[UConn Storrs]

This class will take an interdisciplinary look at current issues in the field of environmental science. Organized into three sections, we will spend the semester developing an understanding of what environmental science is and the history of the field, learning about the ecological and evolutionary processes that are important to understand how environmental issues arise and their possible solutions, and thinking about ways forward to solve our growing environmental crisis. Class times will be spent discussing primary readings from varied perspectives, learning about the science of the organisms and resources that make up environments, and debating current hot-topic issues and methods for restoring our environment. This course is appropriate for students at all levels, with or without biology backgrounds.

[UConn Storrs]

Are “Emily” and “Greg” more employable than “Lakisha” and “Jamal”? Did the election of Obama mean the end of racism? Do White Supremacists have inter-racial friendships? How do we count multiracial people on the US Census? How can one provide empirically-based solutions to the problems of racial inequality, racial discrimination, and systemic racism? What kind of sociological concepts can help us interpret what data we collect and analyze? How does field of sociology intersect with, in ways that both align with and depart from, other fields, such as biology, economics, history, genomics, or political science? This honors course will answer these questions and more by providing a rigorous and interdisciplinary introduction, rather than individual disciplines in isolation, to the scholarship on race and ethnicity. This interdisciplinary focus will be bounded within the context of North America, with a focus on the attainment, application, and production of knowledge related to ethnicity and race.

The course will be a hybrid of lecture and discussion, with regular writing exercises, and culminating in each student’s independent research project.

[UConn Storrs]

Requires ENGL 1007, 1010, 1011, or 2011.

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? We address these questions as well as analyze and compare individual cases of how oil shapes the way we think about the world.

The course is conducted in a discussion format, although occasionally there are lectures. We also rely on several documentaries to generate discussion. Finally, at the end of the semester, we have formal debates on some of the most controversial topics that we cover in class, such as the necessity of more oil drilling in the U.S.; the oil motives behind diplomacy and foreign policy; the responsibility of oil companies versus governments; and the effectiveness and feasibility of oil alternatives. We invite the university community to watch and participate in our debates.

[UConn Storrs]

Successful political campaigns rely on the creative ability, scientific knowledge, and business acumen of experts as well as the dedication of volunteers. This course features groundbreaking academic studies and briefings by renowned political consultants. Each student will become an expert on a single congressional election. Weekly meetings will focus on candidates’ strengths and weaknesses, campaign fundraising, targeting, advertising, voter mobilization, or some other aspect of campaigns. The seminar will culminate with discussions of what separates winners from losers, the impact of campaigning on governance, and election reform. Students will display their expertise through presentations, simulations, and written assignments.

Trouble registering? This class has a catalog-level pre-requisite of POLS 1602. Professor Herrnson has indicated that a high school American government course or similar experience would be sufficient, even if you did not earn AP credit. If you are an Honors student and want to register for this course, please email honors@uconn.edu and include (1) your name; (2) your 7-digit Student Admin number; (3) the course number and section; (4) the class number in Student Admin; (5) confirmation that there are seats available in the course; and (6) a brief description of your knowledge of American government.

[UConn Storrs – Distance learning]

This course will introduce students to societies from a global perspective. The course will focus on the political, economic, social and cultural processes that shape contemporary societies and will help students understand the links between their personal experiences and the transnational social relationships in which they are embedded. We will examine topics such as globalization, human rights and its limits; violence against women; migration patterns including forced migration and trafficking; technology-driven transformation of societies, including AI; climate change, sustainability, and environment justice activism. Students will learn to think critically about the causes and consequences of social inequalities and the social construction of human life across the globe. This class promotes active learning; students will engage in debates and discussions, design a part of their own evaluation, and learn from scholars in other parts of the world.

Sources for course materials and topical coverage include sociology; environmental studies; women’s, gender, and sexuality studies; decolonial studies, and human rights.

This course is full.

[UConn Storrs]

Privacy is one of the most important concepts of our time, yet it is also one of the most puzzling. As technology makes information more accessible; academics, activists, policymakers, and citizens struggle to define (and redefine) the meaning of privacy. By providing a thematic overview of the topic of privacy from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, this course prepares Honors students for critical engagement with the many and diverse public policy, legal, and ethical debates that surround privacy.

The course focus will provide students with the opportunity to participate in weekly seminar discussions regarding the impact of technology on the ways in which privacy is conceptualized, valued, enacted, and protected.

Topics of analysis include, but are not limited to:

• The history of privacy
• Cultural variations of privacy
• Philosophical definitions of privacy and debates about the moral/ethical status of privacy
• Legal/constitutional interpretations of the right to privacy
• The impact of technology on the meaning of privacy

This course is full.

[UConn Storrs]

The purpose of this course is to provide underclassmen and non-science majors with an opportunity to undertake real-world scientific research in a fun, supportive, and immersive environment. As part of the Small World Initiative, you will join with college students around the globe to crowdsource antibiotic drug discovery. Your guided independent research projects will involve taking soil samples, isolating bacteria within them, and testing them for antibiotic activity, and there is the opportunity for further pursuit of any promising findings. We have access to the database generated by students at other Small World sites, allowing us to explore issues of biodiversity, effective use of large data sets in the sciences, and the effectiveness of crowdsourcing for scientific research. At the end of the semester, your results will join that database.

As part of the Honors Core, UConn’s Small World course adds an interdisciplinary emphasis on the social aspects of disease: its definition, what it means to be “diseased,” how those definitions have changed over time, and the pivotal role of antibiotics in the evolution of those definitions. We will use both fiction and non-fiction in this exploration, and we will end up in the modern era to consider antibiotic-resistant microorganisms and the ethical, philosophical, and policy issues we may face if antibiotics cease to be effective in treating many common diseases.

[UConn Storrs]

This course introduces students to genetics and genetic technologies. Various forms of popular culture—news clips, movies, books, and art—are used to provide a framework for the syllabus and to introduce students to different genetics and technology topics. A textbook introduces the scientific material, which is discussed in the context of the interpretation of science in modern society. Students study 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, medical practice, and law.

Note This class is defined in the catalog as open to freshmen and sophomores in the Honors Program. If you are an Honors student who will have 54 or more credits when this course is offered, you may register by emailing honors@uconn.edu and including (1) your name; (2) your 7-digit Student Admin number; (3) your registration “pick time”; (4) the course number and section (MCB 1405-001D or MCB 1405-002D); (5) the class number from Student Admin; and (6) confirmation that there are seats available in the course.

If 54 or more AP and/or transfer credits have already been posted to your UConn transcript, your Orientation advisor may need to override you into this course.