Honors Collegium M50

Create your Roadmap

Enrollment: Instructor Consent. This course is for students participating in the College Scholars program. Priority will be given to juniors/seniors. For enrollment information, e-mail Kara Brown at honorscollegium@college.ucla.edu. Kindly refrain from directly emailing the instructors for requests.

Course Description: Introduction to selected signature approaches to learning (interdisciplinary, experiential, integrative, illustrative), ways of being (inclusivity, self-awareness, curiosity, independence, resilience, generosity, distinctiveness), and habits of doing (collaboration, creativity, innovation). Incorporation of empirical research and writing from different academic disciplines to help students understand rationales behind those approaches and associated applications for undergraduate learning. Students design e-portfolio. Students develop personalized roadmap to guide their academic, personal, and professional growth during their undergraduate careers.

Mary Samuelson

Mary Samuelson completed her Ph.D. and MA degrees in Cinema and Media Studies at UCLA and did her undergraduate work in Cinema-Television and English Literature at USC. She teaches both English Composition 2 and 3 for Writing Programs and served as the department’s Teaching Assistant Consultant for English Composition 3 for two years when she was a graduate student. Mary has won several awards and fellowships in support of her research, which examines the role antitrust law played in the collaboration between the U.S. government and the motion picture industry during Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency. She has two forthcoming essays in collections focusing on film and the law (“Radical Moment: The National Recovery Administration and Hollywood’s ‘New Deal’” (November 2015)) and the U.S newsfilm (“Wartime News Flow: Government and Studio Newsreels, 1941-1945” (June 2016)), respectively. Her upcoming book The Patriotic Play: Roosevelt, Antitrust, and the War Activities Committee of the Motion Picture Industry is slated for publication in Spring 2017.

What’s an e-portfolio?

An e-portfolio provides a visual representation
of you in website form:
What’s your story?
Who are you?
What are your passions, skills, and talents?
What contributions have you or hope to make?
Where are you headed?

Sample E-portfolios

Krish Shah
Wiley Waggoner
Sara Daar
Eric Longo
Kienna Qin
Karen Madamba
Theodora Pui Hing Ng

Student Feedback

Honors Collegium 50: Create Your Roadmap

“Professor Samuelson has profoundly impacted my academic journey with her exceptional knowledge, genuine care, and generous guidance. Her lectures blend theory with practical applications, enriching my learning experience. She goes beyond expectations, offering invaluable insights into graduate school and career preparation, which have transformed my academic trajectory. Her mentorship has boosted my confidence, and her support in developing essential skills, from research presentations to personal statements, is unparalleled. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to learn from her and highly recommend her courses for a transformative educational experience.”

(for Professor Mary Samuelson) “I really enjoyed taking this class! I thought it was great that it really focused on the students and helping them figure out the path they want to take throughout college and beyond. I think the reflection it encourages students to do on the direction they want to take with their studies and career path is very valuable and something that a lot of students outside of honors would also really benefit from! Professor Samuelson also did a very great job teaching the class. Her instructions for assignments were always clear and detailed and class discussions were great for encouraging students to really analyze the class’ readings and relate them to their own lives.”

(for Professor Mary Samuelson) “Professor S is the best professor I have had in my UCLA experience. She is attentive and always assigns assignments that are meant to teach you. I have learned more in her classes than I have in a majority of my other classes. The class itself was excellent and has made me more prepared for life after college. I am a senior, who is not in the honors program, and in my last quarter I willingly took an 8 am just because I knew I could learn from her. Best decision I have ever made.”

(for Professor Tara Prescott-Johnson) “In my last quarter at UCLA, I reflect on a course that has stood out as the most enriching academic experience I’ve had. This course deepened my understanding and expanded my capabilities, introducing me to new horizons I had not imagined before. The “Skill of the Day” sessions, in particular, were both interesting and meaningful, significantly enhancing my engagement with the material. A major strength of the course was its focus on public speaking through presentation assignments. Historically, public speaking had been a challenge for me, but the supportive and constructive environment created by the instructor transformed my anxiety into excitement. Another significant strength was the personalized one-on-one sessions with the instructor. These meetings were invaluable as they extended beyond the academic environment, offering life lessons and personal insights. The instructor shared their journey and the challenges they overcame, instilling in me a deep belief in my potential career and personal life trajectories.”

“I absolutely loved this class, and Professor PJ (Prescott-Johnson). It’s such good planning for life, and I think everyone should take it at some point. I’d never before written a resume, or made a blog/website although they were on my “forever to do list that probably won’t get done”. So it was really useful! My teacher was amazing, so supportive, and dedicated to this class. I loved our one-on-one meeting, and learning about her life was amazing. I wish every professor could be this open and kind, she is so special.”

(for Professor Tara Prescott-Johnson) “This is an amazing course, and I genuinely think it is the best course I will take during my time here at UCLA. While the topics covered aren’t as conventional, I’ve found them to be incredibly interesting and profoundly important for my future. Practical skills like resume building were something the course was great at teaching, and it also just changed my mindset and perspective on my education and what I choose to pursue in life. The instructor was amazing as well, and very friendly while great at teaching skills and going through the curriculum. She was extremely available as well and made everybody feel comfortable in the classroom. I think the biggest strength of this course is its uniqueness in curriculum and concepts covered, and I’m sure it will prove very valuable to many future students.”