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.

Spring 2027

ECONS 198
Economics Honors

Instructor: Joseph Cook

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student

Students will be introduced to the basic economic models that explain consumer and firm behavior, market outcomes and the role of public policy. We will study the function of the market system in allocating scarce resources, determining prices, and output. We will also study market structures, from perfectly competitive markets to monopolistic markets, as well as strategic behavior and game theory. We will explore the role of government in the market economy and in creating or fixing market failure. Finally, the course will cover the market for borrowing & lending to purchase assets (i.e. the banking system) and the role the Federal Reserve plays in regulating that market and the overall macroeconomy.

HONORS 201.1*
MESI Workshop Series

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

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 develop academic, personal, and professional skills through community engagement and critical reflection. Over the 10-week course, the class will meet once per week for seven weeks, with three weeks dedicated to participating in community engagement projects. Class sessions will include discussions, guest speakers, and interactive workshops. Students will explore how they can create positive social change while engaging with topics such as reciprocity, equity, human rights, advocacy and activism, civic leadership, social justice, civil discourse, environmental justice, socioeconomic status, and discrimination.

*This course qualifies as credit for the MESI Certificate but open to all Honors Students

HONORS 212.1*
Active and Immersive Community Engagement

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 complete 45 hours of community service (approximately 3–5 hours per week) to deepen their understanding of critical issues facing society and explore social issues they are passionate about. Students will work with the instructor to establish an ongoing relationship with an appropriate community partner for their community service projects. Throughout the course, students will submit reflection assignments through Canvas to connect their service experiences with course themes.

Through this experience, students will develop a stronger sense of social responsibility, greater intercultural understanding, and the ability to collaborate effectively while building 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 but open to all Honors Students

HONORS 270.1
Principles and Research Methods in Social Science

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. None of the images will be from cultures that prohibit such displays.

HONORS 270.2
Principles and Research Methods in Social Science

Instructor: Jarvis Fisher

Prerequisite: Must be an Honors Student

Development, Globalization and Sovereignty

The world today is characterized by immense, concentrated wealth alongside deep, widespread poverty. In this context, poor countries seeking to stimulate sustained socioeconomic development are often encouraged to integrate with the global economy and adopt reforms to attract foreign direct investment. But is national poverty a result of internal dynamics – in the form of corruption, outbreaks of violence, and misguided governance policies – or does it stem from external factors, such as a nation’s place in the global economic order? This course will survey national development strategies in relation to patterns of globalization, looking at the way states try to create the conditions of their own autonomy and assert their political sovereignty in an increasingly interdependent world.

HONORS 280.3
Contextual Understanding in the Arts and Humanities

Instructor: Colin Criss

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student

Contemporary American Poetry

What is poetry? In this course, students will survey contemporary American poetry by reading important books of poems published in the last 25 years: Crush, by Richard Siken; Don’t Call Us Dead, by Danez Smith; All the Flowers Kneeling, by Paul Tran; Whereas, by Layli Long Soldier; and Ghost Of—, by Diana Khoi Nguyen.

The course is introductory in nature—but will accelerate quickly to think about advanced concepts in poetic form and open questions about the nature and value of poetry. We will practice reading poems and articulating our thoughts about and responses to poems. This is a literature course, meaning students will write about poems for assignments, rather than writing poems themselves. The required course materials will cost about $40.

*This course qualifies as credit for the MESI Certificate.

HONORS 280.4
Contextual Understanding in the Arts and Humanities

Instructor: A.J. (Albert) Miller

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student

TBD

HONORS 280.5
Contextual Understanding in the Arts and Humanities

Instructor: DJ Lee

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student

Why We Marvel: Wonder Across Art, Science, and Spirit

What does it mean to wonder, and why do humans have the urge to pause, to marvel, to question, to interrogate? Is wonder, as some claim, one of the traits that separates us from other creatures (including robots and AI)? Taking a cue from Plato’s claim that “philosophy begins in wonder” and Rachel Carson’s belief that “it is not half so important to know as to feel,” we’ll explore wonder as a way of knowing and being in the world. We’ll trace the wonder’s lineage from the ancient Greeks to modern poets and philosophers, from Renaissance Wunderkammmers (rooms of wonder) to current environmental writing. We’ll ask how wonder pulls us toward the unknown, the beautiful, and even the terrifying. We’ll examine wonder’s role in science and discovery, consider its central place in world spiritual traditions, and ask whether education without wonder is nothing more than a system of accumulation. Throughout it all, you’ll discover what wonder means in your own life. Course assignments embody a spirit of inquiry while fulfilling the requirements of Honors 280.

*This course qualifies as credit for the MESI Certificate.

HONORS 280.6*
Contextual Understanding in the Arts and Humanities

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 your creative work.

Required Texts:

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 290.1
Science as a Way of Knowing

Instructor: Julie Menard

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

TBD

HONORS 290.2
Science as a Way of Knowing

Instructor: Bill Kabasenche

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

Eugenics, Genetics, and Ethics

Eugenics has a long history in the United States and elsewhere (and shows up in surprising places—possibly including the inscription on a building on WSU’s campus). At its root, this view proposes that some people are less valuable morally and to society than others. This is a very controversial ethical claim, but one that is recurrently popular. The emergence of the modern understanding of genetics and the development of reproductive technologies, along with a variety of other biotechnologies, has presented us with new questions about eugenics and the host of ethical issues raised by the technologies and how we might use them. It is now possible to select against embryos and fetuses that have various genetic conditions, some of which could be categorized as leading to disease, others of which are probably best understood as leading to disabilities. Not too far off the horizon is the prospect of genetically modifying humans, at both the embryonic and adult stages. This modification could be aimed at improving health status but also at enhancing human capacities. This course will examine the many ethical questions raised by these technologies and will critically assess various positions we might take on their use.

Required Text:

Michael Bess, Our Grandchildren Redesigned: Life in the Bioengineered Society of the Near Future (Boston: Beacon Press, 2015).

ISBN: 978-0-8070-6662-1 (paperback)

HONORS 290.4
Science as a Way of Knowing

Meetings: TBD
Instructor: TBD

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

TBD

HONORS 298.1
Approaches to Global Leadership

Instructor: Jarvis Fisher

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student.

Global Leadership

The Honors Global Leadership Program focuses on leadership in a global context in areas that include the demands of world trade, concerns for the environment, and the advancement of technology.

ENGLISH 298.1
Writing and Research Honors

Instructor: Jon Hegglund

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student.

TBA

ENGLISH 298.4
Writing and Research Honors

Meetings: Online Course – No Class Meetings*
Instructor: LeeAnn Hunter

TBA

*This is an online course (i.e., no class meetings) for Pullman Honors College students. To enroll in this course, use the schedule line number from the Pullman campus schedule of classes (not from the Global campus schedule).

HONORS 370.1
Case Study: Global Issues in Social Sciences

Instructor: Tekla Schmaus

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student; HONORS 270 or ECONS 198.

Animals and Society

Animals play many roles in our lives, whether as pets, food, symbols, or commodities. Have these roles changed through time? How do they vary between cultures? In this course, we’ll examine human-animal relationships and how they simultaneously shape and are shaped by society. We’ll cover historical topics like domestication and the development of private property. We’ll think about the different ways the foods prepared and served at celebrations foster social relationships, and the ways different societies incorporate animals into their religious rituals and spiritual beliefs. We’ll also discuss the ways societies distinguish working animals from pets, and the social implications of these distinctions. Along with all these themes, we’ll think about the symbolic role of animals too. Throughout the semester, we’ll also think about how our various interactions with animals shape our interactions with the environment. Students will also have the opportunity to do a small independent research project.

HONORS 370.2
Case Study: Global Issues in Social Sciences

Instructor: Shawna Herzog

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student; HONORS 270 or ECONS 198.

Washington State History

Honors 370 uses the historical method to examine the history of race, gender, and class in Washington State from 1850 to the present. Rather than surveying these topics at a national or global scale, the course investigates how ideas about identity, social difference, belonging, opportunity, and power have shaped and been shaped by the people, communities, institutions, and landscapes of Washington State.

Students will explore major developments in the state’s history, including Indigenous sovereignty, migration and settlement, economic growth, gender and labor debates, environmental change, urbanization, and public policy. Through these topics, we will examine how race, gender, and class have influenced people’s experiences and opportunities in different times and places. Particular attention will be paid to historical context, change over time, and the diverse ways individuals and communities understood and responded to the circumstances they encountered. We will also consider how Washington’s history reflects, diverges from, and contributes to broader national and global developments.

Coursework includes engagement with primary sources, selected scholarly readings, guided discussions, and research-based assignments that emphasize evidence, interpretation, and historical argumentation. By the end of the course, students will be able to analyze historical sources, evaluate competing interpretations, and explain how race, gender, and class have shaped the development of Washington State while recognizing the complexity and contingency of historical change.

HONORS 370.3
Case Study: Global Issues in Social Sciences

Instructor: Jarvis Fisher

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student; HONORS 270 or ECONS 198.

Agrarian Societies and Global Agri-food Systems

For thousands of years, human societies were primarily agricultural, and these agrarian societies were characterized by immense sociocultural, economic and political diversity. However, in the last couple hundred years, agriculture has undergone rapid and accelerating transformations, leading the sector to become increasingly integrated with industry and disrupting agrarian societies throughout the world.

In this seminar, we will begin by looking at these trends through macro-level studies that trace the transformation of agriculture globally, situating this within broader histories of imperialism, capitalism and modernity. We will then turn to reviewing ethnographic pieces that explore how past and contemporary agrarian societies have responded to the pressures of agricultural industrialization, urbanization, and environmental degradation. Finally, we will examine the costs and benefits of some of the proposed alternatives to industrial agricultural production, such as agroecology, permaculture, and regenerative agriculture.

HONORS 380.1*
Case Study: Global Issues in the Arts and Humanities

Instructor: Colin Criss

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

Contemporary Irish Poetry

Irish poetry, it seems, is always at a crossing. I say this in two senses—poems in Ireland are always trying to move across something perilous, and poems in Ireland are always facing a choice, as at an intersection.

In this literature course, which will be largely a survey of contemporary Irish poetry, we will think about the intersections of many things with poetry: history, politics, violence, colonization, globalization, nationality, and so on. We’ll read modern Irish poems as a foundation, and begin to think about what an Irish poem is. Then, we’ll think about 21st century Irish poems, and what influences they lean into and lean away from. The required course materials will cost about $30.

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

Instructor: Raymond Sun

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

TBD

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

Instructor: Troy Bennefield

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

Music and the Holocaust

This course examines the profound role of music and musicians in shaping, reflecting, and responding to the culture of communities affected by the Holocaust. We will explore the transformative power of music as a means of community building, propaganda, and healing by analyzing its impact before, during, and after one of history’s darkest periods.

The course begins with an overview of the musical landscape in Western Europe during the 1930s and early 1940s. Topics include concert music and notable composers, as well as vernacular traditions among oppressed populations. We will investigate the effects of rising censorship, alterations in musical content, and the emigration of artists as World War II approached.

Next, we delve into the diverse musical expressions that emerged during the Holocaust. This includes music created by prisoners—both sanctioned and clandestine—music of the ghettos, Nazi propaganda, and works by composers in exile. The unit also examines the role of music in resistance, survival, and morale during the war.

The final section focuses on post-Holocaust music and its enduring legacy. Students will explore works by Holocaust victims rediscovered in recent years, as well as compositions created in remembrance of the tragedy. This includes movie soundtracks, concert music, and folk traditions from around the world that honor and memorialize this history.

Throughout the semester, students will engage critically with musical examples, firsthand accounts, and scholarly writings. Discussions will emphasize the use of music as a tool for cultural expression, community resilience, and historical remembrance. A culminating project will ask students to synthesize course content by examining the lasting impact of genocide on the artistic traditions of affected communities.

*This course qualifies as credit for the MESI Certificate.

HONORS 380.6*
Case Study: Global Issues in the Arts and Humanities

Instructor: Annie Lampman

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

TBD

HONORS 390.4
Case Study: Global Issues in the Sciences

Instructor: Lisa Gloss

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

Proteins: Opportunities for Nature’s Nanotechnology

Proteins are biological macromolecules with an amazing array of functions and beautiful, intricate structures. As the catalysts for nearly all essential chemistry in biological systems, the transducers of signals and information, and the building blocks of cellular architecture, proteins represent the finest nanotechnology that Nature has evolved. The first part of the course will discuss the history of protein science (Nature’s Robots, Tanford & Reynolds required text). The goal of this reading is to provide an introduction to protein structure and function for a general, science-literate audience, but also to highlight the history of the scientific method in action – the successful, intentional approaches, the serendipitous observations and lucky accidents that were necessary to decipher key aspects of proteins, and the role of scientific personalities and historical cultural situations in the progress of protein science. In the last two-thirds of the course, we will discuss current research that explores: 1) the opportunities for protein nanotechnology in biotechnology and genetic engineering, and 2) the opportunities in medicine for repairing protein malfunction (e.g. treating amyloidogenic diseases) or for altering protein function (e.g. blocking bacterial or viral infection or enhancing immunity to infection). The course format will be a blend of discussion (in class and discussion boards) and short essays that encourage creative imagining of protein nanotechnology inventions in biotechnology and medicine.

Required Texts:

For general reading: “Nature’s Robots: A History of Proteins” by Charles Tanford and Jacqueline Reynolds Oxford University Press ISBN: 9780198606949 Available to read online via WSU Libraries.

Additional readings from scientific literature will be assigned, and available through WSU subscriptions.

HONORS 390.5
Case Study: Global Issues in the Sciences

Meetings: TBD
Instructor: TBD

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

TBD

HONORS 390.6*
Case Study: Global Issues in the Sciences

Instructor: Shane McFarland

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

TBD

*This course qualifies as credit for the MESI Certificate.

HONORS 398.1
Honors Thesis Proposal Seminar

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

TBD

HONORS 398.3
Honors Thesis Proposal Seminar

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 398.4
Honors Thesis Proposal Seminar

Instructor: Colin Criss

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 398.5
Honors Thesis Proposal Seminar

Meetings: Online Course – No Class Meetings*
Instructor: Annie Lampman

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

Honors Thesis Proposal Seminar

HONORS 398.6
Honors Thesis Proposal Seminar

Meetings: Online Course – No Class Meetings*
Instructor: Theresa Bowden

Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student and nursing major; sophomore standing.
NOTE: HONORS 398 IS MANDATORY FOR NURSING MAJORS

Honors Thesis Proposal Seminar for Nursing Majors

This 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/hypotheses, 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, your peers will provide feedback on preliminary thesis projects through draft proposals. At the end of class, your final thesis proposal will include a Title, Abstract, 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.

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

No Required Course Materials

Current and Previous Semesters

Information about courses from previous semesters is also available: Spring 2027, Fall 2026, 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

Spring 2027

Current and Previous Semesters