HONORS UPDATE

January 5, 2007

 

Happy New Year and welcome back!!  We hope you had a wonderful holiday and are looking forward to spring semester 2007!

 

The spring honors calendar, Brown Bag series calendar, and Symposium series calendar are posted on our website (http://www.jmu.edu/honorsprog/ ).  We hope you'll join us for these interesting events.  Please note that all Brown Bag lectures will be held in Taylor Hall this semester rather than at Hillcrest House.

 

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Important dates:

 

CLASSES BEGIN Monday, January 8.  The last day to add a course without signatures and the last day to drop a course without a "W" is January 16.  The last day to add a class with signatures is January 25, and the last day to withdraw from JMU with a full refund is January 26.  After that date, course withdrawals are contingent upon the approval of the professor and refunds are not available. 

 

MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY Monday, January 17.  Classes do not meet.  A full schedule of events can be found at:  http://www.jmu.edu/multicultural.

Dr. Cornel Wilson, Professor of African-American studies and Philosophy of
Religion at PrincetonUniversity, is the keynote speaker.

January 19:  Deadline to submit a proposal to the Honors Program office if you wish to be considered for funding to attend & present your research at the Southern Regional Honors Conference in Charlotte, NC, March 29-31.  See our website for more information (http://www.jmu.edu/honorsprog/Newsandevents.shtml)     Deadline to submit proposal to SRHC is January 31.

 

January 19:  Honors Option Forms are due. Submit to the Honors Program office.  The form is available online from our program handbook, p. 43.  Information about the honors option is available on p. 20 and might be very helpful to share with your professor when inquiring about working on the option.

 

Brown Bag Series resumes January 24, 12:20-1:10, Taylor 404, with Dr. Jim Mazoué, Assistant Professor of Educational Technologies and Distance Learning Coordinator for the Center for Instructional Technology, presenting "What Good Is Philosophy, Anyway?"

 

Symposium Talks resume January 24, 4:45-6:00, ISAT 159, with Rev. Dr. Nikitah Okembe-RA Imani, Associate Professor of Sociology and Africana Studies, presenting "Peripheral Vision:  A Case Against the Culture of Victimization and Political Correctness."

 

Senior Honors Project Orientation Workshop for Juniors January 31, 4:45-6:00, ISAT 159.  Anyone who plans to begin their senior honors project in either spring or fall 2007 should attend.  Faculty advisors are welcome.

 

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Honors Courses still available for spring semester:

The following courses have one or more openings as of 1/5/07.

Cluster One:

GCOM 121H  Principles and Practices (section 12)  -  Mayfield

GCOM 122H  Individual Presentations (section 8)  -  Sylvest

GPHIL 120H   Critical Thinking (sections 1 and 2)  -  Bolyard

HON 181E      Ways of Knowing (section 1)  -  Jones

Cluster Four:

HON 184        Global & Local (section 1)  -  King

Honors Seminars:

HON 183E      Great Questions That Changed the World   -  Brown

HON 200M     Evolution, Human Nature, & Morality  -  Keffer  

HON 200Y      African Language and Storytelling  -  Opala

HON 300H      Research & Information  -  Haworth

HON 300B      Evolutionary Systems  -  Fichter

HON 300P      African American Folk Culture Through Film  -  Opala

HON 300T      Art & Trauma in the 20^th Century  -  Shanahan

 

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Senior Honors Project Meetings are scheduled March 26-28 for all students who are in the last semester of work on their project (499C).   Faculty advisors are encouraged to attend.

You are required to attend one of the following meetings:

                    Monday, March 26, 11:15-12:05, Taylor302

                    Monday, March 26, 12:20-1:10, Taylor302

                    Tuesday, March 27, 4:00-4:50, Taylor302

                    Wednesday, March 28, 2:30-3:20, Taylor302

                    Wednesday, March 28, 4:45-5:35, ISAT 159

         

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STUDY ABROAD February 1 deadline.  The deadline to apply for ALL study abroad programs for next academic year is fast approaching.  The Office of International Programs (OIP) has information about a diverse range of programs. You can find a full list of their services and JMU-sponsored programs on their website at http://www.jmu.edu/international/abroad/index.shtml.  For information about honors study at Oxford, Cambridge or St. Andrews in England and Scotland, see:  http://www.jmu.edu/international/abroad/jmu_honors/index.shtml or contact the Honors Abroad Director, Dr. John J. Butt, at buttjj@jmu.edu .  Spaces are still available for a year or a semester at one of the three oldest and most prestigious universities in Britain. Most subjects available.  

 

Medieval Archeology trip to BelgiumJune 30-July 29, 2007:
Eastern Illinois University Honors Programs, in partnership with the University of Louvain-la-Neuve in Belgium, invites applications for the eighth season of its Summer Archaeology Program.  The program centers on the excavation of medieval Walhain Castle.  Honors students may receive honors credit, awarded in either history or earth sciences. The course is open to all students in good standing; there are no prerequisites, and no previous background in archaeology is required.  The cost of the program, which includes tuition and fees, board and lodging --but not overseas airfare-- is estimated at around $4500.   For more information, please contact Professor Bailey Young at bkyoung@eiu.edu. or write c/o History Department, Coleman Hall, Eastern Illinois University, 600 Lincoln Ave, Charleston, IL 61920.


Spend July 07 in beautiful Uppsala, Sweden with the honors students at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.  Take two 3-unit interdisciplinary courses in the history, nature, and culture of this intriguing country.  Explore literature, artwork, and music, and consider how the portrayal of nature is both a reflection of and a driving force in Swedish society.  Courses include field trips to castles, cathedrals, museums, palaces, and regions of outstanding natural beauty.  For information, see:  www.umkc.edu/international/SwedenInfo07.htm  or contact Professor Lynda Payne at paynel@umkc.edu. 

 

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If you should not be receiving Honors mailings and wish to be removed from the list, please contact the Honors Office at honors@jmu.edu.

 

REGISTRATION FOR SPRING 2007:  Remember that all honors students must register for at least one honors course, seminar, honors option, or semester of senior honors project each semester until all honors requirements are met in order to remain active participants in the program.  Freshman honors scholars should complete a minimum of three honors courses in the first year; completing four is highly recommended.  In extenuating circumstances, a student may seek a waiver of participation for a single semester; this requires an appointment with the associate director to secure approval.  It is not automatically granted.  Call 568-6953 to arrange an appointment.

 

MAINTAINING GOOD STANDING IN THE HONORS PROGRAM:

Honors students should maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher.  Students with GPAs lower than this risk being placed on probation or being withdrawn from the program.  Students must take the appropriate number of honors courses for their program (Honors scholars, subject-area honors, and senior project only programs each have different requirements.  See the handbook for specific information, pp. 22-23.).   If you have concerns about your status, need to know how many honors courses you have left to take, or wish to be advised about ways to improve your GPA, call our program office (568-6953) to schedule an appointment with Ms. Adams, or email her at adamsmc@jmu.edu .  Freshman honors scholars must complete 50 HOP points by the end of the spring term.  Check the HOP Blackboard website since events are added regularly.  If you want to attend an event that is not posted, you may submit a proposal to add an event at least seven (7) days in advance.

 

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Best wishes for an exciting and successful spring semester!

Mary Kay Adams

Associate Director