Fall 2021 Honors Program Course Information

Fall 2021 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.

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

Instructor Course Descriptions

CLAS 1140-880:  Bread and Circuses:  Society and Culture in the Roman World
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.

CLAS 1509-880:  Trash and Treasure, Temples and Tombs: Art and Archaeology of the Ancient World
Beth Dusinberre
Introduces the art and archaeology of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome, examining various ancient approaches to power, religion, death and the human body. Analyzes art, architecture and everyday trash to learn about ancient humanity.  Learn more about Dr. Dusinberre, Professor of Distinction.

EBIO 1210-880 & 881: General Biology 1
Caitlin Kelly (880) and Tracy Halward (881)
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 have group work and class discussions relating course content to your everyday life. EBIO 1210 and EBIO 1220 are recommended for science majors. Non-science majors should consider EBIO 1030, 1040 & 1050.

  English
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ENGL 2115-880 American Frontiers
Cheryl Higashida

The idea of the frontier is central to how U.S. Americans think of themselves and their country – consider the following passage from Frederick Jackson Turner’s 1893 essay “The Significance of the Frontier in American History”:

That coarseness and strength combined with acuteness and inquisitiveness, that practical, inventive turn of mind, quick to find expedients, that masterful grasp of material things, lacking in the artistic but powerful to effect great ends, that restless, nervous energy, that dominant individualism, working for good and for evil, and withal that buoyancy and exuberance which comes with freedom -- these are traits of the frontier, or traits called out elsewhere because of the existence of the frontier.

So it’s not surprising that in seeking to develop a distinct national literature, U.S. American writers turn time and again to the frontier for subjects and themes. At the same time, the frontier complicates mythmaking and storytelling by undoing distinctions between good and evil, civilization and savagery, freedom and captivity, democracy and tyranny. Consequently, the frontier has also inspired artists and thinkers to question, critique, and re-imagine the U.S. and its borders from multiple vantage points. We will explore the ways that ideas, cultures, and histories of the frontier have been taken up in U.S. literature and culture. We will investigate the frontier’s lasting impact on early American writing (James Fenimore Cooper, The Deerslayer), regionalism (Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn), modernism (Willa Cather, O Pioneers!), popular genres (Ray Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles; Emma Pérez, Forgetting the Alamo; Stephen Graham Jones, The Bird is Gone), film (The Searchers), short fiction (Bret Harte, Maxine Hong Kingston), poetry (John Rollins Ridge, Cathy Park Hong), and music (“Buffalo Soldier,” “Old Town Road”).  Check out the ENGL 2115 class flyer here

ENGL 3377-880:  Multicultural Literature:  Inve[n/r]ting Multiculturalism
Nicole Wright
In a provocative 2004 speech entitled “I Have a Plan to Destroy America,” Richard D. Lamm, the former three-term Governor of Colorado, equated “multi-culturalism” with “the doctrine of ‘Victimology.’ ” A decade later, CU Boulder renamed the “Center for Multicultural Affairs” as the “Cultural Unity & Engagement Center.” Yet “multicultural literature” is still taught at CU Boulder; in fact, it is the catalog label for this course. Is “multiculturalism” tainted? Defunct? In this course, we will survey texts ranging from novels to verse to maps to Wikipedia entries to explore the development—and, some would say, the demise—of the concept known as “multiculturalism.” What does it mean to say that race is a social construct? How does literary fiction (broadly conceived) reinforce or challenge various ideas about culture, race, and the capacity of people from different cultures to live peacefully and communicate effectively with each other? What type of literature is best for helping readers learn more about cultures different from their own? We will consult earlier writings, including the influential work of the seventeenth-century French physician Pierre-François Bernier, who promoted the concept of race through his account of what he depicted as the “different species” of human beings inhabiting the world. Echoing Lamm’s sentiments, the novelist Martin Amis once stated, “The deal with multiculturalism is that the only culture you’re allowed to disapprove of is your own.” Is this true on the CU Boulder campus? How can studying literary works of previous decades and generations illuminate our understanding of views of culture and race today?  Check out the ENGL 3377 class 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.

Adrienne Merritt
This course serves as an introduction to the fairy tales of the Grimm brothers, both their historical and present-day reception, as well as the cultural significance and stylistic and thematic formulations of Grimm’s versions of the tales. The primary texts include, but also extend far beyond, the tales popularized by the Brothers Grimm. We will explore and discuss the origins of these tales, from their roots in oral tradition, the development of the literary genre in the nineteenth century, and their afterlife in adaptation, from opera to Disney to gaming. How have the Grimm’s fairy tales transformed over time? In what ways have these tales been politicized for various means? How do adaptions of fairy tales influence popular culture and, in some cases, everyday life (i.e. the fairy tale wedding, romance or love story)? How were these fairy tales interpreted by other cultures and what are similar versions of these tales in other cultures? These questions and others will be addressed throughout the course.  Check out the GRMN 2503 flyer here

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 4000-880:  Racism in American Culture
Abby Hickcox
Why does racism persist in a supposedly “colorblind” America?  What is the role of culture in perpetuating and resisting ideas about race?  Is popular culture racist?  How do we transform our racialized society of inequity to one of empowerment?  This course addresses the legacies of racism and colonialism in the United States and how racism is perpetuated and resisted through cultural forms.  We will examine histories of privilege and oppression, including immigration, incarceration, whiteness, structural racism, and other topics.  We will trace the ways in which racial meanings develop, dominate, and decline over time and focus on intersectional resistance to racism and transformation of understandings of difference.   Read about student perspectives of the class here.

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 understand and find the ways we might transform the causes and impacts of social violence in our culture.  We will learn how to analyze the understanding and effects made possible through different texts and media in order to study the effects of racism and poverty on whole communities and school systems.  To do so, we will look especially at the politics of the War on Drugs and mass incarceration, as well as of immigration and of homophobia. We’ll also look at sources of great hope and positive action, such as Angels in America, the writing of Toni Morrison, the Harlem Children’s zone and Gandhi, as well as writings on anti-racism, and other ways in which both art and social action can make a transformative difference. As a means of personal transformation, we will also study some of the latest neuroscience about mindfulness and all it can bring to our society as well as to ourselves.  

• There is also an option of earning from 1 to 3 additional credit hours for service to a community in need, through the Service Practicum HUMN 3935.  Please feel free to contact Cathy.Comstock@colorado.edu with any questions.  
•  This seminar fulfills the Humanities and the Arts General Education requirements, as well as one of three requirements for the Honors degree.  It fulfills either the Social Sciences or the Humanities requirement for Honors and also the need for an Honors Senior Seminar.

MATH 1300-880: Calculus 1
Braden Balentine
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.  The Honors version of this course covers the same material as the standard Calculus 1 class, but in a smaller, discussion-based environment.  Check out the MATH 1300 class flyer here

MATH 2510-888R:  Introduction to Statistics
Braden Balentine
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.  The Honors version of this course covers the same material as the standard Introduction to Statistics class, but in a smaller, discussion-based environment.  Check out the MATH 2510 class flyer here

 Philosophy
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PHIL 1000-880:  Introduction to Philosophy
Bob Pasnau
Philosophy tries to understand the world in ways that go beyond what we can learn through science. Where scientists stay on the surface, philosophers try to go deep, and understand the ultimate reasons why things are the way they are. In this class, we will consider questions like, Why is there a world at all? What makes things right or wrong? What makes people alike and different from one another (race? gender?), and alike and different from other animals (free will? intelligence?) What sorts of moral obligations do we have to others? What’s the best sort of political system? What’s the best sort of economic system?  Learn more about Dr. Pasnau, Professor of Distinction.

PHIL 1100-880:  Ethics
Chris Heathwood
Introductory study of major philosophies on the nature of the good for humanity, principles of evaluation, and moral choice as they apply to contemporary moral problems.

 Political Science
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PSCI 2004-888R:  Survey of Western Political Thought
Jeffrey Chadwick
Join Dr. Chadwick as he takes you on a journey of western politics starting with the founding of the United States and moving forward.  Find out how the discipline overlaps with topics such as philosophy, economics, social justice, capitalism, and the law, from Plato to Marx, from James Madison to Martin Luther King Jr., and more.  View the PSCI 2004 class flyer here.

PSCI 3021-880:  U.S. Campaigns and Elections
Janet Donavan
In PSCI 3021, we learn about political science research and findings regarding the conduct of campaigns and elections in the United States. After a general overview, in this section, we will focus in on three major timely topics. First, we will examine changes in election laws and processes governing who is eligible to vote. Then, we will examine the rise of identity approaches to politics and how these developments have changed the nature of campaigns and electoral coalitions. Finally, we will examine changes in campaign finance laws and regulations and the effects of these changes on campaigns and elections. The class will be discussion-based and students will complete two essay exams, a literature review, and participate in several activities and presentations.

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 3684-880:  Developmental Psychology
Jennifer Schwartz
In this class, we will uncover the story of human development from the point when life begins (conception) to the point when it ends (death).  You will have a chance to think about yourself as an infant, child, and adolescent and take stock of how these years influenced the person you are today. You can also envision who you will be as a young adult, a middle-aged adult, and an adult in old age and consider how your experiences today will influence your development through the remainder of your adult years. This course is an introduction to the science of human development and how it simultaneously captures both the ways that your journey is similar to, and different from, that of others.  We will use theory and research in developmental psychology to help organize our exploration and provide methods to help us in our discoveries.  In particular, we will investigate human development in several domains such as biological, cognitive, and social/emotional, and from several different perspectives, including ecological, psychodynamic, and constructivist.  The goal is to provide you with a basic framework and mode of inquiry that will serve you in your future roles as parent, friend, colleague, health care provider, educator, and/or public policy maker.  Check out the class flyer here.

 Sociology
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SOCY 1016-888R:  Sex, Gender, and Society 1
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 3016-880: Marriage and the Family in the United States
Ali Hatch
This course is designed to examine marriage and the family in the U.S. from a sociological perspective. We will look at how marriage and family are fluid constructs, transforming and evolving over time. As the majority of families currently do not fit the “nuclear” model, special emphasis will be placed on the various realities of people’s lives and how they differ from cultural ideals. In addition to general class readings, students will get to pick a book from a list of subject-related options on a topic of their choosing.

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
TBD
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.  Requisites: Restricted to students with 57-180 credits (Junior or Senior) College of Arts and Sciences students only.