Current Honors Course and Seminar Offerings

The list of honors course offerings is always being improved to meet the needs of our CHP students in a variety of programs. Below is a list of the courses and seminars available for the upcoming Spring 2026 semester. Click here to see who can sign up for Honors courses, and for contact information.

Spring 2026 Seminars (open to Honors program students only)

Important announcement: there is now a new option to complete your Honors Culminating Project within the seminars listed below by completing a culminating project contract with the seminar instructor(s). This is in lieu of taking the 1-credit HON 260 Culminating Honors Project course separately in your last semester. If you wish to complete your Honors Culminating Project in one of the seminars below, let the instructor know and email CHP@BristolCC.edu for the project contract.

If you have a culminating project or area in mind that does not coincide with these seminars, you may still take HON 260 to complete your culminating project.

HUM 264 Remembering the Holocaust in Literature and History 

Dr. Howard Tinberg & Dr. Ron Weisberger

The Holocaust, or, as it has come to be known, the Shoah, is one of the most horrific events in all of world history. Even more than 50 years after the fact, the world continues to struggle with the enormity of this human catastrophe. Nevertheless, a body of writing – both historical and literary – exists that enables us to confront this key moment in world history. This course serves as an introduction to this work. Students gain an understanding of the historical facts, including circumstances leading up to the Holocaust itself and the event's critical aftermath. In addition, students reflect on the role of various written genres, principally through accounts of that time written by survivors and the children of survivors in the struggle to represent an event that many have described as beyond the limits of language to capture.

Prerequisite: ENG 101 and ENG 102. Open to Commonwealth Honors Program students and others with permission of instructors. 

In-Person in Fall River, Thursdays 4 - 6:40 p.m.
Register for: HUM 264.HON – CRN# 10228

Click here to hear from students who have taken HUM 264.

HST 280 Topics in History – Democracy Theory to Practice: A Global Perspective

Professors Robyn Worthington and Rebecca Benya-Soderbom

What is a democracy? How can we identify it? Why should we care about it? Using an interdisciplinary approach, this course explores the challenges of creating and maintaining a healthy democracy. Students will examine components of modern democratic institutions and practices, including elections, civil society, participation, representation, equity and diversity, and human rights within the United States and across the world. This is an honors-level course, but is open to all students who would like to engage in challenging discourse by permission of instructors.

Hybrid in Fall River, Mondays, 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.      
Register for: HST 260.HON – CRN# 17006

ACC 257 Managerial Accounting

This Honors Seminar presents examines the accountant's role in the business organization. It covers cost-volume-profit relationships with emphasis on break-even computations, profit planning, relevant costs and the contribution approach to short-term decisions, cost-behavior patterns, operational budgeting, financial budgeting, and capital budgeting. Students create management reports using Excel spreadsheet techniques. 

In-Person in Fall River, Thursdays, 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Register for: ACC 257.HON – CRN# 13423 (be sure to register for this honor section since two are running)

ART 291 Design Thinking

Dr. Marisa Millard

This Honors Seminar will examine design thinking, a problem-solving approach to create solutions that are both innovative and responsive to user needs, applicable in a wide range of disciplines including education, business, public health, engineering, design & marketing. Students will identify patterns and opportunities for concept development and will do hands-on projects to prototype solutions, test and iterate. 

Online synchronous, Tuesdays, 4 to 6:45 p.m.      
Register for: ART 291.HON – CRN# 15720

Spring 2025 100-Level Honors Courses (open to all students)

AST 111 Intro to Astronomy: The Solar System

Professor David Amiel

Discover the wonders of our solar system.  In this course you will learn about the ancient roots of Astronomy leading right up through current events happening all around us. You will also learn about the constellations using our Planetarium during which students may become “planetarium masters” by being locating important constellations, and some of the mind bending objects within their boundaries.   Students will also practice critical thinking, literacy and oral/written presentations.   

Honors students will come up with a master project that can take many forms and topics. Some projects can be observational – needing nothing more than binoculars while others can be on a variety of topics such as the possibilities for life in our solar system, all kinds of space missions recent, future and past, or whatever students find interesting from the topics covered in the course. The possibilities are endless!

In-Person in Fall River, Lecture Tuesdays and Thursdays 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., Lab Thursdays 12:30 - 2:20 p.m.
Register for: AST 111.HON – CRN# 10695

COM 104 Fundamentals of Public Speaking

Professor Laura Gostin

Discover the public speaker in you.  Learn how to speak like a leader while studying the secrets of the greatest speakers in history. Experience the joy of creating and producing a broadcast interview in our college television studio.  Practice delivering oral presentations in a safe and supportive environment.  Techniques to address public speaking apprehension, critical thinking, information literacy, technology skills, verbal and nonverbal communication, and active listening are included in this dynamic course.

Prerequisite: A passing score on the College's Reading and English placement tests; or C or better or concurrent enrollment in ENG 091 or ENG 092.  

Online asynchronous
Register for: COM 104.HON – CRN# 15035

ENG 102 Composition II: Writing About Literature

Professor Chris Yokel

What is it about fairy tales and myths that makes them stick around? Why are we still reading and retelling stories written hundreds, sometimes thousands of years ago? In this class, we're going to explore the ways such stories get told and retold, from European fairy tales and myths to modern day comics, films, and plays. We'll also explore some of the literary theory around folklore and mythology.

Prerequisite: ENG 101. Three lecture hours per week. Instructional Support Fee applies.

Competency met: Critical Thinking, Written Communication, 3 credits.

Online asynchronous
Register for: ENG 102.HON – CRN# 11633

HST 114 U.S. History after 1877 (Theme: Landmark Supreme Court Cases)

Professor Robyn Worthington

With the recent decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, more Americans have been thinking about the ways that the court impacts the rights of U.S. citizens and society at large. In this fully online course, we will examine U.S. History from 1877 through the lens of landmark Supreme Court cases to discover how the court has shaped the nation we live in today. Together we will assess how the power of the court has affected civil rights, justice, free speech, voting rights, freedom of religion, due process of law and more. This course will use only free materials easily accessible online.

Prerequisite: A passing score on the college's reading and writing placement tests or, C or better or concurrent enrollment in ENG 091 or ENG 092.

Online asynchronous
Register for: HST 114.A1W – CRN# 11061

Spring 2026 Culminating Honors Project (open to honors students in their last semester)

Note: The honors culminating project is required in your final semester for the Commonwealth Honors Program, unless you opt to complete the project in your honors seminar. You do not have to register for this course separately if you will be completing your culminating honors course with your honors seminar instructor(s) (see list of honors seminar courses above). Email Kimberly.Newton@BristolCC.edu if you do plan on completing your culminating honors course in an honors seminar to receive a culminating honors project contract.

HON 260 Culminating Honors Project

Professor Kimberly Newton

HON 260 is required for all Honors students who will graduate in May 2026

This one-credit honors experience is open only to students in the Bristol Community College Honors Program and should be taken during the student’s final semester. A student develops project activities and objectives with a faculty mentor who oversees the project. A contract describing the project must be submitted to the Honors Program for approval. Students are encouraged to present honors projects at appropriate conferences. Each culminating honors project will be unique, focusing on an area of particular interest to the individual student. The number of class meetings per week will vary by contract.

Prerequisite: current enrollment in the Honors Program.

Online synchronous, Mondays, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. (However, as a culminating class taken in the final semester by all honors students, we will work with your schedule to be able to complete this course, so it is flexible.)    
Register for: HON 260.A1W – CRN# 10812  

Who can sign up for Honors Courses?

Any student who wishes to try their hand at a challenge may enroll in any 100-level Honors course. Course pre-requisites as noted for each class. 

Current Bristol students with a Bristol GPA above 3.2 will be invited to join the program officially and may then take any 100-level Honors course or 200-level Honors seminar.    

Students already accepted into Honors may take any Honors course or seminar.    

Please check additional prerequisites for each course as noted.

Any questions? Contact Kimberly Newton, Commonwealth Honors Coordinator Kimberly.Newton@BristolCC.edu