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Sarasota-Manatee Fall 2026 Honors Courses

The Judy Genshaft Honors College offers courses on all three campuses, as well as off-site locations. Honors courses are open to students from any home campus, but may require a permit. Unless noted specifically in the course description, Honors courses require in-person attendance.

USF Sarasota-Manatee: Operational Transition

To support college-wide operational efficiency, the Judy Genshaft Honors College will no longer admit applicants at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus, and will discontinue Honors programming at USF Sarasota-Manatee after the fall 2026 semester.

Visit the Sarasota-Manatee operational transition information page to learn more. 

Click a category below to browse all related courses:

IDH 3100: Honors Arts and Humanities

IDH 3100: Honors Arts and Humanities courses explore how different types of creative production such as art, literature, drama, music, or film are interwoven with the pressing issues of society, politics, history, and culture. Classes may focus on a certain historical period, region, type of media, or theme.  

501 | Stepping into History: American Revolution and the Constitutional Convention

  • Course Code/Section Number: IDH 3100-501
  • Instructor: Cassie Yacovazzi
  • Schedule: Monday, Wednesday | 9:30 - 10:45 a.m.
Experience the American Revolution — intellectual debate, political violence, social upheaval, dealmaking, war, and a future up for grabs. This live-action game of history will draw you into the political and social chaos of a revolutionary New York City, where patriot and loyalist forces argued and fought for advantage among a divided populace. Step into your very own version of Hamilton and see if you can master the art of political argument, the low political skills of logrolling and bribery, and the use of force to win the game. Singing, rapping, and dancing are purely optional. 

IDH 3400: Honors Social and Behavioral Sciences

IDH 3400: Honors Social and Behavioral Sciences courses introduce students to cultural and sociopolitical inquiry. They explore the different dimensions of human experience, learning to empathetically understand why people think, feel, and act in certain ways. By reconciling the issues and perspectives presented in class, students will better understand the complexity of social interaction. 

Individual and Community Health: An exploration of Personal Well-being and Strategies for Public Impact

  • Course Code/Section Number: IDH 3400-50
  • Instructor: Dane Minnick
  • Schedule: Tuesday | 11 a.m. - 1:45 p.m.
This course examines health through both an individual and community-based lens with direct implications for well-being, resilience, and public policy. Students will critically explore behavioral health and self-care strategies that can be applied in their own daily lives and within their social networks, while also analyzing the broader public health approaches that shape community outcomes. Building from this foundation, the course focuses on the role of community and public health coalitions, emphasizing how environmental strategies, social marketing campaigns, and evidence-based programs can be implemented to improve health at the population level. The class will also engage students in a structured self-care program designed for college populations, fostering reflection on the intersections between individual wellness and community health. By the end of the course, students will not only understand personal and collective health strategies but also evaluate their effectiveness in creating healthier communities.

IDH 4950: Honors Capstone

IDH 4950: Honors Capstone is a culminating classroom experience focused on integrative and applied learning. In this course, an instructor guides students to engage deeply with a specific topic through research and community engagement. The capstone concludes with a final scholarly, creative, or public contribution generated by student groups, bridging the gap between Honors learning and other spheres of life.

Honors Capstone courses are restricted to students with 90+ earned credit hours the first week of registration. The restriction is lowered to 60+ earned credit hours the second week of registration.

501 | Prisoner Reentry & Recidivism

  • Course Code/Section Number: IDH 4950-501
  • Instructor: Jessica Grosholz
  • Schedule: Tuesday, Thursday | 2 - 3:15 p.m.
Students will study prisoner reentry and recidivism in the U.S. by working with local organizations to understand the challenges facing ex-inmates and assist those attempting to combat these challenges and ease an ex-inmate’s reintegration into society. Students will visit local prisons to talk with inmates and staff — from law enforcement to counselors, — research recidivism and barriers to re-entry, then provide presentations in the Sarasota Correctional Facility at the end of the term. This course takes place mostly off site; it is suggested to scheduled accordingly to allow for travel time.

IDH 4970: Honors Thesis

DH 4970: Honors Thesis guides students as they develop a substantive, original, interdisciplinary final project under the direction of a faculty mentor. Students individually craft their thesis based on research methods and guidance of their chosen field and may be expressed as an academic paper, a design project, a creative performance or portfolio, or an organizational plan. Students should enroll in Thesis I when they are in the final 2-4 semesters of completing their degree. Please read the Honors Thesis page for more information and compare different Research Track options. 

Thesis II

  • Course Code/Section Number: IDH 4970-502
  • Instructor: Cayla Lanier

Permit required. Only students who have completed Thesis I may enroll in Thesis II.  

Note: This section is for Sarasota-Manatee campus students only. 

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