Courses in the Honors College
Please note: this list is 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. NOTE: Advising will be offered by email or telephone ONLY to students currently studying abroad.
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 with their Honors College academic advisor. Listings from previous semesters are located at the bottom of this page.
Spring 2016
ECONS 198.1 – 3 units
MWF 10:10-11:00am CUE 114
Economics Honors
Instructor: Pat Kuzyk
Satisfies HONORS 270 for engineering, business, and economic science majors only.
Principles of Economics
This is an introductory course that covers principles of both micro and macroeconomics. My goal is for the student to learn, rigorously, the concepts that are crucial for her to understand how our political-economic system works. An organizing theme of the course is the question ‘under what circumstances are individual self-interest and the public good aligned, and when are they in conflict?’ Economic theory offers numerous insights into these important questions.
Students will be introduced to the methodology of economic research, and they will learn to apply economic principles to real-world examples.
Required text:
TBA
ECONS 198.2 – 3 units
MWF 11:10-12:00pm CUE 209
Economics Honors
Instructor: Pat Kuzyk
Satisfies HONORS 270 for engineering, business, and economic science majors only.
Principles of Economics
This is an introductory course that covers principles of both micro and macroeconomics. My goal is for the student to learn, rigorously, the concepts that are crucial for her to understand how our political-economic system works. An organizing theme of the course is the question ‘under what circumstances are individual self-interest and the public good aligned, and when are they in conflict?’ Economic theory offers numerous insights into these important questions.
Students will be introduced to the methodology of economic research, and they will learn to apply economic principles to real-world examples.
Required text:
TBA
ENGLISH 298.1 – 3 units
TuTh 1:25-2:40pm Thom 215
Writing and Research Honors
Instructor: Robert Eddy
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student
My approach to English Honors 298 helps us see and practice how engaging cross-cultural rhetorics and understanding language diversity are crucial to our work as professionals and informed citizens in a twenty-first century multi-racial democracy. The course focuses on the writing of academic research, and the rhetoric of academic discourse. A “discourse” is the formal or official conversation of a group. Academic writing is “rhetorical” in that it cannot be objective or unbiased because writers are not machines. Writers have points of view; we have world views that influence our perceptions and judgments. We must certainly try to be fair, and remember that academic discourse is collaborative: a team sport. The more voices the better. College writing is a contact zone where students have to deal with changing selves “being formed and reformed” (Min-Zhan Lu) in response to changes in language and definitions. Doing research is entering a new culture by carefully considering a different argument. Being a fair reader of a different argument involves overcoming “a colonial unconscious which repeatedly shuts down the possibilities for the content and terms of debate” (Damian Baca). If we finish the research project – finish our time in the new community, or in the new discourse – we will have been changed by the experience, however subtly or substantially. If we listen to “others” with engagement, if we engage researchers with points of view different from ours as equals in a contact zone, exciting possibilities for change and growth are opened.
Required texts:
TBA
ENGLISH 298.2 – 3 units
TuTh 10:35-11:50am Sloan 9
Writing and Research Honors
Instructor: Aaron Oforlea
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student
Required texts:
TBA
ENGLISH 298.3 – 3 units
MWF 11:10-12:00pm CUE 218
Writing and Research Honors
Instructor: William Condon
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student
Required texts:
TBA
ENGLISH 298.4 – 3 units
MWF 9:10-10:00am Todd 304
Writing and Research Honors
Instructor: Daniela Miranda
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student
This is a research-based course that focuses on a variety of themes including philosophical, historical, and literary studies of food. We will begin by examining a number of basic topics including philosophical approaches to food consumption, food and identity, food in history, food and its relationship to class and nation building, and food and gender. We will then turn our focus toward research and research writing.
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 as 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.
Required texts:
TBA
ENGLISH 298.5 – 3 units
MWF 1:10-2:00pm Thom 19
Writing and Research Honors
Instructor: Leah Benedict
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student
What do we eat? Why do we eat it? What would we refuse to eat, and why? To what lengths might we go to procure our food? Who do we expect to cook, or to cook well? The answers to these questions will help us to understand our place in an intricate relationship determined by local and global customs, trade, taboo, mythology, and history. Along the way we will pay particular attention to food technologies—from agricultural machinery to small kitchen gadgets—to better understand contemporary attitudes toward class, gender, and physical and cognitive ability.
Critical Reading Skills: You will learn to independently read and analyze many different kinds of writing genres, including manifestos, news articles, film reviews, academic essays, and scientific research. You will learn to identify and analyze style, meaning, and rhetorical appeals.
Analytical Writing: You will learn how to tackle complex thoughts through clear writing. To this end, you will learn to avoid logical fallacies, wordiness, and clichéd ideas and phrases. By the end of the semester, you will be able to sustain your ideas over many pages without repetition, and to work through complications and controversies rather than avoiding them. We will also work on sentence level mechanics, with writing tactics that help to clarify and polish your presentation of your ideas.
Discussion and Presentation: There are many kinds of communication, and many different genres to write. Writing that is intended to be read aloud requires a unique style, and we will develop strategies to revise written work into something that can be followed and understood by a listening audience.
Required text:
TBA
ENGLISH 298.6 – 3 units
TuTh 12:00-1:15pm Thom 19
Writing and Research Honors
Instructor: Jacob Hughes
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student
Required text:
TBA
HONORS 270.1 – 3 units
TuTh 12:00-1:15pm, Honors 142
Principles and Research Methods in Social Science
Instructor: Joe Huseby
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student
This course provides an overview of social science research methods with a focus on how the social sciences study political violence, extremism, and militancy. The course will introduce students to important terms, concepts, and ethical challenges of social science research.
Students are introduced to methods of data collection, investigation, theory development and testing by examining research on political violence in various forms, such as violent protest, gangs and militias, terrorism, and genocide. My goal for the course is that while students are learning the foundational concepts of social science research methods they will also gain an understanding of the sources of political violence. This process will also provide them with knowledge of some understudied current and historical cases of violent political conflict. The course concludes with students producing a research design utilizing the methods they’ve learned.
Required text:
1. Research Methods in the Social Sciences Eighth Edition
Nachmias, Nachmias, DeWaard
Publisher: Worth Publishers; Eighth Edition (October 17, 2014)
ISBN-10: 1429233001
ISBN-13: 978-1429233002
2. The Roots of Evil: The Origins of Genocide and Other Group Violence Reprint Edition
Erving Staub
Publisher: Cambridge University Press; Reprint Edition (July 31, 1992)
ISBN-10: 0521422140
ISBN-13: 978-0521422147
3. Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill
Jessica Stern
Publisher: Harper Perennial (August 17, 2004)
ISBN-10: 0060505338
ISBN-13: 978-0060505332
4. Gangsters Without Borders: An Ethnography of a Salvadoran Street Gang 1st Edition
Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1st Edition (June 1, 2012)
HONORS 270.2 – 3 units
TuTh 9:10-10:25 Bryn 406
Principles and Research Methods in Social Science
Instructor: Lawrence Hatter
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student
This course is designed to introduce students to the theory, methods, and practice of history. We will gain a better understanding of history as an academic field by exploring the history of the discipline and different methodologies in working with and evaluating sources within their historical context. This will help us in understanding that historical “truth” is often constructed and subjective, as opposed to unchanging and objective. Moreover, modes and methods of historical interpretation evolve and change over time.
The American Revolution will provide the common touchstone for students to plan, research, and write a 10-12 page original research paper. Through hands on research with newspapers, books, writings, and other sources from the Revolutionary Atlantic world, students will engage with key scholarly controversies from this foundational moment in the history of the United States.
Required text:
TBA
HONORS 270.3 – 3 units
MWF 10:10-11:00am CUE 218
Principles and Research Methods in Social Science
Instructor: Brendan Walker
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student
The objectives of this course are to familiarize the students with both an historical and contemporary perspective on the field of psychology. This will be achieved by evaluating the genetic, biological, and environmental contributors to the behavior of both humans and animals in a manner designed to promote critical/creative thinking, quantitative/symbolic reasoning, information literacy, communication, and a sense of self in society. By striving to embrace these course goals, the students should depart with an enhanced level of disciplinary knowledge that should translate into effective long-term strategies for the evaluation of information over their life span. The course will begin by identifying important historical ideologies and theories that have been instrumental in shaping the way we now view the field of psychology and introducing the concept of psychology as a science. This will be followed by an exploration of the various sub-domains of psychology that will provide a solid understanding of the many systems designed to assist us in navigating through the trials and tribulations of our daily existence. The course will also have a generalized sub-theme in which different aspects of the substance abuse research field will be applied to different sub-fields of psychology that are presented during the course as a means to enrich the learning experience and allow for a more in-depth exposure to experiment-based methodologies.
Required text:
Introduction to Psychology, by Wayne Weiten, 8th ed., ISBN978-0-495-60197-5
(check w/prof. to make sure this is the correct text)
HONORS 280.1 – 3 units
MWF, 4:10-5:00pm, Honors 142
Contextual Understanding in the Arts and Humanities
Instructor: Nathan Nicol
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student
Ethics and Public Policy
This course has two overarching aims: (1) to study the ethical theories most prevalent in contemporary thinking about public policy, and (2) to master the core critical thinking skills essential to all walks of life, but perhaps most especially to the critical evaluation of public policy. We will begin with a brief tour of the main ethical theories. Our central text, however, will be: Ethics and Public Policy: A Philosophical Inquiry, by Jonathan Wolff. This will lead us into arguments about the ethics of testing on animals, the legalization of drugs, public safety, health-care, the “free market,” and several others (which we can pick out together in class). We will be concerned to find the good arguments in these issues, but also to identify exactly what makes the bad arguments bad: we will thus acquaint ourselves with a great variety of fallacies, sophistry, and other shenanigans.
Required texts:
1. Blackburn, S. 2001. Ethics: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford.
2. Wolff, J. 2011. Ethics and Public Policy: A Philosophical Inquiry. Routledge.
HONORS 280.2 – 3 units
TuTh 2:50-4:05pm, Honors 142
Contextual Understanding in the Arts and Humanities
Instructor: Kim Andersen
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student
The Vikings-In Saga and Myth
In A.D. 793 the Vikings entered the annals of history with the attack on the monastery at Lindisfarne, England. The following 300 years, approximately, have become known as ‘the Viking Age.’ During these years the peoples of Scandinavia put their cultural imprint on the British Isles, Normandy, Paris, Russia, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and North America, not always to the delight of locals. However, they were not only pirates and conquerors but also trade-partners in a vibrant, early-Medieval world of commerce and cultural expanse. The Norse were quick to settle and become locals. Yet, who were they? Were they all pirating Vikings or also farmers, poets? How did they live when they weren’t on the longboats? Were law and order part of their societies? What were their beliefs, myths, and legends, before they converted to Christianity in the 10th century? Did they indeed ‘discover’ America?
In this course we will study this fascinating chapter of history by reading a selection of their literary legacies: the Icelandic sagas and myths. We will discuss these vivid tales of love, sex, violence, of defending property rights, and of the practical and supernatural uncertainties of exploration in a distant world without GPS and smartphones. In order to gain insights into a human culture so seemingly distant from our own, we will also make use of film and documentaries.
Final grade to be determined by active participation, written assignments, and an in-class presentation.
Required text:
The Sagas of Icelanders (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) [Paperback], ISBN-10: 0141000031
Other texts handled in class.
HONORS 280.3 – 3 units
MWF 2:10-3:00pm Honors 142
Contextual Understanding in the arts and Humanities
Instructor: Rita Rud
Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student
Writing the Short Story
This course is an introduction to the art and craft of fiction writing. We will explore and develop the craft elements of the short story including characterization, point-of-view, dialogue, plot, scene and summary, setting, and the use of metaphorical language. Craft exercises for each of these elements, plus peer review, class discussion and presentations of each element will prepare you to write your own short story. The research component of this course will include close reading and analysis of four award-winning short stories each week from the anthology assigned, and use of the library to research other acclaimed short fiction that will inform the problems, issues, and concepts that you want to develop in your fiction. You will complete one 10-12 page short story draft for workshop in class that will provide peer review and instructor feedback for revision. Your final portfolio will include 3 revised craft exercises of your choice; a final revision of your short story; plus an introductory essay detailing how your creative work is grounded in the existing oeuvre of contemporary literary fiction; your writing experience and growth in this class; and how your revision improved the quality and effectiveness of your story.
Required texts:
Fiction Writer’s Workshop (paperback), by Josip Novakovich, 1995, Story Press, Cincinnati, Ohio. ISBN-10: 1884910-39–4 or ISBN-13: 1-884910-39-4
The Contemporary American Short Story (paperback), edited by B. Minh Nguyen and Porter Shreve, 2003, Longman, ISBN-10: 0321117271 or ISBN-13: 978-0321117274
HONORS 290.1 – 3 units
TuTh 1:25-2:40pm Honors 142
Science as a Way of Knowing
Instructor: M.Grant Norton
Course Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student. Any B, BSCI, P, PSCI, or SCI lab or concurrent enrollment.
Ten Materials that Changed the World
Particles of flint, too small to see without a microscope, create razor sharp edges when a stone tool is made. We probably owe our very existence as modern day humans to the way that flint breaks. Iron propelled us into the Industrial Revolution and allowed the global transition towards industrialization. The importance of iron was not due just to its abundance, but because even three thousand years ago our ancestors had found out how to modify the properties of iron for specific applications. Gold has captivated humans for thousands of years, but it is only recently, particularly with the development of nanotechnology, that gold has found technological uses. Why has gold been so prized for millennia and why is it now becoming very useful? Imagine now a world without glass. Not only would we live in a much darker world, but we would never have discovered stars and planets beyond those visible with the naked eye nor would we realize the microscopic world that is part of us and all living things. This course will explore ten examples of materials that have changed our world. We will look at how these materials were formed, how we discovered them, and how they were used in applications that changed the world.
Required texts:
None
HONORS 290.2 – 3 units
MWF 2:10-3:00pm CUE 409
Science as a Way of Knowing
Instructor: Michael Allen
Course Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student. Any B, BSCI, P, PSCI, or SCI lab or concurrent enrollment.
History of Western Astronomy
The overall goal of the course it to learn the history of the scientific method as manifest in the history of western astronomy from the ancient Greek to the post-Renaissance eras. We will focus on two broad questions: what does the universe look like? Why does it look that way? In other words, we will learn (1) the fundamental observations available to astronomers concerning motions and periodicities in the sky, and (2) we will look at some models of these motions, their strengths, and weaknesses. Along the way, we will develop a powerful vocabulary for descriptive astronomy, and learn about the people and cultures of science that were the precursors to those of today. In particular, we will see how the incomplete scientific method of the ancient Greeks delayed scientific progress. We will make a detailed examination of the Galileo affair in conjunction with a dramatic reading of Brecht’s play “Life of Galileo”.
Required texts:
Brecht. 2008. “Life of Galileo”. New York, NY: Penguin.
Fernie. 1996. “AST 210 F/S, Astronomy through the ages, course notes”. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto. (Available on WSU Blackboard.)
HONORS 290.3 – 3 units
MWF 9:10-10:10 CUE 409
Science as a Way of Knowing
Instructor: Sian Ritchie
Course Prerequisite: Must be a current Honors student. Any B, BSCI, P, PSCI, or SCI lab or concurrent enrollment.
We will explore the development of science as a discipline from the perspective of biology and medicine. We will investigate how the 21st century research scientist works using papers from a range of subjects.
Required texts:
TBA
HONORS 370.1 – 3 units
TuTh 10:35-11:50am Honors 142
Case Study: Global Issues in Social Science
Instructor: Monica Johnson
Course Prerequisite: HONORS 270 or ECONS 198
Becoming an Adult in Contemporary Western Societies
This course will examine what it means to become an adult in contemporary Western societies and some of the key processes involved in the transition to adulthood. These often include the formation of romantic and sexual relationships, moving away from parents, and transitioning from school to work. Students will be introduced to the life course perspective, an interdisciplinary orienting framework concerned with understanding how lives are lived in historical time and place. Using this perspective we will examine how the pathways young people take in becoming adults, as well as transitional experiences embedded within these pathways, are shaped by a society’ institutions (including families, schooling, labor market, and government [policy and law]) and culture.
Required texts:
Shalet, Amy T. 2011. Not Under My Roof: Parents, Teens, and the Culture of Sex. University of Chicago Press.
Newmann, Katherine S. 2013. The Accordion Family: Boomerang Kids, Anxious Parents, and the Private Toll of Global Competition. Beacon Press.
HONORS 370.2 – 3 units
TuTh 9:10-10:25am SGym 205
Case Study: Global Issues in Social Science
Instructor: M Goodman Elgar
Course Prerequisite: HONORS 270 or ECONS 198
From modest origins in the Cuzco region, the Inca expanded and united a vast region extending from their heartland in the high Andes to the jungle and coast including much of Peru, Columbia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. They called their empire Tawantinsuyo, land of the four quarters, and linked it with complex communication, roads and administration systems. We will explore both the conquerors and the conquered as we trace the development of Inca culture and the expansion of the Inca state. Inca studies are greatly influenced by early Spanish observations of the Inca and contemporary anthropological studies. We will assess the benefits and difficulties of combining these texts with archaeological data. Our journey starts by exploring the cultural and physical geography of the Andean region, pre-Colombian community organization and subsistence. We then consider Inca origins in both their myths and archaeological remains. Considering expansion will lead us into strategies of military conquest, state organization, and impacts on conquered peoples. The Inca produced very distinctive material culture and we will consider their artistic forms, ceramics, figurines, weaving, architecture and settlement planning. Throughout the course we will address strategies of the state that are relevant not only to the study of ancient cultures but also to our own societies today.
Required texts:
TBA
HONORS 370.3 – 3 units
TuTh 1:25-2:40pm AVER 8
Case Study: Global Issues in Social Science
Instructor: Christopher Lupke
Course Prerequisite: HONORS 270 or ECONS 198
Self and Family in Modern Chinese Culture
This course examines the issue of the individual in modern China with particular respect to the status and structure of the family. In the modern era, two social institutions have undergone total and irrevocable transformation in East Asia: the governmental and the familial structure. This course focuses on the family and the emergence of the individual in modern society. The Confucian notion of filiality 孝 (xiao) has undergirded Chinese cultural formation for more than two millennia. But in the modern era, things have changed dramatically. Not only have the political, social and economic structures of all East Asian states changed, but we all now live in a “global” society where technology, commerce, and travel make connections across borders part of daily life. Even as global economics, modern political entities, and technological innovation have affected the structure of human subjects, recent sociological research indicates that so-called “traditional” Chinese values such as filiality are still having a demonstrable effect on intergenerational relations among Chinese Americans. This course asks us to come to terms with the philosophical and cultural bases for the way Chinese have conceived of themselves with respect to the family. Building upon that, we then examine the current state of the self and family both in Chinese civilizations. There is ample data available to conduct this inquiry, and a central part of the course will be students’ research projects. The course lays the groundwork for individual research projects that students conduct by focusing on an interdisciplinary range of primary and secondary texts.
Required texts:
Mo Yan, “Abandoned Child” and Frog
Confucius, Analects (Selected)
Mencius, Selections
Lu Xun, “New Year’s Sacrifice” and Other Stories
Wang Anyi, Baotown
Films Include:
Zhang Yang, Sunflower
Zhang Yimou, The Story of Qiu Ju
Hou Hsiao-hsien, A Time to Live, A Time to Die
HONORS 380.1 – 3 units
TuTh 9:10-10:25am Honors 142
Case Study: Global Issues in the Arts and Humanities
Instructor: Sheila Converse
Course Prerequisite: HONORS 280
In this class we will examine music from a number of different perspectives. We will begin with the science by reading This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel J. Levin in which he explains the elements of music in scientific terms, investigates the role of music in human evolution and the neuroscience of perception of music in the human brain. The second area will explore The Myths of Creativity: The Truth About How Innovative Companies and People Generate Great Ideas by David Burkus. We will look at how creativity is critical in science and business as well as in the arts. Finally, we will examine how music is integral to different cultures and can be a vehicle through which we can learn about people in this global community. The Healing Drum by Yaya Diallo and Michael Hall will introduce us to the Minianka tribe of West Africa. We will choose other cultures to investigate based on the interests of the class. The final section of the class will look at the therapeutic aspects of music in institutional settings such as hospitals as well as its use by individuals for relaxation and stress relief.
Required texts:
This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel J. Levitin Dutton 2006 ISBN 0-525-94969-0
The Myths of Creativity: The Truth About How Innovative Companies and People Generate Great Ideas by David Burkus ISBN 978-1-118-61114-2
The Healing Drum: African Wisdom Teachings by Yaya Diallo & Michael Hall Destiny Books 1989 ISBN 0-89281-256-7
HONORS 380.2 – 3 units
TuTh 10:35-11:50am TBA
Case Study: Global Issues in the Arts and Humanities
Instructor: Sergey Lapin
Course Prerequisite: HONORS 280
Introduction to Russian culture, history and language.
This course surveys Russia’s cultural past and present.
This course is an introduction to Russian civilization, presenting an overview of art, architecture, literature, music, philosophy, and film. In this course we will place the cultural phenomena into a larger historical context. Examples of Russian culture and the Russian Religious faith are discussed alongside with daily life and folk beliefs. Also included is a brief introduction to the Russian language: alphabet, elementary reading and minimal conversational skills.
The course format consists of lectures, slides, video and audio presentations. Questions and discussions are strongly encouraged.
All materials are in English. No prior knowledge of Russian history, literature or culture is required.
Required texts:
TBA
HONORS 380.3 – 3 units
MWF 12:10-1:00pm Honors 142
Case Study-Global Issues in the Arts and Humanities
Instructor: Robin Bond
Course Prerequisite: HONORS 280
Being Human: An Introduction to Greek Literature and Culture
This course is an introduction to the literature and culture of archaic and Classical Greece that focuses on the question of what it means to be human. Greek poets depicted the human condition as an existence apart from, and contrary to, the leisure enjoyed by the gods. Human life, in the Greek mind, was at its core suffering, toil, and death. Yet, being human also meant being civilized, which for the Greeks meant being Greek: honoring Greek gods and observing Greek customs. Overtime the literature, poetry, and philosophy of the ancient Greeks reflect how some of their most basic cultural assumptions about the human experience were challenged often as a result of their interactions with other peoples through travel, colonization, and warfare.
Required text:
The Iliad of Homer, translated by Richmond Lattimore
Homer’s Odyssey, translated by Robert Fagles
The Poems of Hesiod, translated with Introduction and Comments by R. M. Frazer
Herodotus’ History, translated by David Grene
HONORS 380.4 – 3 units
MWF 3:10-4:00pm Honors 142
Case Study: Global Issues in the Arts and Humanities
Instructor: Rita Rud
Course Prerequisite: HONORS 280
Writing Your Heritage
This course combines research and writing to discover your heritage. How often do we hear and read that “America is a melting pot?” What does this mean exactly? To answer this question, you will conduct various methods of research to learn about your family history, and the countries and cultures of your heritage. Research reports, journals, and class presentations will document your journey, and your final portfolio will include a substantial piece of revised writing (15-20 pages) that can be in the form of an academic scholarly paper, a creative non-fiction paper, or a fiction story grounded in the historical and cultural/political truths of your ancestors’ lives.
Class presentations will highlight aspects of the countries and cultures you are exploring and may include examples of the culture’s philosophy, art, music, stories, dance, literature, or other art forms unique to the culture. We will also explore and use various technologies to enhance both your research and presentations.
Required text:
Research and Documentation in the Digital Age by Diana Hacker & Barbara Fister, Sixth Edition. ISBN 978-1-4576-5069-7
HONORS 390.1 – 3 units
MWF 10:10-11:00am Honors 142
Case Study: Global Issues in the Sciences
Instructor: Raymond Quock
Course Prerequisite: HONORS 290, SCIENCE 299, CHEM 116, MATH 182, PHYSICS 205, or PHYSICS 206
Drug Abuse: A Global Perspective
According to the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NHDUH), use of illicit drugs in the United States has been on the rise. The 2013 World Drug Report notes stability in use of traditional drugs of abuse but also points to an alarming rise in prescription drug abuse and the use of new psychoactive substances. For the first time, the number of new psychoactive substances exceeded the total number of substances under international control. The topics in this course will 1) provide a scientific background in the psychopharmacology of drugs of abuse; 2) analyze trends in global illicit drug use; and 3) discuss the societal impact of drug abuse.
Required texts:
Materials as distributed by the instructor.
HONORS 390.2 – 3 units
W 5:30-8:00pm Honors 142
Case Study: Global Issues in the Sciences
Instructor: Lydia Gerber
Course Prerequisite: HONORS 290, SCIENCE 299, CHEM 116, MATH 182, PHYSICS 205, or PHYSICS 206
The Practice, Science and History of Mindfulness
Mindfulness, defined by Jon Kabat-Zinn as “paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally,” is an inherent human capacity, cultivated throughout history. Mindfulness training enhances one’s ability to cope with anxiety and stress, decreases the likelihood of burnout in challenging professions, and has a beneficial effect on overall health. Among mindfulness training programs Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), developed in 1979 at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, stands out as a program that has been rigorously researched for its safety and effectiveness. This class invites students to explore the practice (following the eight-week program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn) and the growing field of published research on MBSR in academic disciplines ranging from Psychology and Education to Neuroscience and Cell Biology.
The instructor has received her training in MBSR through the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She has been teaching classes in the Pullman community and at WSU since 2012 and is looking forward to working with you! Please feel free to contact her at lgerber@wsu.edu if you have questions about the class!
Required text:
Journal articles made available through the WSU Library system.
HONORS 390.3 – 3 units
MWF 9:10-10:00am EDAD 212
Case Study: Global Issues in the Sciences
Instructor: Richard Lamb
Course Prerequisite: HONORS 290, SCIENCE 299, CHEM 116, MATH 182, PHYSICS 205, or PHYSICS 206
Artificial Intelligence and Consideration for the Future
Recent advances in technology, more specifically in the processing ability of computers, place us in a unique positon in the history of human development. As a society, we have entrusted computers in the form of artificial intelligences (AI) with the management of everything from our environment, economy, security, infrastructure, to healthcare and military activities; these activities have raised several complex questions. This course will examine the history of AI, to explain what “AI complete” means for society, explain questions about role of AI in our society, and the potential future of AI. The goal of Honors 390 is to equip you with the intellectual tools and understanding to examine critically current and future outcomes associated with AI.
Required text and Materials:
1. Book: None, COURSE MATERIALS ARE ONLINE
2. Access to Washington State University Online system and a valid email address. Email is the primary and preferred method of communication.
HONORS 398.1 – 1 unit
Th 1:10-2:00pm Honors 141
Honors Thesis Proposal Seminar
Instructor: Kim Andersen
Course Prerequisite: Sophomore Standing; 45 semester hours. Students majoring in the social sciences, arts, or humanities are encouraged to enroll in this section.
This is a seminar-style course with the purpose of assisting and supporting each participant in completing his/her Honors thesis proposal. By the end of the course you will be ready to submit your Honors thesis proposal for approval and to initiate your thesis research. In the course, you will learn how to generate an Honors thesis topic, how to formulate a thesis question, how to identify a thesis advisor, and how to prepare the thesis proposal. In addition, we will discuss ways to structure your thesis, how to perform a literature search, and how to 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 submit a complete proposal including title, introduction, research question, methodology, preliminary annotated bibliography, as a final product. S/F grading.
Required text:
Writing A Successful Research Paper: A Simple Approach by Stanley Chodorow. Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Co., ISBN: 978-1-60384-440-6
HONORS 398.2 – 1 unit
Tu 12:10-1:00 Honors 141
Honors Thesis Proposal Seminar
Instructor: Robin Bond
Course Prerequisite: 45 semester hours. Students majoring in the social sciences, arts, or humanities are encouraged to enroll in this section.
This seminar-style course is designed to assist and support each participant in developing and completing his/her Honors College thesis proposal—the first step in successfully completing the thesis requirement of the Honors College. During the course, each thesis proposal will be constructively criticized during collaborative peer review sessions and each student will give a 10-minute formal presentation on his/her proposal in class. At the end of the class, students will submit for approval a final thesis proposal including title, introduction, research question or creative project, methodology, expected results and possible conclusions, and an annotated bibliography.
Required text:
None
HONORS 398.3 – 1 unit
M 4:10-5:00pm Honors 141
Honors Thesis Proposal Seminar
Instructor: Rita Rud
Course Prerequisite: 45 semester hours. Students majoring in the social sciences, arts, or humanities are encouraged to enroll in this section.
This seminar-style course will guide and support each student in the process of completing his/her Honors thesis proposal. In this course, you will learn how to:
• generate your Honors thesis topic
• develop your thesis question
• choose a thesis advisor for your project, and
• plan and write your thesis proposal.
In class, we will discuss ways to structure your thesis, perform a literature search, and evaluate the information you find in relation to your chosen topic. We will also discuss and constructively support and critique projects as you develop your proposals. Each student will submit a complete proposal including title, introduction, research question, methodology, preliminary annotated bibliography, and give a 10-minute oral presentation on their proposal in class. S/F grading.
By the end of the course you will submit your Honors thesis proposal for approval and be ready to initiate your thesis research.
Required text:
How to Write a BA Thesis, by Charles Lipson, ISBN # 0226481263 (Paperback)
HONORS 398.4 – 1 unit
W 10:10-11:00, Honors 141
Honors Thesis Proposal Seminar
Instructor: Catherine Elstad
Course Prerequisite: 45 semester hours. Students in science, math, and other technical majors are encouraged to enroll in this section.
This seminar-style course is designed to assist and support each participant in the development and completion of his/her Honors College senior thesis proposal. This course will prepare you to successfully complete the thesis research and presentation requirements of the Honors College. In this course, you will learn how to formulate an achievable thesis question around a topic or issue about which you are curious, identify a thesis advisor, conduct literature research, develop methodologies to address your research question, and critically analyze and interpret information. During the course, each thesis proposal will be constructively criticized during peer review sessions. At the end of the class, you will (1) submit a final thesis proposal including title, introduction, research question, methodology, expected results and possible conclusions, and an annotated bibliography and (2) give a 10-minute presentation on your proposal in class. S/F grading.
Recommended text:
How to Write a BA Thesis, by Charles Lipson. ISBN # 0226481263 (Paperback)
HONORS 430 – units vary
Education Abroad Research
By Arrangement
Instructor: Kim Andersen
Special assignments and research related to education abroad. Read about The Certificate of Global Competencies on this website: http://honors.wsu.edu/studyabroad/index.html
Students interested in completing Honors 430 should meet with an Honors advisor.
**An approved contract is required before Honors staff can register you for this course.
HONORS 450 – units vary
Honors Thesis or Project
By Arrangement
All students are required to complete a 3-unit Honors Thesis in order to fulfill their Honors requirements. The Honors thesis is an in-depth reading and writing project directed by a student’s major department. Students can choose to complete original research or a creative project. Detailed guidelines on the thesis and the proposal approval process are available on the Honors College website. Final grades for Honors 450 are entered by the Honors College when the thesis is satisfactorily completed and an oral presentation has been given. Oral presentation dates vary throughout the year; please check with the Honors College or watch the FLASH for dates.
**An approved Honors Thesis Proposal is required before Honors staff can register you for this course.
HONORS 499 – units vary
Special Problems (Independent Study)
By Arrangement
Students interested in completing an independent study requirement should meet with an Honors advisor.
**An approved contract is required before Honors staff can register you for this course.