The Honors Tutorial
The Honors Tutorial (Year 3)
Honors tutorials are small enrollment (up to 12), 3-credit classes that offer an in-depth look at a specific topic or theme. These courses are proposed by faculty from across campus, and the tutorials offered change each semester. To get a sense of what that means, check out our current Tutorials below.
You also have the option of completing our Tutorial Alternative in place of taking a traditional Honors Tutorial course. Examples of typically approved Tutorial Alternatives include study abroad, internships, REUs, etc. Learn more about the Tutorial Alternative here.
Fall 2026 Tutorials
HON 328: Telling Someone Else’s Story: Ethnography and Us
Fall 2026 | Dr. Saul Allen
Thursdays from 2:00-4:50 pm
Have you ever participated in a social setting while also noticing (perhaps suddenly!) that you were observing yourself and those around you while you spoke or acted? Our capacity to be both actors and observers is the heart of a practice in anthropology called ethnography. Ethnographic methods were originally intended to understand other people, with an emphasis on the “otherness” of the people studied. Observers wanted to explain how communities operated and what motivated their members. The approach seems simple: join a community and find out, and when needed, ask questions.
In this workshop-style course, we will use intensive writing-and-editing cycles to explore how ethnography has been conducted, what kind of information it can produce, and the sometimes-thorny issues involved in writing about people (even ourselves). Throughout, we will be oriented towards a public audience: explaining what ethnography does, making arguments about methods and ethics, and creating accessible ethnographic products. We will cross genres of public writing from web content to film reviews to short
newspaper articles. Participants in this course will join a community of writers and editors who have thought deeply about telling others’ stories – and can communicate effectively across media.
HON 337: Cultural Wellbeing
Fall 2026 | Dr. Mimi Killinger
Wednesdays from 2:00-4:50 pm
In this Honors tutorial we will trace historical and literary roots of wellness practices that have proven defining and nourishing for cultures out of which they have arisen. For example, we will study Penobscot Nation teachings about everyday steps as a spiritual act, and we will learn about Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, with its physical demands and promise of healthy renewal. We will explore Tai Chi and its Taoist foundations, as well as yoga and its origins as an ancient Hindu practice for achieving mind-body union. Through creative research strategies, active learning, and engaged discussions, we will consider many cultural pathways towards wellbeing over time.
Spring 2026 Tutorials
HON 328: Making Care Public
Spring 2026 | Dr. Michael Haedicke
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11am-12:15pm
Caring for others and being cared for are universal parts of human life, but public discourse about care is limited. As a result, the work of carers is often devalued and questions about how to organize care in an equitable and humane way are often stifled. Students in this Calderwood Seminar will engage with social science research about care that challenges these tendencies. We will work to “make care public” by learning skills to translate research findings and academic arguments into formats that resonate broadly. Together, we will explore ways to promote more thoughtful and equitable public engagement with care.
Learn more about the Dr. Bernard Lown ‘42 Honors College Teaching Professorship here.
HON 340: Why Museums Matter: Collections, Curating and Culture
Spring 2026 | Dr. Sabrina DeTurk
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00-3:15 pm
Did you know that there are over 250 museums in Maine? Over 35,000 museums in the United States? What do they exhibit and why? Who goes to them? Who pays for them? Who cares about them? Answering those questions and more will be the focus of this course. However, rather than just exploring the world of museums as an abstract academic exercise, this Calderwood Seminar in Public Writing will ask you to explain, through different forms of writing and to different audiences, why museums matter in the 21st century. You will have the opportunity to try your hand at new genres of writing, from an “academic minute”, to wall labels, to exhibition reviews. Through the drafting and peer editing process we will form a collaborative and supportive writing community in which we can all develop our skills in public communication.
HON 350: Molecular Mechanisms of Human Disease
Spring 2026 | Dr. Ben King
The Molecular Mechanisms of Human Disease (HON 350) Honors tutorial course is designed to give students hands-on experience in biomedical research. The course is held annually over an intense week at MDI Biological Laboratory (MDIBL) in Bar Harbor, Maine and continues at the University of Maine over the course of the Spring semester.
Here’s what students have to say about the Calderwood Seminars:
“This semester, I grew immensely in my writing skills. I was challenged to write in formats I had never attempted before…My understanding of how to give constructive feedback has significantly improved since the beginning of the semester. I now feel comfortable providing feedback, even if I am not completely knowledgeable about the topic of the writing.” -Fall 2024 Calderwood Student“I’ve grown a lot as a person this semester in my confidence. I feel much more confident in my ability to struggle with something new, stick with it, and tangibly improve. I feel more confident in sharing my opinions, which grew over the course of the term with the editorial focus of the class.” -Fall 2024 Calderwood Student
The Tutorial Alternative
Qualifications
In some cases the tutorial requirement may be waived based on a Tutorial Alternative, which is defined as:
An academic or experiential learning opportunity involving small group interaction that is not available at the University of Maine and that is pre-approved by the Dean of the Honors College.
Tutorial Alternative opportunities should include some if not all of the following:
Because the alternative is in lieu of a 3-credit course only proposals that indicate the student will spend a comparable amount of time (approximately 80 hours, which can include preparation time for the experience as well as the experience itself) will be approved.
Such opportunities include, but are not limited to, study abroad experiences, engineering cooperatives, congressional internships, participation in Semester By the Sea, cultural/language immersions, recognized summer REUs (Research Experiences for Undergraduates).
Special Course Substitutions: The following UMaine courses for students studying Nursing, Education, Child Development and Family Relations, or Kinesiology and Physical Education can be substituted as Honors Tutorial Alternatives. These course substitutions should help make it much more possible to graduate from the Honors College with these degrees.
You will still need to submit the application, enroll in HON 349, and complete the requirements* for the course, as described below.
*We understand that there can be legal restrictions on photographs during these courses due to patient or student confidentiality, etc. In these circumstances, we are able to grant an exemption for the requirement of 6 photos. If this applies to you, please simply reach out to the course coordinators when you are enrolled in HON 349 to let them know.
Instructions
Honors College students wishing to substitute an academic or experiential learning opportunity not available at the University of Maine in lieu of the third-year tutorial must:
If you have any questions about the Tutorial Alternative or HON 349, please reach out to sandra.c.tijerina@maine.edu.