By selecting Honors under Special Offerings in the LSA Course Guide, students will find a fairly comprehensive list of Honors courses available for the term. Depending on course coding used by the department, you may find other courses throughout a search, but this is a great start in planning your schedule. For information about courses including questions about registration/waitlists/permissions, please contact the department offering the course. For courses with the Honors subject code (e.g., Honors 240, Honors 493), contact the Honors Program.
BIOLOGY 172 – Introductory Biology – Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental (NS)
Section: 002 (LEC), 200, 201 (DIS)
BIOLOGY 172 is a one-term course in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology that, together with BIOLOGY 171 and 173, collectively forms the introductory biology course sequence.
The aims of BIOLOGY 172 are:
to provide factual and conceptual knowledge of how cells, organs, and organisms work; and
to develop scientific hypothesis-testing and critical-thinking skills.
CHEM 215 – Structure and Reactivity II (NS) WITH CHEM 216
Section: 400 (LEC)
CHEM 215 is the second course in a two-term sequence in which the major concepts of chemistry are introduced in the context of organic chemistry. Emphasis is on the development of the capacity of students to think about the relationship between structure and reactivity and to solve problems in a qualitatively analytical way. Many of the topics are presented from a bioorganic perspective, and so the course is relevant to many bio-x perspectives.
The honors section of this course (section 400) integrates the content of Chem 215H and 216H over four lectures per week by the two instructors. Additionally, there is a required structured study group (SSG) component (evening slots with sign-up options to be provided in class) with an end-of-term assignment that is included in the course grade. Contact chemundergrad@umich.edu with questions.
CHEM 216 – Synthesis and Characterization of Organic Compounds (NS)
Section: 400 (LEC), 411 - 450 (LAB)
CHEM 216 builds on the experimental approach started in CHEM 211. Students participate in planning exactly what they are going to do in the laboratory by being given general goals and directions that have to be adapted to fit the specific project they will be working on. They use microscale equipment, which requires them to develop manual dexterity and care in working in the laboratory. They also evaluate the results of their experiments by checking for identity and purity using various chromatographic and spectroscopic methods. Students should elect both CHEM 215 Honors - section 400 (for 3 credits) and CHEM 216 Honors - section 400 (for 2 credits).
For further information, please contact the Chemistry Undergraduate Office at chemundergrad@umich.edu.
MATH 276 – Explorations in Calculus (MSA, QR/1)
Section: 001
This course is an Inquiry-Based version of Honors Calculus I and II (such as Math 185/186) and provides the necessary preparation for Multivariable Calculus (Math 215 or the honors version, Math 285). A student who has had some exposure to calculus (e.g., AB or BC in high school, or Math 115) will be well-prepared for this course. The majority of class time will be spent working in groups and presenting ideas and solutions to problems.
MATH 285 – Honors Multivariable and Vector Calculus (MSA, QR/1)
Section: 001
The sequence Math 185-186-285-286 is an introduction to calculus at the honors level. It is taken by students intending to major in mathematics, science, or engineering as well as students heading for many other fields who want a somewhat more theoretical approach. Although much attention is paid to concepts and solving problems, the underlying theory and proofs of important results are also included. This sequence is not restricted to students enrolled in the LSA Honors Program.
MATH 286 – Honors Differential Equations (MSA, QR/1)
Section: 001, 002
The sequence Math 185-186-285-286 is an introduction to calculus at the honors level. It is taken by students intending to major in mathematics, science, or engineering as well as students heading for many other fields who want a somewhat more theoretical approach. Although much attention is paid to concepts and solving problems, the underlying theory and proofs of important results are also included. This sequence is not restricted to students enrolled in the LSA Honors Program.
MATH 296 – Honors Mathematics II (QR/1)
Section: 001Math 295-296-395-396 is the most theoretical and demanding honors calculus sequence. The emphasis is on concepts, problem solving, as well as the underlying theory and proofs of important results. It provides an excellent background for advanced courses in mathematics. The expected background is high school trigonometry and algebra (previous calculus is not required, but is helpful.) This sequence is not restricted to students enrolled in the LSA Honors program. Math 295 and 296 may be substituted for any Math 451 requirement. Math 296 and 395 may be substituted for any Math 217 requirement.
MATH 297 – Intensive Introduction to Analysis (MSA, QR/1)
Section: 001
This is a course in analysis for students who know how to write rigorous mathematical arguments and possess a firm understanding of the standard concepts of linear algebra. It is specifically designed for students who excelled in Math 217, love mathematics, and wish to transition into the Honors Analysis Sequence.
For more information on Math courses, please visit the Department of Mathematics webpage.
For waitlist information for Math courses, contact the Math department at math-undergrad-office@umich.edu
PHIL 296 – Honors Introduction to Logic (MSA, QR/1)
Section: 001
Logic is typically understood as the systematic and rigorous study of inference and argument — the science of figuring out what follows from what, and why. Formal logic does this by thinking carefully about systems of inference: what are they good for; what choices we confront when devising them; how, if at all, can we show that we've made the right choices. We will study a number of formal systems of inference, including systems meant to apply under the all-too-familiar condition of uncertainty. We will aim not only to master their details but also to think about what the nature and point of systems of logic are---about whether the formal systems we study really accomplish their aims.
PHYSICS 260 – Honors Physics II (NS, QR/1)
Section: 001PHYSICS 260 is a continuation of PHYSICS 160 and serves as an intensive introduction to the theory of electromagnetic phenomena. The course begins with static electric and magnetic fields configurations, before introducing simple dynamics, Maxwell's equations, and their wave solutions. Emphasis is placed on the deeper physical meaning of the concepts and a rigorous mathematical approach, using vector calculus when applicable. Students will learn a range of problem-solving techniques, including computational methods. Assessment is based on homework, labs, and in-class exams.
If you like physics and math, appreciate the deeper meaning and derivation of concepts and equations, and if you like to do problems, you are in the right course.
PHYSICS 261 – Honors Electricity and Magnetism Lab (NS)
Section: 001,002
PHYSICS 261 is a three-hour weekly laboratory designed to accompany PHYSICS 260. This lab continues students’ exploration of the core concepts of physics, namely careful observations, both quantitative and qualitative, followed by comparison with appropriate mathematical models that serve as the basis for descriptive interpretation. Course material is focused on developing a good understanding of the concepts and electricity and magnetism while providing sophisticated experiments for demonstrating the validity of these fundamental paradigms.
PHYSICS 360 - Honors Physics III
Section: 001
PHYSICS 360 covers the same areas of study as PHYSICS 340 (thermodynamics, light and optics, the wave equation, and special relativity), but differs from PHYSICS 340 in depth and difficulty. The course is intended for students who want to be challenged. Homework assignments will include traditional and hard analytical problems, but will also include problems for which computer programming is needed to obtain numerical solutions.
STATS 280 - Honors Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis (MSA, QR/1)
Section: 001 (LEC), 002, 003 (LAB)
STATS 280 will provide in-depth discussion of models and methods that are appropriate to spectific situations, criteria for selecting among them, their strengths and weaknesses and their conceptual footing. Interactive learning will be emphasized in lectures and the laboratory module. During the lab, students will learn to use modern statistical software for visualization and data analysis, and carry out the computational parts of lab assignments.
STATS 280 will provide in-depth discussion of models and methods that are appropriate to spectific situations, criteria for selecting among them, their strengths and weaknesses and their conceptual footing. Interactive learning will be emphasized in lectures and the laboratory module. During the lab, students will learn to use modern statistical software for visualization and data analysis, and carry out the computational parts of lab assignments.STATS 280 includes derivations of basic statistical results such as expected values and sampling variances using techniques from pre-calculus mathematics. Students will also be expected to master quantitative relationships such as scaling relationships between variances, sample sizes, and standard errors.
Definition and summary of univariate and bivariate data, distributions, correlation, and associated visualization techniques; randomization in comparative studies and in survey sampling; basic probability calculus, including conditional probabilities, concept of random variables and their properties; sampling distributions and the central limit theorem; statistical inference, including hypothesis tests, confidence intervals; one sample and two sample problems with binary and continuous data, including nonparametric procedures; analysis of variance; simple and bivariate regression; simple design of experiments; chisquare and rank-based tests for association and independence.
