What Is Freshman Honors Colloquium?

Considered by most Honors alumni as the most important course they had in college, Freshman Honors Colloquium (FHC) is the foundational course for the Honors Experience. While FHC satisfies the College Writing requirement of the university, it is much more than freshman English. In FHC, a cohort of students meet with the same Professor for both semesters, focusing on critical thinking, examining ideas closely, and expressing their own ideas in both oral and written form. This unique course is students’ first opportunity to develop and understand the long argument—the ability to follow trains of thought and ideas that reach back through the year, bringing together many lines of argument and reasoning.

The Honors College has found that students who complete FHC perform far better in all subsequent courses than those who do not complete FHC. Because each FHC section focuses on a theme chosen by the Professors, who are experts in their fields, students have the opportunity to choose themes from many sections of FHC, taught by award-winning faculty in the Department of English.

View Frequently Asked Questions from Parents and Prospective Honors Students

View the Fall 2024 Freshman Honors Colloquium Sections and Descriptions

My Experience in Freshman Honors Colloquium...

"This absolutely fulfilled my expectations.  My peers are interested and open for discussion. The instructor is engaging and wonderful. The material is interesting and fun to discuss." 
-FHC Student, 2018-2019 Cohort 

"I enjoyed my Freshman Honors Colloquium because I was able to spend a whole year forming relationships with students of similar intellectual caliber. The small number of students and the structure of the course allowed for close relationships to be formed between the professor and students, something that is hard to do in large entry-level classes. My favorite part of the course was the collaboration and support that I received from my classmates. My Freshman Honors Colloquium focused on poverty. We took an in-depth look at the vicious cycles of poverty, making this topic very real even though I had never experienced it personally. Ironically, this past spring semester, I saw firsthand the interactions between poverty and the criminal justice system during my internship at Georgetown Law, investigating adult and juvenile misdemeanors for indigent clients. Now as I prepare to graduate and attend law school in the fall, I am contemplating pursuing a career in public defense. 

Specifically speaking about academics, I left the course feeling confident in my research, writing, and citation skills, something that has greatly benefited me throughout my college career."
-Lily, FHC Student 

"To me, Colloquium meant going to a class with a second family.  In Colloquium, everybody knew everybody; nobody was a stranger.  Still one of my favorite classes I've had in college."
-Joshua, FHC Student 

"Freshman Honors Colloquium was a phenomenal class which taught me a great deal about writing and making new friends!"
-Eleanor, FHC Student 

"To me, Freshman Honors Colloquium will always be one the best classes I have taken because it was where many of my lasting friendships first started. The format of the class was one that was easy to learn from as it was not a lecture, but it was more of a discussion. Overall, the class will always be fondly remembered by me because it got me out of my introverted shell and got me talking with people who became great friends."  
-Matt, FHC Student 

"This class exceeded my expectations of an honors course.  The content was challenging and helped me grow as a writer.  I was able to develop better analysis and critical thinking skills." 
-FHC Student, 2018-2019 Cohort 

"I liked the ideas presented in this class.  The workload and high level discussions that this class offered fulfilled my expectations of an honors course.  The texts we studied were uniquely philosophical and reflected on what it means to be human, which I loved."
-FHC Student, 2018-2019 Cohort

"I liked the frequent in-depth discussions we had in class concerning our books and real-world problems." 
-FHC Student, 2018-2019 Cohort 

"The class exceeded my expectations.  Although I was at first surprised by the small class size, I realized it enabled us to have genuine in-depth discussion.  The professor is passionate about what she is teaching and lets us explore concepts and interesting themes in class that are actually creative and applicable in real life." 
-FHC Student, 2018-2019 Cohort 

"It's literal perfection.  Perfection personified.  It was my favorite course, and also my hardest.  It left me challenged, but not overwhelmed, and very excited to show up to class at 7:45 a.m. twice a week.  I love this class so much." 
-FHC Student, 2018-2019 Cohort