Honors Seminar/Course Syllabi  

Spring 2014

AMH 4170 CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION 24637 MON/WED 9:30 – 10:50 AM AL 344
Substitutes for Foundations in Global Citizenship/Global Perspectives
Dr. Stephen Engle, Department of History

Writing in the mid-1830s on the prospects of a lasting Union in the United States, the magisterial Alexis de Tocqueville confessed: "Whatever faith I have in the perfectibility of man, until human nature is altered and men wholly transformed, I shall refuse to believe in the curation of a government that is called upon to hold together forty different nations spread over a territory equal to one-half of Europe."

When Tocqueville made this statement, he was alluding to several underlying forces, which shaped nineteenth-century America, and ultimately served to drive a wedge between northerners and southerners. He questioned the strength and scope of America's greatest minds as to whether or not they could avoid the "impending crisis" called the Civil War. The aim of this course is to develop an understanding of the main issues, themes, and personalities of the American Civil War in the context of a changing market economy and political culture.

EDG 1930 EVOLUTION FOR EVERYONE 27548 MON/WED 3:30 – 4:50 PM
Substitutes for Foundations of Society & Human Behavior; meets both Gordon Rule writing requirement and WAC (Writing across the Curriculum) requirements.
Dr. Charles Dukes, Department of Exceptional Student Education

Evolution for Everyone is a highly accessible course, for both science and non-science majors, intended to explore human-related affairs from an evolutionary perspective. A number of human-related issues will be reconsidered in light of evolution. By examining the ultimate (evolutionary) origins of human behavior, students will gain a different perspective on common human behavior (e.g., language, parenting). Specifically, the following topics will be addressed: cooperation, mate choice, parenting, pair bonding, aggression, language, and culture. It is intended that students will be able to identify and evaluate solutions to human-related affairs using evolution as a point of reference.

EGN 1932 PROBABILITY IN EVERYDAY LIFE 27451 MON/WED 2:00 – 3:20 PM BU 102
Substitutes for Foundations of Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning
Dr. Robert B. Cooper, Department of Computer Science and Engineering

This course will explore probability theory (randomness) and its pervasiveness in everyday life: lotteries, cards, dice, sports, political polls, epidemics, insurance, clinical trials, queues, etc. Analyses of these real phenomena often reveal surprising, and even counterintuitive, truths. Bring curiosity and an open mind.

COM 1930 FILM APPRECIATION 27241 MON/WED 9:30 – 11:20 AM CU 107
Substitutes for Foundations of Creative Expression; meets both Gordon Rule writing requirement and WAC (Writing across the Curriculum) requirements.
Dr. Gerald Sim, Department of Communication and Multimedia Studies

This foundational course in film studies introduces students to the various elements of film form, and to how those constituent parts create meaning both by themselves and in relation to each other. It presents the basic vocabulary and concepts necessary for analyzing individual films and groups of films. It will also present a survey of influential stylistic movements in cinema history. Students will be expected to learn these terms and become comfortable using them to describe a film. Based on those observations, students will then take the next step of developing analytical and expositional arguments about films in a detailed, methodical and persuasive manner.

INR 3433 INTERNATIONAL LAW OF ARMEDE CONFLICT 27137 TUE/THU 12:30 – 1:50 PM BU 402
Substitutes for Foundations in Global Citizenship/Global Perspectives
Dr. Jeffrey Morton, Department of Political Science

International Law of Armed Conflict covers legal avenues for the avoidance of armed conflict, the laws that regulate the right to go to war and the laws that regulate soldiers in the field. Additionally, the historical efforts to hold individuals accountable for violating the laws of armed conflict are examined and analyzed.

MUS 1930 HONORS HISTORY AND APPRECIATION OF MUSIC 27545 TUE/THU 1:00 – 2:20 PM
Substitutes for Foundations of Creative Expression; meets both Gordon Rule writing requirement and WAC (Writing across the Curriculum) requirements.
Dr. Kenneth Keaton, Department of Music

MUS 1930 is an honors section of the History and Appreciation of Music. You will encounter the greatest works of the Art of Music from the past thousand years—works that have defined Western Civilization itself. Along the way, you will also learn principles of writing and research in the arts, and be encouraged to express your own thoughts and experiences that you have discovered these encounters with music. Come along and enjoy the ride!

PSY 1930 HONORS GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY 27507 MON/WED 11:00 – 12:20 PM FA 103
Substitutes for Foundations of Society & Human Behavior; meets both Gordon Rule writing requirement and WAC (Writing across the Curriculum) requirements.
Dr. Krystal Mize, Visiting Instructor, Department of Psychology

The purpose of this course is to provide you with a broad survey of the field of psychology. In successfully completing this course, you will demonstrate your knowledge about what is and is not currently known about the physiological, behavioral, cognitive, social, and emotional basis of human and non-human behavior. Moreover, you will be able to distinguish among a variety of theoretical explanations for behavior, critically examine the differing research methodologies used to investigate psychological questions, and apply psychological principles to real-world settings. It is my hope that by the end of the term you will learn what it means to observe behavior and to think critically and objectively about behavioral phenomena and the "human experience".