Honors Course Reunion Celebrates Alumni and Ancestry
Former and current students connect at course reunion.
On Saturday, December 10, 2022, the Farquhar Honors College Genetics and Genealogy course hosted its second reunion to celebrate the generations of students who have taken the course. Alumni, current students, and faculty shared their family histories, cultural foods and traditions, and favorite memories from the course at the reunion.
Alumni couples who met through the course
Funded by the Honors College, the reunion allowed former and current students to connect with each other and course instructors Emily Schmitt Lavin, Ph.D., chair and professor in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences (HCAS), and James Doan, Ph.D., professor in HCAS. Attendees brought their families, dishes from their culture, and family trees to commemorate their lineage and time with the course.
Lavin and Doan have been teaching this interdisciplinary course since 2007. The course has been a favorite among students over the years as they get to create a family tree and explore their ancestry in the context of human evolution.
The nature of the work carried out through the course allows students to form close bonds with each other as they learn about their personal histories and their peers’. Amid this personalized learning environment, two couples have emerged from the course, one of which has married and started a family together — merging the family trees they created in the class.
Learn more about the Genetics and Genealogy course.
Posted 01/08/23