Honors students at Penn State Harrisburg may be in different majors, but they will collide in a class called Honors 301H: The Role of Knowledge in Society. A class trip is usually one of the most attractive components of this special course. In Fall 2013, the class is currently in Pittsburgh with Honors Program Director Dr. Ronald Walker and Honors Program Assistant Director Dr. Martha Strickland. While other Honors graduates traveled to the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Virginia with Dr. Margaret Jester, Associate Professor of English and Humanities, the Spring 2013 class explored Washington D.C and Baltimore with Drs. Charles Kupfer and John Haddad, Associate Professors of American Studies.
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| Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. |
A group of fourteen Honors students from American Studies, Business, Communications, Electrical Engineering, English, Life Science, Political Science, and Psychology completed Dr. Kupfer's Honors 301H. Although three of us could not make it to the class trip due to conflicts of schedules, all of us had lots of fun in class discussing knowledge acquisition problems and solutions from the past, present, and future. In particular, Dr. Kupfer introduced arete, an ancient Greek concept in which the appreciation of "things that hang together in proportion is intrinsically beautiful." This idea permeated our class throughout the semester. Our knowledge was enriched through reading books of various subjects and genres, appreciating music and videos, writing papers, and applying what we learned in small group presentations.
We embarked on our highly anticipated journey to Washington D.C. on April 5, 2013. Our first stop was the National Portrait Gallery where we were greeted by many famous faces like the American Presidents, writer Harriet Beecher Stowe, poet Langston Hughes, and social reformer Frederick Douglass while enjoying a private tour with historian Mr. David Ward. Then, we walked to the Library of Congress, the largest library in the world. We could have spent all day marveling at its architecture, sculptures, exhibits, and rare books collection. In the evening, we immersed in a world class concert by the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
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| Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland. |
After a good night's rest at the Capital Hyatt Regency Hotel, we headed to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland the next day. Not only was it Dr. Kupfer's alma mater, but it was also the first American university to adopt the German model of research and seminar-style lectures which revolutionized knowledge production in higher education ever since, as Dr. Kupfer mentioned. Before we set out to the Inner Harbor on our own, we had pizza at Dr. Kupfer's favorite PJ's Pub (don't worry, we did not consume any alcohol) and discovered an offbeat attraction, the American Visionary Art Museum, where avant-garde and visionary artists created many a thought provoking art works.
Although most of us have visited Washington D.C. and Baltimore before, we did not venture into these eye-opening experiences. First-timers to both cities found the trip pleasant and exciting. This knowledge tour was memorable, and we could not agree more!
By Rosemary Yee
