Why You Should Consider Taking Honors Module Courses
By Maddie Quigley
Spring course registration is upon us! I want to bring to your attention a class I have really enjoyed taking, the Honors 399 Module. There are a variety of course options available within 399, all six weeks in length and 1.5 credit hours.
I am taking the “Reacting to the Past” module so I will be presenting my view on that course, but they all seem like great options to get some extra honors hours in. I sent out a survey asking students who were in the class with me for feedback as well, so I will be incorporating some of that into this overview.
I initially signed up for this course with a friend to fulfill our honors credit requirements. After looking into it further, reading the course description and syllabus, I really looked forward to it starting. It seemed like a fun role-playing game that is vastly different from the other options available. I have never played dungeons and dragons before, but some classmates compared it to that game as well.
The dean of the Honors College, Scott Breuninger teaches the “Reacting to the Past” course. It is nice to put a face to the name as you get to work with him in class and build a connection there. Dean Breuninger also takes our feedback each semester and makes changes to the class to make it flow better so each future module is set up to be more successful than the last. 
Last spring was the first time Dean Breuniger offered the course, then focused on the French revolution. This fall he shifted to a focus on suffrage and labor in Greenwich Village in 1913.
It seemed like a fun role-playing game that is vastly different from the other options available. I have never played dungeons and dragons before, but some classmates compared it to that game as well.
The class is set up in a unique way of learning about the subject matter. You are assigned a real character from the time period and have to act as they would have back then. I learned a lot about the French revolution from the first course, and during this past course I learned lots about suffrage, bohemianism and the labor party.
The way the course was fully immersive allowed the material to be more engaging and interesting. After the first couple classes, the class becomes student run and we get the time to play the game. The more time you spend researching the period and your character, the better you do in the game and the more realistic the class becomes.
As the game goes on, it gets better and better as people really get into character and become more comfortable with each other, which is helped by the small class size. It helped me get outside of my comfort zone, which is easier to do when pretending to be a different person.
During the first course I played King Louis and during this past one I played Emma Goldman, an anarchist. It was fun to get to know a person from a different time. Each student received a character sheet with lots of information to research further and learn how they would play the game and react to different situations.
It helped me get outside of my comfort zone, which is easier to do when pretending to be a different person.
There are many different avenues in which you can play the game, especially if you have anxiety surrounding public speaking, which Dean Breuninger takes into account when assigning characters by sending out a form the first week.
You can get competitive and/or cooperative depending on your character’s goals. Everyone in both courses was generally welcoming and kind which also helped make it easier to participate.
Outside of talking in front of the whole class which not everyone does, you can write essays or speeches to send to the group online, create art pieces, presentations, spotify playlists, posters or simply talk to your classmates strategically one-on-one when there is time to mingle.
A lot of your grade for this course comes from participation in class, but you can make it more fun by preparing for the game outside of class.
Overall, the class is a nice break from lectures and other intense, time consuming courses. Working with classmates can also help create better relationships within the Honors College outside of your major or typical social circle as well.
I would recommend the “Reacting to the Past” course specifically to anyone looking for an easy and fun way to get some extra credits taken care of and connect with other students. You can look at this website for more information about the game and check out the VCU honors website to see the full list of available courses!
Photo courtesy of Nicolas via Pexels