Buies Creek, N.C. — Campbell University’s Honors program, previously a 12-hour course of study, has been restructured into a subject minor or 18-hour program. Students who once enrolled in the program for its academic challenge and enrichment can still receive these intangible benefits in a more tangible way, explained program directors Dr. Ann Ortiz and Bert Wallace.
“Students in the Honors program needed something more concrete to take with them after graduation than just being able to say ‘I completed the Honors program,’ said Ortiz. “With the Honors minor, the program will be recognized as a major field of study.”
But anyone who is familiar with the Honors program at Campbell understands the diversity and scope of the courses, and that hasn’t changed, said Wallace and Ortiz. From the earliest courses like a history of the Vietnam War taught by the late Dr. Walter Barge who created the program, to some of the latest offerings—German and French Fairy Tales and how pop culture is influenced by theology, history, literature, and the mass media—Honors students receive integrated, interdisciplinary instruction.
The Book of Genesis, for instance, currently the focus of the introductory course, Honors 101, is taught from a theological standpoint, but also from a scientific, literary, legal, historical, biological and environmental perspective by a variety of professors from these academic fields.
“This kind of instruction fosters critical thinking which includes analysis and synthesis of ideas” said Wallace. The Honors Program, now consisting of four semesters of interdisciplinary classes with an emphasis on service learning, has also always employed a variety of learning styles—from the Socratic Method to the seminar.
In addition, the program emphasizes spiritual life by tying service projects to learning through organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Noah’s Landing Animal Shelter, the Beacon Mission and Operation Inasmuch. Campbell’s Americorps VISTA member, Sara McCarthy, helps Ortiz and Wallace coordinate the service projects.
“We don’t just focus on a subject area, but how it relates to the whole of life,” said Ortiz. “This gives students the theoretical underpinning of service with the integration of academics.”
The curriculum is also always fluctuating, Wallace said. Sometimes courses are repeated, sometimes they are never taught again. Professors across the curriculum are invited to propose course ideas. At the “Capstone” or senior level of the program, students are assigned to do research similar to that of graduate courses. Under the guidance of a mentor professor, the students select a subject, compile research and present their research publically. A student who worked on a project dealing with the culture of Indonesia, for example, actually went to Indonesia and created a video. Another, who did research on education in China, traveled to that country and taught 120 hours worth of classes to Chinese students.
The Honors minor distinguishes students from the crowd, the professors agreed. It enhances scholarship and employment opportunities and is a springboard to graduate studies.
“You can’t put a price on the knowledge and understanding the students gain while they are in the program,” Ortiz said.
Photo Copy: Left to right: Honors students Luke Morales, Michael Tildsley, Stephanie Ricker and Kimberly McBrayer attend the 2009 Barge Colloquium, one of the unique features of the Honors program. The seniors had just finished giving their research or thesis presentations.