Take advantage of the opportunities for extra-curricular activities, interaction with each other, and further exploration of English by enrolling in my honors seminars in the Honors Scholar Program (HSP), the Honors Berkeley Program (HB), or the Honors Enrichment Program (ES). HSP students must take English 201HSP while they are enrolled in English 201.   Students who are not in the Honors Scholar Program but who are thinking of transferring to UC Berkeley must take the seminar so that UCB will honor their having credit in English 201.  Finally, everyone else enrolled in any English 201 class this semester may participate in this enriching experience and earn honors Enrichment Seminar (ES) credit as long as there is room.  Honors English 201 students may be enrolled in any section of English 201 offered during the semester.   I can be reached at the college anytime (extension 6221).

Meeting Place and Times:  We will be meeting on eight Wednesday afternoons 3:30-5:20 p.m. on the Oceanside campus in room 3511.  The dates of our  meetings are as follows: 1/30, 2/13, 2/27, 3/12, 3/26, 4/9, 4/23, and 5/21.  (Note:  There is another section of Honors English 201 offered by Holly Ordway, with eight Thursday afternoon seminars; contact the Honors Office at 760-795-6878 for more information about scheduling and substance.) 

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 Seminar Topic:  LOVE
    Ancient and Modern

Many people say that one of the most important things in life is love, but few people stop to study it, or even spend much time getting to understand what it means. This honors seminar, back by popular demand, is your opportunity to step out of your busy world and stop for a while to focus on love.  We will explore the definition of love, various types of love, the myths and the realities.  We will read and discuss Plato's Symposium (the Gill translation) and one other full-length book (such as Erich Fromm's The Art of Loving).  Always we will make connections between what we read and our individual observations and experiences.  Is love an emotion or an action?  Where does love come from?   Is love a god or a chemical?  Is love vital to human life, or is it just another "second-hand emotion"?  Do you "fall" in love or "rise" with love?   Why do people talk about being "completed" by their "other half"?  Join us for an exciting semester considering these and other questions about love. 

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Information about the Honors Scholar Program (HSP).  If you have earned a "B" or better in English 100, and have completed requirements for application, you can join the Honors Scholar Program.  The benefits are too many to mention!  See the Honors Scholar Website for more about the program.  To earn HSP credit for English 201, you participate in all seminars, briefly report on and evaluate these activities, extend the research paper you write for your parent class, and complete other requirements as outlined in the Honors English 201 addendum.

Information about Honors Berkeley (HB).  If you are not in the Honors Scholar Program, but you plan to transfer to the University of California at Berkeley (or you are thinking about applying to Berkeley), you may need to take the honors seminar along with your English 201 class because under some circumstances UCB will not accept MiraCosta's English 201 for GE credit unless you have an "HB" designation on your transcript. For example, Berkeley will accept our English 201 for general-education credit if a student transfers under IGETC to the School of Arts and Letters; however, if the student wishes to transfer to another school or program at Berkeley, then HB credit may be required with English 201.  Please check with the Transfer Center (760-795-6880) for more details if you plan to transfer to UCBerkeley, or even if you are just thinking about it. To earn HB credit for English 201, you complete the same requirements as those for HSP students.  ( Note for students in the Honors Scholar Program who also intend to transfer to Berkeley: English 201HSP is considered the equivalent to HB where Berkeley requires HB.) 

Information about the Honors Enrichment Seminars (ES). To earn enrichment credit, you participate enrichment seminars and activities (you may miss up to four of these hours and still earn enrichment credit), briefly report on and evaluate these activities, and do an individual project or report related to something that interests you in the topic of the seminar--something new or something you have been working on and would like to complete or continue (this project or report can be delivered orally, in writing, online, or in some other form) and may be different from the writing requirements for HSP and HB students.  If you can't attend a scheduled meeting, you can still join in other seminars. There's no drop deadline, no penalty for not completing any aspect of the Honors Enrichment Seminar, and no fees for enrolling. You can participate in whatever level best meets your needs. If you meet these ES requirements and also earn an "A" or "B" in English 201, you will receive "Enrichment Seminar" (ES) designation on your transcript; this designation sets your transcript apart from others in that it shows you participated in the MiraCosta College honors program.

Benefits of participation in the MiraCosta College Honors Seminars.  As a seminar participant, you get an enriched experience of the course, more direct personal contact with the teacher and with classmates, opportunities to study topics of special interest to you in a small seminar setting, an audience for your own creative work in the field and encouragement to develop that work, opportunities for expanded discussion and exploration of class concepts, additional help on concepts studied in the regular class, interaction with other highly motivated students like yourself, social activities related to the course, involvement in an expanded learning community, field trips, honors forums, recognition at the President’s Luncheon; and as a result of the honors designation on your transcript, you gain an advantage in competition for scholarships and admission to universities.

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If you'd like to participate, email me at <ENGL201GF@miracosta.edu>, call me at the college (extension 6221), see me after class, or visit me at the office (click on Access). top of page

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Gloria Floren, English section of the Letters Department, MiraCosta College, One Barnard Drive, Oceanside, California 92056. U.S.A.
E-mail <ENGL201GF@miracosta.edu>.    Created 26 August 1996.  Revised 22 January 2008.
Contents Copyright 1996-2008. Gloria L. Floren. All rights reserved.
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