Featured Students

Luke O.

International studies major, talks about his honors exchange at Oxford University

"My term at Oxford has been very worthwhile. The pace and standards are unquestionably demanding. Oxford will teach you lots of information, of course. If you allow it to, it will also teach you how to think well and ask good questions – skills without which information by itself is unsatisfying. Whatever your discipline, you will be stretched as you read, write, discuss, and repeat. Most significantly for me, Oxford has been a place to think deeply and seriously about my gifts and passions, and about how I can use them to serve Christ and others in and eventually out of the academy. As my ideas of vocation and scholarship are challenged, my self-knowledge and sense of purpose have deepened and been refined. You will not leave here unchanged!"

Katie C.

English major, writes about her internship at the Smithsonian Institute

"When I interned at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage this January, I was able to pursue my interests and talents in order to create a product that had personal and vocational relevance. My supervisors asked me to create a multimedia storytelling project depicting some aspect of the Asian American immigrant experience. As a fourth-generation Japanese American who is Asian and Caucasian, I immediately realized that I wanted to explore multiracialism, which an integral part of the Asian community--and our larger American story.

"My finished project, which was self-directed with wonderful feedback from my Smithsonian mentors, allowed me to practice a lot of exciting, real-world skills. I located and contacted interviewees, conducted interviews, typed up transcripts, and edited the interviews together with my own observations to tell a story about multiracial Asian Americans and how it feels to navigate identity in a post-Hart-Celler-Act United States. I was thrilled to be able to use and develop my English major skills of communication, writing, and storytelling in a real-world, immensely satisfying setting."

Phillip B.

Chemistry major, and student of EL396H "Whitworth Life: Audio Storytelling" taught by Professor Nicole Sheets.

For this class, students create a two- to four-minute story about a location on Whitworth's campus that's especially meaningful to them. Their projects include a range of stories: quirky, funny, suspenseful, serious. Some focus on a personal experience while others rely more on research about a building's history or traditions. Students work with Janet Hauck, Whitworth's archivist, to find materials. Students also layer their stories with music and sound effects, some of which they find online and others that they create and record themselves. (Did you know that a Saltine scraped with a stick approximates the sound of squirrel scratches?) Then, one Friday afternoon during Jan Term, the class takes the tour together: a fine occasion to learn more about campus lore and each other."

Click here to listen to Phillip's project.

Gavin D., Chase L., Melissa J., Danny P., and Caleb S.

Students of EL 340H "Writing in Virtual Worlds" taught by Professor Jessica Clements.

For this class, students complete a collaborative game design project. They first research, analyze, and individually compose a game review for a public website. They conduct empirical research, interviewing an active member of the larger game design community and composing an interview report. Then in groups, they compose a full-length proposal in which they detail a video game design on a subject that speaks to an extant misperception or prejudice against video gaming in the community. Finally, groups create a multimodal presentation based on their proposal, including a one- to three-minute video game trailer. Click here to view the trailer for their proposed game, Alliant.

Questions? Contact Bert Emerson, associate professor of English and director of honors (dbemerson@whitworth.edu).