Research Papers. A part of every college student’s life. The day they are assigned, there is a communal dread throughout the classroom, as students think of the long days ahead, meticulously taking notes on sources they probably would rather not be reading, and putting together a paper about a topic they would rather not research. Come to think of it though, this type of paper hasn’t been a part of my life in the honors college. Why? Freedom of expression.
This semester, I’m taking a cultural visions class entitled Africa and the African Diaspora with Dr. Middleton. At first, I was quite nervous about the class, as I really didn’t know anything about Africa, and the thought of this type of class intimidated me. That is, I was intimidated until the first day, when Dr. Middleton announced that our paper could be about anything we wanted, as long as it had something to do about Africa. It didn’t even have to have a topic about Traditional African Religions, even though that is the main focus of this first semester in a two semester sequence.
Wait, I get to write about whatever I want? I have a choice. The thought thrills me. As I write, we still have about a week to decide exactly what the paper will be on, but I have my ideas. The honors college allows me to write about what interests me, and as a nursing major, I’m captivated by the idea of disease and the different treatments. Therefore, tonight anyway, I’m going to research something to do with medicine in Africa. The idea is quite broad, and I still have to pare it down, but I’m actually excited to get this paper started.
This sort of assignment is what I love about the honors college. It’s stimulating, and yes, it’s work, but it’s work that I enjoy doing. And to me, that makes all the difference.
