The Donaghey Scholars Honors Program has a core curriculum that essentially replaces UA Little Rock’s general education core. Class enrollment is limited to Scholars, ensuring small class sizes and faculty engagement.
Most core classes are intimate, seminar-style classes that emphasize close reading of primary texts, vigorous discussion, extensive writing, and independent study. Most often, these courses are team-taught, ensuring a comprehensive view of the subjects from outstanding faculty across disciplines. The curriculum is at the forefront of honors education nationally.
Core Courses
Scholars Colloquium I and II
Colloquium I is designed for Scholars in the fall semester of their freshman year as an orientation to the program and to UA Little Rock. The course features discussion of themes arising in the other courses, as well as projects to increase students’ understanding of themselves and the educational process. Colloquium II is designed for Scholars in their junior year as preparation for the required honors thesis. This course features training in research design and development and results in the creation of a thesis proposal, in collaboration with the student’s major department. Both courses feature presentations by campus officials, alumni, and community leaders.
Rhetoric and Communication I and II
This course seeks to improve the students’ ability to examine ideas and facts critically and communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
Science and Society I and II
The focus of this course is the impact of scientific thought and technology on human culture, examining science as a mode of thought and inquiry. Through both historic and modern case studies, students learn how science and society are interrelated and are driven by pressures from the other. During the course series, students develop skills in technical reading and writing, scientific communication, proposal development and critical thought.
History of Ideas I, II, and III
This three-semester course studies the development of civilization and the progress of human ideas from the earliest times to the present. The general approach is critical and historical with particular attention to literature, philosophy, and religion. The course emphasizes close reading of classic texts, shifting focus each semester from early Western thought, to later Western thought, then to Non-Western thought.
The Individual and Society I and II
This course focuses on the small scale individual construction of identity and large scale structural forces in society. Students gather and analyze data to identify issues in the community, then work to develop solutions.
The Individual and the Creative Arts I and II
Through art, architecture, music, dance, theatre, and literature, students will examine how the arts enrich human life. Students are required to attend and discuss a number of concerts, plays, and exhibitions.