Goal 3
The third goal of the Honors Program is to demonstrate excellence in verbal and written communication. This goal asks
students to present ideas logically and effectively in both verbal and written format. As for me, I had the opportunity to demonstrate excellence in verbal and written communication during my tenure in the Honors Program. I will present three artifacts that showcase the previously mentioned outcome as well as how it relates to the third goal of the Honors Program. One artifact is a presentation on leaders in film from HON 250H- Foundations of Leadership, another artifact is a reflective essay on being a teacher for half a day from HON 264H – Thinking Outside the Box, and the third artifact is an analysis on a book I read from HON 252H- Visionaries of The Past.
In Professor Smestad’s class, Foundations of Leadership, I demonstrated the ability to present ideas logically and effectively
in a verbal format. For her assignment on leaders in film, we spoke on the leadership skills and traits of a leader from a film. In my presentation, I noted the leadership skills of both Iron Man and Captain America in the film Captain America: Civil War. I stated that Iron Man was concerned for the well-being of citizens by abiding by the law while Captain America was concerned for the lives of any superheroes who would have to give up their identities. I also noted the obstacles both leaders went through, as Captain America focused on clearing his friend Bucky’s name, while Iron Man had to apprehend Captain America for not signing the Sokovia Accords. Lastly, I noted the transformations both leaders underwent as the film progressed, and reflected on what I learned from both leaders. This presentation reflects my ability to compare and contrast the leadership styles of two leaders in a film. This meets the first outcome of the third goal in which I presented an idea logically and effectively through a verbal format. This also accomplishes the third goal of the Honors Program since I demonstrated excellence in verbal and written communication.
Secondly, in Professor Smestad’s Thinking Outside the Box, I demonstrated the ability to present ideas logically and
effectively in verbal format. In my paper, I reflected upon my presentation as a teacher for half a day. I taught the class how to play Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a video game for the Nintendo Switch. In my reflection, I outlined how I taught my co-students how to play the game. Rather than demonstrate by myself, I allowed the students to play and learn the game. I started off teaching them how to play, then we played actual matches against each other. I noted in my reflection that I could’ve done a better job of teaching my co-students on how to play by letting them practice with the controls before getting into real matches. Through my presentation as a teacher, I was able to verbally present ideas logically and effectively, which meets the first outcome of the third goal. This also accomplishes the third goal of the Honors Program since I demonstrated excellence in verbal and written communication.
In Professor Smestad’s Visionaries of The Past, I demonstrated the ability to present ideas logically and effectively in a
written format. In my final for that course, I wrote an essay on the book The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. In my essay, I provided the context for who Edith Wharton is and why she wrote the book. I then summarized the events of the story, and analyzed the themes present in the story using evidence inside and outside of the book. I explained that the story was a representation of Edith Wharton’s life in the upper class of society. Citing sources on this paper helped me to be a better writer. Through my essay, I was able to present ideas logically and effectively in a written format, which meets the second outcome of the third goal. This also accomplishes the third goal of the Honors Program since I demonstrated excellence in verbal and written communication.
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The third goal of the Honors Program, to demonstrate excellence in verbal and written communication, has been
exemplified by me throughout my tenure in the Honors Program. I was able to demonstrate my knowledge of certain topics such as books, video games, and movies. These skills have been applicable outside of my Honors courses, such as my speech class and other classes that involve presentations. Thus, I achieved the third goal of the Honors Program.