Honors Contracts

Whether it is a class conflict, a busy work schedule or another commitment that prevents you from joining the City Times staff for the semester, you can still contribute to City College’s award-winning student newspaper.

Students in a 16-week, face-to-face course that is 100 level or higher are eligible to request a course conversion to honors. See your professor as soon as the semester begins and simply ask.

Tutorials (coming fall 2020):
How to write like a journalist – Article (PDF) | Video
How to submit your Honors Contract story or project to City Times
What to expect from City Times editors

Students from Roman Koenig’s RTVF 160 Introduction to Cinema class submitted movie reviews as part of an honors contract. Students in photography and music also submitted work for extra credit in their respective courses.

Simply submitting an Honors Contract story or project is not a guarantee of publication. It is also subject to editing by City Times editors to bring the piece in line with journalistic style, as well as professional grammar, spelling and punctuation (bye, Oxford commas!).

Stories selected will be printed on the City Times website, and will be also considered for the City Times and/or Legend print editions. Student contributors will have a byline and the story will end with an explanation of the honors contract, giving credit both to the student and professor.

FAQs from the City College website:

What is an “Honors Contract”?
An Honors Contract gives both students and faculty in a non-honors section the exciting opportunity to do honors work. In principle, a contract could be designed for almost any college course, whether for vocational enhancement or for transfer. It is an agreement that specifies the honors level objectives and tasks to be completed by the student in addition to those of the normal class. The contract also includes the methods of evaluation, a syllabus for the non-honors course appropriately amended with the honors components, and a signature sheet, indicating acceptance by the student and instructor. Contracts are made at the discretion of the professor and with the assistance of campus honors coordinators. Honors contract requirements may include additional readings, writing, as well as special projects. The biggest advantage of honors contracts is that they allow students to explore their favorite subjects in greater depth while compiling the honors units that they need to transfer within the boundaries of their own personal schedule.

How do I turn my non-honors class into an Honors Contract?
Once you decide which course you would like to convert to “honors,” approach the professor on or before the first day of class if possible to ask if he or she is willing to do an Honors Contract. If the professor agrees, you must pick up Honors Contract forms from the Honors office located in AH-102 as soon as possible in order to complete the Honors Contract process within the first two weeks of school. After completing the contract application, it is necessary to obtain signatures from the course instructor before returning the form to AH-102. The Honors Coordinator will acquire additional signatures. As a general guideline, you may anticipate an investment of one-quarter to one- third more effort in earning honors credit, remember that performance expectation are higher in Honors contracts! Once your contract has been processed, you may NOT go back into the regular section of the course. An administrative process is used to move you into honors standing, and your formal transcript will reflect your completion of an Honors course.

What if a professor is unwilling to offer an Honors contract?
While this is a fairly rare occurrence, professors are sometimes unwilling to offer Honors Contracts when first approached. In most cases, this is due to unfamiliarity with the Honors Program and the Honors Contract process. If you are confronted with this situation, contact your campus Honors Coordinator as soon as possible for assistance. While offering Honors Contracts is voluntary, many professors who are unfamiliar with this program elect to participate once they are fully informed about the process and the benefits to students.