Forum
FALL 2008
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UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Honors Celebrates 50 Years by Elleanor H. Crown On Friday, April 4, 2008, the much anticipated 50th anniversary celebration of the Honors Program brought alums and friends from far and near to Ann Arbor for a day of remembering and learning. The day began with an informal breakfast in the Perlman Honors Commons where Honors faculty and staff, alums, and current students Laura MacLatchy demonstrates the got acquainted evolution from quadruped to biped. over coffee and pastries. The opening events of the day, called “Back in Class,” were a series of lectures by representatives of the Honors faculty who gave our guests a sense of the academic excitement that characterizes today’s Honors curriculum. Professor Laura MacLatchy from Anthropology held a hands-on session in the Museum of Anthropology entitled “How Did We Learn to Walk on Two Feet: Origins of Bipedalism.” Using actual bone samples and fossils, MacLatchy illustrated the process by which humans evolved from quadrupeds into bipeds. Professor Timothy McKay from the Physics Department (and now the Director of Honors) discussed with attendees “The Physics of Life.” He addressed issues at the intersection of biology and physics such as “why haven’t living creatures evolved wheels?” and “why is a 100-foot-tall spider impossible?” McKay has developed, and currently teaches a new Physics course geared toward students with an interest in the life sciences. This presentation gave the audience a glimpse into his fresh approach to the principles of basic physics. The third session, conducted by Professor Fred Amrine of the German Department, himself an Honors alum, was
titled, “True to Life: David Hockney on Perception.” In a slide-illustrated lecture, Amrine explored the philosophical implications of David Hockney’s photo-collages. At noon, there was a greatly expanded version of our popular “Lunch with Honors” in the Palmer Commons. Honors alum Tom Bombelles, Director of International Government Relations for Merck & Co., made a presentation and led a discussion on “Corporate Responsibility and the Global AIDS Crises.” He provided updates about Merck’s efforts to make effective HIV treatments available in Africa and moderated a lively interchange of ideas about the issues. In the early afternoon, there was a double session of student presentations in which seniors reported the results of their Honors thesis research, resident adviTom Bombelles talks with alums and sors gave a firststudents after lunch. hand view of the expanded programming in Honors housing, and peer mentors talked about their efforts to provide assistance to students in challenging Honors courses. Student research presentations were made by David Blair (Cellular, Molecular, Developmental Biology), Michael Diamond (English), Lauren Friedman (Linguistics), Rebecca Grzadzinski (Psychology), Brittany Hapner (Communication Studies), Carly Kaloustian (English), Ariel KennedyGebhart (Creative Writing), Erin Lichtenstein (History), Elizabeth Mann (Political Science), Timothy McQuade (Economics), Katherine Mitroka (German), Sarah Na (Brain, Behavior, and Cognitive Science), Alexander Nichols (Organizational Studies) and Korie Zink (Psychology), Continued on back cover…
LSA Honors Director Timothy A. McKay
Kudos
by Elleanor H. Crown
Associate Director Donna Wessel Walker
Honors Program Awards
Assistant Director Scott Kassner
Thanks to the generosity of Honors alumni and friends, we are able to support and reward our outstanding students for their accomplishments.
Scholarship Coordinator Elleanor H. Crown Program Coordinator John C. Cantú Office Manager Vicki Davinich Graduation and Student Services Assistant TBA Communications Assistant Kendal Harlan Kloostra Program Assistant Mary Shelly Mageski Faculty Advisors Samuel Brenner Denise Guillot Maria E. Gonzalez Gutierrez Fiona Rose Greenland Santha Jeyabalan Margaret Lourie Robert Pachella Megan Reif Contact Information LSA Honors Program 1330 Mason Hall 419 S. State St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1027 Phone: 734-764-6274 Fax: 734-763-6553 Email: honors.alums@umich.edu http://www.lsa.umich.edu/honors/ Regents of the University Julia Donovan Darlow, Ann Arbor Laurence B. Deitch, Bingham Farms Olivia P. Maynard, Goodrich Rebecca McGowan, Ann Arbor Andrea Fischer Newman, Ann Arbor Andrew C. Richner, Grosse Pointe Park S. Martin Taylor, Grosse Pointe Farms Katherine E. White, Ann Arbor Mary Sue Coleman, President (ex officio) The University of Michigan, as an equal opportunity/ affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action, including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The University of Michigan is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all persons regardless of race, sex, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, or Vietnam-era veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. Inquiries or complaints may be addressed to the University’s Director of Affirmative Action and Title IX/ Section 504 Coordinator, 4005 Wolverine Tower, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1281, (734) 763-0235; TTY (734) 647-1388. For other University of Michigan information call: (734) 764-1817.
Special awards to Honors seniors are part of our graduation ceremony each year. In April, 2003 we initiated a group of awards made possible by the Goldstein family (Ellen, Joseph, Laura Bassichis and Paul) all of whom attended our ceremony and assisted in the presentation that year. Named for distinguished UM alumni and associates, the Goldstein Prizes reward excellence in humanities, arts, natural sciences and mathematics, social sciences, public service, humanitarianism and teaching. Students are nominated by their departments for these awards. Each of these students graduated with Highest Honors. Two exceptional history majors, Erin Lichtenstein and Alexandra Mitter, shared the Robert Hayden Humanities Award. They were both highly praised by their department for the depth of their research, the originality of their insights, and their contributions to their concentration cohort. The Arthur Miller Arts Award went to Geoffrey George, Film and Video Studies major. Geoff’s ambitious senior thesis project, a film titled “It’s All in Place,” was highly regarded by his department and he was commended for his initiatives to build cohesion and community among his peers. The Jerome and Isabella Karle Award for Natural Sciences and Mathematics was awarded to Kevin Wilson from mathematics. Kevin, a Goldwater Scholar, received accolades from both mathematics and computer science faculty who consider him the finest student they have encountered in a decade. Politcal Science major Jeremy Levine-Murray won the Marshall Sahlins Social Science Award. Jeremy’s academic career spans a wide range of disciplines, all of which have contributed to an outstanding senior thesis. Faculty in several departments have predicted a bright future for him in academics or in public policy. The Gerald Ford Public Service Award winner Elizabeth Mann from Political Science was commended not only for the depth of her scholarship and thought but for her generous participation in her department. Elizabeth will spend the next two years serving in Teach for America. The Raoul Wallenberg Humanitarian Award was presented to Sonia Isard from Judaic Studies and Slavic Languages and Literatures. Sonia’s thesis is considered not only academically important but also to have humanitarian implications for the Ukrainian Jewish village of Mogilev-Podolski. Sidney Fine Teaching Award is given to students who show exceptional promise as future educators. Charlotte Franklin, an outstanding young classicist, was nominated by several faculty in Classical Languages and Literature for her potential as a scholar whose work already demonstrates sophistication, maturity, and breadth, and whose promise as a teacher is as strong. Honors Alumni Prizes for outstanding achievement and service to the Honors Program and the university were presented to Matthew Coleman and Sarah Na. Matthew, an Honors philosophy concentrator, has been an invaluable member of the Honors staff for several years. His understanding of the mission of the program combined with his technological savvy and his willingness to contribute to any effort will be greatly missed. Throughout her undergraduate years, Sarah has worked for Honors as an Academic Peer Advisor and has been a driving force for the Honors Peer Mentorship Program. Sarah graduated with Highest Honors in neuroscience and a major in Classics. She has been a brilliant example to our students that intellectual curiosity can lead one down very rewarding paths. She currently attends the University of Michigan Medical School. 2
National Awards This year, Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships were won by two Honors students: junior mathematics concentrator, Timothy Heath and sophomore physics major, Steven Moses. Tim, who comes from Camp Hill, PA is interested in the mathematics of string theory. When he is not engaged in some kind of mathematical activity, he likes to play table tennis. Steven, from Lincoln Park, MI, has been working in thermoselectrics, a field that appeals to him because of its practical applications. His favorite nonscientific pursuit is music. He plays piano and oboe and calls himself an “avid listener of classical, jazz, and opera.” Timothy Heath Steven has also won a major UM Physics Department scholarship. Steven Moses Goldwater Scholarships provide up to $7500 a year for one or two years of college work for students who show exceptional promise in mathematics, science, and engineering. There are about 300 scholarships awarded across the country each year.
Virginia Voss Memorial Scholarships Virginia Voss Memorial Scholarships are awarded each year to senior Honors women for excellence in writing. They pay tribute to the memory of the late Virginia Voss who graduated from Michigan in the 1950s and became College Editor of Mademoiselle magazine. After her untimely death, the Voss family provided funds for the awards. We were especially honored this year to be joined by Virginia Voss’s twin sisters, June Everett and Jo Van Boven, and Jo’s husband Sam. They were gracious enough to travel to Ann Arbor for the ceremony where they assisted in the presentation of the Voss awards and later had lunch with a group of recipients. This year’s winners, their departments of concentration and their thesis topics are listed below.
Heidi Ziegenmeyer, Program in the Environment, A Comparison of Sampling Protocols to Estimate Species Composition, Percent Cover, and Biomass of Macrophytes in Chief Lake, Michigan
For Poetry: Carrie Luke, Creative Writing, Phantom Eat Phantom: Poems The Honors Program is fortunate to have endowments to provide annual grants to outstanding Honors juniors. These include the Otto Graf Scholarships and Prizes and the Jack Meiland Prize. Otto Graf, German scholar and humanist, was Director of Honors for eighteen years. The awards given in his honor are made to students distinguished by their academic excellence and commitment. The work of Jack Meiland, Philosophy professor and Honors Director, was noted for its interdisciplinarity. The Meiland Award is made annually to the student whose studies best reflect his ideals of quality and breadth. This year, Emily Cappo, a joint Honors English and Oboe Performance student won the Jack Meiland Award. The Otto Graf Scholarship went to Sam Espahbodi, an Honors mathematics and interdisciplinary physics junior. Graf Prizes were awarded to Amy Bao (Honors History of Art and Business) and Katherine Martin (Honors Brain, Behavior, and Cognitive Science).
For Academic Writing: Claire Barker, Anthropology/Archaeology, Ceramics and Exchange Networks: Understanding Social Interactions at Pithouse and Pueblo Communities in the Prehistoric American Southwest Christine Beamer, English, Listening to the Music: Nineteenth Century Intersections between Music, Class, and Genre Jenna Brubaker, Organizational Studies, It’s Definitely an Uphill Battle: The Process of Innovation Implementation in the Context of School-Based Child Obesity Programs
Many of our students received funds from the Honors Program to help with the costs of their thesis research, to enable them to attend and present results at conferences, to assist with the cost of special study abroad programs or to subsidize the cost of unpaid internships. We congratulate all of them for their excellent work.
Manisha Chakravarthy, English, Reading Indian-American Women: Writers, Protagonists, and Critics Lauren Friedman, Linguistics, The Loss of Old English Null Expletive “it”: How a language can transform from one that allows null expletives to one that disallows them Elizabeth Otto, Physics, Ultrafast Single Molecule Spectroscopy 3
From the Director TIMOTHY MCKAY, LS&A Honors Director
Dear Friends, It is my great pleasure to send you a first greeting as the new Director of the LSA Honors Program. My first encounter with the Honors Program happened in my second year on campus, when I had the good fortune to be assigned Honors Introductory Physics for my Fall 1996 teaching. Since then I have been involved with Honors in many ways: teaching courses, supervising senior theses, working with the annual Kickoff and as an Honors Faculty Fellow. My activities in Honors have been the most diverse and intellectually stimulating of my academic career. The chance to spend the next few years working in this great community was too good to miss and I’m thrilled to come on board. Much of the credit for the current vitality of the Honors Program goes to our outgoing Director, Steve Darwall. During Steve’s tenure student engagement with Honors
could range from complex logic to low humor and back in moments. Steve is now Emeritus at Michigan and has taken a modest retirement job as the Andrew Downey Orrick Professor of Philosophy at Yale University. He will be sorely missed around here. Perhaps a little background is in order, just to let you know where I’m coming from. I am a physicist and astronomer, educated at Temple University and the University of Chicago. I am particularly interested in the scientific study of origins, and lead a research team working to understand the origin and evolution of large scale structure in the universe. My students and I use telescopes around the world to map out the distribution of matter on the largest accessible scale, comparing what we find with the latest predictions of Big Bang theory. My teaching is largely at the introductory level, and for the last three years I’ve been developing on a new physics course for students of the life sciences.
grew enormously. He established a new series of Honors sponsored courses, revitalized Honors housing by building a strong cadre of Honors RAs, and opened the Perlman Honors Commons as a central meeting space for our students. Most important, Steve’s sparkling leadership of Honors events from Kickoff to graduation helped make the program a place where students want to be. With Steve at the helm, Lunch with Honors
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Since taking over at the beginning of July, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting with hundreds of incoming Honors students in summer orientation. We spent these many lunches discussing big issues they are really eager to learn about during their four years at Michigan. During these sessions, we sketched out the topics on a blackboard, just to illustrate the wild range of interests they bring to the table. You can see a sample in the accompanying photo. Yes, quite a few honors students question the existence of objective reality before they even start here. We also had a great Honors Kickoff this year, focused around Kevin Boyle’s National Book Award winning history Arc of Justice. Beginning with expert faculty insight provided by Professors Bruce Frier and Martha Jones, we spent the morning discussing some of the many issues this story raised. During the afternoon, the Honors RA’s lightened the tone, putting on their own
little musical and sending the incoming students across campus on a scavenger hunt.
Watching these students blossom through work in my lab has taught me how important individual challenges and personal interactions with faculty can be. Research, the generation of new scholarship, provides an ideal environment for making this happen. One of my goals for the coming years is to have the Honors Program do more to promote, support, and enrich the research experiences our Honors students have, especially as part of their Honors senior theses. To this end, we’ll be working with all of LSA’s 74 concentrations to develop new ways to help our students become scholars. We will also continue Steve’s tradition of running first rate extracurricular events for Honors students. Lunch with Honors this fall will host people like Aaron Miller, the founder of Seeds of Peace, Jonathan Tisch, Co-Chairman of the board of the Loews Corporation, Michigan Professor Henry Pollack, leading climate change expert, and Michigan Athletic Director Bill Martin. In addition, I’m starting up an “Honors Adventures” program to show students the many off campus opportunities of Ann Arbor and Southeast Michigan. So it will be a busy year again in Honors. As we head into the new academic year, I also look forward to getting to know and interacting with more of our Honors alumni and friends. I had the good fortune to meet a few of you at the Honors 50th Anniversary celebration last spring. Since then, I’ve become more aware of the extraordinary achievements and remarkable vitality of our community of supporters. We look to you for advice, to help keep current our connections with the world at large, and for essential financial support. These are difficult times for the State of Michigan, daunting to our students, and now more than ever the Honors Program needs your support. All the best,
Tim McKay
AARON HANDELSMAN
I have always heavily involved students in my research group, and have now worked with more than fifty undergraduates in research at all levels. They have been very successful in research; just last year, LSA Honors student Matthew Becker (BS ’07) won the American Physical Society’s National Leroy Apker Prize for best undergraduate research in the land. While most of these students have continued on to graduate programs in Physics and Astronomy, many have gone on to other careers: teaching science in secondary schools, developing new low cost ground water purification systems, and analyzing derivatives for the Deutsche Bank.
Farewell to Steve Darwall At the end of June, our director, Steve Darwall, left not only Honors but the University of Michigan to accept a position as Andrew Downey Orrick Professor of Philosophy at Yale University. On May 29, the Harlan Hatcher Library was the site of a large gathering to bid goodbye to Steve and thank him for all his leadership, service, and support to the Honors Program, the Department of Philosophy, and the University Libraries. Honors Associate Director Donna Wessel Walker presented the following toast. “For the past five summers, during Honors Orientation lunches, Steve has led incoming Honors students through a discussion of Aristotle’s argument about two kinds of honor, arete, intrinsic honor, and time, bestowed honor. His goal is to guide students away from thinking about the rewards of being in Honors, the “Honors credential,” to the activities the Honors label points to: to help them see that the label is only as good as the reality behind it, that, in his words, the “honorary is secondary” and that the Honors Program is about all those endeavors (intellectual, cultural, social, political, personal) that are intrinsically worth doing. He in fact jokes that we should be called “the Intrinsically Worth Doing Program” and forgo the whole Honors awards issue. Steve has brought to the Honors Program much in the way of arete during these five years that he’s been our Director. In addition to invigorating our intellectual community, building up our curriculum and raising pots of money, he has brought his own brand of verve, wit, and a keen sense of fun. So, Steve, for all this arete, we give you time: we in Honors honor you. Hail and farewell, and may Yale be half as much fun.”
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Student Perspectives Archaeology in Belize By Maia Dedrick
The Belizean jungle in which I lived this summer is an environment that any student of ecology would love—it is home to a diversity of plant and animal species, spread across spectra of elevation, soil depth, and moisture. It is a place where the ancient Maya once thrived, but then were unable to sustain dense populations for reasons still not entirely understood today. The preservation of this area of the jungle is emblematic of the ambiguous web of economic and ecological exploitations in which we find ourselves at the beginning of the 21st century. Twenty-five years ago, the Coca Cola Company was this biological and archeological gem’s unlikely and perhaps unintentional savior. In an intimidating maneuver meant to force South American citrus growers into economic submission, they purchased vast tracts of jungle potentially to convert into citrus plantations. The move was a success for Coca Cola; the growers gave in. Coca Cola left the jungle intact and donated it to Belize in order to foster good relations with sugarcane farmers. The land eventually became a reserve. Most recently, new threats to the area have arrived in the form of oil explorations that lead to increasing deforestation and the use of explosives that threaten species diversity and archaeological sites. I was in this beautiful, wild place as an archaeologist, as a scholar of the past, and yet it became clearer to me every day that I am studying the remains of past decisions that continue to be made again and again. My archaeological studies inform my understanding of today’s environmental and social issues, and vice versa, in a cycle of relevancy that excites me every day.
day artifacts mundane, they were exciting to me not only because they gave firm evidence for the domestic nature of Maia D edrick a the structures t the Ex cavatio around which n Site. I had been excavating, but also because I was able to take samples from the tools. These samples will be analyzed for microfossils using two newly developed methods of study. The results of these analyses may yield evidence of the specific species of plants these tools were used to grind 1,300 years ago. Other finds included chert tools which may have been used to sow ancient fields. Most of the information from my summer research will come from the synthesis and analysis of artifact locations, numbers, and their relationships to soil characteristics. This is what archaeological analysis looks like, especially when we try to understand the lives the common people who simply did not leave as many artifacts as wealthier households. What I find most exciting about my research is that I am focusing on a time period just before a huge drop in the population of this region (and others), at about 650750 CE. There are many theories around the Maya “collapse,” a decentralized population decline which may have been caused by political and religious struggles, warfare, overpopulation, and ecological disturbances. In the region where I worked, environmental degradation seems to play a key role, especially in terms of pervasive erosion and drought. This region is particularly vulnerable to drought because it has limestone bedrock that soaks up water almost immediately. Generally, this tropical environment cannot hold dense populations because there is little water available for personal and agricultural needs in the dry season. Also, erosion is problematic because soil nutrients exist only at the surface and can easily wash away. The Maya built many features onto their landscape in order to try to maintain soil depth and other conditions to intensify their agricultural system. One theory suggests that as the population grew in this region, fallow periods were made shorter and shorter as farmers tried to sow the land more frequently. Another possibility is that they reduced the biodiversity of their traditional garden and agricultural plots, focusing instead on a single crop such as maize. I am hoping that the results from my research on land use and microfos-
The archaeological field research I undertook this summer targeted what I expected to be an ancient Maya household in a small Excavation Site agricultural village surrounded by the remains of abundant water features, including reservoirs and terraces. The proposed household was made up of three buildings facing each other on a raised platform. I focused on excavating areas of the houselot that might yield evidence of the social status of the household, its economic function, and its relationship to the adjacent agricultural lands. Among my most exciting finds were a ground stone mano, a hand tool possibly used to grind corn into flour, as well as an odd egg-shaped ground stone tool. While many people might find these every6
Archaeology in Belize Continued sils in the household will either support or challenge these theories. Did the people leave because the land could no longer sustain the population? If so, how did society try to deal with its predicament before and after the abandonment of the region, and what was more and less successful? These are questions I will investigate for my honors thesis over the next academic year. Questions about how ancient people changed the forests could not feel more relevant than when I am in Belize. Highway signs advertising political candidates tout campaign slogans such as “Clear the Land!” which apparently is their answer to bringing economic development and job opportunities to the country. Jungles such as the one in which I worked are undergoing ground-penetrating radar in search of oil, another prospect that seems to excite the locals. This has been a difficult thing for archaeologists studying the region, who may or may not be given only a few days notice to mark any points of archaeological interest among many-kilometer long tracts of land designated for explosive oil exploration. There are alternatives to these unsustainable methods of development. Coca Cola’s decision has given Belize the chance to create sustainable development through
local ecotourism based on widespread interest in the archaeological and natural treasures of Belize. There are many other nature reserve areas in Belize, and these areas are of great interest to tourists. They could be sites for experimentation with different methods of planting such as permaculture and silviculture. The development of sustainable ecotourism and small-scale agricultural production could provide a sustainable, alternative road to prog- Mano ress and free Belizeans of dependency on foreign corporations that will only stay in the country until they have collected what natural resources they can and perhaps until they have caused irreversible damage to the jungle. There are many choices to be made in Belize in the next decade. I hope that my research can show the consequences of decisions made about the environment in the past and the relevancy of these consequences to today.
Kenneth Buckfire Scholarship for Fifth Year Studies Honors alumnus Kenneth Buckfire, co-founder and Managing Director of the Wall Street consulting firm, Miller Buckfire, enjoyed his studies at UM so much that he wished he could have spent a fifth year broadening and deepening his undergraduate education. He has generously provided this opportunity for current Honors students whose ambitious programs require a fifth year of undergraduate work. This year’s group of Buckfire Scholars is stellar. Christine Beamer is a fifth-year senior from Spokane, Washington. She is a joint degree candidate in LSA English Literature and Music Viola Performance. Christine is at the top of her game in both fields. She has earned almost perfect grades while taking maximum course loads and working a substantial number of hours each week. She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in her junior year. Christine is teaching one of our “Ideas in Honors” mini-courses this fall on “Chick Lit.” Christine has been nominated by UM for both the Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships. Maia Dedrick, who hails from Maplewood Minnesota, is a joint degree student in LSA Archaeology and Music Cello. You will read about her summer 2008 research project in this issue of Forum. Maia has also participated in field work in Pompeii and has interned at the Smithsonian Institution. She is teaching a section of “Ideas in Honors” on “Nationalist Archaeology.” Maia is a UM candidate for the Marshall Scholarship. Inna Dykman, from Okemos, Michigan, originally planned to earn a major in Latin and a teaching certificate to prepare for a career as a high school Latin teacher. At the end of her third year, she took an intensive course in classical Greek and began to realize that she would never have a full understanding of the ancient Mediterranean world without competence in that language as well. To achieve a high level of proficiency will require that she complete a fifth year of undergraduate work. Adding Greek to her portfolio will made her a more effective teacher for students who share her love of ancient classical studies. Andrew Bollinger, from Livonia, Michigan, is a joint degree student in LSA Mathematics and Vocal Performance. He is praised as a rising star in the Mathematics Department and his rich baritone has graced several UM opera productions. Drew has not yet decided which route he will pursue professionally. His fifth year of study will allow him to complete both degrees and to explore more of the applied-oriented side of mathematics. Honors is profoundly grateful to Ken Buckfire for allowing us to support highly talented and successful students like these. 7
Honors Updates National Book Award Winner Chosen as 2008 Honors Book By Scott Kassner For the ninth consecutive year, each member of the Honors entering class received a book as part of the Honors Summer Reading Program. The 2008 Honors book is Kevin Boyle’s Arc of Justice: a Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age, winner of the 2004 National Book Award. Arc of Justice is a Michigan story with profound implications for all Americans. Kevin Boyle, who earned his Ph.D. in history from the University of Michigan and is now a professor at Ohio State, tells the dramatic tale of Ossian and Gladys Sweet, an African American couple who moved into a white Detroit neighborhood in 1925. When their neighbors attacked the Sweets’ house, someone from within the house fired shots at the mob, killing one man. The Sweets and several other African Americans in the house were charged with murder. In a trial that became a cause célèbre and that had a major impact on civil rights law and Detroit politics, the Sweets were represented by the nation’s most famous defense attorney, Clarence Darrow.
yet transformative history of race and civil rights in Michigan and the United States. Arc of Justice was the centerpiece of our Fall Kickoff on August 29th, when the new Honors class convened for the first time. Bruce Frier, John and Tresa D’Arms Distinguished Professor of Classics and Roman Law and the Frank O. Copley Collegiate Professor of Classics and Roman Law as well as the Henry King Ransom Professor of Law, along with Martha Jones, Associate Professor of Afroamerican and African Studies and History and Visiting Professor of Law responded to Professor Boyle’s book. The students then met in small groups with Honors faculty and staff to discuss their impressions of Arc of Justice. We look forward to November 14 when, as part of Parents Weekend, Kevin Boyle will visit the Honors community as we resume our discussion of his work. All current students and their parents as well as all Honors alumni are invited to attend our conversation with Professor Boyle. Details will be available at www.lsa.umich.edu/honors. Our consideration of this story from Michigan’s past will provide the Honors community insight into the current national conversation on race that has been stimulated by Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. It will also help students see how fine scholarship can inform wonderful storytelling.
According to Robert Worth in the New York Times Sunday Book Review, Boyle “vividly recreates the energy and menace of Detroit in 1925.” In her review on NPR’s Fresh Air, Maureen Corrigan said that Arc of Justice is “imbued with the simplicity yet sick inevitability of a great American tragedy.” Not only is Professor Boyle a terrific storyteller, but he is also an impressive scholar who frames the story of Ossian Sweet in the tortured
Another Remarkable Class Joins Honors in Fall ‘08 By Scott Kassner As part of the Honors admissions process, we ask that prospective students write an essay based on one of several prompts, and each year, a $1000 book scholarship is awarded to the student who writes the essay that our reviewers deem the strongest. In one of the essays nominated for this year’s scholarship, a student wrote about his desire to travel to the year of 1530 so that he could commune with More, Erasmus, Rabelais, and Luther. Another student wrote of the threat the Age of Information poses to the world’s linguistic and cultural diversity. The Barbary pirates and their ability to hold the great powers of Europe and the nascent United States hostage at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th centuries fascinates one of our students. The winner of the scholarship, Aaron Bekemeyer, speculates whether mathematics is a human creation or if it has some sort of existence beyond the human mind. The range and quality of the writing of Aaron and his colleagues is just one indication of the remarkable intellectual breadth and depth of the Honors class of 2008. At 478, this year’s class is smaller than last year’s.
Continued on next page…
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Another Remarkable Class Joins Honors in Fall ‘08 …Continued Otherwise this year’s entering class is quite similar to last year’s. Like the ’07 class, 54% of this year’s class is female, and after Michigan, New York and Illinois have the most representatives. There will again be students from across the United States, and international students from Europe and Asia. Along with the Honors essays, the test scores and high school grade point averages of this fall’s students promise that we will have another outstanding class academically: the median range of the class’s SAT scores (excluding the writing exam) is 1380-1490 and the median range for the ACT is 32-34. Just over half of this year’s students had perfect high school GPAs. Numbers, though, tell only a small part of the story. The Honors application readers—LSA faculty, Honors Fellows, and Honors staff—not only consider a student’s test scores and GPA and the student’s Honors essay; they also do a holistic review of the UM applications for all prospective students, attempting to understand them in the context of their high schools and their communities. Through this process, each we year we find a remarkably diverse group of students who are utterly passionate about learning, and Honors will provide them unique opportunities to pursue that passion.
Lunch with Honors 2007-2008
“Ideas in Honors”
By John C. Cantú
Mini-courses for first-year students taught by Honors seniors have been one of the most successful innovations of the last decade. First-year students have enjoyed the opportunity to examine topics they might never encounter otherwise in a small, relaxed setting and the chance to forge relationships with upper-class students who have made the best of their time at UM. Student instructors have relished the freedom to choose a topic and craft a fruitful learning experience for freshmen. For some, it has completely changed the way they think about a career as an educator. Topics have ranged from mathematical biology to stand-up comedy, from politics to the history of physics, from social justice to classical drama. Each semester, we wonder what kinds of topics will attract our new students and we find that they are interested in everything. End-of-term evaluations are always stunning. The offerings this fall include courses in medical anthropology, the ethics of Wall Street, nationalist archaeology, the history of rock and roll, innovations in cancer treatment, humanitarian aid in Africa, chick lit, and political advertising. For a list of classes and descriptions of each from fall, 2004 to the present, go to www.lsa.umich.edu/cg/. Just look under “Honors” for any given semester, and you will find all the information there.
We want to hear from you! We hope to have the form that will let you send us updated information about yourself on our website soon, but you can always just email us at honors.alums@ umich.edu. We have enjoyed hearing from many of you over the last few years. If you would like to receive a copy of the weekly email announcement to students about Honors events, let us know.
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This year’s “Lunch with Honors” series included visits with guests from around the world, the country, and our University campus. The programs started in September with James Kynge author of the first-year book, China Shakes the World. Kynge discussed issues from his book and updated students on recent developments in the rapidly changing Chinese economy. School of Music pianist, Arthur Greene visited Honors before performing Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra. Greene shared his experiences as an artist giving students insight into a truly creative life. In October, we had three accomplished visitors in three vastly differing fields: Northern Rock Foundation award-winner, poet, Anne Stevenson; Mayor of Timisoara, Romania, Gheorghe Ciuhandu; and Chief Executive Officer of Miller Buckfire, Ken Buckfire. November saw visits from University of California Irvine philosophy professor, Brian Skyrms; University of Chicago astrophysics professor, Michael Turner; and Polish poet/social activist, Krzysztof Czyzewski. The final fall program was a visit from Agnieszka Graff, Professor of American Studies at the University of Warsaw. Winter 2008 programs began with former Deputy National Security Advisor of Israel, Chuck Freilich. In February,our guest was composer, Derek Bermel, and in March we had Egyptian Qur’anic scholar, Nasr Abu Zayd. We concluded our year in April with a return visit by the always entertaining New Yorker magazine cartoon editor, Robert Mankoff.
Honors Fellows Honors Fellows are active members of the Honors intellectual community who arrange forums, workshops, miniseminars, and field trips with Honors students. They also attend Honors events and contribute to the admissions process by reading prospective student applications. You will find below a list of last year’s fellows, their fields of interest, and a sample of the programs and events they led.
Drugs in Baltimore: does it play out as it plays on TV?” Students discussed a viewing of The Wire and a public lecture by Prof. Rhonda Williams of Case Western Reserve University. Matthew Chatfield (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) studies salamander evolution and, more broadly, amphibian declines. Matthew held sessions with Professor Elizabeth Jockusch from the University of Connecticut: after attending her public lecture, “Amphibian Declines and Conservation,” he took students to meet with her for a small group discussion. David Fiordalis (Asian Languages and Cultures) is engaged in comparative work in Buddhism, Hinduism, and other Asian religious traditions, with a particular interest in the close relationship between religion and culture. David gave a presentation on “Who is the Dalai Lama?” just before the Dalai Lama visited Ann Arbor. Corina Kesler (Comparative Literature) considers the construction of utopias across space and time, from ancient mythologies to mystical writing to science fiction, looking at the construction of the perfect individual and the ideal society. She invited students to “Build your Own Utopia” in an interactive group project. Leanne Powner (Political Science) connects the personal and local to the international through her work on grassroots organizing and influence, the interplay between domestic and foreign affairs, and international cooperation. She conducted an in-depth investigation of the election process with students. Ethan Schoolman (Sociology) delves into the relationships between human beings, human cultures, and the environment, both built and wild; his work addresses such concerns as environmental justice, sustainability, land use patterns and decision-making. He hosted a reading, discussion and supper focused on “Fencing Themselves in: How California Cities are Going on a Growth Diet.” John Speth (Anthropology) is an archaeologist who focuses on human origins and early human communities, particularly in the American Southwest. Professor Speth has supervised many Honors theses, seven of which have led to publications. He led a hands-on session at his lab at the Museum of Anthropology.
2007-2008 Fellows Sunil Agnani (English) studies the heritage of Enlightenment ideas around the globe. His interdisciplinary research spans philosophy, political theory, literature, history, and critical theory. He led a one-time seminar on “Against Empires: From Edmund Burke to Gandhi.” Michael Aylward (Economics) is interested in game and decision theory, complex systems, and the idea of infinity. He held an event to explore “Infinity: A Modern Perspective.” Andrea Benjamin (Political Science) has a particular interest in local politics and political systems; she has studied the role of advertising in political campaigns and the participation of a variety of under-represented groups in political activities. She led an interactive group project, “Local Politics in Action,” in which students simulated a local election. Nicholas Bowman (Psychology) is working on research into the role social class may play in cognition and self-understanding; he is particularly interested in access issues in higher education. In November, he presented “The Rankings We Love to Hate: a Hands-on Exploration of College Rankings” for our students. Samuel Brenner (History and UM Law School) has a background in American and military history. He is interested in intellectual property issues, war crimes, and questions of Constitutional authority in war time. “Isn’t Plagiarism a Good Thing?” was the title of his group discussion of The Little Book of Plagiarism by Richard A. Posner. Tamar Carroll (History) combines scholarship and activism in interdisciplinary studies of women’s movements since World War II and other places where historical scholarship and social change intersect. She held an event entitled “The War on
Staff Changes in Honors This year not only have we said farewell to Director, Steve Darwall, and welcome to new Director, Tim McKay, we have also sent other colleagues off to bigger and better things and brought new members into the Honors circle. After Liina Wallin’s retirement in the summer of 2007, Assistant Director Donna Wessel Walker was promoted to Associate Director. Scott Kassner, our new Assistant Director, comes to us from the Newnan LSA Advising Center. His knowledge of all aspects of academic advising and his knack for good common sense have made for an almost seamless transition. Our former receptionist, Jessi Grieser, is now pursuing a Ph.D. in linguistics at Georgetown and our Admissions Assistant, Jeewon Lee, is engaged in a one-year masters program in higher education at Harvard. Replacing them are Communications Assistant Kendal Harlan Kloostra, and Program Assistant Mary Shelly Mageski. Both Kendal and Mary are graduates of the Honors Program, and Mary worked in many capacities in our office during her undergraduate years. We are very fortunate to have found such able replacements for our valued former colleagues. 10
From scholarships to programming, from awards to research funding, alums and friends of the Honors Program make possible many of the resources that contribute to the total Honors experience for our students. Without your support, many of the activities you have read about in this newsletter would be impossible. We send a sincere “Thank you� to those below who have donated generously to the Honors effort this year. Alex and Rita Abou-Chebl, Joel S. Adelman, Keith Agisim, Richard T. Allan, Jr., Joan Almon, Justin A. Amash, Albert J. Ammerman, Leslie E. Anderson, Mark and Marlies Anderson, Lori K. Anschuetz, Susan Anspach, Henry and Lisa Armbruster, Yvonne Asamoah, Paul C. Atkinson, Dorothy E. Bambach, Terry Barnes and Ms. Shoko Tsuji Barnes, Miriam E. Bar-on, Charles and Janis Barquist, Robert Bartels, Roger Barton, C. Robert Beattie, John and Maryanne Bednarski, Martin A. Bell, Edward Belongia, Richard M. Bendix, Jr., Guy Martin Benian, Barry Bennett, Jill Berkeley and Larry Goldman, Joan Berry, Brian and Dina Biesman, Russell Bikoff, Martha K. Bindeman, Elizabeth Bishop, H. Scott Bjerke, Philip M. Blackman, Janet Blaustein Scholes, Joseph G. and Ilene Block, Laird Bloom, Jeffrey Bludeau, Randall S. Blumenstein, Fred and Cynthia Bodker, Jonathan David Bokor, Thomas and Denise Bombelles, Paul Boyce, Willard Boyd III, Robert F. Brammer, Linda Tracey Brandon, Douglas L. Braustein, Thomas and Florence Brink, Donald R. Brown, Bruce Samuel Brumberg, Thomas Brusstar, Tim and Teri Buchowski, Peter Burian, Michael Burnstine, P D Burstein, Albert C. Cain, Richard L. Carter, Laurie Champion, Stephanie Chandler, Diana Chapin, Paul N. Chardoul, Stuart and Helen Chemtob, Nancy Chen, Shawn Chen, Adam Chodkowski, Cynthia Chua and Eric Smith, Jerome and Susan Ciullo, Deborah L. Clarke, Daniel S. Cohan, Marshall J. Cohen, Kevin Counihan, Gerald and Fern Coutant, Mary C. Crichton, Daniel L. Curtis, Sandra H. Davis, Mark and Paula DeBofsky, Julia DeLancey, Steven and Lisa Diamond, Nicole G. Discenza, Julie Allen and Stephen Doll, Robert Domine, James Duncan, Stephen A. Edwards, Sophia L. Ellis, Jeffrey S. and Susan G. Englander, Arthur Epker and Medha Sinha, Susan Epps-Ginsberg, Mindi R. Epstein, John Feighan, Douglas E. Feltner, Mark I. Feng, Sonia G. Fernando, Jonathan and Kathryn Ferrando, Lawrence J. Field, Steven Figg, Robert Fink, Megan Finn, Michael J. and Alice E. Fischer, Sara Fitzgerald and Walter Wurfel, John and Mariya Fogarasi, Paul and Marcia Foldes, Mary Foster, Solomon M. Foster, Richard and Beth Frank, Dorothy A. Fraquelli, Stanley A. Freeman, Darcy Fryer, Paul and Astrid Ganson, Betsy A. Gard, J. Erik Garr, Andrew M. Gaudin, David M. Gay, Alison Geballe, Elizabeth Geise, Randy Gelber, Michael J. and Janelle Gelfand, Peter J. Gilbert, Grant Gilezan, Sanford and Debra Gips, Marci M. Gittleman, Debra A. Glassman, Joyce Gleason, Miriam J. Golbert, Larry M.
Goldin, Leslie J. Goldman, Joseph and Ellen Goldstein, Paul Goldstein, David T. Goldstick, Berk and Cecily Goodman, Scott and Cheryl Gordon, Erich L. Graf, Steven L. Graines and Marisa Pick, Donald and Ann Gralnek, David Greenblatt, Karl A. Greene, Stewart Greene, Bruce Greenwald, Donna Gregg, Andrew and Cynthia Grove, Andrew Gunther, Atul Gupta, Aaron Hamburger, David A. Handelsman, Steven Handler, Elnora Harcombe, Constance Harney, Robin L. Harrison, John C. Hart, Julia M. Healy, Caryn L. Hebets, Joan Hellmann, Thomas and Carol Herbig, Alan S. Hergott, Karen Herman, Stephen Heyman, Virginia L. Hilbert, Robert Hilton, Elliott B. Hochman, Gary and Stephanie Hoffmann, Jacqueline N. Horn, Steven Horwitz, Liane Houghtalin, Jean G. Howard, Mary D. Hutchens, Linda Imboden, William and Frances Irwin, Laurence and Diane Istvan, Alan D. Jackanow, Robert Jacobs, Pamela Sue Jacobson, Jennifer Jaruzelski, Jennifer M. Jensen, Timothy and Jo Wies Johnson, Daniel Kalish, Sandra J. Kalom, Frank and Mary Ellen Kane, Jeffrey Kaplan, Paul Kaplowitz, Yuko Kasakabe, Joanne L. Kaufman, Brian Keith, John P. Kennedy, Beth Mattson Kennel, Judith Greenberg Kleinberg, James Joseph Kochkodan, Jon Henry Kouba, Donna Krasnewich, Kevan and Barbara Kreitman, Ronald Krone, Anne Kubert Nathan, Frederick Kuhn, Jonathan Kuhn, Yuko Kusakabe, Betty-Ann Landman, David J. Lane, Elizabeth Weiss Lang, Lincoln Lauhon and Maureen Bolon, John K. Lawrence, Jerold Lax, William Layher, Edward Le Baron and Nancy Moncrieff, Steven M. Leber, Christine Lee, Karen Legault, Henry Lerner, Arthur Lerner and Linda Dreeben, Linda Kohn Levy, John A. Libbe, Gail H. Lift, James M. Lindsay, Steven and Nancy Lippman, Brian Keith Lipson, Keith Lofland, Roger Lowenstein, Jeffrey N. Lutz, Carol A. Mager, Lisa L. Magnino, Katherine J. Majeske, Marilyn Mann, Susan Mann, Lynn V. Marentette, Robert A. Margo, Jay Marguilies, Jacob Margulies, Ronen Mamorstein and Shoshanna Gottleib, Michael and Joan Martin, Marjorie M. Mastie, BeLinda Mathie and Brian Haag, George M. McCabe, Cynthia M. McCormick, Klint McKay, Barbara L. McQuade, David Mead, Lisa A. Mets, Kenneth Michalzuk, Douglas Miller, Laura Ariane Miller, Ross L. Miller, Bertley and Kathryn Moberg, Stephen E. Moore, Emily Moran, Josephine Moskala, Brenda L. Moskovitz, Andrew S. Nason, Chris Newth, Eugene W. Nissen, Christian C. and Nedra Noordhoorn, Marsha Novick and Harry Rosen, Everett J. Oliven, Deborah Page, Jeffrey and Emily Pearson, Ben Peng,
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Cary R. Perlman, Mark E. Perrin, Sarah D. Persily, Judith Phillips, H. David Politzer, Michael and Penelope Pollard, Elizabeth Ehrlich Potok, David Pribich and Susan Alberti, Stephen G. Price, Jill Putterman, Linda L. Randell, Robert Ransom, Richard and Susan Raphael, Robert Rebar, Paul Renard, Michael and Maurine Repucci, Cecilia Ridgeway, Michael H. Ries and Elaine Leboff-Ries, Deric Righter, James and Christine Riley, Liana E. Georgopoulos Rinzler, Jennifer Ripman, Juan Jose Rodriguez, Laura J. Roop, Ann B. Rosenberg, Carolyn H. Rosenberg, Richard and Rochelle Rosenberg, Patricia Rosenberger, Charles W. Ross, Jeff Ross, Thomas M. Rosseel, Daniel I. Rubenstein, Jeffrey A. Rubenstein, Don and Melissa Rutishauser, Robert Salipante, Bruce Sangeorzan, Randy J. Schafer, Richard Schafrann, Robert A. Schmitz and Judith Grey, Myron and Jan Scholes, Howard and Laura Schwartz, Thomas and Maryellen Scott, Ralph Shahrigian, Ann Shapiro, Marvin Shapiro, Mary Shapiro, Jackie R. Shapo, David and Elvera B. Shappirio, Daniel M. Share, William Sharfman, Stephen and Barbara Shepard, Michael and Sara Sher, Scott Sher and Anne Rosenthal, Philip D. Sherman, P.C. and Ashalatha Shetty, Lori Shoha, Scott H. Shore, Jasvinder Sidhu, Joseph and Linda Wolk Simon, Devan Sipher, Michael and Barbara Sitrin, Janet Smith, Louise Z. Smith, Debra H. Snider, Elizabeth Somsel, John Speth and Lisa Young, Douglas Sprigg, Robert and Sally Springstead, James and Jean Spurrier, Joseph and Ellen Starr, Judith Zee Steinberg, Marc and Laurie Steinberg, Mitchell Stengel, Susan K. Stevens, Scott Stoeffler, Paul Strait, Lynn Streeter, Catherine Subia, Frederick Synk, Alan Tannenbaum, Duane L. and Sheila Tarnacki, Emily A. Thompson, Judith R. Thoyer, Michelle Tilley, Elizabeth Y. Turner, Nina E. Vinik, Dietmar U. Wagner, Abigail Wald, Marsie J. Wallach, Joe and Alyssa Wallen, Rachel M. Webster, James M. White, Karen Wigen, Timothy Wilens, Carol K. Willen, Myra Leonore Willis, John H. Wilson, Joseph Hays Wimsatt, Ken Wirt, Greg Wolper, Stephen Worland and Joanne Chory, Jane Fowler Wyman, Douglas K. Yoder, Steven J. Youra, Jay H. Zimbler, Jeffrey and Elizabeth Zucker, Christine Ann Zurawski, Benedek Family Foundation, Carey 1985 Fund of the Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program, Martin Friedman - Sarah Allen Charitable Gift Fund of T. Rowe Price, Weiner Family Foundation, William Fisher Charitable Fund of the Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program
Honors Celebrates 50 Years …Continued all from the class of 2008, and Matthew Becker, 2007 Physics grad who is currently in a Ph.D. program at the University of Chicago. The event concluded in the Michigan Union Ballroom. Visitors were addressed by Steve Darwall, Director of Honors, Terrence McDonald, Dean of LSA, Teresa Sullivan, Provost and Vice President for Academ- Ralph Williams delivers the keynote address. ic Affairs, and Peter Schweitzer, CEO of J. Walter Thompson and member of the Honors Alumni Advisory Board. The keynote lecture, “‘Only When You Have Denied Me’: Honors as Trap and Trampoline” was given by the ever-popular English and Great Books Matt Becker shows off the Sloan Professor Ralph Williams. Following the lecture, a reception gave everyone Digital Sky Survey’s map of galaxies, an opportunity to discuss the day’s events, reminisce about their own Honors the largest map yet produced. Beyond experiences, and say their goodbyes. Alums who graduated years ago were this, it’s still “cosmos incognita.” pleasantly surprised to see how much the program has expanded and improved and current students were pleased to find how much their time in Honors has meant to our graduates throughout their lives. The day-long celebration was a very successful way to commemorate a half century of academic and personal achievement. There is a file of material about the Honors Program and its early leaders from the Bentley Historical Library on the Honors website. We hope you enjoy browsing through the documents.
(http://www.lsa.umich.edu/honors/alumni&friends/anniversary)
Honors Program The University of Michigan 1330 Mason Hall, 419 S. State St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1027
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