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Honors College Seminars - Fall 2015
Special Topics in Social Sciences
HNRS 195H-001 (63650): Adversity and Hope: Reflections from Abroad
Wednesday 1:00-1:50pm
Instructor: John Willerton
Our seminar will entail a series of reflections on the issues of “adversity and hope,” drawing upon the experience and thinking of other nation-states.
I am very interested in the central notions of “happiness” and well-being” in the contemporary era, and I very much champion awareness of – and
tolerance and empathy for – the ideas and experiences of other peoples. Our seminar will draw upon short readings and information from a diversity
of countries, including Sweden, France, the Netherlands, Russia, Bhutan – and the United States – as we collectively reflect over the evolving human
condition and the modern “good life.” We will consider the “American Dream,” with its focus on the individual and protection of property. We
juxtapose the “American Dream” with what Jeremy Rifkin has termed the “European Dream,” with its focus on social justice and community. All of
these cases are rich, suggestive and, I hope, will stimulate dynamic seminar discussions. As a cross-national comparative political scientist, my
professional focus is on the politics of other countries, especially Russia. I will give special attention to Russia, but I hope our meetings will permit us
to build on all of the countries noted here – and others as well – as we consider the varied human experience.
HNRS 195H-002 (63472): Worldview, Culture, and Institutions: Implications for Human Flourishing
Monday 2:00-2:50pm
Instructors: Paul Wilson
Modern society often has approached the challenges to economic development--poverty, disease, hunger, unemployment, lack of freedom,
environmental degradation, corruption and illiteracy--from the perspective that Western science, technology, and financial resources alone can
overcome these barriers to human flourishing. Yet one of the enduring puzzles over the last 60 years is why these approaches have contributed so
little to the welfare of 2 billion people. This seminar will explore the role human behavioral factors play in the development process.
HNRS 195H-003 (63453): Who Succeeds? Examining Adversity, Immigration and the Odds
Monday 1:00-1:50pm
Instructor: Nancy Sharkey
In this Honors colloquium, we will examine how Vaddey Ratner (author of Under the Banyan Tree) succeeded in the face of overwhelming adversity,
and we will look at media coverage of communities facing adversity, including our own border communities. Students will examine luck v.
randomness and memory v. fact as they come into play in journalistic story framing and reporting.
We will view the film "The Killing Fields," the harrowing account of a Cambodian photographer and an New York Times reporter trying to cover the
horrors of the Khmer Rouge. We will look at the photography of Dith Pran, the Times staffer whose story was made into the film, as well as Sydney
Schanberg, the Times reporter who saved Pran. We will try to Skype with Schanberg, who is long retired and living on Long Island.
The class will read journalistic memoir and profiles, and students will try out journalistic techniques in their own writing.
HNRS 195H-004 (69235): Native Habitats: A Story of Adversity and Hope
Wednesday 2:00-2:50pm
Instructor: Adam Ussishkin
In this course, we’ll explore the ways in which the themes of this year's common reading have been realized in two different ecosystems: the Sonoran
Desert and the Tallgrass Prairie. We’ll use the common reading book as a guide for exploring the various themes in the context of habitat restoration
and reconciliation ecology
HNRS 195H-005 (63457): Adversity and Hope Enshrined in Public Records
Wednesday 1:00 -1:50pm
Instructor: David Cuillier
This class will examine the breadth of public records – both government and commercial, paper and electronic – that document one’s life, from birth
to death, including our hopes, successes, and our adversities. In class we will discuss the history, law and philosophy of government transparency,
the nuts and bolts of acquiring public records, and the issues that arise when balancing the public’s need for information with privacy and other
competing interests. Students will also travel on the streetcar to downtown Tucson to hunt for government records, just like journalists would do.
Students will ultimately learn to be savvy information pros in an increasingly documented world.
HNRS 195H-006 (63459): Exploring Digital Environments
Wednesday 10:00-10:50am
Instructor: Bryan Carter
This course explores a variety of digital environments. Often, when one considers what a digital environment is, the definition gravitates towards 3D
immersive worlds, gaming, and simulations. This course, however, expands that definition to include multi-party video conferencing systems, group
audio conferencing as well as the traditional gamut of virtual environments and augmented reality. You will become comfortable navigating these
worlds, researching within and about them, and discerning which environments are most appropriate for various situations.
HNRS 195H-007(69388): Data – Visualize it Now!
Wednesday 4:00-4:50pm
Instructor: Susan Richards
In a world inundated by data how do we communicate effectively? We know that our brains can process images faster than words. The challenge is
how to create these messages successfully. This is a one-credit course offered to students who are interested in learning about the fundamentals of
data visualization
HNRS 195H-008 (63474): Living Like a Leader
Thursday 3:00-3:50pm
Instructor: Allison Vaillancourt
Leadership is not about holding formal power; it’s about inspiring others. In this class, students will explore traditions of leadership and define a
personal, values-based leadership style that can be cultivated over a lifetime.
HNRS 195H-009 (63848): Social Determinants of Health: Risk and Resilience
Thursday 11:00-11:50am
Instructor: David Sbarra
This discussion-based seminar combines the intellectual traditions of psychology, sociology, and epidemiology to consider the social determinants
of health. Broadly, social determinants refer to the characteristics of contexts (e.g., neighborhoods, cultures, marital status) and interpersonal
interactions (e.g., social support processes, emotional expressions within a family) that shape health. The class will take a multilevel perspective
(“from cells to society”) to identify key risk processes that set the stage for poor health, the bio-psycho-social mechanisms that transduce this risk,
and the social factors that may promote resilience or positive outcomes in the face of risk. This seminar will be of appeal to students with an interest
in psychology, sociology, anthropology, human development, medicine, nursing, or public health.
HNRS 195H-010 (63452): Survival Skills for Freshmen Honors Students
Thursday 3:30-4:20pm
Instructor: Paul Blowers
This course will introduce you to some of the skills that will make it easier for you to be successful as a student, both here at the University and after
you graduate. We will discuss and implement different strategies of becoming efficient learners so you can get good grades while maintaining a
healthy life balance. We will also talk about ways of becoming involved in undergraduate research projects, internships, and volunteer positions so
that you will be able to find a satisfying job when you graduate.
HNRS 195H-011 (69794): The Examined Consumer: Millennials
Friday 11:00-11:50am
Instructor: Anita Bhappu
Millennials – the generational cohort born between 1980 and 2004 – are underemployed with a reported 56% living paycheck to paycheck. College
graduates have an average of $33,000 in student loans with four out of ten Millennials reporting that they are overwhelmed with debt. Amid these
tough economic conditions, the sharing economy – where Internet-based exchange platforms facilitate peer-to-peer exchange of underutilized goods
and labor – is attracting Millennials. At the same time, more traditional firms are struggling to engage their Millennial employees. A reported 60% of
Millennials leave their employment in under 3 years at an average cost to firms of more than $20,000 per lost employee. We will review all these data
and incorporate students’ own experiences when discussing what the future holds for the Millennial consumer.
HNRS 195H-012 (63487): Drug Wars in Latin America
Tuesday 4:00-4:50pm
Instructor: Marcela Vasquez
With a focus on Latin America, this colloquium will examine the historical, comparative, and current dynamics of illicit drug production, trafficking
and consumption. We will examine social and environmental impacts as well as issues related to state corruption and international networks. We will
also reflect on possible policy responses.
HNRS 195H-013 (63726): The Art, Science, and Human Impact of Technology: From Basic Principles to Ultra-Complex Systems
Wednesday 2:00-2:50pm
Instructor: Jerzy Rozenblit
This Honors seminar will explore how we build and design systems from the engineering, technological, and artistic perspectives. We will discuss the
evolution of engineering from fundamental models to the most advanced technologies of today. We will explore the human impact of “ultra-high”
technologies on medicine, arts, ethics, and social interactions. Then, we will debate the underlying theme of this class, namely, “how much better off
are we?” living in technology-driven universes. We shall attempt to come away with a notion of what defines a sense of personal equilibrium in terms
of our interactions with the ubiquitous, computer-based world.
HNRS 195H-014 (63671): Per Ardua ad Astra: Examples of How to Deal with Adversity and Move Onwards and Upwards!
Tuesday 9:00-9:50am
Instructor: David Galbraith
Life is a journey of self-discovery, and is characterized by decisions and choices of various consequences. Some choices are obviously important at
the time they are made. Others less so. Yet others take on significance as time passes. Choices can be a consequence of birth circumstances, can
be a result of previous achievements, or, in some cases, can be thrust upon you by factors beyond your control. These choices can have unexpected
and transformative consequences. Inspired by “In the Shadow of the Banyan”, this colloquium will explore examples of transformative decisions in
response to external factors, using guest speakers and distance-learning technologies, with the aim of illustrating the different ways in which these
individuals recognized, categorized, and prioritized their choices, what impacts these choices had, and how these choices may have led to a deeper
understanding of humanity and about our fragile planet.
HNRS 195H-015 (63675): Hope and Adversity: Reflecting on the Self and the Other
Tuesday 11:00-11:50am
Instructors: Meg Lota Brown and Hester Oberman
With the Honors College theme of hope and adversity as our frame of reference, we will consider how film, literary works, and belief systems represent
the self and the other. In addition, we will examine our own assumptions about race, religion, and forms of social violence by looking outside the
classroom. Whether participating in the exuberant street celebration of Tucson’s Dia de los Muertos or discussing the ironies of Shakespeare’s
Othello, we will ask, “What do you believe, and why do you believe it?” With In the Shadow of the Banyan as our point of departure, we will meet with
representatives of the Tucson prison system, discuss film, and investigate the relationship of ethics and politics to hope and adversity. Together, we
will test Michel Foucault’s claim that “the work of an intellectual is to re-examine evidence and assumptions, to shake up habitual ways of working
and thinking.”
HNRS 195H-016 (63841): Science, Society, and Ethics
Wednesday 9:00-9:50am
Instructor: Indraneel Ghosh
We will discuss and debate complex ethical dilemmas that often arise as science and society progress hand in hand. Please bring an open mind and
be ready to read and debate a variety of topics with your colleagues.
HNRS 195H-017 (63778): Resilience in Early Childhood
Wednesday 5:00-5:50pm
Instructor: Rebecca Gomez
We will study the science of resilience in early childhood and the factors that dictate success for some children and failure for others. Contrary to
widespread belief that intelligence and talent are the primary reasons children succeed, the new science of childhood development points to skills
such as perseverance, curiosity, optimism, and self-control. We will discuss the science behind why these skills matter and how parents and
educators may or may not foster them in children. We will read and discuss a mixture of scientific journal articles and readings from the popular
press.
HNRS 195H-018 (63824): Experience and Memory: Remembering Youth
Wednesday 12:00-12:50pm
Instructor: David Pietz
This seminar explores how we, as individuals, and as societies, remember. In particular, we will explore how individuals in certain cultural contexts
reflect upon trauma experienced in the formative years of childhood. Although the subject matter can be difficult at times for us to manage,
ultimately how we remember often suggests the enduring aspirations of humans and their social communities. In addition to the common reading
(Under the Banyan Tree) course material will include case studies (The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog), a memoir (All but My Life), and film.
HNRS 195H-019 (63896): Resilience and Hope
Monday 3:00-3:50pm
Instructor: Patricia MacCorquodale
This course will examine the challenges we face and how we react to them. The focus will range from the context of individuals to societies and
systems. Why are some people resilient? Can people improve their capacity to react to unexpected challenges and setbacks? Why are some
societies and communities able to bounce back? What creates resilience and adaptation in ecological systems? How can we develop and nurture
hope when faced with complexity, uncertainty and change?
Students will learn perspectives and skills that will enable them to be more engaged, connected, resilient and hopeful in their first year and
throughout their college experiences and lives.
HNRS 195H-020 (69960): Chess, Leadership and Business Strategy
Wednesday 1:00-1:50pm
Instructor: Anjelina Belakovskaia
Chess has been long known as a game developing critical thinking, logic and analytical abilities. Professor Belakovskaia - 3-time US Women's
Chess Champion and a former executive with a Fortune 500 Company - will explore how the skills acquired through chess are applicable to business
world, helping managers, executives and CEOs to come up with creative business strategies, plan numerous moves ahead and find unexpected, yet
brilliant tactics to gain advantage in today's highly competitive business environment. Some prior chess playing knowledge is required (knowledge of
rules and ability to play a game). Also, the desire to improve in chess and interest in business and leadership are essential.
The class will start from discussing basic chess strategies and quickly advance into complex pattern recognition, creative thinking and problem
solving. While working on enhancement of chess playing skills, business case studies will be introduced and creative thinking will be required to
analyze situations, brainstorm, and come up with creative solutions. Through mix of competition and collaboration, students will experience personal
growth, develop confidence and leadership skills and strategically position themselves to make better moves in chess, business and life.
HNRS 195H-021(69937): Our Own Personal Soundtrack
Tuesday 1:00-1:50pm
Instructor: John Pollard
What is your “personal soundtrack” and how do you use it to alter your mood and change your conscience experience? Put more simply, what are you
listening to, why are you listening to it, and how are you listening to it? Technology has completely transformed how we acquire, experience, archive
and listen to music. Music is a part of most of our daily lives and it is quite common to accentuate your day with a personal soundtrack. One could
argue that the introduction of the Sony Walkman in 1979 was one of the most transformative events in modern times. The changes that technology
has brought to the listener and consumer have equally affected the artists who create, produce and deliver music. As the musicologist Joanna
Demers noted about modern music, “…transformative appropriation has become the most important technique of today’s composers and song
writers”. What is meant by the “transformative appropriation” of music? The role of technology on music has also imposed broader sociological
implications. We now can isolate ourselves within our world. How has this “Walkman effect” transformed us sociologically and physiologically? This
colloquium will focus on exploring these questions as well as how the relationship between music and technology has altered our daily lives, society
and possibly our biology. We will also analyze modern music in order to better understand the musical genomics of what we listen to. In addition to
discussions and readings we will share music, so you have to be open-minded and ready to broaden your audio horizons. What is your personal
soundtrack and how do you use it to alter your mood and change your conscience experience? Let’s explore this!
HNRS 195H-022(63938): Reading the New York Times
Wednesday 9:00-9:50am
Instructor: Katherine Morrissey
Vaddey Ratner’s In the Shadow of the Banyan Tree is a resilient story of survival under the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. Ratner blends history
and memoir into this novel situated during the 1970s. In this seminar we’ll use the New York Times, a national "paper of record," to consider the
mixture of genres in journalistic prose and to explore the ways international and national events enter our lives. You will be required to subscribe to
and read this daily newspaper (student discounts are readily available). Our weekly discussions will center on selected articles and sections; we will
also reach back in time to trace some of the unfolding issues and topics through historical research and visits to local archives. Along the way we’ll
develop our analytical skills, explore our curiosities, and deepen our roles as intellectually engaged and informed citizens.
HNRS 195H-023(63947): Natural Disasters and Social Justice
Wednesday 1:00-1:50pm
Instructor: Randall Richardson
Many disasters, from earthquakes and tsunamis to volcanic eruptions, are a direct consequence of plate tectonics. We will look at the plate
tectonics behind recent disasters. Our exploration will likely include the 24 April 2015 Nepalese earthquake, Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the 11
March 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami, and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and may include Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the 2004
Indonesian earthquake and tsunami. In addition to the plate tectonics and climate change, we will look at the social justice issues behind the
disasters. For example, why are more than 300,000 people still homeless five years after the Haiti earthquake, while Japan’s recovery has been
much smoother (although far from perfect)? How did socioeconomic status affect disaster relief in Hurricane Sandy? Our exploration of the social
justice issues surrounding these ‘disasters’ will be guided by the quote of former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, “Today's disasters owe as much
to human activities as to the forces of nature. Indeed the term 'natural' is ... increasingly misleading." We will also consider any natural disasters
that occur during the semester, as almost always happens. Class format will focus on student presentations and active student engagement, and not
on traditional lecturing. A significant goal of the course is to improve students’ presentation skills.
HNRS 195H-024 (70252): The Regulation of Police After Ferguson, NYC, Baltimore
Monday 3:30 – 5:00pm
Instructor: Marc Miller
This course will meet from August 24th through November 9th.
The relationship of citizens to police, and police to citizens, has changed dramatically in light of names Ferguson and Michael Brown, New York City
and Eric Garner, and North Charleston and Walter Scott. The federal government has created a program to help local police agencies buy 50,000
body-worn cameras. Citizens use their own cell phones to record interactions. The class will look at the changing relationship of police and citizens
in the US (with some reference to other countries), including the central role of technology in police reform.
Special Topics in Science
HNRS 195I-003 (63463): Biodiversity, the Tree of Life, and the Human Journey
Monday 3:00-3:50
Instructor: Elizabeth Arnold
In On the Origins of Species, the great biologist and philosopher Charles Darwin described the interrelatedness of life on earth using a tree-like
metaphor that provides the basis for evolutionary thinking today -- and speaks to a cultural iconography long shared by ancient cultures worldwide. In
this course we will use the 'tree of life' as a roadmap to explore biodiversity and address its many relationships to the human species. How many
species exist on earth? What factors shape biological diversification? How has biodiversity shaped the human journey -- from our earliest origins to
our global dynamics, our modern-day medicine, and our cultural perspectives? And how can we use the tree of life to better plot a course for human
sustainability? These topics will be addressed through readings and lectures centering on ecology, evolutionary biology, conservation biology, human
cultures, and Darwinian medicine; class discussions; and hands-on experiences with the world-class biodiversity resources available on the UA
campus.
HNRS 195I-004 (63464): Nutrition Mythbusters: Are You What You Eat?
Wednesday 3:00-3:50pm
Instructor: Melanie Hingle and Scott Going
Everyone eats. We operate under an unspoken - and often unconscious - set of "rules" that govern our behavior and our food consumption, which are
informed by underlying beliefs (personal, cultural, societal) about nutrition, energy balance, and weight management. Examples of popular (and
unsubstantiated) beliefs include: 'drink 8, 8 oz glasses of water each day for good health'; 'breakfast is the most important meal of the day'; and
'obesity is due to a low/slow metabolism.' Our convictions have far-reaching and powerful consequences for our behaviors and our health. Using the
scientific method as our guiding framework, we will examine the veracity of some of the more popular beliefs related to food and energy balance, and
discuss the relevance of the (often surprising) outcomes to the behaviors that shape our weight and our health.
HNRS 195I-005 (63461): Food for Thought: Genetics, Conservation, and the History of Human/Plant Interactions
Wednesday 3:00-3:50pm
Instructor: Robert Robichaux
In this seminar, we will explore the rich history of human/plant interactions, beginning with the earliest human efforts to domesticate plants and
continuing through the present-day application of the latest genomic technologies in plant breeding. We will focus on the genetic and evolutionary
changes accompanying plant domestication and diversification. We also will assess the current conservation challenges associated with the loss of
plant genetic diversity, with a special focus on the work of Native Seeds/SEARCH, a local non-profit organization whose mission is the conservation
of indigenous crops, including chiles, beans, corn, and squash, from the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico. The seminar has the unique
and delightful end-of-semester benefit that we will get to eat what we study!
HNRS 195I-006 (63501): A Taste of Engineering for Non-engineers
Monday 1:00-1:50pm
Instructor: Tribikram Kundu
In this colloquium, students who are thinking of becoming engineers as well as those who are not necessarily pursuing a degree in engineering will be
given a taste of engineering. In the class we will discuss what different engineering fields do and show videos of famous engineering projects around
the world. The students will be brought to some engineering laboratories to give them an idea about what engineers do. Guest professors from
different engineering departments will talk about their departments. After this colloquium some students might be motivated to pursue a degree in
engineering while others may decide that this is not something they want to do in their career. The purpose of this colloquium is to help the students
to take an informed decision about engineering as a professional field.
HNRS 195I-007 (63585): From Humans to Robots
Wednesday 3:00-3:50pm
Instructor: Charles Higgins
We will start by debating the assumption that humans are simply biochemical machines. Do humans truly have "free will", and what does it mean if
they do not? What is "the mind", and how do you know if it exists? What inherent rights do humans have, and why? If machines were "intelligent",
would they have these rights, too? How would you design a machine that thinks it has a "mind" and "free will"? In this seminar, we will connect the
latest research in neuroscience with ideas about the mind from psychology and cognitive science, using examples such as depression and neurodegenerative diseases. We will further connect these ideas to research in robotics, prosthetics, and artificial intelligence. We will discuss the
meaning of scientific inquiry. We will tour relevant scientific labs, and make connections between individual students and future lab research
experiences. We will discuss how to read scientific papers, and each student will write their own guided scientific paper.
HNRS 195I-008 (63667): Topics in Nutrition: Food Policy, the Food Supply and Health
Monday 2:00-2:50pm
Instructor: Patricia Sparks
What we eat is heavily influenced by the food industry, personal beliefs, and government policies. This course introduces food policies in the United
States, which encompass laws, regulations, decisions and actions by governments and other institutions that influence food production, distribution,
and consumption. Food policy affects the food supply and ultimately health. This seminar will cover a wide range of topics including the farm bill and
the many nutritional programs supported by that legislation. The influence commercial entities have on food policy and consumption, such as
advertising (especially to children), will also be included. Students will have a better understanding of US food policy and how it fits into
international policy as well the role agriculture will play as we move forward to meet growing demands for food.
HNRS 195I-009 (63880): Diagnostics and Therapeutics for Low Resource Environments
Wednesday 3:00-3:50pm
Instructor: Craig Aspinwall
Access to modern health care services is greatly limited in developing countries due in large part to infrastructure deficiencies, limited financial
resources and higher priority needs. Further, the inability to use “standard” biological methods in low resource environments presents formidable
challenges in early diagnosis of disease leading to higher mortality. These challenges are highlighted by the recent West African Ebola outbreak,
frequent cholera outbreaks and recent increase in plague occurrence. This course will focus on the technological, sociological and financial
challenges associated with accurately identifying and treating health conditions in the developing world.
HNRS 195I-010 (69702): Sleep and Other Brain Oddities
Thursday 4:00-4:50pm
Instructor: Alan Nighorn
Ever wonder why we sleep or whether animals sleep? In this seminar we will explore what we know and what we don’t know about the phenomenon of
sleep. We will also discuss other topics about normal and abnormal brain function including learning and memory and drug addiction. Along the
way we will discuss how find out more information on your own. We will also examine how the process of research in neuroscience happens and how
you can get involved.
HNRS 195I-011 (63827): The Art and Science of Genius
Tuesday 12:00-12:50pm
Instructor: Charles Wolgemuth
Are you a genius? Then, perhaps, you don’t need this course. But, for the rest of us, as we embark on the pursuit of knowledge, it could be useful to
try to grasp and then wield the techniques of masters. Indeed, the foundational works in the Arts and Sciences are typically attributed to people
considered to be geniuses. The intent of this seminar is to investigate genius, to try to understand if there are commonalities amongst geniuses. But,
even more so, the intent is to probe what characterizes a work of genius in the Arts and Sciences. While many people consider the Arts to be quite
different than the Sciences – they attract different types of people, they require a different mindset, and it has even been claimed (most likely
wrongly) that they use different sides of the brain – it may be that they are much more similar than we think.
Why do we classify both great artists and great scientists as geniuses? Are there identifiable similarities in these people and/or their works? To this
end, we will discuss four representative geniuses, Einstein, Beethoven, Darwin, and Joyce (an equal weighting of artists to scientists), and analyze
some of their greatest works in order to look deeply at the creative process and resulting masterpieces of genius.
HNRS 195I-012 (63697): Science of Baseball
Monday 4:30-5:20pm
Instructor: Ricardo Valerdi
America's pastime is a wonderful laboratory for understanding concepts in physics, biology, and psychology. The common language to explain these
phenomena is mathematics. In this seminar we will explore unique characteristics of baseball such as the trajectory of a baseball in flight (via
geometry), center of mass of the batter (via biomechanics), and sabermetrics (via statistics). Recent movies such as Moneyball (2011) and 42
(2013) have popularized social issues in baseball. We will discuss the implications of these movies on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics) education and the impact that baseball can have on academic achievement of secondary school students.
Previous knowledge or amazing physical ability are not required. However, part of this seminar will involve detailed analysis of the Arizona Science of
Baseball curriculum (http://baseball.engr.arizona.edu/) being developed for elementary and middle schools. Students will be expected to be active
participants in the discussions, critically analyze the Science of Baseball Curriculum, and present their observations at the end of the semester.
Guest speakers will supplement the discussions and a field trip will enhance our analysis of baseball.
HNRS 195I-013 (63673): Biomedical Ethics and Health Policy
Tuesday 5:00-6:40pm
Instructors: Gail Burd and John Hildebrand
This honors colloquium will focus on contemporary and historical issues in biomedical ethics as it relates to health laws and policies and biomedical
research. Topics that may be discussed include: access to organs for transplants, death and dying, reproductive health policy, public health and
vaccination policies, gene therapy, use of stem cells in research, health care policies, health insurance, informed consent, and scientific misconduct.
Class sessions will discuss the chapters and articles in books and publications, as appropriate for the topic. Students will participate in debates and
role playing, discuss case studies, give group presentations, discuss assigned readings, and do some short writing assignments. There will be eight
class sessions. The class will meet Tuesdays from 5-6:40 PM, but not every week. The first class will meet September 8th, at which time students will
receive a schedule for the remaining class meetings for the semester.
HNRS 195I-014 (63721): Exploring Cubic Equations
Wednesday 2:00-2:50pm
Instructor: Daniel Madden
The Quadratic formula should be familiar to anyone who ever took an algebra class. Yet even advanced students probably have not seen a cubic
formula. In the early 16th century Italian mathematicians discovered how to solve cubic equations in one variable: x^3+ax^2+bx+c=0. Their solution,
however, was oddly complicated and thus a bit unsatisfying. It would be several centuries before mathematicians truly understood why cubic
equations were so perplexing. In this course, students will investigate the different mathematical aspects of these equations by investigating
examples and exploring the algebra involved in what should be the next example of equation solving in algebra.
HNRS 195I-015 (63861): Adversity and Hope in Math Class
Wednesday 11:00-11:50
Instructor: Bruce Bayly
Math, science, and engineering are tremendously exciting disciplines, but the excitement can be hard to maintain amid lectures, homework, and
tests. Elementary school age children especially need to feel that excitement to sustain them through later grades. Prof Bayly will introduce this
class to his passion of science outreach, and bring students to the level of making their own contributions to this vital area of community interaction.
HNRS 195I-016 (63946): Human Physiology in the Desert: How Do We Survive?
Wednesday 12:00-12:50pm
Instructor: Lucinda Rankin
The Arizona Sonoran desert presents formidable challenges to the human body. This colloquium will explore various physiological mechanisms,
commercial products and on-going research investigating new ideas to help us all live successfully here in Tucson. A Saturday field trip to explore the
desert will also be included.
HNRS 195I-017 (63771): Feeling the Pulse of the Planet
Wednesday 9:00-9:50am
Instructor: Malcolm Hughes
Our knowledge of our home, this small blue planet, has grown enormously in recent decades. This is the result of massive advances in how we see the
Earth, how we measure its vital signs and how we handle its complexity. Our ways of thinking, feeling and expressing ourselves about the Earth have
changed too. Our ability to observe and understand the metabolism of the planet continues to expand at an amazing rate. We will use readings from
Elizabeth Kolbert’s 2007 book ‘Field Notes from a Catastrophe’ to set the context for our explorations, which will include readings, online materials,
discussions, and visits to the laboratories of scientists working at the forefront of exploring the workings of our home planet. These activities will give
us a basis to ask the questions, ‘What does this mean for me, and for the life I look forward to?’, and ‘How can a better understanding of these
matters empower me as a citizen and in my chosen profession?’.
HNRS 195I-018 (63788): Microbes Rule!
Thursday 2:00-2:50pm
Instructor: S. Patricia Stock
In this course, we will discuss how microbes are essential for all life on Earth. Microbes are everywhere, and they do a lot of good for human health
and the health of animals and plants. In fact, disease-causing microbes make up only a very tiny fraction of the millions of types of microbes. The
focus of the seminar will be on beneficial partnerships between microbes and other organisms and their role in the evolution of life on our planet.
Relevant scientific articles will be selected for debate in class and for improving skills for oral communication. Students will also have hands-on
experience in lab demonstrations and a field trip.
Special Topics in Humanities
HNRS 195J-001 (63468): The Films of Luc Besson
Wednesday 9:00-9:50am
Instructor: A-P Durand
This course concentrates on Luc Besson, one of the most celebrated contemporary French directors. Besson pursues a successful career as director,
scenarist, and producer in France and in Hollywood since the 1980s. His most recent films, such as Taken/Taken 2, Colombiana, or The Lady are
distributed worldwide. The course analyzes Besson’s films and pays special attention to the evolution of his career between two languages, two
countries, and two cultures. In addition to viewing required films, students will also read some of the most important texts dealing with Besson.
HNRS 195J-002 (63470): Language and Identity at the U of A
Wednesday 3:00-3:50pm
Instructor: Amy Fountain
Together, we will design and conduct a set of sociolinguistic surveys of undergraduates at the University of Arizona, in order to learn more about the
use of linguistic resources as a means for communicating personal and social identity, and as an introduction to some key methodologies used in the
social sciences. We'll explore basic notions in the study of human language (linguistics), and in the study of the social and cultural features of
language (sociolinguistics), and apply these concepts to the 'facts on the ground' here at the U of A.
HNRS 195J-003 (63469): Don Quixote: Madness, Melancholy, and Humor in the First Modern Novel
Thursday 1:00-1:50pm
Instructor: Faith Harden
When can dreaming become dangerous? How do we reliably distinguish between the universe of facts and the fiction of our perceptions? How can we
live in a world that may be antithetical to our desires and sense of justice? This course is dedicated to discussing these questions raised by Miguel de
Cervantes’ masterpiece Don Quixote. A bestseller ever since its publication in two parts in 1605 and 1615, Don Quixote has been called both the
first and finest modern novel, sparking the imagination of writers across languages, national traditions, and periods, up through the present day. In
this course we will read Don Quixote in its entirety, analyze the novel across multiple historical, literary, and philosophical contexts, and explore how
and why Cervantes’ creation has fascinated readers and writers for four hundred years.
HNRS 195J-004 (63560): The Witness in History
Wednesday 12:00-12:50pm
Instructor: Bryan Davis
This course will examine the place of testimony in historiography and in public awareness/conceptions of the Holocaust. Testimony from victims of
the Holocaust was first heard by an international audience during the 1961 trial of Adolph Eichmann. In more recent years massive projects have
been undertaken at places like Yale (Fortunoff Video Archive) and USC (Shoah Foundation Institute) where tens of thousands of survivor testimonials
have been collected for archival and educational purposes.
Beyond the oral tradition of testimony, we will examine the numerous representational forms survivors of the Holocaust, their descendants and
others have employed in order to describe the experience of systematic persecution: the poetry of Paul Celan, the memoirs (often hybrid texts) of
Primo Levi, Tadeusz Borowski, Imre Kertesz (novel), Ruth Kluger, Charlotte Delbo and Jorge Semprun, the diaries of Helene Berr and David Koker,
visual art, cinema and musical composition are some of the testimonial works/forms that will be wrapped into this seminar.
Testimony from (and the opportunity to interact with) local Holocaust survivors will be another highlight.
HNRS 195J-005 (63465): Social Movements and Speculative/Science Fiction
Monday 9:00-9:50am
Instructor: Jennifer Croissant
What is the role of literature, particularly science fiction, in social justice movements? Is it escapism and a distraction from real social problems, or
part of the important imaginative work needed to build a new future? In this seminar we will engage short stories that emerge from social justice
writers, and explore films and novels that imagine new futures, such as futures free from sexism, racism, environmental degradation, and economic
injustice.
HNRS 195J-006 (63467): Adversity & Hope in Wartime Literature for Children and Young Adults
Tuesday 1:00-1:50pm
Instructor: Stephanie Pearmain
Children’s Literature often has the dual agenda of instructing and entertaining. “Children’s books shape our earliest perceptions of the world and its
cultures, building understanding, empathy, and tolerance” (K. Edwards). In this Honors Seminar, we will examine the theme of Adversity and Hope
via literature for (and sometimes by) children and young adults. We will look at the construction of culture, gender, and heroism in books set against
the backdrop of war and political unrest in different parts of the world.
HNRS 195J-007 (63772): Encounter: Ethics and Science Fiction
Wednesday 4:00-4:50pm
Instructor: Scott Selisker
What challenges might we face collectively in the next fifty to a hundred years and what principles will we draw on to address them? This discussionbased course will take science fiction as a way to think about how your studies in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities intersect with one
another, and we’ll draw on literary studies and philosophy in particular as we engage ethical questions about the body, the environment, and
encounters with difference. We’ll read works of fiction by writers such as Margaret Atwood, Kazuo Ishiguro, Philip K Dick, and George Saunders, and
toward the end of the semester we’ll talk about a recent film or two.
HNRS 195J-008(63595): Music, Politics, and Resistance in the Middle East
Thursday 1:00-1:50pm
Instructor: Christian Sinclair
This seminar will explore the relationships between music, power, and society in the Middle East and North Africa and the ways in which
sociopolitical forces influence how music is produced, marketed, and consumed. Students will look at how music functions as an agent of change, as
commentary (on power and society), and as protest. In particular, the course will also look at the Arab Spring and democratization in the region,
asking what role music played in the revolutions and how artists mobilize and vocalize resistance. Furthermore, we will probe critical issues behind
the interaction of Islam and musical creativity and music in terms of freedom of expression. To fulfill these goals we will listen critically to hip hop,
heavy metal, folk, traditional, and indie music of the region.
HNRS 195J-010 (63759): Language Science: Learning about Doing Scientific Research on Language
Friday 1:00-1:50pm
Instructor: Andrew Carnie
This course will examine two broad themes within the study of linguistics. First, language is the lens through which we often measure ourselves and
our cultures and societies. We will investigate the idea that language shapes how we perceive the world and how it shapes our ideologies about the
nature of things both abstract and concrete and most importantly how we use it to define ourselves. Turning the question on its head, we will also
look at the way our experiences, our education, our biases and our beliefs shape the way we analyze language and grammar. Topics may include:
language and cultural identity, language and ideology, what's a language and what's a dialect, the great eskimo snow hoax, the myth of
grammatical "rules", the notion of primitive languages and complicated languages, and the scientific method as applied to language.
HNRS 195J-011 (63761): Creating the World of Zen: Chan/Zen Buddhism in East Asia and Its Transmission to the West
Tuesday 3:00-3:50pm
Instructor: Albert Welter
Chan is a unique form of East Asian Buddhism that originated in China and was transmitted to Japan as Zen. This course will explore dimensions of
Chan/Zen in China and Japan, as well as its transmission to the West in the 20th century, emphasizing its unique teachings in the cultural contexts
they developed in.
HNRS 195J-012 (63767): How Does Your Brain Do Language? What Does Society Do with Language?
Monday 1:00-1:50pm
Instructor: Natasha Warner
There are approximately 5000-7000 languages in the world that are spoken now. Because of globalization, immigration, and telecommunications
technology, speakers of one language often come into contact with speakers of another, or have to learn another language. Immigration connects
language to large political issues. As students, you have all had the experience of trying to learn another language, and you have probably all had
both rewarding and frustrating experiences in the process. Something we think about less often is that a huge proportion of the world's languages
are endangered: it may well be that 90% of them have no one left who speaks them 100 years from now. We are in the midst of a drastic change in
how humans talk to each other, but we're also in the midst of a multilingualism that has always existed. In this course, we’ll learn about what is
happening among languages and how individual humans and societies deal with this.
HNRS 195J-013 (63807): Prime Motivators
Thursday 2:00-2:50pm
Instructor: Anthony Muscat
The Honors College theme of adversity and hope gives us a frame of reference from which we can explore what motivates us. Are the most effective
motivators internal or external? Does motivation depend on what we are trying to accomplish? In this year’s common reading book, In the Shadow of
the Banyan, what kind of motivation does Raami draw upon to navigate and overcome mortal danger? What motivates the Khmer Rouge? Is
motivation relevant if fate trumps free will? We will examine these questions from multiple perspectives, including the physical and chemical forces
that self-assemble molecules into more complicated structures, the philosophies of John Locke and George Berkeley, and stories from operas that
“lead us back and forth across time and space and connect us to the entire universe.
HNRS 195J-014 (63859): The Examined Life: Profiles in Curiosity, Struggle, and Desire
Tuesday 1:00-1:50pm
Instructor: Don McCarthy
Do the people behind great achievements share any personality traits and experiences? Did they struggle with setbacks and personal tragedies? Is
curiosity a dominating trait? We will examine the lives of historic individuals and search for common denominators underpinning their successes. Our
journey begins with the modern story of Ms. Vaddey Ratner as portrayed in her book “In the Shadow of the Banyan.” The results of our study are likely
to influence our personal choices regardless of career direction.
HNRS 195J-015 (63860): Filming Difference: The Films of Iciar Bollaín
Wednesday 2:00-2:50pm
Instructor: Malcolm Compitello
This class provides offers students the opportunity to examine the films of the award-winning Spanish film maker Iciar Bollaín. Her films weave
together the lives she examines throughout her work to form a riveting portrait of the issues that individuals confront in the complex society of the end
of the 20th and first decades of the 21th Century. A careful examination of the lives of the individuals and the social networks in Bollaín’s award
winning films Hi, Are You Alone? (1995) Flowers from Another World, (1999) I Give You My Eyes (2003) Mataharis (2007) and Even the Rain (2010)
suggests strategies for surmounting the issues that form our existence as individuals, families, communities and nations and also let one see how
gender, racial and ethnic identities all play into this process. Class discussions will permit students to explore how Bollaín’s films challenge
commonly held perceptions about the structures that help shape the human condition. It will also allow participants to examine how film makers tell
stories and weave together meaning visually.
HNRS 195J-016 (69911): Between Wars: Berlin and Germany's Roaring Twenties
Wednesday 11:00-11:50am
Instructor: Barbara Kosta
Berlin, capital of the Weimar Republic between the two World Wars, was one of the most exciting cities in Europe--the place of the most radical
experimentation in the visual and performing arts, in mass entertainment and theater, in literature and architecture. Berlin was a laboratory of
modernity. While the cultural stage was vibrant and intoxicating, the celebrated roaring twenties also was haunted by the shell shock of World War I
and by economic instability, social upheaval, and political turmoil. This class explores avant-garde movements like Expressionism and Dada, as well
as major works like Bertolt Brecht’s innovative play Three Penny Opera and Fritz Lang’s monumental film Metropolis. In this seminar we will consider
the period’s challenges to notions of art, vast social changes, the modern woman and the impact of mass culture and technological developments on
twentieth-century sensibilities. And we will come to see why this period still fascinates us today.
HNRS 195J-017 (69986): The Roots of the Banyan: Traditions and Cultures of Asia
Tuesday 4:00-4:50pm
Instructor: Kimberly Jones
In the Shadow of the Banyan speaks to universal aspects of the human spirit. It is also, however, deeply rooted in a particular time and place. In this
course we will explore links between the book and the cultural, linguistic, literary, and religious traditions of Asia.
Special Topics in Fine Arts
195K-001 (63473): Art as Entertainment: Music in Pop Culture, Movies, and Television
Monday 3:00-3:50pm
Instructor: Moisés Paiewonsky
This colloquium will survey instances in pop culture utilizing musical masterworks and/or musical devices employed by master composers. The
course will cover media ranging from blockbuster Hollywood films to television shows to commercial jingles. Through this survey, students will be
exposed to music and composers they did not know they knew! The class will serve to clarify what makes some of these masterworks and composers
so great that they have withstood the test of time; and how these elements can help us to clearly define what the differences and similarities are
between art and entertainment – what is aesthetic? Class meetings will be centered around listening, viewing, and discussing. Occasionally, studies,
observations, and discussions will be supplemented by field trips to relevant concerts, events, and clinics.
HNRS 195K-002 (63558): Design, Art and Change
Tuesday 4:00-4:50pm
Instructor: Karen Zimmerman
In this first-year seminar, we explore relationships between design, art and change. We will look at designers and artists who have sought to inspire
change–to cultivate awareness, promote dialogue, encourage understanding, build and strengthen community, and inspire civic engagement and
direct action–through creative visual expression. The class will be primarily discussion based.
HNRS 195K-003(63698): Principles of Composition and Creativity/Conducting Research in the Dance Studio
Wednesday 4:30-6:00pm
Instructor: Elizabeth George-Fesch
This honors seminar will focus on the basic principles of successful composition in dance and expose students to live dance performance in the
studio and on stage. Students will explore and experiment with movement in the dance studio and use dance as a vehicle to better understand the
creative process in the fine arts. This experiential approach will allow students to look at how basic choreographic ideas can be used to better
understand the creative process. This seminar will introduce students to basic improvisation and choreographic techniques in addition to basic
dance technique principles that will lead to a stronger awareness of one’s body in space. Their hands-on improvisational efforts, individually as well
as in small groups, will allow them to create their own work and more fully experience creativity in the arts. This is a movement class so be prepared
to come ready to dance!