Ohio University Scholars Program

Mission

The Scholars Program offers a unique opportunity to a select group of students to engage with distinguished faculty and their own peers in the kind of heightened intellectual discussion that is generally not possible within the large lecture format of most introductory level courses. A basic assumption underlying the program is that an understanding of 21st century American culture and our place in it requires some understanding of the diverse cultural traditions that have influenced it. Thus, a central purpose of the courses in the program is to introduce students to some of the more significant ideas and controversies from the past that shape contemporary life.

Program Overview

The curriculum uses a multi-disciplinary approach to explore questions related to the Program’s three major themes: Membership and Belonging; Authority, Knowledge, and Scholarship; and Nature and the Environment. Students read and discuss texts from varying subject areas, such as history, philosophy, psychology, literature, and political science. Each individual course is team-taught by at least two faculty members, and the instructors hail from multiple disciplines across the College of Arts and Sciences. Class sections are capped at 25 students, allowing Scholars participants to interact closely with some of the most prestigious faculty members in the University, a privilege not afforded to average first year students.

Thanks to an 1804 grant, the program has been able to bring in one visiting lecturer per quarter. These visiting lecturers from other universities are experts in their fields, and the Scholars students have multiple chances to interact with them. After delivering the weekly lecture, the visiting lecturer attends the discussion sections so that the students may engage with them in scholarly conversation. Faculty has also arranged pizza parties and lunches, during which Scholars have the opportunity for informal discussion with the visiting lecturers.

Coursework

Students in the Scholars Program take a series of three interrelated courses in their first year: CAS 111, CAS 112, and CAS 113. Each week begins with a lecture, delivered by one of the Scholars faculty members or an outside specialist. For the remainder of the week, class time is devoted to discussion and writing about the course themes in light of the lecture and readings. Because the series is writing intensive, students also participate in in-class writing workshops in preparation for their major writing assignments.

Students

The Scholars Program is designed for students who consider themselves intellectually curious and who want to be part of a community of students and professors who share this curiosity. Scholars students do not merely read texts and listen to lectures. They engage with the material, offering their own observations and coming to their own conclusions regarding how the information presented has influenced our present world.

Read quotes from current Scholars students in the program.

The Scholars Program is open to students of higher than average intellectual capability and motivation. To be considered for admission, a student must have an ACT score of 25 or an SAT verbal score of 600. For more information about becoming involved in Scholars, please contact us at scholarsprogram@ohio.edu.

Community: Fostering Intellectual Growth

The Scholars experience extends outside the classroom. Students participating in the program have the option of living in the same dorm, allowing for a community base that fosters an environment for engaged learning. Even for students who do not select the housing option, there is plenty of opportunity for social engagement. At the start of the school year, students meet one another and the faculty at a welcome picnic. Students work together on assignments, such as preparing team reports on course themes. These experiences give students the opportunity to interact beyond the classroom, bringing them together as a close-knit community of people interested in similar issues. As one former Scholar put it: “We’re the people in the dining hall, talking about Plato over breakfast.”

Faculty members have also arranged movie nights, lunches with the visiting lecturers, pizza parties, and hosted parties for the Scholars students in their homes. Because of these events and the small class sizes, many students develop a more personal connection with the faculty members than is usually possible in general survey classes.

Academic Benefits

Students in Scholars earn credit for core requirements as they pursue their own intellectual development. Courses taken in the Fall and Winter – CAS 111 and CAS 112, respectively – count for 5 credit hours each of Tier II and Humanities credit, allowing students to make progress toward their college and university degree requirements. Additionally, students who successfully complete the Scholars Program series are exempted from ENG 151, the Tier I Composition requirement.