Academics
The core program of the Honors College leads to a university honors designation This is achieved by students who complete 24 honors credits: at least 18 in general education courses and at least 3 in a major or minor field. Most of these credits are earned in special honors sections of general education classes of no more than twenty students. This allows students to cover material in greater depth, more rapidly, and with more classroom interaction. About 50 of these sections are currently offered by the college each semester. Click on the link on the right sidebar for a complete list.
Many of these classes are specially designed and enhanced for an honors focus. Here are some examples of recently offered courses.
New Honors Courses for Winter 2010
Literature 171 Honors: Imagining the Holy Land
While most Americans have taken positions on U.S. involvement in the Middle East, few have had opportunity to consider the discourses that have supported the history of violence. Taking a particularly close look at literatures supporting various claims to “the Holy Land,” particularly the city of Jerusalem, this course will ask students to consider why, for almost a century, the three “peoples of the book,” Jews, Christians, and Muslims, have engaged in conflict.
Literature 480 Honors: Ghost Stories
Writers from William Shakespeare to Toni Morrison have used ghost stories to pose questions about history, justice, memory and identity. This course will examine the different literary uses to which ghosts have been put, starting with Hamlet. Primary texts will include Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Sarah Waters’ Affinity, and John Harwood’s The Ghost Writer. Films screened will include The Uninvited, The Haunting, and Ghost.Rome and America
A unique course, taught jointly by professors of English literature and classics, that examines common elements, as well as key differences, between the ancient Roman and modern American societies.
Math in a Global Socio-Cultural Context
A highly innovative course that examines global race, class, and gender issues through the lens of the social function of mathematics. Taught jointly by a sociologist and a mathematics educator.
Power, Place and Image: Florence & Rome
Students travel to Florence and Rome to study the medieval and Renaissance histories of these cities. Special attention is paid to the styles of political and social power, the relationships between men and women, and the expression of religious and cultural values in the art and architecture of the time.
Reason and Revolution
An interdisciplinary course, taught by history and art faculty, that focuses on the profound changes in Europe beginning around 1600 and proceeding through the French Revolution and its aftermath.
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
The honors section of this course focuses on studying foreign perceptions of American culture.
Reel Women, Real Women
A unique honors course, taught by professors from the philosophy and anthropology departments, that examines how women in various cultures are represented in film.
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