Check out the Member's Guide to the Honors Forum! Seniors, don't forget to fill out proposals for your capstone projects! Now is the time to apply for Academic Festival!

May
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May 3
Academic Festival

May 19
Senior Reception

May 20
Commencement

 

 

 

Beginning with the class of 2009, the Honors Forum requires all members to complete a citizenship project. This project will provide you with an opportunity to pursue a passion outside of the classroom or as an extension of a classroom experience, while also involving a larger community, within or without Skidmore College. The project should be equally process- and product- oriented as well as intellectually rigorous; it will require considerable initiative, planning, organization, leadership, and personal reflection. The Honors Forum believes that all Honors students should use their talents to contribute to campus and community life, while also pursuing and sharing their passions as well as creatively and actively developing their intellect and planning skills. This experience is meant to stretch you creatively and intellectually beyond the scope of a normal academic or extracurricular undertaking on this scale; you are encouraged to use this opportunity to significantly pursue your passions and dreams. The project may also act as a preparatory experience for your Senior Capstone.

To submit an application for this semester, click here

Following are the criteria for completing this requirement:

1. Timeframe. You may complete this project anytime from the second semester of your first year of study through the end of your Junior year. You must complete the project requirements in one semester, though you may certainly continue your project beyond this time.
2. Intellectual Rigor. Your project must be intellectually rigorous. It should challenge you to reflect, think critically, and demonstrate initiative. Mindless or clerical work is not acceptable. Community Involvement. Your project must benefit a group or a community, inside or outside of Skidmore College, in some way. For example, starting a reading group on campus, organizing film discussions downtown, leading events for Saratoga Mentoring, or bringing a speaker to campus would all be considered worthy projects in this regard. Any events or services offered to a group or community must be free of charge.
3. Clubs and Organizations. Your project may be done in the context of a student club or organization, but must extend beyond the normal duties of club membership or leadership. Simply acting as a club officer or SGA senator will not suffice. However, initiating and doing a special project in the context of those roles could work.
4. Coherent Theme. Your project may have several components, but there should be one overriding theme that pervades the entire process.
5. Professional Agreement. If your project involves work within a professional organization, you must sign an agreement with the supervisor with whom you will be working to complete your project, detailing expectations and the commitment involved.
6. Academic Credit. Your project cannot be done for academic credit, but it may relate to a course.
7. Financial Support. You are encouraged to apply to the Dean of Studies for Student Opportunity Funds, should your project require a budget. The Honors Forum also has limited funds to support your project; you can apply for this financial assistance when you propose your project with this form.
8. Hours required. Your project must include at least 15 hours of work (including any planning or preparation time needed) throughout the course of one semester.
9. Log. Throughout the course of the project, you must keep a log. Each time you do work, you must write a brief entry detailing what you did during that time and the hours worked.
10. Mid-Term Reflection. You must choose one of the following options in addition to keeping a log:
• Write a brief reflection in each log entry, conveying your personal reactions to the work, what went well, what can be improved, and the progress of your project. You will submit these entries for review at mid-term.
• Write a mid-term reflection piece, describing your personal reactions to the work, what has been working, what requires improvement, and the overall progress of your project.
11. Final Reflection. At the conclusion of your project, you will compose a reflection piece covering major accomplishments, outcomes, personal reactions, and self-critique. Your reflection piece could be a short essay, a presentation, an album, a film or another creative medium. If your project is particularly intensive and takes place only over the course of a few days (a weekend, perhaps), this piece shall be combined with the previous criterion (mid-term reflection).
12. Group Projects. Group projects are encouraged. Each student in a group must complete the required hours, log, mid-term reflection, and final reflection piece on his or her own.
13. Citizenship Committee. You must propose your project idea to the Citizenship Committee. The Citizenship Committee shall be formed of faculty, staff, and students from Honors Council, the Honors Forum Executive Committee, and at-large Forum members. The committee shall rotate its membership annually. Teams of three, consisting of one faculty or staff member from Honors Council, one Honors Forum Executive Committee member, and one at-large member of the Forum will handle up to ten projects each. Your proposal form will include an explanation of: the nature of the work to be done, the motivation for your project, the intellectual rigor of your project, the estimated number of work hours, where your project will be done, how your project goes beyond an academic course (if applicable), and how your work will benefit a community. One team will approve your proposal, or make recommendations and ask for revisions. Project proposals for the current semester will not be accepted after the 4th week of the semester.
14. Case-by-Case Consideration. The team handling your project will determine if your project meets the guidelines established in this proposal on a case-by-case basis, utilizing careful discretion.
15. Project Evaluation. The team will also review your log, your mid-term reflection piece, and your final reflection piece. If your project is determined to be unsatisfactory, you will not have fulfilled the requirement, though you may try another project in following semesters.
16. Gatherings. Each semester, the Honors Forum will offer three informal dinners for everyone completing their Citizenship Requirement in that term. While you are engaged in your project, you are required to attend at least two of these events. This component aims to foster a sense of community among Honors Forum members. At least one member of the Citizenship Committee must be present at each dinner. The Citizenship Committee may choose to ask students to speak about their projects with others during this time.
17. Paperwork. All paperwork must be submitted to the Honors Forum secretary.

Possible citizenship projects:

• Starting and facilitating a reading group on campus
• Bringing a speaker to campus and organizing related events
• Organizing a special events week in the context of a club with demonstrated initiative
• Special and significant initiatives in SGA; leading a committee in a special project
• Organizing and performing music or drama (free admission) with demonstrated initiative
• Organizing and putting up an art exhibit (free admission) with demonstrated initiative
• Doing a special tutoring/mentoring program at the Maple Avenue Middle School or the Saratoga YMCA
• Organizing a special program at Wesley Nursing Home
• Planning and executing a film event for the Skidmore and/or the Saratoga Springs community with the Saratoga Film Forum

Note that there exist hundreds of possible projects; the above list is merely a sample.