HON 110:  Honors Freshman Seminar

Journals: Your reflection on your first semester

Why?

Keeping a journal of your first semester experience can be a treasure you revisit your entire life.  You may already find it is hard to remember what you were thinking as a child.  As you start your college career and later your professional life and a family of your own, you will find it is hard to remember what you were thinking, dreaming, and maybe even worrying about as a freshman.  The journal you keep for HON 110 should focus on your intellectual life, but since this is also a time your social life is changing, we will address topics concerning your adjustment to these changes as well.  Please keep your journal after the semester is over!  Better yet, continue it throughout your college career.  

Format:

• 8 1/2" by 11" spiral bound notebook or theme notebook with "Honors 110 Journal" and your name on it.  IF you need to type instead of hand-write, you must get a binder to hold all journal entries- and all entries must be turned in each time.
• Date each entry clearly and note which required journal entry it is (e.g. #1).
• You may find it helpful to choose a particular time to write in your journal and stick to that time whenever possible- for example, after lunch or late afternoon that you can react immediately to your daily experiences; after dinner, but before you begin a study period or hit the library; before you go to bed; early in the morning so that you can reflect on the previous day. 

How Evaluated:

• Collected approximately three times during the first half of the semester.
• Entries graded on quantity, quality, depth of content, and completion of all required entries listed in course calendar.
• SEAS:   Brown-Herbig     HAWKS: Hewitt-Vuncannon
• SEAS  Due Dates:  September 6,  September 20, & October 11
• HAWKS Due Dates:  September 13,  September 27, & October 11

What to Write:

• You should write in your journal at least three to four times a week, preferably everyday.   You are starting a very meaningful part of your lives and you will have lots of new experiences, lots of new questions, lots of insights.  This journal is a place you can use to explore some of your insights about college.  In that way, this journal may be different from diaries that you have kept before;  it is not meant to be a list of your daily activities (get a planner..) or a list of what you ate each day, or a "journal of the heart".  Reflect on your day and distill something important that happened from it.  This will not happen every day, but more often than not. There will be some great days both academically and socially, but if you have a bad day, think about what you might do to make tomorrow a better one. 
  • Write about at least one article from the New York Times related to Nature Nurture at least every other week... at least one page reaction.
  • Write about each of the required entries listed in your course calendar- at least 2  pages each. 
  • Write about at least 5 of the topics below at least once (2 pages).

1. Goals:  Why are you here?  What are your goals in attending college?  What's the difference between and education and a degree?  Is there anything you really want to know about?  Is there anything you have always wondered about?  What are the things that capture your  imagination?  How do you  find out how to find out more about these things?  What is your plan?

2. Independence: How are you coping with new freedoms associated with starting college?  Are there any unexpected concerns?  Over the semester, how has your perspective changed (or not)?

3. Learning Environments:  If you live in a dorm:  How am I turning my dorm environment into a study/learning environment?  How do I communicate my needs about this?  If you live at home: How have I structured a study environment?  What changes have been necessary?

4. Friendships:  What are ways that you can direct your new friendships  toward learning and enhancing your education?  E.g., what things can you do with your friends that will help you move beyond mall shopping escapades-- how about attending a campus lecture and discussion together-- visit the aquarium together-- check out the art museum?

5. Community:  What is your perfect community- your utopia?  What ideals are important to you?  Why?  What are problems and advantages of your perfect community?  Are you living in it now?  If not, why not?

6.  Making a Difference:  How can you make a difference and effect community change when necessary?  Are you registered to vote?  Why? Why not?  Have you joined any organizations at UNCW?  Why/Why not? Have you considered leadership positions?  Why/Why not?

7.  Opportunities and Challenges: What do you see as the new opportunities your college experience opens to you?  What should you do to optimize your experience and achieve your goals?  What worries you about your ability to succeed in college?  What specific measures can you take to strengthen yourself and dispel any self-doubt you may have?