Courses in the Honors College

Please note: this list may be incomplete and will be updated with new information as it 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? Stop by the Honors College main office in Elmina White Honors Hall 130 or phone 509-335-4505.

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 2025

HONORS 201.1*
MESI Workshop Series

Meetings: W 12:10-1:00
Instructor: Robin Bond

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student

Introduction to Mindfulness

Research into mindfulness has shown that regular practice can offer benefits for physical and emotional health (for example, reduced stress, improved sleep, reduced anxiety, just to name a few). This one-credit class offers an experiential introduction to mindfulness. In our class meetings we will explore different approaches to practicing mindfulness and introduce information on how mindfulness can benefit us. Occasional guests will present on their own experiences and offer a variety of practices. Each meeting will begin with a practice session followed by open discussion and exploration of topic for the week. The class can serve as an introduction for those with no experience in mindfulness and can also support students who are already familiar, offering an opportunity for deepening self-awareness and mindful presence.
Assignments will include a weekly brief written reflection on the meeting, along with suggestions for optional practices outside of class. This course may be repeated for credit. The class is part of the Honors College Mindfulness-based Emotional and Social Intelligence (MESI) program and satisfies one (1) MESI workshop credit. The class is open to any student in the honors college and there is no requirement to be pursuing the MESI certificate.

*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

This class includes a service-learning component in collaboration with the Center for Civic Engagement.

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student

Students will be introduced to community engagement and the importance of it in their own work and life. Over 10 weeks, the class will meet once per week for 7 weeks and 3 weeks will be dedicated to participating in community engagement projects. Students will apply classroom knowledge to real-world issues, working directly with community partners to address community-identified challenges. The course emphasizes critical reflection, building reciprocal relationships, cultural competency, and civic responsibility, encouraging students to develop skills in communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. Through service-learning, students will gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of social issues and their role as active and socially responsible community members.

*This course qualifies as credit for the MESI Certificate.

HONORS 212.1*
Active and Immersive Community Engagement

Meetings: TBD
Instructor: Jessica Perone

This class includes a service-learning component in collaboration with the Center for Civic Engagement.

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student, Must have taken Honors 211

Students will engage in a minimum of 45 hours of community service (approximately 3-5 hours per week) to understand critical issues facing society and gain a deeper understanding of social issues they are passionate about. Students will work with the instructor to establish an ongoing relationship with a suitable community partner(s). Students will gain a heightened sense of social responsibility, greater inter-cultural understanding, and the ability to work well with others to build leadership and communication skills. This course fulfills one credit of the Community Engagement requirement for Honors students in the Mindfulness-based Emotional and Social Intelligence (MESI) certificate program.

*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 Archeology 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.

NOTE: Honors Introduction to Economics (ECONS 198) will automatically fulfill the HONORS 270 requirement. It also counts as ECONS 101 and 102 for those who need them. There is also a special section of HD 205 (section #6 with Mary Kay Patton) that will fulfill the HONORS 270 requirement. This HD 205 section counts towards the MESI certificate.

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. Ecowarrior. Ecotourist. What does it mean to be eco-anything? In popular usage eco- is meant to signify “earth-friendly” products and behaviors. In biology, eco- means earth’s living systems. The prefix comes from the Greek word oikos, meaning “home.” So there’s an ancient idea about Earth being a home and more contemporary ideas that draw attention to interbeing, living in relation to other beings in Earth’s biosphere. This course introduces philosophies and methods of interbeing through the lens of EcoArt; creative works made with attention to the ways we inhabit and effect, for better or worse, Earth as a living home.

To start, students will explore their ecological selfhood through inspiring readings and connective, outdoor journaling prompts. Then we’ll turn our attention to examples of EcoArts, bringing in voices from a variety of disciplines, including some archived on EcoArtsonthePalouse.com. After students devise and carry out their own projects, we’ll conclude the semester by collaboratively, imaginatively generating a new vocabulary for an eco-oriented future. Expect to encounter new ideas and rethink what it means to be human in a hands-on creative-critical way.

Required Course Materials:

Counter-Desecration: A Glossary for Writing Within the Anthropocene, Marthe Reed and Linda Russo, eds.
A portable notebook for keeping a journal
A course reader will be provided. It will include works by authors such as Ursula Le Guin, Ross Gay, Joy Harjo, Audre Lorde, Rena Priest, Jane Hirschfield, Rita Wong, and Robin Wall Kimmerer. Additional readings (PDFs will be supplied) include works by Ursula Le Guin, Joanna Fuhrman, Ross Gay, Joy Harjo, Audre Lorde, Harryette Mullen, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Juliana Spahr, David Suzuki, and Rita Wong, and traditional Nez Perce stories.

HONORS 280.3
Contextual Understanding in the Arts and Humanities

Meetings: M,W,F 10:10-11:00
Instructor: Colin Criss

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student

Creative Writing: The Development of the Sonnet

In this course, we’ll survey the history of a particular poetic form, the sonnet, with an eye towards its expression in contemporary American poetry. The development of this form reflects the development of poetry more broadly. We’ll begin with sonnets of the Renaissance, and read Shakespeare’s work. We’ll glance across the intervening 400 years before focusing on two contemporary collections that reinvent the form for the poets’ own sensibilities.

This is also an introductory creative writing course—we will be learning about the sonnet partly by learning how to write our own sonnets along the way. Initially, we’ll imitate, thinking about common craft elements and poetic techniques. Then, we’ll begin to experiment and innovate. We’ll think about what the sonnet is—what it can do—for us as people and beginning poets. By the end of the semester each student will have written and revised a short collection of sonnets that are unmistakably their own.

*This course qualifies as credit for the MESI Certificate.

HONORS 280.4
Contextual Understanding in the Arts and Humanities

Meetings: M,W,F 11:10 – 12:00
Instructor: Grant Maierhoffer

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student

Adaptation: Book to Film

This course will focus on adaptations of literary works as unique entry points into the worlds of both film and literature. We’ll read the original books, and watch the films, and discuss both and their relationships. Students will write in response to them and maintain Letterboxed accounts to engage further—this will coincide with a publishing project students can contribute to in turn. Some of the books/films we’ll read/watch are The Silence of the Lambs, True Grit, Little Women, Arrival, and more.

HONORS 280.5
Contextual Understanding in the Arts and Humanities

Meetings: T, Th 9:10 – 10:25
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.

Required Texts:

Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft, Janet Burroway, ISBN#: 9780226616698
Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction: 50 North American Stories since 1970, 2nd Edition, Michael Martone, ISBN#: 9781416532279
I Am Here Now: A Creative Mindfulness Guide and Journal, The Mindfulness Project, ISBN#: 9780399184444

HONORS 280.6
Contextual Understanding in the Arts and Humanities

Meetings: T,Th 12:05-1:20
Instructor: Kristen Becker

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student

Inside-Out: The Art Museum as Interdisciplinary Classroom

What might we learn about ourselves and others through the lens of contemporary art? How do the visual arts enrich our lives and contribute to our understanding of the world? Why do artists do what they do? And how do curators make sense of it? Most importantly, how do we as viewers make sense of it? How do the resources we see and study inside museums impact our daily lives and the many disciplines we study?

In this course—with the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art WSU as a classroom—you will utilize current exhibitions, permanent collections, visiting artists, and other related resources to gain an appreciation of the world of contemporary art, as well as some art history. Coursework includes: Learning about materials and processes used by artists and curators to tell and preserve stories; Learning about activities used by museum educators; Relating art to other disciplines; Researching and writing about art; and Making an artwork of your own.

This course provides a wonderful opportunity to engage with original works of art and living artists on a weekly basis. That said, one of your most important resources in this class is your fellow students: Listening to the reactions and voices of others helps us see the multitude of ways in which art informs and impacts our lives.

In Fall 2025, the galleries at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art will showcase the work of artist Anish Kapoor in a solo exhibition, as well as a group exhibition titled “Color Outside the Lines.” Both exhibitions are on loan from the Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation.

HONORS 290.1
Science as a Way of Knowing

Meetings: T,Th 2:55-4:10
Instructor: Chris Keane

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student. Any B, BSCI, P, PSCI, or SCI lab or concurrent enrollment.

The Power of the Atom

This course will look at the use of the atom for advancing national security, clean energy, and fundamental science from the early 20^th century to the present. The course will cover the World War II development of the atomic bomb via the Manhattan Project, nuclear fission as an energy source, and nuclear fusion- the rapidly advancing next stage of commercial nuclear energy. The class will consist of readings, discussions, small projects, quizzes, and a final examination. Resources for the course will include Richard Rhodes Pulitzer Prize-winning book, “The Making of the Atomic Bomb,” and the movie “Oppenheimer.”

HONORS 290.3
Science as a Way of Knowing

Meetings: T,Th 10:35-11:50
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), space tourism, 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 290.4
Science as a Way of Knowing
(online course listed on the Pullman Campus Schedule)

Meetings: Online Course
Instructor: Joanna Schultz

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student. Any B, BSCI, P, PSCI, or SCI lab or concurrent enrollment.

Dog Tales

You will have the opportunity to examine the many attributes of Canis lupus familiaris, the domestic dog. Researchers state this is the most exciting time ever to study the domestic dog. I am a “dog person”, but as an evolutionary biologist, the wealth of research on domestic dog evolution and artificial selection for the over 200 AKC recognized dog breeds fascinate me. Therefore, you will examine the domestic dog precursors, the multiple origins of domestic dogs, and the ancient and recent breeds. You will also investigate the areas of research important to understand our close relationship with dogs and why this species has evolved to be humans’ favored “best friend.”

You will read and discuss the following topics: C. lupus familiaris’ (the domestic dog’s) diversification from Canis lupus (the grey wolf), which is the domestic dog’s closest relative, human — dog co-evolution, cognitive function and behavior in the domestic dog, artificial selection for phenotypic traits in modern breeds, genetic consequences of breeding, and other topics. According to one researcher, without the human–dog relationship, our society would never have advanced to its current levels. You will be assigned readings from the scientific peer-reviewed literature, popular press, and various media, including films and videos, and engage in the Canvas Discussion Board Forum.

HONORS 301.1*
University Scholars Lecture Series

Meetings: W 4:10-5:00
Instructor: Robin Bond

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student.

TBA

*This course qualifies as credit for the MESI Certificate.

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, or transferrable degree.

Crime in the Making, a Sociological Perspective

In this course, we will use a sociological lens to investigate criminal behavior. We will examine definitions, patterns, trends, causes, and societal responses to crime across diverse societies. We will analyze crime data and explore social factors—such as social-structural conditions, inequalities, cultural norms and social change—that influence both criminal behavior and societal responses to deviance. Using a comparative perspective, we will address underlying reasons why some places experience higher crime rates during some historical period than others. We will focus especially on understanding the elevated violence rates in the United States compared to many other countries. Additionally, we will discuss the various ways in which societies respond to crime and consider the broader implications of these responses for individuals and communities.

HONORS 370.2
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, or transferrable degree.

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 2026 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 or transferrable degree.

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 or transferable degree.

21^st-Century Latin American Women Filmmakers

This course interweaves analysis of cinematography and culture in film to reveal how societies respond to contemporary issues in a global context. This section 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 2025 is “21^st-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. The majority of the films will be available on our Canvas page.

HONORS 380.2*
Case Study: Global Issues in the Arts and Humanities

Meetings: M,W,F 12:10-1:00
Instructor: Melissa Parkhurst

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student; HONORS 280 or transferable degree.

Music and the Mind

An exploration of the role music plays in every aspect of our life, from biological evolution to our own mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.

*This course qualifies as credit for the MESI Certificate.

HONORS 380.4
Case Study: Global Issues in the Arts and Humanities

Meetings: W 1:30-4:00
Instructor: Phil Gruen

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student; HONORS 280 or transferrable degree.

The Global Palouse

The Palouse region is popularly imagined as a picturesque landscape of rolling hills embedded with rich soils that permit the seasonal growth of wheat and lentils. This is, of course, an apt description. But too often, the picture stops there: the Palouse is infrequently understood for its transformation following conquest; its processes of production and distribution; its extractive economies and their environmental impact; and its regional and global spread. The Global Palouse will cover the region in a variety of manifestations: from hills to rivers, from campus to town; from people to place, from forests to fish, from dams to data centers. At times, our course content will include the broader Columbia River Plateau (including Walla Walla, the Tri Cities, northeastern Oregon, and northwestern Idaho).

The Global Palouse will be a seminar-style, discussion-based “flipped classroom” course. Active student participation and group-led, teaching-oriented presentations will accompany topic previews or research-oriented discussions given by the professor, often within the same class session. Informed and energetic involvement by the students will account for the majority of the semester grade. Students should consider Palouse- or Columbia River Plateau-related topics for their final projects but are welcome to seek topics aligned with their major field of interest or chosen profession.

A selection of articles, chapters, videos (or video clips), podcasts, and/or documentaries will accompany weekly themes or topics. Efforts will be made to provide course materials free of charge.

HONORS 380.5
Case Study: Global Issues in the Arts and Humanities

Meetings: T, Th 12:05-1:20
Instructor: Annie Lampman

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student; HONORS 280 or transferrable degree.

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.

Required Course Materials:

Tell it Slant, Third Edition, Brenda Miller & Suzanne Paola, ISBN#: 9781260454598
Short Takes: Brief Encounters with Contemporary Nonfiction, Judith Kitchen, ISBN#: 9780393326000
Into Nature: A Creative Field Guide and Journal, The Mindfulness Project, ISBN#: 9781615194803

HONORS 390.1*
Case Study: Global Issues in the Sciences

Meetings: T,Th 9:10-10:25
Instructor: Shane McFarland

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student; HONORS 290, SCIENCE 299, CHEM 116, MATH 182, PHYSICS 205, PHYSICS 206, or transferable degree.

Mindfulness in Practice and Research

This interdisciplinary upper-division course explores the practice of mindfulness while developing research skills to assess its effects through a prevention science lens. Students will engage in experiential mindfulness training throughout the semester, cultivating personal growth and self-awareness. Simultaneously, we will examine mindfulness as a public health construct, utilizing mixed-methods research practice to collect and analyze longitudinal data on its impacts within our learning community. Through guided practice, reflection, and inquiry, students will gain practical mindfulness skills alongside a deeper understanding of the methodologies used to study its benefits. This course provides a unique opportunity to integrate personal experience with scientific exploration, fostering practical skills to benefit us individually and our communities.

*This course qualifies as credit for the MESI Certificate.

HONORS 390.3
Case Study: Global Issues in the Sciences

Meetings: T,Th 1:30-2:45

Instructor: M Norton

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student; HONORS 290, SCIENCE 299, CHEM 116, MATH 182, PHYSICS 205, PHYSICS 206, or transferable degree.

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 390.4
Case Study: Global Issues in the Sciences
(online course listed on the Pullman Campus Schedule)

Meetings: Online
Instructor: Joanna Schultz

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student; HONORS 290, SCIENCE 299, CHEM 116, MATH 182, PHYSICS 205, PHYSICS 206, or transferable degree.

The Anthropocene is Dead − Long Live the Anthropocene

The geologic record clearly documents five major extinction events throughout Earth’s history. We are now undergoing a “Sixth Extinction”, caused by anthropogenic impacts. This Fall, you will examine these six extinctions, with particular attention to the ongoing extinction events caused by our species, Homo sapiens, the causes, rates, implications, and similarities and differences with past extinction events. You will also investigate anthropogenic extinctions vs. background extinction rates, climate change (causes), biodiversity (loss vs. what can be done), alternative energy sources, natural resources (exploitation vs. needs), sustainable living, government policies, hope or a grim future, among other topics.

You will be assigned readings from the scientific peer-reviewed literature, popular press, and various media, including films and videos, and engage in the Canvas Discussion Board Forum.

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.

Honors Thesis Proposal Seminar

This is a seminar-style course with the purpose of assisting and supporting each participant in completing his/her Honors thesis proposal. In the course, you will generate an Honors thesis topic, formulate your thesis question, identify a thesis advisor, and prepare you thesis proposal. We will discuss ways to structure your thesis, perform research, and evaluate the information you obtain in relation to your chosen topic. During the course, we will discuss and constructively support and critique projects as they develop in the proposals. Each student will present their proposal to the class, and submit a complete proposal—including title, introduction, research question, methodology, and annotated bibliography—as a final product. S/F grading.

HONORS 398.2
Honors Thesis Proposal Seminar
(online course through WSU Global Campus)

Meetings: Online
Instructor: Annie Lampman

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student; sophomore standing.

Honors Thesis Proposal Seminar

HONORS 398.4
Honors Thesis Proposal Seminar

Meetings: W 9:10-10:00
Instructor: Colin Criss

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student; sophomore standing.

Honors Thesis Proposal Seminar

ENGLISH 298.1
Writing and Research Honors

Meetings: M,W,F 10:10-11:00
Instructor: John Hegglund

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student.

TBA

English 298, Being Human in the 21st Century, looks at fiction, film, and theory to explore questions about what it means to be human in our contemporary moment. How can we take up a sense of collective, shared humanity in the face of social, economic, and political pressures that divide, erode, and transform our sense of the human?

After establishing some premises about what it means to be a human–that is, to have a subjectivity formed by and through language–we will approach four realms in which the experience of being human is undergoing transformative shocks: work, technology, politics, and nature. As we go through each of these areas, we will read fiction, watch films, and discuss these and other contemporary cultural examples. Along with these narrative and popular cultural examples, we will read interdisciplinary theory and scholarship that deepens and frames our understandings: these will come from psychoanalysis, philosophy, Marxist economics, technology studies, and environmental humanities.

The reading, writing, and discussion in the course will culminate in an original work of scholarship that incorporates various sources into a complex exploration of a specific facet of being human in the 21st century.

Required Course Materials:

Crace, Jim. Being Dead.
Jiang, Ai. I AM AI.
Ma, Ling. Severance.
Okorafor, Nnedi. Lagoon.
VanderMeer, Jeff. Annihilation.
Films to watch outside of class: After Yang (Kogonada, 2022), Bacurau (Dornelles and Mendonça, 2020), Arrival (Villeneuve, 2016).
Additional readings available in Canvas course space.

ENGLISH 298.2
Writing and Research Honors

Meetings: T,Th 1:30-2:45
Instructor: Laura Kuhlman

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student.

TBA

ENGLISH 298.3
Writing and Research Honors

Meetings: T, TH 10:35-11:50
Instructor: Cameron McGill

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student.

Life Writing & the Resonant Research

This course provides the foundational knowledge and related tools with which to explore the personal essay and its relationship to analytical research. In drawing connections between the personal and public realms of inquiry, we’ll take a non-traditional approach to the research essay, beginning with the personal narrative as a fertile ground for research topic ideas. In this class, we’ll explore what it means to write nonfiction essays “creatively” while still engaging in analytical thought and research. We will focus on honing your ability to read and analyze creative nonfiction essays and to understand the techniques employed by writers to achieve their goals of meaning, feeling, and connection to their readers, their own lives, and the world at large. Through reading and a discussion of craft, language, form, and information literacy, we will seek to broaden the range of techniques and styles available in your own writing.

Required Course Materials:

Gay, Ross. The Book of Delights. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2022. ISBN 9781643753287
Huber, Sonya. The Backwards Research Guide for Writers: Using your Life for Reflection, Connection, and Inspiration. Equinox, 2011. ISBN 9781845534424

ENGLISH 298.4
Writing and Research Honors

Meetings: T,Th 9:10-10:25
Instructor: Laura Kuhlman

TBA

ENGLISH 298.5
Writing and Research Honors

Meetings: M,W,F 11:10-12:00
Instructor: Bryan Fry

The American West

This is a research-based course that focuses on a variety of themes including environmental, political, historical and literary studies of the American West. We will begin the course looking at the impact of Frederick Jackson Turner’s “Frontier Thesis” and its influence on popular history. We will then turn toward a number of recent scholars who have attempted to redefine and/or complicate this history; by reexamining the significance of the frontier and the discourse of “American Identity”, we will broaden our understanding of the American West.

In addition, we will study the major literary and critical essays of the American West and visit the library archives to examine the original frontier photographs of Edward Curtis and Frank Matsura, the letters and diaries of women homesteaders, the oral histories of African American pioneers, and other unique collections.

By the end of this course, students will learn to choose a workable topic, formulate a research question, develop a research plan, and conduct in-depth library research, which includes obtaining primary and secondary sources. Students will also comprehend the ability to analyze and synthesize information as well demonstrate effective academic prose—with attention to structure, critical thinking, rules of citation and correctness—by providing a portfolio of thoroughly revised work, including a final draft of their major research essay. Finally, students will present their major research project to the class.

ENGLISH 298.6
Writing and Research Honors

Meetings: M,W,F 1:10-2:00
Instructor: Bryan Fry

The American West

ENGLISH 298.7
Writing and Research Honors

Meetings: T,Th 10:35-11:50
Instructor: Roger Whitson

TBA

ENGLISH 298.13
Writing and Research Honors
(online course through WSU Global Campus)

Meetings: Online
Instructor: Lauren Westerfield

Writing Fan (Non)Fiction: Exploring Cultural Criticism

This course will explore the art of research-driven pop culture and media criticism, drawing upon our individual and cultural obsessions and loves—bands, artists, celebrities, TV series’, video games, action film franchises, social media and VR platforms, athletes, cultural phenomena, 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 creative/critical essays (by authors including Claire Dederer, Hanif Abdurraqib, Carmen Maria Machado, Leslie Jamison, Jia Tolentino, Sean Enfield, and Chuck Klosterman) and articles in which art critics, rock critics, academics, 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 cultural subjects of their choice.

Throughout the course, we will take a “backwards” approach to research—that is, to paraphrase textbook author Sonya Huber, an approach that centers the student’s life, interests, and perspectives as a jumping-off point for reflection, connection, and inspiration.

This is an introductory but rigorous course designed to familiarize students with 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

Current and Previous Semesters

Information about courses from previous semesters is also available: Summer 2026, Spring 2026, Fall 2025, Summer 2025, Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Summer 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Summer 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Summer 2021, Spring 2021, Fall and Summer 2020, Spring 2020,Fall 2019, Summer 2019, Spring 2019, Summer 2018, Fall 2018, Summer 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Summer 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2016.

Instructions for how to register for courses online

Fall 2025

Current and Previous Semesters