Green Sheet Information

Before submitting a Green Sheet proposal, check that the following are true for you. Exceptions may be made for Honors in the Major students.

• You are currently declared as an L&S Honors student (Honors in the Liberal Arts or Honors in the Major).
• You have previously completed an Honors course (Honors Only, Accelerated Honors, or Honors Optional) with a grade of B or better.
• You are only submitting one Green Sheet Proposal for this term.
• You have completed fewer than four previous Green Sheets.

If you have questions about any of the above criteria, please contact advisor@honors.ls.wisc.edu.

In order for a course to be eligible, the following must be true:

• The course carries Letters & Science (LAS) credit.
• The course is not being offered as Honors Optional or with an Honors Only or Accelerated Honors section this semester. There is also no equivalent Honors course being offered (e.g. Poli Sci 120 vs Poli Sci 182).
• The course takes place during the fall or spring semester or is a summer course lasting at least 8 weeks.
• The course is not an independent study, directed study, research credits, or an internship.
• The course instructor agrees to allow Green Sheets and approves your proposal.

Successful Green Sheet proposals result in the Honors Optional component being added to a course for an individual student. It is not possible to earn Automatic Honors through the Green Sheet process.

If the course is already affiliated with a breadth category, you will get the corresponding Honors breadth credit.

Green Sheets are intended to be used in exceptional circumstances. Devising an appropriate Honors project for a Green Sheet is more feasible once a student has taken an Honors class. However, there are some circumstances which warrant exceptions, such as when a student is declared Honors in the Major for a major that does not offer many Honors classes or has restrictions on enrollment. If this is the case, we suggest you make an appointment with an Honors advisor to discuss your particular situation and your options.

Students pursuing Honors in the Liberal Arts can do a maximum of one Green Sheet per semester and no more than four Green Sheets during the course of their degree. Students pursuing Honors in the Major for a major with limited Honors course offerings may be able to exceed these maximums.

Ideally, Honors projects are semester-long learning processes that enhance regular course activities and promote qualities from Professor William Cronon’s “10 Qualities of a Liberally Educated Person.” The Honors Program encourages Honors projects that are creative and substantive without causing undue burden on the student or instructor. A little initiative can go a long way to make a Green Sheet Honors project a rewarding experience, not simply “extra work.”

Consider some of these ideas:

• Create a film, musical composition, short story or painting, podcast or webpage. (Examples: modernize a German fairy tale or write a series of poems or songs reflecting Aztec narrative style or Cole Porter’s literary approach).
• Attend lectures, films or departmental colloquia and participate in discussions on topics relevant to the course. (Examples: participate in series offered by UW programs such as the Center for the Humanities, the Havens Center or the Law School).
• Visit or volunteer at sites related to your class and keep a journal about what you observed or learn. (Examples: analyze the physics of an exhibit at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry, tour Dane County to study glaciated and unglaciated regions, study works of art at the Chazen Museum of Art, observe ongoing research or treatment activities at UW Health Services or Hospital, or volunteer with a community organization or nonprofit).
• Conduct an in-class presentation, lead discussion section for a week or prepare a handout or other visual aid for distribution to class members.
• Meet with your professor once a week to discuss additional readings and events related to the course material.

Looking for more ideas?

Please take some time to review Green Sheet Proposal summaries and examples from previous semesters.

1. The L&S Honors Program Advising Team will evaluate completed proposals for eligibility, completeness, and appropriateness of the described project. Proposals are typically reviewed within two weeks of the submission deadline.
2. If the proposal does not fulfill the requirements and expectations for an Honors experience, or if clarification is needed, you will be given the opportunity to revise and resubmit the proposal. If the revision is not received by the new deadline, the Green Sheet proposal will be automatically rejected.
3. Upon approval of a Green Sheet proposal, the Honors Program will process the necessary paperwork to have the Honors designation added to the course and will send confirmation to you and the course instructor. The course will be recorded as an Honors Optional course on your transcript.

In the rare cases that a student cannot or does not successfully complete an approved Green Sheet project, the student must generate a new Course Change Request to remove Honors from the course and submit that CCR to L&S Academic Deans Services. Honors should be removed before the student receives a final letter grade.