Fall 2026 Courses

Sections: 12
Locations: Multiple
Professors: Multiple

As part of the minors and TRACTS major requirement, students must complete 3 hours of HCEs through HNRS 1010 Honors Core Experiences. HNRS 1010 recognizes co-curricular activities and reflection as part of a unique and valuable honors education, awarding academic credit for the activities that ambitious and active honors students regularly pursue. Students will repeat HNRS 1010 for a maximum of 3 credit hours to complete the HCE requirement. A student may enroll in multiple sections of HNRS 1010 per semester, though the students should be sure they can complete the requirements of the course before enrolling. To complete the HCE requirement, students submit proof of completion and respond to reflection questions via Moodle.

M W, 3:30-5:00 p.m., B0013 Gym Armory
Professor: Oluwagbemiga DadeMatthews

This course provides an in-depth introduction to medical terminology, with a focus on body systems and medical specialties. It provides the student with guided practice and assessment of prefixes, suffixes, word roots, and combining forms of standard medical terminology (or medical nomenclature). Additionally, the student will learn to read and interpret medical case reports. Presentation of medical case reports, problem solving, and written/verbal use of medical terminology will be the key focus of in-person meetings.

Sections: 24
Locations: Multiple
Professors: Multiple

August 2025 marked the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, a catastrophic storm that claimed the lives of over 1,800 Louisiana residents and displaced more than a million people. HNRS 2000 will explore the history and lasting impact of the disaster, examining the failure of critical flood protection infrastructure, the environmental consequences, and the government’s response. The course will also examine the roles and responsibilities of both citizens and governments in large-scale crises, using Michael Sandel’s Justice as a framework to explore ongoing challenges affecting Louisiana.

T TH 4:30-6:00 p.m., Location TBA
Professor: Dr. Taylor Santaloci

Learn how to write about scientific topics through a journalistic lens! This class will help you improve your scientific thinking and communication skills while also learning about Noel Prize winning discoveries.  
The goals of this course are to provide a background to better understand science, to demonstrate how science functions as a way of knowing, and to provide tools to evaluate scientific issues in the media more critically and accurately. Upon completion of the course, students will have an enhanced appreciation for the relevance of science in general everyday life; the beauty of physical sciences, as reflected at the level of the atom to that of the whole universe; and how science interacts with and shapes public policy and affects society at large. This will be accomplished through lectures, readings, movies, and discussions of current, controversial science issues. 

T TH 1:30-3:00 p.m., multiple locations
Professors: Craig Harvey and Ipsita Gupta

This course will cover topics on the science of energy, energy sources and uses, and their place in society. It will educate students on critically evaluating energy issues for everyday life and decisions. Upon completion of the course, students will have an enhanced appreciation for: (1) The science of energy, (2) Energy sources and type, (3) Energy use, (4) Relevance of energy in everyday life, and (5) Energy decisions. The course is directed at freshman, sophomores, and others who have not been exposed to college level science courses. It aims to generate an understanding of energy science for informed decisions on energy issues.

T TH 9:00-10:30 a.m., 200 French House
Professor: Vanessa Begat

This course integrates practical data skills with foundational cloud computing concepts through the lens of the ethics and the environment. Students learn to clean and analyze data using Python and Excel while leveraging AI tools such as ChatGPT to assist with scripting and automation. This work will be taught through the lens of the ethical and environmental considerations of using AI.  Each week aligns with an AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials module to connect hands-on data work with industry recognized credentialling in modern cloud infrastructure.

M W 4:30-6:00 p.m., 214 Foster Hall
Professor: James V. Remsen, Jr.

This course will explore how the “extinct” ivory-billed woodpecker fools us into making fifty-three thinking errors. Yes, we will learn a lot about one of the iconic birds of America that is almost certainly extinct, but the point of the course is to learn about the cognitive mistakes scientists make.

T TH 4:30-6:00 p.m., location TBA
Professor: Abbie Fish

Throughout history, people have been captivated by infectious diseases and their origins. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has heightened curiosity about how these diseases spread and the ways we can prevent and treat them. This course explores the history of some of the world's most devastating epidemics and examines their lasting influence on modern approaches to infectious disease management and treatment.

M W F 12:30-1:30 p.m., 200 French House
Professor: Douglas Scully

Mad women in the attic, arson, zombies, serial killers…there’s no telling what one will encounter (or what oneself will commit) when hired as a governess in a Victorian (or neo-Victorian) story. In this course, we will look at texts (mostly novels, but also a novella, a few films, and an alphabet picture book) that show the horrors one faces when appointed as governess, whether those horrors are supernatural beings like ghosts or more realistic frights like unwanted marriage proposals. The relationship between governesses (or nannies and babysitters in modern times) and children has proven fertile ground for horror narratives, and we will analyze why that remains true from the Victorian period through to today.

M W, 5:00-6:30 p.m., 221 French House
Professor: Tim Landry

A study of the life, career, and legacy of Richard Milhous Nixon is as Ronald Reagan described the man himself—complex and fascinating, a worthy pursuit for a university Honors student. You will learn not so much what to think, but how to think. A rigorous university History course will impress upon you that historical figures such as Nixon are much more than “hero” or “villain.” They are incredibly complex human beings and politicians.

Applying the lessons of the history you learn here will lead you to becoming a valuable informed and thinking citizen—no matter your political persuasion or philosophy. The critical thinking skills you learn here—objectively examining historical issues, conflicts, and personalities—will be valuable in your future career—be it law, medicine, the arts, or whatever field you choose.

T TH 4:30-6:00 p.m., 221 French House
Professor: Tim Landry

While this course will emphasize the impactful presidency of Lyndon Baines Johnson, this is primarily a cradle-to-grave study of the 36th President of the United States and the 20th century world in which he grew up and greatly shaped. One cannot properly understand American history without comprehending Lyndon Johnson’s Texas Hill Country and its history as an American frontier, Lyndon Johnson’s family legacy, and how this shaped him into the man and politician he became. An ongoing theme throughout the semester is the struggle described in the Amazon banner on your textbook, the constant tension in Lyndon Johnson’s life and career “between political expediency and getting things done for the American people.” He was the ultimate politician and the original (and best) practitioner in American political history of the “art of the deal.” Learning about Lyndon Johnson the political dealmaker not only increases our understanding of American History but provides lessons—both dos and don’ts—for your own future careers in politics, law, medicine, or wherever your ambitions take you. This course, like Professor Landry’s course on Richard Nixon, will contain elements of a history graduate school-level seminar, in that you will be expected to read, write, discuss, and contribute original thought to the discussion and not simply regurgitate factual material. However, this course contains more traditional lecture sessions than the Nixon course.

T Th 10:30-12:00 p.m., location TBA
Professor: James Spencer

The places we experience every day are a result of a complex web of policy and planning decisions made by various actors at different points in time.  Places reflect the values of the people who can them home.  This course examines how planning processes operate across different geographic and political scales – from small neighborhood initiatives to regional and state planning frameworks.  Students will study planning institutions and governance structures in Louisiana, exploring how coordination, conflict, and collaboration shape development and long-term resilience outcomes.

T TH 1:30-3:00 p.m., location TBA
Professor: Kerri Tobin

Homelessness in the United States is a significant social problem, but there are ways we can understand the issue more deeply, and there are approaches that have worked and are working to get individuals and families into permanent housing. In this course, we will explore experiences and public perceptions of homelessness and how policymakers have responded.

T TH 1:30-3:30 p.m., location TBA
Professor: Joy Blanchard

Study the history of campus free speech and expression. Do students have more rights than professors? How does the 1st Amendment apply to campus today?

M W F 10:30-11:30 a.m., 200 French House
Professor: Janene Grodesky

Content and theory related to basic health information; critical health issues, economic, political and cultural influences on health and wellness; improving and maintaining optimal health and wellness.

T TH 3:00-4:30 p.m., location TBA
Professor: Daniel Felty

This honors seminar explores the philosophical and theological dimensions of good and evil, particularly in relation to the existence of God. The course begins with an introduction to basic metaethics, addressing questions about the nature of moral truth and the foundation of ethical judgments. Students will then examine moral theories concerning God, exploring how metaethical theories relate to theism. Finally, the seminar delves into the problem of evil and criticisms of theism from a moral perspective. The seminar encourages critical thinking and rigorous development of personal perspectives on these complex issues.

Sec. 63: T TH 9:00-10:30 a.m., 218 French House

Sec. 64: T TH 10:30-12:00 p.m., 200 French House

Professor: Raquel Robvais

COVID-19 has reminded us of the questions we wrestle with in the care of our health. Does care belong to us, is it bequeathed to us or something we borrow for a bit, only to be taken away? This isn’t anything new or novel, African Americans and other marginalized communities have lived with this uncertainty. The health of black and brown bodies is often negotiated and devalued, taking shape in all sorts of ways: environmental injustices and exclusion of pain medication, artificial intelligence, and the assertion of human differences. This course lays a theoretical foundation for students to understand why we are seeing inequities today. We will examine how social factors such as poverty, community context, work environments, etc. affect our health. A critical observation and sustained examination over the semester will lead us to understand that America’s collision with COVID-19, the disparity in health care, and the denial of health equity is the fulfillment of the omen, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”

 T Th 9:00-10:30 a.m., 221 French House
Professor: Michael Henderson
American elections are frequent, staggered, and oftentimes unpredictable. Midterm elections can be especially tumultuous - potentially reshuffling control of the U.S. Congress, upending the current president’s agenda, and revealing potential contenders and issues for the next presidential contest. This course examines how candidates run their campaigns in these elections and how voters respond to those campaigns. We will look at these elections from a variety of perspectives including those of social scientists, constitutional scholars, historians, politicians, and the media. Using this midterm election cycle as our case study (including elections for the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and various governorships and state legislative races around the country), we will learn and apply the classic theories of scholars and the conventional wisdom of practitioners to the current events dominating the news in the fall of 2026. This course aspires to help students become more knowledgeable about the political process and to instill in them a greater understanding of their rights and responsibilities in the American form of government.

T TH 10:30-12:00  p.m., 220 French House
Professor: Craig Harvey

This course will examine the ethical issues surrounding engineering and technology systems that serve society. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of ethical decision-making when designing and implementing systems that affect people and communities. Case studies, including the Challenger disaster, will be used to highlight real-world ethical challenges and lessons learned. Course format: The Ethics in Engineering course will include case study presentations and discussions, student-led dialogues on ethical issues in technology, and in-class reflective writing exercises. Additionally, students will complete a final paper on ethics that incorporates their personal ethical statement and its application to their future career. Who should take this course? This course is well-suited for students in engineering, science, and mathematics, as well as anyone interested in exploring how ethics shapes our technological world. No technical background is required. Students from all academic disciplines are welcome, and diverse perspectives will enrich class discussions.

T TH 1:30-3:00 p.m., 218 French House
Professor: Jennifer Cramer

Explore methods, theory, ethics, and practice of doing oral history with Louisiana Veterans. Examine cultural, institutional, and relational dimensions of military and veteran history and culture through the study of war literature, history, and individual experiences. Create primary documents to be archived jointly at the T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History at LSU Libraries and the Library of Congress Veterans History Project experiences.

M 6:00-9:00 p.m., 135 French House
Professor: Michael Rolfsen

Many of the Ogden Honors College students plan on careers in health care. This course will enable those students to grapple with some of the ethical concerns they will face in their careers; for other students not planning a medical related career, bioethical issues will no doubt concern them in their interactions as patients, family members, or friends of people receiving medical care. Furthermore, the issues involved in bioethics affect all of us and will spill over into the laws that govern our society. Hence an awareness of and ability to discuss these issues is paramount to our future. The course will begin by reviewing the history of bioethics including pertinent landmark historical cases followed by discussion of various principles of bioethics. The main focus will be on the four-principles approach championed by Beauchamp and Childress (respect for autonomy; doing no harm; helping; and being just), but the course will also include feminist, utilitarian, and other approaches. The second half of the course reviews current bioethical issues, including health care reform, human enhancement, abortion, assisted suicide, euthanasia, public health and healthcare rationing in a crisis, the concept of futility, reproductive bioethics, and several others. We will present the basic information on these topics and then discus them as a class, including a “mock ethics consult” on the topic at hand.

T TH 1:30-3:00 p.m., 135 French House
Professor: Darius Spieth

This course is designed to approach the issue of art and its role in the commercial marketplace from a variety of perspectives. It is divided into two parts. Part I will retrace the origins of the various “players” in the modern art market setting (dealers, auction houses, collectors, museums, etc.) from seventeenth-century Holland to the end of WWII. Part II will investigate the structures and strategies of the contemporary art market. Issues will include marketing, psychology, economics, finance, ethics, and the social role of art in capitalist society. Guest lectures and visits to exhibitions will supplement and enrich class discussions. 

W 4:30-7:30 p.m., 135 French House
Professor: Gwendolyn Murray

This course will provide an overview of modern Brazilian cinema the period of democratization of the 1980s to the new wave of contemporary Brazilian cinema (retomada) of the 1990s to the present. The course will analyze selected films as art and cultural production as well as their representational properties that speak to the sociopolitical context in which they were produced. Films selected for this course are all oriented around the central themes of poverty, race, violence, and gender, and where possible, the intersection thereof.

T 6:00-9:00 p.m., 35 Allen Hall
TH 6:00-9:00 p.m., 35 Allen Hall
Professor: Henry Goldkamp

Handspringing across a grand, circus-worthy expanse of clown-centric disciplines—stand-up, performance arts, film, television, fiction, poetry, paintings, and theater—we will ultimately seek the answer to the question: Is the clown an integral part of the human condition? Beginning with a swift history of clown—and quickly dispelling all pejorative connotations that only recently have begun to cling to its polka-dot coat—we will survey the various ways that failure provides a universal springboard for the some of the most fruitful, dynamic artworks ever created. This honors class is designed for the material, cross-genre thinker who would like to learn erudite theories and concepts as they pertain to a whoopie cushion, squirting flower, or banana peel. We will study the gag as cultural artifact, the semiotics of clown makeup and costume, as well as investigate and analyze the manner in which clown is represented by famous and lesser-known works of literature, cinema, and pop culture.

T 3:00-6:00 p.m., 113 Allen Hall
Professor: Zack Godshall

In this course, we'll write about films & make films about poems. We'll explore the realm of the image-makers where the pen becomes a camera and the camera a pen. A creative class for Louisiana's image-makers by Louisiana's image-makers. Examining the power of image-makers, the course reveals the tools of both poet and filmmaker. Students will learn by reading and watching, discussing and writing, and by doing. We will read poems and watch films in order to ground ourselves in the techniques unique to each medium. Through discussion and further inquiry and research we will identify the most effective means of integrating words and video to create original work. Throughout the semester, students will experiment with words and video images in order to understand both mediums more completely. Ultimately, students will create videopoems, a unique medium that integrates words and visual images.

M W F 11:30-12:30 p.m., 127 Coates Hall
Professor: Touria Khannous

Students will gain not only an expanded knowledge of a broad range of films from around the globe but also an increased understanding of films’ aesthetic approaches to the theme of the body. Main topics are gendered bodies, digital bodies, bodies and trauma, bodies of the disappeared, black bodies, disabled bodies etc. Students will read essays on the screened films as well as theoretical essays which serve to familiarize them with key theoretical concepts in film studies. 

M W F 9:30-10:30 a.m., 221 French House
Professor: Inessa Bazayev

This course aims to introduce and contextualize twentieth-century music through the backdrop of visual arts. We will survey artistic movements from impressionism through post-modernism to deepen our understanding of twentieth century music from social, political, and artistic perspectives. The course will be driven by weekly source readings, critical blog posts, and essay projects.

Sec. 900: TH 3:00-6:00 p.m., 1005 East Laville Hall
Sec. 902: W 6:00-9:00 p.m., 1005 East Laville Hall
Professor: D.J. Sparr

In Songwriting, students will learn methods to craft their own songs (lyrics, melody, and chords). The course presents songs from the past and present for analysis. Students engage in weekly “roundtable” discussions workshopping their songs. There are no required pre-requisites for the course. A typical class will start with group singing and musical exercises such as solfeggio (aural skills) while talking about musical fundamentals. From there, we will present and discuss “hit” songs where we will analyze lyrics, chord progressions, and historical/social context. Class then becomes either group work on your own songs or the performances of your own songs.

W 3:00-6:00 p.m., 1005 East Laville Hall
Professor: D.J. Sparr

In the Music Composition for Non-Majors course, students will explore methods for crafting musical works, utilizing composition to learn the fundamentals of music. This process follows a "discover, drill, create" technique, where students uncover musical concepts with guidance from the teacher, practice through improvisational exercises using those concepts, and finally, compose original pieces employing these newfound skills. There will also be study of important historical pieces in many genres. You will write a paper and do a presentation on one of these pieces. Each class will commence with a listening and discussion session centered around significant classical or art music pieces, incorporating the study and critique of compositions from both historical and contemporary periods. In addition to weekly composing assignments, students will undertake a "final composition project" and be required to write a paper and deliver a presentation on a historically significant piece of "art music.” Upon completing the Creative Music Composition course, students will gain enhanced knowledge and skills in music composition, a deeper understanding of music history, and proficiency in collaboration, presentation, critical thinking, & discussion.

Sec. 903: T TH 9:00-10:30 a.m., 1005 East Laville Hall
Sec. 904: T TH 10:30-12:00 p.m., 1005 East Laville Hall
Professor: Jennifer Lau

This course explores music in society and its cultural relevance and is designed to increase the students’ appreciation of music as well as enhance their listening skills. We will use classical music as a starting point for developing listening skills by examining Western classical art music of the Medieval Period to the 21st century. Students are introduced to various periods, styles, and composers of music from various cultures and times. By placing individual pieces, techniques, and composers into context, we can observe how individuals innovate or disrupt the norm to create lasting change. There are many different kinds of music, and all music has value. You’ll have several opportunities to apply your new knowledge and analysis skills to your favorite kinds of music. This course will also provide an introduction to the fundamentals of music and musical notation.

T TH 10:30-12:00 p.m., Location TBA
T TH 3:00-4:30 p.m., Location TBA
Professor: Brett Duggan

In this course, students will learn, practice, and analyze the transferable skills learned from improvising theatre, including gaining a broader understanding of Improvisation in theater history, modern culture, and the business world. By studying and applying the principles of spontaneous problem-solving, listening, and teamwork, students will gain a strong foundation in how this artform can improve one's work and social life. The various improv tools and step-by-step techniques will help students overcome self-consciousness while discovering how to analyze outcomes in a proactive and impersonal way. Lessons will be experiential, and as the course continues, the complexity of the experiments will deepen. The student will read and compare renowned improv practitioners' and teachers' writings in conjunction with the classwork. Improv is a truly an art-form and a way into experiencing Theater and Performance without a dictator of the script.

Students will be asked to research a specific theatrical genre (for example, Chekhovian Magical Realism, Southern Gothic, or Brechtian) then analyze it. Assigned class teams will be asked to present their findings to the class in presentation and incorporate this research into practical application through Performance.

T TH 4:30-6:00 p.m., 200 French House
Professor: Sabrina Cervantez

In this course, we will discuss topics related to the History of Science in the nineteenth century with a focus on Britain. We will discuss scientific discoveries and technological advancements in various fields. We will also discuss the popular perception of scientific discoveries during the nineteenth century. Topics include geology, mathematics, medicine, chemistry, science fiction, and more!

M W 3:30-5:00 p.m., 200 French House
Professor: James Stoner

One of the most remarkable developments in political and moral philosophy in recent years has been the resurgence of interest in the ancient and medieval authors Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas.  Both wrote extensively on morals and politics, the latter offering detailed commentary on the former while adapting his work in light of the advent of the Christian faith; together they were attacked and rejected by many of the better-known philosophers of modern politics.  With the crises of modern regimes in the 20th century, however, the question arose whether the attacks were justified and the rejection premature.  In this course, we will read the two authors in turn, concentrating on their moral and political works, but paying attention as well to their treatment of physics, metaphysics, and what has come to be known as epistemology.  We will take seriously the classical texts themselves, but will also consider their meaning in the world today.

T TH 5:00-6:30 p.m., Location TBA
Professor: Daniel Felty

This honors seminar investigates one of the most fundamental questions in philosophy: what kind of thing is a human person? The course focuses on philosophical theories of the soul, the mind–body relationship, personal identity, and the possibility of survival after death. Students examine historically influential accounts: from Plato and Aristotle through Aquinas, Descartes, and Locke, alongside contemporary challenges from materialism and neuroscience.

Rather than surveying views at a distance, the course emphasizes close reading of primary philosophical texts, sustained discussion, and comparative argumentation. Students are expected to actively engage with competing models of the human person, reconstruct arguments charitably, and defend or critique positions through structured philosophical dialogue. No religious belief is presupposed; the course is grounded in philosophical reasoning and critical evaluation.

M W F 11:30-12:30 p.m., 221 French House
Professor: Michael Dettinger

This course will examine German historical and cultural roots in the state of Louisiana from the 18th Century to present day. We will concentrate on the early arrival of German settlers, the historically German geographic areas of Louisiana, the influence of German customs on Louisiana culture, shared traditions between both Louisiana and Germany, and analyze the current state of the German presence in Louisiana. Texts will include films and fiction, as well as historical and theoretical literature by European and American scholars. Course taught in English. No knowledge of German required.

T TH 10:30-12:00 p.m., Location TBA
Professor: Pallavi Rastogi

This course examines the Bollywood blockbuster since the 1990s, a period marked by the global boom in Hindi cinema consumption. We will focus on how these movies combine high drama, low comedy, tear-jerker romance, lavish settings, and spectacular song-and-dance sequences to offer insight into life in a changing India and its growing diaspora. Through close analysis of iconic blockbusters such as “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge,” “Lagaan,” “Parineeta,” and “Kahaani,” we will consider how Bollywood’s extravagant music, choreography, and visual style represent, critique, and fantasize about reality. The course will also investigate how Bollywood aesthetics travel globally through crossover productions such as “Bend It Like Beckham” and “Polite Society.”

T TH 1:30-3:00 p.m., 220 French House
T TH 3:00-4:30 p.m., 221 French House
Professor: Herman Kelly

This course will survey the development of The Civil Rights Movement in America and its impact on present day society. In recent years people have developed an interest in The Civil Rights Movement. Many of the icons have left the scene and it is necessary to maintain the legacy. Between 1953 and 1968 there was an intense effort, employing a set of methods, aimed at a set of goals, and involving a wide array of groups, and charismatic leaders. This movement began with the bus boycott in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (McMickle: 238). This community was active in the Civil Rights era, and therefore this experience is important for students to understand and articulate the importance of this narrative called The History of The Civil Rights Movement. We will discuss and explore the Rhetorical Traditions of this movement and the persons and events that led to this historical movement in this country.

T TH 12:00-1:30 p.m., Location TBA
Professor: Mark Wagner

This course will explore a range of issues surrounding sex and sexuality in the Arab world, including marriage, divorce, adultery, homosexuality, obscenity, rape, slave concubines, eunuchs, FGM, sex-change operations, contraception, abortion, and aphrodisiacs.

T TH 1:30-3:00 p.m., 221 French House
Professor: Will Puente

This course introduces students to the fundamentals of trial advocacy through simulated courtroom proceedings. Through active engagement in trial simulations, students will develop the skills necessary to navigate complex legal and ethical issues. Using a hands-on approach, students will develop their critical thinking, legal analysis, and public speaking skills by engaging in trial preparation, witness examinations, and legal argumentation. The course will incorporate aspects of constitutional law, rules of evidence, and procedural fairness. Students will conduct research on legal issues, craft persuasive legal arguments, and participate in mock trial simulations. By the end of the course, students will have developed practical advocacy skills applicable in law, business, and other professional fields requiring analytical reasoning and communication expertise.

T 4:30-7:30 p.m., 126 Stubbs Hall
Professor: Wesley Shrum

How can we understand recent and future technological developments that promise to change the very nature of what it means to be human? The entities created by Artificial Intelligence may be compared and contrasted with the ways that humans have conceptualized unseen but often influential entities such as gods and ghosts, androids and cyborgs. Course topics include shamanism, the technologies of consciousness, witchcraft, magical beings, and the afterlife.

T TH 7:30-9:00 p.m., 200 French House
Professor: N. Laguna-Luque

Introduction to scholarly writing and research in the social sciences. This course is designed to develop and improve students’ scholarly reading, writing, presentational, and research skills. In this seminar students will conduct research in multiple ethnic heritage and racial identities depending on their interests. Students will explore the cultural practices and social experiences that have given shape to the identity of the other person in our country.

T TH 1:30-3:00 p.m., Location TBA
Professor: Lauren Griffin

What is “religion”? And what is "religious studies"? Who decides what gets to count as “religious” and what are the implications of classifying something as “religious”? Because classes just like this one have a huge role in shaping answers to those questions, we are going to read three very different textbooks commonly used in introductory courses like this. We will consider each author’s approach to the topic, and think about how these types of books, these types of courses, and this type of discourse among the general public actually shapes the way we view "religion." Along the way, you will have the opportunity to gain many new insights into the doctrinal and ritual dimensions of several cultural practices commonly labeled religions; however, the main point of the course is to figure out and articulate the assumptions, values, and goals that shape our thinking about religions (and other stuff!).
Overall, my goal is to encourage you to be curious about how you think — what do you normalize and/or tend to take for granted, how do you go about using different words to describe and navigate the world around you? Why do these processes matter?

T TH 3:00-4:30 p.m., Location TBA
Professor: Wonik Kim

We are increasingly living in a faster and smaller world. Globalization has radically changed our daily life for better or worse, so we must understand the nature of this gigantic transformation of social structures and cultural zones. Focusing on the politics of globalization, we will consider answers to critical questions:

• What is the essence of globalization?
• Are we converging into a world society?
• Is the nation-state becoming obsolete?
• How serious is the globalization backlash?
• Why populism everywhere?
• Are globalization and democracy contradictory with each other?
• How has globalization caused climate change?
• Are we all deranged?
• If globalization is transformative, what will be and should be a new world?
• What does it mean to be a citizen of the world? What is global justice?

T TH 12:00-1:30 p.m., 113 Acadian Hall
Professor: Ashley Mack

This course explores how sexual violence is symbolically negotiated in U.S. public culture. We will examine how sexual violence and consent are framed in legal, political, educational, media, and cultural contexts. We will survey the intersectional relationships between race, gender, sexuality, nation, age, ability, and class as they relate to sexual violence. Finally, we will consider the ways that the public framing of sexual violence impacts cultural views about rape, and in turn, how social institutions (such as schools, the government, religious bodies, or the criminal justice system) attempt to stop sexual violence.

M W 3:30-5:00 p.m., 221 French House
Professor: Joshua Howard

In this course, students will study positive psychology, the study of positive experiences, character strengths, relationships, and institutions that foster human flourishing.  Students will critically analyze research findings, engage in experiential learning activities, and reflect on the personal relevance of positive psychology principles.

T TH 12:00-1:30 p.m., 203 French House
Professor: Vince LiCata

This course will focus on reading and analysis of science-based theatrical plays. Texts to be studied will be fictional and creative non-fictional narratives that have high scientific content or underlying scientific content that is critical to the work. Classical science fiction will not be included.

T TH 10:30-12:00 p.m., 113 Acadian Hall
T TH 10:30-12:00 p.m., 203 French House
Professor: Alex Orwin and Farida Guechoud

Through literature, philosophy, and film, this course explores great conversations about heroism and its various kinds.  We will examine how different cultures and historical periods have defined the hero—from warriors and leaders to thinkers and ordinary individuals who are called upon to do extraordinary things. Together we will ask: What makes a hero? Who decides? When does heroism risk becoming tragedy? And does the modern world still believe in heroes?

Sec. 901: T TH 3:00-4:30 p.m., 135 French House
Sec. 902: T TH 3:00-4:30 p.m., 218 French House
Sec. 904: T TH 3:00-4:30 p.m., 220 French House
Professors: Gabrielle Stanton-Ray, Allen Ray, and Asher Gelzer-Govatos

Stand at the edge of the abyss-in good company. Explore how works from the Book of Job, Shakespeare, Nietzsche, Hardy, and more have wrestled with despair, doubt, and the search for meaning.

T TH 1:30-3:00 p.m., 1005 East Laville Hall
T TH 1:30-3:00 p.m., 1220 West Laville Hall
Professors: Jennifer Lau and Asher Gelzer-Govatos

Description coming soon!

T TH 12:00-1:30 p.m., 1220 West Laville Hall
Professor: Andre Pagliarini

Nationalism shapes who belongs and where—as well as who doesn’t—in the modern world. This Honors course explores how nations are imagined and nationalisms contested in Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia, tracing the creation of “us” and “them” through history, literature, and political thought. Students will analyze how myths, symbols, arguments, and movements have forged belonging and exclusion across time and place, leading up to the resurgence of nationalist politics in our tumultuous present.

T TH 12:00-1:30 p.m., 221 French House
T TH 9:00-10:30 a.m., 135 French House
Professor: Drew Lamonica Arms and Joshua Allbright

Experience the epic battles, larger than life figures, and great speeches of the ancient world as we read works by Homer, Plato, Ovid, and more.

M W F 11:30-12:30 p.m., 218 French House
T TH 12:00-1:30 p.m., location TBA

Professors: Christine Kooi and TBA
Nothing is more peculiar or diverse than the “modern,” twenty- first century world that we inhabit.  Who can explain a time, a place, and a culture in which one can pursue almost any goal or career, whether riding a spacecraft to the moon, baking artisanal bread, singing about love in cocktail lounges, or discovering the secrets of subatomic particles?  Where did this strangely wonderful and astoundingly varied world come from?  What ideas, habits, customs, or quirks sustain it?  Honors 2406 opens the exciting process of answering these questions as it looks at the long era that created modernity and that fancied everything from amoebas to fireworks to considerations of reincarnation.  This lively course surveys the rich, complicated, and entertaining transition from the medieval to a self-consciously modern world, beginning with the invention of the printing press (and the first mass-media period) and proceeding through a delightfully meandering course to the French and American revolutions.  Most of the free, online texts studied in the course come from English-language literature and philosophy, but these readings will open windows to the full spectrum of European cultural and artistic activity during the Renaissance and Enlightenment.  Students will enjoy gaining an understanding of the social and intellectual foundations of many of the great debates of our time.

T TH 9:00-10:30 a.m., 220 French House
Professor: Leonard Ray

This course introduces students to some of the most fascinating and provocative figures, texts, and works of art created between about 1800 and the present. Topics include Romantic literature, fin de siècle psychological realism, fascist architecture, and postwar attempts to grapple with the horrors of the World Wars. Readings include works by Mary Shelley, Karl Marx, Henrik Ibsen, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Friedrich Nietzsche, John Maynard Keynes, Benito Mussolini, and Hannah Arendt. Course assignments include weekly quizzes, two take-home midterm exams, a final exam, and one creative assignment.

T TH 12:00-1:30 p.m., Location TBA
Professor: Rudy Hirschheim

The rapid pace of new technological development over the past half century has led to widespread changes in human activity and the institutions that surround them. Indeed, there is little question regarding how life has been dramatically altered through the assimilation of digital technologies. This alteration is manifest in visible and not so visible ways. It has produced subtle and not so subtle changes surrounding social values and norms, social structures and institutions, as well as the very character of human relationships. Such fundamental social and societal change gives rise to a myriad of ethical issues and challenges. This course examines these ethical issues by attempting to understand how digital technologies in its many forms affects social relationships, institutional arrangements, ideological beliefs, human behavior, and in particular social values and norms. HNRS 3025 is an interdisciplinary course that will explore how digital technologies shape and are shaped by society and individuals’ beliefs and values. It will also consider how ethical issues have or have not been considered when designing and implementing digital technology at the individual, group and societal levels. Essentially, the course’s purpose is to allow students to develop a richer and deeper understanding of the social, ethical, and policy issues associated with society’s inextricable linkage to and use of digital technologies. The course will primarily focus on technologies and issues such as big data, artificial intelligence, privacy and surveillance, intellectual property, social media, cybersecurity, professional ethics and responsibilities, work arrangements, and the digital divide.

W 4:00-5:00 p.m., Location TBA
Professor: Joshua Jackson

College athletics as an institution is experiencing arguably its most disruptive era ever—a sustained, systemic upset from multiple places such as the transfer portal, NIL, legal battles, and conference realignment. Honors colleges and programs at ten SEC universities in the SEC are coming together to offer a forum on the future of college athletics. The initiative helps students understand the rapidly evolving landscape of the field, including legal ramifications, revenue sharing, sports marketing and journalism. By bringing together perspectives from multiple institutions, the forum offers rare insight into both campus-level operations and the broader, conference-wide forces reshaping college athletics.

T TH 10:30-12:00 p.m., Location TBA
Professor: Janet McDonald