Acknowledgments

In all honesty, I cannot even begin to take sole credit for this evaluation. The development of this idea for an evaluation of the first Dean's Three Year Honors Program has been a shared one at every stage along the way. I am extremely grateful for all the help given to me over the course of this project--from the more formal critiques of my initial writing to the casual conversations which shaped my thinking so much. Every member of the Honors Program contributed to it in many ways, but there are several people whom I feel deserve individual acknowledgment.

Ana DeSantiago

Ana was the co-author of the concept for this project. Without our fateful series of focused discussions about the Program, this evaluation would never have come to be. For that day when we "got it" and knew this work had to be written, I am immensely thankful. Although she did not continue with the Honors Program, Ana's insight and perceptiveness got the ball rolling--this whole idea is as much hers as it is mine.

Charlie Park

Charlie's initiative and perceptiveness have been both an inspiration and a help throughout the development of this project. He was instrumental in writing the brief member descriptions, and our on-going exchange of ideas has shaped the whole of this evaluation more than he would admit.

Dr. Gose

There is no way to acknowledge Dr. Gose's help on this project adequately. As the director of the program, his thinking is so enmeshed with what is discussed here that it is difficult to separate the two. Let it suffice to simply say: He fostered the idea for this evaluation from its first conception, and encouraged me to pursue it at all points. His help, tolerance of ambiguity, perceptiveness, and carefulness to allow this to be my project have been invaluable.

Dedication

This evaluation is dedicated to the director and members of the Inaugural Dean's Three Year Honors Program at Seaver College of Pepperdine University. Innovation in higher education is a privilege afforded to few, but which requires much of those who elect to pursue it.

"Whoso would be a man, must be a non-conformist."

-Emerson, "Self Reliance"-

"...For we are inquiring not in order to know what virtue is, but in order to become good."

-Aristotle-

"That truth, having nothing to fear from investigation, should be pursued relentlessly in every discipline"

-Pepperdine Mission Statement-

"If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

-John 8:31a-32-

ARETE

Spirit of Excellence

Section One

"Aha!"

I must begin my story by going back to a day when Ana DeSantiago and I went for lunch and a drive. We were intending to talk about her future, and whether she would stay in the Honors Program or not. The eventual direction of the discussion led us to try to figure out just what it was that honors gave us. What made it different from the regular college experience? What about it made us different for having done it? Was there any point at all? We concluded that there was a point, but we were having trouble putting our finger on exactly what it was.

Then it hit us. The point of Honors--what it was giving to all of us--was something that we would never fully be able to realize. The point was not any unique "piece of information" The point was a process, a framework. The point was that Honors was giving us a different perspective, a perspective on education--more than that--a perspective on life. The reason we will never be able to fully realize all of the benefits of this perspective is that now there is no going back. Were we afforded even a moment of objectivity, we could compare how our lives would have been without this perspective to the lives we are leading with it, and we would clearly see the contrasted benefits of an Honors perspective. This objectivity is not possible, however, so all that is left is speculation and evaluation.

On the day of this "aha" experience, Ana and I pressed on to try to define some of what the perspective of "Honors" entailed. We concluded that a large part of it is the interconnectedness of life as it correlates to the Great Books and the two year Great Books Colloquium we all took. Great Books offers a unique perspective on education. Modern education often tends to compartmentalize--divisions, departments, fields of study, etc. Great Books classes approach "Knowledge" from an integrated educational standpoint. Without drawing harsh lines of distinction, the Great Books student studies Philosophy, Literature, Religion, Science, Economics, Theology, and Politics to name a few. One of the colloquium's key features is that it strives to demonstrate that all knowledge is ultimately connected. Similarly, coinciding with our study in Great Books, part of the perspective we had slowly begun to develop in Honors was that all areas of life--like the fields of study in education--were integrally linked to one another. The Honors perspective sought to reconcile the typically compartmentalized aspects of our lives into a unified pursuit of "honor". Rather than narrow our scope, however, this pursuit of "honor" began to widen our scopes. This idea of broadened horizons combined with an integrated understanding of how it all related began to shape the Honors Perspective. Having made this realization, the seed was planted for my evaluation of the program. The thrill that I experienced on that day-- the sheer excitement of "getting it", even just a tiny segment of how what we were doing was connected to the whole-- whetted my appetite with an intense desire to explore this concept further.

Method

The nature of the realization that I had that day with Ana fated me to choose (ha!) qualitative analysis as the method for my evaluation. Qualitative analysis can take a variety of forms; without discounting the benefits of quantitative studies, qualitative analysis allows the researcher more artistic liberty in the creation of his work. Quantitative research, with emphasis on factual, "provable" data, forces the researcher to attempt some degree of objectivity, so as not to "contaminate" his work with his own biases and thinking. The assumption that this is ever truly possible is questionable at best. I realized then as I do now: as a member of the program, why should I feign objectivity when it is so glaringly absent? If anything, my evaluation of the program needs to reflect in detail my own participation in it, and the resulting impressions that only a member of the group can gather.

Upon the prompting of our director, Professor Michael Gose, I studied qualitative inquiry as developed by Dr. Elliot Eisner of Stanford University. Eisner's approach to qualitative research focuses on a critical, artistic approach to analysis and evaluation. The role of the researcher is especially significant under Eisner's method, emphasizing the subjective role of the analyst as he works as the artist to produce a perceptive work on the subject studyied. In Honors, we have developed this practice further to include the concept of "impressionism". One of Dr. Gose's favorite quotes--amazingly not from Elliot Eisner--comes from the Reverend Jesse Jackson: "A text without a context is a pretext". One of the focuses of Honors has been to understand context-- to gain an impression of the whole, to see all of the connections involved in the "big picture". Unlike those of quantitative analysis however, qualitative impressions are not about generalizations. They are about the selective, artistic use of particular aspects which provide insight into the whole. As it began to take shape in my mind, I discovered that my goal for this evaluation was to provide an impression of the program. As my thoughts continued to develop, I realized that this would include a number of especially perceptive, significant, particular aspects of the program, put together in such a manner that after having read them the reader would have an impression of what we had done in the Honors Program.

Invitation

Having read over some of the literature, memos, and brainstorming notes among administrators and professors created before the concept of an "honors program" had been implemented at Pepperdine, I am both intrigued and amused at what of the original intent has been sustained for this first group as it graduates.

· We think that we can recruit especially among high achieving students who have applied to Seaver, but have not yet decided to attend here (there are usually several hundred each year). These people have often been accepted at other very fine schools. We hope that this program will give us a competitive edge in recruiting them. ----Memo from Dean John Wilson to Dr. David Davenport; April 7, 1994.

· The Three-Year Honors Program, designed to further challenge the scholarship level student, enhances an already rigorous curriculum at Seaver College. ...A small group of accelerated students will work and learn together throughout the entire college experience. An outstanding professor-tutor-mentor will work closely with each individual student, making sure that the all-important connections are made between courses and disciplines which make up the curriculum, bringing coherence and unity to the whole undergraduate experience. ...Guided by [this] faculty mentor in personalized tutorials, this group explores the humanities, developing critical thinking and reasoning skills that will carry them on to graduate studies and, perhaps, professorship. -- Seaver College Three-Years Honors Program Flyer, mailed to the first group of "honors applicants". March, 1994

· It would presume the student would take... Great Books I with the tutor and ...Great Books V with the tutor. The regular contact with the tutor would emphasize the integration of knowledge and writing. --Memo from Dr. Gose to John Wilson, 1994.

Although not all of the students took Great Books V with Dr. Gose in London, much of these original concepts have grown beyond even what was originally intended. The ideas of bringing "coherence and unity to the whole undergraduate experience" and emphasizing the "integration of knowledge" have been implemented in such a manner and to such a degree that their definition and success could not possibly have been foreseen.

· Likely characteristics of students who will be interested in this program: --propensity for abstract thought; preference for reading primary sources over texts, interest in the "great ideas"; a team player, likes to play with ideas and engage in real dialogue; quite probably interested in graduate school; quite possibly a candidate to eventually become a college professor. --Dr. Gose; early 1994

The Players

The Response

With few exceptions, the vision for this group was realized. Here, however, generalizations fail to suffice. The ten individuals who define this first Honors Program are exactly that--individuals. They are part of the honors confederacy, but they remain the particulars which define it.

Charlie Park

Charlie demonstrates the purest academic initiative of anyone I have ever met. He has a genuine thirst for "getting it" which stands out from the group. Charlie has the kind of curiosity and motivation to act on that curiosity which puts many to shame. If he doesn't know something that comes up in a conversation, I have know Charlie to go out, find out what the best literature is on the area, buy a book, read it, interact with others about it, then return to finish the conversation with enthusiasm. Although he is never in the least pretentious, Charlie has a palpable joy for learning.

Another aspect of Charlie that must be mentioned is his ability to integrate humor into everything that he does. Charlie finds something funny in nearly everything.

· [Honors] helped me see that there is a very good humor side to Great Books. I enjoy frequently giggling while reading my great books.--Charlie Park

Charlie's initiative extends to more than academia--though it often seems most apparent to me there. Charlie took it upon himself during the fall of our first semester at Pepperdine to organize an Intramural Football team, built around a core of Honors students. Though his initiative was intended for the fun of playing ball, its effect was that it fostered the growth of what we would later call the "Honors Confederacy."

Mandy Webb

Mandy has an amazing ability for working with complex abstractions, especially those involved with philosophy. I vividly remember an Existentialism class during which Mandy was presenting a lecture on Sartre. She was teaching on some complicated connections of Sartre's Being and Nothingness with several other works which were very difficult for the class to understand. The ease with which she understood these concepts amazed me, as did her patient and effective explanations to the class. Mandy's facility with the abstract is expressed best in her own words:

· ...Ambiguity for me is very comforting.... I don't know that I've ever heard that from any other person. Tolerance of, and appreciation for ambiguity are qualities occasionally found in certain types of academic minds, but "comforting"? Wow.

Mandy's intense appreciation and love of popular culture is another defining aspect of her participation in the Program. Not discounting her as an individual, it would also be inadequate to describe Mandy's role in the Honors Program without mentioning Kellie. Her friendship and shared interests with Kellie have led them to many rich experiences both in and out of academia.

Kellie Martin

When I think of Kellie, I find that I immediately associate her with Emerson's mandate to always speak the "rude truth". Although she is not "rude", Kellie's ability to identify and clearly articulate key issues in almost any area of discussion or thought is phenomenal. She is purely an uninhibited, thoughtful and communicative individual.

Kellie is, like Mandy, an aficionado of popular culture. The two of them have been motivated to experience many aspects of popular culture unexplored by other members of the group. Subsequently, they have enthusiastically brought stories and highlights back to the group on a regular basis.

Kevin Carlson

Kevin has a gift for thriving within structure. Unlike many members of the group who seem to prefer more open and undefined academic conditions, Kevin seems to shine under the more established contexts. He has described ambiguity as a challenge, but has demonstrated an ability to meet that challenge in the Honors Program.

Kevin has a charisma which seems to spill over the stage onto the audience when he acts. It may be part of his animated face and character, but he definitely brings a kind of flair to the group. Kevin's participation in many of Pepperdine's singing and acting productions throughout the years have demonstrated his tremendous talents as well as his ability to stand out and shine in the context of an established environment.

Cory King

"Kinger" is the only member if the group to leave the program and then come back. Rather than indicating any indecisiveness on her part, I think that this identifies some of Cory's decision-making abilities and her initiative. She is constantly appraising and evaluating her surroundings and making perceptive, conscientious changes she deems necessary.

Beyond her more obvious talents of musical and dance performance, Cory is both a strong leader and a "do-er". Few effective leaders are able to lead well as Cory while demonstrating her insight into the issues at stake in a situation. The only potential downside to this ability is the fact that it is such a rare commodity. Learning when to say "no" is the challenge of the competent, and such leaders run the constant risk of working themselves to death. Cory is simply gifted (cursed?) with intelligent initiative and leadership. 'Nuf said.

Joe Pohlot

Joe is an observer. He tends to be more contemplative than proactive, and usually reserves his thoughtful opinions for when he is asked for them. He has been described as a "reflector". This could be taken at least two ways. First, he tends to personally "reflect" on and process his thoughts before sharing them. Secondly, he tends to take whatever information is being discussed/processed around him, and then "reflect" it back with his own bent added.

· I think that a peak experience occurs when ambiguity is present, and we are then free to act upon it.

Joe is very good at "taking the ball and running with it," which is a slightly different approach to initiative than that of much of the rest of the group. Joe's style of initiative is that of looking at a series of ideas which someone has come up with, then choosing the ones in which he is interested. Having made these choices, he does tremendous things with the concept-- far beyond what the idea's originator had in mind. He adopts the idea, and makes it his own as he "acts upon" the ambiguity which he perceives as an opportunity. Joe seems able to perceive the "ends" of an idea or project quite easily, giving him direction and vision for the means of its pursuit.

Jon Swanson

Jon is the "quiet one" of the group, if there is one. Jon often concerns himself with traditional academic success more than some of the other members of the group, demonstrating some comfortability with the quantitative over the qualitative. Jon seems to have focused much of his extracurricular time on service and service/leadership types of positions, and has demonstrated a real heart for helping his peers.

Although I hesitate to call him the "strong silent type", he does tend toward that archetype. One of the few things which occasionally draws Jon out of his customary quietness is athletics--especially baseball. Jon demonstrates a love of the culture of baseball in America which is difficult to specifically define, but is very much a part of him. Jon is a quiet, service-oriented guy who communicates a strong sense of integrity.

Carla Eason

Carla, more than any member of the program, possesses a contagious appreciation for the "classical". From her love of watching and performing ballet to her ability for writing and critiquing poetry, Carla is an aficionado of "high culture". While many of the Honors students tend to lapse into the rationalist tradition of Great Books and philosophy, Carla still perceives the art and emotion in writing. She has a gift for using words to communicate thoughtfully and artistically in a way that often defies the rational tradition. Surprisingly, this has not prevented her from meaningful participation in Great Books and philosophical tradition, but rather has enabled her to enrich them with her insight and skill.

Ashley Maples

In comparison to others in the group, Ashley has perhaps been less directly involved with the activities specifically of the Honors Program. I find that in her case, however, that this is simply indicative of her comfortability with and mastery of the premises and goals of the program. In many senses, the program is simply a context or framework into which all the other areas and activities of life fit--rather than being an activity in and of itself. My conversations with Ashley have led me to believe that her understanding of this aspect of Honors surpasses that of many of the rest of us. It has helped me to understand it better just to talk to her. She has an incredibly clear understanding of how all the various aspects of her life--she is involved in just about everything--fit into the context of a larger "Honors perspective".

In addition to this, Ashley is very warm and personable. She can take any stranger that she meets, put him totally at ease and have a meaningful conversation with him. Combined with her seeming fearlessness of new situations and people, Ashley is quite gifted with skills of interpersonal communication and public relations.

Jesse Covington (me)

um.......

**********************************

The Script

There are various themes which have been integral to the development of this Honors Program and are strange entanglements of ends and means. What we did and how we did it combine to say something about the program but also about who and what we are. The themes which strike me as bearing explanation because of their defining role in the Honors Program include: Initiative, Confederacy, Involvement, Culture, Humor, Perspective, and Impressionism. These are all linked together-- none could really hold its significance independently-- I trace them separately simply for facility and organization.

Perspective

The first reading/writing assignments that we had during the initial weeks of the program were to set the stage for the true focus of the program. We read an article by Jean Anyon entitled: "Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work". The article presented an analysis of research indicating a direct correlation between educational method/curriculum with the dominant social class of a school. Our first writing assignment was a three page paper examining the article against our own personal experiences.

What initially appeared to be just another assignment of "work for the sake of work" ended up making each of us examine our own educational backgrounds and assumptions from a new perspective. Writing this essay required each of us to "step back" and look at our own backgrounds with a critical eye. We had to ask "why do I have these assumptions?" and "what about my economic and educational background produced these assumptions?" Even though this was specific and seemingly not overly significant, it was the first step in putting ourselves and our backgrounds into perspective. Although it might also appear to have posed a challenge so early in the program, several of the honors group now describe this brief critical assignment as among their "peak experiences" in the curriculum.

· The first year course themes included: 1.) The Hidden Curriculum; 2) Writing Skills; 3) on overview of higher education; 4) the distinction between High Culture and Popular Culture; 5) the study of Culture; 6) an emphasis on student initiative and the search for inspiration; 7) use of Technology (e.g. E-mail and CD-Roms). In these regards students were introduces to: a) the article by Jean Anyon on Social Class and the curriculum; b) two approaches to writing: Strunk and White, Christensen's Rhetoric of a Sentence; c) a brief history higher education including information on the liberal arts (quadrivium and trivium) and development of the university; d) articles on the claims and limitations of high culture and popular culture (and encouragement to make time for experiences for both as part of the college experience); e) using "impressionism" to study "Culture; f) expecting students to budget time for "Honors" inquiries according to personal curiosity.--From Gose's "Report to the Dean at the Conclusion of the Initial Seaver College Dean's Honors Program.

Each of these themes has its own significance to the program's development. Each begs individual exploration, but there is a more integral point at stake in developing an understanding of this first year in the program. The development of these themes in the order and method in which they were studied demonstrates a divergent approach to inquiry. Starting with the "Hidden Curriculum" forced the members to first critically examine the context of their own educational background. The study of writing styles then invited members to acknowledge, recognize and practice different modes of academic writing. The subsequent examination of educational history placed both the Anyon article and the writing styles in the larger framework of education as a whole, by identifying what influences brought about our current educational system. The cultural themes placed the history and models of education in the larger context of "Culture". Rather than narrowing and focusing our approach to intellectual inquiry, the development of these themes was drastically expanding our approach to inquiry. The picture was getting bigger and bigger.

· "In the past year, I have come to a better understanding of the essence of "education". For the first time in my life, I've questioned teaching methods, tools, and curriculum because of a personal desire for a greater and higher wisdom and understanding. Agh! I can't believe I said that! But it's true. --Cory, 1995

This theme of developing a divergent method of inquiry was integral to the creation of our sense of perspective. What the studies of this first year began to do was to introduce us to the perspective of the "big picture".

· I believe that it is very important to consider the context, the overview, the big picture as the first order of business in any curricular project. ...I argue that the specialized course only makes sense in the context of the whole. --Gose, on "Seeing the Big Picture"

In this sense, our participation in the Great Books Colloquium was key to contributing to this big picture perspective. One of Gose's first concepts described to us in Great Books was that of the "Polyfocal Conspectus". Described as "A view-affording doctrine on reality", the Polyfocal Conspectus refers to an author's idea as applied to a better understanding of reality.

· An author's specific idea becomes a view affording doctrine on reality when it is successfully used as an intellectual tool to the better understanding of some situation encountered in reality. ...At its best this polyfocal conspectus means that the application helps one understand both the "original" idea and the application more fully. --Gose, on "Leading the Maieutic Seminar"

Great Books emphasized the relationships among ideas, and the implications of any single assumption to all of the "Great Ideas". Great Books runs counter to the trend in modern higher education to be convergent in nature through the compartmentalization of study. Great Books' focus on the interrelation of ideas and fields of study tends more towards the classical approach to a liberal education, producing a contextual perspective into which all other classes and studies fit. Although this mode of inquiry is inherently divergent, there is still an emphasis on the interconnection among ideas, a sense that each has significant interaction among all areas of thought.

The structure of the program over the length of the three years is significant as well. During the first year, most of our studies and inquiry was done as a class--all of us working together. During the summer after the first year, we split into groups and began to work on areas of shared interest. We shared these with the rest of the class via presentations, but the inquiry had become slightly more individual. This trend of group-projects continued throughout the second year. Finally, during the third year, we no longer continued to meet as a group. We met with Dr. Gose individually, and our studies were totally individualized now. Again, this overall pattern implicates the divergent pattern of inquiry which was being developed in the program. We started with more focused, shared, inquiry as an entire group, then moved on slowly to expand outward from the group. We were gradually led to "branch out" and pursue our own interests in the context of understanding the whole context. This theme of perspective ran as a common thread throughout the studies of first year of the program as well as the entire program curriculum itself.

One of the characteristics of those who appreciate the divergent approach to inquiry is a tolerance for ambiguity. It is difficult to accept that extensive inquiry under the divergent model often results in destroying the answers that you thought you had, and leaving you with even more questions than you had in the first place. The perspective afforded by this approach to inquiry is not about answers, but about frameworks; not about seeing, but about perceiving; not about definitions, but about ambiguous relationships; not about compartmentalizing but about connecting.

Involvement

With the divergent approach to developing a perspective on education, culture, and life in general came the question of how to apply this new understanding of the big picture.

· From the beginning I had no interest in a "pull out" honors program. Rather, I was anxious that the Honors students provide leadership in any number of college programs both academic and co-curricular. My ardent hope, which I believe has been realized, is that this cadre of students has in some way helped raise the standards, elevate the expectations, and set a faster pace in the many areas of college life. --Gose, from "Report to the Dean at the Conclusion of the Initial Seaver College Dean's Honors Program.

Clearly the application did not lie with "Honors" specifically but rather with "Honors" as the context for understanding meaningful participation in a multitude of other activities. To encourage such meaningful, considered participation, program members were required during that first year to maintain an "Honors Log" keeping track of the hours spent in pursuit of "honors". This included many things which any of us might have done/wanted to do anyway, but the logs forced us to understand them under the perspective of "Honors". This was true especially under the cadre of "culture"; the distinction between "high" and "popular" culture bringing significance to a multitude of everyday activities.

· The Honors class gives me the opportunity to go out and do things ...that I otherwise would not necessarily make time for. It has broadened my college goals and showed me many areas of college which give me variety in my activities. ... The efforts to see and learn about California and the people here have been very worthwhile. The lower [popular] culture activities provide an excuse to go to the things which I love to do without feeling that I have wasted time. Kellie and I have seen concerts, gone to many popular areas, and met many interesting people. I feel that we have experienced the culture first hand while others just view from a distance. --Mandy

The Honors Logs often did provide a "justification" for taking the time to participate in certain aspects of college and cultural involvement which academically-focused individuals might not take the time to pursue. It provided this opportunity in an academic context however, which was a unique experience for group members. This context changed the way in which we viewed our everyday experiences and activities, placing them within the perspective of Honors.

Perhaps the best indicators of this part of the program's success are the Faculty Data Forms of each member of the program. Originally intended to facilitate the review of faculty members for purposes of promotion and tenure, the Faculty data forms reflect participation and leadership in all aspects of campus life. The decision to have each member of the Honors Program complete a faculty data form was made in the hope that they would reflect the enormous breadth of meaningful participation on the part of the group members. It does exactly this. An examination of the group's data forms reflects an incredible range of leadership, service, and involvement on the part of each individual member of the program. The forms reflect that the program members are easily among the most involved students on campus, but I think that the significance of this fact goes beyond the involvement itself. I would speculate that program members have had meaningful, considered, participatory experiences. Placed in the perspective of the "big picture", program members involvement has taken on meaning and significance beyond simple participation.

Confederacy

· The first year I emphasized that the Honors Group was a "confederacy." I wanted each student to have a sense of colleagueship. Having read Aristotle on friendship we were reasonably clear that friendships were not the sort of thing that could be organized in a program, but that we could, nonetheless, be helpful to one another. --Gose, from "Report to the Dean at the Conclusion of the Initial Seaver College Dean's Honors Program.

An aspect of the program which originally surprised me was that we didn't do any organized "group bonding" sorts of activities. The extent of our formally sanctioned "getting to know each other" was stating to the group our name, hometown, major, etc. Beyond that, we were on our own. Although the initial appearance of this approach raises the concern of jeopardizing any sense of belonging or coherency, I think that it forced true coherence to develop "organically". First, the fact that we all felt rather lost during the first several weeks caused us to share relative levels of discomfort with other members of the program. This became one of our first shared experiences.

Gose's concept of "colleagueship" was further developed by the realization of our fellow group members as resources. When the time came for us to register near the end of the first semester, Gose organized a format through which we could exchange certain valuable information. The exercise involved a round robin of dyads; during the course of this activity, each member of the group had several minutes to talk one-on-one with each other individual member of the group. The purpose of this time was schedule-building. What we did during this time was exchange information on specific classes, professors, etc. which we had each gathered during that first semester. The point was to use each other as an informational resource for building a good schedule around the best classes with the best professors. In addition to helping us make good registration choices, this session was one of the first steps in establishing a sense of colleagueship in the group. Because it stemmed from the functional interaction of trading information, this sense of a mutually respected "bondedness" was organic rather than synthetic.

· I am academically solo-prone. From past high school experiences, I always had the notion that study groups never worked. So last semester, I managed to get through Chem. 120 without any study groups. But this semester, I realized my struggle with Chemistry, and I knew that I had to try a new method of study. That same day, I invited Jon and Mandy to the Payson Study Room #1. It didn't take me long to realize that my true education relied upon the collaboration between my colleagues. To discuss, compare, and challenge each other in Chemistry made an abstract subject seem more applicable to life. It took me a whole semester to realize that I could rely on my Honors colleagues to help me through my academic journey. --Charlie, at the end of the first year.

Our growing sense of a naturally developed group identity began to manifest itself in venues outside of the classroom. Every Monday night, after the Honors Tutorial class, we always went to the Cafeteria and ate dinner together as a group. It was funny--we would cram way too many people around a certain table just to be close together and talk.

· I'm not really sure why. I feel very close to my classmates. --Ashley, First Semester

· I take it to be the group of us, diverse, yet united through a common bond. This bond is difficult to explain, but it does strengthen and mature through experiences with others in the group. The experiences are those which aren't forced upon us but rather we choose to be a part of them. Even though we hardly see one another any more, it seems that the bond remains.... --Joe, 1997

Some of the experiences which we chose to have together that bonded us the most took place the summer after our first year. During the break between the end of the semester and the beginning of summer school, about half of us organized and went on a camping trip to Yosemite. Those that went to Yosemite (about half the group at that time) still classify that trip as one of their "peak experiences" in the Honors Program, even though we were forced to endure less than optimum conditions. The weather decided to rain on our expedition the entire time; the effects of this were compounded by the flooding of the female tent and the subsequent sharing of a single sleeping quarters. We crammed nine people into a single tent that first night, then seven of us into a Motel 6 room the next. Such environs are not conducive to maintaining personal and relational barriers.

The remainder of that summer spent at Pepperdine saw a change in the nature of the group. During the summer, there are fewer overall students attending Pepperdine's classes. Because of this, Honors students made up a larger percentage of the whole. The structure of this summer session allowed us greater amounts of time spent together outside of the classroom, both recreationally and socially.

· The trip and the summer, with us being some of the only students on campus, allowed us to get closer than any other class group might ever. It as wonderful to have a bunch of people with the same mindset. The time we played touch football (which turned into tackle) on the beach in the spring term is one of my favorite memories. Where else would you get together with a class and play Red Rover? I suppose what I'm saying is that the things I remember best have not been academic, but social...and that lends to a great learning environment as well. --Carla, 1997

· I began to understand how much the honors meant when I began to become closer friends with the honors students. Academics and Colleagues go hand in hand. In order to study the great books, one must have colleagues to discuss the issues with in the dialectical. Without colleagues, one can only study in the library, and that's like learning how to swim without a swimming pool. --Charlie, 1997

This growing sense of friendship and colleagueship is difficult to trace to a single source, but one of the striking things about it is its organic, non-invented nature.

Although other themes could be traced as sources of the developing "honors confederacy," it strikes me that the topic of who left and who stayed bears some examination. Given the fact that we lost a total of 12 students from the group, some might argue that calling the program a success is a denial of reality. Although I spend more time with this subject later--especially students' reasons for leaving-- this topic's role with regard to confederacy is important.

· I truly believe the program was extraordinarily successful for the ten who finished the program. From the beginning I felt that this was an experiment and that participation was strictly voluntary. I had a vision for what "Honors" could be, but did not necessarily think it would be for everyone. We started with twenty-two and finished with only ten. I feel badly when we lose any student from Seaver College, but I never felt this program demanded retention. That three of the students who left are enrolled in my Great Books IV class this semester is an indication that their leaving the program was strictly because of other worthy priorities. --Gose, from "Report to the Dean at the Conclusion of the Initial Seaver College Dean's Honors Program."

One of the things that Gose was very clear on from the beginning was emphasizing that he would not try to keep anyone from leaving the group. As over half of the members left over the years for one reason or another, he stood by this original premise.

As I have indicated, the successful creation of a true confederacy of colleagues involves an organic process which cannot be forced at any point. Had Gose tried to keep all the members of the program from leaving, I think that the "organic" element would have been lost. There was no forced sense of group identity; what we had slowly developed from a diverse group of people.

· I think it is the individuality of the group which has made us stick together so long. --Mandy

We would not truly have been a confederated group had there been outside efforts by Gose or others to keep anyone from leaving. Did the program get much smaller? Yes. Did many intelligent, promising, worthy students elect to leave? Yes. But was the resulting group a tighter, stronger, more focused band of colleagues? Without question.

· Honors Confederacy. It is the only way. Or dictatorship is the other way. --Charlie

· I don't think I have ever felt more cared about by a group of people than I did with the confederacy. And, it's funny but we all look out for each other in our own ways. We are all so different but we never have had any conflicts or problems. I think that says a lot about our group. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that what has developed within the group is a bond which ties us together through friendship, respect, trust, and responsibility. We are a family and I think that we all care about each other deeply. I mean you can't spend three years with the same people and not have this bond develop. Actually, I take it back. We could have spent three years together and had things turn out so very differently. We all could have hated each other. Or, we could be indifferent towards each other. I am just really glad things turned out the way they did for us. --Kellie

Perhaps surprising, but nonetheless impressive was how this confederacy played out in London during the second summer. Out of the forty students in the house, only 11 of us were in the honors program. I am pleased to say now that I don't think a single one of the other members of the house could have identified who were the members of the program and who were not. Despite the strength of our confederacy, we were never separatist or elitist in nature. I realize that this is an ambiguous group dynamic, but it existed nonetheless.

Initiative

A focus of the first year of the program was the development of initiative. In keeping with the goal of the program as organic rather than forced, initiative was emphasized because of the importance of the student as the source of inquiry.

· I saw the first year as the time for a "funding of experience" within the college environment and as a time to develop individual initiative. -- Gose, from "Report to the Dean at the Conclusion of the Initial Seaver College Dean's Honors Program."

One of the difficulties with fostering initiative is that it cannot be forced upon a student. Initiative comes "organically" from the individual, and no degree of ardent effort from an outside source can produce it. In this sense, I think that this was one of the more difficult parts of the program to coordinate.

The method which Gose utilized for encouraging individual student initiative can be explained by way of analogy. The thrilling experience of being surrounded with a multitude of attractive options can be described by the cultural cliché of "feeling like a kid in a candy story." As far as initiative goes, one cannot make a student like any particular type of candy--the student will like whatever he or she likes. Gose's method of stimulating individual initiative is akin to turning on the lights in that candy store, and saying "go to it."

· Initiative seems like being presented with an ambiguous situation and then being free to act upon it in whatever means seems suitable. Most of the time we would have to decide what we wanted to pursue. Dr. Gose would give us a certain topic and then we had to explore it if we wanted to. The topics ranged from "coolness" to British Culture to a "final icon". It was our job to find some sort of specific that interested us and related to the topic in question. --Joe, 1997

One of the broad methods which Gose discovered for providing a wide range of choices/potential sources for inspiration was the general study of culture. This broad definition expanded the realm of the "candy store" to include all aspects of life, and tied our interests into the perspective of academic inquiry.

· I ...discovered near the end of the first semester that the concept of "Culture" had been very useful in integrating all of the students' interests in a common theme. --Gose, from "Report to the Dean at the Conclusion of the Initial Seaver College Dean's Honors Program."

Dr. Gose approached the issue of initiative with the group as a search for sources of inspiration. Inspiration became a theme that would run throughout the course of the program.

· For inspiration is in essence a means of gaining knowledge: not in the common sense of accumulating facts, but in the higher sense of achieving wisdom. --Honors Handout, first year.

The approach taken to encouraging initiative during this first year was simply to open our eyes to the wide range (candy store) of potentially inspiring topics (under the cadre of "Culture" in this case) and to choose whatever we were interested in. This focus on inspired initiative has remained one of the defining aspects of the program and the member's understanding of the nature of education.

· If I have homework to finish by tomorrow (eg. read pg.124-567) but I am inspired to read John Keat's poems because I feel poetic , then I would screw my homework and go read the Keats poems... because that is what I will remember more when I am old... I will remember that I had the academic inspiration to screw grades to read Keats... the love for Keats over systematized education is true education... education is not about fulfilling demands set by "numb" teachers but finding one's groove in the niche of the large academic field.....just have the courage to do what one is inspired to do is tough enough. --Charlie, 1997

The Honors Logs helped encourage us to choose something to pursue, as did the group projects on "culture" which began at the end of the first year. On the broader level of our understanding of initiative's role in education, the combined underlying philosophies of honors influenced our thinking.

Culture and Impressionism

Early in our exploration of "culture" as an all-encompassing cadre for initiative, Gose offered the distinction between "high culture" and "popular culture". Most of us in the program came from backgrounds which tended to emphasize the importance of high culture while discounting popular culture as "base" and less worthy of study. What including both types of culture did for our group was to place all activities/inquiries under the broader umbrella of culture, subsequently facilitating our study and participation.

· My impression of what we have done in terms of culture and initiative during this first year in the Honors Tutorial class is at least in part best explained by an analogy. My educational experience thus far has largely been a sort of looking forward at "academic" pursuits with culture hovering on the periphery behind me. I could participate in cultural pursuits, but it required me to turn around to do so. I feel like what the Honors Tutorial has done for me is placed a mirror in front of me; allowing me to still look forward in the academic direction while allowing me to see, identify, participate in, and appreciate culture in the academic context. --Jesse

The honors logs gave us a format through which to identify and record our cultural pursuits throughout the first year, and provided a context through which to understand the wealth of activities in which we participated.

· "The cultural emphasis of the Honors Tutorial has been great. The efforts to see and learn about California and the people here have been very worthwhile. The lower [popular] culture activities provide an excuse to go to the things which I love to do without feeling that I have wasted time. Kellie and I have seen concerts, gone to many popular areas, and met many interesting people. I feel that we have experienced the culture first hand while others just view from a distance. The higher culture is also very interesting. My favorite experience was at the Getty Museum. I saw a tomb with scenes from Homers Iliad on the sides in great detail. I found it very interesting that the story has remained over such a long period of time and still retains its appeal. The recognition of something which I had learned about in Great Books gave more meaning both to the experience and to reading the book. Students who don't get out and see such things lack the connection of their education to real experience." --Mandy, 1995

I will never forget one of the "popular culture" activities which Mandy and Kellie explored and upon which later presented their findings to the class. The two of them had attended a "rave" in Los Angeles, and later performed a "cultural analysis" on the experience. They had been able to fully participate in the experience of the rave (they said they'd had a lot of fun) but they were also able to present a thoughtful analysis of the cultural implications of such an event.

One of the key concepts which Gose emphasized with regard to the study of culture was participatory "impressionism." The concept of impressionism involves learning to see perceptively first.

· Our students will begin the process of becoming "connoisseurs" of culture, of cultivating taste, of developing meaningful cultural literacy, and do this through regard for their own "impressions of beautiful things." --Gose, on Impressionism.

· For method I have adopted and adapted the metaphor of "Impressionism", as a means of integrating the various disciplines' views on culture. Like Impressionists I had wanted my students to try to grasp the overall view of a scene; in this case that of "Culture". Like the Impressionist painter Monet, I have wanted them to work on the entire canvas at the same time. I have wanted them to consider the subjective as well as the objective. Furthermore, like the Impressionists, I have wanted my students to try to get at what is "essential". --Gose, on "Brave New World"

· I've learned to look more objectively at experiences to see if they are in some way insightful. I've also realized that you do have a perception of different cultures and environments even if you aren't or haven't been looking for them, Your impressions and perceptions develop more from everyday experience than from structured searches. --Cory, 1997

The concept of cultural impressionism was key to our preparation for and experience of London. The fact that we had been seeking an impression of British Culture with an eye to perceptiveness for more than a year before we went was amazing preparation. The emphasis was toward participation. Our preparation for British Culture was indeed participatory.

· How about Gose pitching cricket in CAC 304 with Baird's [Division Chair] office right next door! --Jon, 1997

We prepared extensively for British Culture--from research projects to having "tea", the emphasis was on learning to develop a perceptive, participatory impression of the culture.

· The London Summer was a joy to behold. We reaped the benefits of our hard work. -- Gose, from "Report to the Dean at the Conclusion of the Initial Seaver College Dean's Honors Program." · The London experience was THE peak honors experience for me. With so much emphasis on culture during the first two years of the program I feel that I was really able to live what I learned while in London. I would not have appreciated London as much if I had not been prepared for the experience by Dr. Gose and everyone else in the group. --Kellie, 1997

· I had been to London no fewer than 7 times before I went with the gang and had seen everything there was to possibly see in London and surrounding territories. However, I managed to go to London and not see one thing I had ever seen before. Gose and our group found things (of interest to me) to do and see that I had managed to overlook for years. It was humbling and serendipitous to find things that thrilled me in a place I thought I knew like the back of my hand. It just showed me what you can find when you look with a different perspective. That's so much of this has done- given me a different frame to look at things in. Thoureau caught the essence of our group . . . "The question is not what you look at but what you see." For the first time, I think I SAW London!--Cory, 1997

· The only way to really see what it is for yourself is to experience it first hand and not just read about it. To me the problem is that too many people are too afraid to reach out of their safety bubbles and try the native food or go to an event that you can only see in a specific region. I know from London that there were people who did not want to try a shepherd's pie or tandoori chicken (both of which are excellent I must say and are two foods which must be tried in Britain). Even if they do reach out, however, it may be only to experience Popular Culture and not High Culture. Personally , I think to truly expand one's horizons you gotta learn and appreciate both types of culture. --Joe, 1997

I think that there are two activities specific to our time in London which reflect our impressionistic study of culture. They are the Heuristic Pilgrimages and the Impressions Journals.

· In fact we do, rather, enjoy ambiance, the feeling, the environs of being in special places in London. But we also tend to think that we are fully experiencing the English culture on our way to these special places, we do not hesitate to stop and smell any unexpected roses along the way, and when we do arrive at the special destination, we prefer a short, sweet, poignant, memorable engrossing experience that will punctuate our memories.... --Gose, on "Heuristic Field Trips in London for the Easily Bored"

The basic concept of the Heuristic Pilgrimage involves the selection of some highly specific aspect of a culture that you are interested in observing (such as the Beatles' Abbey Road) and pursuing it. The Heuristic Pilgrimage is based on the assumption that the means to attaining an end are very much a part of the end itself. In other words, all of your experiences on the way to Abbey Road and on the way back constitute a portion of the goal of the experience. A day-long expedition would be justified even if a mere several minutes were spent actually observing the stated goal of the pilgrimage. Perhaps even more valuable would be the experience of having tea and crumpets in a shop on the way back--all add up to form an impression of British Culture.

The impressions option to the journal course while we were in London was also an apt reflection of our cultural emphasis. Comprised of a wide selection of cultural artifacts (playbills, music, ticket stubs, etc) and cultural creations (sketches, poetry, writing) the goal of the journal was to capture a broadly encompassing impression of British culture. Humor

· One must be able to laugh at oneself to enjoy oneself in the midst of mistakes...which happen more than triumphs.-- Charlie

My choice to include humor among the lofty themes of Perspective, Involvement, Confederacy, Initiative, Culture and Impressionism may perhaps be questioned in its defensability. Hardly so. Humor has played such an integral role to the development of the Dean's Three Year Honors Program that to exclude it from an analysis such as this would be to sadly neglect my inquiry.

· Humor has become a staple of our diet. I honestly cannot remember one meeting or time when a few of us were gathered when we didn't all laugh. It also seems that it is the subtler humor that is appreciated more. A type of Pythonesque attitude toward humor is what I find most appeals to the group in general. Why this is may be partly due to the idea that one must be versed in history and British culture to fully appreciate the troupe's humor and not just laugh at outward appearances. I have seen that through our learning and maturing we have all wisened up to the past of our own situations and become more aware of our own culture. It is this idea that allows us to take the next step in humor and perhaps be more satirical in our views on life. I mean, life would get pretty dull without one. To borrow Clay's phrase, since the world is to us a "giant petri dish" ...we might as well have a good time critiquing and analyzing it. --Joe, 1997

Joe's statements reflect the results of the nature of our studies. The better and better our perception of the "big picture" perspective, the easier it becomes for us to see the humor in the particulars which make up the whole.

· I feel humor played a large part in bringing the group together. If the group was forced to serious every time it met, much less could have ever been accomplished than has been with humor playing an active role. Ultimately, humor serves to be an ice-breaker, and provides common ground for all who witness it. If we all can laugh at something, doesn't that bring us together? --Kevin, 1997

Great Books also played a significant role in opening our eyes to the humor around us. Gose encouraged us to include "ha!"s when marking up our great books--that the funny parts were sometimes the most memorable. The fact that we could find humor in classical literature helped to keep it all in perspective.

· You wine sack with dogs eyes and a pigs heart!-- Iliad

· Slut that I am!--Helen of troy as frequently quoted by Ashley

· I am the Pumpkin King! --Gose

· God is a Biscuit. --Corey Timmons

· Kill Larry! --The Yosemite Group

Finding humor in the great books, combined with our affinity for "Pythonesque" humor reflects a propensity for program members to laugh at ideas. Playing with ideas can be very funny, especially with regard to context. I would hazard to say that all humor is based on changing contexts. Switching frameworks is what a punchline does. For a group whose focus is on perspectives, this kind of contextual, idea-based humor is very funny.

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The Denouement

Liabilities

There are some potential sources of liability in the system developed by this pilot program. Although it would be preferable if anyone were able to participate, the demonstrated fact of the matter is that it only worked for a few people. The tolerance level for ambiguity necessary for studying with the polyfocal conspectus is only found in a very limited number of people. The fact still stands that we began with 22 people and ended with 10. Whether or not this is a legitimate liability depends on what the goals of the program are. It seems clear to me that quality, not quantity was the aim of this Honors program--not in the sense that those who stayed are brighter than those who left, but that the goal was the pursuit of excellence not the pursuit of numbers. Secondly, as I noted earlier, I think that the "organic nature" of the confederacy would have been lost had we tried to retain those who left. Colleagueship is not created by mandate--it develops over time.

As to why people left the program, the stated reasons range all over. I agree with Gose when he says that it is clear that those who left left because of "other worthy priorities". However, there seems to also be a commonality between those who left in one regard. Eisner refers to two different thought models of education. One is the "staircase" model, in which there is a prescribed goal, and a series of progressive steps taken toward reaching that goal. The second is the "spiderweb" model, which emphasizes the connections between ideas, a perception of the whole, and a tolerance for ambiguity. Gose has speculated that the students who stayed in the program tended to be those who preferred the spiderweb model, and that those that left tended to prefer the staircase model. Having addressed this issue with each remaining member of the program individually, I have received unanimous agreement that this is a valuable and legitimate characterization.

Perhaps one of the difficulties which caused so many members of the program discomfort with the "spiderweb" model is that all of us were coming out of the upper echelons of our high school classes. One of the liabilities of starting this type of honors program is that you have to select those who did "honors" work in high school. I think that most of us had been tailored toward the staircase model as a method of measuring degrees of success, and the confrontation produced by the suddenly challenging this method of education caused some to choose other priorities over the program

Another potential liability of the program is that I think it is an "honors" program before it is a "three-years" program. Cramming as much as we did into three years could be seen as too much in too little time. Yes, the perspective is valuable, but should it be given longer to develop? Perhaps. It has been speculated that the first year's "funding of experience" would be better if given more time to develop.

· I feel that a longer "fooling around" period would be helpful for future classes; it could help them digest the information better and not give them indigestion. Three years is a short time to start applying concepts learned to actual situations, especially when new ideas are presented in close succession." --Joe, 1995

While perhaps a fourth year would be beneficial (and I think will be for the members of the program who have elected to stay an additional year), I think that the perspective afforded by honors will make the fourth year a time of development in these ideas wherever we are. We have commenced a method of understanding the nature of education and life. I do not think that the development of this perspective will stagnate simply because the undergraduate experience ends.

Finally, the only additional liability that I perceive is that of achieving (at least commencing) the "honors perspective." Having established the trend of continued divergent inquiry, each member of the program is doomed to continue in higher education. If anything, all we have actually learned from these three years is how little we actually know, necessitating the continuation of perpetual education. Perhaps this is an asset, but I see liability here too. We are condemned to keep learning. HA!

Honors

As I indicated prior to examining the themes, I trace them separately only for the sake of organization. As their integrated nature demonstrates, it is difficult to separate them even to this point. I found that I was constantly mentioning the other themes in the development of each one, and was frustrated because I felt I should save a comment for "when I dealt with that theme." However, the themes are all inter-related in the curriculum of the Program, and depend on each other entirely.

Having traced these themes, it is my hope that they have conveyed an impression of what we have sought to do over the last three years. In all respects, it has become increasingly clear over time that the student is at the center of the pursuit of "honors.".

· Sometime during the second year of the program I came to the realization, one that seems obvious now, that the Honors project was NOT their final project. Each student was the Honors project. --Gose

Interestingly, in the course of my analysis, I too have noticed a trend. It is simply in how the members of the program talk about the program. In reading over our written materials from the first year, I find that when asked a question about the Honors Program, we talk about "it" the Honors Program. Somewhere along the way, a shift has occurred. Now when asked about the Honors Program, members will frame their answer in the first person. We answer questions in the subjective "we" when describing the program. Ownership has taken place. The fact that the "honors" aspect of the program is in the individual student has taken on a reality that can only occur from an organic process.

I think that we have all changed as a result of this program, and I think that these changes go beyond the normal "personal growth" which occurs in college.

· Before college, I was looking to get through it and make a name for myself in the "real world." I felt that I already knew what was relevant and just needed to know how to apply it. The program shattered this notion. I have never had a thirst for knowledge and a desire for learning as I do now, which I can say is a direct result of the program. I believe that the idea of "funding of experience" has led to this hunger. What was provided for us was a myriad of different avenues to explore and choose to learn about. I found that what I already knew was nothing compared to what was out there. My whole thinking pattern then adjusted. Now I look at the world through this lens and attempt to see "the forest instead of the trees." ...Hopefully as a professor I can provide an arena for students to pursue their own interests as this program has allowed me to pursue mine. --Joe, 1997

An aspect of how each of us has developed and changed as a result of the program is an increased discernment. We tend to examine people, ideas, and works with an increasingly critical eye. We intend to perceive, not just see. This perception includes application as a part of understanding.

· The honors program gave me more focus and direction when it comes to the intellectual aspect of classes, testing methods and life itself. What I mean is that I would not have cared as much about bringing the polyfocal conspectus to everything I do. For example, when I watch a movie or read a book I am always saying to myself, "What would Plato think of this?" or "Wow, that was a great use of Machiavelli's ideal. I wonder if it was intentional?" I explore the ideas behind the text and look for influences which I can recognize from the Great Books tradition. You know, it really is true that the joy of recognition surpasses the joy of surprise! --Kellie

· I used to think success mattered, now I don't. What one has learned and how one uses that knowledge matters immensely. (did I spell that right??) The honors group has definitely helped to teach me that. --Mandy, 1997

The changes which occurred in us over the course of the three years differ from person to person. The causes of those changes include some common elements, however. These "common causes," working in conjunction with the specific members of our program, are a part of the framework of what "Honors" has been all about.

· The "Honors" aspect is located in the group. Not any single group could have developed the same academic inclinations as our group. We emphasized individuality within a confederacy. Most organizations tend to clump each individual into the normative paradigm of that group's culture. Arete is founded upon the notions of the humanistic heritage of the west. The curriculum of the Liberal Arts is overlooked by a majority of the Pepperdine students. The Three Year Honors Program took advantage of this situation. We attempted to sculpt ourselves not as just students but as what Mortimer Adler would call "Liberal Artists." The "liberal artist" becomes well-acquainted with the classical ideas and learning the models of thinking of our functioning world. Without such tools of knowledge, an individual cannot survive in this competitive world. We took the myth out of GPA and realized that understanding and inspiration is more important than comprehension and obedience. In this sense, it's hard to pin down the normal notion of "honors" that our society would be inclined to define it as. e.g. 4.0 GPA or this many activities will designate a person to be honorary. On the contrary, the Three Year Honors Program is beyond the Golden Key Honors Society or Alpha Chi. It takes into account the qualitative development of the student... [including] the student's character and level of moral development in the context of academia. In this sense, the Three Year Honors Program fits most perfectly with Pepperdine's mission statement that "the student is the heart of the educational enterprise" and that Pepperdine is concerned about developing the student's character as well as intellect in order that the student realize that knowledge ultimately serves for a life of service. Pepperdine's Administration should be proud. But nobody will understand our concept of honors unless they were actually one of us who went through the process of intellectual and moral growth through the guidance of a professor so dedicated to the Pepperdine mission statement. In all, the Three Years Honors Program is truly honorary for fulfilling the Pepperdine mission. It has been reached. --Charlie, 1997

The ten of us are different students for having been in the program; more than that, we are different people. Today, at the conclusion of the inaugural Dean's Three Years Honors Program of Seaver College, I perceive more of a beginning than an ending. Perhaps we have fewer answers than we did when we came in. Perhaps we could not entirely describe what we have "learned." I guarantee, however, that we are now equipped to ask better questions, and that we posses the tools to find and develop even better questions than these. What is more, we are hungry to ask. The lights are on in the candy store and the door has been opened.

Honors has been many things. I hope that this evaluation has served to illuminate some of its aspects, and to provide an impression of the whole. For those of us for whom this is our program, for whom the last three years have indeed been an introduction to a "brave new world," for whom "honors" means more than this simple paper is able to illustrate, we can now look back and say:

It has indeed been a privilege.

Appendix

I sent the following questionnaire to each of the Program Members near the end of our final semester together. I already had much of what we wrote about the program during its earlier semesters, but I felt is was important to get the other members' feedback close to the end. This allowed retrospective insights with which to combine the writing from various points along the way. The perspective that these questionnaires afforded me was instrumental to the creation of this evaluation. The questions are highly subjective in nature, and I think rightfully so. They do indeed provide an "insightful impression" into the thoughts of the members of the program. The fact that I chose not to include elements of them in the body of my work should not be taken as an indication that all of those elements are in some way less insightful or perceptive. Rather, I simply had to pick and choose with the liberty (license?) allowed any artist--even a liberal artist. Enjoy!

1. What do you see as the "honors" aspect of the Deans three years honors program?

2. Eisner refers to two different thought models of education. One is the "staircase" model, in which there is a prescribed goal, and a series of progressive steps taken toward reaching that goal. The second is the "spiderweb" model, which emphasizes the connections between ideas, a perception of the whole, and a tolerance for ambiguity. Gose has speculated that the students who stayed in the program tended to be those who preferred the "spiderweb" model, and that those that left tended to prefer the "staircase" model. Generally speaking, would you agree with this assessment? Comment.

3. Elaborate on some of your "peak honors experiences", and explain their significance to you. Feel free to just tell a story here.

4. Do you feel that you have changed as a result of being part of this program? In what ways? What do you think caused this?

5. Comment on initiative. (or tell a story...)

6. Comment on the honors confederacy. (or tell a story)

7. Comment on the role of humor. (or tell a story)

8. Comment on Culture. (or tell a story)

9. Tell me whatever I ought to know, but didnt ask.

Carla

1. What do you see as the honors aspect of the Deans three years honors program?

· It allows us to accomplish things that we would not normally get the opportunity to in a regular program, also in a format that we would not experience. The opportunity to not only study what we were interested in, in an academic manner, but to also have the opportunity to teach is invaluable.

2. Eisner refers to two different thought models of education. One is the staircase model, in which there is a prescribed goal, and a series of progressive steps taken toward reaching that goal. The second is the spiderweb model, which emphasizes the connections between ideas, a perception of the whole, and a tolerance for ambiguity. Gose has speculated that the students who stayed in the program tended to be those who preferred the spiderweb model, and that those that left tended to prefer the staircase model. Generally speaking, would you agree with this assessment? Comment.

· Definitely. Most of us that stayed in are the types that thrive on open deadlines, and a style of learning closer to the dialectic or dialogic rather than the lecture/memorize format. It seems like those who stayed were the ones that enjoyed Great Books the most...generally speaking.

3. Elaborate on some of your peak honors experiences, and explain their significance to you. Feel free to just tell a story here.

· Probably the two best honors experience I have had were the spring trip to Yosemite, and the ensuing summer. The trip and the summer, with us being some of the only students on campus, allowed us to get closer than any other class group might ever. It was wonderful to have a bunch of the people with the same mindset. The time we played touch football (which turned into tackle) on the beach in the spring term is one of my favorite memories. Where else would you get together with a class and play Red Rover? I suppose what I'm saying, is that the things I remember best have not been academic, but social...and that lends to a great learning environment as well.

4.. Do you feel that you have changed as a result of being part of this program? In what ways? What do you think caused this?

· I have done an English major in 3 years, which every English professor who I talk to says is a mistake. I have changed from a scared college freshman unsure of her ability to a person confident in her academic ability... I think that a lot of the changes came not from the program itself, but the pressure that the three year part put on me. Some of it was not the most fun, but it really has made me grow as a person and learn how to handle all situations.

· I also have this great sense that we are all linked in a part of something bigger, and that link will keep us all in touch for years to come. I don't want to lose contact with all these friends..I think they are among the greatest people I have ever met.

5. Comment on initiative. (or tell a story...)

· I researched ballet and Celtic folk tales, which I wanted to do.

· I decided to do a creative writing portfolio for my project, and I have worked on it every semester since I decided that late in 1994.

· I did research on England before my trip.

· Would I have done all this without the encouragement and the time to take the initative given by honors? Nope.

6. Comment on the honors confederacy. (or tell a story)

· I am really not sure what you mean by it, but I think my peak experience explains the camaraderie that comes from it.

7. Comment on the role of humor. (or tell a story)

· I am the holder of absolute truth.

· Without humor, life in great books and honors could have been really difficult. What a nice thing to have a group of people that have intelligent senses of humor and not, "Fire, fire, heh heh heh."

8. Comment on Culture. (or tell a story)

· I know the proper way to hold a wine glass according to the wine. I have experienced five separate cultures in my travels in Europe (trust me, England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales ALL count as separate cultures) as well as the sub-cultures just within London itself!

· I really like the idea of studying culture or using it as an umbrella. I think we are getting back to the original intention of education. It was not originally created to make us storehouses of useless facts or to get a good job, but to make better people, well rounded, well read, well traveled, and with a perspective on life that encompasses a lot more than our own little circle. I think that using culture (and impressionism) to accomplish this is one of the best parts of the program.

Ashley

1. What do you see as the "honors" aspect of the Deans three years honors program?

· The "Honor" is the development of the whole person-- the realization of personal worth, and the actualization of that self-hood through balancing mind, body and spirit to the best of one's potential. Not numbers. Not grades. Just a full human spirit.

· Yes. I'd agree the ones who have stayed prefer the spiderweb. I think all of us are capable of either method, but only the ones who prefer the spiderweb could handle the inherent ambiguity of our individual initiative within confederacy.

3. Elaborate on some of your "peak honors experiences", and explain their significance to you. Feel free to just tell a story here.

· Barbeque Chicken and football on Leo Carillo Beach; Dinners freshman year; London; Wooden Nickels; friendship and understanding.

4. Do you feel that you have changed as a result of being part of this program? In what ways? What do you think caused this?

· Honors has challenged me to higher levels of myself. I can't really diagnose change, but I can see growth, expansion, a new level of ambition and potential. The program is such a part of who I have become these last three years, I can't separate "honors" change from just the change in me. They are one in the same.

5. Comment on initiative. (or tell a story...)

· "Projects?" And the promotion of individual ambitions and abilities.

6. Comment on the honors confederacy. (or tell a story)

· All of us, our relationship all the time---and the cool thing is, it won't have changed 30 years from now.

7. Comment on the role of humor. (or tell a story)

· "Slut that I am"--Helen of Troy. --Gose loves that and just laughs! He's so cute!

8. Comment on Culture. (or tell a story)

· Third Street performance video "Old Suzanna" upside down; The Getty; Franks, er, ..."Humor" in London! Your cooking...?

9. Tell me whatever I ought to know, but didn't ask.

Charlie

1. What do you see as the honors aspect of the Deans three years honors program?

· Simple. The "honors" aspect is located in the group. Not any single group could have developed the same academic inclinations as our group. We emphasized individuality within a confederacy. Most organizations tend to clump each individual into the normative paradigm of that group's culture. Arete is founded upon the notions of the humanistic heritage of the west. The curriculum of the Liberal Arts is overlooked by majority of the Pepperdine students. The Three Year Honors Program took advantage of this situation. We attempted to sculpt ourselves not as just students but as what Mortimer Adler would call "Liberal Artists." The "liberal artist" becomes well-acquainted with the classical ideas and learning the models of thinking of our functioning world. Without such tools of knowledge, an individual cannot survive in this competitive world. We took the myth out of GPA and realized that understanding and inspiration is more important than comprehension and obedience.

· In this sense, it's hard to pin down the normal notion of honors that our society would be inclined to define it as. e.g. 4.0 GPA or this many activities will designate a person to be honorary. On the contrary, Three Year Honors Program is beyond the Golden Key Honors Society or Alpha Chi. It takes into account the qualitative development of the student. For instance, the student's character and level of moral development in the context of academia. In this sense, Three Year Honors Program fits most perfectly with Pepperdine's mission statement that "the student is the heart of the educational enterprise" and that Pepperdine is concerned about developing the student's character as well as intellect in order that the student realize that knowledge ultimately serves for a life of service. Pepperdine's Administration should be proud. But nobody will understand our concept of honors unless they were actually one of us who went through the process of intellectual and moral growth through the guidance of a professor so dedicated to the Pepperdine mission statement. In all, the Three Year Honors Program is truly honorary for fulfilling the Pepperdine mission. It has been reached.

· Yes. The spiderweb suits my method of thinking. I can't stand attempting to understand a concept without knowing the context of the whole. The ones who left probably left thinking that they had over priorities to cope with. Well, that is a good justification in any sense. But my understanding is that they probably felt that they needed to pursue their collegiate career in a paradigm much like the staircase, where step of development were necessary in order to judge the net results. So they probably conceived the honors program as "going nowhere" when it was in the earlier stage of development our minds towards understanding the importance of tolerating ambiguity. Our first year's theme was ambiguity and those who left at the end of the first year couldn't hack the fact that the Honors Program wasn't immediately paying off. Most conceptions of the Honors Program in the student's mind was probably the notion that we would have to perform beyond and above 30 hours of Honors project work and try to always define ourselves above our counterparts who were not in the honors program. We did not do that our first year. Instead, we wanted to spend the time to appreciate the generalities instead of focusing too quickly into the particulars, which most collegiate classes do. Compartmentalizing is one of the aspects the program avoided in the first year. Diversity was key. And some couldn't hold onto ambiguity, but left internally frustrated.

3. Elaborate on some of your peak honors experiences, and explain their significance to you. Feel free to just tell a story here.

· Ana and I doing the classical music presentation was one of them. she and I pooled in some really good ideas to pull-off a perfect impromptu presentation. Joe and I would always have something to discuss when we had to make long treks in Liverpool. We had to walk ten miles from one end of the city to the other to reach our hostel, and we discussed the idea of power in government and human nature in many arguments. the great ideas keeps the mind busy. It's like a hobby.

· Jon Swanson and I had consistent discussion on the true nature of love and the idea of love as existent in the scope of our limited epistemology.

4. Do you feel that you have changed as a result of being part of this program? In what ways? What do you think caused this?

· I am now convinced that I would have never enjoyed remaining the biochem major that I once was. The Honors Program and my need to break away from conventionality and professors who imprison my mind convinced me to run away from the science division. I could care less about this titration and this much ml of HCl. ...but I did care about figuring out the metaphysical nature of God or love, man, education...so on.

· Inspiration hit me to flee from quizzes and locked-in academia to a whole world of academic freedom in the humanities major. but the humanities major offers no real concrete direction in terms of jobs...but now I am finding myself driven towards finding a job in organizational behavior as a Corporate Trainer before I even graduate, perhaps...

· I figured that the sciences can only get the mind so far, but metaphysics and cultural history can help me to understand people , religion, and God's nature in a most complete fashion.

5. Comment on initiative. (or tell a story...)

· Initiative: I picked up my camcorder and said I don't know what I'm doing, but I felt I should do it. So I did, and now it it's my senior project. Initiative is sometimes blind, but it gets you somewhere without having a clue towards where the end is. Not all things are done for ends...especially education....if one values education not for the sake of just education but some oddend job, then the ends do not fit the means. If it is true education, then education itself is the sufficient ends to fly on your own path to better understanding. For example, if I have homework to finish by tomorrow (e.g. read pg. 124-567) but I am inspired to read John Keat's poems because I feel poetic , then I would screw my homework and go read the Keats poems ...because that is what I will remember more when I am old... I will remember that I had the academic inspiration to screw grades to read Keats...the love for Keats over systematized education is true set by "numb" teacher but finding one's groove in the niche of the large academic field.....just to have the courage to do what one is inspired to do is tough enough

6. Comment on the honors confederacy. (or tell a story)

· It is the only way.

· Or dictatorship is the other way.

· All our projects are different according to our strengths and that show our diversity.

7. Comment on the role of humor. (or tell a story)

· One must be able to laugh at oneself to enjoy oneself in the midst of mistakes...which happen more than triumphs. 8. Comment on Culture. (or tell a story)

· Culture is what defines people. People make up the world. It is important to study culture in order to know the world and it's people.

Cory

1. What do you see as the honors aspect of the Deans three years honors program?

· I see the "honors" as multifaceted. At the most superficial level, we are going to be conferred degrees "with honors" asserting that we have completed our degrees with efforts worthy of honor (whether that is comparatively or personally is another issue). At another level we have been honored to simply have the opportunity to participate in such a program with the caliber of students we have drawn. At yet another level, we have had an added "honors" expectation to our own academic performance level in substance if not in form. However, I think that the "honors aspect" has really been something that appears unrelated to "honors." I believe that the path each of chose at the onslaught (no pun related to the base of the word Slaught) of the program has been a continuum that began with honors and ends in HONORS. Lemme' explain. We all entered the program as "honors" students with resumes rife with high school accomplishments, achievements, and activities. Now, three years later, we continued the pattern of being students with "honors" but now I think of it more as "honor students" or even rather as "STUDENTS" Our activities that MADE us honor students in high school are now not our FORMATIVE qualities for being honor students but rather resulting qualities (Sorry, Jess, you're getting stream of consciousness writing). So, rather than involving ourselves in activities and pursuits to become honor students, we entered college and were honor students. The result, ...the same honor activities as always but under different pretenses, motivations, and perspectives. Granted, we have turned in some honor worthy work, presentations, etc but not to be honor students but because we ARE honor students. I don't like the word "Honors" because to me honors symbolizes something that's given. We GIVE someone honor, they EARN honor, rather than just being "Honor" Does that make any sense at all? Our three years of work have raised the overall performance level in every class we've attended, brought added zest to every project, club, activity we've participated in, led, or organized, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah basically we've made the campus better place academically, socially, spiritually, all that. On top of that, or maybe in spite of that, we've become better. We've raised our own expectations, heightened our dreams, broadened our perspectives, expanded our minds, and developed our impressions. That's honors. We just function at a different level than most of the other students here (sorry to be so arrogant but I want to be honest about my own "impressions") So that's honors. Who we are and thus what we do, not what we do and thus who we are. Hmph!

· Yeah, although I'm definitely a staircase kind of girl. I like to be task oriented and know what I'm looking ahead towards and know my tasks along the way. However, I've enjoyed this spiderweb connection thingy a bunch! Maybe because I haven't been so task oriented and have thus gotten there more quickly and efficiently. I guess the thing is, I got there without realizing I was working towards anything. Without knowing my goals, I didn't know my tasks, and thus didn't realize I was working and yet, look, here I am, already at my destination without realizing I was taking a trip. Does that make sense? I guess this is the least painful option. You don't realize you're working at something but one day you wake up and realize you're there.

3. Elaborate on some of your peak honors experiences, and explain their significance to you. Feel free to just tell a story here.

· One of my most significant peak experiences was London (obviously). I had been to London no fewer than 7 times before I went with the gang and had seen everything there was to possibly see in London and surrounding territories. However, I managed to go to London and not see one thing I had ever seen before. Gose and our group found things (of interest to me) to do and see that I had managed to overlook for years. It was humbling and serendipitous to find things that thrilled me in a place I thought I knew like the back of my hand. It just showed me what you can find when you look with a different perspective. That's so much of this has done- given me a different frame to look at things in. Thoureau caught the essence of our group . . . "The question is not what you look at but what you see." For the first time, I think I SAW London! Other peak experiences include recognizing the "hidden curriculum" in every thing I looked at including my present and past education. It's incredible how quickly I developed such a strong opinion on something I'd never even perceived before! Also, I can't omit the fun, yes that says FUN, that I have had with my project. I think this is probably similar to you Jess, I had no idea how interested I was in this until I started and now I can't quit. I haven't come up with a sound thesis or project as much as I have come up with at least 50 other topics for studies that need to be done on this and related issues. I've learned SO much from my project- not only about the commitment and diligence required but just from my results. Unexpected results and outcomes are SO COOOOL! So, there's a few.

4. Do you feel that you have changed as a result of being part of this program? In what ways? What do you think caused this?

· Uh huh! I have gotten SO OPINIONATED! Not that I was meek before, but O My Goodness I have a lot of opinions now! I hate scantron tests, I'm insulted my patronizing classwork, I ask better questions, I think better, I argue more, but come to better conclusions and actually more agreements, I judge the information I receive for complete soundness, I'm less likely to join activities just for the sake of joining and building a resume, but on the other hand, once I join I'm more competitive, I have more confidence in my academic and intellectual abilities, am more critical of others-- not abilities but lack of effort and narrow perspectives and involvement-- I'm more diverse in my friends, interests, involvement, ideas! I am more likely to pursue an academic career-truly academic whatever that means. I appreciate more about my schooling and about what resources are available to me. I look at things with an open mind. I try things I wouldn't have tried otherwise simply for the sake of an impression and the funding of experience. All kinds of good stuff like that and I think it is not only from the whatever that Gose exposed us to (I'm hesitant to ever call it teaching because he's the best teacher I've ever had but I don't think he taught I think rather he exposed and we learned or picked up, Does that make any sense at all to you? I'm just trying to say that I don't have a verb for what he did I just know it worked!) but also from the interaction among the "confederacy" We are all SO COOL and SO SMART and SO DIVERSE and SO INVOLVED and SO FRIENDLY and gosh, I just think that our interaction was a challenge to me to learn more and find more things to try and be involved with and know about and so we all challenged each other (I'm rambling)

5. Comment on initiative. (or tell a story...)

· If I had more initiative I would have worked on my project sooner. Gose had initiative to take on the responsibility of this program and make it what it is

6. Comment on the honors confederacy. (or tell a story)

· ARETE- you may honor us.

· We are the best.

· That song from St. Elmos' fire comes to mind

We laughed until we had to cry

And we loved right down to our last good-bye

We were the best I think there'll ever be

Someday when we all reminisce

We'll all say there wasn't to much we missed

And through the tears, we'll smile when we recall we had it all for just a moment.

· Don't think for a second that I'm getting sentimental. I don't know how, I'm too smart for that. Ya'll are just a tool to get smarter for me- forget the whole friendship thing. No seriously, I'm amazed at how much I like everyone. I have to be honest, I'm not great with names and there were so many people that first year I didn't even bother to learn everyone's name and in fact I didn't even remember Mandy and Kellie's name till LAST YEAR! But, there had to be some time for the weeding out process. I think our group is exactly what it's supposed to be. We're all SO different and yet So much alike. I love this group. It's the group spend the least amount of time with and yet the group I like the most and will probably keep in touch with the most! We've been peers, friends, counselors, teachers, all that.

7. Comment on the role of humor. (or tell a story)

· We're a funny group- London, oh my goodness and beefeaters ( I guess it's not honors but it feels like it) We have more fun and even though we're the busiest people on campus, I think we have the most fun.

8. Everything else I can think of . . .memories . . .ah . . .

· Monday night dinners, Gose's poem that first night here about the country candy store aisles and how Billy's shooting someone in Vietnam, the video about the kids at Stanford, Kevin and Ashley's video on third street with that balloon man and the guy who wrote the song about honors for us, our presentations last year on culture, when Kellie first got her nose pierced and Gose started talking about Liberty vs. License, my beautiful homecoming to honors after the hell semester, Charlie and his video camera, ...I know there's gotta be more, I'll write when I think of what else. Thanks for doing this Jesse! It 's going great! Kinger

Joe

1. What do you see as the "honors" aspect of the Deans three years honors program?

· Honors...it is as Gose said in one of his essays he wrote regarding the program...a privilege. I don't feel as if I have done anything (myself) above and beyond what I would have actually done without the program, in the way of involvement on campus and learning. But, perhaps I have become directed into more enjoyable fields of study due to the program. I can't say that I have been excessively striving toward anything, so it is difficult to say that "honors" has been merited for laborious efforts. Rather, I believe that the "honors" aspect entails the privileges and experiences we have been provided with over the past three years. This is not to say that we have been spoon-fed, but many hours of work have been expended in learning what we want to learn instead of having it force-fed and regurgitated in a G.E. course. This is also not to say that we have been put on a pedestal, but we have attempted to emulate servitude by participating in various organizations on campus to help out classmates, peers, and the community. Personally, I believe that "honors" have been provided to us in the way that we as a group have been able to learn about and focus on different and far-reaching topics that others in the student body have not been able to experience, and then apply this wisdom to more fully appreciate aspects of life.

· At this point in time I would agree with the statement. However, at the start of the program, it is my belief that most of those in our group (even some who still remain) preferred the staircase model. Perhaps it is because many of us had been taught from an early age that success came with setting goals, lofty though they may be. I believe that this culminated in the "Honors" discussion regarding the goals of the program. As time went on, I believe that those most adaptable and open-minded to change and new ideas were those who remained. Those who understood and appreciated Dr. Gose's method of teaching Great Books and at least tried to see the world through this lens are those who do remain. I believe a gradual tolerance and acceptance was built up by those who still remain, and that those same people are the more flexible and open-minded toward ambiguity and change.

3. Elaborate on some of your "peak honors experiences", and explain their significance to you. Feel free to just tell a story here.

· Peak honors experiences...it is difficult to distinguish what you mean by "peak" since so many experiences were different and occurred both in and out of the classroom. I think a peak experience occurs when ambiguity is present and we were then free to act upon it. Perhaps one example of this happened the summer after our first year when Ashley, Kevin, and I took off to 3rd street, armed with a video camera and microphone in search of what was "cool". Needless to say, we didn't find a concrete definition, but we met interesting people and were introduced to a drunk Brit for the first time. Looking back on the trip to Yosemite, it would also classify as "peak". though it rained the ENTIRE time, we really got to know one another outside the classroom since we were forced to be together for 72 hours or so. Reflecting on it, I was able to develop the friendships I thought I would have by being a part of a special program. I also got the chance to learn about everyone's personality that was there, and relate to them each according to their own. My only regret is that the entire program did not attend...but perhaps it is better that they didn't in order to lessen the chance of conflicting personalities and I don't know how all of us would have fit into that Motel 6 room...

4. Do you feel that you have changed as a result of being part of this program? In what ways? What do you think caused this?

· If I said no I'd be lying. Before college, I was looking to get through it and make a name for myself in the "real world". I felt that I already knew what was relevant and just needed to know how to apply it. The program shattered this notion. I have never had a thirst for knowledge and a desire for learning as I do now, which I can say is a direct result of the program. I believe that the idea of "funding of experience" has led to this hunger. What was provided for us was a myriad of different avenues to explore and choose to learn about. I found that what I already knew was nothing compared to what was out there. My whole thinking pattern then adjusted. Earlier the question was given regarding the "spiderweb" model. Now I do look at the world through this lens and attempt to see "the forest instead of the trees." My mom said that the key to success is finding something you like to do and then doing it for a living. Even if you don't make a lot of money doing it, you'll be happy and your time will come. I so much wanted to do this and the three year honors program provided a means for my searching. As a result of the program, I would like to follow the statement provided in the first brochure regarding "grooming" the participants to become college professors. Hopefully as a professor I can provide an arena for students to pursue their own interests as this program has allowed me to pursue mine.

5. Comment on initiative. (or tell a story...)

· Initiative seems like being presented with an ambiguous situation and then being free to act upon it in whatever means seems suitable. At least to me, that is what initiative is. I gotta say that this program has allowed us to develop initiative by the situations presented to us. Most of the time we would have to decide what we wanted to pursue. Dr. Gose would give us a certain topic and then we had to explore it if we wanted to. The topics ranged from "coolness" to "British Culture" to "a final icon." It was our job to find some sort of specific that interested us and related to the topic in question. These specifics ranged from etiquette to ballet to 3rd Street in Santa Monica for "coolness." From Shakespeare to the Beatles for "British Culture." From CD-ROMS to an essay on the philosophy of medicine for a "final icon." The finding of the specific and relating it to a broad topic is the idea of initiative that has been developed in us as a result of the program.

6. Comment on the honors confederacy. (or tell a story)

· I often wonder what is meant by the honors confederacy...maybe I am just stupid as to not knowing exactly what the definition of it is. I take it to be the group of us, diverse, yet united through a common bond. This bond is difficult to explain, but it does strengthen and mature through experiences with others in the group. The experiences are those which aren't forced upon us but rather we choose to be a part of them. At some points I feel that our group is kind of like the "Breakfast Club", since we were all kind of thrown together at the beginning but then develop relationships through the partaking of situations together. Even though we hardly see one another any more, it seems that the bond remains as each of us realizes that we all strive for a better understanding of others and of our own selves, not to mention that we all have stories to reminisce about and share with each other.

7. Comment on the role of humor. (or tell a story)

· Nice question...I feel as if I am writing a Great Books exam. Humor, in our group has become a staple of our diet. I honestly cannot remember one meeting or time when a few of us were gathered when we didn't all laugh. It also seems that it is the subtler humor that is appreciated more. A type of Pythonesque attitude toward humor is what I find most appeals to the group in general. Why this is may be partly due to the idea that one must be versed in history and British culture to fully appreciate the troupe's humor and not just laugh at an outward appearance. I have seen that through our learning and maturing we have all wizened up to the past of our own situations and become more aware of our own culture. It is this idea that allows us to take the next step in humor and perhaps be more satirical in our views on life. I mean, life would get pretty dull without one. To borrow Clay's phrase, since the world is to us a "giant petri dish"...we might as well have a good time critiquing and analyzing it.

8. Comment on Culture. (or tell a story)

· I haven't found a standard representation of Culture. I guess it could be defined generally, but I have not found one specific example that pulls together all of its aspects. So many things need to be taken into account to determine it. The only way to really see what it is for yourself is to experience it first hand and not just read about it. To me the problem is that too many people are too afraid to reach out of their safety bubbles and try the native food or go to an event that you can only see in a specific region. I know from London that there were people who would only go to Burger King to eat and did not want to try a shepherd's pie or tandoori chicken (both of which are excellent I must say and are two foods which must be tried in Britain). Even if they do reach out however, it may be only to experience Popular Culture and not High Culture. Personally, I think to truly expand one's horizons you gotta learn and appreciate both types of Culture.

9. Tell me whatever I ought to know, but didn't ask.

· Well.......I heard that Charlie is gay and that Jon likes men. Besides that, it just seems that this program has given all of us the opportunity to reach beyond normalcy and become completely absurd in the eyes of others. But hey...what is normal?? We have been given the chance to expand mind, body, and soul. All of us have at least done that. I also know that I would never be in the state I am in if it were not for the facilitation of the others in this program....whether this is a good thing remains to be seen..........................................

Jon

1. What do you see as the "honors" aspect of the Deans three years honors program?

· The "Honors" part of the Honors Program has yet to be bestowed upon us. The Honors will be when I look back on my experience at Pepperdine and in the Honors Program and find myself extremely happy with my education. I believe that the experiences I have had, and will have, are the "honors" part of the Honors Program.

· I believe that those who stayed in the Honors Program do prefer the web model of education. Within the program and Great Books Colloquium, I have only experienced the spiderweb approach to education. In all of my other classes, especially my major classes, I have been taught through a staircase approach. I would speculate that most classes are taught this way, and that a majority of people prefer the staircase approach to education. This is why our honors group in particular, dwindled down to just a few.

3. Elaborate on some of your "peak honors experiences", and explain their significance to you. Feel free to just tell a story here.

· How about the summer beach barbeques playing football in the sand! This is where we first really all bonded together (I was not at Yosemite) and began to learn about one another. I actually with that there more times like this where we were all together and alone.

4. Do you feel that you have changed as a result of being part of this program? In what ways? What do you think caused this?

· The Honors Program has really helped me appreciate my educational experience. Never have I had to come up with a project on my own that I really wanted to do. I don't really think I have changed that much as a result of the program. I guess it has in sense that I am now much more outgoing within a classroom situation.

5. Comment on initiative. (or tell a story...)

· I believe I need more! Really though, I have not needed to be motivated to do my project. I really wanted to finish it because I wanted to see what I believed!

6. Comment on the honors confederacy. (or tell a story)

· I don't think there is one. I do regret that during the summer and years we've been together that I gave not had the opportunity to get to know people within an "honors setting."

7. Comment on the role of humor. (or tell a story)

· The role of Humor? Charlie has kept the humor alive within the group to a large extent. Humor has kept us all sane, especially during the first summer.

8. Comment on Culture. (or tell a story)

9. Tell me whatever I ought to know, but didnt ask.

· One more to add to #3. How about Gose pitching Cricket in CAC 304 with Baird's office right next door!

Kellie

1. What do you see as the honors aspect of the Deans three years honors program?

· We are the honors aspect of the Deans three year honors program. We have been the project all along and I think that our "projects" which are due this Wednesday don't really mean anything, they are basically pieces of paper that are supposed to represent what we can accomplish or what we have learned and I think that is something which is immeasurable.

· Yes, I agree completely with this assessment. The spiderweb model reminds me of what Gose calls the polyfocal conspectus. I think that those who stayed in the program embraced this idea, those who didn't stay in the program did tend to follow the staircase model and the reason they couldn't hang with us is because they might not have been able to tolerate the ambiguity.

3. Elaborate on some of your peak honors experiences, and explain their significance to you. Feel free to just tell a story here.

· The London experience was THE peak honors experience for me. With so much emphasis on culture during the first two years of the program I feel that I was really able to live what I learned while in London. I would not have appreciated London as much if I had not been prepared for the experience by Dr. Gose and everyone else in the group.

· I don't think that there are any stories which I could tell because most would have to be censored, but I will say that going to a rave with Mandy for our project on low culture, or "What is Cool?" was definitely a peak experience because we had so much fun and we were doing research at the same time! (I don't think you should include this, Dean Wilson probably wouldn't appreciate knowing we went to a rave for one of our projects:)...

4. Do you feel that you have changed as a result of being part of this program? In what ways? What do you think caused this?

· I have definitely changed for the better as a result of this program. The honors program gave me more focus and direction when it comes to the intellectual aspect of classes, testing methods and life itself. What I mean is that I would not have cared as much about bringing the polyfocal conspectus to everything I do. For example, when I watch a movie or read a book I am always saying to myself, "What would Plato think of this?" or "Wow, that was a great use of Machiavelli's ideal. I wonder if it was intentional?" I explore the ideas behind the text and look for influences which I can recognize from the Great Books tradition. You know, it really is true that the joy of recognition surpasses the joy of surprise!

5. Comment on initiative. (or tell a story...)

· Initiative, I waited until the very last minute to turn this in, I don't think I have any initiative :)....

· Okay, so I am just kidding. The honors program has sparked my initiative in more ways than I could possibly imagine. I think it is because I really agreed with Brittany when she said "You guys are responsible for my education". I have initiative because not only am I responsible for my education, I have responsibilities to everyone else in the group. I think that this is why we are all so close. We depend on one another for friendship, guidance, and an extra dose of intellectualism. Let's just take you and me for an example. I don't know how many conversations we have had outside of class that were about Great Books issues (I lost count a long time ago). But, I do know that many of those discussions were impromptu and by just having them with someone else I feel that I gained a higher level of insight and knowledge about the topic.

6. Comment on the honors confederacy. (or tell a story)

· Well, we are all able to laugh at each other and ourselves and the crazy things we do. I got a good story! (this probably shouldn't get back to Dean Wilson either:)

· Do you remember that one time I didn't show up to Great Books V in London and Dr. Gose was really worried about me and no one knew where I was? Well, almost the instant I walked in the door almost every member of the "honors confederacy" came up to me to make sure I was okay. I don't think I have ever felt more cared about by a group of people than I did with the confederacy. And, it's funny but we all look out for each other in our own ways. We are all so different but never have had any conflicts or problems. I think that says a lot about our group. Okay, now I am starting to cry, but it's true. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that what has developed within the group is a bond which ties us together through friendship, respect, trust, and responsibility. We are a family and I think that we all care about each other deeply. I mean you can't spend three years with the same people and not have this bond develop. Actually, I take it back. We couldn't have spent three years together and had things turn out so very differently. We all could have hated each other. Or, we could be indifferent towards each other. I am just really glad things turned out the way they did for us

7. Comment on the role of humor. (or tell a story)

· Kill Larry! -What more needs to be said?

8. Comment on Culture. (or tell a story)

· I think I touched on this before but I'll get a little more in-depth here. My main focus in the honors program was culture. I had no idea there was such a thing as high-culture and low-culture before the program. The difference has truly impacted my life because I have taken an Aristotelian (spelling?) approach to this. What I mean is that I practice the golden mean. I employ the perfect balance of high and low culture in my life. I never have too much of one over the other and this has kept me grounded when I get swept up in things.

9. Tell me whatever I ought to know, but didn't ask.

· I am very, very proud of each and every one of us and our accomplishments. I can't believe time has flown by as quickly as it has. I don't know how I am going to get along without everyone there to support me???? (okay, I am crying again...!!!!) There is so much I could say about everyone and everything we have done but I'll sum it up as best I can. There will never be another group of people who can work together as a cohesive unit so well and are as intelligent and caring as we are. I think Pepperdine was very lucky to have us and that we were very lucky to be put together by Pepperdine.

Kevin

1. What do you see as the honors aspect of the Deans three years honors program

· First of all, the fact that all the students needed to submit an application, and were selected to be a part of the program is something worthy of honor. Secondly, and perhaps the most important, I feel that our participation in a program such as this, in which more is expected from us besides our regular class loads, is something worthy of honor. Lastly, I feel each of the final projects of the members is honorable in that it challenges each of us to submit, shall we say, a final honors thesis or product to be subjected to the scrutiny of the Dean of Seaver College himself.

· Without any better information from the students who left, I would generally agree with Dr. Gose's speculation. However, I am a person who tends to like structure, so I am more inclined to prefer the staircase model. I think what kept me in the program was my commitment to the completing the three years of the program. No matter what challenges it was to bring me, or the ambiguity that I was to encounter, I was determined to finish waht I had started.

3. Elaborate on some of your peak honors experiences, and explain their significance to you. Feel free to just tell a story here.

· The peak experience that comes to mind occurred during the spring term of 1995. At that time, Gose was interested in having the honors group focus on culture. He broke us into small groups, giving us cultural "assignments." Ashley, Joe, and I tackled the assignment of finding out what the word "cool" meant. We went down to Third Street promenade in Santa Monica, video camera in hand, and proceeded to ask people what "cool" meant to them. We got some wonderful, diverse responses, making the "quest for coolness" a resounding success.

· The experience was significant in that it taught me to appreciate the history of culture and the heritage of words we use in every day life.

4. Do you feel that you have changed as a result of being part of this program? In what ways? What do you think caused this?

· I think I have changed since the first time I stepped into the honors program circle that first year as a freshman. I have learned to accept ambiguity a bit more readily in my life as a result of having to experience much of it throughout the program.

5. Comment on initiative. (or tell a story...)

· Initiative is dang important. By virtue of being in the program, I have learned the importance of taking initiative in accomplishing goals. I feel the honors program has challenged the students of the program to take a lot of personal initiative. Gose has served as sort of a "guide," but has encouraged us to take initiative in making decisions within the program and to follow through with those decisions.

6. Comment on the honors confederacy. (or tell a story)

· Gose has often referred to the honors program as being a confederacy. The supreme "power" has rested with the students, with the common pact among those in the program to set and reach common goals. If a student has been unhappy with these goals, it has been his/her option to withdraw from the program.

7. Comment on the role of humor. (or tell a story)

· With respect to the honors program, I feel humor played a large part in bringing the group together. If the group was forced to serious every time it met, much less could have ever been accomplished than has been with humor playing an active role. Ultimately, humor serves to be an ice-breaker, and provides common ground for all who witness it. If we all can laugh at something, doesn't that bring us together?

8. Comment on Culture. (or tell a story)

· Upon coming to college, I never thought I would end up studying Culture. My whole life I had been immersed in it, but rarely did I take the time of day to think about it. Now, because of the honors program, I realize and appreciate how the culture we experience influences our lives and helps to make us who we are. If the roots of our culture are threatened, our way of life will also be in danger.

Mandy

1. What do you see as the "honors" aspect of the Deans three years honors program?

· The honors aspect of the program for me has been the freedom the program has given me to pursue any subject I have wanted. I have always felt that when I am required to learn something, or go about learning in a specific way, I have in the end been disenchanted with the material or do not put my best effort into the work. I have never been one to work by deadlines, and although I know that some people in the group do work best this way, the honors group has allowed for both types of students to do their best work. The honors aspect of the program gives the students not only the freedom but also the responsibility to learn by one's own methods and learn the material that most interests the individual. If a particular method is not working, for example me and any sort of deadline, one must individually determine what does work best and implement this into one's work, etc.

· The honors program was not as structured as I had originally thought it would have been. At first it was threatening because never had I been given the same amount of space and freedom to explore different aspects of my education. In the end, that is, now, I really appreciate what I have learned from the spider web model of education. I know myself better as well as being able to incorporate different theories in comparison with others. well, I guess I have rambled a bit, or a lot here. I do think that spider web model of education has been the focus of our group. The staircase model would have been too restrictive and narrow. I think whether or not people have stayed or have left the group does basically come down to a difference of educational ideologies. I was not used to the spider web, but I have grown to appreciate the benefits that it, and only it, have and could have given me. The staircase model for me would not have been as much as an 'honors' program, basically because I associate honors with a type of intellectual diversity and freedom. In the spider web we are able to be at different points of thought, in the web of things, and still able to converse intelligibly about one specific topic. Each person brings a different perspective and allows others to expand their own. The need for order, and achievement of specific goals, in the staircase model, works for many people. But it does not work for me. I cannot speak on why many people left the honors group, mostly because I didn't know them well enough...but I would assume that it was this ambiguity that threatened them, or left them unsatisfied. But it has given me more satisfaction than any other method of learning I have been associated with. The ambiguity for me is very comforting; it presents me with so many options for any given topic.

3. Elaborate on some of your "peak honors experiences", and explain their significance to you. Feel free to just tell a story here.

· My peak honors experiences have not been in the classroom, nor in the library. It is more of a gradually feeling. I know that I do not know a lot. But I am much more capable of handling things, whether academic or practical, than when I arrived at school. The peak honors experience is the friendships I have made over the past three years, some closer than others, yet all of them unique and special. But they are all based on a respect that I don't think that I could have gotten from any other group of individuals. It is wonderful to know that when I see any member of the group in passing, in class, or just hanging out, that they will bring a smile to my face. I can tell you of the things I have learned that have been peak academic experiences for me...like when I finally understood what in the hell Descartes was writing about, but I could have had that without the honors program as such. I could not, however, have built these unique and important relationships with people who I admire all for different reasons. I will always remember the rainy day in Yosemite, asking each other if one has started their honors project in the hall and laughing because neither had opened a book, the philosophy chats at southside, and looking at Guernica and wondering what Dr. Gose was talking about with a another member of the honors group. I will remember those times and the people long after I forget the math formulas I have memorized or the abstract theories I have learned.

4. Do you feel that you have changed as a result of being part of this program? In what ways? What do you think caused this?

· I have changed a lot of the past three years. I am unsure how many of those changes were the result of just being at college and which ones have specifically to do with the honors program. I am a more independent thinker now, for good or for bad. I question things more. I like to do things my own way and I don't like the conformity of many classes I have taken here which I wouldn't have thought twice about before coming to Pepperdine. The honors program has changed me in respect to how I think of other people's abilities. I have learned to appreciate the diverse intellectual talents of each member of the group...we are all so different. I am amazed at what the other members of the group are able to do...things that I could not even dream about doing. I used to think success mattered, now I don't. What one has learned and how one uses that knowledge matters immensely. (did I spell that right??) The honors group have definitely helped to teach me that. I can never be as talented as many other people, but I know what little I do now and I have to use it to the best of my ability. The diversity of our group has helped me to appreciate different fields of study, as well. I have never been into anything practical, but I can see how important those things are now. The group has changed me. I am not sure if I can say exactly how though. I guess if I had to say, it would be that it has made me a person with a broader perspective. I am very grateful for this.

5. Comment on initiative. (or tell a story...)

· Initiative, if a person is never given the chance to develop on one's own, is never understood or appreciated. it is a freedom to explore one's world with the curiosity and earnestness of a true student. I sometimes think that if I had not been given ambiguity in my studies, I would not have individual initiative. Deadlines are deadline, that are not something of my own. I want to fulfill them not because of something I want to be, but instead because of compulsion- there exists no initiative. Of course I floundered back and forth when the honors group left me to my own devices-scary. But I developed initiative, and I now am honestly compelled to learn of my own accord.

6. Comment on the honors confederacy. (or tell a story)

· I think it is the individuality of the group which has made us stick together so long. I don't compete with the other members of the group, nor am I supposed to. I have respect for everyone else in the program, without feeling like I should be doing what they are doing. The confederacy gives the individuals validation for what they are accomplishing without downgrading the other's achievement which is just as important. I don't think the group would have worked as well as it has if it had not been a 'confederacy.'

7. Comment on the role of humor. (or tell a story)

8. Comment on Culture. (or tell a story)

· Culture. all I have to say about culture is that it shows us our narrowness of subjectivity, and allows us the opportunity to broaden our mind little by little.

9. Tell me whatever I ought to know, but didnt ask.

· Sorry this is so long and rambling. I don't know if I have clearly gotten anything access...much less the point I was trying to make. The honors group has made my college experience something special as opposed to the regular student. Not that I am in any way smarter than other students, but I have been given the change to stay with a small group of people and share common experiences, concerns, and goals.