Honors College
Colloquium 25-26
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Required for all first-year Honors College students, this two-semester sequence lays the foundation for your development as an Honors Scholar. Focused on a common theme, this class will encourage you to think creatively, be curious and investigative, and ask rich and complex questions.
In the belief that action and experience are a critical part of the learning process, Honors Colloquium embraces the principles of “active learning.” In that spirit, all classes take a required active-learning trip during Fall Break; travel costs, accommodations, tickets, and some meals will be paid for by the Honors College.
HON 111 (Fall)
In HON 111, you will learn how to encounter and interact with different kinds of writing and texts; how to become a better analytical reader; how to collaborate with your fellow scholars; how to engage in academic debate and discourse; and how to improve your communication skills, both written and oral.
HON 112 (Spring)
In HON 112, we will go from a focus on asking questions to a focus on answering them. While you continue to hone the skill of asking rich and rewarding questions, you will also begin developing the tools you need to find answers. In short, in HON 112 you will learn how to undertake “research,” broadly defined, what research looks like in various disciplines, the ethics of research, and how research develops organically.
Colloquium Theme: Exploration
“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” T. S. Eliot
It is surprising to see the different ways the term “explore” has been used over the centuries. From ancient Latin and its emphasis on exploration as scouting for game, to early French and English versions focused on medicine and exploring the body and disease, to later uses of the term in which exploring becomes more about discovery and often about physical places, the term has evolved in ways we might consider unexpected. However, it is the unexpected, or the unknown, that remains a consistent part of what it means to explore. As humans, we are perpetually curious, and this desire to know more about ourselves and the world around us, to understand that which is not known, means we often herald the act of exploring, even when the discoveries of our explorations can lead to unanticipated consequences.
Across its various sections, Honors Colloquium 2025-2026 will examine the concept of “exploration.” Whether looking at specific moments in history when exploration was paramount; the science of exploration; exploration as meaning making; or even at philosophical and religious perspectives on exploration, Colloquium 25-26 will explore the significance of exploration to and in our world.
While each section of Colloquium will approach this topic differently and will make use of different texts, all sections will begin the year by reading, discussing, and writing about Dava Sobel’s .
H001 TR 11-12:15
Boundary Crossings: Exploring the Radical, Reimagining the Ethical
Professor Ian Cicco
This section of colloquium invites students on a journey through the complex territories where exploration meets ethics, where boundaries are both defined and transgressed, and where storytelling becomes an act of radical cartography. In a world increasingly divided by visible and invisible borders, this course examines how we navigate cultural, artistic, and intellectual boundaries—and what responsibilities we carry as we cross them.
Throughout our year together, we will interrogate the tension between discovery and appropriation and between appreciation and exploitation. During the fall semester, we will focus on ethical considerations in artistic and cultural exploration and examines how power dynamics shape who gets to explore, who is explored, and who benefits from these explorations. In the spring, we will consider radical boundary-crossings that challenge established systems and explore uncharted social territories. This course aspires to be more than academic inquiry; it seeks to become a collaborative exploration where participants develop critical awareness of their own boundary-crossing practices. Students will question conventional exploration narratives, examine how "discovery" often erases pre-existing knowledge, and consider how different bodies experience different freedoms and constraints when exploring physical, cultural, and digital landscapes. Through guided discussions, exploratory projects, and research investigations that students themselves will frame and pursue, participants will develop tools to navigate ethical complexities while honoring the radical potential of exploration.
Potential Readings: Alison Bechdel, ; Beyoncé, ; Sandra Cisneros, ; Junot Diaz, ; F. Scott Fitzgerald, ; Lewis Hyde, ; Rebecca Solnit, ; Peter Turchi, ; Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad; Isabel Wilkerson, Warmth of Other Sounds
H002 TR 11-12:15
Exploration through Storytelling
Professor Mary Sheffer
As humans, we use stories to share experiences, ideas, histories, and emotions. Stories come in many varieties and styles, all of which help us better understand and connect with each other. In other words, part of how we explore and navigate life and relationships is through stories. For example, through films like Coco and Encanto and books such as Maus and Persepolis, the public is exposed to different cultures and perspectives. We get to see life through the eyes of individuals of different races and ethnicities, of varying abilities, and of different beliefs and orientations to the world. In addition, every genre of storytelling possesses both strengths and weaknesses, and we will explore the affordances and constraints of these different modes of visual storytelling throughout the course of the year.
In the fall semester, we will engage in critical discussions on how animation bridges cultural and age barriers and explore key works from iconic animation studios like Disney. In the spring semester, we will continue to analyze how we explore our world through graphic memoirs and novels. By the end of the two semesters, we will have explored and investigated storytelling and its effects through creative projects and research investigations.
Potential Readings: K. Connors, ; Jonathan Gottschall, ; David Perlmutter, ; Marjane Satrapi, ; Jeff Smith, ; Art Spiegelman,
H003 MW 2:30-3:45
Mapping Success: Exploring Pathways and Redefining Achievement
Professor Jacob Cotton
What does it mean to be successful? How do we navigate the many paths available to us, and how do we measure our progress? In this section of Colloquium, we will explore the theme of Exploration through the lens of personal, professional, and intellectual journeys. Using Longitude as our common text, we will examine historical and contemporary narratives of discovery, innovation, and perseverance, while critically questioning traditional and emerging definitions of success.
Through a combination of reading, discussion, creative projects, and writing, students will engage with diverse perspectives on achievement, considering cultural, historical, and personal factors that shape how we define and pursue our future goals. Together, we will ask questions dedicated to thinking more deeply about exploration and success: How has human curiosity driven progress and exploration? How do we set our own course in life? Are setbacks in our explorations just part of the route to discovery? What roles do wealth, fame, happiness, and fulfillment play in how we measure success? How has technology changed the way we seek meaning?
Students will have the opportunity to develop their critical thinking, analytical writing, and collaborative discussion skills while also engaging in hands-on exploration whether through personal storytelling, creative problem-solving, and even literal map-making exercises. By the end of the course, students will leave with a broader understanding of what success can mean and how they might navigate their own futures with confidence and curiosity.
Potential Readings: Clayton Christensen, ; David Epstein, ; Nikki Erlick, ; Matt Haig, ; Sheena Iyengar, ; Robert Moor,
H004 TR 11-12:15
Exploring Pathways to Peace
Professor Candice Salyers
“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.” —Albert
Einstein
"True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice." —Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Peace begins with a smile.”—Mother Teresa
Can peace be found, must it be actively built, or both? In this section of Colloquium, we will explore how people navigate pathways towards peace as individuals, societies, and as a global population. We will consider definitions of “peace” as a state, a process, and a balance of creative tensions as well as the impact of the environment on human pursuits of peace. While investigating global conflict transformation, we will examine case studies of peacebuilding through the arts and will have the opportunity to work with an international organization on one of their current projects.
The concept of exploring evokes experiences of traveling, searching, and inquiring, and we will engage all of these methodologies for our research into peace as a theory and a practice. We will read texts by authors from around the world and consider the contexts in which they encountered, struggled for, and built peace as well as the insights their work can offer us as scholars and citizens.
Possible Readings: Chinua Achebe, ; Becky Chambers, ; Cynthia Cohen, ; Albert Einstein, ; Thich Nhat Hanh, ; John Paul Lederach, T; Juliet Millican, ; Wallace J. Nichols, ; Maria Power, ; Howard Zinn et al.,
H005 MW 2:30-3:45
Exploring Society: Navigating the Social World
Professor Jessica Valles
Exploration is more than geographical discovery—it is a social phenomenon that shapes the way we understand the world and our place within it. Exploration is a fundamental human endeavor—whether venturing into territories of unfamiliar faces and places, uncovering hidden social structures, or navigating established norms. In this colloquium, we will explore the sociological dimensions of discovery, examining how individuals and societies navigate new ideas, identities, and cultural landscapes.
From policies and social movements to relationships and habits, this course will explore how social forces shape our understanding of things both familiar and unknown. We will analyze social structures at both the macro and microlevel that influence who gets to explore, whose journeys prevail, and how society reacts to the unfamiliar. Through discussion, critical inquiry, and interdisciplinary perspectives, students will gain a deeper understanding of how sociological exploration reveals the complexities of human relationships, social change, and cultural encounters.
By the end of this colloquium, students will develop a sociological lens to examine the world around them, questioning assumptions and uncovering the unseen forces that shape our social realities.
Potential Readings: M. T. Anderson, ; Becky Chambers, ; Matthew Desmond, ; Jasmine Graham, ; Matthew Haig, ; Dan-el Padilla Peralta, ; Jesmyn Ward,
H006 MW 2:30-3:45
Finding Our Own Way: Then, Now, and Onward
Professor Timothy Gutmann
The Age of Exploration, Manifest Destiny, the New Frontier. From the time we’re young,
we learn that setting out and setting forth is part of what it means to be American.
However, exploration in our history is just one part of a bigger story about something
human beings have done from the beginning.
This is a course for and about explorers. We’ll ask about why people would want to leave the home they know, especially when they don’t know where they’re going, or how they’ll get there. We’ll learn about how people in different places and times have looked for adventure and learned about themselves as they’ve felt the pull of curiosity. We’ll also think about what pushes people away from familiar places where they can’t or don’t see themselves staying put any longer.
We’ll journey back into prehistory to learn about the first migrations of human beings within and out from our African homeland. We’ll learn about how exploring the seas and oceans became a practical reality through looking to the stars.
Our class is also a place where we’ll meet charismatic adventurers. You may not have heard of Ibn BaáąáąĹ«áąah, but before Magellan and Columbus, he traveled the world from Spain to Nigeria, from Bulgaria to the Maldives, from Indonesia to the Philippines as both a seeker and a guide to others. We’ll also get to know Moncacht-ApĂ©, a man from the Yazoo people who walked from right here in Mississippi to New England, the Pacific, and back.
Our class is also where we’ll contemplate our boldest voyage yet. We’ll learn about the scientific learning and planning at work in building a life on Mars. We won’t just be thinking about how we could do it. We’ll also come together to think about the world we live in, and where we want to go from here.
Potential Readings: Ibn BaáąáąĹ«áąah, A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Traveling; Cormac McCarthy, ; David Reich, ; Robert Sopalski, ; Antion Simon Le Page du Pratz, History of Louisiana; Christina Thompson, ; Kelly Weinersmith and Zach Weinersmith,
H007 MW 2:30-3:45
The Hunt
Professor Andy Reese
“What friends I have, what days I treasure most, what places that I think about and
smile . . . they are because shotguns are. Without them I would have been empty. They
have made my life full.” —Gene Hill
“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” —John Muir
Hunting, as a term, can conjure up a host of human emotions. From the fond memories that make life worth living, as captured in the quote above by outdoor author Gene Hill, to outright disgust and outrage. To others, especially in today’s modern society, hunting may be as distant and foreign as a walk on the moon. Learning to read ancient Sanskrit might prove more useful to them than the art of stalking a turkey or the ability to load, shoulder, and fire a shotgun accurately.
But in the end, these various emotions of the modern-day human are somewhat irrelevant. The simple fact is that hunting is deeply woven into our human fabric. With primitive stone tools, it was Homo habilis that first learned to steal meat from downed animals, originally killed by predators on the African plains. It was this injection of scavenged protein in their diet that made the rapid evolution to Homo sapiens possible, and for the last million and a half years, hunting has been a cornerstone of the human experience.
In this section of Colloquium, we will explore the history, the ethical and philosophical dilemmas, the political landscape, as well as cultural and literary depictions of hunting, the hunter, and the hunted. Through readings, discussions, writing, and active participation, students will gain insight into the physical and cultural interplay between humans and the ever-evolving art and science of hunting.
Potential Readings: Philip Dray, ; George Frison, ; William Faulkner, ; Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, “The Skillful Hunstman”; Gene Hill, ; Steven Rinella, ; Paul Shepard,
H008 TR 11-12:15
Parts (Un)Known: A Journey of Place, Identity, Reexamination, and Innovation
Professor Ashley Allen
“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” —Anthony Bourdain
This section of Colloquium explores the intersections of history, identity, and memory through narratives that illuminate the complex relationships between people and place. Through an interdisciplinary lens, we will examine works of nonfiction and fiction that uncover hidden histories, challenge dominant narratives, and reveal the deep cultural and historical legacies of specific locations. In other words, together, we will think about exploration as a process of re-seeing people, places, and events that we thought we already knew.
We will explore innovations and scientific discoveries, the state of Mississippi, victims of the civil rights era, language, and even ancient epics. Our goal will be to think through these topics and ideas from a different perspective and to refine our concepts of exploration so that we see ourselves as explorers and begin the process of academic discovery. Through readings, discussions, and critical analyses, we will engage with themes of exploration, displacement, racial injustice, identity, and the enduring power of place. This course will encourage us to consider how narratives shape our understanding of history and identity while fostering critical thinking about the ways in which the past continues to inform contemporary society.
Potential Readings: Percival Everett, ; Jasmin Graham, ; Richard Grant, ; Homer, ; Daniel Mason, ; Amanda Montell, ; Jesmyn Ward, ; Wright Thompson, The Barn
Archives
- 2024-25: Sense
- 2023-24: Connection
- 2022-33: Resistance
- 2021-22: (Un)Certainty
- 2020-21: Boundaries
- 2019-20: Progress
- 2018-19: The (Un)Known
- 2017-18: Journeys