BOSTON COLLEGE
CHESTNUT HILL, MASSACHUSETTS 02467
BOSTON COLLEGE
CHESTNUT HILL, MASSACHUSETTS 02467
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES Tel: 617-552-3315
THE HONORS PROGRAM
Fax: 617-552-2588
June, 2001
To: Entering Freshmen, Class of 2005
From: Mark O'Connor, Director
I am happy to confirm with this letter that you will be entering the Honors Program in September. I hope to meet many of you during the summer orientation sessions and the rest of you when we assemble at the start of the Fall semester. In the meantime here are a few points of information.
At your orientation session, you will receive a package from the Student Services Office with information about course choices for next year, and instructions about registering. There are some special instructions for you as a member of the Honors Program.
The main thing to keep in mind is that as a member of the Honors Program you are required to take HP 001/002: The Western Cultural Tradition I and II in the fall semester of your freshman year. It is listed twice because it is a double-credit course.
You will notice, when you come to register, that there are 13 sections of the freshman year of this course. You can register for any section that has an opening. All of them are taught by well qualified instructors; you shouldn't waste time trying to find a reason to pick one over another, except for convenience of scheduling.
HP 001/002 is actually one course, but it counts as two. Therefore, you should register for only three other courses (not counting labs). What these are will be determined by your choice of major or your own inclination. Be sure not to sign up for core courses in English, Philosophy, Theology or Social Science (unless you expect to be a social-science major) since these requirements are covered by the Western Cultural Tradition course. Unless you have a special reason for taking History, it is best to put off your core course in History until sophomore year, since that course fits well with the sophomore Honors Program course.
As you can see, the Honors Program courses take the place of core courses in the humanities and social sciences. Your science, math and all other core and major courses are taken in the normal way. All of this will be explained when you come for your orientation and registration this summer or late August.
Summer Reading. To help us get a prompt start when we first meet, please read (or read again) the Odyssey of Homer. You may use any translation; the poetic ones most in use are Fitzgerald (1961), Lattimore (1965), Mandelbaum (1990), Fagles (1996), Lombardo (2000). There are good prose versions as well (Shewring, 1980; Rouse, 1937; Rieu, 1946; Lawrence, 1932, etc.). The important thing is to read some version of the text prior to the first class meeting. The poems of Homer are fundamental in the Western Cultural Tradition and most teachers assign them early in the semester.
Books to bring with you, if you have them already: first of all, a good dictionary. The one we strongly recommend is the American Heritage College Dictionary, Third Edition, published by Houghton-Mifflin in 1997. The smaller hardcover size (10x7x2), with a blue-and-black-striped fly cover, sells for about $25; we have seen it as low at $16. The ISBN number is 0-395-66917-0 (plain edge); 44638-4 (thumb-edged index). The larger-print edition is twice as expensive and more cumbersome to use but the contents are exactly the same, so no need to spend the extra money. In any case, be sure that whatever edition you purchase contains the 41-page APPENDIX OF INDO-EUROPEAN ROOTS at the back, because it is this unique feature of this Dictionary that makes it of special value to us.
You may also already have a translation of the BIBLE. Bring with you whatever one you have (other than the family heirloom!). Versions in common use are the New American Bible, the Revised Standard Version, the Jerusalem Bible, the New English Bible, the Good News Bible. These also can easily be purchased in our bookstore. Do NOT purchase a Bible, however, as your teacher may have a particular one to recommend. When you do purchase your books here (they are shelved by teacher and course number under "Honors Program"), be sure to keep your receipt in case returns are necessary.
Please do not buy used paperback texts for your Honors course that have been marked by a previous reader. We prefer that new readers use new texts; besides, you save little money on used paperbacks anyway. Hardcover texts, however, if they have few markings, are probably worth purchasing used; that can mean a real saving for a text that is in almost-new condition.
Should you bring texts that you used in high school? No harm in doing that, but our experience has been that most of our readings are new for most freshmen and that most teachers prefer that all of their students use the same assigned edition. The texts in question, of course, are – in addition to the Bible – the Greek and Roman writers.
You may wish to check our web site at www.bc.edu/humanities. This will give you some idea of what we do. We ask you, however, not to call our office about these matters. We do not have the summer staff to handle a lot of calls and we often cannot answer questions because the answer differs depending on the teacher. One of the strengths of our Program is the flexibility we allow each teacher within certain general guidelines, so we cannot give the specific answers you will get from your teacher in September. Also, you may want to visit Writers Block while you are in Humanities House (www.bc.edu/WritersBlock). This site is provides support for writers in Honors Program seminars.
Except for the Odyssey we do not recommend other readings from the syllabus; this can wait until September. These texts, after all, have been around a very long time; they await not quick or early readers but careful ones. Sam Johnson tells us, however, that we can never be wise unless we love reading and that the best way to acquire this love is by reading any books which happen to engage our attention, any books to which inclination directs us. So please enjoy the summer life while you can, for even (or especially?) in recreation there is knowledge of life: "Books without the knowledge of life," says Johnson, "are useless, for what should books teach but the art of living?"
4. Greycliff Hall is the Honors House for students in the A&S Honors Program who wish to live there. Greycliff is located on the north side of Commonwealth Avenue, immediately beyond the Cardinal's residence, going in the direction of Boston. It is a five minute walk from the lower-campus dining hall and seven or eight minutes from the recreation complex.
.
The building houses 44 students. There are 11 single rooms, 13 doubles, three triples, and two lounges for residents' use. Students cook at Greycliff for special occasions and use the kitchen facilities for snacks.
Greycliff is a lively and interesting place to live. The two RAs are from the Honors Program and have programming funds at their disposal, to create activities to suit house members' interests. The lounge space makes film series, social gatherings, and discussions feasible. It also helps that Greycliff is so close to lower campus, which is very much the center of students' after-class life.
If you are interested in living in Greycliff Hall you should notify Susan Robertson in the University Housing Office by mail. She will assign students on a first-come, first-served basis. Call the Housing Office at 617-552-8582 if you have any questions concerning Greycliff Hall.
5. Questions? Many questions are answered when you come here for your orientation and registration session, but if you have an important question that cannot wait, feel free to call us. The Honors Program office is in Gasson 102 and the number is 617-552-3315. Other questions could be answered by visitn g nHumanities House.
Best wishes for a pleasant summer!
