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Meet Shima Baradaran Robinson

Intellectually Enlarging

Shima Baradaran Robison

HOMETOWN: Goshen, New York
MAJOR: Sociology
SPARE-TIME ACTIVITY: Biathlons
FAVORITE FOOD: Tahcheen polo (Persian dish)

Given a choice, Shima Baradaran Robison will go the distance. Not content with the short answer, she presses possibilities. Like her running and swimming, her studies through the Honors Program at BYU stretch her capabilities.

"I've always been interested in social problems. My mom was involved with social justice, and my parents have instilled these values in me," says Shima, who moved with her family from Iran to New York when she was seven. "I wanted to help people and strive to figure out why problems occur and how to solve them. As a sociology major, I've gained a larger perspective of human trials and the different angles from which you can approach them."

Doing research abroad put Shima face to face with social issues, particularly women's struggles. "I spent four months in South Africa, where there are epidemic proportions of rape," she says. "Through a women's nongovernmental organization (NGO), I got to interview some rape convicts, prosecutors, and police officers, trying to understand rape and masculinity." Later, while visiting family in Iran, she did more research on the success of NGOs with dictatorial governments.

But it was while taking a class on the economy of women that everything seemed to snap into place for Shima. "In South Africa I had caught all this passion for women's issues, and I wanted to do something about it. Then," she continues, "I was inspired by the class's two professors and became even more focused on women's issues. That class moved me to study law—so I accepted a scholarship from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at BYU."

The Honors Program is aimed at students like Shima, who feels "like the Honors professors are really open-minded and allow for different perspectives. In their classes I've been challenged in my beliefs, but I've also been able to reconcile and combine spiritual and secular knowledge better than I could have anywhere else. At BYU I have learned to analyze and rethink my positions."


Intellectually Enlarging

The academic environment extends beyond the four falls of a university classroom. Serious students seek enrichment through the Honors Program, in the libraries, at university forums, and through research and internships.


HONORS PROGRAM

The Honors Program at Brigham Young University offers exceptional opportunities for highly motivated students to pursue academic work that challenges their interests and abilities. Deeply committed to a liberal arts education, the program encourages students to become immersed in great works of literature, art, music, and film.

Honors education provides students with the advantages of an enriched education in a small-class setting while utilizing all of the advantages of a large university. A service component of the program encourages students to share their gifts with others through meaningful service. Students who pursue an honors education will also participate in an intensive honors thesis experience, providing the opportunity to participate in original research or creative work.


HAROLD B. LEE LIBRARY

As the main library on campus, the Harold B. Lee Library comprises a collection of more than three million volumes. The library also serves as a depository for United States and Canadian government documents. The Utah Valley Regional Family History Center (UVRFHC) supports family history research through an extensive collection of microfilm and microfiche. The Special Collections and Manuscripts area houses noncirculating books and manuscripts related to Mormonism, Western Americana, incunabula, Victorian and Edwardian literature, historical manuscripts and photographs, motion pictures, and many other areas.


UNIVERSITY FORUMS

University forums are an integrative and stimulating part of the BYU academic experience. Speakers are noted authorities in the arts, sciences, humanities, media, and government and are chosen for their contributions to their field. Participation in these assemblies—and in the question-and-answer sessions that may accompany them—prompts inquiry into significant intellectual, cultural, and social issues.


RESEARCH AND CREATIVE ACTIVITIES

One of the most exciting and valuable learning experiences available to undergraduate students at BYU is the opportunity to participate in original research and creative activities. Many professors enlist the help of their students, who work side by side with faculty mentors and graduate students in a laboratory or studio setting. For example, a student might be involved in the synthesis of a new medicinal drug in the chemistry laboratory or participate in the discovery of a new species of dinosaur on a Colorado mesa.


ACADEMIC INTERNSHIPS

Academic internships formally integrate university-level academic study with work experience in cooperating organizations. These programs are designed to complement and strengthen the student's major field of study. In addition to academic internships within the United States, internships in international settings are available for students who are pursuing majors that focus on international curricula.



"Every accomplishment, every polished grace, every useful attainment in mathematics, music, and in all science and art belong to the Saints, and they should avail themselves as expeditiously as possible of the wealth of knowledge the sciences offer to every diligent and persevering scholar."

– Brigham Young


 

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