HO 101-01: HONORS FORUM

SPRING 2008

THURSDAYS, 6-8 PM

INSTRUCTOR:        

DR. ERIC DAFFRON,

DIRECTOR OF THE INA E. GORDY HONORS COLLEGE

OFFICE HOURS:     WHITFIELD (241-6850): TR 8-9:30 AND BY APPOINTMENT

E-MAIL: edaffron@muw.edu

WEB SITE: www.muw.edu/honors

Text: none

Course Content:

The purpose of the Honors Forum is to provide a challenging educational program for the Honors Students approximately every other week. The meetings may include a variety of activities, such as formal presentations, cultural events, and discussions.

Learning Outcomes of the Honors College that this course will fulfill:

1.         Honors students will demonstrate engagement with issues that expose them to diversity in the world and to interdisciplinary ways of thinking, that challenge their critical thinking skills, and that promote learning outside the traditional classroom.

2.         Students will exhibit scholarly traits not only in their academic performance and scholarship but also in their comradery with other student and faculty scholars, their leadership roles, and their mutual social and intellectual support.

In addition to those learning outcomes, students will witness their upper-level peers fulfill another learning outcome: Honors students will conduct research projects that demonstrate competency in design, implementation, development, and documentation while simultaneously manifesting the sophisticated knowledge and skills acquired during their undergraduate careers. 

Requirements and Method of Evaluation:

The requirements of the honors forum include attendance at the scheduled presentations.  To receive full credit for attendance, a student must sign into and sign out of the forum.  The sign-in sheet will be taken up at 6 PM; the sign-out sheet will be put out at the very end of the forum.  A student who fails either to sign in or to sign out of the forum for any reason whatsoever (illness, conflict, delay, etc., with or without excuses) will receive a half absence; failure to do both for any reason whatsoever will result in a full absence.  Students who have zero to two full absences will receive a pass for the course; students who have more than two full absences will fail the course.

The Director will enforce this policy to the letter because attendance is the only requirement of the course and because the student can miss the equivalent of two full forums and still pass the course. The student should keep in mind that the honors forum is a scheduled class for credit and that the student should not schedule other personal, social, and academic events during that time. If the student sees an unavoidable conflict with another academic course for credit, the student should alert the Honors Director immediately at the beginning of the semester.  Many campus activities are scheduled on Thursday nights, and many programs offer options for attendance and a set number of absences. Check all your schedules the first week of classes to determine conflicts and to work out options for conflicts. Finally, a student who talks or studies during a presentation or who shows rudeness or inattentiveness towards the speaker will receive a full absence. The student must have an e-mail address and check mail regularly.

Honors Forum Schedule:

The meetings will take place in the Nissan Auditorium of Parkinson Hall from 6:00 to 8:00 PM unless otherwise indicated.  This schedule, both dates and places, is subject to change.  Students must check their e-mail to learn about changes in the schedule.  If a date or place changes, students are still responsible for attendance.

January 17                   

Introduction and student reports.

February 7                  

Arun Gandhi, “Lessons Learned from My Grandfather.”

February 21                

Dr. Marty Hatton, “Bridging the Interpersonal Divide: Technology, Persons,

and Place.”

March 6                      

Actors from the London Stage, Taming of the Shrew. This forum will take

place in Rent Auditorium in Whitfield Hall and may end after 8 PM. Please

plan accordingly.

March 27                    

Dr. Richard Pacholski, “Death and Dying.”

April 17                       

Dr. Suzanne Bean, “Habits of Success for Talented Adults.”

April 24                       

Poster Session.

May 1                         

Research Symposium.

Note: February 13 is the last day to drop without a WP or WF; March 12 is the last day to drop a class.

Web cast of Dr. Irfan's Presentation