inclusivity

The Honors College and Early Identification Program Partner to Promote Inclusive Excellence

gsehgal2 — Mon, 14 Aug 2023 19:08:34 +0000

The Honors College and Early Identification Program Partner to Promote Inclusive Excellence gsehgal2 Mon, 08/14/2023 - 15:08

In This Story

Nadeen Makhlouf

Aimee Weinstein

At Mason, a dedication to promoting inclusion is part of what drives our mission as a university; the Honors College and Early Identification Program (EIP) work together to foster inclusive excellence. For the last decade, the Honors College and EIP have closely collaborated to develop an enriching program for first generation college students in Northern Virginia, including the College Application Coaches program and the Research and Discovery Seminar as part of EIP’s Summer Academy.

The partnership works to supplement EIP’s year-round academic enrichment and personal and social development program for middle and high school college-bound first-generation college students, while supporting the Honors College’s commitment to promoting access to impactful academic, civic, and professional experiences for motivated students.

“The partnership has allowed for us to think of creative ways to be the premier providers of opportunities for students, to adjust and refine our practices, and to enhance our sustained engagement with the students,” says EIP Executive Director Dr. Khaseem Davis. That creativity is reflected in EIP’s collaboration with the Honors College.

Created in 1987, the Early Identification Program works with seven public school systems in Northern Virginia, serving students who will be the first of their family to attend college in the U.S. The program helps students prepare for college while gaining a familiarity with the American higher education system that will enable them to confidently navigate the college application process.

“Many students grew up with few resources and help support and sustain their households, all the while performing extremely well academically,” says Dr. Davis. “These students enter EIP displaying a great deal of grit, fortitude, and resilience. Our task is how can we get our students to view themselves as scholars? How can we help them see a snapshot of the rigor and opportunity that exists at Mason?”

Beginning in eighth grade and continuing through their senior year of high school, EIP students participate in a series of programs designed to further cultivate their intellectual curiosity, and leadership potential. This includes the annual three-week Summer Academy where students explore their academic, professional, and civic interests.

During Summer Academy, Honors College instructors and student mentors host the Research and Discovery Seminar – an abridged version of the first-semester research course HNRS 110: Principles of Research and Inquiry – to introduce rising high school sophomores to the research process. EIP students engage in inquiry-based learning in the college classroom by developing a project around their own curiosity and interests. In the process, they build skills and experiences that can bolster their college applications later.

Dr. Nadeen Makhlouf prepares current Honors College students to become mentors for the Research and Discovery Seminar in her class, HNRS 261: Peer Mentorship in Honors. Through this community connection practicum, students assist in developing the summer seminar and learn how to plan and lead class sessions, facilitate conversations, and support idea generation. Providing insight into the language, processes and dynamics of college life, the student mentors help to illustrate how EIP students can take advantage of various resources and opportunities while in college.

During the spring of their junior year of high school, these same EIP students will be paired with Honors College students enrolled in HNRS 261: College Application Coaches. College Application Coaches help EIP students brainstorm, develop, and workshop resumes and essays to help create strong college applications. Coaches learn how to provide effective mentorship and support students in their drive and readiness to succeed in a higher education environment. Since 2016, the Honors College has supported over 900 EIP students with College Application Coaches.

Earning credit, building transferable skills, learning about and addressing access issues – through both Mr. Makhlouf’s Peer Mentorship in Honors and Dr. Aimee Weinstein’s College Application Coaches classes, student mentors and coaches themselves have many opportunities to develop while using their talents to promote inclusivity at Mason.

For Dr. Makhlouf, this is the highlight of her work: “any of the moments where I see mentors walk away feeling good that they got someone excited about college or research,” she shares, is a rewarding moment for her.

EIP students graduate from the program prepared to achieve their higher education goals and have a fulfilling Mason and Honors College experience. They enter with faculty and peer connections, familiarity with research, and increased confidence that will serve them well in college and beyond. Each year EIP alumni accepted to the Honors College are among those awarded full tuition scholarships. Currently 21 EIP alumni are part of the University Scholars Program that four-year, full-tuition scholarships to a cohort of outstanding Honors College students. Three of the current EIP alumni are also College of Science Promise Scholars who receive additional support that covers their full cost of attendance plus a grant to fund research while they are at Mason.

“These students may not have had the same opportunities before joining EIP,” said Dr. Davis, “but they embody excellence.” Through the partnership between EIP and the Honors College, these students have the opportunity to show this excellence in action.

Topics

Early Identification Program (EIP)

Examining the Power of Language Through HNRS 130: The Politics of Language

gsehgal2 — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 15:01:01 +0000

Examining the Power of Language Through HNRS 130: The Politics of Language gsehgal2 Mon, 03/27/2023 - 11:01

In This Story

Anna Sophia Habib

Language, observes Honors College Student Phillip Dickey, has the “ability […] to heal and provide unity amongst people with different backgrounds and viewpoints in life.” It also has the ability to shape who feels included and excluded. Studying these concepts in HNRS 130: The Politics of Language enables students to observe and apply them within the world around them. Students at Mason and residents of Northern Virginia come from all over the world, bringing their languages, dialects, and accents with them. Mason prides itself in bringing together multicultural perspectives and fostering inclusivity, and the Honors College committed to promoting these values through its course offerings.

Prof. Habib

Anna Habib, an Honors College alumna who is now Term Professor of English and the Associate Director of Composition for Multilingual Writers, teaches this course as a way of giving back to the Honors College. “I picked the politics of language because a lot of the work that I've been doing is around linguistic justice,” Habib explains. Habib is engaged with the intersection of language and inclusion. Much of her research and professional work around linguistic justice focuses on finding ways to train faculty to be more aware of and respectful toward non-standard varieties of English. Habib noticed that students are too often missing from this conversation: “I was really curious to see what do students think and how do they take up these issues? So that's sort of where [the idea for this class] started. I wanted to help students think critically about the interplay of language and power. I wanted them to be able to recognize the ways that language is wielded to maintain power structures, but also how it can be used to reveal and even challenge those structures.”

HNRS 130: The Politics of Language is an Honors College course that looks deeper into the relationship between language and power structures in current society. Through an intimate seminar-style structure, students discuss readings covering the language of power/power of language, the language of politics/politics of language, linguistic discrimination, the language of war, cancel culture, inclusive and antiracist language, linguistic erasure, and linguistic revitalization. “My favorite topic in class is inclusive and diverse language because I think it’s such a relevant topic, especially since it’s something that Mason is trying to incorporate on our campus,” says Honors College student Brooke Gormon. “It’s always cool to learn about things that are relevant—especially relevant to Mason.”

As a way to encourage students to actively take charge of their learning, students facilitate discussions about each class session’s main topic. “We spend most of the class with the students leading,” says Habib. To help those who learn best through individual writing and reflection, students also write multiple reading responses and reflection pieces about what they read and discuss in class. Students have a range of choices for completing their final projects. These include writing a linguistic justice statement, filming a video essay, or making a creative public display to raise awareness of some of the themes from the class. Habib explains, “I structure the project in a way that they can pick what makes them more passionate about the topic because otherwise, what's the point?”

As to the overall goal of this class, Habib says, “I hope that [my students] will be more aware of any implicit bias that they [and others] have in relation to linguistic identity and linguistic practices and that they will be able to discern truth in a world that is oversaturated with information and misinformation. If they understand that language can be a tool for power, both good and bad, then they enter the world as more engaged, aware and compassionate citizens.” This neatly aligns with the Honors College’s overall goal to broaden students’ understanding of the world and challenge their beliefs through the Honors College’s unique curriculum. Mac Clapper, a graduating senior, underscores this point: “I would […] recommend HNRS 130 [The Politics of Language] with Professor Habib to other students. I think this has been my favorite Honors College class I’ve ever taken. It just really synthesizes everything that the Honors College stands for.”

Topics

Honors College

inclusivity