HONORS COURSES Fall 2009
Honors Child Development 10: Child Growth & Development
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Do babies who listen to Mozart really grow up to be Honors Students?
What influences your identity more: your parents or those kids on
the playground?
 What does science show identical twins separated at birth have in
common?
Take a journey from conception to age 18 while we explore these exciting questions and more. Whether
you’re interested in psychology, teaching, medicine, law enforcement, social work, becoming a great (or
future great) parent, or just exploring your inner child you will love this first –ever Honors course. Come
explore your inner child and develop great learning and parenting skills.
TuTh 8-9:20 AM
Transfer requirements: IGETC area 4G; CSU GE Area D7, Honors: Social/Behavioral Science
Professor Janice Townsend has worked with children for the past 30 years including 11 years as Director of
The Child Day School and 6 years at LMC. She received her Masters Degree in Early Childhood
Education from UC Santa Barbara where she perfected the art of studying on the beach. Janice’s speciality
is Early Childhood education and she relishes her role as a board member of the Contra Costa Child Care
Council because she can have a direct impact on improving the quality of care for all kids in our
community. However the proudest part of her resume is her role as proud mom to two daughters who are
students at UC Davis and Harvard.
Honors Biology 5: Health Biology
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How many of the foods that you eat would your great-grandmother recognize?
How is our diet different from the way most of the rest of the world eats?
Factory farms: salvation from hunger or environmental disaster?
This introductory Honors Course covers the biology underlying human health and
fitness. You’ll learn fascinating things about your body’s systems and discuss issues
related to mental health, addiction, and sexually transmitted diseases. We’ll place special emphasis on
examining the wide-ranging impact that changes in American eating habits have had on human health,
natural resources, and more. Fascinating readings by authors such as Michael Pollan, John Robbins,
Marion Nestle and Barbara Kingsolver will be used to challenge your assumptions about the way we eat.
You’ll never look at a Big Mac the same same way again!
MWF 12-12:50 PM
Transfer Requirements: UC elective units; CSU Area E; Honors: Math/Science
Professor Linda Sanders received her Bachelor and Master of Arts Degrees in Zoology from UC Davis, as
well as a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine. She has practiced small animal medicine and animal shelter
medicine, and has taught courses in Biological Science at Los Medanos College for the past 14 years. Dr.
Sanders lived out a biologist’s dream by moving with her family (including two dogs) to a thatch-roofed
cabana in the jungle of Belize, Central America for six months in 2005. She enjoys cooking, and volunteers
as a puppy raiser for Guide Dogs for the Blind.
Honors English 100: College Composition
Question: What do Billy Idol and Henry David Thoreau have in common?
Answer: They both believe in the power of rebellion.
This course asks you to consider the line between acts of lawful rebellion and acts that
simply break the law. You will be introduced to rebellious artists, musicians, and intellectuals for the
purpose of examining their subversive ideas. More importantly you will consider the role of the individual
as a possible agent for social change. In addition, workshops, discussions, and writing assignments ask you
to reflect on your own identity as a possible change agent—a field trip to a political rally or museum
exhibit is not out of the question! Finally, you will read literature and essays plus analyze works of art,
such as film, photography, music, and paintings considered avant garde for their day and even now. This
unique Honors ENGL 100 section is specially designed for the motivated and courageous college student
and is strongly recommended to all students new to the LMC Honors Students.
Wed. 1-3:50PM
Transfer Requirements: IGETC Area 1A, CSU GE Area A2; Honors: Humanities/Fine Arts
Professor Maria Tuttle earned a BFA in painting and art history from the Art Academy of Cincinnati, an
MA in comparative literature from the University of Cincinnati, and an MFA in creative writing and
border studies from the University of Texas, El Paso. She has taught literature and composition at the
University of Cincinnati, the University of Texas El Paso and various other colleges from East to West,
moving across the country in her own personal Westward Expansion. Maria also teaches the Puente
English class at LMC and has serves as its Director for the past two years.
Honors History 36: US History: Origins to Civil War
This ever popular Honors course will take a culturally inclusive, transhemispheric perspective of the founding of the United States. From the
earliest days of Spanish Conquest, the abiding myth of "AMERICA" as a
mecca of new beginnings, ceaseless opportunity, expectant adventure and
inevitable progress has been one of the great romances of modern world
consciousness. But this myth has come at a price as indigenous peoples, minority groups and North
America’s bounteous ecosystems have suffered through this development. By focusing on the real-life
historical conditions of the United States’ origins, this class will challenge our assumptions about who we
are, and who we can be in the future.
MWF 9-9:50AM
Transfer Requirements: IGETC Area 4F; CSU GE Area D6 and US History Group B; Honors: Soc/Beh Science
Professor Don Kaiper received his PhD in the History of Social & Political Thought from UC Santa Cruz.
His 25 years teaching at LMC follows a career interspersed by stints as a juvenile probation officer, a
seminarian-in-training, a street activist, a book store manager, and a night janitor. He is not only a history
teacher, but a history maker, having worked directly with the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the
Civil Rights Movement. Other brushes with history include meeting Fidel Castro in Cuba and helping to
organize the first Vietnam War protest in Washington, D.C. Dr. Kaiper likes to joke that he owns more
books than the LMC Library. He lives in Antioch in a 3-bedroom condominium—one for him, and two
for the books!
Honors Philosophy 40: Introduction to Philosophy
 If “the self” does not exist, would you change the way you live?
Would it make sense to work hard and get good grades if “you” do not
exist?
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Do you really have any control over your destiny, or is this all just an
illusion?
Is pessimism just the hallmark of a lazy character?
Do you like to trip out on questions like these? Then you’re part of a conversation philosophers have been
having with each other for over 2000 years. This course will expose you to a wide range of philosophers
such as Hume, Plato, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche and more to explore the meaning of your life, and whether
“you” or your “life” even exist at all. You may never look at things the same way again, and that’s good,
isn’t it? Be prepared to write a lot of short essays and to decipher the deeper philosophical message of
some thought-provoking movies.
TuTh 9:30-10:50AM
Transfer Requirements: IGETC Area 3B; CSU GE Area C2; Honors: Fine Arts/Humanities
Professor Daniel Moriel Ramirez received his PhD from the UC San Diego specializing in social theory,
ethno methodology and semiotics. He has a unique professional background which includes being an
Assistant Professor in the sociology department at UC Davis, a therapist at Familias Unidas Counseling
Center in Richmond, and 15 years as Professor of Philosophy at Los Medanos College. He is one of the
founders of the LMC Honors Program. Ask him about the philosophy of salsa dancing!
New Course! HONORS SEMINAR
Honors Philosophy 2: Biomedical Ethics
“It's the end of the world as we know it... and I feel fine." - REM
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Should income or martial status be a criteria for determining who can go
through in vitro fertilization? (Think about Octomom!)
Is it ethical to use stem cells from aborted fetuses for medical research?
Should insurance companies have access to your genetic information so
they know what diseases you might get?
This fascinating Honors Seminar explores some of the most vexing medical ethical issues our society will
face during the next fifty years. With guest lectures, debates and student presentations you’ll grapple with
controversial topics such as genetic engineering, human life extension technology, drug legalization and
any other relevant topics your fertile minds can conjure. Don’t worry if you have no biology background
because Professor Lewis will introduce you to the necessary concepts, but a basic understanding of cellular
and DNA functions will be very helpful to you. The only non-negotiable prerequisite is an open mind and
insatiable curiosity! This course is especially recommended to anyone contemplating medicine, nursing or
mortality.
Wed 7-9:50 PM
Transfer Requirements: IGETC Area 3B; CSU Area C2; Honors Seminar
Professor Mark Lewis went to school a long time ago to become a writer, but he got sidetracked along the
way and ended up with a PhD in biochemistry from UC Berkeley. Since then, he has mostly been using
aliases assumed identities to escape FBI surveillance. His latest cover is a mild-mannered Biology
instructor at LMC.