A Quest for Identity

In many ways the human story has been and will continue to be a quest for identity.  How have we understood what it means to be human?  The Summerland Honors Program is structured upon the theme, A Quest for Identity, and will afford opportunities to explore this essential question from a number of vantages.  Indeed, each of the three years of paired, interdisciplinary courses focuses on a particular perspective concerning this quest for identity.  Year one studies the question from the perspective of the arts and humanities.  Year two examines the question through the lens of the natural sciences.  The third year probes the quest for identity from the perspective of the social sciences.  In each of the six honors courses, students will also participate in enrichment activities designed to engage them actively in their learning and to provide opportunities for them to apply their knowledge in service to the campus and local community.  Finally, an integrative capstone course in the senior year will ask students to reflect and build on the preceding three-year experience. 

Members of the Summerland Honors Community learn to weave a tapestry of understanding around any topic and to layer insight upon insight thereby achieving a breadth and depth of understanding.  Participants become independent learners who take responsibility for leading and sustaining study and discussion on any topic.  The service learning component provides even greater opportunities for growth and rewards.  Summerland Honors graduates are prepared and motivated for active citizenship, empowered and ready to assume positions of advocacy for social change as a way to make life more productive and meaningful for all of us.

An innovative curriculum and a spirited learning community enable participants to realize Newberry College’s institutional goals.  While educating the whole person, the Summerland Honors Program promotes the development of communication and critical thinking skills, as well as an emphasis on ethical awareness.

The Summerland Honors Programs Requirements

The below listed classes are required for completion of the Summerland Honors Program.  Students typically take one course each semester through their junior year while Honors 401 is the senior capstone experience.  Courses taken in the honors program will fulfill core requirement in the humanities, natural sciences and social sciences, as appropriate.

101:  In Search of Ourselves

102:  Images of the Human Soul

201:  Looking Through a Lens and Living in Harmony with Nature

202:  Science, Technology and Values, A Closer Look at Today and the Future

301:  A Not-So-Distant Mirror: The Past as Prologue

302:  Our Many Faces: Facing the Music

401:  The Human Character: Pulling It All Together

In order to become a graduate of the Summerland Honors Program, a student must have a cumulative 3.25 GPA in the Honors Program courses and in the general curriculum.  Successful completion of the Honors Program requirements is noted at graduation, recorded on the student’s transcript, designated on the student’s diploma, and recognized on a plaque hanging in Holland Hall.

The Campus Context

A private undergraduate liberal arts institution chartered in 1856, Newberry College is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  With a mission focused on educating the whole person, Newberry epitomizes the distinctive small-college amenities of personal attention, easy rapport between students and faculty, and a supportive environment for academic, personal, and social development.
·        Approximately 900 undergraduates enrolled
·        43% women and 57% men
·        90% of students receive financial aid
·        47 full-time faculty (supplemented by adjunct faculty)
·        Student/Faculty ratio 13:1
·        Degree Programs/Concentrations: B.A. (23), B.S. (11), B.M. (1), B.M.E. (2)
·        50 student organizations-social sororities, social fraternities, academic organizations, interest organizations, music organizations, religious organizations, student publications and media.

Work study opportunities on campus are available to students who qualify.

Scholarship Availability

Most Summerland Honors students receive Founders Scholarships or Presidential Achievement Awards; however, they are eligible for other Newberry College scholarships.

Newberry College is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age or sex.  Newberry College admits men and women students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin.  Newbery College is in compliance with Title IX of the Higher Education Act of 1972l Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; the Student Right-To-Know and Campus Security Act of 1990; and the Higher Education Technical Amendment of 1991.  Newberry College is authorized under Federal law to enroll non-immigrant alien students.

QUESTIONS?
If you have questions about admission into the Summerland Honors Program, please direct them to:
Dr. Charles Horn, Professor of Biology
Director of the Summerland Honors Program
Newberry College, 2100 College Street
Newberry, SC  29108
Office: Science and Math Building 223     Phone: 803-321-5257     E-mail: Charles.horn@newberry.edu

updated 13 September 2007   |  Summerland Honors home page  |  Newberry College website
Summerland Honors Program, Newberry College, 2100 College St., Newberry, SC  29108