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Honors College

HON 3000 - Field learning requirement

In order to deepen their educational experience, all Wayne State University Honors students are required to complete a "field learning" requirement outside of the traditional classroom. They may do so through any one of the following options: research, service learning, internship/co-op/practicum or study abroad.

Note: To fulfill the Field Learning requirement, students must enroll concurrently in Honors 3000 in the same semester in which the Field Learning takes place. Students are strongly encouraged to discuss their proposed Field Learning selections with an Honors College advisor prior to enrolling in Honors 3000. Approved options will typically require WSU faculty oversight and assessment. Details for each option are below.

Retroactive credit: To receive retroactive credit for any course that a student believes could have been paired with HON 3000, the student needs to complete the Request for Retroactive HON 3000 and submit to Rachel Pawlowski, fg6313@wayne.edu. Courses must have been completed within the past academic year in order to be considered.

For more information about this requirement, please contact the Honors College or schedule a meeting with an advisor in the Honors College.

Breakdown of requirements

Please select from the dropdown menu items below to find out more information on each field learning requirement as well as approved classes that can be used to complete each requirement. 

  • Undergraduate Research

    Students may use a variety of undergraduate research experiences to fulfill the University Honors Field Learning requirement:

    • Pre-approved WSU research courses listed on the Honors College website
    • Pre-approved independent research or creative projects under the guidance of a faculty mentor and taken as HON 4990
    • Pre-approved larger-scale, lab-based projects under a principal investigator and taken as HON 4990
    • Pre-approved summer or off-campus research experiences might qualify, provided they are guided by full-time Wayne State faculty in the appropriate discipline and taken as HON 4990

    Please note:

    • Qualifying undergraduate research experiences will occur during a student's sophomore-senior years.
    • Research-focused courses teaching the tools/methods of research but not requiring a research project or student contribution to a larger project run by a principal investigator do not count towards the Field Learning requirement.

     

  • Internship/Co-op/Practicum

    Honors students may use a credit-bearing internship or field placement experience to fulfill the Field Learning requirement. This can be done through pre-approved departmental internship, practicum or field practice courses. Internship experiences that are outside of a course may still qualify but would need to be pre-approved with the Honors College advisors and would necessitate registering for at least a one-credit independent study. All qualifying internship experiences must include:

    • A credit-bearing course, which may be an independent study
    • At least 25 hours of meaningful work in the field during the semester
    • A mentor/mentee relationship within the placement
    • A reflective component to critically analyze the experience in connection to coursework

    Approved courses by school/college

    College of Nursing
    NUR 2050, 3010, 3015, 3020, 4010, 4040, 4050, 4120

    College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts

    Department of Art and Art History
    AFA 5992 Supervised Field Experience
    AGD 5990 Graphic Design Internship
    These two below are limited in enrollment (based on interviews/degree program, etc.):
    ACS 5210 Art Gallery Internship
    ACS 5200 Art Gallery Management

    Department of Music
    MED 4560 - Practicum
    MED 4570 - Student Teaching (Vocal Music Education Only)
    TED 5970 - Student Teaching (Instrumental Music Education)
    MUA 4650 - Internship for Music Business and Music Technology

    Department of Communication
    Journalism students are the only ones in COM who are required to take our COM 6190 internship course as a required part of their major. Film/MAS/CMS/PR can all take it as a “highly encouraged” elective.

    Department of Theatre and Dance

    Select six credits of the following (6):

    THR 2581 Theatre Studio - Performance (Max. 3)

    THR 2582 Theatre Studio - Scenery/Lighting (Max. 3)

    THR 2583 Theatre Studio - Costumes (Max. 3)

    THR 2584 Theatre Studio - Stage Management (Max. 3)

    THR 2585 Theatre Studio - Theatre Management (Max. 3)

    THR 2586 Theatre Studio - Running Crew (Max. 3)

    THR 2587 Theatre Studio - Production (Max. 3)

    College of Engineering 
    Both optional: BE 3500 (0 credits) or BE 3510 (1 credit)

    Mike Ilitch School of Business
    All optional: For zero credit but shows up on transcript:
    Accounting: ACC 4500
    Finance: FIN 4500
    Global Supply Chain: GSC 4500
    Information Systems: ISM 4500
    Management: MGT 4500
    Marketing: MKT 4500

    For credit and shows up on transcript:
    Accounting: ACC 5890
    Finance: FIN 5890
    Global Supply Chain: GSC 5890
    Information Systems: ISM 5890
    Management: MGT 5890
    Marketing: MKT 5890

    College of Education 
    AED 5650
    HE 4902
    KIN 5350
    KIN 5780
    LDT 4920
    SAM 5000
    SAM 5750
    SED 501
    TED 2250
    TED 5150
    TED 5650
    TED 5780

    School of Social Work 
    SW 4998

    College of Liberal Arts and Sciences 
    CHM 6991
    CRJ 4970
    ENG 5820 - 6 cr.
    ENG 6004
    ENG 6010
    FRE 5999
    GER 5999
    GLS 5500
    HIS 4997 - 3 cr.
    HIS 7998 - 1-3 cr.
    ITA 5999
    JPN 5999
    MAT 6990
    NE 5999
    NF&S 5992
    PH 4100/4150
    POL 5999
    PS 2992
    PS 5992
    PSY 4993
    PSY 8000
    RUS 5999
    SOC 4600
    SOC 7000
    US 6000

    For course descriptions, please see the University Bulletin.

     

  • Service-Learning

    Students may use a variety of service-learning experiences to fulfill the Field Learning requirement. Approved service-learning methods are:

    • Pre-approved WSU service-learning courses listed on the Honors College website.
    • Service-learning Honors Options linked to WSU course. Students will submit the proposal form by the term-specific deadline. Approved service-learning Honors Options will include a minimum of 25 hours of service with a community partner during the semester in which the student is enrolled in the service-learning course.

    Students may find additional details related to submitting a proposal on the Honors website (https://honors.wayne.edu).

    Approved Service-Learning Courses

     

    Winter 2025 Service-Learning Courses

    AFS 5991: Field Work in the Black Community

    CRN: 20406

    Credits: 3-8

    Professor: Ollie Johnson

    Course Description: Field placement in community-based, human services, and civic organizations and governmental agencies. Restricted to Africana Studies majors.

     

    ENG 3020 (IC): Writing and Community

    CRN: Varies

    *Please note that CRN 23622 will be reserved for students who are currently in HON 1000 only, as a Foundational Seminar option*

    Credits: 3

    Professor: Varies

    Course Description: As a course that fulfills the Intermediate Composition (IC) general education requirement, English 3020 prepares students for reading, research, and writing in their upper-division courses and majors. Students in English 3020 achieve these outcomes through collaborative community engagement, which combines hands-on experience in a community setting with academic work related to that setting. Unlike volunteers, students in such a class get as much as they give. Students offer their time and labor to the community partner and, in return, get the chance to develop many types of intellectual skills in real community contexts. The course emphasizes researching local problems, analyzing various kinds of texts, writing for different purposes, listening, negotiating with people of different ages and from different backgrounds, and learning to work collaboratively with a diverse array of people and organizations.

     

    Honors 4930: Detroit Fellows Tutoring Project

    CRN: 21452

    Credits: 2-4 (Honors students must register for three or four credits.)

    Professors: Dale Thomas & Marcella Verdun

    Course Description: Earn 2 to 4 Honors credits while teaching reading skills to children in kindergarten through second grade who need additional help in Detroit Public Schools. Detroit Fellows work three (earns 2 credits), five (earns 3 credits) or seven (earns 4 credits) hours per week at their assigned school. The schedule is established by you based on your availability and the number of credits for which you sign up. Tutors work during regularly scheduled school hours: 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

     

    PH 3100 (SI): Understanding Human Society

    CRN: Varies

    Credits: 3

    Professor: Varies

    Course Description: COMING SOON 😊

     

    SOC 1010 (SI): Understanding Human Society

    CRN: 24304 and 25896

    Credits: 3

    Professor: Inna Mirzoyan

    Course Description: This course is intended to introduce you to the field of sociology. In this class, you will be exposed to the general ideas, concepts, theoretical perspectives, and research methods within the field of sociology. The underlying objective of this course is to help you develop a sociological imagination that will foster an enhanced awareness concerning the effects that social forces have on your lives and the lives of your fellow human beings. As part of Wayne State’s community engagement initiative, this course will also require you to complete a service-learning project that will entail volunteering in a community agency that deals in some way with social inequality. The service-learning knowledge via books by experientially learning about social inequalities as they are manifested in the everyday lives of others in your community. Further, you will have the opportunity to apply your knowledge of social stratification by actively participating in efforts to ameliorate or otherwise cope with the consequences of inequities.

     

    SW 1010 - Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare

    CRN: Varies

    *Please note that CRN 22673 will be reserved for students who are currently in HON 1000 only, as a Foundational Seminar option*

    Credits: 3

    Professor: Varies

    Course Description: Focus is on the evolution of social welfare as a social institution and its relationship to social policy and the interaction of political and economic institutions. Focus is also on the skills necessary for understanding current welfare agencies, services, and resources as well as the knowledge requirements of generalist social work practice and professional social work in selected fields of practice (child welfare, gerontology, health care, mental health, schools, substance abuse, criminal justice, and crises/trauma). The Service Learning Project requires that each student work with his/her selected community service site to develop and actively engage in a semester-long service project that benefits the community.

     

    TED 2200/2205: Foundations of Education/Foundations Field Experience:

    *TED 2200 and 2205 are co-requisite courses and need to be taken in the same semester*

    CRN: All Sections

    Credits: 3

    Professor: Varies

    Course Description: Examination of issues surrounding social justice in urban schools and society through the exploration of the historical, political, and social trends that influence education. Course includes a 40- hour service learning field experience.

     

    Service-Learning Honors Option Examples

    A student can choose to create their own service-learning course, by adding a service project of their choosing onto a 2000-level or higher regular class. Below are a few examples of how to potentially fulfill your service-learning requirement with Wayne State University courses. Please remember that the service performed, and not just the community partner where the service is completed, MUST compliment the course material and you must register for HON 3000. Also, you must submit a Service Learning Honors Option form for official approval from the Honors College.

    *These are just examples. There is no guarantee that the faculty who teach these courses will automatically participate in HON 3000 Field Learning *

    Example 1

    Course Name: Reporting Race, Gender and Culture - COM 4250

    Service-Learning Component: Volunteer with an organization that services specific demographics (i.e. race and gender) or volunteer at a local newspaper

     

    Example 2

    Course Name: Introductory Food Science - NFS 2130

    Service-Learning Component: Volunteer at a soup kitchen, food pantry, or community garden

     

    Example 3

    Course Name: Introduction to Ethics -PHI 2320

    Service-Learning Component: Volunteer with an organization that promotes civil rights, animal rights, etc.

     

    Example 4

    Course Name: Law, Authority and Rebellion - PS 3510

    Service-Learning Component: Volunteer at a law firm or politician’s office

     

    Example 5

    Course Name: Diversity, Oppression and Social Justice - SOC 3110

    Service-Learning Component: Volunteer with an organization that promotes social justice or volunteer at a women’s shelter

     

    Example 6

    Course Name: Medical Spanish - SPA 3050

    Service- Learning Component: Volunteer language skills at a hospital, senior home and/or clinic

  • Study Abroad

    Students may participate in a study abroad course or semester abroad to fulfill the Field Learning requirement.  Students may enroll in a course or a semester abroad through the Wayne State University Study Abroad Office; alternatively, students may enroll in a course on WSU's main campus with a study abroad trip embedded into the course; students may also opt to enroll in a course with pre-approved study abroad transfer credit taken through another accredited institution of higher education.  Honors students are advised to discuss their study abroad selection with an academic advisor in the Honors College before undertaking the course or semester abroad in order to get pre-authorization that the credit hours will fulfill the Field Learning requirement.

    A diverse range of Study Abroad experiences may be used to fulfill the Field Learning requirement. These include but are not limited to:

    • Semester study abroad program approved through WSU's Study Abroad Office
    • Semester programs through accredited institutions of higher education
    • Single study abroad course through WSU or through an accredited college or university
    • On-campus semester course with travel embedded as a requirement of the course
    • Faculty-led independent study or research abroad with time abroad as a requirement of the course (minimum one-credit hour is required)
    • Other petitioned, individually vetted and approved curricular programs from accredited colleges or universities

    Sample WSU approved Study Abroad courses and semesters abroad can be found at the following site: 

    https://studyabroad.wayne.edu/

    Please note:

    Examples of travel abroad that do not count as study abroad for the purpose of fulfilling the Field Learning requirement include:

    • Independent travel abroad
    • Alternative spring breaks abroad that are not connected to a course
    • Field work undertaken independently and not connected to a course
    • Medical missions abroad undertaken independently and not affiliated with an academic course
    • Missions abroad that are not part of a credit-bearing, faculty-led course