Honors Course Descriptions

El Camino College offers a variety of enriched courses designed for students in the Honors Transfer Program. Learn more about specific honors course topics and details below.

ANTH 1H

Honors Introduction to Biological Anthropology

Description: This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program explores and emphasizes the evolution and biological diversity of the human species and our closest living relatives, the non-human primates. Topics include genetics, mechanisms of evolutionary change, primate behavior and ecology, human biological variation, and human evolutionary history through examination of the fossil record. This course is enriched through extensive, rigorous reading, writing, and research assignments.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: 5B

Typically Offered: Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer

ANTH 2H

Honors Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: 4

Typically Offered: Spring

ANTH 4H

Honors Language and Culture

Description: This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, introduces students to the anthropological study of language. Using a cross-cultural approach, students will examine the relationship between language and social factors such as gender, ethnicity and class. Topics will also include structural linguistics, language change, language extinction, language acquisition in children, cognitive aspects of language, language varieties and non-verbal communication. This course is enriched through extensive, rigorous reading, writing, and research assignments.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: 3B or 4

Typically Offered: Fall

AHIS 102AH

Honors History of Western Art: Prehistoric to Gothic

Description: This course, designed for students in the Honors Transfer Program, surveys the history of Western art from the prehistoric era through the Gothic period with an emphasis on the relation of artworks to historical and cultural contexts by examining the effects of shifting social, political, philosophical, and spiritual paradigms on the production of art. This course is enriched through more extensive reading, writing, and research assignments.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: 3A

Typically Offered: Spring, Summer

AHIS 208H

Honors History of American Art

Description: This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, is an introductory survey of American Art and visual culture from its pre-colonial past to the contemporary era with a focus on the social, political, economic, and philosophical conditions that have constructed the visualization of diverse American identities. American Art will be examined in relation to issues of representation and marginalization. Both art and artists will be studied within contexts that consider constructions of race, class, hybridity, gender, and sexuality and how these identifications factor into the construction of the canon, or mainstream, of the art world and the (in)visibility of diverse artists within art history.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: 3A

Typically Offered: Fall

ASTR 20H

Honors The Solar System

Description: This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, is an introduction to the major planets and the smaller members of the solar system such as moons, asteroidsKuiperer Belt Objects, and comets. Theories of the origin and histories of the planets are presented. The early history of astronomy and the Copernican Revolution are discussed. Sky phenomena such as constellations, the seasons, eclipses, and planetary motions are demonstrated in the planetarium. The possibility of life elsewhere in the solar system is examined. Students in the honors sections are required to research and write comprehensively about the origin of the solar system.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: 5A

Typically Offered: Spring

ASTR 25H

Honors Stars and Galaxies

Description: This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, is an introduction to the universe and its history. The main focus is on our view of the heavens and how astronomers learn about stars and galaxies. The formation, life histories, and fates of different kinds of stars, including the sun, are examined. Exotic stars as well as black holes are explored. The structure and distribution of galaxies are discussed, with a focus on our own Milky Way Galaxy. The possibility of simple and intelligent life in the Milky Way Galaxy will be examined. The history of the universe, starting with the Big Bang is also investigated. This course is enriched through extensive rigorous reading, writing, and research assignments.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: 5A

Typically Offered: Fall

BIOL 10H

Honors Fundamentals of Biology

Description: This honors course is designed for students in the Honors Transfer Program. This course is a survey of all living things: prokaryotes, protists, fungi, plants, and animals. Basic principles of structure, function, and relationships of living organisms are discussed with special reference to humans. This course is enriched through writing assignments that involve research and analysis.

Credits: 4 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: 5B and 5C

Typically Offered: Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer

BIOL 15*

Environmental Aspects of Biology

Description: Basic ecological and biological principles and concepts are emphasized in the study of the structure and function of ecosystems. Major ecological problems such as overpopulation, resource depletion and food production are related to endangered species and habitat degradation. Environmental pollution of air and water resources is considered in local areas as well as national and international situations. Air quality and global warming issues are considered. Students are encouraged to participate in local activities addressing environmental problems and restoring and improving local habitats.

*Please Note: This course offers a specific section designated for students in the Honors Transfer Program. The "H" notation is not yet formalized for the course title. Therefore, this course will have a "T" designation on a student's ECC transcript as long as the student is enrolled in the designated honors section. This course does count for HTP, TAP and IGETC requirements.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: 5

Typically Offered: Spring

BIOL 110H

Honors Cell and Molecular Biology

Description: This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, offers a detailed study of eukaryotic cell anatomy, metabolism, and division, including the study of Mendelian genetics and the molecular genetics of eukaryotes. Prokaryotic cellular structureeubacteriaia anarchaeaea), microbial genetics, and viruses are also studied. The scientific method is discussed in the lecture component and students implement elements of the process in various laboratory exercises. This course is one of three courses in the biology series designed for biology majors, including those students planning to pursue a career in medicine, dentistry, or other life sciences. This course is enriched through extensive rigorous reading, writing, and research assignments.

Credits: 5 Units

Prerequisites: CHEM 4 or CHEM 4H with minimum grade of C in prerequisite or equivalent

IGETC Area: 5B and 5C

Typically Offered: Spring, Fall

BIOL 120H

Honors Ecology, Evolution, Diversity, and Physiology

Description: This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, is a survey of eukaryotic organisms, their evolution and ecology. The student will have a thorough exposure to plant and animal anatomy and physiology, and will utilize animal dissection in the lab. Students will be expected to complete a project that includes hypothesis, prediction, experimentation, and presentation of results. This course is one of three courses in the biology series designed for biology majors, including those students planning to pursue a career in medicine, dentistry, or other life sciences. This course is enriched through extensive rigorous reading, writing, and research assignments.

Credits: 5 Units

Prerequisites: CHEM 4 or CHEM 4H with minimum grade of C in prerequisite or equivalent

IGETC Area: 5B and 5C

Typically Offered: Spring, Fall

BUS 150*

Financial Accounting

Description: This is an introductory course covering the fundamental theory, principles, and procedures of financial accounting with an emphasis on the corporate entity. Topics include ethics and the analysis, recording, and summarizing of accounting transactions on the accrual basis. Financial statements are prepared and analyzed. An emphasis will be on accounting as an information system to meet the demands of users for decision-making. Computer applications are integrated into the homework.

Credits: 4 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: N/A

Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

BUS 151*

Managerial Accounting

Description: This course emphasizes advanced accounting theory, principles, and practices for the corporation form of ownership. A major focus of the course is on managerial, cost, and manufacturing accounting and related issues in the corporate environment.

Credits: 4 Units

Prerequisites: BUS 150 with a minimum grade of C

IGETC Area: N/A

Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

CHEM 4H

Honors Beginning Chemistry

Description: This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, introduces the principles of chemistry, modern concepts of atomic structure and periodicity as a basis for understanding bonding, chemical formulas, chemical equations and chemical reactions, states of matter, important elements and their compounds, solutions, acid-base theories and reactions, net ionic equations, oxidation-reduction, kinetics, and chemical equilibrium, chemical nomenclature, and calculations. Historical and current chemical concepts will be investigated in a required research paper. In the laboratory, emphasis is on observations, measurements, and elementary quantitative experiments with an introduction to qualitative analysis. This course is enriched through extensive rigorous reading, writing, and research assignments.

Credits: 5 Units

Prerequisites: MATH 80 with a minimum grade of C or equivalent, or qualification by testing

IGETC Area: 5A and 5C

Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

COMMS 100*

Public Speaking

Description: In this course, students will compose, present, and evaluate original speeches. Emphasis is placed on audience analysis, topic selection, research, evidence, organization, delivery, and critical analysis of persuasive communication. Students are required to attend out-of-class speaking events.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: 1C (CSU Requirement Only)

Typically Offered: Summer

COMMS 120*

Argumentation and Debate

Description: This course introduces students to the construction of arguments for debate and other speech presentations. Emphasis is placed on analyzing claims, developing arguments that support and refute propositions, and effective delivery. Identification of types of argument and fallacies of reasoning are explored. Controversial issues are discussed, researched, and debated.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: Eligibility for English C1000

IGETC Area: 1C (CSU Requirement Only)

Typically Offered: Fall

COMMS 130*

Interpersonal Communication

Description: In this course, students study and apply methods and theories of interpersonal communication such as self-concept, perception, emotions, language and gender differences, nonverbal communication, listening, intimacy, defensiveness, and conflict resolution. Students are required to give formal and informal oral presentations and write reports.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: 1C (CSU Requirement Only)

Typically Offered: Spring

COMMS 265*

Mass Communication

Description: In this course, students study the history, effects, and role of the mass media in U.S. society. Topics include major forms of mass communication such as television, radio, cinema, print and new media. Emphasis is placed on analyzing media messages and the effects of media on the individual and U.S. culture.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: 4

Typically Offered: Varies

CH 1H

Personal and Community Health Issues

Description: This course is designed to provide a critical analysis of factors, which affect personal and community health. Primary emphasis is placed upon self-empowerment and disease prevention in a culturally diverse community. General topics include infectious and non-infectious diseases; physical fitness, weight management, and nutrition; human reproduction and sexuality; stress management and mental health; drug use and abuse; and environmental health.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: N/A (CSUGE Area E)

Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

CSCI 1H

Honors Problem Solving and Program Design Using C++

Description: This honors course is an introduction to problem solving and program design using structured, top-down, algorithmic development techniques applied to the solution of numeric and non-numeric problems. Software engineering topics such as analysis, design, implementation, testing, documentation, and maintenance of software are discussed. Laboratory work will be done using the C++ computer language. The course also incorporates a research-based assignment and summarizes the evolution of programming languages illustrating how this history has led to the paradigms available today.

Credits: 4 Units

Prerequisites: Math 170 with a minimum grade of C or equivalent skill

IGETC Area: N/A

Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

ECON 101H

Honors Principles of Economics: Macroeconomics

Description: This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, introduces students to the principles that explain the operation of the national economy. Topics to be analyzed include consumption of products, exchange, aggregate output, the money supply, national income, price level, economic growth, international trade, international finance, and macroeconomics policies. This course is enriched through extensive, rigorous reading, writing, and research assignments.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: MATH 73 or MATH 80 with a minimum grade of C in prerequisite or qualification by testing

IGETC Area: 4

Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

ENG C1000H

Honors Reading and Composition

Description: This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, is designed to strengthen students ability to read with understanding and discernment, to discuss assigned readings intelligently, and to write clearly. Emphasis will be placed on the ability to write an essay in which each paragraph relates to a controlling idea, has an introduction and conclusion, and contains primary and secondary support. College-level reading material will be assigned to provide the stimulus for class discussion and writing assignments, including a required research paper. This course is enriched through extensive, rigorous reading, writing, and research assignments.

Credits: 4 Units

Prerequisites: Eligibility for ENGL C1000 OR ESL 53C AND ESL 52B with a minimum grade of C

IGETC Area: 1A

Typically Offered: Fall, Summer

ENG 1BH

Honors Literature and Composition

Description: This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, is designed to stimulate an enjoyment of literature and to develop interpretive, critical, and analytical reading skills. Students will also receive extensive instruction on writing critically about short stories, full-length works (such as novellas, novels, plays, or biographies), and poems. This course will include critical analysis and research involving one or more literary genres. This course is enriched through extensive, rigorous reading, writing, and research assignments.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: ENGL C1000/C1000H with a minimum grade of C

IGETC Area: 3B

Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

ENG C1001H

Honors Critical Thinking and Composition

Description: This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, focuses on the development of critical thinking, reading, and writing skills beyond the level achieved in ENGL 1A and/or ENGL 1AH. Students will apply these skills to the analysis of written and spoken arguments in various forms and genres, including classic and/or contemporary, and to the writing of effective persuasive essays. Students will learn to evaluate and interpret data, to recognize assumptions, to distinguish facts from opinions, to identify and avoid logical fallacies, to identify and employ deductive and inductive reasoning, to effectively assert and support argumentative claims, and to cultivate a critical approach toward contemporary issues, including socio-political, economic and racial injustices. This course is enriched through extensive and rigorous reading, writing, and research assignments.

Credits: 4 Units

Prerequisites: ENGL C1000/C1000H with a minimum grade of C

IGETC Area: 1B

Typically Offered: Fall, Winter, Spring

ESTU 1*

Introduction to Ethnic Studies

Description: This course provides a multidisciplinary introduction and analysis of ethnic groups in the United States. Various theories and perspectives will be examined to better comprehend the effects of institutional racism, marginalization, socio-economic and political discrimination, and ethnocentrism on American ethnic and racial groups.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: 4, 7

Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

HDEV 110H

Honors Learning and Development in College and Career

Description: This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, provides an exploration of cognitive, psychological, social and physical factors influencing human behavior. Students will be introduced to psychological theories, research, and behavioral science principles used to understand individual behavior as it relates to achievement and fulfillment in higher education and careers. Topics include learning theory, higher education outcomes, critical thinking, motivation, self-efficacy, health and wellness, and interpersonal communication in a diverse world. This course is enriched through extensive, rigorous reading, writing, and research assignments.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: N/A (CSUGE Area E)

Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

HIST 101H

Honors United States History to 1877

Description: This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, is a chronological survey of American social, intellectual, political, economic, and diplomatic institutions. Major topics in the course include colonization, slavery, the American Revolution, Native Americans, the Civil War and Reconstruction. This course is enriched through extensive, rigorous reading, writing, and research assignments.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: 3B, 4

Typically Offered: Fall, Winter

HIST 102H

Honors United States History from 1877 to Present

Description:This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, is a chronological survey of American history from 1877 to the present, focusing on American social, intellectual, political, economic, and diplomatic institutions. Major topics include culture, ethnic and racial diversity, and the role of the United States with the context of world history. This course is enriched through extensive, rigorous reading, writing, and research assignments.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: 3B, 4

Typically Offered: Fall, Winter, Spring

HIST 122H

Honors United States Social History: Cultural Pluralism in America

Description: This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, surveys the role and contributions of ethnic groups and racial minorities to United States history. Emphasis is placed on these groups’ cultural interaction with the American way of life from colonial times to the present. Focus will also be given to the ways that race and ethnicity have shaped personal lives, communities, the nation, and international relations. This course is enriched through extensive, rigorous reading, writing, and research assignments.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: 3B, 4

Typically Offered: Spring, Summer

STAT C1000H

Honors Elementary Statistics with Probability

Description: This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, will include practice of statistics, including descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and the role probability plays in statistical analysis. Students will calculate and interpret various descriptive statistics using graphing calculators with statistical testing capabilities or statistical software, as well as by hand. Major topics include methods of data collection and simulation; measures of central tendency, variability, and relative position; graphical summaries of data; linear regression and correlation; distributions, including normal and binomial distributions; probability theory; and inferential statistical methods. Students will choose, justify, use, and interpret the results of inferential techniques, such as confidence intervals, hypothesis tests, goodness of fit, analysis of variance, and nonparametric tests. This course emphasizes extensive, rigorous demonstrations of understanding the concepts of statistics. Students will also complete at least one project demonstrating an application or synthesis of topics covered in the course.

Credits: 4 Units

Prerequisites: MATH 67 or MATH 73 or MATH 80 with a minimum grade of C in prerequisite or qualification by testing

IGETC Area: 2

Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

MUSI 112H

Honors Music Cultures of the World

Description: The honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, focuses on the styles, techniques, performers, and historical evolution of Western and non- Western music. Emphasis is placed on African, Asian, Latin American, and Polynesian music, and the relationship between the music and the culture. In addition, American ethnic music and jazz will be presented. This course is enriched through extensive, rigorous reading, writing, and research assignments.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: MATH 67 or MATH 73 or MATH 80 with a minimum grade of C in prerequisite or qualification by testing

IGETC Area: 3A

Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

PHIL 101H

Honors Introduction to Philosophy

Description: This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, investigates the big questions of philosophy, such as: What is the meaning of life? What can I be sure of? How do I know I’m not living in the Matrix? What is truly valuable and what is overvalued? What is the best life? Do I have free will? Emphasis is placed on how philosophers go about answering such questions and how these questions are relevant to our lives. This course is enriched through extensive, rigorous reading, writing, and research assignments.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: MATH 67 or MATH 73 or MATH 80 with a minimum grade of C in prerequisite or qualification by testing

IGETC Area: 3B

Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

POLS C1000H

Honors Government of the United States and California

Description: This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, is a survey of the concepts, theories, and functions of the American political system. The basic principles of the United States Constitution and the government of California will be examined. Emphasis will be placed on the formal and informal influences of federalism on national and state governments. This course is enriched through extensive, rigorous reading, writing, and research assignments.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: 4

Typically Offered: Fall, Winter, Spring

POLI 10H

Honors Introduction to International Relations

Description: This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, students will examine the factors that determine the relations between nations and the problems that result from the interplay of these factors. The conditions that can lead to both conflict and cooperation among nations will be examined. Major topics include international security, issues of international political economy, and international organizations. International law and diplomacy are examined as alternative means of resolving conflict. This course is enriched through extensive, rigorous reading, writing, and research assignments.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: POLS C1000/C1000H and ENGL C1000/1000H or eligibility for ENGL C1000 or qualification by appropriate assessment

IGETC Area: 3B

Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

PSYC C1000H

Honors Introduction to Psychology

Description: This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, is a survey study of human behavior and mental processes with an emphasis on basic theory and research generated by the scientific method. Major topics include psychobiology, learning, human cognition, personality, lifespan development, psychological disorders, therapeutic approaches, and social psychology. This course is enriched through extensive, rigorous reading, writing, and research assignments.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: 4

Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

PSYC 103H

Honors Critical Thinking and Psychology

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: ENGL C1000/1000H with a minimum grade of C

IGETC Area: 1B

Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

SSCI 103H

Honors Introduction to Social Justice Studies

Description: This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, is a survey of the concepts, theories, and broad range of issues in social justice. This course introduces students to social justice theories and the historical and contemporary responses to inequality and injustice. The role of imbalances of power in society, social movements, culture, politics and institutions will be discussed. The course also explores a broad range of issues including notions of inequality based on race, class, gender, sexuality and issues related to environmental and criminal justice and human rights. Diverse theories and practical applications of social justice and social movements that have been made over time to remedy social injustice will be examined. This course is enriched through extensive, rigorous reading, writing, and research assignments.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: 3B or 4

Typically Offered: Fall or Spring

SOC 101H

Honors Introduction to Sociology

Description: This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, introduces students to the major theoretical perspectives, concepts, and areas of study in sociology. It critically examines the relationship between the social environment and human behavior, specifically on how social forces such as race, gender, sexuality, age, and social class shape our everyday lives. In addition to learning sociological theories and research methods, students gain an understanding of sociological concepts such as culture, socialization, social institutions, deviance, stratification, and social change. This course is enriched through extensive, rigorous reading, writing, and research assignments.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: 3B or 4

Typically Offered: Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer

SOC 107H

Honors Issues of Race and Ethnicity in the United States

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: 3B or 4

Typically Offered: Fall or Spring

SOC 113*

Gender and Society

Description: Through this course, students will explore the concepts of sex and gender from a sociological perspective. Course content will examine shifts in attitudes, the social construction, and the importance of gender, both femininities and masculinities, in our everyday lives. Students will examine the methods sociologists use to study gender as well as how gender shapes and is shaped by the family, work, education, politics, media, the criminal justice system, health, religion, interaction, and performance. This course also analyzes the interlocking nature of gender with other major organizing principles of life such as race, class, age, and sexuality.

Credits: 3 Units

Prerequisites: None

IGETC Area: 3 or 4B

Typically Offered: Fall or Spring

The HTP is not a contract program. Honors credit is offered only in designated honors courses taught by Honors Faculty. However, it is possible for certain students ispecificeded programs/courses to receive honors credit for work completed in a course not designated with an "H" or a specified honors section using an "Honors Contract" process.

The HTP allows for Honors Contracts in two situations:

Students in the First Year Experience (FYE) or Puente may ask for an Honors Contract for English C1000 and/or English C1001.
Students enrolled in Chemistry 1A, 1B and/or 4 may request an Honors Contract from an instructor approved by the HTP.

An Honors Contract must be arranged between the student and Honors Faculty member and approved by an HTP Co-Director no later than Week 8 of the semester. Contracted honors courses will receive a "T" notation on an ECC transcript to reflect honors credit earned.

Please Note: A maximum of two contracted courses may count toward the five honors courses requirement.