Community News
New Honors Program
Posted on 6/11/2009|
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Magdalen College Appoints Dr. George Harne as Academic Dean Princeton Graduate Unveils New Honors Program (Warner, NH) Magdalen College has appointed Princeton graduate Dr. George Harne as its new Academic Dean. Dr. Harne holds a Doctorate and Master of Fine Arts in Musicology from Princeton University, as well as a Masters in Liberal Studies from St. John's College in Annapolis.
His primary research and teaching fields include Medieval Music and Music Theory and Twentieth-Century Music. Dr. Harne has also held teaching assistantships both at Princeton University and University of Washington.
Recently, Dr. Harne presented a paper at the annual meeting of the American Musicological Society held in Nashville. The presentation was entitled "Conflicting Ends: Reconsidering opposition to the ars nova in the Speculum musicae".
He and his wife Debbie have been married for seventeen years and converted to Catholicism from Anglicanism in 2005. They have four children and reside in Warner, NH.
In conjunction with today's announcement, Dr. Harne unveiled the Magdalen College Honors Program, an extension of the College's Program of Studies.
"While our Program of Studies is rigorous, we've seen students, both current and incoming, who desire more challenging coursework and readings," said Dr. Harne.
The Honors Program, along with the Program of Studies, integrates Socratic seminars based upon the Great Books with courses in catechesis, music, the visual arts, and study abroad in Rome and Norcia, Italy.
The Honors Program offers academically advanced and intellectually ambitious students opportunities to participate in advanced courses in Geometry and Reasoning, Latin, and English composition.
Each semester, as part of the Honors Colloquium, honors students explore selected texts, themes, authors, or media that complement the Program of Studies. This will include studies on modern cinema, Dante's Divine Comedy, and the twentieth century German Thomist, Josef Pieper.
Honors students already proficient in Latin may pursue a course in independent, advanced language study under the guidance of a faculty member.
As the culmination of their undergraduate studies, honors students will research and write an Honors Thesis known as a Quaestio.
President Jeffrey Karls praised the announcement, emphasizing that honors students at Magdalen will use their intellectual gifts to serve fellow students through academic coaching and tutoring.
"In a college community setting, our honors students will not focus on just independent growth, but also on raising academic standards and achievements across the board," President Karls said. |