Goal 1
One of the goals of the Honors Program is to encourage its students to think critically, reflectively, and independently. This
goal asks students to design self-created learning experiences that have clearly articulated goals, analyze problems to formulate informed opinions, conclusions, or solutions, interpret texts from various disciplines, and conduct independent and ethical research. As for me, I had the opportunity to analyze situations and interpret texts during my tenure in the Honors Program. I will present three artifacts that showcase these outcomes as well as how it relates to the first goal of the Honors Program. One artifact is a reflective writing piece from HON 351H-Integrity and The Examined Life, another is a book review from HON 191H-The Honors Community, and the last is a reflection paper from HON 264H-Thinking Outside The Box.
In Professor Sachdev’s class, Integrity and The Examined Life, I demonstrated the ability to interpret text from various
disciplines. In his first “Discussion Post” assignment, I was tasked with interpreting Bertrand Russell’s “A Free Man’s Worship,” where he argues that morality does not require religious belief. In this paper, I agreed that morality does not require religious belief, but that religion could provide individuals good morals. The answer to this assignment was subjective to the views of the one answering the question, but it did help me to understand where I come from a religious perspective. This assignment taught me that people have different opinions, but the ability to listen and learn from one another is expedient. From interpreting Russell’s essay on morality, I was not only able to think reflectively on my experience with morals, but upon the experiences of Russell as well.
Professor Smestad’s class, The Honors Community, gave me the opportunity to review a book titled The Crossroads of Should
and Must: Find and Follow Your Passion by Elle Luna. In my paper, I reviewed her book by stating it was short but concise. It detailed the differences betweens shoulds and musts. I also noted Luna was excellent in her presentation throughout the book using a combination of illustrations and words. Without having taken this course, I would not have considered reading this book. However, thanks to Professor Smestad’s course, I was able to have a great appreciation for the book even if it was not what I expected. Reviewing this book taught me to look at books beyond their cover and to instead interpret text from a different walk of life. As such, I was able to think critically about the way I view books by selecting those that may seem mundane.
Lastly, Professor Smestad’s course, Thinking Outside the Box, had an assignment where the students got to be the teacher
for half a day. For me, I was able to teach students how to play Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a video game for the Nintendo Switch. In my reflection paper regarding the assignment, I noted how fun and interesting the assignment was. While I knew how to play, the other students did not. From this, I was able to design a self-created learning experience not only for the goal of teaching others, but also for teaching myself on how to teach. From this experience, I was able to reflect upon my strengths and weaknesses as a teacher.
The first goal of the Honors Program, to think critically, reflectively, and independently, has been exemplified by me
throughout my tenure in the Honors Program. I was able to think reflectively on how to be a better teacher, compare and contrast my morals with a philosopher, and interpret the teachings of an author through a book review. Thus, I achieved the first goal of the Honors Program.