Fall 2015 Graduate Courses

HRTS 5899: Governance, Development & Human Rights in Sub-Saharan Africa

Instructor: Dr. Semahagn Gashu Abebe

With your advisor’s approval, graduate courses may be included in your Honors Final Plan of Study for graduation. They also count toward your Honors participation requirements.

This seminar will examine governance and development in Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on topics of institutional development, good governance, democratization, human rights, globalisation and regional integration efforts. Students will critically analyze the opportunities and challenges of sustainable development and governance issues in Sub-Saharan Africa and compare and contrast the African context with development and governance patterns in the global north.

Dr. Abebe earned is doctoral degree at the University of Göttingen (Germany) and is a visiting scholar in the Human Rights Institute in 2015-2016.

Advanced undergraduate students are welcome. Please contact Rachel Jackson at rachel.jackson@uconn.edu or Dr. Abebe at semahagn.abebe@uconn.edu for more information.

MCB 5014: Structure & Dynamics of Macromolecular Machines

Instructors: Victoria Robinson, Eric May

With your advisor’s approval, graduate courses may be included in your Honors Final Plan of Study for graduation. They also count toward your Honors participation requirements.

Biological systems are filled with “machines” which perform specific functions and involve the movement of parts of the machine and the conversion of chemical energy in mechanical work. This course will introduce students to macromolecular cellular and viral machines and the experimental and computational techniques used to study these fascinating complexes. While having an understanding of basic biochemistry is important for this course, this course may be of interest to students with a background in the physical sciences or engineering. During the course we examine several types of machines including:

  • Self-assembling nanocontainer and packing machines (Viruses)
  • Protein manufacturing machines (Ribosomes)
  • Small molecule transport/pumping machines (Ion channel and multidrug transporters)

The course sessions will involve lectures, student led discussions and computational labs. The course will conclude by having the students develop a research plan to study a machine of their choosing.

POLS 5605: Seminar in Quantitative Methods of Political Science

Instructor: Prakash Kashwan

Prof. Kashwan invites interested Honors students of all majors to take his graduate seminar. With your advisor’s approval, graduate courses may be included in your Honors Final Plan of Study for graduation. They also count toward your Honors participation requirements.

Introduction to the data analysis techniques most often used by political scientists. Requires no previous background in statistics.

Over the past several years that Professor Kashwan has taught this class, he has developed a ‘non-mathematical’ approach to introductory statistics. The focus of the class, instead is on helping students become adept at understanding and applying the tools of statistics to political and economic questions of the day. This approach facilitates quality student engagement in the group projects that students work on for the semester. The style and the contents of teaching have resonated with students, which is evident in anonymous student evaluations, such as the following comments:

“Quantitative terms and concepts were presented in a way that was easily understood by liberal arts students.”

“Professor Kashwan – YOU ARE SO POSITIVE! You have a great attitude, you keep the humor and morale up in class and you clearly care about the happiness and success of your students. You are my favorite professor for that reason.”