Honors Program
The Montreat College Honors Program is a community of students and faculty who support and challenge one another’s intellectual and spiritual growth.
Our curriculum is oriented towards a Christian vision of flourishing, both for humanity and creation. Together we explore texts and topics from the Christian, Western, and World traditions from the perspective of multiple disciplines across the arts and sciences asking the big questions of human existence: What is the nature of the universe? What is truth? What is humanity? What is beauty?
We study texts and topics in relation to the Christian scriptures, creeds, and narrative, practicing a mature posture of humility, empathy, and charity towards one another.
All honors students are mentored by the program director and an additional assigned faculty member
Enhanced emphasis on writing through assignments designed to help students be reflective and articulate
Additional co-curricular activities, such as exclusive access to college speakers in a conversational setting
Sample Courses
HN 301 Honors Seminar I
This course will begin a three-semester, intensive examination of a single ‘Great Book,’ Dante’s Divine Comedy. These three courses will be divided up along the lines of the tripartite division of Dante’s work: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. HN 301 will focus on the Inferno and consist of weekly discussion meetings and a class retreat toward the end of the semester, after which students will complete an extensive term paper.
HN 320 Honors Text Seminar
This course involves the intensive study of a single or multiple texts from within the Christian, Western or World Traditions that engage deeply with existential questions. These texts had cultural resonance at the time of their composition and continue to challenge our understandings of a life well-lived. The texts covered in this seminar will rotate and will be chosen by the faculty member teaching the course in consultation with the Honors Director. The format of the class will be largely discussion-based with extensive practice in verbal and written argumentation. Students and faculty will also draw upon the authorities of the Christian tradition (scriptures and creeds), as well as the Christian theological narrative to work through the relationship of these texts to the themes and ideas within the Christian tradition and the students’ own spiritual lives, regardless of their faith tradition.
HN 420 Honors Topic Seminar
This course involves the intensive study of a contemporary topic. The topics will be one of perennial concern to humanity and be easily tied back to an existential question. The topic will have local as well as global implications. The topics covered in this seminar will rotate and will be chosen by the department(s) of the faculty member(s) teaching the course as well as the Honors Director. Some courses may be team-taught by two or three faculty members. The format of the class will be largely discussion-based with extensive practice in verbal and written argumentation. In addition, the topical seminar should involve a retreat, field trip, service-learning or another experiential element. Students and faculty will also draw upon the authorities of the Christian tradition (scriptures and creeds) as well as the Christian theological narrative to work through the relationship of these texts to the themes and ideas within the Christian tradition and the students’ own spiritual lives, regardless of their faith tradition.
Honors Scholarship
Montreat College offers annual competitive scholarships to members of each incoming freshman class of the Montreat Honors Program. Awardees are determined through participation in Scholars Day (this year’s Scholars Day is Feb. 3, 2018), as well as the completion of a strong written application to the Honors Program and strong academic record. At Scholar’s Day prospective students take part in short text-based discussions with a Montreat professor and other prospective students.
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