The semester I led a double (reading) life : my experiences with creating and teaching an honors college colloquium : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

This thesis project was designed to satisfy a dual purpose: to allow me space and time to further my research of Waste Land and Fisher King imagery in literature from 1925 to 1945, and to give me the invaluable and unique experience of designing and teaching a college course. While the actual thesis experience, teaching the course, occurred in the Fall 2000 semester, I have included a written component here in order to record, reflect upon, and compile the materials specific to the course. This collection begins with a retrospective narrative that contains my reflections and self-critique on teaching the course. Following the narrative are five appendices: the first includes my syllabus and handouts created during the semester; the second contains samples of student work as it progressed through the semester; the third is comprised of a mid-term evaluation form that I created, as well as the students' anonymously recorded responses; the fourth includes my final evaluations from the official university forms; and the fifth is made up of an essay and two summaries of essays written during my fellowship on novels that were then covered in the course. The purpose of including six categories of information is to offer a composite, inclusive look at the teaching experience in my voice and my students’ voice. This collection is also intended to provide a possible model for materials needed for teaching an Honors colloquium.