Contracts 101

What is a Contract?

An Honors Contract is an ungraded project of your choice that allows you to turn upper-division courses (3000 level or above) within your major into Honors courses.

This is the process by which you will be able to complete Departmental Honors.

A contract in a 3 credit course will earn you 3 credits towards Departmental Honors.

Departmental Honors

Each major has its own plan. See yours on the Departmental Honors website (http://www.honors.usu.edu/htm/departmental-honors)

You must complete 15 Credits to graduate with Departmental Honors

9-12 credits from Honors contracts

3-6 credits from Honors senior project/thesis

A Few Simple Guidelines:

A Contract is:

An opportunity for undergraduate research

A chance to delve deeper into one area of the class

A chance to do in-depth learning

A way to extend the student/professor relationship

Preparation for graduate-level work

A Contract is not:

Graded

Busy work

A longer paper

Extra homework problems

Extra reading assignments

** Remember, you must achieve at least a B in the class to receive Honors credit for your contract

Also keep in mind:Student Work per Contract entails:

3 credits: 20-30 hours

2 credits: 10-20 hours

1 credit: 5-10 hours

It sounds like a lot at first, but it’s totally manageable:For a 3 credit class that amounts to only an hour and twenty minutes per week.

Your instructor’s responsibilities include:

Providing guidance, expertise, and advice concerning your project.

Certifying that you completed the project.

Your responsibilities include:

Completing the project on time to the satisfaction of the instructor.

Meeting with the instructor at least twice a month and keeping track of these dates.

In order to receive Honors credit, you and your instructor put defining expectations for the outcome of the project, your responsibilities, and a timetable for meeting and discussing the project. Over the course

of the semester:

Working with Your ProfessorSome things to know:

Professors aren’t scary. Most aren’t even intimidating. They are just people.

They WANT YOU TO SUCCEED.

Emails do not count as “meeting” with your professor.

One-on-one work provides for maximum learning and personal mentoring that is completely specific to you!

Helpful Hints:

Schedule meetings a few days in advance.

Schedule meetings regularly.

Keep track of those times.

Be PREPARED for your meetings—have something to present.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions when you have them. You’ll learn more.

How your semester will play out:

First 4 weeks:

Approach your professor about doing a contract and work out details of what the project will entail.

Make sure that the course you want to do a contract in is on your Departmental Plan of Study.

Pick up contract paper work and have it completed, signed, and turned into the Honors office by the end of the fourth week of classes.

During the semester:

Meet with your professor at least twice a month and keep a record of these meetings. (Remember that emails do not count for these meetings!)

End of the Semester:

Turn in your completed contract with your contract completion record to the Honors Office by the last day of classes.

If your contract does not have a finished product that you can turn in, complete a 1-2 page reflection paper to turn in with your contract completion record.

This form needs to be completed with the help of your Departmental Honors Advisor and signed off by them.

If you don’t know who your Departmental Honors Advisor is, you can find them on the Honors webpage under “Departmental Honors.”

This is the Honors Contract Form. Each semester you work on a contract you will need to pick this form up from the Honors Office within the first few weeks of class, present it to your Professor, and ask if they are willing to do a contract with you.

To fill out the form:• Fill in your information on the top of the form.• Have your Professor fill in their info. and sign and date where required at the top.• Don’t date or sign the bottom; that is for the end of the semester. • Write a description of your contract project on the back.• Return the form to the Honors Office before the contract deadline.

You will fill out this form when you hand in your contract work to the Honors Office at the end of the semester.

Remember, completed contract work is due to the Honors Office on the last day of classes each semester you fulfill a contract.

Student and Alumni Testimonials:

An Honors contract is a valuable and unique opportunity to have insightful one-on-one conversations with a professor. It is the perfect setting for the type of mentoring conversations that let you pick an expert's brain, seek advice for your own academic goals, and form the relationships that result in excellent letters of recommendation. -- Katherine Shakespeare, Honors in University Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies, 2006 An Honors contract is the opportunity to expand your education in any of your upper division major courses. With your professor, you develop a project (done in addition to regular class work) that allows you to apply your education in a way that is specific to you. I feel very passionately about this part of the Honors Program. The time I spent working on my Honors contracts and meeting with professors is priceless to me. Departmental Honors made such a difference in my education (and I know I'm not the only one who feels this way). Thanks so much for developing and keeping Honors strong at Utah State!--Kimberly Gleason Call, Honors in English, 2006