Honors Discussion Groups

Honors Discussion Groups (HDG) are weekly discussion sessions offered in conjunction with courses in a wide variety of programs across the University. HDGs are designed as enrichment for students who are doing well in their class and want to apply the concepts they are learning beyond the class parameters. Some HDGs are designed to offer overviews and deeper perspectives of the disciplines in question.

  • Please choose the name of the person leading the HDG(s) you’d like to attend and email them signaling your interest.
  • Honors credit may be assigned retroactively in a course for which a student has successfully participated in a related discussion group.  The letter “H” (for Honors) will be added to the course number on your transcript.
  • A course grade of B or higher is required to receive honors credit, which may only be applied to courses taken at UMKC.
  • Leaders of the discussion groups are experienced students in the Honors Program who have knowledge of the subject and are majoring or minoring in the discipline.
  • Regular attendance, participation, and the timely submission of HDG assignments is required for a student to qualify for honors credit in the related or chosen course.
  • If you participate in an honors discussion group, you can not complete an honors contract in the same class.

Participants will be asked to complete an electronic evaluation at the end of the semester. This evaluation enables students to provide candid feedback that may be used to improve future discussion sections and enhance student learning outcomes.

All Honors Discussion Groups will begin the second week of the semester.

If more than one time is listed, please choose only one section per week to attend.

Fall 2023 Honors Discussion Groups

Discussion LeaderSectionDay/TimeLocation
AJ PoulainAccountingWed 5:15-6:150006 BHH
CancelledAdvanced Math (Math 300, 301, 314, & 345)Tues 10-10:50363 Flarsheim
Shauna Kim
Elizabeth Shockley
Bio 109Mon 12-12:50
Wed 10-10:50
415 Cherry
313 Haag
Rishabh Gaur
Raashi Goyal
Bio 202 (Cell Bio)Wed 11-11:50415 Cherry
CancelledCalculus (Math 210, 220, 259, 266, & 268)Mon 2-2:50363 Flarsheim
Natalie Abanathie
Logan Dudley
Chem 115, 211, & 212Tues 1-1:50
Thurs 2-2:50
415 Cherry
415 Cherry
Minh Ngo
Aatif Syed
Chem 321 & 322Asynchronous
Tues 11:35-12:25


237 ASSC
Tess Martens
Hadley Jarvis
Gabrielle Porter
Conservatory (all)Thurs 4-4:50333 Grant Hall
Ash OnstottCriminal Justice and Criminology (all)Mon 4-4:50428 Cherry
Theo Raitzer
Elliott Smith
Econ 201 & 202Mon 2-2:50212 Haag
Alison Dunlop-Saunders
Ebele Mgbemena
English (all)Fri 11-11:50105 Cockefair
Lilah Crum Barnhill
Abby Weiler
French (all)Wed 2-2:50415 Cherry
Tanya KelleyGerman (all)Fri 12-1:00310 Haag
Anna HoffmanNursing and Health Sciences (all)Asynchronous
Allison ScobeePsychology (all)Thurs 1-1:50415 Cherry
Jackson GrantPhysics 210 & 240Asynchronous
Sailor Usher
Hallee Pham
School of Engineering (all)Wed 12-12:50104P Plaster Center
Leo ByerSpanish 110-211Wed 4-4:50Honors Lounge
Mary GipsonSpanish 221+Wed 4-4:50415 Cherry

Spring 2023 Honors Discussion Groups

Discussion LeaderSectionDay/TimeLocation
Shauna Kim
Elizabeth Shockley
Bio 108Tuesday, 1-1:50 pm
Wednesday, 1-1:50 pm
Cherry 415
Cherry 415
Ellie HammettBio 319 (Global Health)Monday, 2:30-3:30BSB 522
Danielle BeaubienCell Bio (Bio 202)asynchronousonline
Anuhya Dayal
Ruth Vaccianna
Chem 115, 211, and 212Tuesday, 9-9:50 am
Thursday, 2-2:50 pm
Cherry 415
Toluwa BalogunChem 320, 321, and 322asynchronousonline
Grace Horacek
Tess Martens
Conservatory (all)Every other Friday 4:15-5:15Grant Hall 330
Alison Dunlop-SaundersEnglish (all)Wednesday, 11-11:50Cockefair 105
Hannah Pham
Emily Thornton
French (all)Monday, 1-1:50 pmCherry 415
Charles MulkeyNursing and Health Sciences (all)asynchronousonline
Jasleen KaurPsychology (all)Thursday, 1-1:50 pmCherry 415
Tinh NimPhysics 220 and 250asynchronousonline
Sailor UsherEngineering and Computer Science (all)Monday, 12-12:50 pmPlaster 104L
Hannah LeyvaSpanish 110-211Tuesday, 5:30-6:20 pmBEH 212
Mary Gipson Spanish 221+Monday, 12-12:50 pmRoyall 205