Courses in the Honors College
Please note: this list may be incomplete and will be updated as new information is received. If you have questions about the following courses, please contact honors@wsu.edu.
A wide variety of course topics are available to Honors College students. Please check back often, as changes may occur until the semester begins. Need an appointment with an Honors College Advisor? Schedule an appointment here.
Course descriptions are intended to provide general information about the scope of the class, the name of the faculty member teaching it, credits, and texts. All descriptions are posted as soon as possible the semester preceding so students can consider their options and plan accordingly. Listings from previous semesters are located at the bottom of this page.
Fall 2024
HONORS 201.1*
MESI Workshop Series
Meetings: W 5:10-6:00
Instructor: Robin Bond
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student
This one-credit MESI workshop class will explore mindfulness practice along with discussions of how mindfulness shows up in our lives. In our weekly meetings we will explore different approaches to practicing mindfulness and hear from invited speakers who are WSU faculty and guests with experience in mindfulness and compassion practices.
The class will meet weekly, and students will complete short written reflections about each meeting. There is no expectation that you have taken courses in the MESI program or have a personal mindfulness practice in order to be successful in this class. Students at all levels of experience are welcome to join.
*This course qualifies as credit for the MESI Certificate.
HONORS 201.2*
MESI Workshop Series
Meetings: W 12:10-1:00
Instructor: Robin Bond
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student
This one-credit MESI workshop class will explore mindfulness practice along with discussions of how mindfulness shows up in our lives. In our weekly meetings we will explore different approaches to practicing mindfulness and hear from invited speakers who are WSU faculty and guests with experience in mindfulness and compassion practices.
The class will meet weekly, and students will complete short written reflections about each meeting. There is no expectation that you have taken courses in the MESI program or have a personal mindfulness practice in order to be successful in this class. Students at all levels of experience are welcome to join.
*This course qualifies as credit for the MESI Certificate.
HONORS 211.1*
Introduction to Community Engagement
Meetings: T 2:55-4:10
Instructor: Jessica Perone
Course Duration: September 17 – November 19
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student
Information forthcoming.
*This course qualifies as credit for the MESI Certificate.
HONORS 212.1*
Active and Immersive Community Engagement
Meetings: Asynchronous
Instructor: Jessica Perone
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student, Must have taken Honors 211
Information forthcoming.
*This course qualifies as credit for the MESI Certificate.
HONORS 270.1
Principles and Research Methods in Social Science
Meetings: T,Th 12:05-1:20
Instructor: Tekla Schmaus
Prerequisite: Must be an Honors Student
The Archaeology of Death and Burial
When you think of archaeology, you may think of burials and tombs. And although they’re cool on their own, archaeologists think it’s even more interesting to use those burials to help us understand what life was like in the societies in which those people lived. We’ll start with an introduction to how anthropologists think about death, and then move on to an overview of archaeological methods. After that, we’ll tackle some archaeological questions, like: What beliefs did people have about the afterlife, and can we tell if a person died a “good” death? Can we use burials to determine if a society was egalitarian or hierarchical? How did people use burials to send signals about power or authority? Keeping in mind that the dead don’t bury themselves, what information can we glean about individual identities from burials? We’ll also discuss the politics and ethics of excavating human remains. Please be aware that there will be images of human remains, and we may even handle a human skeleton. None of the images will be from cultures that prohibit such displays.
HONORS 270.3
Principles and Research Methods in Social Science
Meetings: T,Th 2:55-4:10
Instructor: Nicole O’Donnell
Prerequisite: Must be an Honors Student
Cougs Vote
Principles and Research Methods in Social Science is a special topics class in which honors students explore the theory and practice of social media in political communication practice – especially in the context of the 2024 United States election.
Required Course Materials:
Cougs-Vote_Proposed-Honors-Syllabus_Fall_2024_ODonnell.pdf
HONORS 280.1
Contextual Understanding in the Arts and Humanities
Meetings: T,Th 1:30-2:45
Instructor: Linda Russo
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student
The Arts of Being Eco
| Eco-friendly. Ecofeminist. Ecotourist. Ecoterrorist. What does being “eco” mean? In biology, eco- refers to earth’s living systems. In popular usage, eco- signifies “green” behaviors that mitigate harm to natural environments; in other words, we are eco- based on what we refrain from doing as consumers. The eco- prefix comes into English from the Greek word oikos, meaning “home,” and this suggests that the relationships maintained where one lives, lived relationships, are at the heart of the meaning of eco-. This course invites students to figure out what being eco means to them. We will explore all manner of ecological relationships in poems, essays, and fiction to come up with a theory of being “eco” and to reflect on the practices that have defined our eco-relating thus far. We will use the EcoArts – the arts of attention, imagination, and creative research – as methods to explore the specifics of relationships with other-than-human beings in this place. Toward the end of the semester, students will undertake a collaborative project to generate a lexicon for the theory and art of being eco in our current times and looking forward. |
Required Course Materials:
- Counter-Desecration: A Glossary for Writing Within the Anthropocene, edited by Marthe Reed and Linda Russo. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 9780819578464.
HONORS 280.2*
Contextual Understanding in the Arts and Humanities
(online course through WSU Global Campus)
Meetings: Asynchronous
Instructor: Annie Lampman
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student
Creative Writing: Fiction, The Short Story
This is a creative writing course that introduces students to the art and craft of short-form fiction writing. We will read, analyze, and discuss award-winning short stories, complete writing exercises, and write two short stories while working to explore and develop short-story craft elements including characterization, point-of-view, dialogue, plot, scene and summary, setting, and the use of metaphorical language and themes. Throughout the semester, each student will have one of their short stories workshopped with written peer reviews and instructor feedback provided. No previous creative writing experience is necessary, although strong general writing abilities are required to do well in this course. This is also a MESI course where you will keep a mindfulness journal that is meant to correlate to you creative work.
*This course qualifies as credit for the MESI Certificate.
Required Course Materials:
1. Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft, Janet Burroway, ISBN#: 9780226616698
2. Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction: 50 North American Stories since 1970, 2nd Edition, Michael Martone, ISBN#: 9781416532279
3. I Am Here Now: A Creative Mindfulness Guide and Journal, The Mindfulness Project, ISBN#: 9780399184444
HONORS 280.3*
Contextual Understanding in the Arts and Humanities
Meetings: M,W,F 11:10-12:00
Instructor: David Shier
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student
Food for Thought: The Philosophy of Food
It’s hard to think of anything more central to human existence, human cultures, and the human experience than food, so it’s not surprising that there are plenty of philosophical issues concerning the production, distribution, preparation, and consumption of food.
Here’s a menu for the semester:
APPETIZERS: An overview of philosophy featuring a primer on ethical theories, plus a look ahead at some key philosophical issues about food.
MAIN COURSE: Ethical issues about food, including animal products (e.g., ethical veganism), the environmental impact of our food choices (e.g., the locavore movement), biotech in food production (e.g., GMOs), the conditions of food workers, and hunger and food insecurity, among others. We will discuss these issues in terms of both the food choices we make as individuals and the policy choices we make as societies. We will critically explore arguments for and against the various positions on these ethical issues.
SIDES: In smaller portions that add variety to our fare, we will discuss a range of other food issues, including mindful eating, aesthetic dimensions of food, and the expression of personal and cultural identities through food.
DESSERT: In the final two weeks, students will do in-class presentations on group projects they’ve completed during the semester. These projects will focus on either (1) the strategic adoption of a significant change in food choices, (2) research on a food-related issue not covered in the class, or (3) a set of food-related community-engagement activities. While there will be a very short summary paper submitted, the main graded work of this project is the presentation itself.
No previous course in philosophy is required. The other graded activities (to be determined) will be some combination of short essays, discussion posts, in-class activities, and attendance/participation.
There will be about 20 required readings (all provided free via Canvas) plus short films both in and out of the classroom (Ted talks, etc.). Where possible, we’ll connect with this year’s Common Reading book, How the Other Half Eats (by Priya Fielding) but it won’t be a required text.
Required Course Materials:
| There will be about 20 required readings (provided online free) plus short films both in and out of the classroom (Ted talks, etc.). Where possible, we’ll connect with this year’s Common Reading book, How the Other Half Eats (by Priya Fielding) but the book won’t be a required text. |
*This course qualifies as credit for the MESI Certificate.
HONORS 280.4*
Contextual Understanding in the Arts and Humanities
Meetings: M,W,F 9:10-10:00
Instructor: David Shier
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student
Food for Thought: The Philosophy of Food
It’s hard to think of anything more central to human existence, human cultures, and the human experience than food, so it’s not surprising that there are plenty of philosophical issues concerning the production, distribution, preparation, and consumption of food.
Here’s a menu for the semester:
APPETIZERS: An overview of philosophy featuring a primer on ethical theories, plus a look ahead at some key philosophical issues about food.
MAIN COURSE: Ethical issues about food, including animal products (e.g., ethical veganism), the environmental impact of our food choices (e.g., the locavore movement), biotech in food production (e.g., GMOs), the conditions of food workers, and hunger and food insecurity, among others. We will discuss these issues in terms of both the food choices we make as individuals and the policy choices we make as societies. We will critically explore arguments for and against the various positions on these ethical issues.
SIDES: In smaller portions that add variety to our fare, we will discuss a range of other food issues, including mindful eating, aesthetic dimensions of food, and the expression of personal and cultural identities through food.
DESSERT: In the final two weeks, students will do in-class presentations on group projects they’ve completed during the semester. These projects will focus on either (1) the strategic adoption of a significant change in food choices, (2) research on a food-related issue not covered in the class, or (3) a set of food-related community-engagement activities. While there will be a very short summary paper submitted, the main graded work of this project is the presentation itself.
No previous course in philosophy is required. The other graded activities (to be determined) will be some combination of short essays, discussion posts, in-class activities, and attendance/participation.
There will be about 20 required readings (all provided free via Canvas) plus short films both in and out of the classroom (Ted talks, etc.). Where possible, we’ll connect with this year’s Common Reading book, How the Other Half Eats (by Priya Fielding) but it won’t be a required text.
Required Course Materials:
| There will be about 20 required readings (provided online free) plus short films both in and out of the classroom (Ted talks, etc.). Where possible, we’ll connect with this year’s Common Reading book, How the Other Half Eats (by Priya Fielding) but the book won’t be a required text. |
*This course qualifies as credit for the MESI Certificate.
HONORS 280.5
Contextual Understanding in the Arts and Humanities
Meetings: T,Th 12:05-1:20
Instructor: Grant Maierhofer
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student
Adaptations: Literature to Film
This course will focus on the phenomenon of adaptation in film. We’ll read literary works, discuss and analyze them, then view their adaptations by a range of directors, in a range of styles, and write about the choices made in taking a published work, narrowing it down into a screenplay, and visualizing it on screen. In certain cases, where possible, we’ll also read the screenplays and discuss the interplay between these three textual forms.
Students will get experience in writing literary works, writing film analysis and criticism, and even writing short screenplay fragments for literary works of their choosing.
We’ll also look into adaptation as a field of academic study, as entire journals are now devoted to “adaptation studies”.
Required Course Materials:
- I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid
- The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean
- Psycho by Robert Bloch
- Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
- Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
- A Simple Man by Christopher Isherwood
HONORS 290.1
Science as a Way of Knowing
Meetings: T,Th 1:30-2:45
Instructor: V.S. Mano Manoranjan
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student. Any B, BSCI, P, PSCI, or SCI lab or concurrent enrollment.
Quantitative models in practice
In recent times, there have been headlines such as,
• Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are spiking
• Magnitude 4.9 Earthquake Shakes Idaho
• Groundwater pollution puts drinking water at risk
In this course, we’ll develop ideas to describe such real-life occurrences quantitatively. We’ll show how simple mathematical models can be constructed to study these phenomena. The mathematical models can help us in making predictions and management decisions. In particular, we’ll focus on
• Spread of Diseases (such as Covid-19) and
• Population Growth
HONORS 290.2
Science as a Way of Knowing
Meetings: T,Th 9:10-10:25
Instructor: Joanna Schultz
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student. Any B, BSCI, P, PSCI, or SCI lab or concurrent enrollment.
The Hungry Plague
Two bestselling novels by MR Carey from The Hungry Plague Series depict the following: a future dystopian Earth caused by a worldwide plague due to a highly infectious fungal pathogen, resulting in the total demise of Homo sapiens as we define our species. We will examine how near human extinction occurs and how evolution/natural selection operates in this post-apocalyptic environment.
In this course, we will use shared inquiry/the Socratic Method to assess the bridge between MR Carey’s bestselling novels, The Girl With All The Gifts and The Boy on the Bridge and the evolutionary processes driving the fungal pathogen, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, which at its core, is the fundamental element in the novel and the primary selective/evolutionary force behind the downfall of our species.
We will spend the first third of the term examining evolutionary patterns and processes in a discussion format reading essays from Stephen J. Gould’s “Eight Little Piggies: Reflections in Natural History” as you read the novels. Subsequently, we will break into Shared Inquiry/the Socratic Method for the remainder of the term. Two students will develop a “Basic Question” based on an evolution/natural selection topic derived from the novels, which you will present to your peers. The two student facilitators can only ask questions to maintain the discussion, as the remainder of the cohort discusses the facilitators’ questions originating from the basic question.
This course requires oral discussion as a major portion of your grade, which is derived from your contributions to the seminar. You will be challenged to develop creative and critical thinking, information literacy, and communication skills in this course. If you are not comfortable in this type of learning environment, you should not enroll in the course.
Black Box Warning: The novel contains language that might be offensive to some students (R-rated).
Required Course Materials:
- The Girl With All The Gifts, MR Carey, Publisher: Reprint Edition.
2015. ISBN-10: 0316334758
ISBN-13: 978-0316334754 - The Boy on the Bridge, MR Carey, Publisher: Orbit Reprint Edition. 2018.
ISBN-10: 031600349
ISBN-13: 978-0316300346 - Eight Little Piggies: Reflections in Natural History, Stephen J. Gould, Publisher W.W. Norton and Company. 1993.
Free pdf download:
https://www.docdroid.net/wx3my2U/eight-little-piggies-stephen-jay-gould-pdf
HONORS 290.4
Science as a Way of Knowing
Meetings: M,W,F 11:10-12:00
Instructor: Julie Menard
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student. Any B, BSCI, P, PSCI, or SCI lab or concurrent enrollment.
History of Space Exploration
Throughout this course, we will look at and discuss the various steps leading from star gazing to building a space station in orbit around the Moon (the Gateway), and sending humans to Mars.
Students will work in groups to learn the details of specific missions of space exploration (Apollo, Space Shuttle, Juno…), and will work on an end of term project on a mission concept of their choice.
HONORS 370.1
Case Study: Global Issues in Social Sciences
Meetings: T,TH 9:10-10:25
Instructor: Jennifer Schwartz
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student; HONORS 270 or ECONS 198.
Crime in the Making, a Sociological Perspective
This course delves into the world of criminal behavior, using sociology as a lens to explore its definitions, patterns, trends, causes, and societal responses across diverse societies. We aim to demystify crime’s complexities by understanding why certain societies experience higher crime rates, the factors underlying criminal behavior, and the mechanisms societies employ to address and mitigate crime. This course will consider the influence of social factors to examine how different societies define crime. Students will analyze crime patterns and trends using statistical data. The course will also explore factors that contribute to crime, spanning different regions but framed around understanding higher violence rates in the United States compared to elsewhere. Additionally, we will discuss the various ways societies respond to crime and consider the implications of these responses for individuals and communities.
Case Study: Global Issues in Social Sciences
Meetings: T,TH 12:05-1:20
Instructor: Bill Smith
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student; HONORS 270 or ECONS 198.
The United Nations
| The UN and Global Diplomacy focuses on the United Nations system as it pertains to peace and security, health and humanitarian issues, economics, resources and development, and culture. The course also considers the perspectives of various regions/nations (according to student interest) on such issues using modeling. Speaking and writing skills will be particularly emphasized.
This course tracks the development of a global, multilateral system that takes into account what developing nations “want” alongside the aims of the developed world. Students should retain the framework of this throughout their life and understand something about multilateral issues. Enrolled students have the option of joining the Spring 2024 Honors College delegation to the National Model United Nations conference in New York City. |
HONORS 370.3*
Case Study: Global Issues in Social Sciences
Meetings: T,TH 2:55-4:10
Instructor: Tekla Schmaus
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student; HONORS 270 or ECONS 198.
Food and Culture
Food and cooking are deeply entwined with so many aspects of human society and culture, and yet we rarely stop to think about what we’re putting in our mouths. In this course, we’ll use food as a lens to focus on different topics in the social sciences. We’ll cover some historical topics: the domestication of plants and animals, the way the spice trade tied into colonization and globalization, and the role of food in industrialization. Then we’ll move on to more contemporary issues like food and the environment and food sovereignty. Throughout the semester, we’ll also think about how food creates family and community, and how it’s used in nation-building. We should also have some opportunities to do some eating and try each other’s cooking.
*This course qualifies as credit for the MESI Certificate.
HONORS 380.1
Case Study: Global Issues in the Arts and Humanities
Meetings: T,TH 10:35-11:50
Instructor: Vilma Navarro-Daniels
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student; HONORS 280.
21st-Century Latin American Women Filmmakers
HONORS 380-01, Case Study: Global Issues in the Arts and Humanities, is a course which interweaves analysis of cinematography and culture in film to reveal how societies respond to contemporary issues in a global context. HONORS 380-01 is taught in the discipline of Film Studies, an interdisciplinary field that integrates knowledge of cinematography, visual arts, history, literature, music, theater, politics, economics, gender, and race to promote a greater understanding of film as a cultural product. In this course students broaden and deepen their knowledge of film by exploring cinematic traditions outside of the United States. Through the study of ten films from a variety of cinematic traditions, students will develop a “cinematic vocabulary” to discuss film and gain a sense of film as a text with visual, auditory, and semantic elements key to comprehend its deeper meaning. By applying these analytical and interpretative strategies to the movies studied in this course, students will understand film as a medium which embodies the culture in which it was produced.
The specific topic for Fall 2024 is “21st-Century Latin American Women Filmmakers.” Students will learn about film made by women from Nicaragua, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru, and Chile. They will learn to analyze films within a variety of cultural, linguistic, historical, political, and social contexts. Students will be critically and theoretically introduced to topics such as post-colonialism, sexual tourism, post-memory, intersectional discrimination, urban violence, drug cartels, contract-killings or murder-for-hire, neoliberalism, Southern Cone dictatorships, phenomenology of torture, gender identities, sexual orientation, representations of the aging body, Shining Path (Peru), stolen babies, resocialization, aboriginal nations, Brazilian Modernism, social mobility, among other themes. Besides learning about the aforementioned contents, students will greatly develop their skills and abilities to communicate in a persuasive way in both written and spoken language.
There is no textbook but a set of scholarly articles available on Canvas.
Required Course Materials:
- A set of scholarly articles available on Canvas. Six out of ten films will be available on Canvas. The other four must be rented (Amazon Prime Video). HONORS-380-01-Flyer-Fall-2024.pdf
HONORS 380.2*
Case Study: Global Issues in the Arts and Humanities
Meetings: M,W,F 2:10-3:00
Instructor: Colin Criss
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student; HONORS 280.
Poetry Outside of English
“Translation of poetry is a utopian project.” -Charles Simic
“Poetry is what gets lost in translation.” -Robert Frost
Can you translate poetry? No. Poetry is inseparable from the language and culture that submerge its composition. On the other hand, we must translate poetry if we are to recognize and understand other people, particularly those who do not share our language.
This understanding will motivate our course: translation of poetry is both impossible and necessary. Poetry exists in all parts of the inhabited world. People, wherever they are, make poetry. I believe this adamantly—though we will argue over the definition of “poetry.” In this course, we’ll read widely across modern and contemporary international poetry in translation, and think carefully about the cultural contexts of those poems. At the same time, we’ll think about the translation of poems. We’ll do this through practice—each student will begin learning a language that is new to them, and begin to recognize and grapple with, in poems from that language, the impossible choices a translator has to make.
We will read translation theory. We’ll read multiple translations into English of the same poem from another language. Students will purchase a book, during the semester, made up of poems in the language they are beginning to learn. From these resources, students will make initial translations of a few poems, and formulate their own theory of poetic translation.
Required Course Materials:
- Into English: Poems, Translations, Commentaries.
- One book of poetry in another language, to be determined during the course.
*This course qualifies as credit for the MESI Certificate.
HONORS 380.3*
Case Study: Global Issues in the Arts and Humanities
(online course through WSU Global Campus)
Meetings: Asynchronous
Instructor: Annie Lampman
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student; HONORS 280.
Creative Writing: Memoir & Creative Nonfiction
| In this creative writing course we will examine the role of memoir and personal narrative in shaping and defining how we see and experience the world. Through readings and analysis, discussion, and a variety of in-class writing exercises and essay/memoir writing work, we will explore the following questions: As global citizens, how can we represent our own experiences and stories through creative writing in a way that is universally understood and felt? How do we (and the authors we read) define/explore/write about the issues that trouble or fascinate us? What are we (and the authors we read) struggling to make sense of or understand about our own lives and the world around us? Throughout the semester, we will work on developing the basic craft elements of creative nonfiction and each student will have one of their essays “workshopped” with written peer reviews and oral feedback provided. No previous creative writing experience is necessary, although strong general writing abilities are required to do well in this course. This is also a MESI course where you will keep a mindfulness journal that is meant to correlate to you creative work. |
*This course qualifies as credit for the MESI Certificate.
Required Course Text:
1. Tell it Slant, Third Edition, Brenda Miller & Suzanne Paola, ISBN#: 9781260454598
2. Short Takes: Brief Encounters with Contemporary Nonfiction, Judith Kitchen, ISBN#: 9780393326000
3. Now Write! Nonfiction, Sherry Ellis, ISBN #9781585427581
4. Into Nature: A Creative Field Guide and Journal, The Mindfulness Project, ISBN#: 9781615194803
HONORS 390.1*
Case Study: Global Issues in Sciences
Meetings: M,W,F 1:10-2:00
Instructor: Samantha Noll
Information Forthcoming.
*This course qualifies as credit for the MESI Certificate.
HONORS 390.2
Case Study: Global Issues in Sciences
Meetings: T,TH 10:35-11:50
Instructor: Joanna Schultz
The Catastrophe of Man
Imagine living in a future dystopian Earth following the consequences of cataclysmic climate change, disease, food shortages, extinction, de-extinction, bioterrorism, GMOs, and class stratification. The world is reliant on genetic/bio-engineered products, including foods, human organs, medicines, genetically engineered plants and animals, and even beauty treatments generated and marketed by large corporations, who employ scientists and all the required personnel necessary to market these products. These employees live well in secure, guarded compounds. The remainder of the human population live at risk outside these pristine, fenced areas at various income levels in the pleeblands. A bioengineered worldwide plague breaks down the entire infrastructure, killing most Homo sapiens. One man remains, who believes he is the last human and he becomes guardian to a new, genetically engineered, human species known as the Crakers, generated to succeed under Earth’s hostile conditions.
In this course, we will explore many issues raised by Margaret Atwood in her novel Oryx and Crake. For example, extinction, de-extinction, anthropogenetic impacts, climate change, genetics/bioengineering, and xenotransplantation are some topics we will discuss at the scientific, economic, social, and ethical levels. You will begin by reading and discussing the peer-reviewed scientific literature, popular press reports, and watching various types of media in the scientific topic areas explored in Oryx and Crake, while you read the novel.
You will subsequently use an approach called Shared Inquiry/the Socratic Method. Two students will develop a “Basic Question” based on a topic derived from the novel, which you will present to your peers. The two student facilitators can only ask questions to maintain the discussion, as the remainder of the cohort discuss the facilitators’ questions originating from the basic question.
This course requires oral discussion as a major portion of your grade, which is derived from your contributions to the seminar. You will be challenged to develop creative and critical thinking, information literacy, and communication skills in this course. If you are not comfortable in this type of learning environment, you should not enroll in the course.
Black Box Warning: The novel contains language that might be offensive to some students (R-rated).
Required Course Materials:
- “Oryx and Crake” by Margaret Atwood. 2004.
Publisher: Anchor, Reprint Edition
ISBN-10: 0385721676
ISBN-13: 978-0385721677
HONORS 390.3
Case Study: Global Issues in the Sciences
Meetings: T,TH 1:30-2:45pm in Honors 142
Instructor: Grant Norton
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student; HONORS 290, SCIENCE 299, CHEM 116, MATH 182, PHYSICS 205, or PHYSICS 206.
What a Load of Rubbish
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a collection of marine debris that extends for more than 1.6 million square kilometers. The majority of the debris is plastic waste that finds its way from land-based activities into the ocean. In this course, we will look at the following questions:
1. What is plastic?
2. Why does so much of it end up in the ocean or in landfills?
3. Why doesn’t plastic biodegrade?
4. How can we reduce our consumption and disposal of plastic?
By completing a “plastics inventory” at the beginning and at the end of the course students will identify how much plastic they use and what might be some possible alternatives. A group project performed throughout the semester will examine how cities in the United States and around the world deal with waste.
The course will also look at issues related to the extraction of critical minerals such as Coltan (a source of tantalum), which is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo and fueled a vicious armed conflict, and nickel, which is mined in Guatemala creating an environmental nightmare in the surrounding Mayan villages. These metals, and many others, are essential components of our modern technology. We will look at why we need these materials, are there more sustainable alternatives, and what role, if any, recycling plays.
HONORS 398.1
Honors Thesis Proposal Seminar
Meetings: W 1:10-2:00
Instructor: Tekla Schmaus
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student; sophomore standing.
This seminar-style course is designed to assist and support you in the development and completion of your Honors College thesis proposal. The course prepares you to successfully complete your final thesis research and presentation requirements of the Honors College. We will perform a step-wise process in the completion of your proposal, from generating preliminary ideas, finding suitable thesis advisors, and submitting a thesis draft, which I thoroughly edit from Introduction through Conclusions to assist in your successful completion and submission of a quality proposal. During the course, each thesis proposal will be constructively criticized during collaborative peer review sessions. You will give a 10-minute formal presentation on your proposal in class. Your peers will provide feedback on your proposed research following the presentation. At the end of class, your final thesis proposal will include a Title, Introduction, Research Question/Hypothesis (or Creative Project), Materials and Methods (Methodology), Expected Results derived from your preliminary literature review, Conclusions, and Bibliography/References. You are graded as S/F in this course.
HONORS 398.2
Honors Thesis Proposal Seminar
(online asynchronous course through WSU Global Campus)
Meetings: Asynchronous
Instructor: Annie Lampman
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student; sophomore standing.
This seminar-style course is designed to assist and support you in the development and completion of your Honors College thesis proposal. The course prepares you to successfully complete your final thesis research and presentation requirements of the Honors College. We will perform a step-wise process in the completion of your proposal, from generating preliminary ideas, finding suitable thesis advisors, and submitting a thesis draft, which I thoroughly edit from Introduction through Conclusions to assist in your successful completion and submission of a quality proposal. During the course, each thesis proposal will be constructively criticized during collaborative peer review sessions. You will give a 10-minute formal presentation on your proposal in class. Your peers will provide feedback on your proposed research following the presentation. At the end of class, your final thesis proposal will include a Title, Introduction, Research Question/Hypothesis (or Creative Project), Materials and Methods (Methodology), Expected Results derived from your preliminary literature review, Conclusions, and Bibliography/References. You are graded as S/F in this course.
HONORS 398.4
Honors Thesis Proposal Seminar
Meetings: W 3:10-:400
Instructor: Colin Criss
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student; sophomore standing.
This seminar-style course is designed to assist and support you in the development and completion of your Honors College thesis proposal. The course prepares you to successfully complete your final thesis research and presentation requirements of the Honors College. We will perform a step-wise process in the completion of your proposal, from generating preliminary ideas, finding suitable thesis advisors, and submitting a thesis draft, which I thoroughly edit from Introduction through Conclusions to assist in your successful completion and submission of a quality proposal. During the course, each thesis proposal will be constructively criticized during collaborative peer review sessions. You will give a 10-minute formal presentation on your proposal in class. Your peers will provide feedback on your proposed research following the presentation. At the end of class, your final thesis proposal will include a Title, Introduction, Research Question/Hypothesis (or Creative Project), Materials and Methods (Methodology), Expected Results derived from your preliminary literature review, Conclusions, and Bibliography/References. You are graded as S/F in this course.
HONORS 398.5
Honors Thesis Proposal Seminar
Meetings: TH 12:05-12:55
Instructor: Joanna Schultz
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student; sophomore standing.
ENGLISH 298.13
Writing & Research Honors
(online course through WSU Global Campus)
Meetings: Asynchronous
Instructor: Lauren Westerfield
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student
Writing Fan (Non)Fiction
This course will explore the art of research-driven pop culture and media criticism, drawing upon our individual and cultural obsessions and loves—favorite bands, artist, celebrities, TV series’, video games, action film franchises, athletes, and more—to uncover compelling research questions and unique ways of looking at and understanding the world around us.
Students will read a selection of personal and critical essays in which art critics, rock critics, superfans, gamers, sports journalists, TV and film critics, and creative writers explore the personal and cultural impact of work they love (or love to hate or can’t quite make sense of). They will then complete generative writing exercises and discussions inspired by their own art and media obsessions, as well as two major assignments—one creative/critical essay, and one research-focused essay—about topics of their choice.
This is an introductory but rigorous course designed to introduce students to college-level writing, research methods, and critical & creative thinking. Minor assignments will be low-stakes and generative in nature, helping students to brainstorm ideas for compelling research topics and practice various modes of academic and personal writing.
Required Course Materials:
- Huber, Sonya. The Backwards Research Guide for Writers: Using your Life for Reflection, Connection, and Inspiration. Equinox, 2011. ISBN 9781845534424