Sponsored by LSU Ogden Honors College
A new Bachelor of Arts degree program at LSU will enhance not only the university’s reputation, but the knowledge, expertise and career opportunities of its students. It’s the Honors TRACTS (Traditions in Critical Thought and Scholarship) BA, an innovative curriculum of LSU’s Ogden Honors College.
The TRACTS BA has been carefully designed to complement any major at LSU by strengthening students’ understanding of historical, political, and cultural ideas with a focus on leadership development. Core courses encourage interdisciplinary thinking, scientific inquiry, and ethical reasoning.
“This new degree program puts us in the vanguard of the nation’s honors colleges by making us a degree-granting institution,” said Ogden Honors College Dean Jonathan Earle. “Honors TRACTS is designed to attract top-tier students from Louisiana and around the nation and ensure that they not only excel in academic and professional pursuits after graduation, but will be better equipped to create positive change in leadership positions on a state, national and even global level.”
Ogden Honors College Associate Dean Drew Lamonica Arms, an Honors College graduate and Rhodes Scholar who was instrumental in designing Honors TRACTS, explained that the new curriculum is rooted in interdisciplinary learning, critical and creative thinking, effective communication, and research-based inquiry. “The advantages of such a degree to, say, a Biological Sciences or Business major—majors that are highly technical—are tremendous,” said Lamonica Arms. “Future leaders in any field will work with an array of like- and different-minded collaborators, and Honors TRACTS students will know where the ideas that influence them come from,” thanks to small seminars led by expert faculty. “The knowledge and skills employers and professional schools are looking for—effective communication and collaboration, problem identifying and solving, adaptability, an understanding of global issues—are at the heart of Honors TRACTS,” she said.
The TRACTS program provides exposure to the humanities, including art, literature, philosophy and foreign language classes, in addition to courses such as “Science for Citizens” and “Technology and Society,” ensuring that students achieve a well-rounded education and better cultural awareness. By encouraging internships, research experiences and study abroad programs, TRACTS will also prepare students for work in international and multicultural settings.
“We plan to be extremely selective with this first cohort of majors and start small with about 100 students in the program,” Earle said. He added that he expects many honors students will choose to double major with other, more traditional discipline-specific degrees, partly because so many honors college students come to the Honors College with a lot of advanced credit. “Honors TRACTS will help even the best students distinguish themselves and demonstrate abilities beyond a particular field of study,” he said. Earle also expressed his intentions to work closely with Louisiana employers as well as graduate and professional programs to connect graduates with competitive job placements and advanced degree opportunities.
According to Lamonica Arms, the TRACTS BA is one of the few honors-specific degrees at a research-focused, flagship university and is sure to help shape the leaders of tomorrow.
“This is an incredible pathway that will help students demonstrate social capital, engage with their communities, and take advantage of amazing opportunities like study abroad, research, and internships for their particular career paths,” said Lamonica Arms.
For more details, visit lsu.edu/honors.
