(no subject)

[raincitygirl]

I am curious as to how US universities handle honours programs for undergraduates.

I went to a Canadian university and you can’t declare a major right away, or join honours classes right away. At the end of your second year, you either declare a major for third year, or apply to join that major (it depends whether there are limited numbers or not). At that time you also apply for the honours program. You take honours classes throughout your third and fourth year, and assuming you pass, you get to style yourself B.A. (Hons) or B.Sc. (Hons) or whatever.

I read an article in a US magazine which suggests you can join an honours program as a first year student at universities there. Is that true?

On a totally unrelated note, I saw someone reading an Agatha Christie paperback in Portugese. I had no idea her books had been translated into Portugese.

Edited to add: ancarett points out that not every Canadian university handles honours programs in the same way. And apparently Agatha Christie is one of the most widely translated authors in the world, so it's hardly surprising she's in Portugese.

Comments

swanning in from network

[recessional]

Some of our (that is, Canadian) unis don't declare major until the beginning of third year. (I went to UVic, and declared about a quarter of the way into third year.)

Re: swanning in from network

[raincitygirl]

Interesting. And wow, you must be close to me (geographically). I went to UBC.

Re: swanning in from network

[recessional]

I live in North Van now, actually; I lived in Vic for seven years, tho.

Re: swanning in from network

[raincitygirl]

*waves from East Van*

small world!

[tevere]

I'm pretty sure Agatha Christie novels are some of the most widely translated ever-- I see them all over Asia in a variety of languages. I'd be surprised if they hadn't been done in Portuguese!

[isagel]

This. I'd be surprised at every language without Agatha Christie translations. Certainly she's translated into all European languages.

[ide_cyan]

She's apparently the most widely translated individual author in the world.

[raincitygirl]

Interesting. Thank you.

[raincitygirl]

Good to know. THanks.

[raincitygirl]

Interesting.

I feel a little silly now.

[loligo]

I don't know if there is a standardized way to run Honors programs in US universities. Here's how it worked at U of Michigan when I was there: you are admitted to the Honors program as a freshman, and there are specific honors courses, and special honors discussion sections of other courses, and other enriching opportunities. But to actually graduate with Honors, you have to do a senior thesis in your major, which is graded with Honors, High Honors, or Highest Honors. And I think (but am not sure) that you could also apply to do an Honors thesis as a junior even if you didn't do any Honors coursework in the first two years.

[raincitygirl]

See, that seems better to me. I know when my brother was at the University of British Columbia (from which he eventually dropped out) as a first year he found the lack of enrichment opportunities really frustrating. Matters were not helped by it being a huge university with several hundred kids in the first year classes. It was easy to get lost in the crowd.

[ancarett]

That's not the way that every Canadian university operates. Students can go into honours here at the start. But you need a concentration to do the honours and with the rise of majors those numbers are in steep decline. You're getting a lot with high quality degrees but with double majors instead of an honours concentration that culminates in a senior project, say.

[raincitygirl]

Ah, I had understood UBC's way of running things was standard. I misunderstood.

What is the difference between a concentration and a major? I had thought they were the same thing with a different name. Thank you.

[ancarett]

A concentration is usually the equivalent of 50% of your university 4-year credits (60/120 here where 6cr=a single course that runs September-April). Majors are relatively new in Canadian universities as a degree-type. (Major as a description of your field of study is old hat, though.)

A major is 48/120 credits - now many universities allow concentrations, majors and minors in mixes to get your degree. I have students who're double-majoring in history and English, say. But there are catches like "you can't graduate with only a major but you need a major and two minors or two majors or a single concentration". Ugh!

It's complicated enough to give profs fits - I can't begin to think what it is like for the poor undergrads!

[raincitygirl]

That's....complicated. Thanks so much for explaining it.