Course Description

If there's any substantive purpose to these proceedings, they concern the notion of identification. By this, I refer to the relation between one's self-conception and one's group affiliations. Unsurprisingly, this notion recurs in Khaled Hossein's Kite Runner. After all, identification permeates modern life across cultures. Nationalism, patriotism, even sports fanaticism exemplify identification. We identify and classify ourselves and others along other dimensions as well, including religion, gender, ideology, political party, sexual preference, and ethnicity.

Social categories and their associated stereotypes are not, in and of themselves, pathological. Just as we use natural categories to make sense of the natural world, We use social categories as heuristics to order the social world. Troubles arise not from the use of social categories, but in the use of categories with distorted, unjust contents.

The university understands itself (among other things) as a site at which many, previously insulated, identities come into close contact with one another. It strives in its recruitment of students, faculty, and staff to foster this diversity of identities. It does so because the interaction of difference encourages the production of substantive novelty and inhibits the formation of parochial limitation. I believe it was Linda Alcoff, SU Professor of Philosophy and Director of our Women's Studies program, who wrote that "the justification of diversity in the academy is not sentimental, it is epistemological." I realize that this paragraph may be about as clear as mud for many of you, so ask me about it if you're interested.

As our seminar proceeds, we will explore this diversity by examining our similarities with and differences from others as well as theirs with and from us. We need not limit ourselves to the identity dimensions noted above, of course. As we explore the University environment, we'll inquire into the disciplinary and role identities that emerge there. Likewise, as we venture off campus, we will examine the identity nexus that surrounds the town/gown relationship.

All the while, I'd like you to maintain an on-line journal. In this journal you would jot down your thoughts about your classes, your friends, your exhilirations, your exasperations, your surprises, your disappointments, your extacies, your pains, your happinesses, your sadnesses, your poetry, anything at all. Tell me how you're doing today. Please take time out every day to jot something down. On Monday evenings or Tuesday mornings, email me your new journal entries at gduffy@syr.edu. You can express yourself freely in these journals. I will keep their contents confidential. As a group, we will have many activities. As indicated in the course schedule below, several speakers will discuss University resources available to students. As well, representatives of the Honors Program will visit to discuss the Honors requirements. We will venture around campus to hear several nationally and internationally renowned speakers, and we'll also attend musical and dramatic performances.

A most popular HNR 100 event is the seminar dinner. This year, we will venture to the newly renovated Genessee Grande Hotel for a dinner on (date). And, OK I'm considering this . . . . If I can be checked out on the University van, perhaps we can venture out to the countryside one day to pick apples. Any interest?

You should see this seminar as an opportunity to interact informally with a faculty member (me) and a more advanced honors student (Nida), to ask questions you might not otherwise ask and to express concerns you might otherwise not express. The general idea is to get to know each other, to inform ourselves about the resources of the community, both on and off campus, and to discuss issues regarding the life of the mind and your transition to this new environment, All the while, we want to have as much fun as possible.

As this is a one-credit course, I will not assign much reading or written work. We will have a few exercises, but nothing so back-breaking that it would interfere with your "real" courses. The seminar ends around Thanksgiving, so it should not interfere at all with your final exams and projects. Your HNR 100 grade will be based entirely on your participation in seminar. You can expect to pass if you play along and be a good citizen.

Suggested Course Schedule

August 29

Course Introduction

We review the syllabus, exchange email addresses, and the like. We also will discuss practical questions at this session concerning, for instance, studying, budgeting time, faculty expectations, academic integrity, and the role of TAs.

September 5

Autobiographical Excursions

Students will come to seminar with prepared answers to questions about their aspirations, their personal influences, their long-suits, and their shortcomings. We will discuss them.

September 12

Discussion of Jane Goodall's work

If I can wrest the DVD from all the First-Year Forum instructors who will want to show it, I will show a PBS special on Jane Goodall.

September 18

Milton Lecture

Jane Goodall speaks to all first-year students in Goldstein Auditorium, We will meet on campus and walk over together as a group.

September 19

Spatial Ethnographies I and Seminar Dinner

Student teams will report on their investigations of social life in campus buildings. We will discuss them over dinner at the Genessee Grande.

September 26

Ravi Shankar and Anoushka Shankar Concert

Instead of class, we'll meet for an 8:00 pm sitar performance by Ravi Shankar and his daughter Anoushka. Ravi Shankar is a very well-known sitarist, having profoundly influenced the Beatles in the 1960s. He is also father of Nora Jones.

October 4

Around the World in 80 Days

We will meet at Syracuse Stage for a performance of this play, based upon the novel by Jules Verne.

Note that this is a Wednesday meeting. Syracuse Stage is located on the corner of Crouse and Genessee. The campus shuttle to the warehouse stops there, but if it's a nice evening it's an easy walk.

The Honors Program usually provides a speaker beforehand. The times are not yet firmed, but we will meet when the speaker is scheduled, not necessarily as early as 5:00pm. You can expect the play to end sometime around 10:00pm.

October 10

The Library

Elaine Coppola of Bird Library will take us on a tour of the Library and introduce us its facilities, both on-line and off-line. You should come prepared with questions about how to research topics for your class projects.

October 17

Wangaru Maathai

As part of the Syracuse Symposium, this winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and founder of the grassroots Green Belt movement will speak to us In Hendricks Chapel. Ms. Maathai is noted internationally for her visionary work in saving public forests. Her talk is titled "Sustainable Development, Democracy, and Peace: A Critical Link."

Note that this talk begins at 4:30.

October 24

Eid Ul-Fitr

No classes

October 25

Elizabeth Kolbert

This is the Honors First-Year Lecture.

Note that this lecture will be held on a Wednesday evening at 7:30 in Hendricks Chapel.

October 31

Syracuse Symphony

Instead of our usual seminar, you can use the classtime to study (I'll distribute Halloween candy at home) and then at 8:00 we'll all go to Setnor auditorium at Crouse College to hear the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra.

November 7

Honors Requirements

Either Hanna Richardson or Eric Holzworth will visit our seminar to discuss the Honors requirements. Be prepared to ask how you can satisfy multiple requirements with the same set of actions.

November 14

Spatial Ethnographies II

Student teams will report on their investigations of social life in downtown buildings.

November 21

Questions of Identity

Discussion of the development of identity in Kite Runner and in students' personal lives. How has the college experience affected your personal identity? How has it changed, or failed to change, you?

November 28

Study Abroad

Representatives of SU Abroad will speak to us about Study Abroad opportunities for SU honors students.

As this is the last seminar session, we will also sum up your experiences over the semester

The most recent version of this document is available at http://web.syr.edu/~gavan/hnr100f06.html.