Curriculum Updates

UNIV 3995-002: The Science & Practice of Finding Life Purpose

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Instructor: Bradley Wright

Research finds that people who have a clear sense of life purpose are happier, more satisfied, are healthier, have deeper relationships, and do better at work. They even live longer! This one-credit Honors exploration of finding purpose throughout life will consist of seven weeks in class and seven weeks of guided experiential learning.

For more about the UConn Life Purpose Lab, visit https://lifepurpose.lab.uconn.edu/. If you have questions about the course, email Prof. Wright at bradley.wright@uconn.edu.

DMD 3998-001: Diverse Perspectives in Digital Media and Design (Conversion Opportunity)

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Instructor: Clarissa Ceglio

While this is not an Honors course, Prof. Ceglio welcomes Honors students of all majors and would be happy to offer Honors conversions for interested students. Recommended pre-requisites waived for Honors students.

To paraphrase James Baldwin, nothing can be changed until it is faced. This is certainly true of the inequities that have historically shaped digital media technologies, content, fields, and careers. This class interrogates how racism, sexism, classism, ageism, and other forms of oppression are perpetuated through digital media works, practices, and industries. We will, as the chief learning activity of this class, meet and talk with contemporary practitioners who are challenging and changing the status quo. For six of our class sessions, we will meet virtually and sometimes in-person with industry professionals, artists, and media scholars from film, game, design, cultural and other sectors so that we can learn how issues of equity manifest in their work, creative processes, and professions. Because these practitioners are also part of DMD’s Diverse Perspectives in Digital Media & Design: 2024 Speaker Series, students will also have the opportunity to participate as hosts in the series, learn how to professionalize their on-camera presence, and gain skill in preparing and moderating live Q&A sessions. Interactions with our guests will be supplemented by readings, in-class film screenings, and engagements with other media works. Over the course of the semester, we will reflect on how our own areas of practice can support greater equity, diversity, and inclusion in digital media and design. (To see what we do, you can access the past installments of the Diverse Perspectives in Digital Media & Design series here: https://dmd.uconn.edu/major/diverse-perspectives/)

For more information, or to receive a permission number, email Prof. Ceglio (clarissa.ceglio@uconn.edu).

DMD 3620/HIST 3104: Collaborating with Cultural Organizations II: Practice (Conversion Opportunity)

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Instructor: Clarissa Ceglio

While this is not an Honors course, Prof. Ceglio welcomes Honors students of all majors and would be happy to offer Honors conversions for interested students. Recommended pre-requisites waived for Honors students.

Museums, archives, and other cultural organizations are spaces of digital media experimentation as they seek new ways to communicate ideas, make collections accessible, inspire learning, connect people, and build community. In this class we will undertake a project in partnership with a cultural organization. This will provide immersion in issues of contemporary practice while building collaborative competency in design thinking approaches.

For more information, or to receive a permission number, email Prof. Ceglio (clarissa.ceglio@uconn.edu).

DMD 3610/HIST 3103: Collaborating with Cultural Organizations I: Methods (Conversion Opportunity)

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Instructor: Clarissa Ceglio

Open to sophomores or higher.

While this is not an Honors course, Prof. Ceglio welcomes Honors students of all majors and would be happy to offer Honors conversions for interested students. Alternatively, Honors students may enroll in the cross-listed graduate section (DMD 5998-010), which will entail additional advanced work. 

Museums, archives, and other nonprofit cultural organizations are mission-driven institutions with complex, sometimes fraught, histories. Today, many such organizations seek to explore new ways to communicate ideas, make collections accessible, inspire learning, connect people, and build community. In addition to learning about the histories, structures, and functions of mission-driven cultural organizations, we will explore methods of collaborating meaningfully and effectively with them and their communities. This will include consideration of the ways in which digital media, from apps to virtual reality (VR), are being used to critically engage publics in questions about the past, present, and future. We will explore, too, the histories and responsibilities of cultural organization with regard to social justice, activism, and inclusivity.

For more information, email Prof. Ceglio.

DMD 3610/HIST 3103: Collaborating with Cultural Organizations I: Methods (Conversion Opportunity)

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Instructor: Clarissa Ceglio

While this is not an Honors course, Prof. Ceglio welcomes Honors students of all majors and would be happy to offer Honors conversions for interested students. Alternatively, Honors students may enroll in the cross-listed graduate section (DMD 5998-010), which will entail additional advanced work. 

Museums, archives, and other nonprofit cultural organizations are mission-driven institutions with complex, sometimes fraught, histories. Today, many such organizations seek to explore new ways to communicate ideas, make collections accessible, inspire learning, connect people, and build community. In addition to learning about the histories, structures, and functions of mission-driven cultural organizations, we will explore methods of collaborating meaningfully and effectively with them and their communities. This will include consideration of the ways in which digital media, from apps to virtual reality (VR), are being used to critically engage publics in questions about the past, present, and future. We will explore, too, the histories and responsibilities of cultural organization with regard to social justice, activism, and inclusivity.
This learning will be applied to research and creation of a podcast series for the Benton Museum of Art’s upcoming exhibition Seeing Climate Change.

For more information, or to receive a permission number, email Prof. Ceglio.

EPSY 1450W: Mind, Body, Health (Conversion Opportunity)

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Online (asynchronous) during Summer 1 and Summer 2

Instructor: Melissa Bray

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

The role of the mind and its effects on subjective wellbeing (e.g., happiness, stress, depression, anxiety) and the physical body will be explored during this course. The past history and current literature supporting the mind body connection, assessment, and intervention will be presented. Implications for understanding mind body health relative to quality of life will be emphasized.

Experience treatments that alleviate stress, anxiety, depression, and improve happiness as well as attention! This class will introduce you to and allow you to try out experientials such as video self-modeling, virtual reality, self-monitoring, yoga, diet/nutrition, physical activity/exercise, nature/eco health, standard muscle relaxation, relaxation and guided imagery, deep breathing, written emotional expression, gratitude writing, mindfulness, meditation, and yoga.

A glimpse into the experiential portion of the course. 
More information about the instructor and the Mind-Body Health Research Interest Group.

CA 2, W.

HDFS 2004W: Research Methods in HDFS (Conversion Opportunity)

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Online (asynchronous) during Summer 1

Instructor: Annamaria Csizmadia

Prerequisite: ENGL 1007, 1010, 1011, or 2011. HDFS 1070, which may be taken concurrently.

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

The course invites students to learn the fundamentals of social science research and apply their knowledge by developing a research proposal. Students will learn how to identify a research topic, conduct a literature search, and compile a reference list formatted according to APA style. Based on theory and research, students will also learn to formulate research questions and design a research study to address those questions. This course is very useful for students who are interested in doing social science research or are considering applying for undergraduate research funding through the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR). This course will also be helpful for students who are planning to conduct an Honors research project.

For questions or permission number to register for the course please email Dr. Csizmadia at annamaria.csizmadia@uconn.edu.

W.

EPSY 1830: Critical and Creative Thinking in the Movies (Conversion Opportunity)

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Online during Summer I and Summer II

Instructor: James Kaufman

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

In this course students will learn about such topics as logical fallacies, memory errors, problem solving, genius, and the creative personality through films, short readings, and discussions. Past featured films include: 12 Angry Men, Get Out, Memento, The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Run Lola Run, Lone Star, The Secret in their Eyes (2009), House of Games, Ex Machina, and Pan’s Labyrinth.

CA 2.

Healthcare Innovation graduate courses

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Graduate courses act as Honors credit, as long as you earn a grade of B- or higher

Honors students are invited to take one or more courses in Healthcare Innovation on a space-available basis. Courses must be taken in sequence:

  • NURS 5111: Healthcare Innovation Theory and Application (Fall 2023)
  • NURS 5112: Healthcare Opportunities for System Level Solutions
  • NURS 5113: Developing & Leading a Sustainable Culture of Healthcare Innovation (Fall 2023)
  • NURS 5114: Healthcare Innovation Development (Fall 2023)

Contact Dr. Tiffany Kelley to discuss your interest in and fitness for these courses. The sequence is not recommended for first-year students.

ENGL courses, Fall 2023

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Please view the Fall 2023 English Course Descriptions for more details about any of these courses. All require first-year writing (ENGL 1007/1010/1011) as a prerequisite.

Honors courses

ENGL 1101W: Classical and Medieval Western Literature
CA 1, W

ENGL 2408W: Modern Drama
CA 1

ENGL 2701: Creative Writing

Other courses of interest

The following ENGL courses are not Honors courses. However, advisors feel that they may be particularly interesting to Honors students.

ENGL 2001: Introduction to Grant Proposal Writing

ENGL 3267W: Race and the Scientific Imagination
CA 1, CA 4

ENGL 3621: Literature and Other Disciplines
Law and Literature