As part of the enhanced education that the University Honors Program provides, we offer unique Honors Seminars. These seminars are held during normal class periods, but, like other Honors sections of courses, are limited to 15 students. They are also directed at exploring topics that are not typically covered in college courses.
Some of the seminars held in the past include...
Each semester's offerings are different, so keep a watch on the University Honors Program's course offerings! If you have a suggestion for an Honors Seminar you would like to see taught, stop by the Honors Office or shoot us an e-mail to let us know.
Philosophy of Science Fiction (IDH 4034) Professor Gary Howard
In a seminar setting, this course will examine classical and modern philosophy through the lens of contemporary science fiction. Special attention will be given to issues in ethics, metaphysics, epistemology and the philosophy of mind as viewed through the characters and stories found in the world of science fiction.
Death of the Goddess (IDH 4035) Professor June Watkins
The Judeo-Christian sacred text provides an image of an omnipotent male god who created a man in His own image and then only secondarily created a woman. In this powerfully influential creation story, Eve is an afterthought at best, and at worst a sidekick responsible for all the troubles of the world. It is no wonder, then, that society favors men’s power and rule. This course will ex-plore the myth of a matriarchal prehistory - supposedly a time when female deities reigned supreme. Through films, religious texts, art and literature, we will trace the evolution of images of the Great Mother, the nature goddess, the sexual goddess, the goddess raped and murdered, the subjugation of the goddess into the obedient virgin of the Abrahamic monotheistic religions, and finally the reemergence of the goddess in neopaganism and feminist theology. This seminar course (where students will take major responsibility for research and presentation of the material) will also include field work involving a two day exploration of a female-centered worship community.
Buddhist Psychology (IDH 4036) Professor William Mikulas
A practical overview of the psychological implications of various schools of Buddhism. Topics include the 4 Noble Truths, 8-fold path, marks of existence, dependent origination, enlightenment, attachments, nature of self, concentration and mindfulness, sunyata, tan-tra, personal-spiritual growth, and the interfacing of Buddhist and Western Psychologies. The course will be lectures and discussions. The main requirement is one or two papers integrating lectures, readings, and personal thoughts. Most of the lab component will emphasize meditation practice. It will begin with the fundamentals of concentration and mindfulness, assuming no prior experience or knowledge. (Wise people with previous experience will appreciate a review of the fundamentals, which apply equally to the begin-ner and advanced practitioner). Later practices will focus on meditation which is more specifically Buddhist, such as vipassana.
Peoples & Cultures of the World (ANT3212) Professor Robert Philen - Tues. and Thurs., 2:30-3:45
As the course title indicates, students will learn about the peoples and cultures of the world, including coverage of the major cultural areas of the world, as well as detailed examination of specific cultures and the ways they have changed in a dynamic world. Students will also gain experience with ethnography - the research tools through which anthropologists study cultures and write about them. As a key part of this, students will explore critical skills of innovative thinking. In a recent book,The Innovator's DNA, Clayton Christiensen and co-authors outlined key activities and skills that are common to innovators: close observation, questioning, and association. Each of these skills is integral to ethnography and anthropology, but also crucial to being an innovator in any field, and students will acquire experience with these skills through hands-on projects, readings, and class meetings.
Art of Investigation (IDH 4037) Professor Jon Fink - Thursdays, 5:30 to 8:15
In this course students will discuss, analyze and create investigative nonfiction essays, investigative creative writing and documentary film. The art of investigation crosses many genres, but the central components of inquiry, complexity, nuance, critical thought and analysis provide the tools for students to undertake compelling and persuasive investigative projects. Students will work in teams of five members to define a complicated subject and create a final portfolio that includes an investigative essay, a creative project and a short documentary film. At its core, this course will focus on the tools of critical thought and inquiry that empower and embolden citizens to engage the political and social complexities of the world in nuanced and thoughtful ways.
Politics of Food (IDH 4038) Professor Greg Tomso - Mondays, 5:30 to 8:15
What is food, and where does it come from? It may seem strange to ask these questions, since their answers, for millennia, have been obvious, but over the course of the last century Americans have become estranged from their food and the contexts of its production. Much of the food we consume today would not have even been recognized as food by our great-grandparents: its origins are as mysterious to us as the stars once were to the earliest astronomers. In addition, some say the food we eat today is killing us, as food-related diseases such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension spiral out of control in our society. While for most of the world’s history humans have spent their time growing, preparing and consuming food, we now expect food to be quick, cheap and highly portable-in short, we have turned food into the perfect commodity, a source of both profit and convenience.