2002 Fall Honorable Mention

Honorable Mention Fall The newsletter of the Honors Program at Westminster College 2002 Students Present Research At National Conference Martinez The Grand America Hotel was full of Honors students from Elias said. “It across the country from October 30 to November 3, as the 37th made me realize Annual Conference of the National Collegiate Honors Council that all my hard was hosted in Salt Lake City. The theme for the Conference was work was going “Peaks and Valleys in the Honors Experience.” Westminster to be appreciated College had 11 students make presentations at the conference on and shared with a a wide variety of interesting topics. In addition, because of the group of my proximity of the conference to Westminster, a group of peers.” students from the college were able to attend and support their Stupeers, while enjoying the many activities set up for Honors dents took a students. break from the In addition to two talks by Dr. Badenhausen, the head intellectual of the Honors Program, students from Westminster enjoyed conversations presenting on a variety of topics throughout the conference. The stimulated by the first presentation made by Westminster students was Thursday presentations and afternoon, as Miriam Weinrich and Tyler Smith, with the help of sessions to eat an Dr. Popich, presented on “Religion and Violence: Past and elegant dinner Present Conditions.” According to the group, the session was and experience “devoted to an examination of the historical and contemporary the culture of Salt Whitney Johnson discusses the “fantastic.” role played by religion in perpetrating or advocating violence.” Lake City and Weinrich commented, “I enjoyed the feedback and questions Utah at the Friday night Gala. Members of the Utah Opera that I was able to have regarding my paper. It provided me with Company treated attendees to jazz and classical music as well as a growing experience to be able to express my ideas clearly and vocal renditions. The gala was put together to show the diversity then answer questions regarding those ideas.” of artistic expression in the Utah area to the 1,500 guests from The next Westminster presentation was on Friday around the country. morning, by Candice Nyman, Jamie Smith, and Whitney Westminster continued to represent itself Saturday Johnson. Their session was titled “Versions of the Fantastic in morning, with the presentation “Minds, Morality, and MonFilm and Fiction.” According to the synopsis of their session, strosity in Shelley’s Frankenstein” put together by Chris Averill which was accepted months before the conference took place, the and Leslie Owen, with the help of Professor Doug Wright. The group outlined “theories of the fantastic as explored in an students led a discussion concerning “the rights and responsiHonors seminar on that topic.” Many topics for Honors bilities of the creature, creator, and reader” while bringing in the Conference presentations came from class discussions or papers “philosophical and ethical issues raised by the author.” While that were written for classes in and outside of the Honors faculty were not required to assist students, many groups had program. professors advise them on their sessions and help them put Friday afternoon together stimulating, interesting, saw the story of “Society’s and fully exceptional presentations. Free Will Obsession” When it came down to it, however, through the eyes of the professors let the students lead Thomas Hobbes and the sessions themselves, which materialism. The presentaoffered a more meaningful learning tion, made by Teresa Elias, experience for the students and their outlined Hobbes’ ideas of audience. determinism and how Later that afternoon, they may be applied to Jessica Gravatt discussed “Female society today. “The most Authority in The Faerie-Queene, ” by exciting part for me was Edmund Spenser. According to when people began Gravatt, the session was “an arriving for my session,” A group of Westminster Honors students gathers at the gala dinner. continued on page 2 News Honors Conference continued from page one Martinez wide variety of topics, and the students who put the presentations together were available for questions for at least a few exploration of the character of Britomart, who exemplifies chastity, within books III through V” and specifically created “an hours each day. Students also offered e-mail addresses and other contacts for more information regarding the specific subjects of understanding of the boundaries of female authority through their research. this character by analyzing the sources of her authority.” AttendAdditionally, plenary sessions took place Thursday ees of Gravatt’s session were treated to a synopsis of the books, through Saturday. These were held in the Grand Ballrooms so then a deep analysis of Britomart and her actions throughout that all students and faculty could attend if they felt so the poem. inclined. The sessions included award winning Last, but certainly speakers, authors, and professors. not least, was a presentaWestminster students were able to freely tion made by Mary Dirks attend any sessions offered during the long weekend and Nicki Blair, with the of presentations, and while most decided to support help and council of Dr. their fellow Griffins, professors and students alike More, on “Enlightenment branched out and saw what other Honors students Humor: The Contradiction have been working on. Other sessions attended by Revealed” on Sunday Westminster students and faculty concerned the morning. This session was Honors Program as a whole as well as development an analysis of the classic and research in that field. Honors Council president enlightenment novel Candice Nyman presenting at the convention. Whitney Johnson attended these sessions. “I hope to Candide by Voltaire, and be able to implement some of the things I learned from the Leibniz, a rationalist philosopher. Dirks and Blair gathered the conference to benefit Honors students at Westminster for years help of two unsuspecting Westminster students, Teresa Knight to come,” she said. and Teresa Elias, to illustrate how extremely hard it is to justify The overall experience of many of the presenters from Leibniz’s “best of all possible worlds” philosophy when Westminster seemed to be echoed over and over. Mary Dirks reading the horrible atrocities which befall the main characters in said, “it was an awesome experience and wonderful opportunity Voltaire’s novel. Blair commented, “I really liked presenting be able to take the things I learned in class and apply them because it gave me an opportunity to share my ideas with other outside of class and present them to an audience of people who people. My favorite part of the conference was that it was a great shared my interest in learning.” opportunity to meet other honors students from all around the “My favorite part of the conference was the interacting nation and to be able to share ideas with them.” with students from all over the nation and I enjoyed the In between and during the many breakout sessions, a variety of other activities took place. The poster sessions were set dialogue and conversation that we were able to have throughout all the conference sessions,” said Miriam Weinrich. “Overall I had up throughout most of the conference, which meant that a great experience. I would definitely do it again,” she added. students, faculty, and other attendees could walk through the The next Honors Conference is coming up this Spring. many ideas presented on posters and learn about everything Talk to your Honors professor to see how to get involved. from complex science experiments to sweat shops to study -Teresa Elias abroad programs and sled dogs. The poster sessions discussed a Attend the Spring Regional Honors Conference The spring regional Honors conference will be in Reno, Nevada, April 11-13, 2003. The Honors Program will pay for conference registration ($180/student), travel expenses, and hotel costs for Honors students whose papers/presentations are accepted. If you want to attend, you need to submit an abstract of up to 100 words describing your project/presentation to Dr. Badenhausen by January 17 at the latest (note if you need any presentation equipment). He will collect all of the completed submissions and then send them together to the conference committee for consideration. Submission of an abstract serves as your agreement that you plan to attend the conference and can make arrangements about missing work, etc. during that time if your paper is accepted. These conferences are fun and give you a chance to share your work with other honors students and faculty from around the country. The experience is great for your self-confidence and looks good on your resume, too. Many of our students (freshmen through senior class) have given papers at honors conferences in the last year, so you can talk to them about the experience if you are unsure. Dr. Badenhausen can also answer any questions you might have, help you with your ideas, or work on your abstract with you. You can form a panel session on your own if you have friends with related papers or a group of you can treat a single topic. Individual papers should be about 15 minutes, while entire sessions should be about 45 minutes and leave a bit of time for questions. Finally, there will be two spots for freshmen honors students who are not presenting but would like to participate in the convention activities. This would be appropriate for students who wish to become active in the Honors program outside of classes and/or who hope to present papers in the future. Interested freshmen should first talk to fellow honors students who have attended a convention and then send Dr. Badenhausen a letter expressing interest about what you hope to get out of the experience. -additional reporting by Lauren Stephan page 2 News “Pizza With Profs” Offers a Look at Graduate School On Friday, November 15, nearly 20 Honors students poured into the Foster Faculty Lounge for the first “Pizza With Profs” lunch and discussion session of the year. The students dined on pizza and soda and discussed graduate school with a panel of four professionals who have been through it all; the discussion, like the meal, was informal and delicious. The panel featured three new Westminster professors, Lesa Ellis, Assistant Prof. Psychology, Ph.D. Univ. of Oregon; Kim Dodson, Assistant Prof. Management, Ph.D. Oregon St., MBA Utah; and Brian Avery, Assistant Prof. Biology, Ph.D. U California, Berkeley; and Michael Petrogeorge, J.D., an attorney at Parsons Behle Latimer, the city’s largest law firm. Each went to a different type of graduate school and this diversity brought great perspective to the panel. For example, Ellis commented that you aren’t as competitive or grade-oriented in grad school, but Petrogeorge and Dodson said in law school and in MBA programs the competition is really pronounced and your final GPA is important when you go looking for jobs. The type of degree you are seeking, professional or academic, colors nearly every aspect of graduate school from what to look for in a school and whether or not you should work. Dodson stressed if you are entering a professional field (business, law) you will want to go to school in the geographic area you want to practice in because it is in grad school that you build your professional network. In arts and sciences fields, location is less important; you want to choose a school by considering who you will study with. Go to a school with at least 2 or 3 professors whose work you respect. Ellis suggested you visit the campus before you accept admission and interview with faculty and students – if they are not people with whom you get along, this may not be the school for you. Try again. Working a few years between undergraduate and grad school is beneficial in the business field, because sometimes the only way you can really understand what you are learning about is through first hand experience. Avery said his professional research experience in the years before graduate school also gave him an edge. The panelists agreed: if it is at all possible, you should avoid working at least your first year of graduate school. However, if you must work, choose a job in your field so you can relate what is going on in the classroom to what is happening in the real world. Working can be beneficial to a grad student – it isn’t the kiss of death. Dodson, who has earned both a professional degree and a Ph.D. said the structured professional degrees are very competitive, but at least there is an end in sight; the Ph.D., on the other hand, is less structured. It is more of an endurance test and isn’t for everyone. If you are planning to eventually get a Ph.D., the most cost effective idea is to jump right into the Ph.D. program and pick up your Masters along the way, because universities waive tuition for Ph.D. students and they even give you a small stipend (which will help you really understand the meaning of starving college student). The panelists said the best thing about graduate school is confidence you will gain. You may not learn the answers for every problem you will face in the future, but you can be confident that no matter what problem you may encounter, you will be able to evaluate the situation, do some research and find and answer. In fact, the hardest, but most rewarding, aspect of graduate school is learning this whole new way to ask questions and analyze problems. While it can be challenging to change your thought patterns, this way of thinking is the difference between graduate level and undergraduate level learning. -Pepper Hayes Honors May Term Course Descriptions Include Baseball and Religion After Spring semester, the college offers a free mini-semester to full-time students. May term is usually more laid-back than the traditional semesters, and while the classes are much longer and the material more compressed, they offer students a chance to study less traditional subject matter. For example, this year Richard Badenhausen and Jeff Nichols are team teaching a course on baseball and American culture, while Dr. Popich will explore the timely topic, the connection between religion and violence. The complete course descriptions are as follows: Baseball as America (TTH 12-3 p.m.) In 1954, the historian Jacques Barzun wrote that “whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball.” This interdisciplinary course tests Barzun’s word by exploring how baseball has reflected the evolving history of America in areas such as popular urban recreation, race relations, labor, media, architectural design, urban planning, economics, and national mythmaking, among others. We will use a number of historical essays, literary works, and films to explore just how baseball embodies the many contradictions of our culture. Barzun went on to say that we should learn baseball “by watching first some high school or small-town teams,” so this course will include guided field study at Franklin Covey Field, where we will watch a Stingers game and tour the stadium. Religion and Violence (MWF 8-10 a.m.) This course focuses first of all on an examination of the intimate, historical relationship between violence in human affairs and the origins and development of the three main religions of the Middle East—Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Included is a discussion of these three religions and the way in which they have contributed to or sought to ameliorate the violence so characteristic of the 20th century. Remember, May Term is a great time to pick up some Honors 300 credit, but classes fill up fast, so register early. -Pepper Hayes page 3 People Student News & Notes Stewart Anderson and Eric Glissmeyer have been chosen for the first class of Presidential Ambassadors, the new leadership development program headed by President Bassis. ghg Kate Bradshaw is currently working as an intern in Representative James Hansen’s office in Washington, D.C. ghg Eric Glissmeyer, in cooperation with Dr.’s Greg Elliot and Ramona Hopkins from LDS Hospital recently submitted two abstracts to the American Thoracic Society dealing with the disease Pulmonary Hypertension: one on genetic analysis and another on the cognitive effects of the disease. He is also working on a research project of his own, studying the relative susceptibility of men and women who took FenPhen to developing Primary Pulmonary Hypertension. ghg Tiffanie Hope worked with Dr. Paul Hooker over the summer on an undergraduate research project; she also landed a full-time job in the Financial Aid office. ghg Audrey Maynard is interning at Summit Group Communications in the public relations department. The Summit Group provides advertising and public relations for several local and nationwide companies. ghg Candice Nyman is starting her senior project in psychology in January. She will be learning about developmental psychology as an intern at East of Highland high school’s counseling center. ghg Sydney Stringham’s research project entitled “Molecular Phylogeny among Hornbill Species” won best poster in November’s science research fair. ghg Rebecca Welch recently received an Honorable Mention from the American Chemical Society recognizing her for starting up and successfully heading the student affiliate chapter here at Westminster for the past three years. She also participated in the St. George Marathon, her fourth marathon, this October. page 4 Brandon Goodell Student Profile Brandon Goodell is a sophomore in the Honors Program this year. He is a History major. Originally from Durango, Colorado, Goodell found out about Westminster through a college fair at his high school, and decided to come partly because of the proximity of the campus to some of the finest ski resorts in the Salt Lake City area. At first, Goodell didn’t plan on participating in the Honors Program. He received a letter inviting him to apply, but put it off for about a month. Then he decided to ask his high school English teacher what he thought of the idea, and the teacher recommended the program, telling Goodell he would be able to take a lot more fun classes. Goodell had to write his essay to be included in the program that day during lunch in order to get it postmarked by the deadline. Goodell likes the set-up of the Honors Program at Westminster. “I like the team-taught courses because you get different perspectives on the subject matter,” Goodell said. “I like the curriculum and the lecture and discussion format of the classes,” he added. Goodell enjoys skiing, kayaking, and rafting in his spare time, and even arranged his classes last spring to facilitate skiing all day while taking classes at night. After graduating, Goodell plans on joining the Peace Corps and teaching in a foreign country. He eventually would like to become a high school history teacher. -Teresa Elias Faculty Profile Nick More Dr. Nick More, who grew up in Sacramento, California, has been teaching at Westminster for the past 9 years, the last 7 of which have been with the Honors Program. In addition to teaching the required Humanities courses, Dr. More teaches upper division Philosophy courses as well as Seminar in the Arts. More believes that the strength of the Honors Program lies in the form of its seminars. “Honors courses tend to be more discussion oriented rather than fact dispensing. These discussions benefit the group in that there is a realization that no certain knowledge is available to give, and that the professors are also learners.” More added, “in Honors, students learn thinking skills instead of just content, which can be easily forgotten.” More also thinks that Honors courses prepare students to be better able to communicate their own ideas, which helps in other aspects of their overall education. “I have noticed that Honors students seem to have that extra level of education and extra awareness or attention to the meaning and significance of ideas. The Honors courses make students better able to express their own views in all of their classes.” More is also an advocate of the idea that “genuine education is not always entertaining.” He is a big believer in challenges; the easiest classes are not always the best, he suggests. In addition to teaching and reading philosophical texts, More does participate in other activities. He enjoys all genres of music from all time periods, and is known to play tennis on the court on campus. -Teresa Elias Student Honors Council Hello Honors Students! As many of you may know, this is the first year that Westminster has had a Student Honors Council. We are working very hard to get it up and running so that it can benefit the students in the Honors Program this year and in years to come. We hope that you will enjoy the Christmas study social and that it will take some of the stress out of your finals. There are four officers on the council: Stewart Anderson, Co-chair; Whitney Johnson, Co-chair; Eric Glissmeyer, Secretary; and Nicki Blair, Treasurer. Stewart and Whitney sit on the Faculty Honors Council as Student Representatives and are always eager to hear about any concerns or questions you have about the Honors Program so that they can take it to the Faculty Council and get it addressed. Eric and Nicki are currently helping plan activities to get us all together and involved so that we can have some fun outside of the classroom. They also are always looking for suggestions on what you would like to do for activities and how we can get everyone more involved. We are very excited for this year and the launch of our Student Honors Council and the growth it will offer our program and the students participating in it. Being in the Honors Program provides us all with the opportunity to excel in our education, but also to make lasting friendships that will be valuable to us later in life. We hope that the activities we plan this year will accomplish that very objective, and that we can also be a resource to all of you whenever you have questions or simply want to be more involved. The SHC Presidency A Tromp Through the Trees stored in Stewart’s head. I picked his brain about getting my Honors Degree and how to manage and still get everything accomplished in a timely manner. (What a nerd, here I am walking in the great out doors and what do I do? Talk academics!) Upon finishing the hike we returned to campus, but not before picking up enough food to feed the six of us at least four times! Lunchtime provided more time to chat, and then Richard (our fearless faculty leader) came in with words of wisdom, information, and friendship. (Who could not find wisdom in a conversation with a professor who, I discovered, was not at all dismayed about the stormy weekend weather because it prevented him from working on his roof ?) I missed not seeing more people there, but those of us who did make it had an absolutely jolly time! -Nicki Blair Whitney Johnson On the morning of October 4, Honors Students gathered together to go on a wonderful hike. Unfortunately many people seem to be unavailable to go hiking on a Friday morning. However, those of us who did show had a wonderful time. We went up Millcreek Canyon and hiked through the beautiful trees, surrounded by the myriad of colors offered by ensuing fall. Whitney and I were trying to get the better of our lingering colds, but did not realize how it was affecting us until we began to climb and found ourselves at the back of the group! Fortunately we stopped several times at opportune moments to take in the awesome view. This hike also gave me a chance to meet some of the new freshmen in the Honors Program, which was great since I don’t get to see too many of our new recruits in the course of my everyday life. On the way down I seized the opportunity to draw on the wealth of knowledge The happy hikers take a moment to pose for the camera. Ask the Council: Q: A lot of students have asked me exactly what is so special about the Honors Program, i.e. what happens when you complete it? Some of the rumors I have heard range from the Honors Program being nothing but an asterisk next to your name on the graduation program to an immediate acceptance into grad school for those having completed the program—others don’t understand what kind of degree you actually receive when you complete the program. A: There are two options regarding completion of the Honors Program: the certificate and the degree. A certificate means you completed the seven LE Honors classes, whereas a degree adds four semesters of a foreign language, six hours of upper division Honors seminar classes, and a senior project. Upon graduation, you are given a certificate separate from your diploma that says you completed the program. Your permanent transcript will also note the achievement, which is seen by grad schools as a great asset. Studies have shown the format of Honors courses gives students an edge in the grad school application process. Application committees notice honors involvement because it shows you have an ability to do well in classes with other motivated students, you can make connections across disciplines, and you can handle the rigorous course work and defense of your work in seminar style classes, all characteristics of graduate school. Besides, if we are going to pay this much money for and devote this much time to our education, we may as well walk away with the best educational experience possible, which is provided by participation in the Honors Program. -Whitney Johnson page 5 Academia Nietzschean Lyricism: Say That Five Times Fast by Teresa Knight Frederick Nietzsche was born in 1844 in Germany and died in 1900. Dr. Nick More’s Honors philosophy seminar has focused on the writings of Nietzsche, and discussed them at length. In The Gay Science, Nietzsche discusses the importance of certain aspects of life which, while not necessarily truths or based on fact, help one live a better life. In this excerpt from her paper, Teresa Knight explains Nietzsche’s poetic tendencies and how they relate to the chief themes of the book. Most will tell you that writing philosophy involves a great triumphed over life, and thus has cause to be cheerful. deal of careful, unambiguous argumentation. So, what happens when With the prefatory poems and the appendix of songs that you encounter a philosophical work that lacks clarity? In reading the conclude the book, Nietzsche appears to be framing his work in playpoems, songs, aphorisms, and highly metaphorical diction that com- fulness. In the final section of Book Five, he asks, “Has there ever prise Friedrich Nietzsche’s The Gay Science, the problematic nature of been a better hour for gaiety? Let us strike up more agreeable, more ambiguity in philosophy becomes evident. This paper will defend the joyous tones!” From the gravity that spawns Nietzsche’s serious atuse of poetry in The Gay Science as a medium tacks on art, authority, faith, Germans, of expression that prepares the reader for “We have not learned to celebrate herds, intellectualism, morality, nationalNietzsche’s unique mode of inquiry, by in- or play in life because we take our ism, science, women, and truth itself, troducing themes of the book, demonstratcomes the impulse to celebrate in spite of actions too seriously.” ing gaiety, and utilizing metaphors that reall assaults—or rather, because of the as-Nietzsche, The Gay Science quire individual interpretation. saults. Though the individual freedom that To establish the poetry’s unique introductory value, it is im- comes with Nietzsche’s critical upheavals might be good cause to fear— portant to distinguish between the preparatory tactics of the preface after all, the possibilities we face are a sea of “infinity” — we are invited versus those of the poetry. In the “Preface for the Second Edition,” to revel in our liberation. Nietzsche describes the spirit in which he wrote The Gay Science: he But why, if Nietzsche’s verse is intended to prepare the reader, had just recovered from a lengthy illness, which resulted in a youthful, does he include songs at the work’s finish? Perhaps this is why he vigorous approach to his work. Consequently, he says, “This whole makes the distinction between poems and songs: poems lead to rebook is nothing but a bit of merry-making after long privation and flection (which is required for reading philosophy) and songs lead to powerlessness…of a reawakened faith in a tomorrow and the day dancing (which exemplifies the action of life). In this sense, the songs after tomorrow.” Thus, Nietzsche offers both an explanation and warn- are preparatory for individual departure from The Gay Science; while ing of the playfulness of the work. we are given both the lyrics and a reason for rejoicing, the music and The opening section strikes us because poetry is an the steps are omitted. untraditional form of Western philosophic exposition, which immeStill, it can be argued that—play or no play—poetry threatdiately signals a new philosophy. Nietzsche cautions the reader that his ens the lucidity of a philosophical work. However, I contend that thought will be difficult to swallow: in the first poem (“Invitation”), Nietzsche’s writing exposes the assumption that philosophical prose he writes, “Take a chance and try my fare;/ It will soon grow on you, I must always be clear and accessible as an academic prejudice. To supswear;/ Soon it will taste good to you.” If the reader hasn’t gotten a pose that placing certain words in a certain order somehow leads to an sense of Nietzsche’s novelty from the use of the poetic form, the easy enlightenment reveals a faith in language, as well as a linguistic content of these poems heralds the acquired taste necessary for ingest- morality (wherein there are good and bad words and phrases), with ing the foreign dish to come. which Nietzsche does not comply. While he admits that he writes beThe poems also serve samplings of major themes in the cause he knows no other way of expelling his thoughts, he also argues book, such as the idea of the intellectual conscience. When a person dares that language is insufficient to completely capture insights. Therefore, to question the value judgments of society, he is said to have an intel- Nietzsche doesn’t attribute much value to language as a means of comlectual conscience-that is, the individual is responsible to his own intel- municating pure intuition. lect for choosing (rather than absorbing) beliefs. In the second section In accordance with his emphasis on individuality, Nietzsche of the book, Nietzsche proclaims that he admires even those “pious” uses metaphor throughout the work to resist universal interpretation. people who detest rationality—at least they make bold decisions in The significance of The Gay Science lies in what textual treasures the questioning their existence and establishing their convictions. individual acquires for him/herself. Contrasting philosophers who An additional theme in The Gay Science is cheerfulness and claim to know (and who then prescribe) an absolute truth, Nietzsche play. In the opening section of the book, Nietzsche remarks, “For the encourages his readers to figure out their own truths. present, the comedy of existence has not yet ‘become conscious’ of In conclusion, Nietzsche’s poetics train the reader to look at itself. For the present, we still live in the age of tragedies, the age of a new philosophy (in form and content) in a new way (personally). moralities and religions.” We have not learned to laugh at ourselves Rather than receiving the ready-made arguments of controlling phibecause we take intellectual pursuits too seriously; we have not learned losophers, one must formulate individual interpretations of the metato celebrate or play in life because we take our actions too seriously— phors and poems. While this task will most likely be challenging, it that is, we act under the guidelines of moralities, the rules of the masses. will also lead to the development of the individual mind. The load of According to Nietzsche, the idea that important things (such as think- cognition will be lighter, too, since in the end one is reminded of the ing and acting) must be treated only with seriousness is merely a preju- laughter in Nietzsche’s gravity—the absurdity of rhyming verse. dice. When one is guided by his own thoughts and desires, he has page 7 Perspectives How Many Honors Classes Should You Take at One Time? faculty response Richard Badenhausen Director of the Honors Program The key to successful Honors scheduling (and scheduling of any college major, for that matter) is balance and planning. Students should think carefully about balancing the nature of the workload in their classes. So instead of scheduling four reading or writing intensive courses together, students should mix reading classes with classes that concentrate on a variety of other skills that might require different types of time commitment. A schedule that consists of a seminar in literature, a math class, a language class, and one in science might achieve some of that balance. In terms of Honors, a good pairing is Humanities I with Perspectives in Social Sciences I and Humanities II with Perspectives II. But students need to decide for themselves whether they can handle two Honors classes in a single term. Of this year’s freshman class of 30 Honors students, about half are taking two Honors classes their first term: typically Humanities I along with either Perspectives I or the first science seminar. Other popular pairings are Seminar in the Arts in the spring with either Perspectives II or the second science seminar. Students should also try to plan a few semesters in advance. Ironically, you have the most scheduling flexibility early in your college career, when you are not bogged down with major requirements that are often only satisfied by a course that has one section offered every other year. Students who get into trouble trying to fulfill their Honors requirements are those who tend to put off taking some of those courses until senior year. So I would strongly encourage Honors students to take the majority of their seven core courses in their first two years at Westminster, if possible, so you can concentrate on other classes later in your college career . The courses are also designed to teach you skills early in your academic career that will help you do better in your major classes. Your best source of information regarding the balancing of Honors classes will always be the professors teaching in the program and the upper-class honors students who have been through the process. Do You Have a Question? Is there a question you want to ask about the Honors Program or a topic you would like to see hashed out in this forum? If so, please send thoughts to Pepper Hayes or Teresa Elias. Also, please contact one of the co-editors if you are interested in participating in this dialogue in the Spring issue. We need responses from both students and faculty. page 6 student responses Brooke Goudie Senior, majoring in Political Studies/History For any entering freshman the first semester of college provides a challenge. The college classroom and teaching method forces students to think, study, and perform in a way that many never have before. For Honors students this challenge is even more difficult. So, as a freshman I would say don’t take more than eight hours of Honors credit your first semester; after that you’ll get the hang of it. If you have any class with Dr. More, don’t take more than four additional credits. If you have a class with Dr. Badenhuasen, be prepared to read and write. If you don’t love to write, trust me, by the end you will love to write. I’d say take that with a light load. Perspectives in Social Sciences I is tons of fun since you get to do all kinds of cool simulations; that class could easily be added onto an already full load. You’re going to have to take Natural Science I and II eventually, and once you get the hang of syllogisms and paradigms the rest of the semester is a breeze. Much of it is philosophy based, so maybe throw it in with Perspectives I or II for a little change up. By the time you’re signing up for 300 level Honors courses, most students know what they can handle. So hey, if you’ve got four free hours why not throw in an Honors seminar. Most of us are in the Honors program because we thrive on intellectual and academic challenges. Most of us proved ourselves in high school and will continue to succeed in college. I would say if you really want to challenge yourself, you really want to prove your abilities to yourself, and you really want to leave college with a fulfilling education, take as many Honors classes as you can. The Honors program is full of masochists; most of us like being beaten down by six hours of homework a night. The more you challenge yourself, the more confidence you will have as a student, and the more pride you will feel when you are handed your diploma. Ali Owens Senior, majoring in Philosophy I think two honors classes is advisable. The interesting thing about taking more than one at a time is developing connections between them. I’ve found that no matter the combination, the honors classes relate on many different levels. Each class sheds light on the others. If you are working toward the honors degree, it means taking more classes, but not as many as you might think. And, there is an advantage to having at least one honors class in your schedule: the classes are more interesting because of the connections made, and I have found the discussions more valuable because the class is more enthusiastic about the material. Musings From Your Editors... Greetings and salutations, and thank you for picking up a copy of the first edition of the Honors Program newsletter. We hope you will find this to be an enlightening and stimulating collection of works from Honors students at Westminster College. We put together this newsletter with two goals in mind: first, to bring together members of the Honors Program by creating a medium through which they can learn more about their fellow students and faculty members and to be informed about news and events in the Honors community; and second, to give the entire Westminster campus a feel for what the Honors Program is about. We would eventually like to include Honors alumni in this publication to recognize their accomplishments outside of college and with the hope that their stories will inspire current Honors students. This newsletter is broken into several sections all of which are designed to broaden your view of the Honors Program. At the beginning of each semester’s issue, we will provide a few pages of news where we will cover recent Honors activities and events. In our people section, we will profile a student and faculty member, as well as run a news and notes column briefly describing student research, exotic travel, and extracurricular accomplishments. We have given a page to the Student Honors Council where its officers can address issues regarding Honors Program leadership. We offer a forum for discussion of topics pertaining to the Honors Program in our perspectives section, where a question will be answered from both a faculty and a student viewpoint. And finally, in our academia section we will highlight a topic examined in one of the Honors seminars – in this issue we are featuring Teresa Knight’s essay from the Great Philosophers: Nietzsche course. A note on the title, Honorable Mention: Teresa Knight, that clever girl, suggested this title as a response to our open query on the Honors listserve. While she never meant for her suggestion to be taken seriously, the phrase struck a cord with these editors. Many Honors newsletters we’ve read are labeled with Greek words that translate to “excellence” or “perfection,” but we didn’t feel these pretentious terms matched the overall feeling of the program on this campus. Instead, we wanted to portray the relaxed and friendly atmosphere at Westminster where we care less about winning first place and more about learning and growing along the way. That’s the point, isn’t it? We would like to thank everyone who helped us get this first issue off the ground: Richard Badenhausen, Teresa Knight, Lauren Stephan, Brooke Goudie, Ali Owens, Nicki Blair, and Whitney Johnson. If after reading this newsletter you have questions or are interested in contributing to our spring issue, please contact us; we’d love to hear from you. Peace, Pepper Hayes and Teresa Elias co-editors of Honorable Mention Honors Program Westminster College 1840 S. 1300 E. Salt Lake City, UT 84105 www.westminstercollege.edu/honors email: [e-mail] [e-mail]