Renaissance Scholars

Throughout students' participation in the Renaissance Scholars Honors Program, special counselors are available to help plan courses of study and help students make decisions about their educational goals. Honors faculty and counselors assist Renaissance Scholars in identifying and applying for appropriate scholarships and other financial assistance beyond that already provided for the courses specified in the program.

Most Renaissance Scholars honors courses are offered in the evening and/or on weekends. This allows working students to participate in an honors curriculum. Students may take the other courses necessary to fulfill their degree requirements at a time convenient to them either on campus or online.

这个项目促进学术经验，促进个人成长，批判性思维，多元文化和跨学科的视角，以及社区的发展。“文艺复兴学者荣誉计划”的会员可以在课堂之外获得许多社交和智力体验的机会。学生和教师参加活动，如戏剧活动，参观博物馆，讲座，招待会和晚餐。学生与教师的互动是文艺复兴学者荣誉计划的一个重要组成部分。

An exciting feature of the Renaissance Scholars Honors Program is the opportunity to receive Montgomery College credit while taking part in a study/travel program. In July 2013, Renaissance Scholars joined the Montgomery Scholars in a study/travel program at Warren Wilson College and in Asheville, North Carolina. Students studied the culture, music and history of this part of Appalachia. Note: The study/travel experience is dependent on funding availability.

Renaissance Scholars have been accepted at a variety of universities, including American University, Baylor University, Catholic University, College of William and Mary, Columbia University, and many others.

Cinder Cooper Barnes
Professor Cinder Cooper Barnes teaches credit level English at the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in English at the University of South Carolina and Master’s Degree at Northern Illinois University, and has extensive experience in higher education. Her interest areas include African American and women’s literature. As a faculty in the Renaissance Scholars she teaches honors Introduction to Literature paired with anthropology as well as with Social Problems and Issues. Professor Barnes also has experience working with international student populations and traveling abroad personally and as a representative of MC. In addition, Professor Cooper Barnes is an active participant in various MC initiatives, work groups, and committees; and has been awarded with a National Institute of Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence Award and MC’s Outstanding Faculty Service Award. In her spare time, Professor Cooper Barnes enjoys reading science fiction, traveling, and spending time with her family.

David Carter
1991年，大卫·卡特开始在蒙哥马利学院担任兼职讲师。世界杯摩洛哥vs克罗地亚欧赔2001年成为全职艺术教师。他曾教授工作室和讲座课程，包括各种主题的绘画，绘画，设计，色彩，数字艺术和艺术史。David于2012年成为MC史密森尼学院研究员，并在意大利的两个MC海外学习项目中担任教员。在其他项目中，他在2012年指导了一些学生参加“数学美学”——一个学期的项目，在这个项目中，学生们创作了一系列四幅描绘数学主题的大型画布。David在MC的大部分时间都在日耳曼敦校区，在那里他从2009年到2015年担任系主任，目前担任艺术协调员。卡特教授于2014年加入日耳曼敦的文艺复兴学者项目。他自己的创作活动包括绘画、插画和摄影。

Art Grinath
Art Grinath earned his PhD in economics at The University of Maryland, but his interest in economics really started as an undergrad at Randolph-Macon College in Virginia. Dr. Grinath's main reason for going to graduate school was to teach, but he took a detour after graduation, working for an economics consulting firm in DC (while also teaching part-time at Montgomery College). He finally achieved his goal of teaching full-time in 2007. Dr. Grinath's areas of expertise are in economic history and public finance, and his dissertation was on how the lovely C & O Canal bankrupted the State of Maryland. He has always believed that economics touches all aspects of our lives, which is why he admires the interdisciplinary approach taken by The Renaissance Scholars Program. In the spirit of the Renaissance, he is also learning to juggle.

Michael Harding
Born in New York, but raised in Texas, Dr. Michael P. Harding holds a BA from the University of North Texas (1999), MA degrees in philosophy and politics from the University of Dallas (2004 and 2007). Writing on Nietzsche's political philosophy, he earned his PhD from the University of Dallas (2013). His research interests can broadly be described as the history of philosophy - especially Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke and Nietzsche, as well as the American Founders and Progressives. Lately, he has been reading contemporary European political philosophy. He has been teaching philosophy at Montgomery College since 2013. His hobbies include reading, playing music, and traveling.

Jennifer Haydel
Jennifer Haydel是政治学副教授，曾担任文艺复兴学者荣誉项目的主任。她在伊利诺伊州盖尔斯堡的诺克斯学院获得了综合国际研究学士学位，并在明尼苏达大学双子城分校获得了政治学硕士学位。Although she teaches a wide variety of courses, she is particularly interested in the transnational study of conflict resolution and international law and the use of simulations and role-play in teaching political science.

Jennifer Haydel has found the experience of Renaissance Scholars to be transformative. Collaborating closely with faculty across disciplines and learning from a diverse and dedicated group of students pushes the boundaries of her teaching. As Pema Chodron has written, “My models were the people who stepped outside of the conventional mind and who could actually stop my mind and completely open it up and free it… My teachers have always pushed me over the cliff.” For Professor Haydel, the Renaissance Scholars students, faculty, and staff consistently challenge.

Michael LeBlanc
迈克尔·勒布朗(Michael LeBlanc)是蒙哥马利学院塔科马公园/银泉校区的英语教授，他在这里教授小说、文学和写作。世界杯摩洛哥vs克罗地亚欧赔他是《斯莱戈艺术与文学杂志》的主编，塔科马公园校园的英语101协调员，《波多马克评论》的副主编。他拥有加州大学河滨分校现代美国文学博士学位，佛罗里达州立大学小说写作硕士学位，以及佛罗里达大学英语和心理学两个优秀学士学位。自2012年起任教于文艺复兴学者项目。教授的课程包括:英语211HC、美国文学概况II、英语235HC、电影与文学。他还主持过一场文艺复兴学者研讨会，主题是城市街道。

Diane K. McDaniel
副教授戴安·k·麦克丹尼尔(Diane K. McDaniel)在蒙哥马利学院日耳曼敦校区教授地质和物理科学，自2006年以来一直在文艺复兴学者荣誉计划(Renaissance Scholars Honors世界杯摩洛哥vs克罗地亚欧赔 Program)任教。她在德克萨斯大学圣安东尼奥分校获得物理科学学士学位(专攻地质学)，在纽约长岛石溪大学获得地球化学硕士和博士学位。虽然她主要是一名地球科学家，但她本质上是一名自然科学家，她非常喜欢教授物理、化学和气象学，偶尔也教授生态学。麦克丹尼尔博士认为自己很幸运，在她在蒙哥马利学院的第一个全职学期，她被介绍到文艺复兴学者(当时被称为千禧学者)项目。世界杯摩洛哥vs克罗地亚欧赔教荣誉学生可能是一种特别令人满意的经历，尤其是当这些学生和文艺复兴时期的学者一样有着丰富的背景时。有一种能量、陪伴和有感染力的兴趣推动学习超越普通，使课堂环境变得丰富、复杂和互动，让学生和老师的智力超越死记硬背，成长为综合、分析和真正的理解。

Joan Naake
Joan Naake is a Professor of English at the Germantown campus and has been teaching in the Renaissance Scholars Honors Program since 2006. She earned an master’s of arts degree in English at Boston College in Massachusetts and has done additional graduate studies at the University of California at Davis, The George Washington University, the University of Maryland, American University, and Oxford University, England. Her background is in British and western literature; however, presently her readings and perspective have broadened to encompass our global society. In 2006, Professor Naake was recognized as the Maryland Professor of the Year. Professor Naake finds teaching in the Renaissance Scholars Honors Program to be a privilege and an honor. Teaching students who come from such diverse backgrounds and who are truly interested in investigating ideas and in sharpening their critical thinking skills is an extremely rewarding experience. Because the Renaissance Scholars courses are interdisciplinary, she has team taught literature with both sociology and psychology. Presently, she looks forward to team teaching with Professor Jennifer Haydel, where literature will be integrated with comparative politics and governments. Professor Naake loves learning from both the Renaissance Scholars students and the other faculty in the program; it is an extremely enriching environment. She finds great joy in seeing students transformed by their experience in the program, in assisting students to appreciate their great potential, and in helping students to navigate and explore their possibilities for transfer.

Nancy Nyland
Nancy Nyland has been a librarian at the Germantown Campus since 2005, after coming to the Montgomery College Libraries in 1999. She earned a bachelor’s and master’s in music at Oberlin Conservatory and The Peabody Institute, respectively, and a master of library science at the University of Maryland - College Park. Her interest in the Renaissance Scholars stems from her own experiences as an honors student, and attending evening classes at Montgomery College as an adult student in math and computing. Ms. Nyland enjoys seeking out potential field trip experiences for the Scholars, and in 2010 participated in a Make It Happen Grant for the Scholars to take a field trip to Mt. Vernon and a Shakespeare play. She appreciates the educational value of travel, whether travel abroad, to Appalachia, or downtown to a museum, and enjoys sharing those experiences with the students.

Karl T. Smith
Professor Karl Smith completed his undergraduate studies at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He has a MA in political science with a specialization in international relations from Northeastern University and an MA in ESL from Simmons College in Boston. He has taught ESL and EFL courses in Mexico, Switzerland, Macau, and Boston and has also taught developmental writing, sociology, and a variety of history and political science courses at community colleges since 1996.

Professor Smith became a member of the Montgomery College faculty in 2004 where he teaches political science and history. He has taught honors American history as well as political ideology as part of Renaissance Scholars dyads along with an honors seminar on American foreign policy for the Renaissance Scholars Program. He also attended the Cambridge Summer Seminar with Renaissance Scholars at the University of Cambridge in 2007. He has participated in study abroad activities in Peru, Cuba, and Ethiopia. Furthermore, he was a member of the Montgomery County delegation that traveled to Morazan, El Salvador for the Sister City Project in 2011, and traveled to China in 2013 as a part of the MC delegation to China for the Sister City Project in Xian. He was a Smithsonian Faculty Fellow in 2010, and was awarded a Globalizing the Humanities Fellowship in 2015. In 2015 he received an award for Outstanding Faculty.

从2007年到2014年，他是塔科马公园/银泉校区社会科学系的联合主席。他目前是TP/SS校园杰斐逊咖啡馆的协调员。

Deborah Taylor
黛博拉·泰勒自2003年以来一直是塔科马公园/银泉校区的英语、女性研究和全球人文学科教授。

她在缅因州路易斯顿的贝茨学院获得了女性研究和历史学士学位。在马里兰大学任教多年后，她于2007年获得英语博士学位。世界杯摩洛哥vs克罗地亚欧赔蒙哥马利学院过去是，现在仍然是她的“梦想”工作。她试图把与她的论文《女性写作反乌托邦》相关的主题穿插到她的作文和文学课上。

She is excited to be working with the Renaissance Scholars program; she’s happy to report that working across disciplines makes her entirely (too) happy. She teaches honors Women’s Studies paired with International Relations as part of the Renaissance Scholars Program.

She loves to travel, to see and do new things, to walk her dog, and to bike; she hopes that some of these interests will intersect with her work with Renaissance Scholars.

Cheryl Tobler
Professor Cheryl Tobler teaches world music at all three Montgomery College campuses. She earned BMEd, BA and MA degrees in music and English at James Madison University. She completed her PhD in ethnomusicology from the University of Maryland, where she was a University Fellow.

Her research areas include music tourism, identity, Korean and Celtic traditional music, and gypsy studies. She has presented her research at conferences throughout the United States and in England, Scotland, South Korea, and South Africa. In addition to performing Celtic and Appalachian music, she enjoys travelling and experiencing other cultures and their music first hand.

托布勒教授发现，主持荣誉项目(包括蒙哥马利学者和文艺复兴学者)的教学很有挑战性。她特别喜欢指导学生和与不同的同事合作教学。

Mary-Paula Walsh
Mary-Paula Walsh is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice at Rockville, and while most of her time is spent at the Rockville campus, she has been teaching in the Renaissance Scholars program since its inception at the Germantown campus.

Dr. Walsh received her graduate degrees in sociology (MA and PhD) from The Catholic University of American in Washington, DC and prior to her work in sociology, she received her MA in religious studies from CUA as well. Her major research interests focus on topics addressed in the sociological study of religion e.g., gender and religion, religion and violence, and the many functions of religion as a cultural force within societal development.

As already noted, Dr. Walsh has been teaching in the Renaissance Scholars program since its inception. Her initial work in the program focused on a dyad component (“Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion”), and following several offerings of this, she developed a series of one-credit seminars examining the social and historical aspects of both “The Sociology of Religion,” and “Religion in America.”

目前，她教授一学分的“大屠杀和种族灭绝”研讨会，其中不仅包括纳粹大屠杀本身的调查(连同前往华盛顿特区的美国大屠杀纪念馆的班级旅行)，而且还在萨曼莎·鲍威尔对20世纪发生的几起种族灭绝事件的历史概述之后，对种族灭绝概念本身进行了介绍性概述。

Carole Wolin
Carole Wolin is the Director of the Renaissance Scholars at the TP/SS campus as well as a Professor of Biology. She has a B.A. from Reed College in biology, an M.S. from the University of Texas at Austin and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Davis in Zoology with an emphasis in ecology. She has a passion for helping students develop their potential. As Director of the Renaissance Scholars she guides students through their path at Montgomery College and in the transfer process. She teaches a Renaissance Scholars seminar on Scientific Inquiry as well as the Renaissance Scholar’s summer study/travel course. She is very excited about learning that involves interdisciplinary connections. She loves working with the Renaissance Scholars because of their enthusiasm for learning, and their diverse perspectives and backgrounds. As a Professor of Biology she teaches and coordinates Human Anatomy and Physiology. Dr. Wolin has participated as a Smithsonian Faculty Fellow while at Montgomery College and she has been recognized with the Outstanding Faculty Award in 2006 and 2016 and the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Excellence Award in 2007 and 2017.

Option 1: HONR 110AE, CRN 21937, Art & Reason: Pathways to Meaning
Monday, August 29-October 17 (first seven weeks), 7:00-8:50 pm, 1 honors credit
HS167, Professor Carter

Is there meaning and value in human existence? This course will explore answers to this question through art and reason. Through reading, reflection, and discussion, this course will analyze and compare these two fundamental ways—aesthetic appreciation and rational understanding—of finding meaning and value in human existence. Readings distributed: selected passages from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and other sources.

Option 2: HONR 110AL, CRN 22577, Political Philosophy and Greek Tragedy
Wednesday, August 31-October 12 (first seven weeks), 5:00-6:50 pm, 1 honors credit
HS167, Professor Harding

This course will focus on six Greek plays: the Oresteia by Aeschylus, and the Theban trilogy by Sophocles. These plays are part of the classical heritage of the world and are gripping and occasionally horrifying stories of murder, revenge, and divine retribution (one of them is also, arguably, the first detective story). The plays bring up some of the permanent questions of human life: What is justice? Do we possess free will? What is fate? Who are we obligated to – Family? City? The gods? What makes someone guilty? …innocent? … “heroic”?

Option 3: HONR 114AG, CRN 23631, Counting Votes and Making Votes Count
Thursday, September 1, September 15, September 29, October 13, October 27, November 10, December 1, 4:00-5:50 pm, 1 honors credit
HS167, Professor Haydel

在这门课程中，我们将分析和评估投票方法、选民投票率和基本选举结构(国会分配、国会重划、总统初选和选举团)。

Option 4: HONR 101AD, CRN 22370, Culture and Identity in American Literature
Tuesday, August 30-October 11 (five seven weeks), 7:00-8:50 pm, 1 honors credit
HS167, Professor Prendergast

This course explores representations of culture and its connection to identity within literature. Through reading literary works from diverse voices—Arthur Miller, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Emily Dickinson, etc.—we will analyze the ways in which writers can both influence and be influenced by how identity is depicted within their communities.

Option 5: HONR -, CRN -, The Art of Mathematical Proof
Thursday, September 1-December 15, 2:00-3:00 pm, 1 honors credit
HT, Professor Dong

We will explore the idea of mathematical proof. What is a mathematical proof and why are proofs necessary? Can a mathematical proof be beautiful? Beginning with Aristotle’s ideas of logical deduction, we will study proofs by Euclid, Euler, Cantor, and others. We will also discuss what cannot be proven mathematically as proved by Godel. Math pre-requisite: eligibility for college-level math, such MATH 120, 117, or 165.

Option 6: HONR -, CRN -, Wielding the Power of Dual Identity in Latinx Literature
Thursday, September 1-October 13, (first seven weeks), 3:00-4:50 pm, 1 honors credit
HS, Professor Leopardi

Latinx authors deal with not only an ever-evolving cultural landscape shifting between acceptance and rejection, but also an internal struggle with identity. That battle—being Latina/o/e/x—breeds emotionally fueled, culturally complex works of fiction. This course explores the impact dual identity has on storytelling through analyses of works by authors, such as Sandra Cisneros, Julia Alvarez, Junot Diaz, Patricia Engel, and Elizabeth Acevedo.

Dyad Option 1: ANTH201HC (CRN -) & MUSC117HC (CRN -)
Monday & Wednesday, 6:00-8:40 pm, 6 honors credits
Sociocultural Anthropology combined with World Music, Professors Laufe and Tobler

Anthropology 201 HC: An exploration of fundamental anthropological concepts, methods, and theories, used to interpret traditional and modern cultures. Emphasis is placed on the components of cultural systems and the investigation of the impact of globalization on changing cultures worldwide.

Music 117 HC: World Music presents a survey of cross-cultural popular world music and the traditional music that influenced it. The class will address social and cultural roles of the music and the factors influencing its development and dissemination.

Dyad Option 2: POLI 211HC (CRN -) and ENGL202HC (CRN -)
Tuesday & Thursday, 3:30-6:10 pm, 6 honors credits
Comparative Politics combined with Introduction to Literature, Professors Haydel and Naake

Political Science 211HC: The course compares historical processes and current issues facing countries domestically and internationally. Selected countries from both the developed and developing worlds illustrate broader concepts and provide practice in comparative political analysis.

English 202HC: An introduction to world literature from the mid-17th century to the present, including oral traditions, poetry, fiction, the essay, and drama.

Dyad Option 3: BIOL105/106 HC (CRN -) & COMM 108 HC (CRN -)
Monday & Wednesday, 3:30-6:10 pm; BIOL106: Wednesday, 12:30-3:10 pm, 7 honors credits
Environmental Biology combined with Human Communication, Professors Newtoff and Banks

Biology 105 &106HC: This course examines environmental problems confronting society, including ecological principles, human population dynamics, energy sources, land and soil use, air pollution, water pollution, and endangered species.

Communications 108HC: This course covers communication theory and develops communication skills for personal and professional relationships in interpersonal, group, and public settings.

Dyad Option 4: ARTT102HC (CRN -) and PHIL101HC (CRN -)
Monday & Wednesday, 3:00-7:10 pm, 6 honors credits
Two-Dimensional Design combined with Introduction to Philosophy, Professors Carter and Harding

Art 102HC: An introduction to the elements and principles of visual expression with an emphasis on two-dimensional form. Students will explore a wide range of conceptual approaches and media to develop critical visual thinking and the capacity to engage in creative problem-solving. (Art Studio, Monday & Wednesday, 5:45-7:10 pm)

Philosophy 101HC: Introduction to the philosophical analysis of the problem of knowledge, reality, and the good. Major philosophical attitudes of Western civilization are introduced. The basic themes and questions of the course are concerned with the nature and meaning of human existence.

Option 1: HONR 105AA - Scientific Inquiry (CRN 21626)
Meets alternate Wednesdays, 7:00-9:00 pm, CM214 (1 honors credit)
教授卡罗尔沃林

探索科学知识是如何获得的，科学“证明”的本质，以及实验设计的概念。这些概念将应用于covid大流行和可持续性等紧迫问题。

Option 2: HONR114AA – Globalization Issues (CRN 23574)
Meets weekly on Tuesdays for first half of the semester, 7:00-9:00 pm, CM214 (1 honors credit)
Professor Deborah Taylor

Explore globalization issues from the perspective of women.

Option 3: HONR101AA – Literature, Art, and Mythology (CRN 22173)
Meets weekly on Mondays for first half of the semester, 7:00-9:00 pm, CM214 (1 honors credit)
Professor Esther Schwartz-McKinzie

Heroes, tricksters and monsters! Join us as we take an intimate look, through literature and art, at mortals, monsters, and the gods who love them--and love to destroy them.

Dyad Option 1: HIST201HC* and WMST101HC*
U.S. History 1865-Present combined with Women’s Studies
Monday & Wednesday, 3:30-6:15 pm, 6 honors credits
Professors Smith and Taylor

History 201HC: U.S. History 1865-Present. A study of American History from the end of the Civil War to the 21st century, including an examination of the roles of gender, race, ethnicity, class, and religion in American social, cultural, and political development. Students will consider contemporary political and social debates in the context of their historical antecedents.

Women’s Studies 101HC: Women’s Studies.Interdisciplinary approach to the field of women’s studies which examines status, roles, contributions, and experiences of women in society. Topics including social justice, women’s role in development, and roles of women in politics will be explored.

Dyad Option 2: SOCY105HC* and ENGL212HC**
Social Problems and Issues combined with Survey of American Literature II
Tuesday &Thursday, 3:30-6:15 pm, 6 honors credits
Professors Kaya and Barnes

Sociology 105HC: Social Problems and Issues. An analysis of social problems such as social inequality with respect to race, class, gender, and economic status, urbanization, crime, demographic change, terrorism, and environmental issues.

English 212HC: Survey of American Literature II. A survey of American literature from the mid-19th century to the present, including fiction, essays, poetry, drama, and oral traditions with an emphasis on understanding literature as an integral part of intellectual development and understanding of social issues.