THE NATIONAL HONORS REPORT VOL. XXIV, NO. 2 SUMMER 2003

Authors

Date of this Version

Summer 2003

Document Type

Article

Comments

Copyright 2003 NCHC Inc.

Abstract

LEARNING COMES TOGETHER

1. The Age of Discovery and the Age of Transition: Discovery and Research in the New Millennium by William Knox ... l Knox asks us to rethink the idea of discovery in an age when a new discovery one minute becomes old news in the next. What will the future hold in an age of accelerated contact? How are honors programs to respond to such rapid change?

2. Travels with Noah by Brian Adler ... 5 Several journeys with Adler's son, Noah, lead to a discovery about monuments of the intellect as well as existing, physical monuments. "What's around the corner?" he asks. "What's down below?" A reminder as well as a challenge to stop, to ask questions, to recognize the obvious, to respect what came before. To affirm the power of thought. Rene Descartes goes to a restaurant and .... Read Adler's article to find out the rest.

3. Reproducing Our Means of Reproduction: Althusserian Reflections of an Honors Professor by Annmarie Guzy ... 9 Do our goals merely perpetuate the status quo? What responses do we make to a changing student population that seeks education more than image? Are we viewing honors as egalitarian or elitist? A provocative argument concerning the nature of education.

4. Active Learning in the Honors Classroom by Jonathan D. Wade ... 12 Some suggestions about encouraging active learning as part of courses usually structured around short lectures and discussion. Good ideas that work despite some students' initial reluctance. With student comments. Includes hints about improving some activities next time; the value of watching activities not go quite as planned.

5. At the Gates of the City: Jointly-Enrolled Students Learning to Research and Write by M. Todd Harper ... 15 About Harper's composition course for honors students jointly enrolled in high school and college. An analysis of his students' difficulty in moving beyond the report-style of high school research. Watching students go beyond indifferent research as they use the city of Atlanta as their laboratory, with many opportunities for research that is as scary as exciting. With extended examples from several of his students' papers plus his commentary.

6. Improving Honors Teaching and Learning With Collaborative Critical Response: A Method Of Formative Midterm Assessment by John Zubizarreta ... 20 Why (and how to) include students in midterm assessment. The role students can play in midterm assessment without the anonymity usual in end-of-the-course evaluations. Scary thought for everyone-faculty and students-in a classroom. A must-read.

7. Alabama Action: An Action-Oriented Service-Learning Experience for Incoming Honors Freshmen by Kana Anne Ellis and Sarah Rose Reppucci ... 24 A successful program with three goals: building a community among incoming students; exposure to community service; an introduction to college academics. Developed from ideas at NCHC's annual conference in 2000.

8. College Students Consider Americans' Role in the World by Jim Knauer ... 28 A national debate among honors students online with a structured format. Research and reading shared online, with wrap-up at NCHC's national conference.

9. Have Another Cookie by Joan Digby ... 30 Research from the dot.com world? It's only money. No extra charge for buying a research paper for Ethics 101. Anyone else think there's a problem?

10. Building Bridges: Partnerships with the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center by Vicki OhI. ... 32 Connecting a small college honors program with its surrounding community. Recognizing and then developing local resources to enrich the goal of an honors program: enhancing "Life of the Mind"-the Scholar, the Citizen, and the Artist. (See cover art and stories in Spring 1999 and Fall 2000 issues of the NHR.)

11. African Americans in Honors Education: "Minority Leaders In The Making" by Ronnie Hopkins and Sandra W. HoIt ... 35 The need to encourage. Also a call for membership in the National Association of African-American Honors Programs (NAAAHP), another group devoted to honors education. Many honors folk hold Joint membership; NCHC President, Dr. Donzell Lee, has also served as Executive Director, NAAAHP.

12. Honors and Career Development: How Honors Can Work for the Students by Terisa Cunha ... 37 Honors program/college opportunities determined in part by future employers' needs. Initiative and organization skills are only two of the skills that participation in honors can both foster and demonstrate. From an honors program graduate/academic advisor.

13. A Capstone Honors Course on Leadership by Cheryl Achterberg … 40 A Justification for teaching leadership as well as how to teach leadership. With abbreviated syllabus for Leadership Forum, and a schedule for Spring break leadership visit to Washington, D. C. A good companion piece for Cuhna's article also in this issue.

14. Len Albright Shows at Photo Contest reported by Will Decher ... 45 Decher, a James Madison student, reports on afellow students, Len Albright who participated in the New York Honors Semesters that was one-week into its program at the time of 9/11. See the 2002 Winter issue for his reflection on the event. Albright's photos of New York have been shown at many contests. Check out the web site

16. Honors and the Wagner Plan for the Practical Liberal Arts by Miles Groth ... 46 Integrating honors into three innovative structures called the Wagner Plan for the liberal arts. The Plan contains many of the same principles, such as learning communities.

BUSINESS MATTERS

17. Budget 2004 ... 49 As approved by the Executive Committee at its spring meeting.