A Scholar Society is an academic learning community designed to give high-achieving first year students an opportunity to build community with peers, faculty, and upperclass mentors. Each Scholar Society is a cluster of two classes and out-of-class activities and discussions linked together to explore a common theme or topic. Societies are an interdisciplinary experience that allow students to explore local and regional issues relevant to the New Orleans community and foster community among high achieving students.
All societies are limited to 30 students, and all students enroll in both classes in the set.
How It Is Designed
Each Scholar Society is led by one of Tulane’s distinguished faculty who develops a robust set of out-of-class experiences for their society. Students meet 1-2 times per month with their Society faculty. Students also enroll in one of two Honors Colloquia, a small, discussion-based seminar on a similar topic. Both the colloquia and the society include experiential learning, such as field trips, dinners, and events, to connect the content to the community around you.
There is also one other class to complement the theme. This class may be larger and include more students than just those in the Scholar Society. All classes are included in the Newcomb-Tulane College Core Curriculum, the foundational academic experience for all undergraduate students.
All 11 societies come together at least once a month to learn about opportunities for high achieving students at Tulane and begin to design a plan for their sophomore year and beyond.
How to Choose
Look through the fall Society offerings and explore the ones that interest you most. Then, complete the enrollment form to indicate your preference, which will be live from March 6-15, 2024. Scholar Society spots are on a first-come, first-served basis.
When you complete the form, you will be signing up for your Colloquium class. This is to guarantee you are placed in the Colloquia of your choice. For example, Grey Matter Scholar Society offers two Colloquium: Thinking About Thinking and Science, Technology, and Society. You will confirm which of these two you would like to take, which will also enroll you in the Society.
Prior to course registration, you will receive official confirmation of your society and be pre-registered for the 4.5 to 6 credit hours of Society courses. You will then work with your College Advisor to build the rest of your fall schedule around this course cluster.
Societies are one way to meet faculty and students as you transition to campus, but it is certainly not the only way. If you think you might want to put your time and energy into other campus opportunities, a Society might not be a good fit for you. However, only those participating in a Society will be considered a First-Year Honors Scholar.
Any questions about the Scholar Society choice process can be directed to Destiny Karash-Givens at honorsscholars@tulane.edu.
Want to Know What Our Societies Have Been Up To?
Through their Scholar Society, our students are immersed in the campus and the city. Click below to learn about some of the experiences our faculty and peer mentors planned for their students.
