Humanities Scholars

Students will reflect upon and discuss their own personal humanities interests, learn about humanities opportunities from guest speakers, tour humanities related campus resources, and participate in group activities and projects. The group project will allow students to explore the humanities found in the greater Columbus community. Through this humanities exploration, students develop a close relationship with their cohort and the program leadership as they learn what it means to be a Humanities Scholar. 

The Humanities Scholars program encourages our students to engage in research related to both their academic and personal passions by providing information on opportunities offered across campus.

During their first year, Humanities Scholars are required to:

1. Enroll in and pass the one credit hour Humanities Scholars seminar course in their first semester.
2. Attend required monthly Community meetings.
3. Collect a minimum of 20 participation points per semester by attending various on campus and Humanities Scholars activities and events, which are valued at 1-2 points per event on average. Examples of these events are outlined in our “Activities and Events” section below.
4. Engage with each of the G.O.A.L.S. outlined by the Honors and Scholars Center and use them to build the Humanities Scholars community.
5. Obtain an overall GPA of 3.0 by the end of their first year.

During their second year, Humanities Scholars are required to:

1. Attend required monthly Second Year meetings.
2. Complete their Second Year Project and present at the Humanities Expo.
3. Attend required monthly Community meetings.
4. Collect a minimum of 15 participation points per semester by attending various on campus and Humanities Scholars activities and events, which are valued at 1-2 points per event on average.
5. Engage with each of the G.O.A.L.S. outlined by the Honors and Scholars Center and use them to build the Humanities Scholars community.
6. Maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 by the end of their second year.

While they are not required, we encourage Second Years to engage in leadership opportunities such as the Mentorship Program and Humanities Leadership Council which are described in our “Community” section below.

There are no formal requirements of the Humanities Scholars program after a student completes their second year. However, we encourage students to stay involved and lead their fellow Scholars through opportunities like our Mentorship Program and Humanities Leadership Council as well as continue to attend events.

The Humanities Scholars program offers need-based scholarships for each of our events which come with additional cost, such as Broadway shows and out of town trips. We also provide students with information regarding scholarship opportunities offered across campus.

• Monthly Trivia Nights: Once a month our Humanities Leadership Council puts on a trivia night following various themes. Teams compete for small prizes and bragging rights as the most knowledgeable Humanities Scholar!
• Book Club and Banned Book Club: Students have the opportunity to participate in three Book Clubs each year. During the fall, students read a book that has been challenged or banned and participate in a faculty or student led discussion.
• Arts & Humanities Collaborative Events: Together we partner with our “sister” Scholars program, the Arts Scholars, to offer varying events that allow us to collaborate and even compete with one another. Past events we have offered include a Haunted Baker Halloween party Murder Mystery Dinner Parties, and Arts vs Humanities Trivia. 

• Columbus Festivals: Humanities Leadership Council members lead fellow Scholars in exploring various parts of Columbus culture, such as the annual Italian and Greek festivals. Scholars learn how to navigate off campus using the COTA bus system, get to take part in some beautiful arts displays, learn about Columbus history and eat delicious food. 
• Broadway in Columbus: The Arts and Humanities Scholars programs partner to offer students the opportunity to see two Broadway shows in Columbus each semester at the historic Ohio Theatre.
• Fall Break Adventure Day Trip: Each Fall on the Thursday of Fall Break, the Arts and Humanities Scholars offer a day trip to a neighboring city where we explore everything the city has to offer. Whether it be museum visits, historic sights, or local famous eateries, Scholars bring together their knowledge of arts, humanities and culture to expand their horizons. Past trips have included Cleveland, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
• Spring Weekend Trip: Each Spring Semester the Arts and Humanities Scholars band together for an exciting three day excursion, alternating each year between New York City and Chicago. This multi-day opportunity teaches Scholars how to navigate the city while touring world-famous museums and historical sights, seeing Broadway shows, meeting alumni and other leaders who work in the area, and planning some personal exploration. 

• Humanities Deep Dive Events: Students attend university sponsored lectures as an opportunity to interact with faculty from across the university in an informal setting. Humanities Leadership Council members conduct short debrief discussions following the event.

• 2nd Year Project and Humanities Expo: Second Year students complete an individual project based on their personal humanities interests, academic interests, or career goals. Students present their projects to fellow Scholars during the Humanities Expo.

The Humanities Scholars Family meets once a month throughout the year in the Baker Hall East Rec Room. These meetings are used to give announcements, sign-up for events, participate in various community building activities, and celebrate the achievements of students in the program.

First-year students are paired with upper class Humanities Scholars Mentors.  Activities and events are planned to allow Mentors and Mentees the opportunity to build meaningful relationships, and help assure a ​​smooth college transition.

The Humanities Scholars Leadership Council acts as an advisory group to the Program Manager and is an outstanding opportunity for students to develop leadership skills. Leadership Council members are able to gain valuable project management and leadership experience as they brainstorm, create, and execute beyond the classroom programing for the entire Humanities Scholars community.​

Each year the Humanities Leadership Council and program manager facilitate on and off campus service learning opportunities to contribute to the greater Columbus community. These events include Community Commitment, Clean Up Columbus, cardmaking for Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Thanksgiving meal kit making with the Byron Saunders Foundation, creating a team for OSU’s Buckeyethon dance marathon, Easter Egg filling for Nellie’s Champions for Kids, partnering with a local preschool to provide a Columbus Zoo trip, and many more.