NEWS

Drury ditches textbooks in revamped honors program

Claudette Riley
CRILEY@NEWS-LEADER.COM

In Drury University's revamped honors program, there are no textbooks.

Richard Schur, who became director of the program in mid-2015, said that is by design. Instead, students are encouraged to seek answers, test theories and chart their own path for learning.

Rich Schur, director of the honors program at Drury University, takes a photo of his honors 205 with comedian Jeff Houghton on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016.

"The goal is we'll get them to develop new skills, get them to do research and get them to ask the questions that aren't being asked anywhere else in the university," he said.

Schur, a professor of English, recently engineered a reboot and expansion of the program. Students, with the help of a faculty coach, are expected to work more independently.

They are now expected to take at least 27 hours of honors courses, complete a project and present it publicly. The courses are electives.

"We have tried to broaden the honors curriculum," Schur said. "We tried to identify places in our university where this was already happening."

The hallmarks of the program are career preparation, service learning, student research and projects based on solving problems.

With the changes, Schur hopes to grow the program significantly, going from nearly 60 students now to more than 120. He also hopes to attract students with a wide range of interests.

Richard Schur

"We define honors a little differently than high schools do," he said. "It's really more about how the teaching happens and the learning happens."

Schur has been directly involved in rethinking the way courses are structured. This semester, he is teaching an honors course on humor that looked at types of humor, comedians, great comic works and culminated in a comedy showcase.

One assignment: Be funny for up to five minutes. He explains the exercise is designed to help students "break out of their shells." In a recent class, he invited Jeff Houghton, host of The Mystery Hour, to talk to the students about comic timing and writing.

"They have to learn to take some risks," Schur said.

Students are encouraged to apply for the honors program prior to enrolling as new or transfer students. While current students can enroll, the majority of the spots are filled by incoming students each year.

Schur said the program is geared toward students with top grades who have an interest in developing research projects and sharing the results. College juniors and seniors are expected to present their projects at academic conferences and other off-campus events.

Students in an honors 205 class at Drury University listen to guest speaker Jeff Houghton on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016.

"It's very attractive to students interested in grad school," he said.

One recent honors project examined the use of courtroom interpreters in the Ozarks. Another, by senior Austin Ross, is examining how racially divisive events in Ferguson are affecting police training.

Ross, who is majoring in criminology, conducted extensive interviews and surveys. Through the project, he was able to delve deeply into an issue he found compelling.

"I've been really interested in police work for most of my academic career," he said.

He plans to present his findings in April at a conference in Indiana.

Ross, who has been part of the program for almost four years, said there has been a noticeable "progression" since Schur took over.

"It's been really exemplary," he said. "I feel I'm really growing academically and broadening my spectrum of experiences."

While honors students can dig into topics related to their major, they're also encouraged to explore other interests that are potentially unrelated. Drury hopes the end result will be more well-rounded students.

Students in an honors 205 class at Drury University listen to guest speaker Jeff Houghton on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016.

"It's really refreshing," Ross said. "It keeps you from burning out in one area."

Students selected for the program are part of the Honors Student Association, which hosts field trips, dinners and an annual banquet. They can also live with other honors students in part of Sunderland Hall.

Drury has also developed a new scholarship to help students complete honors projects.

"We want students in the honors program who really want the experience," he said.

Honors Program

Students are encouraged to apply to the Honors Program before they enroll at Drury University. 

Up to 40 students can be accepted each year and selection is based on academic accomplishments and demonstration of these characteristics: curiosity, ambition, independence, dedication, and social and intellectual engagement.

For more information, go to www.drury.edu/honors.

Expectations

For a student in the Drury University Honors Program to graduate with a bachelor's or master's degree with honors, he or she must do the following:

• Earn a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or higher

• Complete 27 credits of honors coursework with a GPA of 3.75 or higher

• Complete a specific honors course during the first-year seminar and nine hours of honors coursework in at least one major, six of which must be in the 300 level

• Complete an honors project in at least one major

• Present results from honors project or other research at an academic conference, to a community partner, in a published article or in another academic forum

• Complete honors portfolio

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