Two-Year College Study Topic for 2002-2004

"Dimensions and Directions of Health: Choices in the Maze"

  • Why do we have a theme or study topic for this class?
  • Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society
  • Resources for Study

    • Why do we have a theme for this class?

    Problem:

    Often students tell me that one of the most difficult tasks of a writing assignment is choosing a topic. While some students enjoy choosing their own topics, others get bogged down and lose a lot of valuable time trying to find the perfect topic for a paper. Meanwhile, other students often set themselves up for difficulty by selecting an inappropriate topic. Finally, students often set themselves up for mediocre work by simply presenting collections of quotations of what others have said about their topic, rather using sources as expert testimony for a researched argument that shows the student's own creative and critical thinking.

    Solution:

    Adopting a study topic or theme for the course is one way to give guidance in topic selection while still allowing students a lot of freedom to write about personal interests and concerns. The theme selected for this class is the current Honors Program Study Topic of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society: "Dimensions and Directions of Health: Choices in the Maze"

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    Phi Theta Kappa

    PTK is the national honor society for two-year college students.  One of the reasons for adopting the PTK study topic for this class is to encourage student participation in PTK. Visit the PTK homepage <http://www.ptk.org/> to learn more about the benefits enjoyed by members.

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    Resources for Study

    The PTK Honors Study Topic is selected to meet the needs of two-year institutions and their diverse communities. It is always international in scope, issue-oriented, and appropriate for interdisciplinary study. All of these qualities make it a good topic for this college writing class as well because most of our course goals involve the practice of creative and critical thinking, thoughtful reading, research, and the strategies for composing academic arguments.

    The honors topic is presented at the PTK Web site. This presentation includes a number of helpful resources:

    •  "Dimensions and Directions of Health: Choices in the Maze" is an introductory essay by PTK Director, Billy Wilson
    • Issues --This list of issues presents thought-provoking questions that arise out of the theme as it would be studied in various disciplines across the campus. Each of the 13 issues includes study questions, ideas for implementation, and a bibliography.
    • Activities help you think about and explore the theme. These activities include national interactive video conferences, satellite seminars, on-line chat rooms, as well as speakers and discussions sponsored by PTK on local campuses.


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