Going Down Rabbit Holes

As Honors students Katherine Rackliffe and James Hecht polish up their Great Questions Essays, Emma Fox and Samuel Taylor are gearing up to read and offer suggestions for revising students’ essays as teaching assistants. In the thick of Honors 320, all of them have some valuable advice for students who will be taking the class in the future.

What is HONRS 320 and the Great Questions Essay?
In Honors 320, students choose a meaningful question they have and write a 20-25 page paper on it over the semester, which we call the “Great Questions Essay.” What Honors students love about the class is being able to write in a style that is different from any other assignment they’ve written before. Combining personal experiences and in-depth research makes for a very unique experience with the creative non-fiction genre. “I hadn't really written a full length personal essay before that was really exploratory, interdisciplinary and introspective,” Taylor explained.

Another thing that makes the genre unique is that the essay is not argumentative. Rather than seeking to answer your question, the essay is focused on exploring it through multiple lenses and perspectives. In fact, one of Hecht’s favorite things about HONRS 320 is the exploration and research, where he going down rabbit holes and learning many things he wouldn’t have otherwise. He noted the essay is an opportunity for him to explain his process of discovery on paper. “You’re supposed to show your mind at work, and it's okay if you don't find all of the answers,” Hecht said.

Choosing a Meaningful Question
Knowing that the goal is not to find a specific answer, you can feel free to dive into a question that truly interests you and challenges your thinking. Taylor believes the best essays are those that explore a question the student is really invested in. “I think that usually the most effective essays are ones where you can really draw on something that, you know, either you’ve thought about a lot, or struggled with, or are just absolutely fascinated by,” he said.

Although she is not accustomed to writing in her field of study, Rackliffe said that the essay is giving her an opportunity to reflect on a question that is personally meaningful to her. “It feels very much like a character development class,” Rackliffe noted, “this is for myself…it really feels like it’s the most individualized class I’ve taken.”

Rackliffe, Hecht, Fox and Taylor each explored unique questions: What is the danger of creation? Can AI replace teachers? What is empathy? Why do we value free will? Each of them took advantage of the self-driven nature of the class by choosing a question that they were really interested in.

Interdisciplinary Discoveries
Another important thing to consider when choosing a question is whether or not it can be explored through different disciplines. One of the essay requirements is to include research from at least three different disciplines, one each from an empirical, behavioral and interpretive approach. Some of the disciplines Fox researched included computer science, literature, psychology, and philosophy. She enjoyed being able to look at her question through these different, yet interconnected viewpoints. “It was cool to look at it from just lots of different perspectives,” Fox said. “Perspectives I never would have thought about.”

Tips and Advice
HONRS 320 may seem overwhelming, but there is no need to stress! There are many good practices you can follow to help you be prepared and make the most of your experience.

Even if you don’t feel like you know how to research or write well, Hecht suggests that you start the essay as soon as you can. He also encourages students not to be afraid to try new things and make mistakes in the process. “I would just invite students to try things that they are uncomfortable with. Choose a question that's something that, you know, you're even a little bit afraid to look at,” Hecht explained. “Try writing styles or expressing yourself in a way that's unique from what you've done.”

Hecht said that as he tried new things, he made mistakes and had failures, but that was part of the process. Even if you feel embarrassed about the mistakes your essay has, it is important to let other people read and critique it. Good feedback was a crucial part of Fox’s experience in HONRS 320. “Finding people that you trust who will give you good feedback on how you're conveying your experience and how you’re conveying your information does wonders for making an essay as good as it can be,” she said.

Your Great Questions Essay will take a lot of work, but following the advice of peers who have written their essays will help put you on the path to success! Choose a question that’s meaningful to you, make interdisciplinary connections, try new things, and you’ll make the most of your Honors 320 experience.

Remember, you need to have completed at least two Unexpected Connections courses before taking HONRS 320, which is offered each fall and winter semester. You can learn more about the Great Question essay experience and read some former students’ essays here on the Honors website.