Fall
2007 Honors Courses
ENG 102 , Rhetoric and Writing, Honors (3 Hours
Credit)
| ENG 102 section D |
Critical Writing and Inquiry MWF 9:00-9:50 Dr. Laura
Whelan |
Course meets these requirements:
- An HON 250 course (3 of 9 elective required hours for all Honors
students)
- General Education core requirement in Communications (3 of 9 hours required)
Course description:
The purpose of the course is to prepare students to
become knowing and productive participants in academic, cultural, or civic
discourse. Students will learn to use multiple and sustained modes of critical
inquiry to build arguable perspectives within particular cultural contexts and
conversations. These modes might include writing to learn, report, review,
criticize, clarify, convince, persuade, or negotiate. In addition, students will
be coached in the rhetorical concepts of persona, ethos & pathos, argument
structure, counterargument, and logical fallacy. By the end of the course,
students will be able to summarize, evaluate, and synthesize multiple sources in
order develop a critical perspective and advance a thesis of their own. Students
will also receive guidance in the evaluation and appropriate documentation of
print and non-print sources (e.g., online databases, world wide web, film,
photography, television, etc.).
COM 203, Intro to Speech (3 Hours Credit)
| COM 203 section B |
Intro to Speech MWF 1:00 - 1:50 Dr. Bob Frank
|
Course meets these requirements:
- An HON 250 course (3 of 9 elective required hours for all Honors
students)
- General Education core requirement in Communications (3 of 9 hours required)
Course description:
This class surveys pivotal rhetorical documents of
American movements for social change including abolitionist, women's rights,
civil rights, and environmentalism. Through written rhetorical analysis and oral
presentations on social justice issues, students will understand rhetorical
strategies that best promote social justice.
Honors 201, Perennial Questions: What is the Good Life (3 Hours Credit)
| HON 201 HA |
Perennial Questions TH 12:30-1:45 Dr. Michael
Cooley |
| HON 201 HB |
Perennial Questions TH 2:00-3:15 Dr. Michael
Cooley |
Course meets these requirements:
- Required course for all honors students
- Counts as the 200-level literature requirement or the fifth free elective
course in the Humanities general education core (3 of 15 hours required)
Course description:
The course investigates the “perennial question” of
what makes a life “good” and how best one might understand and pursue that “good
life.” Readings from classical and contemporary philosophy, literature,
psychology, sociology, pop-culture, religion and education each provide
perspectives on the question of “What is a Good Life?” Four films provide
further perspectives on the basic issue of the good life.
Class is conducted as a seminar; discussion of assigned readings rather than
lecture is the general format for class. Reading journals and a term essay are
required.
Honors 201, Perennial Questions (3 Hours Credit)
| HON 201 HC |
Perennial Questions MW 3:30 - 4:45 Dr. Eric Sands
|
Course meets these requirements:
- Required course for all honors students
- Counts as the 200-level government course requirement in the Behavioral and
Social Sciences general education core (3 of 9 hours required)
Course description:
This course uses great works of literature as a
springboard for the study of perennial issues and problems in politics. This
semester we will be using literature to study the nature, causes, and
consequences of ambition or the love of glory. In particular, we will examine
the challenges that glory and ambition pose to the health of modern democratic
societies. The readings are taken from both classical and modern, and Western
and non-Western authors.
History 250/ History 333, Twentieth Century Europe (3 Hours Credit)
| HON 250 HA |
Twentieth Century Europe TH 12:30-1:45 Dr. Matthew
Stanard |
Course meets these requirements:
- An HON 250 course (3 of 9 elective required hours for all Honors students)
- Counts as the history requirement or the fifth free elective course in the
Humanities general education core (3 of 15 hours required)
- May count toward the major with department approval
Course description:
This course examines the history of Europe since
1914. The course does not aim for encyclopedic coverage of every single event
and development in Europe since 1914, rather it seeks to explore major
political, social, and cultural developments that shaped European history in the
20th century. As such, the course is designed around six main themes: the
causes and outcome of World War I; fascism and Nazism; the Holocaust; the end of
European overseas empire; the Cold War; and the role of memory in European
history.
Honors 250/Psychology 406, Cognitive Psychology (3 Hours Credit)
| HON 250 HB |
Cognitive Psychology MWF 1:00 - 1:50 Dr. Kristen
Diliberto |
Course meets these requirements:
- An HON 250 course (3 of 9 elective required hours for all Honors students)
- Counts as the psychology course requirement in the Behavioral and Social
Sciences general education core (3 of 9 hours required)
- May count toward the major with departmental approval
Course description:
The study of cognitive psychology is very important to
both individuals and society. This course will explore the theories and
mechanisms governing human thought processes such as attention, perception,
memory, language, problem-solving, and decision-making. As a part of the class,
we will use perspectives from other disciplines (e.g., neuroscience, education,
law, linguistics, and women’s studies) both to better understand the theories
themselves and to better examine how theories and perspectives on human
cognition are applied in various social, cultural, and scientific areas outside
of psychology.
Honors 250/Psychology 385, Psychology of Women (3 Hours Credit)
| HON 250HC |
Psychology of Women MWF 11:00 - 11:50 Dr. Susan
Conradsen |
Course meets these requirements:
- An HON 250 course (3 of 9 elective required hours for all Honors students)
- Counts as the psychology course requirement in the Behavioral and Social
Sciences general education core (3 of 9 hours required)
- May count toward the major with departmental approval
Course description:
This course is an interdisciplinary investigation of
the psychological, social, emotional, and cognitive aspects of gender in our
society. In particular, the unique issues and challenges to women’s
psychological well-being created by the impact of society (both direct and
indirect) and culture will be addressed. Some of the specific topics we will
cover include how gender identity is formed, the preponderance of sexist
stereotypes, how the media influences our ideas of masculinity and femininity,
the occupational and domestic challenges women face, the culture of violence
against women across their lives, the experience of birth and mothering, love
relationships, and other developmental events unique to women’s development such
as menstruation and menopause. Throughout the course the existence of sexism
within American culture and beyond will be covered such as inequity in political
representation and salaries, sex trafficking, female genital mutilation, and
role expectations. This class is a discussion oriented class. Students take
weekly quizzes, complete a group presentation on a topic of their choice, and
complete five writing assignments.
Honors 250/Communication 416, Mass Comm Law (3 Hours Credit)
| HON 250HD |
Mass Comm Law MWF 1:00 - 1:50 Dr. Brian Carroll
|
Course meets these requirements:
- An HON 250 course (3 of 9 elective required hours for all Honors students)
- May count toward the major with departmental approval
Course description:
Constitutional and legislative foundations of freedom of speech
and press, with special emphasis on the law of privacy, libel, censorship,
access and broadcast regulation.
We examine the delicate balance that exists between freedom and
control of the media in the United States. The First Amendment of the U.S.
Constitution is, of course, the major guarantee of freedom of expression. Since
the courts, especially the U.S. Supreme Court, are ultimately responsible for
interpreting the First Amendment and maintaining the balance between freedom and
control, our study focuses on judicial decisions and reasoning, examining how
tensions in the law are resolved. Other very significant sources of press
freedoms and controls exist, as well, including those produced and enforced by
the marketplace, government regulation and even popular opinion or sentiment.
Therefore, we consider other factors that influence the balance between freedom
and control of mass communication, including statutory law, executive and
administrative actions, and ethical concerns. The course also examines how the
nature of a medium affects or even dictates how it is controlled or not
controlled.
The course is organized into three major sections: Freedom of
Expression & the First Amendment; Media Malpractice (privacy invasion and
libel); and Special Areas of Media Law (telecom, commercial speech, the
Internet, copyright and intellectual property, trial coverage). Because law is
largely derived from precedent, there is a significant historical thread that
runs throughout the course, providing a timeline on which landmark Supreme Court
cases mark the eras of jurisprudential change.
Honors Thesis
Register for HON 450H if you are starting
your thesis.
Register for HON 451H if you completed HON 450H last
semester.
You will need an authorization form signed by your thesis
director and the honors program director to register. Click here for the authorization form
to register for either HON 450 or HON 451.
Honorization of Courses
“HONORIZING ” a course or a course within a major.
As you know, an honors student may request to change a “regular” general
education course or a course within a major into an honors course. Follow the
procedure below.
BEFORE you begin attending the course, during registration, meet with the
instructor. Print and take the Honorization form with you; this form has guidelines for you
and your instructor. Discuss with the faculty member your interest in receiving
“honors” credit for a particular course. He or she will define the nature of the
honors work to be completed.
Honorizing any course is NOT permitted after the first week of classes.
Complete your part of the form and return the form to Dr. Cooley.