Courses
The Global Honors Program incorporates scholarship, service and spiritual formation – all components of the Roberts Wesleyan College mission statement – and uses a combination of academic work in the classroom, experiential learning, service learning and independent scholarship.
You will take the following courses in your freshmen and sophomore years. At the end of your sophomore year, you will participate in an on-location course in Brazil where you will apply concepts from the classroom.
Learn more about these courses only available to students in the Global Honors Program:
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Honors First Year Seminar: Freedom in Rochester and the World
First Year Seminar will introduce you to college life. It will also focus on a foundational principle held by B. T. Roberts, founder of Roberts Wesleyan College: freedom.
You will learn about:
- B.T. Roberts and the rich history of Roberts Wesleyan College, his views on women’s rights and slavery and his foundational work in the Free Methodist church.
- The work and lives of Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony, and explore how their freedom movements impacted the world (and how this connects to modern day slavery).
- The Erie Canal, discovering how the canal system opened up freedom of commerce in the Rochester area and around the world.
- The invention of Photographic Film and how it revolutionized photography and freedom movements around the world.
You will also:
- Explore Rochester! You will visit the canal, the Susan B. Anthony House, the George Eastman House, and more.
- Participate in a service project with a local anti-human trafficking organization.
Integration of World Religions and Global Ethics
You will study the philosophy and religion of the great cultures of the world.
Beginning with India and China, you will examine some of the most ancient cultures of the world, including the development of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.
Next, you will investigate the origins of the three great monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. As you consider the ethical issues and religions of European culture, you will also analyze their impact on Africa and the New World (both North and South America).
This fully integrated course, taught from a Christian worldview, will help you understand cultural perceptions and differences and equip you to work and serve across the world.
World Art and Music
You will explore distinct cultures and how they overlap, historically and currently, in a rich, dynamic, and articulate manner.
You will engage in local and regional venues and events, leading to an internationally-oriented experience.
World Literature
You will read and discuss selections in the literature of the world from antiquity to the twentieth century.
The course will include works in the Western tradition and a selection of texts from non-Western cultures, such as those of Asia, Africa and Latin America. You will learn about and experience Western culture more broadly and deeply and will be introduced to less familiar cultures on these cultures’ own terms.
Study Abroad
Before traveling to Brazil, you will learn basic Portuguese and research specific sites that relate to your major.
Molly Perrin, Social Work '20
"Instead of sitting in a classroom learning about topics only to forget them, I was able to learn and apply what I learned, making its impact long-lasting. "
