Recent Honors Courses
The Hunger Games. The Pilgrims. The Declaration of Independence. Seneca Falls. Martin Luther King, Jr. Wikileaks. What do these texts, events, and people all have in common? One word: dissent. Dissent—broadly meaning to differ, especially from the majority opinion—has been a crucial concept from the earliest American colonies until today. By evaluating a range of texts and historical moments, this class will grapple with the different manifestations of this seemingly quintessential American concept.
HNRS 202 INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY ANALYSIS
Legal and political definitions of terrorism; the causes and origins of international terrorism around the world; social-psychological dimensions of terrorism; manifestations of terrorism: globalization and terrorism; Arab nationalism; Islamic terrorism; Palestinian terrorism; suicide terrorism; Irish terrorism; Spanish terrorism; terrorism in South and Central America; narco-terrorism; nuclear terrorism; women and terrorism; terrorist incidents (9/11, Mumbai, etc); case studies of specific terrorist organizations; regional case studies; state-sponsored terrorism; counterterrorism in theory and practice; legal, economic and military counterterrorist measures; ethical, moral, and legal dilemmas.
HNRS 220 V01 IN SEARCH OF HUMAN NATURE
An in-depth examination of the religious, philosophical and scientific views of human nature seen through primary sources, literature and art. Topics will include human destiny, the nature of the sexes, the good life and the organization of human society, the relationship between the group and the individual, free will and determinism.
HNRS 301 JUNIOR HONORS SEMINAR
This course will use major philosophical texts as a springboard for discussing important ethical issues, and thinking about how to apply them within different disciplines. As part of this course, students will create a research proposal for their senior honors thesis.
HNRS 370 THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK: THE POSTCOLONIAL EXPERIENCE THROUGH NARRATIVES
This course will introduce students to various 20th century novels, stories, and films, written in response to the colonial experience. The class will read a set of outstanding literary works from the Philippines, Argentina, Ghana, and the Dominican Republic. Primary texts include both Anglophone and translated novels, as well as theoretical works.
HNRS 371: METHODS OF CULTURAL ANALYSIS
In this course, we will survey the major methods of cultural analysis, including Marxism, psychoanalysis, semiotics, post-structuralism, and ethnography. We will read the work of authors who engage the major cultural questions and debates of our day. Students will work together in affinity groups responsible for the presentation of selected reading material and for peer review of ongoing student research projects. The class will also work together to produce a multimedia web publication comprising the semester-long research projects.