Category: Courses

Honors Students Crash into Spring Scheduling

11/1/2016

By Afrah Ali

Honors College students were invited by SHC to gain a sneak peak at the various courses and colloquia (along with the professors teaching the courses) being offered for the 2017 spring semester this past Thursday, October 25.

“I was in between a couple of classes, so this event really helped me decide. Seeing the professors provided me with a better feel of what classes to take,” freshman Taylor Scher said after attending the Student Honor Council’s Curriculum Crash Course.

SHC president Valerie Weingart explained how the event is a growing tradition within the Honors community. This was the third year for the event, and this year a table with graduate school options was a new addition for students.

“Since each section of a specific Honors course is taught by a different profesor, we put on this event for students and professors to meet face-to-face for a deeper grasp on the offered courses,” Weingart explained.

Although all Honors students received a PDF explaining the classes, this event was beneficial for students as it gave them the opportunity to interact with the different professors teaching courses next semester, allowing students to see if there was a connection, spark, or shared passion between themselves and potential professors.

Honors colloquiums may not be offered annually by specific professors. This year marks Professor Beth Dalton’s second time teaching “Laughing in a Corner: The Literary Legacy of Jane Austen.” Throughout the colloq, students are expected to read select works by Austen while delving into the author’s intentional choices.

“Most people know Austen for her romantic relationships within her works, but this course examines what her works truly represent rather than what has been said about them,” Dalton explained. “Jane Austen is one of my personal favorites. The colloquia allow professors to teach a certain enjoyment of theirs.”

Honors colloquia differ from traditional courses, such as Professor Michael O’Hara’s “Theatre, Politics, and Religion” class. The course begins with a full reading of The Oresteia from theatrical, political, and religious perspectives. From there, the students decide the semester’s curriculum by voting on the plays to be read. O’Hara summarized the course as an analyzation of chosen documents throughout the history of human thought. He emphasizes it to be a class open to students from all majors, not just those involved in theatre or political science because each individual possesses a unique lens to contribute.

Freshman Evan Hatfield said the event was beneficial because it especially allows underclassmen to get their foot in the door in preparation for future years within the Honors College.

Opera Finds a Home in the Humanities Sequence

10/26/2016

By Mary Cox

A senior’s unique co-teaching experience has led to a brand new approach to Honors humanities.

The Honors humanities sequence is a diverse series of classes that highlights Western intellectual history through both ancient and contemporary literature, philosophy, and fine arts. For the past year and a half, however, Jason Powell, Assistant Professor of Honors Humanities, and Valerie Weingart, a senior vocal performance major, have been working to develop a course that uses the performing arts, specifically opera, as the content catalyst.

“In the humanities sequence we’re supposed to teach art, but most of us only do the plastic arts - painting, sculpture, architecture - we don’t focus on performance art. We do what we’re more comfortable with,” Powell said. “I thought if I’m always suggesting to my students to expand beyond their horizons and search out new opportunities to experience the arts, then why was I not doing the same? I need to stretch myself in the same way I ask my students to stretch themselves.”

Powell first became interested in opera while teaching a course on German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who was friends with the famous German composer Richard Wagner.

“That’s where I really got the idea of maybe teaching something with opera. But I knew I didn’t know anything,” Powell said.

He began reading up on the art form, but ultimately decided to begin reaching out to music students for help. When he presented the opportunity to Weingart during last fall’s Curriculum Crash Course, she jumped at the opportunity. Weingart, who has been training as a classical singer since age 12 and studying music since age 5, was enthusiastic to share her love of opera with other students.

“I’ve always regarded [opera] as this very prestigious art form. And then when I started learning some of the historical aspects of it that was even more fascinating,” Weingart said.

The next semester, spring 2016, Weingart began leading small 25-30 minute lectures once a week for Powell’s 202 course.

“[Jason] basically said, ‘teach them, teach me, and let’s see what we can do with this.’ It was a big experiment,” Weingart said.

The pair were both nervous. This was Powell’s first experience co-teaching with a student and Weingart was worried the students would not receive her or the material well.

“I was expecting them to find it kind of dull,” Weingart said, “and I was expecting them to be upset that I was taking away from the time they could have with Jason and learning from Jason.”

The reviews, however, have been overwhelmingly positive. Powell said that both in person and on course evaluations the students frequently mentioned how much they enjoyed having Weingart in class.

“You could get a sense that as a fellow student they’re rooting for her because they understand how hard this was going to be. It built up a sort of camaraderie between the class and Val in a fun way,” Powell said. “My students weren’t afraid to tell me afterwards that they’d rather have Val teaching some stuff.”

The feeling was mutual. Weingart said that her time with Powell’s class had reinforced that teaching at the collegiate level is what she wants to do once she graduates.

“It’s so refreshing, because being a musician for as long as I have been, stuff doesn’t take me by surprise anymore. It’s so interesting to watch [the students’] reactions, because a lot of them are so completely unfamiliar with this whole thing,” Weingart said.

Powell agrees that Weingart has found her calling, saying, “Val is very gifted and sharp, and she’s going to make an excellent teacher in her future.”

The only issue Powell and Weingart have experienced throughout this experiment was integrating opera smoothly into the rest of the literature heavy humanities sequence.

“I was just adding on to Jason’s class, but I wasn’t really meshing with it. I was this weird outlier,” Weingart said.

Powell and Weingart parlayed this road block into Weingart’s senior Honors thesis and the two are now working to develop an Honors 202 course that combines opera history with the other topics of the humanities sequence.

“Instead of having a baseline of all this literature and philosophy and throwing opera on top of that, what wanted to find out what would it be like to flip it.” Powell said. “We let opera sort of call the thematic shots.”

Weingart said that her ultimate goal for this course would be to remove the stigma of stuffiness and mystery from opera and make it more accessible to everyone.

“The main goal of what I’m designing is that the person teaching it does not have to be a musician or have musical background in order to teach it effectively, and the students don’t need to have a musical background in order to learn it effectively,” Weingart said. “I think by learning the history and what it [opera] was designed to do and the people it was designed to effect and the issues that are prevalent in some of the operas it becomes something they can embrace.”

Weingart’s syllabus is nearly complete, and she and Powell traveled to Seattle, WA earlier this month to present their work at the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) Conference. Powell hopes to beginning implementing this syllabus for his courses starting in spring of 2018. He is also hoping that Weingart will be willing to come back to help him launch the course.

“It’s been wonderful to do something new that I felt good about doing because I had someone so confident working with me,” Powell said.

Until then, students can begin getting their feet wet with opera by attending the two productions The School of Music will be putting on later this year. The first will be Beatrice aet Benedict on Thur, Dec 1 and Sat, Dec 3 in Pruis Hall. The second will be The Marriage of Figaro - Weingart’s favorite - in Sursa Hall on Fri, March 31 and Sun, April 2.

“It’s all students performing, so it’s another step to taking the fear and mystery out of going to an opera because it’s in a familiar space with familiar people,” Weingart said.

If December is still too far away, News and Notes can offer you this opera fun fact from Weingart: Legend has it that Mozart didn’t write the overture to his opera Don Giovanni until the morning of the premiere.

Valerie and Jason recently took their idea on the road, presenting about the work they have been doing to integrate opera into the humanities at this year's NCHC Conference. Jason explained what they had been trying to do with their work, and Valerie presented a version of a lesson she might teach in a humanities class.

Seminar Service

9/16/2016

By Claire Boenitz

The 2016-2017 school year has brought a new change to the required Honors freshman seminar course, Honors 100. In the past, Honors 100 freshmen were required to participate in at least two social events on campus, such as Late Nite or a football game, in order to engage themselves in the social life at BSU. Now, the two events are split differently, with one social event and one service-related event.

“We want to give students the idea, from the very beginning, that we are interested in helping and working with the community,” Peer Mentor Coordinator Laurie Lindberg said. “By having this new requirement, the students, in looking for an outside service-related activity, get to be more familiar with what resources there are on campus.

Like the social event, freshman are allowed to take part in volunteering at any point during the nine-week Honors 100 class in order to get credit, though some mentors may require it be done earlier. The exact guidelines have yet to be determined, as it is still a new idea.

“Not only are [service activities] resume-builders, they also get students involved in service organizations, philanthropy and volunteering,” mentor Drew Miles said. “It’s about involvement, stepping out and giving back to the community. The social events help you become more connected to campus, but this is about being better connected to Muncie. There’s a trend of people actually going out into our community.”

The service requirement is intended to be fulfilled by an event or activity that involves the student going out into the community and being social. As such, something like a blood drive - which does involve giving back to the community - would not suffice, as it doesn’t necessarily fulfill the social aspect of service that Lindberg and the mentors are aiming for.

“I like that volunteering is encouraged,” freshman Maggie Sutton said. “But personally, I think it could be extended into second semester too, after freshmen have established themselves a bit and know where to find all of these resources.”

The ultimate goal of including service in the Honors 100 agenda is establishing connections within BSU and Muncie. Call-out meetings for service organizations and volunteering count for the service requirement, just as long as students are reaching out to connect with others. This, according to Lindberg, will help them to start thinking in terms of networking sooner than they may have without the requirement.

“We think this fits in with the whole idea that we want people who graduate from Ball State, the Honors College in particular, to be aware of the people around them, to want to help, to want to work together on worthwhile things,” Lindberg said. “Honors kids already tend to be involved in serving their community - this just adds an emphasis on it.”

Busting Myths About Honors: Extra Classes

2/16/2016

Some non-Honors students claim they avoid the Honors College because of "all the extra work." But how many "extra" classes, exactly, does an Honors degree entail? The graphic below explains.

By Liz Young

Curriculum Crash Course

10/16/2015

By Noah Patterson

Before students returned home for Fall Break, Student Honors Council (SHC) held the first ever Curriculum Crash Course Thursday evening in the DeHority Exhibition Hall. Students were invited to talk to professors of various Honors courses in 189, 199 and the colloquiums in order to get a better idea for scheduling in Spring 2016.

Many students present wanted to learn more about the colloquiums, which included numerous courses with trips abroad.

“I’m interested in the colloqs and getting experience out of class. I thought I would shop around, and I’m excited by what I’m finding,” Jake Peterson, a sophomore business administration major and political science minor said.

The professors present were just as excited as the students.

“I’ve been teaching Honors 199 for 30 years, and I believe this is the first time we’ve had an event like this. Students don’t usually get a chance like this, and word of mouth is important in getting information about classes out” Dr. Bruce Gaelhood, showcasing his Honors 199 class, said.

“Students can put a face with the course, meet the professor and see the books and a syllabus. Its to both of our advantages,” said Dr. Adrienne Bliss, who will be teaching “Honors 390: Prison Literature and its Role in American Society: Perception, Spectacle and Voyeurism.”

“I wanted to show students my colloquium because I feel people don’t spend enough time thinking about prison. Our generation has to fix this. I believe that Honors students are the best audience to get this information out there, and make some real reforms in our prison system,” Bliss said.

SHC was positive about the turnout, with students coming and going throughout the event.

“I think the night is going well. Students are really interested in putting a face with the course,” Maren Orchard, a sophomore public history major and SHC officer, said.

Orchard organized the layout of the event and contacted many of the professors for the event.

“I’m enjoying seeing the passions of the students and professors,” Emily Miller, a freshman in the College of Architecture and Planning’s first year program said. “It’s especially interesting to see what professors are passionate teaching about.”

Freshmen Learn S'more about Four-Year Planning & Midterms

10/15/2015

By Kristin Wietecha

On Monday, Oct. 5, DeHority Complex's Academic Peer Mentor and Resident Assistants organized a program to provide information to students about four-year planning, midterms, and Honors courses while treating them with s'mores. Thirty-four students attended the information sessions that lasted from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in DeHority's Exhibition Hall.

MaryBeth Sergeant, a senior Resident Assistant, said that she enjoyed teaching freshmen how to construct 4-year plans, schedule and use DegreeWorks. Katelyn Warner, a junior and DeHority's Academic Peer Mentor said, "A lot people had questions on what to study, how to study, and when exactly midterms were." Warner understood that midterms during the first semester of college can be stressful. "I was in some tough classes my freshman year, and I didn't really know what to study."

Some freshmen said that all of the presenters were willing to answer questions and provided useful information. However, some said they became more overwhelmed and stressed due to what needed to be done for 4-year planning. scheduling, and studying for midterms. One anonymous student said, "The RAs and stuff were helpful, but I just became more stressed out from other things that I found out that I have to do."

DeHority staff's next event will be an open mic night on Thursday, Oct. 22 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Exhibition Hall.

Coming Soon: Curriculum Crash Course

10/7/2015

By Noah Patterson

This Thursday, Student Honors Council (SHC) will be hosting the Curriculum Crash Course in the DeHority Exhibition Hall from 7:30-9:30 p.m.

This marks the first year of the Curriculum Crash Course’s existence at the Honors College, an event allowing students to meet with professors of the vast majority of Honors courses and colloquiums being offered in Spring 2016. Students will be able to review syllabi and understand the courses in person.

“We hope more students will be able to know the Honors professors and recommend these courses by word of mouth. The only Honors professors I know are the ones I’ve taken, so I think it will be a unique experience,” said Joe Hannon, vice president of SHC.

Valerie Weingart, president of SHC, came up with the idea after taking a colloquium with a professor she had previously taken in the Honors College.

“Based on the PDF, I wouldn’t have read the course description and immediately thought, ‘Yeah, I want to take this!’ I took it because I loved the professor,” Weingart said.

When she asked friends and faculty if there would be any interest in having an event like this, Weingart said she was met with warm reception, especially from the professors.

“The course is more than the paragraph, it’s the person behind it. The students can meet the professor firsthand and be inspired, and professors can have students who want to be there. Everyone benefits,” Weingart said.

Reflections on the Humanities Sequence

4/30/2015

All Honors students must take the humanities sequence (HONRS 201, 201, & 203). This experience, however, may be completely different for each student who goes through the sequence, as there are several different professors who teach the course. Dr. Paul Ranieri, a professor in the English Department, has taught the entire sequence 15 times since 1985. News & Notes interviewed Ranieri on his approach to teaching the course. Here is what students can expect if they decide to take the humanities sequence with him.

As told to Mary Cox

News & Notes: What’s your favorite part of getting to teach the sequence?
Ranieri: I get to take advantage of my liberal arts/liberal education background. I also love seeing how ideas merge together and evolve over long stretches in history. I really enjoy intellectual history, or the history of ideas.

N&N: Has how you teach the course changed over the years? In what way?
R: It hasn’t changed in a general sense; my experience has just allowed me to integrate more deeply ideas and examples. I have always taken the approach that this is a history of ideas sequence, a way to see how ideas we work with today have evolved over the last 2500 years or so. Sometimes we fall into what Thoreau says are intellectual ruts that become “automatic” for us—they seem “normal,” the way humans should always view reality. Hopefully seeing how ideas have been conceived in the past helps us recognize how to get out of our “ruts” today, to think creatively and constructively. Of course, the other side of the teaching equation is the students. On that side I have always expected students to decide how these ideas relate to them. That is why my major assignments are all writing assignments—even the exams. On each of my honors syllabi is the quote, “Relating the self to the social and natural worlds, actively or reflectively, does seem to be the central aim of most traditions of liberal education. . . . “ (Sheldon Rothblatt, The Living Arts: Comparative and Historical Reflections on Liberal Education) So, in the end, that is the goal of every honors class I teach and why I give honors students choices about what to write about—choices in ideas and in texts to address.

N&N: How do you decide what material to cover and which authors to read for each section?
R: When I first started teaching, most sequence classes were taught by English faculty using only literature texts. We use literature, history texts, political texts, some history of science texts, and non-fiction essays. This is all tied to my interdisciplinary tendencies. I supplement with contemporary readings for Blackboard discussions or for class discussions in order to bring up-to-date the ideas we are dealing with, especially to show the relevance of ideas from past times and cultures to today.

N&N: How do you prepare for each class period?
R: First, I always read the material—every time—with very few exceptions in a semester. Then I go over pages of past notes and supporting articles looking for “entry points” to a reading that can start discussion or tease out critical ideas needed to understand this reading in context of past or future readings. I also note what aspects of the readings have to be mentioned in class because they are key to this text, or because they look back or forward to other material we have or will cover. Then, I look at my past URL’s and at the history book to see if there are artifacts that could be used to tie to the ideas or provide an entry point to the discussions. Then I go into class and launch with my starting points, trying to let the students guide the discussion on where it should and will go. After class I go over my notes to see if anything crucial was missed that needs to be “cleaned up” or mentioned at the start of the next class.

N&N: What is your goal for each class period?
R: Four things:

To advance the history of ideas another little step, tying back to past classes when possible and previewing future ideas when relevant.
To engage as many students as possible in the discussion knowing that some are thinking even when they don’t talk in class, and knowing some have not read the material as they should have.
To always remember my key goals for the whole sequence.
To have some fun and laugh when we can. N&N: What do you think are the most important ideas discussed in each section as well as through all three sections?

N&N: How is your teaching approach/style different for honors courses vs. non-honors courses, if at all?
R: It is more reflective, more focused on the advancing level of developmental thought.

N&N: What is the main thing that you want students to take away with them at the end of the sequence?
R: That the focus of learning at this level is on each of them. The heart of liberal education is that no learning takes place unless each student integrates ideas in to his/her own ways of thinking and then into his/her own actions. For the Greeks they sought a clarity between Thought→Words→Actions. That effort to clarify the first two (“logos”) and the integrate “logos” into actions defines each person’s ethos and arête (excellence). What that means is that no learning takes place that I as instructor can “force” on students. That is why all my major assignments are writing and why I need discussion in the classroom. I cannot force discussion or force intellectual integration of Thought→Words→Actions. I can foster an environment for that to occur and I can model that myself, but no learning takes place unless it is voluntarily done by each student. As a faculty member that is both “freeing” and “constraining.”

N&N: Anything else you’d like to add?
R: Since ancient times, learning has relied on modeling. I try to exhibit the same respect for language and expression that I require from students (including their right to express themselves, but also the need in a democracy to listen and respond to others in a civil manner). The highest level of advanced thinking is speculation. Advanced students have few opportunities to sustain speculative thought in today’s higher educational system. I give Honors students that chance and most of them thrive on it. ... We are all “texts” for a class. In this light it is both amusing and frustrating that students often treat the humanities sequence as less important than their disciplinary courses. In fact, those courses only take on their real meaning in context of what learning occurs in the honors humanities sequence.

Colloquium Students Add to Museum Exhibit

2/23/2015

Last semester, 15 students learned about wildlife conservation by examining the extinction of the passenger pigeon 100 years ago. Their efforts culminated in a project that added to a museum exhibit, which was on display at Minnetrista for four months.

Six days remain for visitors to see the exhibit Ball State students helped design, on display now through Sunday at Minnetrista.

“Gone But Not Forgotten: What We’ve Learned from the Passenger Pigeon’s Extinction,” was an Honors College Colloquium last semester in which 15 students, under the guidance of professors Barb Stedman and Kamal Islam, added to a traveling museum exhibit initially developed at the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History.

It teaches about passenger pigeons, a species that became extinct in 1914. The course was actually developed in recognition of the 100-year-anniverary of their extinction.

“It was amazing to see how there were so many of them – billions, actually – and then they ended up extinct,” Sarah Klemm, a senior music education major who took the colloquium as her last Honors class, said.

Klemm said that when she signed up for the class, she, like many who have accompanied her to see the exhibit she helped create, thought passenger pigeons were carrier pigeons, the type famous for delivering messages. In actuality, passenger pigeons are most often noted for their sheer numbers; historical sources state they used to travel in flocks so large they blocked out the sun.

Largely due to overhunting, the species eventually became extinct. Colloquium students added details to the exhibit to help visitors feel the impact. For example, upon entering the gallery, visitors are invited to take an origami pigeon from a basket. Later, they realize their simple action contributes to the eventual depopulation of the entire basket.

“It was a very poetic way of impressing upon visitors that each individual can make an impact on the bigger picture,” biology professor and course co-instructor, Kamal Islam, said. “It was something that just floored me: the ideas students came up with to enhance the exhibit.”

Other student enhancements include a large hanging mobile, a station for visitors to draw and color images to celebrate the passenger pigeons and a flute piece dedicated to the pigeons, composed by Klemm.

“I wanted to write something that reminded me of the birds,” she said. “The sections where it’s choppy are supposed to represent the birds trying to fly away from enemies and people trying to get at them.”

The exhibit was unveiled in November, along with a presentation by Joel Greenberg, the author of A Feathered River Across the Sky, the main text studied by students in the colloquium. It is located in Gallery 2, on the second floor of the main Minnetrista building. Admission is $5.

Story and photos by Victoria Ison

Senior Thesis Gives Honors House Outdoor Seating

2/21/2015

A construction management major put his carpentry skills to use in a senior thesis meant to give back to the Honors College and explore what it means to be an artisan.

Honors students with a case of spring fever will have a reprieve from now on. One student’s senior thesis is making it easier to hold class outside, professors permitting.

“Zen and the Art of Woodworking,” Mark Manship’s senior thesis, involved a creative project component: eight benches that fold into four picnic tables, a gift for the Honors House patio.

“I wanted to leave something with the Honors College,” Manship said. “This falls within things that I’ve studied and the career path I’ve had in the past.”

Manship spent a total of 64 hours cutting lumber, sawing, sanding and painting the furniture, which he installed Jan. 2 with the help of his oldest son.

“They’re solid,” professor Timothy Berg, Manship’s thesis advisor, said. “I’m really looking forward to [taking] my classes outside more now that there is seating.”

Berg said the Honors House’s back patio has “suffered” from a lack of seating, in part because of security reasons. Manship’s white benches, which offer a seating capacity of 24, are sturdy, deterring theft.

“I want students to go out there and utilize them,” Manship said. “I hope we get years and years of use out of them.”

Manship, a 35-year-old construction management major and father of three, works full-time as a project engineer for Automated Logic Inc. in Muncie. (For more on Manship and another video about his life experience, follow this link. See a previous News & Notes story about Manship as a nontraditional student here.)

The title of his thesis is derived from the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and compares two styles of thinking as applied to carpentry: individual artistry work vs. mass-production. The written portion, which is still in progress, will include an interview with representatives from Sauder Woodworking Company, a leader in the ready-to-assemble furniture industry.

Manship admits he’s partial to the artisan style. His home is full of his own work: the dining room table, entertainment center, even a dresser for his son’s bedroom.

“That’s where my passion lies,” Manship said. “If you put in one door or a hundred doors, it’s always the same motion and the only benefit is if you get faster or more efficient. But when you’re making an artisan piece, there’s just a lot more personal attachment to the work.”

Manship holds a similar attitude toward education, something that Berg said he immediately noticed.

“Sometimes, when people return to college later in life and they have a family and a job and are trying to better their careers, taking the time to focus on the humanities and other courses we offer in the Honors College can seem like an unnecessary luxury,” Berg said. “We focus on big ideas, on what makes us human, on how we should live. Mark saw the value in that. … I really appreciate his commitment to giving back.”

Editor's note: News & Notes would like to collect photos of students and faculty using the benches. Submit yours in an email to [email protected].

Story, photos and video by Victoria Ison
Additional photos by Casey Picillio and Mark Manship