2021-2022 Undergraduate Bulletin

John Jay College Honors Program

The organizing theme of the John Jay College Honors Program is "the common good." This theme reflects the college mission statement and provides an intellectual framework for the honors curriculum. The program is designed to promote academic excellence and is inclusive of students in all majors at the college. The curriculum encourages students to explore research in their chosen disciplines that addresses contemporary community problems. Honors program students take between 17 and 29 credits in Honors courses, depending on their point of entry into the program. Students write a senior thesis and present their honors research at a national conference.

The year-long Honors Colloquium (HON 181 & HON 182) introduces new students to the 'common good' framework and its relevance to academic and civic life. Peer mentors lead groups of new students through a year-long community service project.

The final senior seminar (HON 401, or HON 484 & HON 485) brings the entire graduating class back together to present and discuss their various senior capstone projects and the relevance of these projects to the theme of the program. The seminar provides an opportunity for students to reflect on how the ongoing exploration of the common good has prepared them for their roles as scholars, practitioners, and citizens of a global community. 

Learning Outcomes. Students will:

  • demonstrate a critical understanding of the concept of the common good, and its relation to issues of social justice.
  • integrate and communicate perspectives of the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences in written and oral work, and in research endeavors.
  • apply leadership skills to their research projects, community work and other professional endeavors.
  • write and speak with competence in appropriate academic language.
  • develop their own perspectives on ethical issues regarding community, society and the common good.

Credits Required. 17-29 (Freshmen entry requires 29 credits, Sophomore entry 23 credits, and Junior entry 17 credits)

Faculty Director.  Raymond Patton, PhD, Associate Professor of History (646.781.5207, rpatton@jjay.cuny.edu)

Program Manager/ Advisor. Alana Philip (212.484.1122, aphilip@jjay.cuny.edu)

Student Support Manager/ Advisor. Adrienne Fitzgerald (212-393-6407, afitzgerald@jjay.cuny.edu)

Specialist/ Advisor. Sara Shaw-Clarke (sashaw@jjay.cuny.edu)

Advisor. Alexander Probst (aprobst@jjay.cuny.edu)

Macaulay Honors Program at John Jay College Advisor. Aisha Abdelmula (aabdelmula@jjay.cuny.edu)

Admission

Application required

There are three entry points into the Honors Program:

Entering Freshmen. Admission is based upon the student’s high school average, their application essay and other materials, and an interview.

Continuing and Transfer Students. Admission is based upon the student’s college GPA, their application essay, and an interview. John Jay students who have completed 2-4 semesters of college and have a minimum of four semesters remaining at John Jay may apply to join the program as sophomores (at least six semesters remaining) or juniors (at least four semesters remaining). To be eligible, students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher, and no more that 75 credits completed at the time of entry into the program.

Required Courses for Freshman Entry

Freshman Year

ENG 101 Composition I (Honors Section)
ENG 201 Composition  II (Honors Section)
FYS First Year Seminar (Honors Section)
HON 181 Honors Colloquium I (formerly HON 191)
HON 182 Honors Colloquium II (formerly HON 192)

OR

ENG 260 Grammar, Syntax, and Style: Writing for All Disciplines (Honors Section)
LIT 237 Literature as Witness (Honors Section)
FYS First Year Seminar (Honors Section)
HON 181 Honors Colloquium I (formerly HON 191)
HON 182 Honors Colloquium II (formerly HON 192)

Sophomore Year

HON 201 Intellectual Foundations I: What is the Common Good?
HON 202 Intellectual Foundations II: Leadership and the Common Good.
200-level Honors Discipline Course course in the major or HON 380 Special Topics

Junior Year

HON 301 The Idea of the Common Good Across Disciplines
2 x 300-level Honors Disciplinary Courses (HDC) or HON 380 Special Topics or 1 graduate course in the major AND 1 HDC or HON 380 Special Topics

Senior Year

HON 401 Honors Capstone Seminar: Research and the Theme of the Common Good

OR

HON 484-HON 485 -The Honors Year-Long Project-based Capstone Sequence

Required Courses for Sophomore Entry

Sophomore Year

HON 181 Honors Colloquium I (formerly HON 191)
HON 182 Honors colloquium II (formerly HON 192)
HON 201 Intellectual Foundations I: What is the Common Good?
HON 202 Intellectual Foundations II: Leadership and the Common Good
200-level Honors section course in the major or HON 380 Special Topics

Junior Year

HON 301 The Idea of the Common Good Across Disciplines
2 x 300-level Honors Disciplinary Courses (HDC) or HON 380 Special Topics or 1 graduate course in the major AND 1 HDC or HON 380 Special Topics

Senior Year

HON 401 Honors Capstone Seminar: Research and the Theme of the Common Good

OR

HON 484-HON 485 -The Honors Year-Long Project-based Capstone Sequence

Required Courses for Junior Entry

Junior Year

HON 181 Honors Colloquium I (formerly HON 191)
HON 182 Honors colloquium II (formerly HON 192)
HON 201 Intellectual Foundations I: What is the Common Good?
HON 301 The Idea of the Common Good Across Disciplines
2 x 300-level Honors Disciplinary Courses (HDC) or HON 380 Special Topics or 1 graduate course in the major AND 1 HDC or HON 380 Special Topics

Senior Year

HON 401 Honors Capstone Seminar: Research and the Theme of the Common Good

OR

HON 484-HON 485 -The Honors Year-Long Project-based Capstone Sequence