. 

Am I An Honors Student?  Click here to find out.

What To Do

If Honors feels right for you, simply click on either the Honors Program e-mail address, honorsprogram@csn.edu or my e-mail address, georgia.standish@csn.edu and send your name, e-mail address, and the campus that is most convenient for you, and register for an Honors class.

You are ready to register for an Honors class. 

Click here for a list of Honors classes scheduled for Spring, 2010.   

If you'd like more information about the Program or the courses we offer, send an e-mail to either of the addresses above or call Dr. Georgia Standish, Honors Program Coordinator, 702-651-3040. 

Honors Courses

(Below is a list of Honors courses in the CSN Catalogue.  The Honors Program doesn't schedule all of these courses every semester.  Each semester, check this web site for scheduled Honors classes.) 

Please note that courses with "G" suffixes are designated Honors level courses and can be used to fulfill equivalent general education requirements. 

Topics include prokaryotic cell structure, function, metabolism, genetics, phylogenetic classification, diversity, relation to plants/animals/humans and pathogenesis, ecology and evolution, environmental and applied microbiology, agents, and eukaryotic microorganisms. Emphasis is on bacterial metabolic strategies to include aerobic and anaerobic metabolism, chemolithotrophy, phototrophy, and role in biogeochemical cycles, ecological diversity, genetics and phylogeny/evolution, and human-microbe interactions and infectious disease. Three hours lecture and three hours laboratory.

A writing intensive, Honors-level course designed to strengthen college-level composition skills, with particular attention to audience, purpose, and context for writing. Limited class size ensures workshop environment and activities including extensive work on strategies of planning, drafting and revising. In addition, research techniques for primary and secondary sources are introduced as a means by which students can extend their understanding through outside resources. Critical thinking and reading skills are developed and deepened through oral and written presentations.

An Honors-level version of ENG 102 COMPOSITION II, with a more in-depth focus on workshop and research techniques. Class will continue to emphasize rhetorical methodology, while deepening a student’s ability to read and write analytically, think critically, and interpret effectively.

A reading intensive, Honors-level course designed to introduce students to the major figures, movements and ideas in world literature from ancient times to 1650.

A reading intensive, Honors-level course designed to introduce students to the major figures, movements and ideas in world literature from 1650 to the present.

Interdisciplinary, cross-cultural survey of the ways in which gender interacts with race, age, class, and sexulaity to shape human consciousness and determine the social organization of human society.  Emphasis on interactive learning, entailing an examination of the self and one's environment through the use of reflective writing and dialogue. 

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