TCU's John V. Roach Honors College

My review and experience of my time in the John V. Roach Honors College

By: Liliana Ogden

As a student at Texas Christian Univerisity, my time was extra impactful because of my involvement with the Honors College. I am a firm believer in pushing the boundaries of a "stereotypical" education, and I would argue that the Honors College believes the same. In particular, the Honors College offers a few different colloquia courses known as "Experimental Courses." The experimental courses encourage and challenge students and professors to learn unique material in a non-traditional way. These courses, by far, have been the highlight of my academic experience at Texas Christian University.

My Favorite Honors College Courses

Being both in lower-division and upper-division, I have taken many honors college courses. Although I have enjoyed all of my classes, two were by far my favorite: Spellbound: Witches, Witchcraft, and Witch Hunts and City as Text: Fort Worth. In Spellbound, students learned about the Salem Witch Trials and explored how witches are viewed in modern media. In City as Text, students researched Fort Worth and its history and then toured the different areas of the city. The honors college also bought students lunch each Friday that City as Text met.

Furthermore, Spellbound taught me to think critically about how the world looks and judges others throughout history. By studying witches, I received a more significant context about how women have been treated. For example, the people of Salem used witches as a way to prosecute and "other" women. If a woman was too promiscuous, she was cast as an outsider and deemed a witch to silence her. Thankfully women refused to be silenced and fought hard for their rights. Although much inequality among women still exists, I remain optimistic as society continues toward fairness.

Thank you, John V. Roach, for making my academic experience at TCU the most memorable.