The Honors Seminars
Fall 2015
REVOLUTION!
HONR 343 and HONR 390
Dr. Kristin Bayer
T/F 12:30
Core/Major: History
Pathway: Gender Studies, Contemporary European Studies, Latin/Caribbean, Political Economy
Description: This class explores the role of students and young people generally in revolutionary
movements. While this course will historicize the concept of revolution, we will ground ourselves
and spend most of the semester around 1968 when global revolution was in the air. During this
time American students were engaged in both domestic and international efforts of change that
addressed the following: racism; inequality based on women's issues, gender, and sexuality; war
and peace; nuclear proliferation, and much more as well. This class not only looks at student
activism in the form of protest but on the global counterculture movement as well which includes
how art and music played a vital role in communicating dissent.
MEDICAL BOTANY
HONR 351 and HONR 370
Dr. Zofia Gagnon
T/F 12:30
Core: Natural Science
Pathway: Environmental Studies and Public Health
Description: The course focuses on research and development of therapies for use in
complementary and alternative and conventional medicines, utilizing natural plant products and
their derivatives. Poisonous, medicinal and therapeutic plants, with an emphasis on their
biologically active constituents, will be examined. The course will integrate basic human anatomy
and physiology with the pharmacological effect of plant compounds on specific organs, allowing
students to learn and understand the role of medicinal plants in the context of human health.
FREE WILL & SCIENCE
HONR 313 and HONR 360
Dr. Andrei Buckareff
M/R 2:00-3:15
Major: Philosophy
Pathway: Cognitive Studies
Description: Many regard the concept of free will to be central to their understanding of what it
means to be a person. Philosophers have found the problems revolving around how we should
understand free will and whether ordinary humans possess any species of free will perplexing for
at least two thousand years. The philosophical theories of what is involved in exercising the sort of
free will required for moral agency that have resulted are legion. Recently, a growing number of
neuroscientists and psychologists have turned their attention to the free will problem. Just like
philosophers, they do not all speak with one voice. However, the ones who have received the most
attention have been those who have declared that their findings show that both free will and our
conception of ourselves as moral agents are an illusion. The declarations of these researchers raise
a host of issues and questions. In this course, after laying some philosophical groundwork by
examining some of the most prominent theories of free will defended today, we will critically
examine some of the data used to support various hypotheses about human agency along with the
responses to various findings offered by neuroscientists, philosophers, and psychologists.
WHY NATIONS FAIL
HONR 341 and 396
Dr. Christy Caridi
T/R 3:30-4:45
Core/Major: Social Science/Economics
Pathway: Global Studies, Quantitative Studies, Political Economy
Description: The goal of the class is to examine an economic debate that began with Adam Smith
and the publication of the Wealth of Nations. The core of the debate is the role of economics in
society. Is economics an art heavily reliant on the studies of religion, morality, ethics and politics or
is economics a science wholly independent of the social sciences? If economics is an art, then
economic policy should seek to create the greatest good for the greatest number (Bentham). If
economics is a science, then economic policy should outline the means without consideration of the
ends (Freidman).
OPERA
HONR 321 and HONR 381
Prof. John White
W 6:30
Core: Fine Arts
Pathway: Italian American and Religion & Society
Description: This class studies the history and aesthetics of opera. Students enrolled in this class
will take several trips to see productions at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
EVOLUTION AND LITERATURE
Dr. Judith Saunders
HONR 320 and HONR 380
T/R 11:00-12:15
Core/Major: Literature and Cultural Diversity/English (Theory)
Pathway: Environmental Studies
Description: This course introduces and investigates the emerging field of Darwinian Literary
Studies. Students will study background materials in evolutionary science, familiarizing themselves
with the principles guiding biosocial approaches to literature. Prior knowledge of evolutionary
theory is welcome but not expected. Primary texts drawn from a variety of periods, authors, and
genres will provide literary portrayals of key issues such as mate choice, courtship, helping
behavior, parent/child interactions, sibling rivalry, status hierarchies, cheating, and deception. In
addition to examining the motives and deeds of fictional characters in light of evolutionarily based
predictions, we’ll consider literature as a venue for protesting biological influences on human
choice. We’ll also ponder the adaptive value of art: how might efforts devoted to artistic creativity
promote human survival?
THE ETHICS OF FOOD
HONR 200 and HONR 365
Dr. James G. Snyder
W 2:30 F 3:30
Core: Ethics
Pathway: Environmental Studies and Public Health
Description: After first examining a variety of ethical theories put forth in the philosophical
tradition, such as utilitarianism, deontology and virtue ethics, students in this course will then
explore ethical questions related to the production, distribution and consumption of food. For
example, what obligations, if any, do we have to people who are hungry or starving? Is it ethical to
consume meat or food products that come from non-human animals? Is it ethical to genetically
modify plants and non-human animals? Should genetically modified foods be labeled as such? What
moral obligations, if any, do we have to practice certain forms of agriculture, to eat organic or to eat
locally?