Some of the coolest experiences I have had at Oregon State so far have come out of my Honors colloquia courses. They have provided me with a unique opportunity to explore different subjects that wouldn’t normally be offered through my major or minors. As a public health and science student, I love to take colloquia classes that are more based in the liberal arts. One of my favorite courses was Object Lessons through Material Culture.
Taught by Dr. Thomas Bahde, a professor in the history department, the course allowed us the opportunity to learn about creating anthropological histories from various objects throughout time, even identifying some of our own objects and translating them into aspects of culture and history. We even visited a warehouse of the Benton County Museum and viewed hundreds of objects that no one gets to see (ranging from televisions, to hats and helmets, to children’s toys, to cars and carriages). Many of the items were undocumented, so we got to choose one and do research on it, to try to create a history for that object. I researched a bright blue typewriter that had belonged to an OSU physics professor for my final project.
Surprisingly, this class wasn’t full; however, this allowed me, along with the four of my peers who were also taking the course, to be able to deeply explore the subject, have unusual and engaging discussions, and get to know a member of the Honors faculty very well. This colloquium was just one example of some of the unique experiences that I have had as an Honors student, and I look forward to continuing to broaden my education through other colloquia!
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