Dr. Jim Ford
Honors Seminar
jford@rsu.edu
HONS 4113H
Office Phone: (918)
343-7749
M 12-1:15, F 1-2:15 p.m.
1-2 TR; 9-noon F;
and by appointment.
Prerequisite: HONS 3113, senior status.
Integration of
senior honors and degree curriculum with independent reading and research.
Inception and actualization of original, specialized project, designed to
investigate, analyze, and synthesize information in field of study, using skills
developed in the program(s). Written and oral presentation. Project may be
combined with capstone experience in degree program. Prerequisite: HONS 3113.
Albert Camus,
The
Plague. Knopf, 1991.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky,
Crime and
Punishment. Penguin, 2002.
Ernest Hemingway,
For Whom
the Bell Tolls. Scribner, 1995.
Charles Kimball,
When
Religion Becomes Evil. HarperOne,
2008.
Jon Krakauer,
Where Men
Win Glory. Anchor, 2010.
Barack Obama,
Dreams
From My Father. Crown, 2004.
George Orwell,
1984.
Penguin, 1950.
Randy Pausch,
The Last
Lecture. Hyperion, 2008.
Michael Pollan,
The
Omnivore’s Dilemma. Penguin, 2007.
Oliver Sacks,
An
Anthropologist on Mars. Vintage,
1996.
The books are
available at the RSU Bookstore in Claremore. Please have them before the
course begins.
HONORS PROGRAM MISSION
The Rogers State University Honors Program supports the larger vision and
mission of
The specific mission of the Rogers
State University Honors Program is to
provide an education in a collaborative, experiential, learning-based
environment of faculty and students and to produce graduates of the program who
act as agents of change in their academic, professional, and personal lives,
cultivate the community approach to life and learning, hold lasting commitments
to academic and social responsibility, integrate creative and critical thinking
in diverse approaches to problem-solving, embrace the principles and practices
of the life-long learner, value pluralism and informed civic discourse, and
explore technology and information literacy as critical resources for life in
the 21st Century.
This course will
emphasize discussion and writing. I will regularly suggest questions pertaining
to the material we will be discussing in the following class. Students should
come to class prepared to address these questions.
Always bring to class the book we are
discussing.
During this Capstone
course, every student will compile and present a portfolio that includes the
following:
Please note that
elements from a student’s capstone experience in the degree program may also be
utilized for this process. Further details will be discussed in class. I will
make final decisions regarding the appropriateness of any shared assignments on
a case-by-case basis.
Finally, students
will present their capstone projects orally at a date and time to be determined.
ATTENDANCE
As discussion is a
major portion of your grade (30%) as well as the heart of this class, your
attendance is required. One absence
will adversely affect your grade; two or more absences are grounds for
failure of the course as a whole.
Every student’s
final grade will be earned via the
following:
All
student work will be judged according to the following academic criteria:
GRADING SCALE
90-100 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
Other Details
Students are
expected to follow university policies as put forth in the institution’s
Student Code of Responsibilities and Conduct. In accordance with Title 12 of
The Student Code, instances of alleged academic misconduct will follow
the policies and procedures as described in Title 12. As a general rule, Faculty
at
Note especially RSU’s official plagiarism statement:
“Plagiarism is the representation of the words or ideas of another as one’s
own, including: direct quotation without both attribution and indication that
the material is being directly quoted, e.g. quotation marks; paraphrase without
attribution; paraphrase with or without attribution where the wording of the
original remains substantially intact and is represented as the author’s own;
expression in one’s own words, but without attribution, of ideas, arguments,
lines of reasoning, facts, processes, or other products of the intellect where
such material is learned from the work of another and is not part of the general
fund of common knowledge.” Deliberate plagiarism and/or other forms of cheating
are grounds for failure in the course as a whole.
NON-ACADEMIC
MISCONDUCT
In order to maintain
an effective learning environment, students are expected to fully comply with
The Student Code. Disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. It is the
responsibility of each student to read and become familiar with the policies of
The Student Code.
KEY DATES
Course Schedule
Jan 9
M
Introduction
Jan 13
F
Colleges that Change Lives:
“It’s Personal!”
Jan 16
M
The Last Lecture
Jan 20
F
Project Proposal Due
Jan 23
M
Crime and Punishment, Part I
Jan 27
F
Crime and Punishment, Parts
II-III
Feb 10 F
An Anthropologist on Mars,
p.153-End
Feb 13
M
For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ch.
1-11
Feb 17
F
For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ch.
12-26
Feb 20
M
For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ch.
27-End
Feb 24
F
Rough Draft of Reflective Paper Due
Feb 27 M
Dreams From My Father
Mar 2
F
“ “
Mar 5
M
The Plague/1984
Mar 9
F
“ “
Mar 12 M
NO CLASS
Mar 16 F
Rough Draft of Original Work Due
Mar 19-23
NO CLASS—SPRING BREAK
Mar 26 M
Where Men Win Glory/When
Religion Becomes Evil
Apr
2
M
The Omnivore’s Dilemma
Apr 6
F
“ “
Apr 9
M
Making Revisions
Apr 13
F
“ “
Apr 23
M
Final Considerations
Apr 27
F
Presentation Discussion
May 4 F
Final Meeting (note that this is during exam week)
This
schedule is subject to change as necessary.