Honors Program

Summer Orientation Information for New Students

• Summer O: Freshmen Course Registration

  For Fall 25, Freshmen should enroll in one of the following GE courses (more information about course topics):

  • HNRS 100 Communication and Social Change (GE Area 1C)
  • HNRS 101 Arts (GE Area 3A)
  • HNRS 102W Humanities (GE Area 3B)

  Unless required for your major or program, please do not register for a non-Honors General Education (GE) course in the following areas (you will complete these GE areas with HNRS courses):

  • 1C - Oral Communication (HNRS 100)
  • 3A - Arts (HNRS 101)
  • 3B - Humanities (HNRS 102W)
  • 5A - Physical Sciences (HNRS 103)
  • 6 - Ethnic Studies (HNRS 300)
  • UD-5 - Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning (HNRS 350)
  • UD-3 - Arts and Humanities (HNRS 391W or HNRS 392)
  • UD-4 - Social Sciences (HNRS 390 or HNRS 393)

  For your schedule planning, HNRS 100, HNRS 101, HNRS 102W, and HNRS 103 will be offered in Spring 26.

• Summer O: Transfer Course Registration

  For Fall 25, transfer students could enroll in HNRS 350 Multidisciplinary Science (GE Area upper-division 5). More information about course topics

  Most importantly, please do not register for a non-HNRS upper-division GE course, unless it is required for your major. We will offer HNRS 350 (GE Area upper-division 5) in Spring 26, and you can complete GE Areas upper-division 3 and 4 in Summer 26 (in Honors Study Abroad courses in Ireland), Fall 26 and/or Spring 27. 

  Please note that even if your major requires a specific course for an Upper-division GE area, to graduate with Honors in Upper-division GE, you still need three HNRS courses. However, if, for instance, your major requires a specific course for GE Area upper-division 5, you may take an HNRS course in a lower-division GE area instead of HNRS 350 if you prefer. For transfer students in this situation, we recommend HNRS 300 Ethnic Studies Methodologies.

  Important: Honors Program students do not complete upper-division GE in a "Pathway." Instead, the completion of upper-division Honors courses will fulfill the university "Pathway" requirement.

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Requirements

Celebrating Student Research and Creativity

• Ethnic Studies Methodologies

  Preserving Chico State Voices for Change

  In Fall 2024, students in Gloria Lopez's section of HNRS 300 created an oral history project that aims to archive and narrate the history of community activism at Chico State. Chico State has a long history of student-led projects and protests that address current social, cultural, political, and ecological issues that are of immediate concern to their communities. This project amplifies the voices of those at Chico State who have challenged injustice and inequality as it arises. Interviews include the stories of students, faculty, staff, and alumni who participated in this project.

• Interdisciplinary Thesis and Creative Project

  In 2024-25, students in Steve Caldes' section of HNRS 390 and 391W produced the following theses or creative projects:

  • Alyssa Angulo, "My Body, My Choice, My Health: Abortion Bans and Their Effects on Women’s Healthcare"
  • Lars Bartels, "Blind Vehicle Pose and Navigation using 3rd Person Cameras and Remote Computing"
  • Aidan Beck, "Environmental Connection: The Complicated Impacts of Roads on Parks and Wilderness"
  • Valerie Douglas, "The Impact of Overfishing on Shark Populations and Marine Ecosystems"
  • Yuri Camarena Linarez, "Is Our Body Worth All the Labor?"
  • Logan T. Elllis, "Legacy: How One Man’s Vision Shaped The Entertainment Industry"
  • Valeria Flores, "Intimate Partner Violence & the Law: What Are My Options if I Need Protection and Support?"
  • Bobby Gordon, "Climate Change and the Cultural Geography of Outdoor Recreation: Lessons from the Past, Reflections for the Future"
  • Lucy Lockmiller, "The Bare Minimum? An Exploration into Love Languages’ Popularity and Applicability"
  • Biridiana Mora Tovar, "Voices Unheard: The Role of Advocacy in Breaking Down  Barriers for those with Aphasia"
  • Etelvina Moreno, "Neophobia: Investigating Physiological Stress Responses in Animal & Human Behavior"
  • Tyler Reed, "Climate Change: Where Science and Politics Collide"
  • Jesus Ruvalcaba, "Investigating the Potential of Bacterial Manipulation for Post-Fire Regeneration in the Sierra Nevada"
  • Grayson Souza, "Skateboarding: From Passive-Aggressive to Progressive"
  • Kelly Sprengelmeyer, "Incredible Invisible Women: Mis(d)Diagnosis of ADHD in Women"
  • Adam Ullmann, "Enhancing Audio in the Remote Workplace"

  These theses and creative projects will be added to our online archive!

• Leadership, Power, and Change

  In Spring 2025, students in Jason Nice's section of HNRS 393 conducted student focus groups on a university-wide process to reorganize departments and colleges (Reimagining Academic Affairs). They wrote the focus group introduction and discussion questions (PDF), produced a report based on their focus group research (PDF), and shared their report to university leadership including the President and Provost.

  In Spring 2025, students in Nathaniel Heggins Bryant's section of HNRS 393 participated in group advocacy projects that explored key concepts including positionality, cultural humility, inclusive leadership, and the role of apologies and reparations:

  • "Breaking the Language Barrier: Addressing Communication Gaps in Medical Settings"
  • "Creating an Equitable Patient Care Curriculum to Prepare Future Healthcare Professionals"
  • "Environmental Justice In The Golden State"
  • "Homelessness in Chico"
  • "Infrastructural Failures in Chico"
  • "Promoting Inclusive Mental Health Awareness at CSU Chico"
  • "Social Inequity in the Criminal Justice System" 
  • "Stop the Spread: Awareness is Contagious"