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Honors Core Curriculum
Honors Core Courses Offered Spring 2010
Courses in the Honors Core Curriculum, intended for first- and second-year Honors students, are taught in small groups and encourage high-level exploration of content and concepts ranging across many fields of students’ interest. These rigorous, interdisciplinary classes emphasize active and participatory learning. They encourage students to think critically about important contemporary issues, develop an appreciation for context, and expose students to the connection of knowledge across the disciplines. Most Core Curriculum faculty participated in a competitive selection process.
AH/NUSC 1030 (formerly 130, also offered as AH 298 Spring 2008) – Honors Core: Interdisciplinary Approach to Obesity Prevention
Content Area 3 - Science & Technology
3 Credits
Instructors: Valerie Duffy (Allied Health) & Nancy Rodriguez (Nutritional Sciences)
Description: Obesity is considered a national epidemic and possibly a pandemic as it affects many developed countries around the world. This interdisciplinary course explores the 1) biology of obesity including genetic predispositions and behaviors that increase obesity risk (dietary, physical activity, social, psychological), 2) the obesigenic environment, including how communities are physically built, as well as the economic relationship to obesity risk, and 3) policy and ethical implications for obesity prevention. Multi-level obesity prevention approaches that involve the individual, family, organization, community, and policy will be considered. The format will consist of common lectures, weekly discussions, hands-on activities, team projects, and synthesis of material presented. back to top
AMST 1700 (formerly INTD 170)– Honors Core: American Landscape, A History
Content Area 1 – Arts & Humanities (CLAS: CA1-C-History)
3 credits
Instructor: Walter Woodward
Description: 410 miles from its source on the United States/Canadian border to its merger with the Atlantic Ocean in the Long Island Sound, the Connecticut River is the main artery and psychological lifeblood of New England.
In its successful application to have the Connecticut designated an American Heritage river, the Connecticut River Watershed Council wrote, “Like a grand main street, the Connecticut River runs through the lives and livelihoods of the people and communities of the Valley. New England’s mightiest river, the Connecticut stands at the heart of this region’s human settlement and commerce; it is at the core of its history and culture; and it represents the essence of its environmental quality and economic vitality.
In this course, we will consider a wide variety of ways of thinking about this foundational natural landmark: geologically; historically; environmentally; as an economic resource; a transportation network; a focus of literature and artistic expression; as a recreational and tourism resource; and as a source of water and power.
This will be an active course, involving students in thoughtful discussion and hands on exploration of how ‘the river that connects us” has shaped New England. Tentative field trips include journeys to the Connecticut River Museum in Essex, Connecticut to explore exhibits and eagle watch; the Great Falls Discovery Center at Turner Falls Massachusetts to study habitat and natural history of the river valley; and/or the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich, Vermont.
Enrollment limited to 25 students. back to top
ANTH 1001W - Honors Core: Anthropology through Film
Content Area 1 - Arts & Humanities and Content Area 4 - Diversity & Multiculturalism
3 Credits
Instructor: Samuel Martinez (Anthropology and Caribbean & Latin American Studies)
Description: This course is an introduction to cultural anthropology, approached through the medium of film. Cultural anthropology is a sub-field of the academic discipline of anthropology, which takes as its subject the study of human beliefs and behavior, in all societies, worldwide. By studying and comparing the diverse experiences and viewpoints of people around the world, cultural anthropologists seek to explain why people in other societies hold beliefs and behave in ways that differ from our own. Cross-cultural comparisons also provide a fresh vantage point for studying our own society, making it possible to gain awareness of ideas and practices so basic to our own experience that they often seem simply natural. Through the medium of film, the study of cultural anthropology opens up discussion of issues relevant to a wide range of humanities and human scientific inquiry, pertaining to the politics and ethics of representation, and what influence the conceptual, temporal and spatial “frames,” in which social researchers situate their topics of study, may have on anthropological depictions of the human world. back to top
ECON 1107 (107) – Honors Core: Economics, Nature, and the Environment
Content Area 2 – Social Sciences
3 credits
Instructor: Olivier Morand
Description: This course will study of the interaction between people and their natural environment from a global and historical perspective. The course is multidisciplinary and synthesizes valuable insights from various disciplines, including economics and the social sciences, geography, archaeology, history, ecology, while emphasizing a scientific approach. Topics of study will include the impact of nature on societies; effects of geography and climate on economic development and income inequality. The impact of humans on their environment; environmental problems; collapse of societies; and sustainable development will also be discussed. back to top
HIST/PRLS/LAMS 1570 Honors Core: Migrant Workers in Connecticut
Content Area 1 (C) & Content Area 4
3 Credits
2:00-4:30 Tu
Cross-listed (all sections meet at the same time and in the same location). Accepted students must select one:
HIST 1570 (#21379)
LAMS 1570 (#21380)
PRLS 1570 (#21381)
Instructor: Mark Overmyer-Velázquez
The Honors Program is pleased to announce the Honors Core Curriculum course, Honors Core: Migrant Workers in Connecticut, has been approved as a cross-listed course offered as HIST 1570, LAMS 1570, and PRLS 1570. HIST/LAMS/PRSL 1570, approved for Content Area 1 and Content Area 4, will be offered in Spring 2010 on Tuesdays from 2:00 – 4:30 p.m. Approved students may select HIST, LAMS, or PRLS for their course registration. Successful completion of this course will count toward the required three credits of Honors Core for the Sophomore Honors. Admission to this course is by permission only for a maximum of 16 students. A BRIEF application is required. Please read the description below and follow the listed application instructions.
Students interested in this class might wish to take the associated one-credit Spanish discussion section: INTD 3222-097 Linkage through Language: Spanish discussion w/ HIST/LAMS/PRLS 1570.
Course Description:
This interdisciplinary, team-taught Honors course examines the life and work experiences of migrant workers. Weekly sessions are taught by different faculty from across the university and by practitioners in the field, combining short lectures and discussions of assigned readings. The emphasis is on migrant workers – mostly Spanish-speaking from the Caribbean and Latin America, but with some attention to non-Spanish-speaking migrants (e.g., from Haiti) – in the United States with a significant focus on migrant workers in Connecticut.
This seminar is introductory. We assume that most, if not all, of you are generally unfamiliar with much of the basic literature pertaining to migrant life and labor. The course is thus intended to provide a very broad and eclectic perspective on the world of migrant labor and experiences.
This seminar combines classroom and service learning as fundamental and equally valued elements of each student’s experience. Service learning involves the student in on-site study and work with a variety of organizations in Connecticut that assist the state’s migrant community. Students will travel regularly throughout the semester to organizations in Willimantic and Hartford. The organizations may include: Hispanic Health Council (migrant health education); Area Health Education Center (ESOL and GED instruction); Greater Hartford Legal Aid (legal advocacy); Hartford City Council (public policy); and the Hispanic Ministry at Catholic Charities (migrant social services).
Brief Application:
Admission to the course requires a brief application. We want to see that you understand and are eager to work in both classroom and community settings. Please submit a paragraph (150 words max.) explanation of why you think you would benefit from and enhance this course. Applications will be reviewed in the Honors Program beginning on November 2. Along with your paragraph, please send your name, student ID#, major, school/college, expected year of graduation, and preferred course registration (HIST 1570, LAMS 1570, OR PRLS 1570) to Patricia.Szarek@uconn.edu. Permission numbers to enable registration for this course will be sent to accepted students beginning on November 6. back to top
MUSI 1005 (105) – Honors Core: Music, Nature, & the Environment
Content Area 1 - Arts & Humanities
3 Credits
Instructor: Glenn Stanley
Description: This course focuses on how musicians in the “western art tradition” have engaged with nature and the environment in the creation and performance of their music. I use both nature and environment in my title, because I see a distinction between them. Nature can exist independently of mankind; there is nature where there is no civilization of any kind, no interaction between man and nature. Environment means the positioning of civilization within nature, and connotes the interactions between nature and civilization. For this reason the course will fall into two main parts. First we will explore some of the ways that musicians have drawn upon nature as a source of inspiration, imitated and glorified nature, looking at different kinds of music (songs, opera, orchestral music) beginning with the late middle ages and concluding in the twentieth century. Then we will study how music has been used, in the recent past and continuing today, to call attention to the dangers facing the environment in an increasingly industrialized world with a growing population and patterns of settlement and production that threatens a fragile equilibrium between man and nature.
(This course is open to freshmen and sophomores in the Honors Program.) back to top
POLS 3208W - Honors Core: Politics of Oil
Content Area 2 - Social Sciences
3 Credits
Instructor: Oksan Bayulgen (Political Science)
Description: This is a course on the complex relationship between oil and politics. It seeks to develop students’ research, thinking and writing skills about the role of oil in the international political system as well as in domestic politics. Today, oil undeniably affects all aspects of our lives but who really controls oil resources and what does that mean for national and international distribution of political power? How has the contest over oil resources affected the relations among nations as well as the economic, political, social and environmental development of oil-rich countries? What are the alternatives to oil and what needs to be done to reduce dependency on it? This course will address these questions as well as analyze and compare individual cases of how oil shapes the way we think about the world. back to top
PSYC 3884 - Honors Core: Human Sexuality, From Between the Sheets to Between the Ears and Between Computers
CA4, pending CA2 approval
3 Credits
Instructor: V. Bede Agocha
Description: This course introduces Honors students to the study of human sexuality, and how interdisciplinary perspectives and evidence help explain the incredibly rich diversity of different behaviors that fall within this domain. Consider the many possibilities ranging from dating to mating; from “texting” to “sexting”; from ‘safer sex’ to “bug chasing”; from virgins who are happily single to non-virgins blithely dedicated to polyamory; from looking to loving, and everything in between. As evident in these phenomena, what constitutes sexuality truly runs the gamut. However, the course also has specific foci (e.g., seeing human sexuality as a Biopsychosocial phenomenon), and our coursework and activities are guided by a central aim to build Honors students’ competence and confidence to deal with sexuality as an area of study, and to improve sexual decision making in students’ day-to-day lives outside the classroom.
Students will learn to examine and understand human sexual behavior from a systematic approach that integrates information and examples from multiple disciplines. In addition, students will consider theoretical perspectives, behavioral research evidence, artistic renditions, and multimedia presentations seeking to depict and explain the origins, motivations, and consequences of sexual thoughts, feelings, and actions. The course will be taught as an interactive seminar (i.e., more discussions than lectures). We will explore topics in a manner that allows each student to appreciate the relevance and application of learned principles and information about sexuality to her or his own personal experiences, as well as be able to see important parallels and connections to the lives of other persons, historic and contemporary events, and the broader local and global social world. back to top
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Honors Core Courses Offered Fall 2009
Courses in the Honors Core Curriculum, intended for first- and second-year Honors students, are taught in small groups and encourage high-level exploration of content and concepts ranging across many fields of students’ interest. These rigorous, interdisciplinary classes emphasize active and participatory learning. They encourage students to think critically about important contemporary issues, develop an appreciation for context, and expose students to the connection of knowledge across the disciplines. Most Core Curriculum faculty participated in a competitive selection process.
AMST 1700 Honors Core: American Landscape, A History
Content Area
3 Credits
Instructors: Christopher Clark, Sydney Plum, & Robert Thorson
Description: This team-taught, interdisciplinary course applies perspectives from art, geology, literature, and social and intellectual history to the whole of the American landscape. Initially, we focus on publication of Henry David Thoreau's "Walden" (1854), a classic of American literature and the foundation text for the environmental movement, examining the social, economic, scientific, and aesthetic ideas behind it. From there, we examine how it has transformed our views of wilderness, our relationship to nature, and our sense of place. We contrast Walden with Terry Tempest Williams' "Refuge," a Thoreau- inspired meditation on a strikingly different place, Utah's Great Salt Lake. The course format consists of common lectures and panels, weekly discussion sections, and a field trip to Walden Pond in Concord. (This course is open to freshmen and sophomores in the Honors Program.) back to top
BME/CSE/MCB 1401 - Honors Core: Computational Molecular Biology
Content Area 3 - Science & Technology
3 Credits
Instructors: Craig Nelson & Yufeng Wu
Description: This course is an introduction to computational genomics through lectures, computer lab exercises, and mentored research projects. Started in 1995 by the completion of the first genome sequence of a free-living organism, H. influenzae, the genomic era has already led to hundreds of complete genome sequences deposited in public databases and many more genome projects at various stages of completion. The huge amounts of available genome data are revolutionizing biomedical research, but fully exploiting them requires powerful computational and statistical methods. The main objective of the course is to provide students with a general understanding of the field of computational genomics, including current problems and research. Students will become familiar with fundamental molecular biology concepts and computational techniques, and will learn how to use the Matlab bioinformatics toolbox for solving problem in genomics. back to top
ECON 1107 – Honors Core: Economics, Nature, and the Environment
Content Area 2 – Social Sciences
3 credits
Instructor: Olivier Morand
Description: This course will study of the interaction between people and their natural environment from a global and historical perspective. The course is multidisciplinary and synthesizes valuable insights from various disciplines, including economics and the social sciences, geography, archaeology, history, ecology, while emphasizing a scientific approach. Topics of study will include the impact of nature on societies; effects of geography and climate on economic development and income inequality. The impact of humans on their environment; environmental problems; collapse of societies; and sustainable development will also be discussed. back to top
MCB 1405 - Honors Core: The Genetics Revolution in Contemporary Culture
Content Area 3 - Science & Technology
3 Credits
Instructors: Rachel O’Neill (Molecular and Cell Biology) & Michael O'Neill (Molecular and Cell Biology)
Description: This course will introduce students to genetics and genetic technologies. Various forms of popular culture, including news clips, movies, books and art will be used to provide a framework for the syllabus and will introduce students to various genetics and technology topics. A textbook will be used for the scientific material, which will be discussed in the context of the interpretation of science in modern society. The students will learn the scientific principles of genetics and genetic technology as well as the impact these topics have had on our culture, attitudes towards science, domestic and foreign policy as well as medical practice and law. back to top
MUSI 1005 – Honors Core: Music, Nature, & the Environment
Content Area 1 - Arts & Humanities
3 Credits
Instructor: Glenn Stanley
Description: This course focuses on how musicians in the “western art tradition” have engaged with nature and the environment in the creation and performance of their music. I use both nature and environment in my title, because I see a distinction between them. Nature can exist independently of mankind; there is nature where there is no civilization of any kind, no interaction between man and nature. Environment means the positioning of civilization within nature, and connotes the interactions between nature and civilization. For this reason the course will fall into two main parts. First we will explore some of the ways that musicians have drawn upon nature as a source of inspiration, imitated and glorified nature, looking at different kinds of music (songs, opera, orchestral music) beginning with the late middle ages and concluding in the twentieth century. Then we will study how music has been used, in the recent past and continuing today, to call attention to the dangers facing the environment in an increasingly industrialized world with a growing population and patterns of settlement and production that threatens a fragile equilibrium between man and nature.
(This course is open to freshmen and sophomores in the Honors Program.) back to top
POLS 2998/WS 3998 – Honors Core: War, Feminism, and International Relations
Does not fulfill GER at this time, but will fulfill Honors Core Course requirement for Sophomore Honors certificate.
3 Credits
Description: War is a defining characteristic of international relations. Although by some measures war is declining in frequency over time, in the post-World War II era we have seen wars rage in Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America, Central America, the Pacific Islands, and the Middle East. The field of International Relations (IR) views war as one of its core subjects and tends to study it in terms of state and military security strategies, new and old wars, generations of weaponry, ethics and laws of war, humanitarian coalitions, and war causes. Historically, IR has not studied issues of gender and war at all. Until recently much feminist scholarship, which does consider gender power relations and the positions of women in society, has shown spotty interest in studying war as a feminist topic, because of the violence it entails. A new generation of feminist IR thinking, however, sees no contradiction between feminism and researching war, and has been taking up war studies with energy. Drawing on scholarly resources in IR and feminism, as well as war representations in novels, visual art, and memorials, this course reveals intriguing points of connection that emerge when we consider war from perspectives not often brought together. back to top
SOCI 3823 - Honors Core: Sociology of Law: Global and Comparative Perspectives
Content Area 2 - Social Sciences and Content Area 4 - Diversity & Multiculturalism
3 Credits
Instructor: Mary Bernstein (Sociology)
Description: The relationship between law and social change cross-nationally, including dispute processing in kinship societies, the impact of Western law on Third World countries, legal strategies that challenge inequality based on class, race, sex, religion, and sexuality, and the impact of international human rights treaties on inequality. back to top
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