Spring 2009

HON 1510-900 Martin Farley MF 10:00-11:15 (20943)

HON 2010-900 Scott Hicks MW 2:30-3:45 (20999)

HON 2750-900 Jennifer Bonds-Raacke TR 11:00-12:15 (21000)

HON 3000-900 Jesse Peters TR 2:00-3:15 (21001)

HON 4000-900 Jesse Peters TBA (22228)

HON 4500-900 Jennifer Bonds-Raacke TR 9:30-10:45 (21003)

ENG 1060-900 Susan Cannata TR 9:30-10:45 (20906)

ENG 1060-901 Monika Brown MWF 11:30-12:20 (20904)

PHI 1000-900 Jeffery Geller TR 12:30-1: 45 (20178)

ECN 1000-900 Charles Harrington TR 11:00-12:15 (20630)

ART 2050-900 Tulla Lightfoot TR 2:00-3:15 (21947)

 

HON 1510 Contemporary Issues in Science and Technology

Dr. Martin Farley MF 10:00-11:15

Dinosaurs and the world they lived in

Course deals with:

What is a dinosaur?

What kinds of dinosaurs are there?

How did dinosaurs live (how big were they, how fast could they move,

how smart were they, were they warm-blooded?)

What was the world (environment) like in which they lived?

And how we can determine these things

We will have "lab" (hands-on) exercises for a number of these topics and students will give a presentation on some topic on dinosaurs.

HON 2010 Humanistic Tradition II: From Baroque to the Present

Dr. Scott Hicks MW 2:30-3:45

HONS 2010: The Humanistic Tradition II: From Baroque to the Present

“Revisioning the Humanities”

This course will survey, analyze, and theorize a wide range of textual, visual, aural, and architectural artifacts produced by human beings from 1500 to the present. The method of the course will be based on the Aspen Seminar model: “a neutral forum” in which “lively, intensive roundtable discussions” compel participants “to reflect on timeless human values, pursue common ground, and cultivate a richer understanding of the human condition. … Participants emerge from the Aspen Seminar personally renewed, professionally re-focused, and better prepared to lead as they confront the difficult choices of our ever-changing world,” Aspen Institute leaders believe.

The class will use as its core text Gloria K. Fiero’s The Humanistic Tradition, Vol. II: “The Early Modern World to the Present,” 5th ed. (Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2006). Students will demonstrate evidence of understanding through close reading, active engagement in roundtable discussion, quizzes and journaling, and a 9 to 11-page “I-Search” paper on a topic of their choosing.

HON 2750 The Individual in Society

Dr. Jennifer Bonds-Raacke TR 11:00-12:15

This course will examine the individual in society from a social-cognitive psychological perspective. Specifically, the course will examine the impact of other individuals, groups, and social stimuli on individual cognition and behavior. Sample topics include: conformity, persuasion, social cognition, prejudice, and attraction. The course will involve hands-on activities and a final project.

HON 3000 Cultures In Contact

Dr. Jesse Peters TR 2:00-3:15

This course is designed to introduce students to a specific world culture (in this case Belize) through a variety of methods. The readings will include sociological, economic, historical, and fictional accounts of this country. Our objective here will be to learn about Belize while also learning how to approach the study of and engagement with a culture other than our own. We will have to be acutely aware of our own ethnocentrism and cultural lenses as we examine the differences we find. By the end of the course, you will be familiar with current events and issues (both historical and contemporary) facing Belize. We will work towards understanding the complexity of the issues surrounding cross-cultural contact by studying all sides and engaging in intellectual inquiry.

In many ways, the course is an exercise in what Mary Louise Pratt refers to as the "contact zone." She says, "I use [this term] to refer to the space of colonial encounters, the space in which peoples geographically and historically separated come into contact with each other and establish ongoing relations, usually involving conditions of coercion, radical inequality, and intractable conflict. . . . By using the term 'contact,' I aim to forground the interactive, improvisational dimensions of colonial encounters so easily ignored or surpressed by diffusionist accounts of conquest and domination. A 'contact' perspective emphasizes how subjects are constituted in and by their relations to each other. It treats the relations among colonizers and colonized, or travelers and 'travelees,' not in terms of separateness or apartheid, but in terms of copresence, interaction, interlocking understandings and practices."

Ultimately, students enrolled in HON 3000 will gain new perspectives and strategies for approaching all types of cultural contact. You will hopefully become comfortable negotiating differences and adapting to change whether it be geographic or philosophical.

Note: Part of the requirements for the course is participation in a week long trip to Belize for first hand experience with the culture. The trip will take place either over Spring Break or immediately after the May graduation ceremony. The cost will be between $1500 and $2000. Students are encouraged to apply for the Maynor Study Abroad Scholarship to offset the cost of the trip.

ENG 1060 Composition II: Honors

Dr. Susan Cannata TR 9:30-10:45

 

Dr. Monika Brown MWF 11:30-12:20

In ENG 1060, the foundation for writing in college and beyond, students write and critically analyze argument essays that respond to practical problems, public issues, and academic questions. Public and academic dialogue, qualities of effective arguments, resources for research, and documentation styles (MLA, APA, CMS) are areas of knowledge and skills developed through course readings, writing assignments, and class activities.

The textbook for Dr. Monika Brown's Composition II, Writing in the Disciplines, features a collection of writings by journalists, public figures, and academic experts who engage with several themes: cloning and stem-cell therapy, impact of new technologies, changing families, social class and inequality, and music and cultural values. During the first half of the semester, students form groups based on a preferred theme and gain expertise through reading, discussion, and critique of relevant essays in Writing in the Disciplines. Each student focuses on a specific issue related to the theme and writes two essays, suited for different publication media: a public proposal argument and an academic inquiry argument.

In the second half of the semester, each student plans, investigates, writes, and presents a substantial research paper about any topic related to his or her intended major, career, experiences, or interests. In Honors Composition, students consult with an informed professor or professional at several stages of the project.

 

PHI 1000 Introduction to Philosophy: Honors

Dr. Jeffery Geller TR 12:30-1: 45

The Honors College course in philosophy for the Spring Semester will cover several philosophers representing a wide range of perspectives. The final syllabus has not yet been constructed, but will include Rene Descartes and Immanuel Kant, among many others. We will address issues in ontology--the theory of existence, epistemology--the theory of knowledge, ethics--the theory of the good and the right, and political philosophy. Readings will generally be short but demanding and students will be asked to do some internet research on their own each week to supplement the assigned reading.

ECN 1000 Economics of Social Issues: Honors

Dr. Charles Harrington TR 11:00-12:15

The goal of this course is to use economics as a window to observe social behavior and analyze pertinent social issues. A broad range of issues will be addressed to facilitate an understanding of the role of economics and its relationship to cultural development and social policies. Economic thinking applied to persistent economic problems and issues in a market economy. Emphasis on implications for government policy rather than on the underlying theory. Topics include the nature of an economic system, demand and supply, monopolies, pollution and public goods, ethics and law, unemployment, inflation, the Federal Reserve System and money. In addition, class time will be spent discussing relevant current issues which arise, whether economic, social, or political.

ART 2050 Art Appreciation: Honors

Dr. Tulla Lightfoot TR 2:00-3:15

Honors Art Appreciation is developed to help the student understand art and develop an appreciation for the relationship between art and people. Students read about and learn to critique art. They also are asked to do simple art projects to gain more insight into the considerations artists must take to create their work. (Students are not graded on artistic ability, but on their willingness to complete the assignments.) This year we will be working with a professional artist to create a conceptual work that will go hand in hand with an exhibition in the A.D. Gallery. Students are also encouraged to go on a field trip to view original art.