Fall 2023 Honors Program Course Information

Fall 2023 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.

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

Instructor Course Descriptions

ASIA 1000-880: Origins of Contemporary Southeast Asia

Roman civilization began humbly, as a village around the banks of the Tiber river in central Italy in the mid-8^th century BCE. Before its political collapse in the 5^th century CE—over 1,200 years after its founding—it had grown into one of the most powerful and technologically advanced civilizations in history. At its height, it covered almost two million square miles and included up to 90 million inhabitants, or about one-fifth of the world’s population at the time. To this day, Rome’s rich legacy lives on and influences many aspects of western culture and society, including art, architecture, language, literature, technology, politics, law, and even board games. In this course we will study the Romans’ achievements as well as their cultural experience on the ground in order to appreciate not only what made them unique in their own historical context, but also why they remain so fascinating, and relevant, to us today. We also will have the chance to handle real Roman artifacts (coins, jewelry, etc.) and learn about Roman daily life from this hands-on experience.    *Please note:  Our CLAS offerings are in a larger lecture setting for the main course (CLAS 1140-880), and the recitation is taught by the professor instead of a Teaching Assistant (CLAS 1140-881).  The recitations are limited to 17 students in the traditional discussion-based Honors class style.

CLAS 2029-880:  Art & Archaeology of Ancient Egypt (with recitation)*
Travis Rupp
The art and archaeology of Ancient Egypt is a topic that has fascinated most of us since we were children. However, TV networks often oversimplify or provide a false pretense that Egyptian history and culture is well understood, and discoveries simply fill in minor gaps in a comprehensive portfolio of truths. This course will provide an eclectic survey of ancient Egyptian art, architecture, culture, religion, politics, and history starting in the Predynastic era (c. 4600 BCE) and progressing through to the end of the Roman period (c. 500 CE). We will focus on great monuments and works of art and place them within their religious, social, and historical contexts by studying major themes and concepts, such as the role of the pharaoh, the power of officials and priests, afterlife beliefs, and trade and international relations. We will discover that there are still just as many mysteries and unknowns as there are truths about ancient Egyptians. In the Honors section of this course, we will do deep dives into Egyptian war, female kings, mummification, the mystery of King Tutankhamun’s Tomb (which was opened 100 years ago this year), the Sea Peoples, and many other enriching topics. We will also rigorously discuss current events in Egyptological study (e.g., the recently unearthed Saqqara mummies, the oldest and largest Egyptian brewery at Abydos, and the newly discovered chamber in Khufu’s Pyramid).  *Please note:  Our CLAS offerings are in a larger lecture setting for the main course (CLAS 2029-880), and the recitation is taught by the professor instead of a Teaching Assistant (CLAS 2029-881).  The recitations are limited to 17 students in the traditional discussion-based Honors class style.

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 (offered in spring) are recommended for science majors. Non-science majors should consider EBIO 1030, 1040 & 1050.

English
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ENGL 1290-880:  Crime, Policing, and Detection
Mary Klages
It’s the oldest crime in the books: MURDER. The whodunit. The cozy, with Miss Marple. The hard-boiled, with Phillip Marlowe. Colonel Mustard in the Library with the Candlestick.  We love murder mysteries in all their forms! This course will explore the world of the murder mystery, from the beginnings of the genre to the present moment. We will read a wide variety of murder mysteries, examining the crimes, the victims, the villains, the detectives, and the solutions (or lack thereof). We will investigate how the stories of murder get told, and how the conventions of the genre have changed. Starting with the inventor of the detective story, Edgar Allan Poe, we’ll then investigate Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation, Sherlock Holmes, and tour the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, with writers like Agatha Christie. Back on the American side, we’ll interrogate the creation of the hard-boiled detective, with Raymond Chandler and Walter Mosley, and we’ll look at the movie versions and the beginnings of film noir, before turning attention to contemporary murder mysteries in books, movies, TV, podcasts, and whatever your favorite author and medium may be! 

The goals of this class are to introduce students to the ways in which the field of geography has approached the interaction between the environment and society and to increase students’ skills in analyzing contemporary environmental issues.  In pursuit of these goals, the class will introduce several perspectives from which to view our relationship with the environment, with an emphasis on the social and political-economic dimensions of environment-society relations.  Topics covered include:  population and consumption, environmental hazards, environmental ethics, environmental conservation, anthropogenic climate change, and others.  We will examine several environmental objects (e.g. carbon dioxide, electronic waste, French Fries, and lawns) using nine analytical perspectives, including economic, institutional, ethical, social construction, feminist, and environmental justice analyses.  Looking at these objects from multiple analytical perspectives will provide an opportunity to develop and advance students’ critical thinking skills.  Formerly GEOG 2412.

As we discover the surprising and successful solutions that the media neglects to tell us, we will also consider the best ways to cure the personal consequences of living with the kind of stresses that have led to all-times highs in depression and anxiety.  The good news from neuroscience is that we have astonishing capacities for health and happiness, from mindfulness to the immune system, just waiting to rescue and restore us in the very process of trying to help others.  Through our contact with great authors and films as well as each other this seminar will explore intriguing possibilities that promise to be as transformative as they are heartening and sometimes even humorous.

There is also the option (not a requirement) for one to three hours of extra credit by doing service work in the community, since that kind of personal experience helps us to understand the class materials—and our culture overall—more deeply.

The class texts include Angels in America, The Bluest Eye, Bliss Brain, Tattoos on the Heart, Freedom Writers’ Diary, Savage Inequalities, Gandhi the Man and Tortilla Curtain.

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PHIL 1000-880: Introduction to Philosophy
Dan Kaufman
Stay tuned for professor's description.  In the meantime, visit the University Catalog for details.

PHIL 1200-880:  Contemporary Social Problems
Ajume Wingo
Everyone, at some point or other in life, will have to face questions of right and wrong, fairness and injustice, and challenges to one's sense of purpose and meaning. Sometimes these questions are general and abstract: When should the power of the state be used to restrict an individual's voluntary decisions? Are there any reasons to restrict actions and relationships, such as drug use or polyamory, that might appear to be victimless or consensual? At other times, those questions are deeply personal and concrete: Is there any good reason for me to be honest if there's little chance of my getting caught? Is there any reason not to use ChatGPT to write my essay? How should I counsel a friend or family member with an unplanned pregnancy or a terminal disease? While people often rely on religious traditions or secular norms to guide their conduct when such questions arise, it can be helpful to approach such issues in a more systematic way. In this class, we will approach these and other controversial issues through the lens of philosophy, which seeks to answer these questions by critically examining different possible positions on those issues. We will focus on competing positions in debates over these and similar inescapable controversial issues that keep on hovering over your head including the fundamental questions of right, wrong and the meaning of life.

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 2116:  Introduction to Environmental Policy and Policy Analysis
Jeffrey Chadwick
Teaches a systematic general framework for the analysis of environmental policy issues. Analyzes the interaction of environmental sciences, ethics, and policy across a range of environmental policy problems. Stresses critical thinking and practical applications.

PSCI 3211: The Politics of Economic Inequality in the United States
Janet Donavan
Economic inequality has increased rapidly in the U.S. since the 1970s. In this class we will learn different theories about when economic inequality may be considered a good outcome and when it may be a problem. Then, we will address the question “how unequal are we?” with special attention to intergenerational wealth and poverty; and to economic disparities along racial, ethnic, gender, and geographic lines. After that, we will look at whether economic inequality is caused and/or affected by political inequality. Finally, we will focus in on access to housing and housing affordability as an issue of economic inequality in the U.S. In this class, there will be some lecture, but we will mostly take advantage of the small class size and engage in class discussions, group discussions and group activities. This class involves controversial topics and Prof. Donavan is committed to an inclusive environment in which all students and all viewpoints are welcomed and treated with consideration. 

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 1016-880:  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 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. 

SOCY 3314-880: Violence Against Women and Girls
Ali Hatch
This course is an overview of gender-based violence. We will analyze the political and cultural structures that perpetuate gendered violence, and explore how gendered violence intersects with race, class, and sexuality. This course focuses on violence against women and girls, and the relationship between gender inequality and violence. Specifically, utilizing a feminist sociological lens, this course will cover various manifestations of gender violence, including (but not limited to): hate crimes motivated by trans and homophobia, rape and sexual assault, domestic violence, trafficking, pornography, and femicide.

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.