Newsletter        

November 2008

In This Issue

·    Free Tickets Still Available

·    Philadelphia Trip

·    VOTE

·    Sophomore Essay Presentations

·    Macu Study Program

·    Volunteers Needed

·    Win a Java City Coupon

·    T-shirt Available

·    Culture and Nature in Russia

·    Hooking UP

Contact Us

http://www.susqu.edu/honors

Co-Directors:

Dr. Simona Hill

Dr. Karen Mura

Administrative Assistant

Mrs. Wendy Davis

Newsletter Editor

Melissa Goodrich

Sophomore Essay Presentation & Reception: December 1, 2008

Everyone is invited! 

The evening will be divided into a student panel presentation from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in Isaacs Auditorium, including time for questions, followed by a reception from 7:30-8:30 p.m. in the Lobby and University Lounge.  At the reception, you will have the opportunity to see student posters and PowerPoint presentations of their research, as well as enjoy assorted refreshments. 

Please RSVP by November 24^th to Wendy Davis at x4520 or whdavis@susqu.edu.

Macau Study Program: If Interested Respond NOW!

Dr. Shari Jacobson (Associate Professor of Anthropology) will be this year’s director of the SU in Macau program. Macau, an hour by ferry from Hong Kong, is on the southern coast of China. A former Portuguese colony that is now part of China, Macau has charming cobblestone streets, Catholic churches, high-rise apartment buildings, 5-star hotels, and bustling Chinese markets. The University of Macau, at which students will take classes, is a first-rate institution with faculty and students from around the world. Dr. Jacobson speaks Chinese and has lived and taught in China, and frequently teaches courses in our Honors Program. Join her and fellow SU students for this unique opportunity to learn more about China as it joins the global economic and cultural community. Airfare and a study tour through Southeast Asia are already included in the cost of the program, which is similar to an average semester at SU. Housing and food are inexpensive. For more information, please contact Dr. Scott Manning, Director of Overseas Programs (manning@susqu.edu) or Dr. Shari Jacobson (jacobson@susqu.edu). The deadline has passed but if you are interested in attending the program, please contact Dr. Jacobson as soon as possible for more information.

Volunteers Needed

Honor’s Program senior Kristin Catena is in need of student volunteers for focus groups on campus housing.  All information from the groups will be kept confidential and will be used for a senior research project in sociology.  Each group will last about an hour and each student need only commit to one group.  Please contact catena@susqu.edu to sign up for a group.  The dates and times are listed below and all groups will be held in Bogar 007.  Focus Group Times:
Monday 11/3 5:00 pm; Wednesday 11/5 5:00 pm; Sunday 11/9 5:00 pm

TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE!

The Diwali festival, also known as the “Festival of Light,” is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains, whose lights symbolize the victory of righteousness and the lifting of spiritual darkness – the triumph of goodness over evil within every human individual.  A festival of thanksgiving, each individual praises the Goddess Laksmi for the wealth she has bestowed, since wealth in Indian culture is the embodiment of karma, and signifies one’s reward for good deeds from a past life. 

On Saturday November 8, a lecture and demonstration are being held in the Degenstein Theatre to celebrate this facet of Indian culture at 6:00 in the evening, followed by a Diwali Dinner in the cafeteria at 7:00.  Tickets are going fast, provided to honors’ students free of charge, courtesy of the Honor’s Program.  They are awarded on a first come, first served basis.  Email Wendy Davis at whdavis@susqu.edu to reserve your ticket today.

Philadelphia Museum of Art Trip: November 15, 2008

TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE!

With over 200 exquisite galleries exhibiting masterpieces from Renaissance master paintings to French Impressionism to modern and contemporary pieces, one is simply overwhelmed by the magnitude and exquisiteness of artworks homed in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  A day trip to the museum is scheduled for Saturday November 15 (bus leaves at 7:00 am) to enjoy and explore the available exhibitions.  Lunch will be provided at the Museum, after an 11:00 am (1 hour) tour of the “Quilt Stories: The Ella King Torrey Collection of African American Quilts” exhibition, featuring thirteen examples sew together in the 1980’s including a “word quilt” and a “hand quilt.”  At 5:00 pm sharp, students will be corralled back onto the bus, which is expected to return to the Susquehanna campus sometime after 9:00 that evening.  There will be a stop somewhere along the return trip for dinner at the student’s own expense.  Bus seats and Museum tickets are reserved on a first come, first serve basis.  Email Wendy Davis at whdavis@susqu.edu to reserve your place.

Culture & Nature in Russia: An Experience by Lauryn Hanzl ‘09

Last summer, I journeyed to Russia for six weeks to study the relationship between culture and nature.  We visited villages that consisted of only five cottages, lived in the old city of Yaroslavl, and journeyed to the more modernized cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg.  Being an outsider, where the language was completely foreign to me, I was unsure of correct protocol to simply cross a street, and learned that even so simple a gesture as pointing could be considered rude.  But I was struck by how much closer the people of Russia are to nature than we are in America.  Nature is a way of life in Russia.  I also learned that just because people have a passion for nature does not mean they have the applicable knowledge to actually care for it.  On the weekends, people of all ages go to dacha, a tiny cottage sitting amongst vast gardens of vegetables, berries, flowers and fruits.  The people there cultivate and pick vegetables and fruits to make their own jam, compote, and other Russian dishes.  There is an unspoken contract of environmental preservation between people and nature, and a willingness to learn about nature, that is slowly making itself known in the Russian consciousness.  Ultimately, however, I learned that being in a foreign country, as well as being a member of this global community, means being able to open your eyes to other cultures, experiencing them, and learning to understand them.  

Honors Program T-Shirts Available

There are many Honors Program t-shirts available.  If you would like one, 

please email Honor’s Program student worker Melissa Goodrich 
goodrich@susqu.edu your name, graduating year, campus 

 mail box number, and your preferred size.

Call for Article Submissions:
                          Win a Java City Coupon!

 Anyone and everyone in the Honor’s Program is invited to submit little blips of their experiences in the Honor’s Program, share a reaction from a speaker or event they had attended, or share blurbs from their work in their classes.  We’re doing our best to make this newsletter not only for you but compiled, in part, by you.  Don’t hesitate to submit short paragraphs to whdavis@susqu.edu for our consideration.  Win a Java City coupon and have your article highlighted in the next newsletter for sharing your contribution!