HON 110:  Cultural and Service Requirements

As a requirement of the Honors Freshman Seminar, we offer you the opportunity to learn about cultural and service/volunteer activities in the Wilmington area and on campus!  To be in good standing* in the Honors Scholars Program, you need to do the following:

Cultural Activities:  3 cultural activities and reactions required Fall semester/ 2 more required Spring semester	Service/Volunteer Projects- 2 service projects and reactions required Fall semester
As a first year student in the Honors Program, you are expected to attend at least 5 different cultural activities at UNCW or in the Wilmington area during the academic year.  As part of your HON 110 class requirements, you are expected to attend at least 3 of the five this fall semester.  You will write a short reaction (1-2 typed pages) to each activity and turn that in to your HON 110 instructor.  For the other two activities (in the Spring), please turn in your reactions to your HON 110 instructor.  Please remember that we have many free events on campus and in the community.  Also Honors students can obtain vouchers or tickets for some events.  Come by the Honors Office.  We encourage group attendance at these activities.	As honors students in high school, you were  typically involved in volunteer opportunities such as tutoring, environmental awareness projects. etc.  As part of your HON 110 class, we urge you to find new ways to volunteer in your new community! You are expected to participate in at least two different service activities (involving a minimum of 4 hours of service) in the Fall semester.   One of these can be a class-related group activity.   You will need to turn in a typed reaction to each service experience, 1-2 pages in length, to your HON 110 instructor.   Please note:  Volunteer activities must be done in the Wilmington area to meet this class requirement.
To earn full credit, you need to note the activity name, the date of the activity, briefly describe what you did, then react to the experience by answering the following questions:      How was this a new cultural experience for you?  How did this activity help you learn more about the arts, history, traditions, norms of the campus or the Wilmington area?  What did you learn?  Did you learn anything new about the area, residents of Wilmington, or yourself through this activity?  Is this an activity that you'd like to do again?  One that you would recommend to others?  You can certainly include other comments as well.  You must attend 3 different types of cultural events (NOT 3 Cinematique movies, for example.)	To earn full credit, you need to note the activity, the date of the activity, briefly describe what you did, then react to the experience by answering the following questions:      How did this activity serve the UNCW or Wilmington community?  Did you learn anything new about the area, residents of Wilmington, or yourself through this activity?  Is this a volunteer activity that you'd like to do again?  One that you would recommend to others?  You can certainly include other comments as well.
Why are "Cultural Activities" required?  One definition of "culture" that describes the class philosophy is: "The shared values, traditions, norms, customs, arts, history, institutions, and experience of a group of people."  So this is your chance to learn about the norms, customs, arts, history, etc. that are important at UNCW and in Wilmington.  You should try something new to expand your horizons!	Some Volunteering Ideas:  Tutoring (Learning Center, Math Lab); Service Plunges (Center for Leadership Studies coordinates these); Service projects with clubs (like Honors Scholars Association).  More ideas:  http://www.uncw.edu/stuaff/leadserv/
Examples of Cultural activities: Speakers on Campus- see for example--- Leadership Lecture Series:  http://www.uncw.edu/stuaff/presents/Lecture.htm Also check Departments for lectures. Culture/History of Wilmington:  Cape Fear Museum, Carriage Rides/ Historic Tours Downtown, Fort Fisher Museum Arts:  Cinematique, Louise Wells Cameron Art Museum, gallery shows (New Elements, NOFO), Wilmington Symphony, Thalian Hall Productions, UNCW Theatre productions, campus art exhibits Link to many of the Cultural and Arts events/programs on campus: http://www.uncw.edu/stuaff/presents/performing-calendar.htm    including the Leadership Lecture Series and Arts in Action River/Sea/Animals:  NC Aquarium, Wilmington Serpentarium, Henrietta Riverboat cruise and historic tour A long way gone activities~!  http://www.uncw.edu/commonreading/events.htm What doesn't ~count~: ACE movies on campus (unless there is a formal discussion afterwards) movies in local theatres most religious services sports events eating out at a new restaurant (unless part of the cultural dinners series) going to the beach or parks local festival street fairs (e.g. Riverfest and Azalea Festival) service activity going to hear a band at a club activities outside the Wilmington area, except for one cultural reaction based on your Lyceum activity	*Definition of "good standing" and why it’s important -- Students must complete all service/cultural requirements for Honors 110 as part of the course and as part of their continued good standing in the Honors Program.  Only students in good standing are considered for merit scholarships (new or renewal) and priority registration.