Dr. John Rakovan’s latest Honors course enabled Honors and Scholar students study gemstones ranging from the quartz in their wristwatches to the Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian. Like all other Honors seminars, Rakovan’s course, Gems and Gem Mineral Formation, allowed a small group of students delve deep into a particular area of a broader academic discipline. “Everything is put into the context of gems and gem minerals,” Rakovan said. “When we talk about the topics you’d cover in a general survey course in geology, we do it solely through the perspective of gemstones – where they’re forming and which stones might be found in certain geological environments.”

Rakovan was also able to take the course outside the traditional confines of the classroom. He and the students took a mid-semester trip to the Smithsonian Institution to see the national gemstone collection – an exhibit which includes the Hope Diamond. “The curator is a good personal friend and colleague, so we got a private tour of the collections,” Rakovan said. He added that seeing gemstones and minerals first-hand was crucial to the success of the course. “All of geology – from gems to understanding mountains – is a material subject. You can sit in the class and talk about it, but to understand it, you have to be on the mountain.” Kelly Haas, a student enrolled in the class, said the Washington trip was the best aspect of the course. “We got to see a bunch of jewelry commissioned by emperors and queens, and that was pretty impressive,” she said, “and we got to see parts of the city. It was interesting and fun.” Rakovan will continue the tradition of bringing students to geological sites of interest while teaching the course again this year. He expects to visit a mineral mine somewhere in the country.

Back in Oxford, students typically studied samples contained in the geology museum in Shideler Hall, home of the Department of Geology. Their primary specimens came from a collection donated by 1978 alumnus Curtis Ramsay – gemstones nearly sold off by the Office of University Advancement. As for Rakovan, the benefits of teaching Gems and Gem Mineral Formation are two-fold. “First, it’s a subject I’m passionate about, and I finally get to teach it,” he said. “And second, Honors and Scholars students are there to learn, and they’re uniquely curious. As a teacher, having students who want to learn about what you’re teaching is the best thing you can have.”