Rose Hill Honors Curriculum

A Community of Scholars for Justice

Fall Fountain with Female Student

The mission of the Fordham College at Rose Hill Honors Program is to produce and promote a community of scholars for justice. We achieve our mission through a curriculum that in some substantive way focuses on the concerns of diversity and justice in each of its courses, regardless of discipline or subject matter. In addition to academics, Honors students engage in extracurricular events and activities that foster leadership and community engagement. Learn more about the Honors community and unique Honors opportunities.

"The themes we engage within Honors classes stretch into the social, political, and economic climates we find ourselves in today. This focus on the liberal arts has contributed to my personal activism, both at Fordham and beyond."

- Monica Sobrin, Honors Alumna
Rose Hill Honors Program

Curriculum

Honors students learn to …

  • analyze and critically assess materials from the humanities, social sciences, and STEM fields
  • engage in scholarship through the Research Methods course, scholarship components in each upper-level course, and the senior thesis—an original project in the major field
  • study and reflect on the concerns of diversity and justice across the curriculum
  • integrate the perspectives of multiple disciplines through the Interdisciplinary Seminar Series

Honors classes are …

  • small, seminar-style
  • designed exclusively for Honors students
  • reading- and writing-intensive
  • discussion-driven

The Honors curriculum is comprised of …

  • 13 classes, taken in sequence
  • three one-credit, pass/fail classes
  • a senior thesis in the chosen major

Note: This curriculum is in effect for students entering in fall 2019 and beyond. Students entering in fall 2018 or earlier follow a different curriculum.

The Honors curriculum takes the place of the regular Fordham College at Rose Hill core curriculum, with the exception of the language requirement. AP and IB courses can earn students college credit toward graduation; they do not, however, replace any courses in the Honors Program. Most students enter the program at the beginning of their first year, though occasionally it is possible for a few students with strong academic records to join after the first or second semester.

Members of the program are expected to maintain a grade point average of 3.5 or above. Successful completion of the program entitles the student to the designation in cursu honorum on their diploma and transcript.

At Fordham College Rose Hill, students take five courses each semester in the first two years and four courses each semester in junior and senior year. With the Honors curriculum, our students take a sequence of foundational and focused study courses alongside their major courses, electives, and language requirement to complete a full schedule.

Required Honors Courses for Each Semester 

First Year Experience

Explore our first-year requirements by semester.

    • Interdisciplinary STEM I
    • Foundational Texts: Theology/Classics
    • Foundational Texts: Philosophy

    1-credit Bronx Exploration (either semester)

    • Interdisciplinary STEM II
    • Foundational Texts: Literature
    • Foundational Topics: History
    • Foundational Topics: Art History/Music History

Second Year Experience 

Explore our sophomore requirements by semester.

    • Justice 1: The American Experience
    • Focused Study: History

    1-credit Research Methods/Oral Presentation (either semester)

    • Justice 2: Global Contexts
    • Focused Study: Philosophy

Junior Year Experience 

Explore our junior year requirements by semester.

    • Focused Study: Literature

    1-credit Ignatian Education Seminar (either semester, junior or senior year)

    • Focused Study: Theology

Senior Year Experience

Explore our senior year requirements by semester.

    • Thesis Seminar: Portfolio Development

    1-credit Ignatian Education Seminar (either semester, junior or senior year)

    • Thesis Seminar: 3-Minute Thesis
      Note: Students are required to attend meetings of the Senior Seminar for the full year but register for the course and write their thesis only during one semester.