Each year, the UHP rotates its curriculum according to three main themes: Science, Arts and Humanities, and Social Sciences. Each curriculum theme is established by the HON courses that are offered during the academic year.
Students enrolled in the theme classes have the opportunity to complete a research project in conjunction with other honors classes (HON or addenda). These participants may then be eligible to take part in the UHP spring project. During the Science year, the spring project includes a four-day visit to Washington, DC , where students work with the Bern Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology, a collection of rare scientific texts housed in the Smithsonian Institution. The Dibner collection contains first-printed editions of major scientific works such as Copernicus’ De Revolutionibus and Darwin ’s Origin of Species. The Dibner library, which is usually open only to graduate students writing dissertations, grants Cal ’s UHP the privilege of allowing us to work with these rare texts.
In the Arts and Humanities theme, the spring project involves a four-day excursion to Chicago , where UHP students visit the Art Institute and various homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. In the Social Sciences theme, the spring project includes a four-day trip to Virginia, where UHP students visit the homes of several of our founding fathers, including James Madison, James Monroe, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, George Mason, and Woodrow Wilson.
All travel, room, and board expenses for the spring projects are paid by the UHP. The spring projects provide the students an opportunity to study particular topics first-hand. These trips offer a unique experience to UHP students that give them a chance to conduct in-depth primary research on a topic of their interest. As a result, many honors students use their spring research projects as a start to their honors theses.
To participate in the spring excursions, UHP students must meet the following criteria:
They must be undertaking a research project in conjunction with their honors course(s) that is based on the year’s theme.
They must submit an application, usually available early in the spring semester.
They must be registered for a minimum of two honors courses (HON or addenda) within the academic year.
Participation in the spring excursions is limited by funding. The UHP strives to include all honors students that apply; however, if that is not possible, preference is given to students enrolled in HON courses.