Fall 2020 Honors Program Course Information

Fall 2020 Honors Program Courses

  We provide course descriptions written by our instructors whenever possible.  Click on linked course titles, scroll down, or click here to see the course descriptions.  For official descriptions, visit the University Catalog.

Reminder:  Continuing student enrollment in lower-division fall semester classes is limited to seven, as we save spaces for the incoming first-year student class.

     = Class is full
(updated 8/11/2020 12:45pm)

To view official class descriptions, please visit the University Catalog.

Instructor Course Descriptions

ANTH 2100-880: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Kate Fischer
This course is an introduction to the discipline of cultural anthropology and the substantive issues, methods, and concepts of the discipline. Cultural anthropology is the study of how human beings organize their lives as members of society, and the ways in which they make their lives meaningful as cultural individuals. This field of study involves encountering, interpreting, and communicating about the human situation in all its variety. Cultural anthropology is a vast discipline with far reaching objectives. Cultural anthropologists study and apply their expertise to many problems worldwide. While we cannot possibly cover the breadth and depth of the discipline during one semester, this course will offer an appreciation and understanding of culture and different ways of thinking about the diversity we encounter in our everyday lives. Therefore, the primary goal of this course is to provide you with the ability to apply an anthropological perspective to understanding how people are influenced by and are part of the historical, social, economic, ecological, and political processes that occur across the globe. It is my hope that this course will instill in you a sense of curiosity about people and cultures around the world, provide you with a set of tools for understanding difference, and offer you a deeper insight into your own experience as a cultural being.

CLAS 1140-880:  Bread and Circuses
Andy Cain
This course offers an introductory survey of ancient Roman society and culture from the earliest foundations of the city of Rome in the eighth century BCE to the collapse of Rome's empire in the fifth century CE. Its goal is to familiarize students with the basics of Roman civilization and to use that civilization as a model for studying other cultures, including our own. It will cover seven main areas: History, Literature, Politics, Society, Religion, Entertainment, and Art. For each of these it will examine the polarities between social and cultural extremes (e.g. elite v. masses, religion v. superstition) and the way Roman civilization took shape in the interplay of these opposing forces. This should help students break down their preconceptions about Rome (e.g. "imperial glory" or "effete decadence") and reformulate more complex understandings about the creation of one of the world's 2 most influential cultures. This course is intended for any student with an interest in classical antiquity: all readings are in English.

EBIO 1210-880 & 882: General Biology 1
Robert Buchwald
EBIO 1210 and EBIO 1220 together serve as an introduction to Biology in the 21st Century. These courses are prerequisites for nearly every subsequent EBIO course. In the first semester (1210), our focus is on processes at the cellular level. We will learn what types of molecules all living things are made of, the structure and organization of cells, how DNA is read and translated into proteins, the magic of mitochondria and the fundamentals of photosynthesis. To complement class lectures, we will watch many movies and animations and have class discussions relating course content to your everyday life. Students will also give research-based presentations to the class on topics such as: Health Myths & Facts, Frontiers in Genetics, and the Human Ecosystem. Guest speakers and field trips (if possible) will round out the course. EBIO 1210 and EBIO 1220 are recommended for science majors. Non-science majors should consider EBIO 1030, 1040 & 1050.  Check out the EBIO 1210 course flyer here

GEOG 1972-880: Environment-Society Geography
Abby Hickcox
The goals of this class are to increase your understanding of key contemporary environmental issues and to introduce you to the ways in which the field of geography has approached the interaction between society and nature. In pursuit of these goals, the class will survey global and regional environmental issues and problems, with an emphasis on their social, political-economic, and cultural dimensions. The study of these issues evokes one of the most profound questions of our times: What is, and what ought to be, the relationship between humans and the environment? We will address this question through an examination of selected environmental issues, varied social responses to environmental change, and the different ways in which human societies have transformed the earth. We will also ask:  How do we understand “nature”?  What drives human modification of the earth, and how are specific groups of people differently affected by those modifications? What kinds of assumptions have led to the creation of certain environmental problems (and for whom are they problems)? Topics covered include: population and consumption; environmental hazards; ecology; environmental ethics; biodiversity and environmental conservation; anthropogenic climate change; and water use. Through this class, you should find that geography offers an integrated way of understanding environment and culture that is increasingly useful for addressing some of the world’s most pressing problems and their potential solutions. Formerly GEOG 2412.

HIST 2166-880: The Vietnam Wars
Steven Dike
We will study a series of conflicts that occurred in Vietnam from about 1930 to 1975. These struggles involved Vietnamese nationalists, Vietnamese communists, French colonialists, Japanese occupiers, and Americans, along with others. You will leave this class with a deep knowledge of the issues, people, and conflicts that shaped Vietnam and the other nations that fought there. We will examine the American experience in their war, as well as the American home front.   Check out the HIST 2166 class flyer here

HONR 3220-880: Advanced Honors Writing Workshop
Rolf Norgaard
This course introduces honors students to inquiry and argumentation as they are rendered in longer prose forms. As such, the course provides excellent preparation for writing an honors thesis. With the collaboration and thoughtful feedback of your colleagues in class, you will have the opportunity to engage in independent scholarship in your area of expertise. Our informal theme for the semester will be “Composing Knowledge.” Through readings and individualized writing projects, this course encourages you to explore the role of language and rhetoric in “composing” what—and how—we “know.” Is knowledge a given, something to be consumed? Or is it constructed and composed, shaped by language and by communities of knowers that organize themselves through language? Working and writing together, we’ll explore the connection between language and inquiry. Specifically, we will examine assumptions about critical thinking, literacy, and communication that various disciplines hold, and how those assumptions relate to the expertise you acquire and share in your major. The theme is meant to provide a common backdrop to the individualized projects that lie at the heart of the course. We will begin by reviewing fundamental strategies of analysis and argument, and by reading and responding critically to a set of articles that explore the theme of “Composing Knowledge.” You will then focus on some aspect of the theme that interests you or on a specific issue that bears on your work in your major as you form a research question and tentative hypothesis. With the help of Norlin Library Instructional Services, you will then become acquainted with advanced information literacy skills that can help you prepare a formal prospectus or plan for enriching your inquiry through research. Drawing on that research and on feedback on preliminary drafts, you will have the opportunity to develop a sustained argument (roughly 20-25 pages) that showcases the fruits of your inquiry. The course will also address oral presentation skills essential to presenting your work effectively before an audience.

HONR 4075-880:  Environmental Justice
Abby Hickcox
Examines the experiences of people who face disproportionate environmental harms related to historical marginalization correlating with race, class, and gender. Covers the history, principles, and contemporary state of the environmental justice movement in its opposition to environmental inequalities.

HUMN 4835-880: Literature and Social Violence
Cathy Comstock
This seminar focuses on both literary and non-fictional texts about social violence, so that we can compare the understanding and effects made possible through different media, including film in some cases. We’ll study gang culture, homophobia and AIDS, the effects of racism and poverty on gutted-out neighborhoods and school systems, and the politics of hunger. We’ll also look at sources of great hope and positive action, such as Mountains Beyond Mountains, The Freedom Writers’ Diary, Angels in America and other ways in which both art and social action can make a transformative difference. All this is combined with the option to get extra credit by doing volunteer work in community agencies, since the personal experience with the effects of social violence helps us to understand the class materials—and our culture overall—more deeply. As a means of approaching works from across the disciplines and beyond, we will be learning how to do discourse analysis of the language of both the texts and our society. In this way the class will focus especially on our methods of making meaning and how those meanings act to maintain or transform our cultural structures. The class texts include Do or Die, Angels in America, The Bluest Eye, Freedom Writers’ Diary, Savage Inequalities, Gandhi the Man, and Tortilla Curtain. Service Practicum (optional but preferred), HUMN 3935: The optional outreach work for the course can be taken for an additional one credit hour (requiring 2-3 hours of service a week), or for an additional 3 credit hours (an internship requiring 8 hours of service a week), resulting in a total number of either 4 or 6 hours of credit (when the 3 credits for HUMN 4835 are included).

 Linguistics
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LING 3800-880: Language and Digital Media
Kira Hall
This upper division undergraduate honors seminar offers a sociocultural linguistic approach to what has come to be called ‘digital discourse’—the multimodal forms of interaction associated with technologies such as texting or instant messaging, blogging, photo and video sharing, mobile phones, gaming, and social networking sites. We will examine how digital communication technologies are inspiring new uses of language, facilitating the development of new kinds of communities, and changing the very contours of social interaction. Seminar students will conduct original sociolinguistic research that evaluates some aspect of language use on a digital platform of their choosing, or alternatively, a form of language that moves across digital platforms. As we move towards spending much more of our lives in virtual environments to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, this course is looking for an energetic and committed group of students who are interested in developing expertise in the social analytics of language online. Recommended Prerequisite: A previous course in sociocultural linguistics (e.g., Ling 1000, Ling 2400, Ling 2500, Ling 3545, Ling 4700, Ling 4800) or consent of the instructor (kira.hall@colorado.edu).

MATH 1300-880: Calculus 1
Ilia Mishev
Calculus is one of the great inventions in our world. It has a multitude of applications that range from engineering and the natural sciences such as Physics, Chemistry, and Biology to business, economics, and the humanities. In this course we will answer two fundamental problems: find the slope of the tangent line to the graph of a function and find the area under the graph of a function. The first problem is answered by the derivative function and the second one is answered by the Riemann integral. Through the idea of a limit, the basic building block of Calculus, we will carefully develop the notions of the derivative and the integral and will give some of their applications. For example, using derivatives, we will be able to determine what the graph of a function looks like or solve optimization problems such as enclose a maximum rectangular area given a fixed amount of fencing. The integral will lead to finding areas enclosed between the graphs of two functions as well as finding distance traveled given a velocity function.  Check out the MATH 1300 class flyer here

MATH 2510-888R:  Introduction to Statistics
Ilia Mishev
This is an introductory course in statistics. We will cover some of the fundamental ideas and tools used in statistics. Topics that we will cover include elementary statistical measures, statistical distributions, statistical inference, hypothesis testing and linear regression. We will also go over some of the basics of probability as they are necessary for our understanding of statistics.  Check out the MATH 2510 class flyer here

 Philosophy
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PHIL 2390-880:  Philosophy and Psychology
Iskra Fileva
In the first half of this course, we will discuss the general relation between empirical psychology and philosophy of mind: Could we discover the nature of the mind by philosophical argument alone? Could scientific psychology prove that the mind is very different from what philosophers have thought it is? Could psychologists show that, across the board, philosophical intuitions or "insights" are unreliable? To what extent must working scientists themselves rely on philosophical intuitions? In the second half of the course, we will address a series of theoretical questions raised by contemporary cognitive psychology: Do humans think by applying rules to symbols? Which cognitive or mental characteristics are innate in humans? How does the language we use affect our thoughts? What is human consciousness? Could consciousness be entirely physical?

 Political Science
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PSCI 2004-888R:  Survey of Western Political Thought
Jeffrey Chadwick
Studies main political philosophies and political issues of Western culture, from antiquity to 20th century.

PSYC 1001-880:  General Psychology
Jennifer Schwartz
How are we able to perceive the world around us? Why do we dream? How does alcohol impact the brain? What makes each individual’s personality unique? Do young children think differently than adults? How do we learn? Are people with psychological disorders dangerous? How do psychologists help people lead richer more fulfilling lives?   This course is designed to address these and other questions by giving you an introduction to the content and methodology of the field of psychology.  It will give you an overview of some of the major sub-disciplines within psychology. It will also expose you to both seminal and cutting-edge research studies within these domains, as well as encourage critical interpretation of research findings. To guide and integrate our exploration, we will focus on several theoretical frameworks and ongoing debates that cut across specific sub-fields and define the study of psychology as a whole. You will be connecting these ideas to your own life by applying class content to the reading, listening, watching, interacting, and experiencing you do every day.  The goals of this course are to stimulate you to further explore the field of psychology and to provide a foundation of knowledge and critical thinking skills that will benefit your academic, career, and personal paths, whatever they may be.

PSYC 3303-880:  Abnormal Psychology
Jennifer Schwartz
This course provides an introduction to the field of abnormal psychology:  the scientific study of abnormal behavior.  The class will provide a survey of mental disorders, including clinical presentation, major etiological theories (biological, psychological, and psychosocial approaches), and the most widely used and empirically supported approaches to treatment.  We will also discuss relevant research. You will be encouraged to think about not only what we know about abnormal behavior, but also what we don’t know.  We will tackle some of the major controversial issues and unresolved questions that psychologists face as they seek to better understand, prevent, and treat mental disorders.  While the course emphasizes a critical thinking and scientific approach to the understanding of abnormal behavior, it also aims to provide students with a rich understanding of the human experience of psychopathology, enabling all of us to be more empathic toward, and inclusive of, those who struggle with mental illness and their friends and loved ones. Thus, an additional theme of the course is to explore the stigma surrounding mental illness, and how it can be exacerbated and/or eliminated. To these ends, the class will culminate with presentations in which students analyze a portrayal of mental illness found in popular culture (recent selections include Kanye West, the main character, Rebecca, in the television show, “Crazy Ex Girl Friend,” and “The Bachelor” franchise).  Requisites: Requires a prerequisite course of PSYC 1001 (minimum grade of C-)

 Sociology
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SOCY 1016-888R:  Sex, Gender, and Society
Ali Hatch
This course is an introduction to the sociological study of gender. Course material will focus on the integral role gender plays in the structure of society and will provide an overview of the many ways in which gender plays a vital role in our lives. This class is taught from the perspective that gender and gender roles are learned behaviors (not biological) that are socially-constructed by culture (not innate) and contextually specific and malleable (not universal or fixed).   From the Course Catalog: Examines status and power differences between the sexes at individual and societal levels. Emphasizes historical context of gender roles and status, reviews major theories of gender stratification.

SOCY 2031-880:  Social Problems
Ali Hatch
This course explores social problems in contemporary American society. We will examine how these problems arise and consider possible solutions. Since this is a survey course, we will consider a wide variety of different social problems from a sociological perspective, including timely topics such as racial and economic inequality, opioid addiction, and the impacts of living during a pandemic.  From the Course Catalog: Examines various social problems in the U.S. through a traditional sociological framework focused on race, class, and gender. Considers such problems as economic, racial, and gender inequality as manifestations of broader structural dynamics rooted in unequal relations of power. Addresses topics such as mass incarceration, poverty, segregation, drug use, immigration, and war and terrorism.

WGST 3670-880: Gender, Race, Sexuality and Global Migration
Kate Fischer
This course engages in an interdisciplinary study of the intersections of gender, race, and sexuality that have created a multicultural, multiethnic, and multiracial world, looking particularly at migrants and migrant communities. We will examine how constructions of gender, race, and sexuality are structurally determined and lived in the context of global migration, both contemporary and historical. While the course primarily focuses on women, it is impossible to ignore how race, sexuality, and class articulate with ideas about gender and how these socially determined characteristics intersect in identity construction and subjectivities. The goal of this class is to develop a critical understanding of how forms of privilege, inequality, and exclusion based on gender, race, sexuality, and national/ethnic origin are written about, comprehended, and contended with. In addition to reading a number of scholarly books and articles from across the social sciences and humanities, we will also use news articles, blogs, current events, and social media. Recommended prerequisites: WMST 2000 or WMST 2600. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: global perspective.

WRTG 3020-880: Topics in Writing:  Inkslingers and Wordsmiths
Olivia Chadha
This course centers on the exciting graphic nonfiction genre. The hybrid genre combines visual and narrative art forms that have held the modern and contemporary hero myths, paranoias and fantasies of our time. Very recently, the genre has been used to explore marginalized groups and alternative aesthetics including race, gender identity, and class. In this class, we will study the genre critically in order to move forward and craft our own treatments, scripts, panels and pages. We’ll begin by considering the landscape by exploring a variety of graphic nonfiction texts. Then we will apply the visual and narrative techniques we learn to create graphic scripts and the accompanying storyboards using Comic Life software. Students will work page-by-page and panel-by-panel to create an autobiographical comic, memoir, and social critique. The course’s theoretical focus will be on visual narrative theory, writing and analysis, as well as research. While artistic ability can’t hurt in this class it is not a requirement, as stick figures and sketches work just as well and the Comic Life software will make the process simpler. However, a passion and curiosity for the genre is critical. The class will approach the genre in different formats including daily in-class writing exercises and discussions, an analysis essay, and a series of comic assignments include memoir, social critique and autobiography.  Check out the WRTG 3020-880 class flyer here.  Requisites: Restricted to students with 57-180 credits (Junior or Senior) College of Arts and Sciences students only.  Visit Dr. Chadha's website at https://www.oliviachadha.com/graphic-memoir-comics

WRTG 3020-888R:  Topics in Writing:  Travel Writing
Dr. Christine Macdonald
“Wherever you go, there you are.” This cliché implies that people cannot change themselves or their perspective by changing their location. In this course we will explore the potential and limitations of travel as a means to facilitate different types of journeys:  physical, cultural and psychological. We will study concepts such as the tourist gaze and the sublime as we analyze a variety of travel narratives. Since this is a course in writing, you will be asked to try different drafting and revision techniques designed to help you write more quickly as you discover the complex ideas that lurk beneath your initial impressions. In addition to rhetorical analyses of language and visuals, you will craft a literary journalism project on a topic of your choice that combines creative nonfiction techniques, research, and personal experience. Please enroll in this course only if you are willing to engage, discuss, ponder, read, write, revise, share and laugh. You need not have traveled extensively to take this course.  Requisites:  You MUST have WRTG 1100, 1150 or WRTG 1250, or an AP score of 4 or 5 in English Language & Composition.  Check out the WRTG 3020-888R class flyer here