Franke Honors courses partner with Agave Heritage Festival for second year in a row
Last spring, the W.A. Franke Honors College partnered with Tucson’s annual Agave Heritage Festival (AHF), a yearly celebration which explores the significance of Agave across time and place. Students in Franke Honors courses HNRS 335 and HNRS 314: Ideas Into Action, collaborated in groups throughout the spring semester to create multimedia projects such as podcasts, look books, interviews, video series, and more. Through their holistic research and active engagement with Agave Fest and its community members, students explored the cultural, environmental, and economic dimensions of Agave and its significance.
HNRS 335 and 314, taught by Dr. Nadia Alvarez Mexia and Laura Horley, are centered on service learning and leadership in the Tucson community. These courses also fulfill requirements in several Franke Honors Academic programs—the Future Earth Resilience Minor, the Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation, and the Civic Leadership Certificate. Each of these programs have community engagement and experiential learning woven throughout their course offerings, giving students hands-on experience working in interdisciplinary teams, exploring social issues, and developing their communication skills as they collaborate with partners.
The opportunity to engage in community research and participate in events such as the Agave Heritage Festival is a part of the W.A. Franke Honors College’s commitment to service learning, which empowers students to collaborate with leaders and members of the Tucson community to present real research and propel social change beyond the classroom and campus.
Check out Franke Honors students' work with Agave Heritage Festival below!
