Author: Jaclyn Chancey

HRTS 3298-003/DMD 3998-003: Social Documentary in Theory and Practice

Instructor: Catherine Masud

This is a special opportunity to learn from an internationally award-winning filmmaker. 

This course aims to open students’ eyes to the tremendous power and possibility of the documentary form as a vehicle of social discourse and change. The first half of this course will examine the documentary from a historical, ethical, and aesthetic perspective, providing a theoretical grounding for students with a special interest in documentaries that address social and political themes. Some of the topics to be addressed include the evolution of the documentary genre, the modes and models of documentary, the rhetorical, narrative, and poetic documentary ‘voice’, and the question of ‘social impact’. Major milestones of the non-fiction genre will be studied along with lesser-known short form documentaries that illustrate specific aspects of technique, style, and content. The second half of the course will provide students with a practical framework for discovering their own documentary voice. Students will be guided through the process of pre-production, shooting and editing as they create their own short form documentaries on a social issue of their choice.

University Honors Laureate: This Variable Topics course will count toward the Arts & Humanities category.

MATH Honors classes Spring 2020

As of 10/18/19, Honors MATH courses were not correctly listed in Student Admin. These are the courses you can expect for Spring 2020:

Campus Course number Title Section Times
Storrs 1132Q Calculus II 059D MoWe 3:35PM – 4:25PM;
TuTh 2:00PM – 3:15PM
1132Q Calculus II 060D MoWe 4:40PM – 5:30PM;
TuTh 2:00PM – 3:15PM
2110Q Multivariable Calculus 149D TuTh 9:30AM – 10:20AM;
MoWeFr 1:25PM – 2:15PM
2142Q Advanced Calculus II 001 MoWeFr 2:30PM – 3:40PM
2144Q Advanced Calculus IV 001 MoWeFr 10:10AM – 11:20AM
2210Q Applied Linear Algebra 013 TuTh 11:00AM – 12:15PM
2410Q Elem Differential Equations 020 TuTh 12:30PM – 1:45PM
3094 Undergraduate Seminar:
Fourier Analysis and Applications
001 TuTh 11:00AM – 12:15PM
3160 Probability 008 TuTh 2:00PM – 3:15PM
Stamford 1132Q Calculus II Z84 MoWe 9:20AM – 11:00AM

ENGL 2405-002: Drama

Instructor: Jean Marsden

Prerequisite: ENGL 1010 or 1011 or 2011

The course will begin with a quick grounding in Greek drama (Oedipus Rex, Lysistrata) and from there focus on English and American drama from the Renaissance to the present, sampling a variety of authors and genres, from comedies such as Shakespeare’s As You Like It and Behn’s The Rover to tragedies such as Webster’s Duchess of Malfi and Miller’s Death of a Salesman to contemporary dramas such as Kushner’s Angels in America and Stoppard’s Arcadia. Assignments will include two short papers and a longer paper on a drama-related topic of the
student’s choice.

CA 1.

CAMS/HEJS 3300: Palestine under the Greeks and Romans

Instructor: Stuart Miller

This course addresses the major political, historical and religious currents in Graeco-Roman Palestine, or what the Jews have called since antiquity “The Land of Israel”. Among the central concerns will be the relationship of the Jews to the ruling powers (Ptolemies, Seleucids, Romans, Herodians etc.) and the emergence of sects and other groups such as the Pharisees, Sadducees, Dead Sea Sect, Samaritans, and early (Jewish) Christians. Relations between the Jews, Christians and Romans will also be examined. Special emphasis will be placed on life within the major urban centers, for example, Jerusalem, Caesarea, Sepphoris, Tiberias, and Bet Shean. The literary legacy of the rabbis and the emergence of Christian schools will be given special attention. Relevant archeological evidence will be introduced via slide presentations.

ANTH 3098-007 (Variable Topics): Flourishing and Well-being (Conversion Opportunity)

Flourishing and Well-being in Interdisciplinary Perspective

Instructor: Sarah Willen

While this is not an Honors course, Prof. Willen welcomes Honors students of all majors and would be happy to offer Honors conversions for interested students. 

In this seminar, we will draw on anthropology and related fields of scholarship and practice – e.g., philosophy, psychology, public health, sociology, critical theory, and human rights – to ask:

  • What does it mean – and what does it take – for human beings to flourish, or thrive? How are flourishing and health related, and how might they diverge?
  • What resources, capabilities, opportunities, and protections are needed to flourish …
    … as individuals ?
      … as communities and collectives?
  • How and why are certain people, and certain groups, ensured access to the elements of a flourishing life, while others are impeded or outright denied? What is the lived impact – and what are the embodied effects – of such obstructions and denials?
  • How can human rights violations impede the ability to flourish – and what role can human rights play in the promotion of human flourishing?
  • How can human rights be mobilized to advance human flourishing?
  • What would a policy agenda designed to promote human flourishing look like?

In addition to research literature, we will engage these questions through other media, including fiction, poetry, journaling, visual arts, and music.

POLS 3472: South Asia in World Politics (Conversion Opportunity)

Instructor: Betty Hanson

While this is not an Honors course, Prof. Hanson welcomes Honors students of all majors and would be happy to offer Honors conversions for interested students. 

This is a course in international relations, and as such, its orientation is toward broader issues of world politics, using South Asia as a case. These issues include nation-building, “enduring rivalries,” ethnic conflict, nuclear proliferation, militant extremism, and development strategies.   An important purpose of the course is to provide the historical and political background for understanding the current developments in South Asia that threaten international stability and security.

(CA 4-Int)

POLS/HRTS 3042: Theories of Human Rights (Conversion Opportunity)

Instructor: Zehra Arat

While this is not an Honors course, Prof. Arat welcomes Honors students of all majors and would be happy to offer Honors conversions for interested students. 

Various theories of human rights, both historical and contemporary. Conceptual arguments both in favor and critical of the theory and practice of human rights will be considered, with literature taken primarily from philosophy and political theory.

PSYC 5460: Social and Personality Development

Graduate courses act as Honors courses, with Honors credit awarded for a grade of B- or higher. 

Instructor: Rhiannon Smith

Recommended preparation: PSYC 2400, PSYC 2100

Fundamental theory and empirical research on social-emotional development in childhood and adolescence. Topics include social cognition, empathy, aggression, gender, ethnicity, and interpersonal relationships. Students in this course will read and critique empirical journal articles, participate in class discussions, and give class presentations.