What do artificial retinas, the artistic construction of Latinidad, and the ethics of meat consumption have in common? These diverse topics are currently being researched by Stanford seniors in conversation with other researchers and writers from across the disciplines, thanks to a program now in its 24th year. Bing Honors College (BHC) gives seniors pursuing honors work a head start on the academic year in an atmosphere of shared intellectual purpose. Housed administratively in the Hume Center for Writing and Speaking, BHC partners with faculty to support students’ original research through curricular and extra-curricular programming.
This year, 80 students participated in BHC: 68 on-campus in addition to 12 students from the Center for International Security and Control (CISAC), who prepare to write their honors theses through workshops and presentations in Washington DC. These 80 students represented 15 departments or programs, including Art & Art History, Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, Education, Human Biology, and International Relations. Faculty Leaders and TAs work closely with the students over the two and a half weeks of BHC to produce deliverables that range from literature reviews to poster presentations.
The opening ceremony on September 5 welcomed everyone to the program with a community dinner at the Black Community Services Center that featured remarks from Professor Harry Elam and a jazz combo headlined by Professor of Education John Willinsky. After the dinner, students returned to their Wilbur dorm for further fellowship. The shared residential experience and all-College activities foster friendships within cohorts and connection across cohorts. BHC hosted hikes, visits to the Cantor Art Museum, a movie night with boba tea, and speed friending, an activity that makes the elevator pitch competitive and sociable.
In addition, the Hume Center coordinated a series of events to support the students’ growth as writers. A faculty-led “How I Research” panel that featured Professors Chris Bobonich, Mary Beth Mudgett, Kären Wigen, and John Willinsky, frankly addressed the challenges and rewards of research and offered writing tips. For example, Professor Bobonich suggested that students start their days “with no prior words,” asking them to explore their own words rather than wrestling with the words of others first thing in the morning. And Professor Mudgett described how she caught the research bug when her thesis adviser told her in undergrad that she wouldn’t be able to answer her research question. She did, and never lost her drive for questioning received wisdom.
Four writing boot camps were offered, which gave students dedicated time and space to just write, as well as a range of writing and speaking workshops tailored to the learning goals and disciplines of the individual cohorts. At the closing ceremony on September 21, Biology and Human Biology students gave poster presentations before representatives from the other cohorts presented compelling visual and oral summaries of their research to date.
Peter Bing funded the College in his name because he remembered writing his senior thesis over long, lonely nights, with little support. By contrast, as they work to refine their intellectual agendas, Stanford seniors who enroll in BHC experience research and writing as an exciting, shared endeavor. Collaboration and conversation demystify advanced disciplinary communication practices and parse a large writing project into manageable, incremental steps. Through BHC, seniors writing their theses are connected with the resources and writing philosophy of the writing and speaking center. Dedicaed space, time, and attention center writing to support research achievement at the highest level in undergraduate study.
