Honors 310
HNRS 310: Advanced Honors Seminar
Credit Hour(s): 1-4
Prerequisites: HNRS 201 or HNRS 202 or permission of instructor
This seminar will take a multifaceted approach to a non-traditional subject, an interdisciplinary theme, or a topic relevant to contemporary issues. Honors students from different majors will bring their own disciplinary perspectives to bear on the topic selected by the intructor. Seminar topics will vary across instructors and semesters.
Detailed Description of Course
The course content is expected to vary a great deal from section to section. However, the general goal is for isntructors to address topics that are amendable to multidisciplinary perspectives, which would not fit neatly within other aspects of the university curriculum. In anticipation of this course offering, honors faculty ahve proposed the following examples of possible HNRS 310 Topics:
1) "Disease and Human History"
2) "The Art of Science and the Science of Art"
3) "Dangerous Films"
4) "Ebola and the Ethics of Experimental Drug Use"
5) Big History: From the Big Bang to the Modern Human"
The courses are expected to draw honors students from a variety of majors, which is designed to be a major strength of the course. Because these students will have already developed some expertise in their majors, it is expected that they will bring this disciplinary knowledge to the course topic. Indoing so, each class will be able to embrace a multidisciplinary perspective on a complex topic.
Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
The course will be held in seminar format with 20 or fewer students per section. The conduct of the course will vary from instructor to instructor. However, instructor-led discussion is expected to be a hallmark of most courses. Most courses will feature topical readings that cover different disciplinary persepctives on the common topic. Self-reflective and argument-based writing is expected to be a common feature of the courses. Some sections of the course could be co-taught by faculty members from different disciplines.
The number of credits is variable from 1-4. This flexibility is designed to allow instructors to select from topics that range from single-credit "educational bursts" to more intensive courses that could even include laboratory or community-engagement features.
Goals and Objectives for the Course
Having successfully completed this course, the student will be able to:
1) State the important issues that are relevant to the course topic.
2) List ways in which the student's own major is relevant to the course topic.
3) Contrast how different disciplines address the course topic in different ways.
It is expected that additional goals and objectives will emerge from the topic of each section.
Assessment Measures
Assessment measures are expected to vary across instructor and course topics. However, students will typically be assessed by: Reflective and argument-based writing assignments that connect readings and presentations to the student's own disciplinary interests, participation in class discussions, and presentations or debates (either by individuals or groups).
Other Course Information
None
Review and Approval
December 16, 2015