Honors Seminars
Fall Quarter 2008
- THE WARREN COURT: THE JUSTICES, THEIR DECISIONS, AND THEIR LEGACY
- Dr. Christine Compston, Fellowships Advisor
- Honors 350, CRN 40223
- MW 1400-1520
On the first Monday in October 1953, Earl Warren became the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Court he led until his retirement in 1969 tackled a broad range of cases involving civil and criminal rights – many of them protected by the Constitution, others falling under the "penumbra" of rights granted in the first ten amendments. These decisions have had far-reaching implications for America's social, economic, political, religious, educational, and cultural institutions. Often controversial because of their approach as well as their results, these rulings have shaped the way Americans view the role of the Court and its place in our federal government. Students will read and analyze both primary and secondary sources, including oral arguments and judicial opinions, case studies, biographies, and critical essays. They will also learn new skills (how to read a legal opinion) and enhance others (close reading of documents, analyzing and evaluating an argument, defending a position). The final grade for the course will be based on class participation, written assignments, and class debates.
- DARWIN, REVOLUTION, AND THE VIEW OF MAN'S PLACE IN NATURE
- Dr. Wayne Landis, Institute of Environmental Toxicology
- Honors 351, CRN 40224
- TR 1400-1520
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In the spring of 1858 Darwin was still on the brink of a series of events that would lead to the initial publication outlining evolution by natural selection. He had just received the letter by Alfred Wallace outlining evolution by natural selection and felt that he was about to be pre-empted. His youngest daughter had died from scarlet fever, severing him of any reluctance to accept a world without a divine plan. His abstract, now known as Origin of Species, was published on November 24, 1859. This book represents a landmark in our understanding of nature, and has influenced Western culture ever since. In this seminar we will examine the effects of culture upon the derivation of evolution by natural selection, and then skip to the present day to examine the continuing revolution. In the first part of the seminar we will explore the foundations of Darwin’s development of evolution by natural selection in the context of Victorian England. Emphasis will be placed on how the development of the theory was deeply influenced by the culture of the times. Critical points will be to follow the roles of human networks, scientific politics, the influence of culture and life events, and the influence of T. H. Huxley and others in the establishment of this revolutionary idea. In the second part of the course the relationships of evolutionary theory to current society will be examined. Topics such as the elimination of evolution from textbooks, the discussion of the belief in evolution as a criterion for political office, and the rise of non-scientific alternatives will be examined. We will also spend time examining how evolutionary biology is misunderstood or misapplied in our current culture, from the belief in progressive biological development and the balance of nature in evolutionary thought to the social constructs of racism and social Darwinism.
- WHEN HISTORY ENDS
- Dr. Tom Moore, Liberal Studies & Honors Program
- Honors 352, CRN 11005
- TR 1400-1520
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Though we've likely forgotten all about the Y2K hysteria (i.e., the destruction of the world through computer failure), such silliness is just another manifestation of the longest running soap opera in history: The apocalypse. Popularized by Revelations, the Anabaptists, the Sibylline Oracles and even Karl Marx, end-of time thinking is most commonly present in science fiction. After reading selections from two theoretical texts (Redeemer Nation and The Pursuit of the Millennium) we will look at a variety of science fiction works, such as Canticle for Leibowits, Farhrenheit 451, The Man in the High Castle, and films such as Blade Runner and Twelve Monkeys. Students will be evaluated by their contribution to class discussion, a 10-12 page paper (presented to the class) and by the quality of their personal apocalyptic visions.
- OVER MY DEAD BODY: WAYS OF DEPICTING CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
- Dr. Cornelius Partsch, Modern & Classical Languages
- Honors 353, CRN 12717
- TR 1500-1620
The course takes its starting point from a seemingly undeniable fact: crime, criminals and their victims, violence, detection, and punishment are everywhere. These representations of human suffering, criminal pathology, social disruption, and moral conflict appear incessantly and spectacularly on the screen and in print, and therefore significantly affect the way we see the world. In this course, we will examine how crime and punishment have been depicted since the late Middle Ages and how these older patterns continue to echo in contemporary culture and politics. We will survey the material from a number of different angles, getting to know the various ways of reading the texts, practices, signs, or events under investigation. By the end of the quarter, we will have gained a more critical and thorough understanding of the representational strategies, codes, and traditions that are, for example, behind the popularity of Law & Order, Alias, or the James Bond films.
- SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING: THE CONFLUENCE OF SCIENCE, COMMERCE, AND THE HUMANITIES
- Dr. Stephen Senge, Business & Economics
- Honors 356, CRN 14059
- MW 1400-1520
In his 1998 manifesto, Cannibals with Forks, John Elkington urged both private and public sector organizations to regularly report their "triple bottom line" – their impact on economic prosperity, environmental quality, and social justice. Over the last 10 years, this comment has prompted many businesses, NGOs, and governmental entities to issue web-based reports that attempt with text, graphics, and data to present their overlapping economic, environmental, and social footprints. Nicknamed "triple bottom line reporting," sustainability reporting represents a growing collection of theories, formats, and measures that combine elements of science, commerce, and the humanities. Through reading several books and examining some sustainability reports in detail, students in this seminar will explore the overall themes and examples offered by various authors and organizations. Our directed conversations will focus on an analysis and synthesis of general themes, the credibility of various approaches, and the general applicability of various sustainability reporting models.
- CRITICAL DECADES
- Dr. George Mariz, History & Honors Program
- Honors 354, CRN 21078
- MW 1500-1620
The decades of the 1920s and 1930s saw Europe plunge into a vortex of fascism, communism, economic depression, and finally a war that visited destruction beyond all previous experience on the continent. Yet things did not begin this way. In the 1920s most Europeans did not see their world in bleak terms. Though World War I had been a serious blow, most people believed that pre-war society, i.e., the pre-1914 world, could be restored, and that Europe and its nations would sooner or later find a new equilibrium - a return to what President Harding in the US called "normalcy". By the early 1930s the mood had shifted, initially to pessimism, and ultimately by the late part of the decade to despair. To many Europeans their world seemed on the verge of complete collapse. Paradoxically, it was also an age of enormous ferment, producing breakthrough discoveries and innovations in literature, the plastic arts, and the natural sciences. This seminar will explore a number of aspects of European life during this period, looking initially at the causes and effects of World War I, the rise of mass movements (both fascism and communism), developments in the arts and sciences, and finally, it will explore the coming of World War II. The approach will be topical rather than chronological, and the course will look at a broad range of sources, including history, literature, film, music, and art. Helpful background knowledge includes History 113 or its equivalent, e.g. AP European history.
- THE MEANING OF WORK
- Dr. Craig Dunn, Management
- Honors 355, CRN 20617
- TR 1500-1620
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This course is designed to engage the student in both rigorous intellectual inquiry as well as personal reflection. Work is arguably the primary pursuit for a vast majority of us. Yet, when asked what gives purpose and meaning to our lives many of us tend to leave work off the list. Living within a culture in which many of us have lost control over our own work, work has become of merely instrumental value in the quest for other meaning-giving activities in our lives. What is work? How does work differ from other human pursuits? What are the dimensions of work and its context which serve to provide it meaning and purpose? Are there personality variables which account for work satisfaction? These and other related questions provide the grist for this course. This class has been designed to be a challenging and exciting course for the Honors student. Much of the student's prior coursework has been concerned with structured topics closely related to a well-developed body of theory. There is not a specific set of skills serving to lead you through the course and no unifying meta-theory to inform your decisions. The problems and issues of meaningful work embrace the entire spectrum of philosophical, social, and organizational theory, as well as the fields of the arts and humanities.