The Honors Program would like to announce its course offerings for the Fall 2013 semester. Our courses and detailed descriptions can be found below. Please refer to Novasis listings for most accurate course information.
HONORS COURSES
HON 1000-001
INTERDISCIPLINARY HUMANITIES: PHILOSOPHY
MWF 12:30-1:20 PM
DR. JOHN IMMERWAHR
Co-requisite with HON 1001-001 and HON 1003-001.
In this course students will explore some of the most interesting and important works of ancient western philosophy starting with Socrates and Plato, and moving to Aristotle, Hellenistic philosophy, and the incorporation of the some of the ideas of ancient philosophy into the Christian perspective of St. Augustine and Boethius. Some of the themes explored include: the nature of reality and the human mind; how we know; the nature of God; human happiness; and the origin of evil. We will also do a brief examination of how similar themes are approached in Eastern Philosophy, especially Buddhism.
HON 1001-001
INTERDISCIPLINARY HUMANITIES: LITERATURE
MWF 9:30-10:20 AM
DR. HEIDI ROSE
Co-requisite with HON 1000-001 and HON 1003-001.
The literature strand of Interdisc I focuses on the relations between text and performance, literature and speech, literacy and orality, culture and myth, the stories we tell and why/how we tell them. We explore the place of performance in ancient Greece from the time of Homer through the height of theatre in 5th century BCE Athens. The texts are experienced from page to stage to uncover what makes them inherently theatrical and how they spoke to their particular audiences.
HON 1003-001
INTERDISCIPLINARY HUMANITIES: THEOLOGY
MWF 10:30-11:20 AM
DR. PAUL DANOVE
Co-requisite with HON 1000-001 and HON 1001-001.
The Theology/Religious Studies component of this course introduces the exegetical methods used to study the Gospels of Mark, Luke, and John, four Pauline Epistles (Philemon, 1 Thessalonians, Philippians, and Galatians), and the Letter of James and employs these methods to investigate the theological concerns of their authors.
Course Objectives:
1. To introduce the methods of source, textual, literary, redaction, and narrative analysis
2. To apply the methods of literary, redaction, and narrative analysis
3. To provide an exegetical survey of Mark, Luke, John, Philemon, 1 Thessalonians, Philippians, Galatians, and James
4. To develop an appreciation of the theological themes emphasized by the New Testament authors
ACS 1000-H01
AUGUSTINE AND CULTURE SEMINAR: ANCIENTS
MWF 12:30-1:20 PM
DR. MARK SHIFFMAN
Restricted to students in the Good, True, Beautiful Learning Cohort.
This course is an interdisciplinary investigation of the transcendental “good.” From the perspective of the students, the question of the good originates in the question of “How should I live?” and “How should my society be ordered?” Thus “The Good” course is a course in Political Philosophy and Ethics. “The Good” course is first in the learning cohort sequence, since it addresses foundational questions. Readings include selections from Plato’s Republic, Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Shakespeare, Scripture, Machiavelli, Tocqueville, etc. Co-curricular activities such as trips and combined learning cohort lectures are also a part of this course.
ACS 1000-H02
AUGUSTINE AND CULTURE SEMINAR: ANCIENTS
MWF 12:30-1:20 PM
DR. MARY HIRSCHFELD
Restricted to students in the Global Scholars: Politics, Philosophy, and Economics Learning Cohort.
This course is an interdisciplinary investigation of the transcendental “good.” From the perspective of the students, the question of the good originates in the question of “How should I live?” and “How should my society be ordered?” Thus “The Good” course is a course in Political Philosophy and Ethics. “The Good” course is first in the learning cohort sequence, since it addresses foundational questions. Readings include selections from Plato’s Republic, Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Shakespeare, Scripture, Machiavelli, Tocqueville, etc. Co-curricular activities such as trips and combined learning cohort lectures are also a part of this course.
ACS 1000-H03
AUGUSTINE AND CULTURE SEMINAR: ANCIENTS
MWF 12:30-1:20 PM
DR. EUGENE MCCARRAHER
Restricted to students in the Global Scholars: Independent Humanities Learning Cohort.
This course is an interdisciplinary investigation of the transcendental “good.” From the perspective of the students, the question of the good originates in the question of “How should I live?” and “How should my society be ordered?” Thus “The Good” course is a course in Political Philosophy and Ethics. “The Good” course is first in the learning cohort sequence, since it addresses foundational questions. Readings include selections from Plato’s Republic, Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Shakespeare, Scripture, Machiavelli, Tocqueville, etc. Co-curricular activities such as trips and combined learning cohort lectures are also a part of this course.
ACS 1000-H04
AUGUSTINE AND CULTURE SEMINAR: ANCIENTS
TR 8:30-9:45 AM
PROF. CATHERINE STAPLES
Close reading and discussion of selected texts from the time of Homer and the Greek lyric women poets through the English Renaissance. Writing will be intensive, with emphasis placed upon revision as well as the mastery of various writing techniques—from journals to “free writes.” As many of the works we study have oral origins, we’ll begin with a close look at a tale that’s come down to us through purely oral channels, weighing memory, imagination, and cultural intention. Our readings will be close and full good inquiries whether we are discussing the tug of fate and free will in Achilles, the spiritual journeys of Augustine and Dante, or patterns of wit and silence in Shakespeare's heroines. The class will include a trip to Philadelphia Museum of Art to see Twombly’s Fifty Days at Ilium as well as a movie or performance night, featuring one of Shakespeare’s festive comedies.
ACS 1000-H05
AUGUSTINE AND CULTURE SEMINAR: ANCIENTS
TR 1:00-2:15 PM
DR. TIMOTHY HORNER
Core humanities seminar based principally on texts and readings drawn from primary sources up to 1650. Extensive written work and seminar discussions. Required readings: Hebrew and Christian scriptures, selections from the works of Augustine, Greek and Renaissance works. Readings from different genres and disciplines. Themes developed by the instructor in accordance with the selected readings.
ACS 1000-H06
AUGUSTINE AND CULTURE SEMINAR: ANCIENTS
MWF 1:30-2:20 PM
DR. MATTHEW ROSE
A Humanities seminar based principally on texts and readings drawn from primary sources up to 1650. Extensive written work and seminar discussions. Required readings: Hebrew and Christian scriptures, selections from the works of Augustine, Greek and Renaissance works. Readings from different genres and disciplines. Themes developed by the instructor in accordance with the selected readings.
PHI 1000-H01
KNOWLEDGE, REALITY, AND SELF
TR 11:30 AM-12:45 PM
DR. GREGORY HOSKINS
As an introduction to philosophy, this course is designed to accomplish two related goals: to develop your skills as a critical, responsible, and joyous reader, writer, and conversation participant; and, to acquaint you with some of the major themes and figures of the Western philosophical tradition. We will ask some of the “big questions” — what is truly real, and how can we know it? What is the relation between the human and the divine, if there is any such relation? What and Who am I? What is the best kind of society, and what is justice? How should I live my life in relation to other people and to the culture in which I live? – And we will consider how these questions have been addressed by ancient, modern and contemporary intellectuals. You will be encouraged to work out your own position on these matters of fundamental human concern.
PHI 1000-H02
KNOWLEDGE, REALITY, AND SELF
MWF 9:30-10:20 AM
DR. MICHAEL THOMPSON
Our primary purpose, in this course of study, is to introduce the student to philosophy and its place in the history of ideas and the western arts and sciences. We will use a quasi-historical method of representing some of the essential philosophical texts in the western tradition. The selected readings will emphasize a division of philosophy called aesthetics, which refers to theories concerning the nature and purposes of art, beauty, and the beautiful. We will use aesthetics as a means to articulate and clarify the major ideas of philosophy.
The essence of a philosophical account is reasoned arguments which are intended to persuade a reader as to the merits of claims concerning crucial aspects of some contested state of affairs. We will focus on philosophical arguments which respond to questions such as: What is the nature and purpose of art? Is art dangerous? What is the relationship between truth and art? What is beauty? Is there a relationship between beauty and art? Is there are relationship between beauty and truth? Is there a relationship between ugliness and beauty in art? What do these relationships entail? What is aesthetic taste? What does it mean to have good taste? What is the nature of goodness and is there a relationship between goodness and art? The analysis and evaluation of these issues and there like, will be useful in beginning to come to some understanding of what great philosophers are about when doing philosophy.
We will focus on the texts of Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, St. Augustine, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Danto, Cavell, and Foucault among others. We will also use in-class music presentations for inner-disciplinary evaluations of the philosophy of music in order to illuminate aesthetic theories and ideas.
PHI 1000-H03
KNOWLEDGE, REALITY, AND SELF
MWF 11:30 AM-12:20 PM
DR. JOHN DOODY
Philosophical responses to the questions of how we can know, what is real, and what is the nature of human existence that explore the dialogue between Catholic, Christian, secular and skeptical perspectives on these questions.
THL 1000-H01
CHRISTIAN FAITH AND LIFE
MWF 11:30 AM-12:20 PM
PROF. JOANNA SCHOLZ
Life is a mystery. It is a challenge to understand ourselves, our beliefs, our relationships, and our world. This course invites and challenges students to do theology, that is, to think critically and reflect on the ultimate mystery, the mystery of God who is revealed through the Word in Scripture, and through the Word-made-flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. Throughout our study of the Hebrew Scriptures and Christian Testament we will explore key themes such as God as Creator, and the human person as creature made in the image of the one good God who loves us. We will reflect on the topic of faith, the realities of grace and sin. We will focus on the theme of redemption through the saving power of Jesus, his cross and resurrection. We will explore the concept of the Paschal Mystery which gives us meaning and hope for the future. We will discuss the theme of discipleship in each of the four gospels and reflect on the call of each person to follow Christ in a unique way. In addition to scripture study we will read primary texts by theologians of the early Church, with focus on the development of Christian Doctrine. We will also discuss the branches of theology, giving students the opportunity to consider areas of future study.
Course requirements: Active participation in all class sessions, which includes evidence of having completed the assigned readings, a series of short written assignments, three tests and a final examination.
THL 1000-H02
CHRISTIAN FAITH AND LIFE
TR 1:00-2:15 PM
DR. ANNA MORELAND
This course introduces students to the study of Christian theology. It begins by investigating foundational questions about the rationality of Christian belief. It then explores the coherence of Christianity by examining four cornerstones of this world view: God, Christ, sacraments, and the Christian life. Students will read a contemporary introduction to each topic coupled with a primary text from the theological tradition. This course will enable students to gain competence in Christian theological language. It will also provide a basis for subsequent theological study.
THL 1000-H03
CHRISTIAN FAITH AND LIFE
MWF 10:30-11:20
FR. FRANCIS CAPONI
For 2,000 years, Christians have thought long and hard about all the truly big questions:
Does God exist? Does He speak to us? How does He want us to live? What does it take to be happy? How should we interpret the Bible? Are science and religion in agreement or opposition? Why do bad things happen to good people? What happens after death? Who can be saved?
The central goal of this course is the acquisition of living knowledge of the fundamentals of Christian belief and practice, with particular emphasis on the “fullness of the faith” proclaimed by the Roman Catholic Church. Through the exploration of primary texts, central ideas, and the historical development of Christian theology, students will learn to think critically about the person and mission, the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ; the revelation of the Triune God; the nature and interpretation of the Bible; the role of Mary and the saints in the life of a believer; and the contours of sacramental worship and prayer, along with the moral life which arises from them.
Spirited class discussion, the development of a common theological vocabulary, and disciplined reflection upon the relationship of Christian belief and behavior with the arts and sciences, the issues of the day, and the students’ personal experience, will be key elements in our exploration of the distinctively Christian answers to the “big questions.”
Required Bible • Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition
Required Text • C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
ENG 1050-H01
LITERARY EXPERIENCE
TR 2:30-3:45 PM
DR. ROBERT O’NEIL
Restricted to students in the following Colleges: School of Business, Engineering, and Nursing.
We will explore the complex relationship between language and representation. The course will begin with contemporary American short fiction by authors like Mary Gaitskill, Joyce Carol Oates, and Russell Banks. Following these readings and discussions, we will further analyze the relationship between language and representation through the exploration of fiction, non-fiction, and journalism. “Libra” is a fictional novel by Don DeLillo that charts how the life of Lee Harvey Oswald and the motives of CIA conspirators culminated in the assassination of JFK. “A Stillness at Appomattox” by Bruce Catton is a work of non-fiction that recounts the final year of the American Civil War. “Generation Kill” is written from the point of view of journalist Evan Wright. He rides side by side with the Marines of the First Recon Battalion as they spearhead the mission in Iraq and engage in a bloody guerilla war. In analyzing the strengths and limitations of each genre, students will develop thesis-driven arguments that highlight the dynamic relationship between language and representation.
ECO 1001-H01
INTRO TO MICROECONOMICS
TR 1:00-2:15 PM
DR. MICHELLE CASARIO
The price system; demand and supply analysis; the production process; analysis of market structures.
VSB 1001-H01
BUSINESS DYNAMICS I
MWF 9:30-10:20 AM
DR. JAMES BORDEN
Emphasis on purpose of business; how business vision is actualized. Explores dynamic nature of business in a changing environment. Highlights skills of leaders. Integrates global, ethical, & technological dimensions of business. Emphasizes innovation as a business, personal skill. Restricted to VSB students & Business Minors.
HIS 1070-H01
TOPICS IN EMPIRE AND IMPERIALISM: BRITISH EMPIRE
TR 10:00-11:15 AM
DR. ELIZABETH KOLSKY
At its height, Britain controlled more than half a billion people, one quarter of the earth’s land mass, and was the undisputed master of the seas. With a colony on every continent, Britain’s dominion was so vast that as the saying went, the sun never set on it. This course explores how and why Britain acquired such an enormous global empire as well as the effects of British rule on the people and places who lived under it. Beginning with expansion of England in Ireland and the founding of the American colonies, we will follow the rise and fall of the British Empire in Asia and Africa, focusing specifically on how geographic, cultural, economic and political changes brought about during the period of British rule have shaped our world today.
PSC 1100-H01
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
TR 10:00-11:15 AM
DR. MATTHEW KERBEL
This foundational political science course explores the structures and functions of American government so that we might understand the relationship between politics and policy, and how the theoretical basis of the American political system matches up against the way the process works in practice. Our overarching question will be whether and why we should care about American democracy and invest in making it work. We will begin our exploration by examining the Constitution, federalism, and other defining "ground rules" of the American political system, and consider how we become political creatures, how our opinions may or may not resonate in the political process, and how we are connected to that process through such institutions as the mass media, political parties, elections, and interest groups. We will then consider the primary institutions of American government — Congress, the presidency, the executive branch, and the Courts — and how effectively they produce domestic and foreign policy while protecting our rights and liberties. We will read a mix of primary and secondary source materials, popular items from newspapers, blogs and social media, and an interactive textbook published by the instructor. Coursework will include a mix of objective assessments and original writing.
ENG 1975-H01
SOPHOMORE LITERATURE AND WRITING SEMINAR
TR 10:00-11:15 AM
DR. HELENA TOMKO
Restricted to students in the following Learning Cohorts: Good, True, Beautiful; Global Scholars: Independent Humanities Scholars.
“What beauty saves the world?”—Dostoyevsky, The Idiot
Where do we find the beautiful? How does an encounter with beauty change us? Does it move us to love and to justice? Or does it mislead and seduce us? Does beauty walk rightly with goodness and truth, or do philosophical and theological concerns distract and deaden the artist or the lover? These questions will guide our inquiry into the beautiful across disciplines and across centuries. We will read literary works by Dante, Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, and Walker Percy and attend to visual and musical encounters with the beautiful. We will pursue the contested interpretations of beauty among classical thinkers such as Plato, Kant, Hume, and Nietzsche, as well as more recent assessments by Roger Scruton, Elaine Scarry, Josef Pieper, John Paul II, and Hans Urs van Balthasar. With these great minds, we will ask not only if beauty can save the world but also what beauty could save the world.
ENG 1975-H02
SOPHOMORE LITERATURE AND WRITING SEMINAR
TR 10:00-11:15 AM
DR. MICHAEL TOMKO
Restricted to students in the following Learning Cohorts: Good, True, Beautiful; Global Scholars: Independent Humanities Scholars.
“What beauty saves the world?”—Dostoyevsky, The Idiot
Where do we find the beautiful? How does an encounter with beauty change us? Does it move us to love and to justice? Or does it mislead and seduce us? Does beauty walk rightly with goodness and truth, or do philosophical and theological concerns distract and deaden the artist or the lover? These questions will guide our inquiry into the beautiful across disciplines and across centuries. We will read literary works by Dante, Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, and Walker Percy and attend to visual and musical encounters with the beautiful. We will pursue the contested interpretations of beauty among classical thinkers such as Plato, Kant, Hume, and Nietzsche, as well as more recent assessments by Roger Scruton, Elaine Scarry, Josef Pieper, John Paul II, and Hans Urs van Balthasar. With these great minds, we will ask not only if beauty can save the world but also what beauty could save the world.
ENG 1975-H03
SOPHOMORE LITERATURE AND WRITING SEMINAR
TR 1:00-2:15 PM
PROF. CATHERINE STAPLES
Versions of the Pastoral: Arcadian Visions & Rural Truths
Originally, the term “pastoral” referred to works dealing with “shepherds and herds,” but in time it has come to mean “works dealing with country life.” What do we think of when we consider the concept of the pastoral? Shepherds and sheep, an idealized way of life, a working knowledge of land and inhabitants, a backward look, a simple way of living in the natural world? In this course, we will read pastoral lyrics, prose, drama, and fiction ranging from Virgil, Shakespeare, and Hardy to Thoreau, Frost, Kumin, and Heaney. With a series of rural fieldtrips, we will take a modern day look at beekeeping, sheep and their shepherds, farming, bird habitats and migrations. We will also consider the pastoral as it appears in fine art by Gauguin, Cezanne, and Matisse. This writing intensive course will emphasize close reading and revision. With journal entries, critical essays, field notes, blogs, poetry and prose, students will have the chance to write creatively as well as critically.
HON 2002-001: HIS; HON 2003-001: THL
INTERDISCIPLINARY HUMANITIES III
MWF 10:30 AM-12:20 PM
DR. EUGENE MCCARRAHER AND DR. ANTHONY GODZIEBA
HON 2002-001—MCCARRAHER
The idea of “progress” has dominated the Western world since the middle of the 18th century. Scientific and technological development, industrialization, democracy, the “disenchantment” of ancient religious beliefs and popular superstitions – these and other historical changes of the last two hundred and sixty years have enlarged our knowledge of the world, extended the length and health of our lives, and multiplied our material comforts. Thus, we’ve come to believe almost instinctively that “progress” has been unambiguously positive, and hope that it will continue indefinitely. Yet these same processes of modernization have provoked profound and often militant doubt, criticism, and resistance, often from among the most learned and sophisticated representatives of modern culture. And at the beginning of the 21st century – with capitalist “globalization” in disarray, with climate change an unavoidable challenge, and with the emergence of a new religious “awakening” all over the world -- new quandaries about the meaning of “progress” have already begun to appear.
In conjunction with Dr. Godzieba’s emphases on theology, philosophy, and aesthetics, I will be tracing both the idea of “progress” and the currents of discontent with progress from the mid-18th to the early 20th century. Readings will cover economics, social thought, political philosophy, and cultural criticism. Representative authors will include David Hume, Adam Smith, Karl Marx, John Ruskin, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Simone Weil.
HON 2003-001—GODZIEBA
This course examines selected themes in late eighteenth-, nineteenth-, and early twentieth-century European cultural history. Along with the emphasis on history, economics, and the social sciences provided by Dr. McCarraher’s part of Interdisc III, this course highlights theological and aesthetic themes as well. One (surprising) case that we want to make in this course is that issues, interests, and ways of seeing the world that have their roots in this slice of modernity not only develop from ancient and medieval cultural roots, but are also formative elements of many of the issues, interests and ways of seeing the world in late-capitalist, postmodern, post-9/11 America.
During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, some of the most influential thinkers had made sustained criticisms of the traditional forms of religious experience in the name of rationality. But at the end of the eighteenth and throughout the nineteenth centuries, those aspects of human experience which had been relegated to the “non-rational” or even delegitimated altogether—the experience of God and transcendence, sentiment, intuition, genius, “the mystical”—made a spectacular comeback. They began to be viewed once again as necessary aspects of human life. The nineteenth century, then, is the setting for a complex and delicate balancing act which takes place both within society and within the life of the individual: on the one hand, there is what the previous two centuries had learned about the powers and the limits of human reason; on the other, there are the hopes and desires for realities beyond the reach of discursive reason—longings at times tinged with almost palpable feelings of loss and an overwhelming hunger for transcendence.
These longings as expressed by nineteenth-century culture will be the focus of both the theological and the aesthetic trajectories of this course. While pursuing agendas that appear different on the surface, these trajectories are closely related and were seen to be so by nineteenth-century thinkers.
With regard to the aesthetic dimension of this course, our major focus will be on music. Various examples of musical styles and movements of the period from the mid-eighteenth up to the end of the nineteenth century will be played and discussed, as well as the some of the theories of art and music which generate and are generated by these styles. No previous knowledge of music or music theory is required for this course.
VSB 2007-H01
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY AND REGULATION
TR 1:00-2:15 PM
DR. DENNIS KUHN
Examines law, ethics, corporate responsibility, and business regulation. Studies the sources, substantive principals, and evolving nature of law, and its role in ethical business decision making.
ETH 2050-H01
ETHICS: TRAD. AND CONTEMPORARY LIFE
MW 1:30-2:45 PM
DR. MARK WILSON
The discipline of ethics, part art and part science, is an inquiry into fundamental questions about human existence: what it means to do good, live well, love rightly. It is, above all, an examination of who we are, what we value, and how we come to share our lives with others. To ‘do’ ethics is to learn to think critically, coherently, cautiously, and charitably about the good life and common goods, and to scrutinize our own answers as we welcome the questions of strangers. A primary goal of a liberal arts education is to provide students with the skills necessary to examine the claims advanced by the various communities and traditions they share or encounter in their lives. Many of these traditions specifically respond to the question of how one should live or offer guidance for a good human life. They characterize right actions and their relation to human excellence; right relations with ourselves, others, our natural environment, and God; how these relations are expressed in human practices and institutions; the nature and sources of moral failure; the nature of practical reasoning; and so forth. Critical examination of such normative claims with respect to human activity is the domain of the academic discipline of ethics. A primary goal of the course is to understand the complexity of moral debate and to appreciate the way that different visions of the good life relate to civic, professional, and personal integrity.
ETH 2050-H02
ETHICS: TRAD. AND CONTEMPORARY LIFE
TR 1:00-2:15 PM
DR. PETER WICKS
Ethics is the attempt to come to an understanding of the nature of the good life – i.e. what it is for a human life to go well – and to provide reasoned answers to questions concerning the right way to act. In this course we will examine some of the ethical theories that have exerted the strongest influence in the Western intellectual tradition and which continue to influence contemporary ethical thought. We will also consider a range of contemporary moral controversies, including the nature and extent of our obligations to help those in need, the ethical challenges involved in modern work, the ethics of marriage and family life, and our moral obligations with regard to animals and the environment.
ME 2100-H01
STATICS
TR 8:30-9:45 AM
DR. GANG FENG
Vector analysis of force systems on particles and rigid bodies with particular emphasis on mathematical and physical formulation of principles underlying the solution of engineering problems; vector algebra; friction; centroids and moments of inertia.
HON 2550-001
HUMANITIES SEMINAR
MW 1:30-2:45 PM
DR. GREGORY HOSKINS
Required of sophomores in the humanities planning to write an Honors Thesis.
How do the humanities “think”? This course is designed to enable the participants to step back and view the humanities as a whole in order to discern whether there is a common process of understanding which runs through them.
The seminar participants should also be able to see the provocative effects of such a viewpoint and learn to navigate the various contemporary points of contention (regarding literary, social, political, philosophical, etc. issues) which have their roots in divergent evaluations of interpretative understanding.
We will start by examining the so-called “objectivism” which has long functioned as the norm of Western understanding. We will then turn to hermeneutics and do a close study of its development, as well as the claims it makes regarding the human understanding’s non-negotiable interpretive nature. Next, we will pursue some critical applications of and counter-readings to hermeneutics, and see how interpretation itself is interpreted. Finally, we will explore the effects of hermeneutical and anti-hermeneutical theories on contemporary evaluations of contemporary political life.
The format of the course is, naturally, the seminar style.
HON 2560-001
SOCIAL SCIENCE SEMINAR
MW 3:00-4:15 PM
DR. MARKUS KREUZER
Required of sophomores in the social sciences planning to write an Honors Thesis.
We make decisions on daily basis and in doing so rely on our intuitions for selecting the reasons and evidence on which we base these decisions. The same goes for how we construct and support arguments we make when discussing issues with our friends or writing research papers. Psychologists have long studied our reliance on such intuitions and analyze their reliability. Much of modern social science can be viewed as an effort to protect us against the shortcomings of purely intuition based argumentation and thereby construct logically more sound and empirically better supported arguments. The goal of this course is to introduce you to some of the elementary tools that a social science has available to supplement your intuitions and develop more compelling arguments. We explore the usefulness of these tools by applying to 9/11 and evaluating why some explanations are more compelling than others.
HON 2570-001
NATURAL SCIENCE SEMINAR
MW 4:30-5:45 PM
PROF. JANE MORRIS
Required of sophomores in the sciences planning to write an Honors Thesis.
The Natural Science Seminar is designed as a preparation for sophomore-level Honors students who are planning on pursuing Senior Thesis research in anticipation of receiving a B.S. Honors degree. In this course, you will be introduced to the principles of scientific research and will hear lectures from faculty in the sciences about their research areas and methodologies. In addition, I will invite outside speakers from industry and academia to talk about their work. Where and when possible, we will visit laboratories both on and off campus. Given the varied majors among students in this course, we will hear talks from faculty in various disciplines. We will discuss current literature, learn about writing research proposals, and about applying for some of the Nationally Competitive Scholarships for students in the sciences.
MAT 2705-005
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS WITH LINEAR ALGEBRA
MWF 12:30-1:20 PM
DR. KLAUS VOLPERT
Mathematics is the part of our language that deals with quantitative or measurable aspects of life. Money, for example, is a measurable thing. Love is not. So math deals with money. Or with time, space, and action.
Functions are an important element of this language. They are used to describe relationships between these measurable things.
Differential Equations often arise through describing dynamical processes, that is, describing quantities that change as a function of time.
What then is a differential equation? Well, they are just like equations you have seen before, except that the unknowns are not numbers, but functions and their derivatives. So for example, y0(x) = x − y(x) is a differential equation. A solution of this equation is a function y(x) for which this equation is true for all x. As it turns out, y(x) = x − 1 works!
You can check it by plugging it in!
How do we find solutions such as the above? Is there only one solution for a given equation or are there many? And why should we study this?
Fair questions. The last one is best answered through the applied examples we encounter in the course. In short, differential equations come up when we try to describe dynamical processes, where we know something about the rate at which a quantity changes, but not the value of the quantity itself.
How do you solve differential equations? There are a number of different methods depending on the type of the equation. Those who have taken MAT 1505 (Analysis 2) may have already seen a type called linear differential equations of first order. It is the most common type. Such differential equations describe physical processes like the cooling of a cup of coffee, or the growth of the world population, or the gradual clean-up of polluted waters. We will review this type in the first two chapters.
As we begin to solve equations of second order, we run into the problem that the solution methods often need a kind of mathematics known as Linear Algebra. It is the mathematics that uses matrices and vectors and all that. So, chapters 3, 4, 5 and 6 will cover the essentials from this field of mathematics. That is time well spent, because this mathematics is useful not only for solving hard differential equations, but also for all kinds of other engineering and science fields, such as signal processing, operations research, robotics, computer-aided design, physics and so on.
Finally, we will return to differential equations and apply the linear algebra to higher order differential equations to systems of differential equations (chapter 7).
HIS 29987-002
SOCIAL HISTORY AND COMMUNITY RESEARCH
MW 3:00-4:15 PM
DR. CRAIG BAILEY
The primary objective of this course is to prepare you for the Senior Seminar. This is a “hands-on” course, in which you will gain practical experience of historical research. In this course we will be: visiting archives; identifying, handling, evaluating and critiquing primary sources; collecting and analysing data; figuring out how to choose a subject for research; and using secondary literature to advance and position your research. Our coursework will focus on the social history and communities of South-Eastern Pennsylvania in the early twentieth century and more particularly Ardmore, a dynamic area in this period, for which abundant primary sources are readily available. Using census returns, newspapers, maps and additional sources, our class will reconstruct this local community. By contributing their own research to this larger group project, students will go through the different stages of the research process, and develop the skills needed to complete an independent project of their own choice. Students will need to have access to a laptop, Microsoft excel and be able to visit archives off campus.
THE 3010-001
THEATRE: MINDFULNESS IN ACTION
MW 3:00-4:15 PM
DR. JOANNA ROTTE
An investigation of classic forms of mindfulness meditation and contemplation - from calm abiding to insight awareness to transformation - through studying traditional techniques and experiencing traditional practices. All in the interest of exploring and expanding creativity in everyday life.
HON 3100-001—CLA/HUM
CLASSICAL STATESMANSHIP
MW 1:30-2:45 PM
DR. MARK SHIFFMAN
This course will examine Plutarch’s presentation of the actions, choices and character of the great statesmen of classical Greece and Rome. We will begin by considering philosophical characterizations in Plato and Aristotle of the motives of political men and the qualities of character and intellect required in good rulers, and see how these terms of analysis function in Plutarch’s biographical writings. We will also consider two works of practical political advice by Plutarch that bring the concerns of Plato and Aristotle into the context of life in Greece under Roman dominion. Recurring themes will include: the different qualities required for founding a new political community, reforming laws, ruling as elected officials, and resisting tyranny; to what extent the character and aims of military leaders overlap with those of good rulers; how legal reforms are limited by existing social orders, and what institutions they require to form new ones; the effects of ambition on character; respect for law and the necessity for prerogative; the power and limits of rhetoric, and the need for and means of fashioning a public image.
ME 3102-H01
DYNAMIC SYSTEMS II
MWF 10:30-11:20 AM
DR. VENKATESH DESHMUKH
Free and forced vibration of one degree-of-freedom mechanical systems, response to harmonic excitation, general excitation, transient response, transfer function analysis, higher order systems including two degree-of-freedom systems and DC motors.
EDU 3277-001
URBAN EDUCATION
MWF 11:30 AM-12:20 PM
DR. JERUSHA CONNER
Examines the challenges of urban schooling, the historical roots of these challenges, and the pedagogical techniques and policy tools that are being used to respond to them. A weekly community-based learning lab in an urban school is required.
HON 3600-001—ENG
ROMANTIC REVOLUTIONS
MW 1:30-2:45 PM
DR. MICHAEL TOMKO
To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.
A robin redbreast in a cage
Puts all heaven in a rage.
—William Blake, “Auguries of Innocence”
With the defiant secular humanism of the 1789 French Revolution and romantic literature’s transfusion of “supernatural” energies into the “natural” adoration of imagination and literature, the romantic period often symbolizes the moment when Europe threw off the tyrannous shackles of primitive religion to enter modernity with a bang. Such accounts, however, have missed the way that religious discourses and institutions fired even the “atheistic” French Revolution. “Romantic religion” has also ignited later religious thought and writing that has sought to liberate the divine from the constrictions of human rationality and nationalism. Within this exciting new context, we will reconsider romantic views on art, human consciousness, and transcendence. Our ultimate goal will be to investigate how contemporary assumptions about the relationship between politics, literature, and religion were shaped in the romantic period. The course will focus on the revolutionary writing of the poets William Blake, William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Percy Bysshe Shelley and the novels of English Catholic writer Elizabeth Inchbald and Irish writer Sydney Owenson.
HON 3601-001—ENG
SHAKESPEARE’S POLITICS
MW 3:00-4:15 PM
PROF. JOHN-PAUL SPIRO
We will attempt to discern Shakespeare’s thinking on politics and history. During Shakespeare’s life, England was evolving into something like a “modern state”: unlike their predecessors, Queen Elizabeth and King James often found themselves more concerned with laws, markets, and political bureaucracies than with warring noblemen or religious crusades. Nonetheless, some of the political questions raised in Shakespeare’s plays seem foreign to the American experience: What is the nature of kingship? Is a king somehow sacred or magical? How is a king granted legitimacy or credibility? Must a king stay within specific moral limits? Does a king lead or follow the people? What is the king’s relationship to the clergy, the nobility, and the people? When is it best for a king to show restraint and forgiveness? Is republicanism preferable to monarchy? We can change “king” to “leader” in these questions and thus attempt to make some connections to our own time and history, but the unique status of a monarch, not a president or a CEO, is essential for understanding Shakespeare’s plays. Once that understanding is reached, however, the benefits of reading and appreciating these plays are substantial.
We will read plays from each of Shakespeare’s genres: comedy (The Merchant of Venice, Measure for Measure), history (Richard III, Henry IV), tragedy (Coriolanus, Antony and Cleopatra), and romance (The Tempest). We will consider his depiction of the relationships between the past and the present, between the ruler and the ruled, and between the political self and other forms of identity. Students will write weekly response papers as well as two substantial essays (one incorporating secondary research). There will also be midterm and final exams.
New Cross-College Course!
VSB 3900-001
INNOVATION AND DESIGN PRACTIUM
TR 1:00-2:15 PM
DR. SCOTT NEWBERT
This course explores the theory and practice of design. In short, “design” is a systematic, emergent, human-centered approach to problem-solving used by decision-makers at the world’s most innovative organizations (i.e., Google, Apple). Relying on a thorough understanding, through direct observation, of what people want and need in their lives, designers iteratively define, ideate, critique, prototype, and test potential solutions to problems. Design is predicated on the assumptions that all people are naturally creative and that all people can improve their creative abilities through learning and practicing certain skills and techniques. To that end, this course includes a theoretical component that will expand the students’ understanding of design through various readings and critical discussion. This course also includes a hands-on project that will enable students to integrate and apply design concepts, methods, and techniques to real-world problems. Because of the diverse perspectives and skills design projects demand, multidisciplinary teams are an essential element of design. Therefore, this course is open to Honors students from all colleges and departments across the university.
Taught by new Honors teaching fellow, Scott Newbert.
ME 3950-H01
HEAT TRANSFER I
TR 1:00-2:15 PM
DR. AARON WEMHOFF
Steady state, unsteady state conduction in one & two dimensions; numerical methods of solution; forced & free convection in internal & external flow; heat exchangers; multi-mode heat transfer.
HON 4300-001—PHI
POSTMODERN PHILOSOPHY AND THE FUTURE OF POLITICS
TR 11:30 AM-12:45 PM
DR. WALTER BROGAN
There has been much written about the collapse of the philosophy of modernity and its enlightenment paradigm of a community based on universal rational principles. The impact of this contemporary challenge to the foundational principles of modernity is especially evident in the crisis felt today in political theory, since liberal philosophy, rooted in modernity's concept of reason, is the basis for our notion of freedom and human rights. We will examine several authors identified with postmodern political theory to assess their ability to rethink the question of political community for the post-sovereign future into which we are supposedly heading. The contemporary texts on the future of community we will read include those of authors Hannah Arendt, Giorgio Agamben, Alfonso Lingis, Jean-Luc Nancy and Luce Irigaray. We will critically assess the postmodern vision of community by raising again the question of identity and its relation to the postmodern emphasis on alterity. We will assess the thesis that postmodern political philosophy offers us the opportunity to imagine a community not based on relationships of power and domination, and a community that can espouse a political notion of the human subject that affirms diversity and difference. There is in the literature that we are reading a persistent emphasis on the outsider, the foreign, the alien, those who cannot be included, the excluded. The emphasis in postmodern thinking on the limits of thinking, on thinking at the borders, and on strategies of disruption and transgression are all ways to make problematic the inside-outside distinction. In this course, we will weigh equally how these authors each, in their own way, critique the current political ideology, and how they envision an alternative future of community.
HON 4500-001—PSC
AFRICAN POLITICS
TR 1:00-2:15 PM
DR. KUNLE OWOLABI
This course addresses issues that are critical to understanding contemporary African politics and society. Over the course of the semester, we examine a number of enduring questions and issues that shaped the evolution of politics and society in postcolonial Africa, including the legacy of colonialism; the rise of authoritarian regimes during the 1960s and 1970s; the resurgence of democracy in the 1990s; and theoretical explanations of conflict, poverty and underdevelopment. Building on a foundation that highlights the colonial origins of the modern African state, this course examines many of the key political, social and developmental challenges facing contemporary Africa, including political reform and democratization; the complex interplay between ethnic identity and political behaviour within the modern state; different theoretical explanations of civil conflict; regional and international efforts toward post-conflict reconciliation; domestic and international sources of poverty and underdevelopment; the impact of foreign aid; debt and debt relief; the HIV/AIDS crisis; and the factors contributing to Africa’s recent economic resurgence. The course is organized thematically, emphasizing similarities and differences across the various sub-regions of the continent (i.e. East vs. West Africa; Central vs. Southern Africa), and across countries colonized by different European powers (e.g. Britain, France, Belgium, or Portugal). Throughout the course, we examine the complex interplay between economic production/performance and social/political outcomes across Sub-Saharan Africa. These issues will be addressed through a variety of media, including lectures, course readings, literature, music, and film.
HON 4800-001—THL
FORGIVENESS: PERSONAL AND POLITICAL
TR 2:30-3:45 PM
DR. JESSE COUENHOVEN
Despite its importance for many philosophers and religious thinkers—not to mention our own everyday lives—there is still much disagreement about both the nature of forgiveness and the circumstances under which it is appropriate to forgive. Our discussions in this seminar will center around a handful of basic but difficult questions: What makes it possible to forgive? Does forgiveness abrogate justice? Can it be compatible with a proper sense of anger or hate? Can or should a person who has not repented be forgiven? What is the relationship between forgiveness and reconciliation? How does forgiveness relate to concepts such as excuse, pardon, and mercy? And finally, Can forgiveness be a duty?
Answers to these questions are significant in part for personal reasons; we need to know how to relate to other persons who have wronged us. It is no surprise, then, that forgiveness has become a topic of increasing importance, and contentiousness, in the work of therapists, as well as theologians and philosophers. Questions about forgiveness are also significant because of their implications for political choices in troubled times, as we will see in discussing the truth and reconciliation commission in South Africa.
HON 4801-001—THL
RELIGION AND VIOLENCE
TR 11:30 AM-12:45 PM
DR. GUSTAVO BENAVIDES
There are few issues that generate more controversy than the linking of religion and violence. In fact, the usual response to any association between religion and violence is the claim that religion is being misused, or that religion is being employed as a cover, since, properly understood, religion cannot have anything to do with violence, religion and violence being domains that by definition exclude each other. With these preconceptions in mind, the course will be devoted to the examination of situations in a variety of religious traditions and historical periods in which to act religiously involves—in fact, requires—acting violently. We will deal with well-known instances of religious violence, such as those that involve violent confrontation between communities; but we will also examine cases of violence that take place within religious communities, such as sacrifice. Finally, we will study legitimate and illegitimate forms of verbal violence, such as ritual cursing and blasphemy.
HON 4900-001—SOC
SPORTS AND SOCIETY
MWF 10:30-11:20 AM
DR. RICK ECKSTEIN
Sport, like other social institutions -- such as the family, religion, and education—shapes and directs our thoughts and behaviors. It is more than just playing games. A sociological examination of sports tries to unravel the positive and negative values that sports reflect, and how these values contribute to or inhibit social justice in our world. This class will take a “critical” view of sports. This does not mean that everything about sports is bad. Rather, being critical means refusing to romanticize sports (and athletes) and instead be willing to pierce through the sometimes haughty rhetoric in order to uncover a less glorified reality.
BIO 4950-001
RNA BIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY
TR 11:30 AM-12:45 PM
DR. ELAINE YOUNGMAN
Examination of the broad roles played by RNA in biology, with a focus on reading and discussion of primary literature. Topics may include the biochemistry of RNA enzymes, gene regulation by riboswitches and noncoding RNAs, roles of RNA in development and human disease, and the “RNA world” hypothesis of early evolution.
HON 5700-001—PSC
JUSTICE SEMINAR
TR 2:30-3:45 PM
DR. THOMAS W. SMITH
Restricted to students in the Global Scholars: Politics, Philosophy, Economics Learning Cohort.
Justice – the question of what people owe each other – is the most basic social question because it investigates what might be an adequate basis for a common life. In this course we will inquire into the meaning of justice by interrogating several rival accounts. Specifically, we will investigate different accounts of justice arising in modern and ancient democracy. The class will conclude by thinking about the meaning of justice as it arose in the great crisis of American democracy – the Civil War – through a consideration of the Lincoln-Douglas debates.
This course fulfills a Social Science requirement in the Core.
HON 5701-001—RL
CARNIVAL CULTURES IN BRAZIL AND THE AMERICAS
MW 3:00-4:15 PM
DR. KIRSTEN ERNST
Carnaval is often seen as synonymous with Brazilian identity, and its celebration is a source of national pride. But for as much as the images of Rio’s samba parades circulate the globe, few of Brazil’s carnival traditions are known or understood outside the cities where they are celebrated.
This course situates multiple practices of Brazilian carnaval within the broader context of carnival celebrations throughout the Americas. It traces carnival’s origins and history and highlights its connections with the plantation complex as the festival became established in Brazil, the Caribbean, and New Orleans. It works to answer the question of how a Catholic festival from medieval Europe came to represent these cultures. Emphasizing its role in sustaining a diasporic African identity in the New World, it explores how the celebration became an avenue for affirming and celebrating difference. It also considers the role of the sacred, the folk, and the festive within (post-)modern, capitalist societies.
Readings will draw on the fields of history, sociology, and anthropology, and students will also analyze representative music, film, and literary texts.
HON 6000-001
SENIOR THESIS I
MW 8:30-9:20 AM
DR. ALLISON PAYNE
Required of all seniors completing an Honors thesis.
This course serves as the first of two classes during which Honors seniors design, research, and write a thesis to obtain an Honors degree. The class meets throughout the first half of the semester to discuss students’ interests and intellectual lives, and to hone thesis topics and research designs. There are fewer formal class meetings during the second half of the semester, while students work more closely with their Tutors and Readers. At the end of the semester, students will have completed a 20 page draft of their theses and will present at a research conference attended by classmates, Tutors, Readers, and underclass Honors majors.
HON 6003-001
ORAL EXAMINATION CAPSTONE
W 10:30-11:20 AM
DR. ALLISON PAYNE
This course serves as the capstone for Oral Examination track students seeking their Honors Degree. Students will write a brief paper that integrates knowledge obtained from three upper-level Honors courses taken in their major or a specific academic area of interest. This paper will be used as the basis for an oral examination held at the end of the semester. The examination will be conducted by a committee made up of two of the three professors from the chosen upper-level Honors courses.
EDU 8400-001
CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON SPECIAL EDUCATION
W 5:20-7:20 PM
DR. CHRISTA BIALKA
Strategies for working with individuals with special needs; issues of inclusion and exclusion in Special Education; national and international Special Education policies and practices. Service is a requirement of this course.
HONORS ONE CREDIT WORKSHOPS
HON 5400-002—ONE CREDIT WORKSHOP
LINDY HOP AND SWING DANCING
T 4:30-6:00 PM
PROF. KELLEY RAY
An instructional workshop in Latin dance, including salsa, merengue, and tango. No prior dance experience is necessary.
HON 5420-001—ONE CREDIT WORKSHOP
MINDFULNESS MEDITATION
T 11:30 AM-12:45 PM
PROF. HANNA LEE
This course explores the understanding and practice of mindfulness meditation techniques derived from Buddhist traditions focusing on the power of the mind and body to raise awareness and meet everyday challenges. Centered on moment to moment being, mindfulness applies to all aspects of daily life and allows for greater focus, clarity, and experience. In a ‘doing’ focused culture, formal mindfulness meditation practice is critical to integrating ‘being’ and stillness into daily living. In addition to gaining a working knowledge of the foundations and paradigm of mindfulness, this course will introduce and practice a variety of meditations including sitting, eating, walking and movement meditations.
HON 5460-001—ONE CREDIT WORKSHOP
COLLEGIATE ARCHITECTURE: HOW THE CHANGING NEEDS OF STUDENTS HAVE SHAPED THE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS
11/1-11-3; FRIDAY 6:00-8:30 PM, SATURDAY 11:00 AM-7:00 PM, SUNDAY 11:00 AM-2:00 PM
PROF. COLETTE VARANO
This seminar focuses on the architecture and campus planning of colleges and universities in the United States. Beginning with colonial America, we will examine how changing theories of education manifested in the construction of college buildings over time. Using the Villanova University campus as an example, the class will explore how these principles came to fruition in modern college campuses and continue to shape the growing needs of contemporary schools. Weather permitting, the group will explore the grounds of Villanova to see many of the theories we discuss revealed on campus.
HON 5490-001: ONE CREDIT WORKSHOP
CULTURE LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP
PROF. KATHY BYRNES AND PROF. RALPH GIGLIOTTI
Restricted to freshmen in the following Learning Cohorts: Good True Beautiful, Global Scholars: Politics Philosophy Economics, and Global Scholars: Independent Humanities.
HON 5490-002—ONE CREDIT WORKSHOP
CULTURE LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP
W 8:30-9:20 AM
PROF. LANCE KENNEY
Restricted to sophomores in the following Learning Cohorts: Global Scholars: Politics Philosophy Economics and Global Scholars: Independent Humanities.
INDEPENDENT STUDY AND INTERNSHIPS
HON 2993-001; HON 2996-001
INTERNSHIP
3 or 6 credit internship experience. Students must arrange and complete the internship through OUS, but should register for this course to receive Honors credit.
HON 5500-001
INDEPENDENT STUDY AND RESEARCH—ARTS
Students should arrange the independent study with the professor/tutor and the Honors Director. A separate form and approval are required. The form is found on the ‘Student Forms’ tab of the Honors website.
HON 5506-001
INDEPENDENT STUDY AND RESEARCH—SCIENCE
Students should arrange the independent study with the professor/tutor and the Honors Director. A separate form and approval are required. The form is found on the ‘Student Forms’ tab of the Honors website.
HON 5508-001
INEPENDENT STUDY AND RESEARCH—INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH
Students should meet with the Honors Director to have a course for an impending study abroad approved for Honors credit. For more information, see the ‘Honors Goes Global’ tab on the Honors website.
HON 5599-001
TEACHING PRACTICUM
Honors seniors in good standing may contact the Honors Director and, with Director approval, arrange with a professor to do a teaching practicum experience in an ACS class.
