Are you considering applying to the UW Honors Program as an incoming freshman? If so, you're invited to join the University Honors Program to learn how Honors enhances the UW experience.

We have several upcoming opportunities to learn more about the UW Honors Program.  These include:

• Attending an Honors information session (see below)
• Talking with a current Honors student
• Watching our online information presentation, a version of what you'll see at the in person information sessions

Autumn 2017 information sessions

The Honors admissions information sessions will give you insight into the Honors Program, community, and application process. At this event, you'll:

• Get an overview of Honors education at UW from the Honors staff;
• Hear about the Honors Program admissions process and timeline;
• Learn about a variety of community and experiential learning opportunities; and
• Ask all of your questions about what it's like to be a UW Honors student!

RSVP to join us at one of these weekly on-campus sessions, September 22 - November 13, 2017:

• Every Friday, 11:15 - 12:15 PM
• Monday, 11/13, 11:15 - 12:15 PM

Please be aware that there is limited space available in these sessions and that interested parties must RSVP at least one day in advance of their desired session date.

If you absolutely cannot make it at these designated times, we recommend you watch this online presentation, which is a version of what we present at the in-person sessions. You may also request an alternate time by filling out this form, but please know that we have limited availabilities outside of these scheduled times and may not be able to accommodate your request.

We look forward to seeing you soon and helping you learn more about the UW Honors Program!

The annual freshmen-only restriction on course registration begun late spring Q is ended as of 8/10/17. Upperclassmen who missed the initial registration window may now register. Note, the following courses were recently added and still have spaces remaining:

• ARCH 350 B: Architecture of the Ancient World
• HONORS 220 C: Medical Ethics
• HONORS 398 C: Experimental Music Making
• ESS 472 AC: Rockets and Instrumentation

Please see the Honors courses page for descriptions of all of our courses along with information about the type of credit each course will award.

Recent UW Honors grad Anna Mikkelborg is preparing to move to Oxford this fall to pursue her Master's (and then will go to Berkely for her PhD in political science). We asked Anna if she had any advice for incoming freshmen as she is contemplating the start of her own big transition. 

"I've been thinking a lot about my freshman self lately, since starting at Oxford is giving me a new round of first-day-of-school jitters. As I recall, accepting and offering social invitations generously during the first few weeks of school served me really well — some people I never talked to again, but my roommates senior year were my dorm-mates in Haggett Hall, and my most recent hiking buddy is someone I met my very first day on campus." 

Anna continued: "Academics-wise, I'd tell incoming freshmen not to take a class because they feel like they should take it — prerequisites aside — but to take charge of building their education. They should look into ad-hocing for Honors credits, work with their eventual major departments to arrange outside credit or independent studies, and, as upperclassmen, maybe take a graduate seminar or two from professors they know and admire. These strategies take some hustle, but they made my time at UW more challenging, exciting, and reflective of who I am than if I'd followed a path of lesser resistance."

Students and faculty collaborate in pilot program. Credit: La Universidad Tecnológica Equinoccial

Honors students and faculty were featured this week in a front-page story by La Universidad Tecnológica Equinoccial (UTE) in Quito, Ecuador. The article announces the start of a collaborative educational pilot between Michelle Habell-Pallán, (UW, Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies), Jaime Cardenas Jr. (Seattle Central College, History), and UTE, who will host the first two weeks of this immersive four-week program. 

Ecuador is one of two countries on Earth that has constitutionally redefined itself as a "plurinational state." Responding to Indigenous and Afro-descendant social movements for justice and dignity, and propelled by gender equity activists, Ecuador has helped to re-think cultural and national identities by centering the demands of communities most vulnerable to neoliberal policies. This international studies pilot: "Sumak Kawsay: Well-Being, 'Race', and Gender in Ecuador" investigates the 'good living" concept.

Every year the staff of the UW Honors Program gets to share THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MOMENT EVER with graduating students and their glowing friends and families. We never think it will be as heartwarming as it was last year and we are always wrong.

Speeches by Honors Student Speaker Reem Sabha and Distinguished Honors Alumnus Noah Purcell 

Event Photos by Peter Wirkkala of Grad Images and our own Ryan Luk

Worried the end of spring quarter will leave you with nothing to think about? Fall face first into one of these literary gems, recommended by students in Honors  as worthy of your precious love. 

from Jeannette Bushnell
lovework: an unfinished syllabus
summer reading June 2017

Khaled Hosseini – A Thousand Splendid Suns – historical fiction, two women in Kabul, Afghanistan

Khaled Hosseini – The Kite Runner – fiction, family, Afghanistan

Eknath Easwaran – The Bhagavad Gita – Indian Spirituality

Agatha Christie – All, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd – mystery novels, England

Mitch Albom – Tuesdays with Morrie – student caregiver talks to teacher with Lou Gehrig ’s disease

Please join us in celebrating University of Washington's Honors graduates! On our Honors Grads page you'll find some of the Interdisciplinary, Departmental, and College Honors students who are completing their degrees in the 2016-17 academic year.  Find out more about these remarkable individuals and their exciting plans for the future. Congratulations to all!

After reviewing many wonderful nominations, we are thrilled to announce that the winner of the 2017 Honors Excellence in Teaching Award goes to Biology's Jon Herron!

When asked about his experience teaching for Honors, this is just one of the many stories, Dr. Herron shares: 

"After listening to Honors students discuss genetic drift in my class several years ago, I designed a virtual laboratory exercise on the topic that is now published by SimBio software. Last year Rebecca Price (UW Bothell) and colleagues published a pre-test/post-test study showing that students who use the virtual lab show considerably higher learning gains than students who get traditional instruction. I consider this one of my biggest professional successes, and I owe it to those Honors students in DNA & Evolution."

In recognition of his consistent defense of liberty and proven public impact, the UW Honors Program is delighted to announce Noah Purcell ('02 philosophy with Honors, economics) as our 2017 Distinguished Honors Alumnus at the University of Washington.

As Washington state solicitor general, Purcell recently argued Washington's challenge to the controversial Trump administration travel and immigration ban, winning both in District Court and the 9th Circuit, and earning a temporary restraining order of the ban. He did this with the backing of several major tech companies based in Washington state, collaborating effectively with the private sector to protect constitutional rights, specifically the right to religious freedom. The White House has since issued a revised ban that also has been halted as discriminatory against Muslims — a finding the U.S. Department of Justice is attempting to appeal.

Honors senior Lauren Mittelman wants you to risk talking about stuff you don't think you're supposed to share. 

Earlier this spring, KUOW's Deborah Wang interviewed Lauren about her fascinating HON499 project to promote authenticity and resilience at UW. Before it was an independent study, it was an idea Lauren had while she was far from home. Lauren explains her inspiration for the project in The Vulnerability Collective (excerpted here): 

"This role model of mine had bumps along the way and feelings that seemed to mirror mine of the past four months. She wasn't a professor with major professional successes that helped her feel confident about sharing these. She was a regular twenty-something, figuring it out day by day and month by month. I was inspired. Up until then no one had been so open about their undergraduate experiences. On that day in Barcelona, the idea came to me to build a collection of student stories and vulnerabilities. What if we all shared the stories that are otherwise not told? Why can’t we all be more honest and save everyone the trouble? So, seven countries and five months later, I was back in Seattle in January of 2016 switching around my academic schedule to pursue 5 credits of independent study which would eventually become this project. Researching university stories that are 'otherwise not told,' thus began The Vulnerability Collective."

Maybe you CAN afford to study abroad during college.

The Honors Program is passionate about study abroad and the incredible impact it can have on a student’s life. An education grounded in a global context provides life long skills and lifelong memories. Studying abroad deepens study at home and provides a foundation for expanded reflection and self-growth, all core tenets of the Honors Program. We want everyone to experience study abroad.

Thanks largely to gifts raised by beloved Bay-Area alumnus Paul Vronsky ('03), more students can say YES to this once-in a lifetime experience by earning one of these Honors scholarship awards.

Rome is where the heart is!

Honors International Access Scholarship

The International Access Scholarship is awarded to an Interdisciplinary, Departmental or College Honors student demonstrating the values of the Honors Program, which includes international engagement.

We in UW Honors are aware that the recent executive order concerning immigration has raised many concerns in our community and beyond. During this time of rapid change and turbulence in our country, we are guided by our mission and our commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion, and we continue to welcome students regardless of their immigration status or country of origin.

We would like to share this compilation of additional support and resources from the UW and elsewhere:

• UW President Ana Mari Cauce has issued a statement: "Supporting our international scholars and students"
• The UW Faculty senate, in keeping with their goal of inclusivity, has begun an online listing of events and resources for the community
• Office of Global Affairs has gathered resources for students and faculty
• International Student Services provides updates for UW's international student population, including this announcement specific to the Jan 27 Executive Order
• Leadership without Borders remains dedicated to working with and for undocumented students
• American Immigration Lawyers Association has generated a resource page that provides analysis and assistance for the general public

Great thanks to the hundreds of students, faculty, alumni, staff, and friends of UW who attended our second Global Challenges—Interdisciplinary Anwers event on November 15. All told, there were nearly 500 of us convened that night for a broad public conversation about climate change and and its entangled politics.

This topic was identified by last year's freshman class. Our Interdisciplinary Honors Program encourages students to engage with complex issues of global importance during their time at UW and beyond. The Global Challenges event series invites three distinguished scholars into conversation across disciplines to address a complex problem that keeps our students up at night.