Honors Seminars
Spring 2025
UHON 3620R-0 – Humanities & Fine Arts – 3 credit hours
The Dark Isle: Irish Noir
Dr. Karen Babine
MW, 3:30-4:45
This course explores the genre of Irish crime literature that emerged after the Celtic Tiger era, a period of significant economic growth from the 1990s until the global financial crash of 2008. In 2005, the noted Irish literary critic Declan Kiberd wondered about the lack of literature that represented the economic boom of the Celtic Tiger, but as Andrew Kincaid argues, “The Celtic Tiger did produce a literary type that represented the violence, ugliness, the distrust, the moral conflict, and tempo that are inherent in this moment.” Ireland produced a new version of the crime thriller, a distinct brand of noir fiction. While Ireland’s fiction is generally understood in the modern and postmodern terms of James Joyce, John Banville, Roddy Doyle, and others, we will narrow our gaze to studying popular Irish fiction, specifically Irish crime literature, as a vehicle to studying the role that crime literature has on the conversations of race, gender, class, and place in Ireland, revealing their ability to address important societal issues that traditional literary canon might miss. This course not only highlights the entertainment value of Irish noir but also encourages students to appreciate its role in sparking meaningful conversations about contemporary life in Ireland.
UHON 3620R-01 – Humanities & Fine Arts – 3 credit hours
Women’s Prison Writing
Dr. Victoria Bryan
W, 5:30-8:00
This course will explore written, visual, and multimedia texts by incarcerated or formerly incarcerated women. Students will be guided through a framework for understanding incarceration through literature and then asked to apply that framework orally and in writing. From our discussions of these works, we will analyze the impact mass incarceration has had on women, families, communities, and our nation. We will also examine why women's prison writing is often marginalized in the genre of prison literature and the contributions artistic endeavors of incarcerated women make on our understanding of mass incarceration.
Students will have the opportunity to undertake a variety of final projects that are not necessarily traditional research papers (though all projects will require ample research and writing). Alongside their research and our classroom exploration of this topic, students will collaborate on a service project intended to serve incarcerated and/or formerly incarcerated individuals.
UHON 3620R-02 – Humanities & Fine Arts – 3 credit hours
Women Behaving Badly in American Film
Covers Visual & Performing Arts category under the former general education curriculum.
Dr. Jayda Coons
WF, 9:30-10:45
Social climbers, bored housewives, courtesans, gold diggers, adulteresses, hysterics, witches, criminals, femmes fatales, outlaws, hustlers—Bad Girls can be found everywhere in film history. This course considers the “bad woman” trope in American film from the 1930s to the present. We’ll think about how these representations are constructed, narratively and visually; what it means to be “bad”; how formal techniques enhance or challenge narrative meaning; how relationships between image and spectator are established; how representations change over time, considering diversity onscreen and behind the camera; how generic conventions inform narrative possibilities; and many other questions! This course functions as an introduction to film studies, so as we examine this theme, we’ll also develop a general understanding of film studies terminology and significant critical histories.
UHON 3620R-03 – Humanities & Fine Arts – 3 credit hours
The Art and Literature of Romantics
Dr. Alex Quinlan
TR, 2:00-3:15
“We See into the Life of Things”
The impact of human activities on the natural world; the search for an authentic self in a society where identity is increasingly subject to market forces; crises of moral values in an era of rapid technological and economic transformation; the democratization of self expression amidst political upheaval: these phenomena aptly describe our own present moment, as our social media-infused culture grapples with threats and opportunities from AI to climate change. What might be more surprising is to learn that these questions were just as relevant over 200 years ago, as societies responded to the disruptions of the Industrial Revolution and the Enlightenment. In this course, we will explore the roots of Romanticism, its contemporary legacy in a variety of areas, from civil rights and environmentalism to poetry and politics. Students will be invited to design and undertake a creative or scholarly project of their own design that explores the legacy of Romanticism in contemporary culture.
UHON 3620R-04 – Humanities & Fine Arts – 3 credit hours
Apocalypse Now, Then, Or Never?: Why We Love Dystopian Stories
Covers Thought, Values & Beliefs category under the former general education curriculum.
Dr. Mary McCampbell
M, 5:00-7:30
Why are novels, movies, and television series about the end of the world so wildly popular? Why is our culture drawn to fantasies of death and destruction that typically provide no ultimate redemption or regeneration? To begin exploring these questions, we will look at the ancient origin of “apocalyptic” narratives and then focus on how the apocalyptic form has been altered for both modern and postmodern contexts. In discussing the underlying philosophy and theology of these large cultural shifts, we will read novels (and graphic novels) including White Noise, Severance, Watchmen, as well as view films and television episodes including Children of Men, Dawn of the Dead, and The Last of Us. With each work of art, we look at the relationship between apocalyptic narratives and 1) the centrality of western consumerism, 2) the practice of religious belief, 3) the experience of grief and loss, 4) the threat of sinister environmental factors, and 5) questions about the presence or absence of a human “condition.”
UHON 3630R-0 – Natural Sciences (Lab) – 4 credit hours
Tropical Island Ecologies
Covers Natural Sciences (Lab) category under the former general education curriculum.
Dr. Dawn Ford
M, 5:00-7:30
In this course, students will develop in-depth knowledge of tropical marine ecosystems and oceanic processes through hands-on experiences. This course involves classroom meetings and laboratories at UTC for the first 8 weeks of the semester to prepare students for a one-week group-based field experience at the Gerace Research Centre on San Salvador Island, The Bahamas. Upon completion of the field experience, students work in groups to develop a poster presentation to be presented at UTC. Travel during spring break is required. This experience involves strenuous physical activities (hiking, swimming). Snorkeling training will be provided (no SCUBA required).
To cover costs of the trip to the Bahamas, an additional course fee of $1000 will be assessed
UHON 3640R-0 –Behavioral & Social Sciences/Individual & Global Citizenship – 3 credit hours
Placing Latinos in the United States: Immigration, Racialization, and Belonging
Covers Behavioral & Social Science category under the former general education curriculum.
Prof. Giovanni Román-Torres
WF, 11:00-12:15
We all desire to have a meaningful connection to the place we call home and the people that surround us. But how do people form a sense of self and develop a sense of belonging to a place? How do social categories such as race & ethnicity, gender, and immigration shape what it means to belong in a place?
This course answers these questions by considering the place of Latino immigrants in the United States. We will interrogate important group boundaries such as race and ethnicity, the role of immigration legislation in shaping how we think about Latinos in the U.S., the progress and inequality U.S.-born Latinos and Latino immigrants face, and how Latino immigrants come to call many places home, including Tennessee. In doing so, we will also look back to previous immigrant groups and how they envisioned their "American Dream".
As much as this course focuses on the Latino immigrant experience it also will allow students to explore key sociological understandings of the broader relationship between groups and how they experience a sense of belonging and well-being in the United States. Students will be able to explore their own family or local history using materials covered in class to develop a critical insight into the way categories such as race & ethnicity, gender, and immigrant shape the social organization of the United States.
UHON 3640R-01 – Behavioral & Social Sciences/Humanities & Fine Arts – 3 credit hours
Oral History for Social Justice
Covers Historical Understanding category under the former general education curriculum
Dr. Peggy Douglas
TR, 12:30-1:45
Oral history for social justice changes lives. It changes the lives of the narrators, the listeners, and ultimately the audience. And for students, there is no more impactful and even life-changing project you can undertake than the documenting of marginalized and seldom heard voices.
In this course, students will develop skills for collecting and preserving stories of persons who have survived violence and addiction that would otherwise go unheard. You will delve into the many ethical concerns of oral history pedagogy and learn how to approach oral history projects with care, compassion, and trauma awareness. Finally, you will examine the work of influential scholars, practitioners, and projects to help you evaluate the many ways oral history may promote social change.
Students will practice deep listening in the collection of stories from participants and co create poetic monologues with the speakers of the stories they gather. The final project will be a chapbook of the stories that students will co-create and self-publish with the instructor.
UHON 3660R-0 –Individual & Global Citizenship/Humanities & Fine Arts
Minorities in Twentieth Century Europe
Covers Historical Understanding category under the former general education curriculum.
Dr. John Swanson
T, 4:30-7:00
Since the early twentieth century most countries in Europe define themselves as nation-states, but most of them are not ethnically homogeneous. Two of the largest minorities in Eastern Europe before 1945 were Jews and Germans. Today one of the largest groups is the Roma. In this course you will learn how Central and Eastern Europe became a series of nation-states with numerous national, ethnic, and religious minorities.
During Spring Break students in this course will travel to Hungary and Austria and meet with representatives from various minority groups. They will visit villages in southern Hungary that were once German and some that are today mainly inhabited by Roma. In Budapest they will meet with members of the Jewish community and learn about Jewish life in one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe after the Holocaust. At the beginning of the week, they will also travel to Vienna to visit the U.S. Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and discuss the protection of minorities in Europe.
To cover costs of the trip to Hungary and Austria, an additional course fee of $1800 will be assessed
UHON 3660R-01 –Individual & Global Citizenship/Behavioral & Social Science
Health Equity and the City
Covers Behavioral & Social Science category under the former general education curriculum.
Prof. Farron Kilburn
TR, 11:00-12:15
Health Equity and the City explores how aspects of city living - including the built environment, infrastructure, community, zoning, transportation, policies, and landscape - impact health care access and outcomes, especially for vulnerable populations. Using case studies, maps, photographs, demographic data, and public health data, students will analyze connections between the social determinants of health and urban environments.
- Fall 2024
UHON 3620R-0 – Topics in Humanities and Fine Arts – 3 credit hours
Art, Landscape, and Climate Change
*Correlates with UHON 3540R (Topics in Visual & Performing Arts) under the former general education curriculum.
Prof. Jessica Hays
TR, 9:25-10:40
Immerse yourself in a captivating exploration of landscape and its role in culture through an interdisciplinary lens. Delve into the rich tapestry of art history, climate justice, atmospheric science, psychology, and philosophy as we journey through readings, discussions, essays, and hands-on creative projects. Through engaging guest speakers, field trips, and interactive classroom activities, we will explore the ever-evolving relationship between landscapes, ecology, and the urgent call for climate action.
As we navigate through thought-provoking questions like "What defines a landscape?" and "How does climate change intersect with psychology?", you'll uncover fresh perspectives on the role of artists in shaping our understanding of the environment. Together, we'll envision pathways to a better future that grapples with the realities of climate change.
Each week, we'll embark on unraveling the complexities of representations of landscape, climate, and ecology. From the awe-inspiring concept of the sublime to the profound implications of the Anthropocene era, we'll examine pivotal visual arts movements like new topographics and land art.
The culmination of this course is an opportunity to unleash your creativity with a unique response to the themes we've explored. Whether it's through photography, creative writing, painting, sculptures, thoughtfully curated exhibitions, or immersive soundscape designs, the possibilities are endless.
UHON 3620R-01 – Topics in Humanities and Fine Arts – 3 credit hours
Musicals and Social Change
*Correlates with UHON 3540R (Topics in Visual & Performing Arts) under the former general education curriculum.
Dr. Elizabeth Pearce
MW, 3:25-4:40
Do you hear the people sing? Are you young, scrappy, and hungry and not throwing away your shot? Is now the time to seize the day? In “Musicals and Social Change,” we’ll look into these musicals and more to examine how musicals act as a genre that often features contemporary social issues as well as inspires social change. We will consider: what makes a musical a strong medium for discussing and pushing toward social change? When have musicals inspired actual social movements, and what about that kairotic moment allowed for changemaking? What aspects of musicals (i.e., lights, costumes, setting, dialogue, music, casting) influence the way audience members consider the social issues relevant to the show? Musicals, both as they are presented live on stage and through audio and video recordings, will range from foundational texts like South Pacific, Showboat, and West Side Story to social change mainstays like Rent, Ragtime, Les Miserables, and Newsies to more contemporary texts like Hamilton, Hadestown, and A Strange Loop. Get ready to watch, listen, analyze, and enjoy musicals with us this fall!
UHON 3620R-02 – Topics in Humanities and Fine Arts – 3 credit hours
Human Values in the Fiction of Borges
Prof. Russell Helms
TR, 12:15-1:30
Tired of dancing around the heart of fiction, then try some Jorge Luis Borges. The fiction of Borges dances with the impossible, representing the epitome of the irreal sub-genre. There is nothing like a Borges story to mesmerize and amaze. Borges weaves labyrinths with every story, driving at the essence of reality and its tangible horror. In this class, we will delve deeply into a dozen or so stories by Borges as well as read from his biography. With each story we will search for human values in Borges fiction as an aid to understanding what his stories reveal about the human condition. Work for the class will consist of essay responses to each story and a final project in which students will craft an 8-10-page short story in the vein of Borges. Get ready to blow your mind and have your idea of fiction forever altered.
UHON 3620R-03 – Topics in Humanities and Fine Arts – 3 credit hours
UHON 3660R-02 – Topics in Individual and Global Citizenship – 3 credit hours
Japanese Literature: Women Authors and Gender Dynamics
Correlates with UHON 3590R (Topics in Non-Western Culture) under the former general education curriculum.
Prof. Andrew Najberg
MWF, 9:00-9:50
Japanese Literature: Women Authors and Gender Dynamics will explore the transforming landscape of gender roles and cultural expectations in the Japanese literary tradition. Examining both seminal texts such as The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu and Junichiro Tanizaki's Naomi and more contemporary offerings such as Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, The Diving Pool by Yoko Ogawa, Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami, and Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi, the course will explore the socio-cultural forces that shape gender roles and tensions in Japanese society.
UHON 3630R-01 – Topics in Natural Science (non-lab) – 3 credit hours
Citizen Science for Chattanooga’s Biodiversity
*Correlates with UHON 3560R (Topics in Natural Sciences—Non-Lab) under the former general education curriculum.
Profs. Dawn Ford and Mary Marr
M, 5:00-7:30
Be a Chattanooga Citizen Scientist! Uncover the hidden biological world around you and make a difference! Join our Citizen Science: Biodiversity in Chattanooga course this fall and become an active protector of our local environment. This is a non-lab natural science course. Become familiar with identifying local flora and fauna. Use apps to contribute data to research and conservation efforts. Discover ways to champion biodiversity in our community.
Get ready for:
- Field trips to explore wetlands, forests, and urban green spaces.
- Biodiversity expertise from local researchers and conservationists.
- Team projects to contribute to real citizen science initiatives.
This non-lab natural science class is a good fit for students who:
- Appreciate nature and want to protect it.
- Enjoy hands-on and team-based science learning and exploration.
- Would like to make a data-driven positive impact on their community.
UHON 3640R-0 – Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences– 3 credit hours
Ethnotheatre: Performing Stories from Life
*Correlates with UHON 3540R (Topics in Visual & Performing Arts) and UHON 3550R (Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences) under the former general education curriculum
Profs. Anne Swedberg and Peggy Douglas
TR, 3:05-4:20
This class is driven by the transformative power of oral history and storytelling, and by a strong belief that social justice cannot be achieved without deep listening and learning from those marginalized, silenced, and ignored. Ethics-based listening is at the heart of this class and the philosophy that students have their own genius and add value to the learning community through experiential learning. Using a dialogic pedagogy, the teachers-of-the-students and the students-of-the-teachers will cease to exist and a new relationship will emerge: teacher-student with students-teachers.....we become jointly responsible for a process in which all grow.
We believe this process of sharing stories is one of the deepest, transformative, and most honorable activities we do as human beings. Students will learn firsthand how to collect ethics-based oral histories from marginalized or silenced members of the Chattanooga community by helping them find their voices through the art of deep listening. Once students have collected the stories, they will learn the art of crafting stories into poetic monologues for the stage. When a final piece is agreed upon by the storyteller and the listener, the students will co-create a theatrical script and perform a monologue play for the storytellers and the general public.
UHON 3640R-01 – Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences– 3 credit hours
Psychology of Happiness
*Correlates with UHON 3550R (Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences) under the former general education curriculum
Prof. Luis Mendez
W, 5:00-7:30
This course will not be a “How to be Happy in 3 easy steps” therapeutic session. However, the goal of this course is for students to leave class everyday knowing a little more about happiness from a different perspective. This can be from a sociological perspective on how people from a certain social group find happiness in their life compared to a different social group. Giving a kid from a low-income background something to eat will make the kid happy as opposed to a high-income background kid, who will throw a tantrum for having to eat their vegetables. Happiness will be seen over a chorological perspective in which we consider how the way people acquire the state of happiness has changed over time, with an emphasis on technology and goods.
UHON 3650R-0 – Topics in Quantitative Reasoning – 3 credit hours
The A.I. Revolution
Prof. Curtis Campbell
T, 5:30-8:00
Artificial Intelligence is no longer science fiction – it's here and in our lives to stay! But to truly understand the power of AI, you need to know its capabilities and how, when, why, and where to use it. Can we trust what can be done with AI? What is the impact of AI for the future of mankind? This course offers a practical grounding in artificial intelligence (AI) and its many applications, equipping you with the knowledge and confidence you need to understand its various forms; make decisions based on AI applications; and critically apply this innovative technology for beneficial and everyday use!
We will explore use cases for AI as transformative technology and analyze the technical, ethical, social, privacy, and security issues within the complex models and platforms. We'll explore the impact of AI on the future of work and society by analyzing present and future use cases, and we will create an environment for a sustainable and innovative real world business application. By exploring the power and limitations of quantitative evidence in AI, students will learn to evaluate, construct, apply, and communicate these skills in their academic, future professional, and personal lives.
UHON 3660R-0 – Topics in Individual and Global Citizenship
Pilgrimage, Land Ethics, and Leadership on the Trails of Chattanooga
*Correlates with UHON 3530R (Topics in Thoughts, Values and Beliefs) under the former general education curriculum.
Profs. Bengt Carlson and Christopher Johnson
R, 2:00-4:30
Have you always wanted to explore more of the natural beauty around Chattanooga but never had the chance? Are you curious about issues such as land ethics, stewardship, pilgrimage, and religious perspectives on nature? Would you like to take a 100% outdoor course that will improve your leadership, sense of community, and wellbeing and challenge you mentally, physically, and spiritually? If your answer is yes to any of these, this course is for you. The course centers your learning in first-hand experiences of local places with vital community partners. We will engage global and historical perspectives on land and nature while hiking on trails in and around Chattanooga and use written reflections and in-person discussions to generate a creative space for a final project based on your own talents and interests. Join us for a memorable adventure!
UHON 3660R-01 – Topics in Individual and Global Citizenship
Call of Duty: WWII in History, Memory, and Modern Culture.
*Correlates with UHON 3530R (Topics in Thoughts, Values and Beliefs) under the former general education curriculum.
Prof. Charles Googe
M, 2:00-4:30
The legacy of WWII in history and memory has left an indelible mark on our modern culture. We will strive to understand the U.S. experience in the war including gripping first-hand veteran accounts, video game depictions, critically acclaimed films, museum interpretations, reenactments, and artifact collections. This course will challenge students to think outside of the box on the war’s cultural impact. Students will also have potential offsite trip opportunities to view current museum interpretations of Chattanooga’s role in WWII.
- Spring 2024
UHON 3620R-0 – Topics in Humanities and Fine Arts – 3 credit hours
Storytelling with Podcasts
*Correlates with UHON 3540R (Topics in Visual & Performing Arts) under the former general education curriculum.
Prof. Will Davis
TR, 9:25-10:40
Storytelling with Podcasts is a hands-on seminar focused on the dramatic forces and layered processes that make audio storytelling work and how to best unleash the emotional power of the narrative arts. Using local oral histories, students will take on multiple production roles in a collaborative storytelling exercise to create compelling theater of the mind in the form of a multi-episode, multi-character podcast series. Students in this seminar will become discriminating listeners of podcasts and gain enough skills for entry-level work in the audio storytelling field.
UHON 3620R-01 – Topics in Humanities and Fine Arts – 3 credit hours
The Celtic Middle Ages
*Correlates with UHON 3510R (Topics in Historical Understanding) under the former general education curriculum.
Prof. Lindsay Doyle
MWF, 10:00-10:50
What do druids, St Patrick, and King Arthur have in common? They will all be topics in this seminar examining the “Celtic” Middle Ages. What does “Celtic” mean? How do we know about Ireland, Scotland, and Wales in the era after the collapse of the Roman Empire? Students will learn about the development of the Celtic peoples of the British Isles from ca. 400 CE to ca. 1100 CE. Just as these areas are geographically on the margins of Europe, they are largely ignored by survey courses and textbooks. Yet the ideas of druids, bards, and "Celtic" Christianity continue to fascinate many in the 21st century. Students will be introduced to the archaeology, material culture, history, literature, and religion of the medieval Celtic peoples through a variety of primary sources. The course investigates how the spread of Christianity reshaped these regions and, later, how these regions retained distinct identities in the face of expansion by the English. Students will explore how modern scholars piece together the past from sources that are not necessarily regarded as traditional historical sources such as myths, legends, and saints' lives.
UHON 3620R-02 – Topics in Humanities and Fine Arts – 3 credit hours
Jane Austen’s World
*Correlates with UHON 3520R (Topics in Literature) under the former general education curriculum.
Dr. Jayda Coons
MW, 3:25-4:40
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a seminar on the novels and narrative experiments of Jane Austen must be a rollicking good time. In this course, we’ll read as many of Austen’s six completed novels as time allows, in addition to her juvenilia, unfinished work, and excerpts from her contemporaries. As we immerse ourselves in late eighteenth-/early nineteenth-century England, we’ll also consider the enduring popularity of Austen’s world in our contemporary one: the rise of the “Janeites,” the proliferation of Regency-era cosplay, and the many film, tv, and web adaptations that exist. The course includes a one-week trip to England during spring break, where we will visit Austen’s home in Chawton, sip tea and study Georgian architecture in Bath, and explore sites of national and literary importance in London. Students should expect to read a lot of fiction, write weekly analytical responses, complete a group research project, and come to (further) appreciate Austen as a keen observer of human interaction and a master stylist of the novel.
A course travel fee of $1800 will be assessed for this seminar and will be DUE at the time all fee payment is due for spring courses.
UHON 3630R-0 – Topics in Natural Science (with lab) – 4 credit hours
Cooking with Physics
*Correlates with UHON 3565R (Topics in Natural Sciences—Lab) under the former general education curriculum.
Dr. Luis Sanchez Diaz
MW, 2:00-3:15 PM (seminar)
M, 11:00-11:50 AM (lab)
Using concepts from physics, we will explore the science behind preparing different foods and how to cook them in extreme environments. Why do we knead bread? What determines the temperature at which we cook a steak or the amount of time our chocolate chip cookies spend in the oven? What is the effect of gravity on food? Examples of topics covered in this course will be gravity, energy, thermodynamics, waves viscosity, electricity, and relativity.
UHON 3630R-01 – Topics in Natural Science (non-lab) – 3 credit hours
UHON 3660R-01– Topics in Individual and Global Citizenship – 3 credit hours
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)
Global Warming: Science, Law, and Policy
*Correlates with UHON 3560R (Topics in Natural Sciences—Non-Lab) under the former general education curriculum.
Drs. John Tucker and Tom Rybolt
TR, 12:15-1:30
Earth's changing climate due to global warming is a multigenerational issue that is vast in scope and of fundamental significance for humanity's future. Burning of fossil fuels containing carbon releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and traps heat near the earth which causes global warming. This human induced climate change is contributing to increased areas of drought, regional flooding, species loss, crop failures, human poverty and migration, food insecurity, acidification of our oceans, massive fires, more severe storms, and weather extremes around the world. In this course we seek a better understanding of the science related to all aspects climate change and possible science, legal, and policy responses to these issues. In this course each student will gain an understanding of science as it relates to the many varied aspects of global warming and the role of law and policy in adapting to or mitigating a warming world. This course is suitable for science and nonscience majors and may be taken in the categories of either Natural Sciences (Non-lab) or Individual and Global Citizenship.
UHON 3640R-0 – Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences– 3 credit hours
UHON 3660R-0 – Topics in Individual and Global Citizenship – 3 credit hours
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)
Perspectives on Death and Dying
*Correlates with UHON 3530R (Topics in Thoughts, Values and Beliefs) and UHON 3550R (Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences) under the former general education curriculum.
Prof. Chapel Cowden and Dr. Jenny Holcombe
TR, 3:05-4:20
Only two things in life are supposedly certain—death and taxes. Taxes are boring however, so we turn our gaze to life’s common denominator: death. As we cling to this mortal coil we are at once fascinated and repulsed by death. What is death? What does dying look like in our culture & other cultures? How do we memorialize the dead? What can we learn from the undead? How have our deathways been altered by the Covid-19 pandemic? Join us for a “spirited” semester-long discussion on these questions and many more as we work our way through an exploration of death and dying at the intersections of religion, culture, technology, and science. From funeral playlists to plastination, students will be challenged to examine their personal beliefs and socially constructed ideologies on death and what it means to die and, in the process, what it means to live.
UHON 3640R – Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences– 3 credit hours
Sociology of the Black Community
*Correlates with UHON 3550R (Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences) under the former general education curriculum
Drs. Lori Waite and Darrell Walsh
T 5:00-7:30
This course will examine Sociological studies of Black community life in the United States. The focus will be on social institutions such as the family, education, religion, economy, media, government, and the military. The course will also examine the ways in which social movements in the United States have impacted the structure of Black communities. We will primarily, but not exclusively, use the scholarship of Black Sociologists.
The central questions the course will explore are: (1) How have systems of oppression, such as de jure and de facto segregation, impacted the changing status of Black people in the U.S. in different historical periods? (2) How have social institutions such as the family, education, religion, the economy, media, government, and the military historically functioned in Black communities due to systems of oppression? (3) What impact have social movements, such as the Civil Rights Movement and Black Lives Matter, had on social institutions? (4) How do social institutions continue to shape the life chances of Black people in U.S. society?
Members of the class will also be going to Washington, D.C. from March 9-12 to visit the National Museum of African American History & Culture.
A course travel fee of $500 will be assessed for this seminar and will be DUE at the time all fee payment is due for spring courses.
UHON 3650 – Topics in Quantitative Reasoning – 3 credit hours
Modern GIS, Cartography, and Geospatial Data Visualization
*Correlates with UHON 3580R (Topics in Statistics) under the former general education curriculum.
Prof. Charlie Mix
TR, 1:40-2:55
Maps are more prevalent and important than ever and are an essential tool for solving our society’s most complex problems. In this seminar, students will explore the role of modern maps and learn how to use geographic information systems (GIS) to create effective maps and web mapping applications, with no coding required. This seminar will draw on real world case studies and will develop critical and spatial thinking, technical skills, and multidisciplinary perspectives. Students will learn how to produce professional quality maps and web applications for communication and research, evaluate maps and geospatial data, perform spatial analysis, learn about the ethics of map making and the role of modern GIS and cartography to help solve, understand, and communicate complex problems using a multidisciplinary geographic approach.
UHON 3660R-02 – Topics in Individual and Global Citizenship
Identity, Service, and Design in Kenya
*Correlates with UHON 3590R (Topics in Non-Western Culture) under the former general education curriculum.
Dr. Linda Frost
MWF, 9:00-9:50
This course will offer a baseline of readings and discussions providing historical, cultural, and economic contexts for life in contemporary Kenya, particularly among the Maasai and in the Maasai Mara region. Eight class sessions will be led virtually by our program leaders with EduAfrica with whom we will be working while we are in Kenya. The course will provide the students with a general understanding of the role of entrepreneurship and design in Kenya and an introduction to the Maasai tribe and their history; it will also promote reflection on the part of the students regarding what it means to serve, particularly in an international setting. We will interrogate our own mythologies of African life and culture, consider how those mythologies have been constructed in European and American cultural history, and immerse ourselves in Kenyan literature and culture in order to prepare for our 3-week stay (we depart from Chattanooga on May 10 and return on May 31, 2024). Students in the class will be required to participate fully in the trip, reflecting on and documenting their experiences and impressions along the way. All students taking this course will receive an Incomplete for the class, receiving a final grade when they submit their travel journals upon their return to the US.
A course travel fee of $3000 will be assessed for this seminar and will be DUE at the time all fee payment is due for spring courses.
UHON 3660R-03 – Topics in Individual and Global Citizenship
Border Rhetorics
*Correlates with UHON 3590R (Topics in Non-Western Culture) under the former general education curriculum.
Dr. Beth Leahy
MW, 5:00-6:15
This course explores theories of borders and the rhetorical possibilities of these spaces. When we think of borders, we often think of physical boundaries like the US/Mexico border or other geographical markers. However, we inhabit and cross conceptual borders every day, including cultural, linguistic, political, and ideological borders. These borders often separate or divide; they may also create community. In some cases, because borders themselves constitute a type of “in-between-ness,” they are generative, providing opportunities for discovery, invention, or even resistance.
In this course we will think about the limits and possibilities of the borders we move through and communicate across each day. We will begin with a review of scholarship from rhetoric and other disciplines that will help us develop a working definition of borders. Theoretical readings will be paired with articles, essays, and videos that demonstrate rhetorical practices that move within, across, or resist physical or conceptual borders. Students will research and analyze the rhetorical practices of a particular border space. We will consider questions such as: How are borders created and regulated (and by whom)? How can we cross or resist borders? How do borders create or constrain communities?
- Fall 2023
UHON 3620R – Topics in Humanities and Fine Arts – 3 credit hours
Rhetoric of the Black Power Movement
*Correlates with UHON 3510R (Topics in Historical Understanding) under the current general education curriculum.
Prof. Tiffany Mitchell
TR 10:50-12:05 – Face-to-Face
Rhetoric of the Black Power Movement (BPM) will primarily study and explore the far-reaching impacts of the Black Power Movement of the U.S. in the 1960s and 70s, which was the height of the BPM. We will study and explore the BPM in the U.S. of the 1960s and 70s, its impacts on American culture at the time and today, as well as past and modern movements in the U.S. and abroad that had/have similar goals as BPM. Further, this course seeks to understand the historical and societal events that caused and impacted the BPM’s actions and principles, such as systemic inequality; separate but equal policies; fraudulent charges, incarceration and assassinations of Black leaders; etc.
Some of the key historical people/events this course will cover: Negritude; Marcus Garvey’s UNIA; the Black Panther Party and its free community programs; WattsStax and Harlem Music Festival; works of the Black Arts Movement; as well as specific movements from South Africa, and European and Caribbean nations that were influenced by the BPM in the U.S.
UHON 3620R – Topics in Humanities and Fine Arts – 3 credit hours
UHON 3565R – Topics in Individual and Global Citizenship – 3 credit hours
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)
The Rise of Gig City: A Community History of Chattanooga
*Correlates with UHON 3510R (Topics in Historical Understanding) under the current general education curriculum.
Dr. Susan Eckelmann Berghel
T, 2:00-4:30
Chattanooga has been labeled “Dynamo of Dixie,” “Dirtiest City in America,” “Scenic City,” and “Gig City.” What do these labels tell us about the city’s ongoing evolution? Who or what aspects of the community do they represent or overlook? This course answers these questions by tracing the city’s history from the dispossession of Cherokee lands during Trail of Tears to the defining Civil War battles to the implementation of urban revitalization projects to the rise of high-tech manufacturing. Students will, for instance, investigate the historical significance of the 1906 lynching of Ed Johnson, explore the city’s musical heritage with the arrival of Blues singer Bessie Smith, study urban renewal initiatives such as the Golden Gateway Project and its devastating impact on underserved communities, learn about the 1982 federal civil suit which set important precedent holding the perpetrators of hate crimes accountable in the wake of the Ku Klux Klan members’ violent attack on five African American women, and examine Volkswagen’s labor union disputes at the intersection of business culture and masculinity. Unpacking these and other important historical episodes that intersect with race, law, culture, and urban politics, students will better understand how Chattanooga as a city made and helps remake the narrative of the United States as a nation. Course readings, assignments, and experiential learning activities place particular emphasis on the city’s history of racism and anti-racist activism, community organizing around LGBTQ issues, gentrification, and environmental concerns, as well as working-class and union struggles.
UHON 3620R – Topics in Humanities and Fine Arts – 3 credit hours
Pop Music
*Correlates with UHON 3540R (Topics in Visual and Performing Arts) under the current general education curriculum.
Prof. Lisa Anita Baker
R, 2:00-4:30 – Face-to-Face
The purpose of this class is to introduce students to the study of popular music. This course begins with the concepts of musical elements. In other words, we begin with music theory. After laying these foundations, we will move to case studies of various genres: blues, jazz, rock, folk/country, soul, funk, disco, and hip-hop. As we study each musical genre, we will be studying the sounds themselves and the historical conditions that produced them. What can history tell us about music? How can popular music tell us about our history?
We will be listening to music in this course. Our readings are paired with songs, which we will unpack, analyze, and put into conversation with our texts. The goal of this course is for students to develop a basic understanding of popular music and to develop the skills necessary to analyze it. This requires an understanding of the ways history (economics, politics, race and gender relations, fashion, etc.) works its way into musical forms.
UHON 3630R – Topics in Natural Science – 3 credit hours
Reimagining Eden: Genetics and Biotechnology (Past, Present, and Future)
*Correlates with UHON 3560R (Topics in Natural Sciences—Non Lab) under the current general education curriculum.
Dr. Ethan Carver
TR 9:25-10:40 – Face-to-Face
Fundamentally, humans have reshaped the earth. From large structures seen from space, to controlling waterways, building towns and cities, and altering local/global ecosystems; our imprint on the earth itself is obvious. However, we have also reshaped the living; plants and animals and ourselves. Through genetics and biotechnology, we have altered many plant and animal species to better suit our needs and whims.
What drove this and how is an understanding of genetics and molecular biology and biotechnology important? What are its applications (good and bad) from ancient crop development to current genetically modified food {GMOs}? How do biomedical applications, such as cancer treatments and stem cell therapy offer hope to many?
Our future includes the real possibility of cloning and creating meta humans, improved agricultural applications, further weaponization biologics and more. Having a broad knowledge of the underlying science involved will allow you to better understand and discuss these areas.
UHON 3630R – Topics in Natural Science – 3 credit hours
Climate Change and Impacts on Public Health
*Correlates with UHON 3560R (Topics in Natural Sciences—Non Lab) under the current general education curriculum.
Drs. Elwyn Clark and Dawn Ford
M, 5:00-7:30 – Face-to-Face
The effects of climate change are felt across the globe, and its effects significantly impact public health. This course will address the ever-increasing detrimental health effects of climate change worldwide. Topics will include severe weather events, the rise in vector-borne illnesses, air quality degradation, forced migration, food and water security, environmental justice, and the impact of climate change on mental health. The course will also address policies and actions to manage and adapt to climate change, emphasizing the future path of the global response to these issues and engaging students to use critical thinking skills in application to a current ongoing problem. The course will also address local actions including Chattanooga’s Climate Action Plan.
UHON 3640R – Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences– 3 credit hours
UHON 3660R – Topics in Individual and Global Citizenship – 3 credit hours
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)
Language and Life in Our World
*Correlates with UHON 3550R (Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences) and UHON 3590R (Topics in Non-Western Culture) under the current general education curriculum.
Dr. Ashleigh Pipes
MW 2:00-3:15 – Face-to-Face
Languages are systems created by humans, and they change over time. Students in this course will first investigate what makes human communication unique from animal communication and how humans use both verbal and nonverbal systems. Through reading, observation, discussion, and research, students will then explore the intricate interactions between the components of language and societies from the smallest perceptible individual sounds through complex written and spoken discourse. Explorations will include world sign languages, click languages of Africa, disappearing whistled languages, and artificial languages such as Klingon (Star Trek) and Na’vi (Avatar). Discussions will focus on variations of English usage characteristic of age of acquisition, race, and geography, for example Appalachian English. By the conclusion of the course, students will be able to describe and examine languages as groups of dynamic systems, as well as explain how language use affects the lives of diverse groups of people in the world and how new perspectives can positively influence society.
UHON 3640R – Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences– 3 credit hours
New Religious Movements in America
*Correlates with UHON 3550R (Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences) and UHON 3530R (Topics in Thought, Values, and Beliefs) under the current general education curriculum.
Prof. Donna Ray
MWF 11:00-11:50 – Face-to-Face
Throughout its history, America has been fertile soil for religious innovation. From Native American renewalist movements to Shakers, Mormons, Rastafarians, Scientologists, Wiccans, and New Age groups, among others, many new religious organizations have emerged in the U.S. in the last two hundred years and found success—as well as controversy. In this course, we will examine, compare, and seek to understand these new religious movements (NRMs) in broader religious, theoretical, and historical terms. We will also give attention to how these movements are understood by their followers, what gives them their power and appeal, and how they are lived on the ground. The course includes shared readings and other media, guest speakers, site visits, and discussion in a seminar setting.
Questions to be explored include: What is religion? When (if ever) should a religious movement be labelled a "cult"? What makes for a successful religious movement? Who has spiritual authority, and how do they get it? Why do people join religious communities? What should be the rules of engagement between minority religious groups and the government, law enforcement, the media, and the general public?
UHON 3650 – Topics in Quantitative Reasoning – 3 credit hours
Exploring the Psychology of Trading
*Correlates with UHON 3580R (Topics in Statistics) under the current general education curriculum.
Prof. Luis Mendez
T, 5:00-7:30 – Face-to-Face
Trading Psychology is the way the individual approaches, thinks about, and feels about the stock market and your trades. Stock market psychology affects behavior in the market, which in turn affects trades’ performance. Apart from the technical aspects (entries, risk management, etc.), what REALLY matters is the individual’s psychology of trading.
Trading psychology is the emotional component of an investor's decision-making process which may help explain why some decisions appear more rational than others. Trading psychology is characterized primarily as the influence of both greed and fear. Greed drives decisions that appear to be too risky. Fear drives decisions that appear to avoid risk and generate little return. Behavioral finance has documented several psychological biases and errors involved when making trading or investment decisions.
The goal of this course will NOT be to get rich quick! Instead, it will be to explore the quantitative and qualitative approaches of trading psychology. We will be doing hands-on approaches using SPSS for stock market analysis.
UHON 3660R – Topics in Individual and Global Citizenship
Always Go to the Show: Ethnomusicology, Identity, and Chattanooga’s Live Music
*Correlates with UHON 3540R (Topics in Visual and Performing Arts) and UHON 3550R (Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences) under the current general education curriculum.
Dr. Chandler Harriss
W, 5:00-7:30 – Face-to-Face
Always Go to the Show asks learners to explore Chattanooga’s live music scene through the lenses of ethnography and identity analysis. Learners will observe and participate within the communities they seek to understand. During these field experiences, they will photograph, tape or otherwise record material that will become elements of a final multimedia project. The project allows learners to acquire or refine media production skills while chronicling and characterizing the events and performances, places and spaces, and individual personalities and collective identities they encounter. For the final project, learners may produce podcast episodes, short films, or magazine-style cultural analyses. The collective findings will provide a reflective foundation to help the class determine whether or not Chattanooga houses a definable music scene, and if so what that scene is and what it means to the city and its people.
- Spring 2023
UHON 3510R – Topics in Historical Understanding – 3 credit hours
From Farm to #FoodPorn: An Introduction to Food Studies
Dr. Mark Johnson – TR 10:50-12:05 – Face-to-Face
In this course, we will explore a wide range of primary sources and interdisciplinary scholarship on food studies as an introduction to the field and as an opportunity for students to conduct their own research. While it will focus on the United States, it will explore some themes through case studies beyond its borders. What does the study of the production, consumption, and marketing of food tell us about a time and place? How do people use food to connect and divide people? We will rethink concepts like authenticity and tradition and explore how food and its consumption have changed over time. It will examine contemporary issues. How do people use food to leverage power? What issues face the Chattanooga area and the United States? What are the roots of these issues? How does food affect our health? How was Instagram changed the way people eat?
This course includes a trip to the New Orleans Southern Food and Beverage Museum with stops at famous barbecue joints in Alabama along the way. It will be a 3-night trip. On Friday, there will be an event in Chattanooga. On Saturday morning, the food tour will depart for Birmingham’s Pepper Place Market, lunch, and time to visit the Civil Rights Institute. On Sunday, the tour arrives in New Orleans with time to explore the city. On Monday, the tour will visit the Southern Food and Beverage Museum and participate in a cooking and culinary history class hosted by the museum. On Tuesday, the tour returns to Chattanooga with a stop in Fairhope, Alabama, for lunch.
To cover costs of the three-night trip, an additional course fee of $235 will be assessed
UHON 3510R – Topics in Historical Understanding – 3 credit hours
UHON 3565R – Topics in Natural Science: Lab – 4 credit hours – Must be 21+ to take the lab version of this course
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)
The Barbarian’s Beverage: A Consilient History of Beer
Professors Justin Colvin and Melanie Krautstrunk
Lecture: TR 1:40-2:55 – Face-to-Face (required for all students)
Lab: Friday 1:00-2:00 – Face-to-Face (required only for students enrolled in UHON 3665R)
This course will use beer as a proxy for human progress from ancient Mesopotamia (ca. 4000 bce) to Prohibition (1920 ce). We will explore cultural attitudes toward beer century-by-century from the advent of agriculture to modernity. Along the way, we will witness the central role beer played to the domestication of plants and animals, the rise of civic religions, the movement of peoples and the dissolution of empires, the rise and practice of medieval monasticism, the breaking of Church power and authority, the advent of commercial capitalism (and the attendant rise of colonialism), and the process of industrialization. Never was a political system devised, an economic regime instantiated, or a thought thought without some attention to humanity’s favorite drink. Along the way, we will learn the science of brewing – from the evolution of intended domesticates to the ecology of the fermenter; from hydrology’s and geology’s demands on style to the biochemistry of fermentation; from the neurology of intoxication to the economics of production, distribution, and consumption.
While the topic of the course is beer, the subject of the course is human development – the creation of the first states, ethnic chauvinism, patriarchy, religious zeal, colonialism, capitalism, consumption, compulsion, and economy. Beer is an occasion to study humanity and social evolution over the past 12,000 years.
UHON 3510R – Topics in Historical Understanding – 3 credit hours
UHON 3590R – Topics in Non-Western Cultures – 3 credit hours
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)
Transgender Identities Past and Present
Dr. Kathryn Taylor and Prof. Gerda Zinner – TR 12:15-1:30 – Face-to-Face
Transgender history is both short and long. While the term “transgender” was not coined until the twentieth century, the history of gender crossing, gender nonconformity and nonbinary gender is much longer. In this seminar, we will explore the long history of transgender identities—broadly construed—from antiquity to the present. Our exploration will be anchored by a few central questions: how did people in the past experience and think about gender? What are the implications of using contemporary categories of identity to analyze the experiences of people removed from us by decades or centuries? And how have historical arguments about gender-variance in the past been used to shape contemporary political debates about the inclusion of trans people in public life? To answer these questions, we’ll travel from medieval Byzantium to seventeenth-century Angola to the 112th Tennessee General Assembly. Through reading, discussion, research, and writing we will explore topics including the evolution of medical and scientific models of gender variance, the development of gender-affirming healthcare, religious teachings on gender variance, trans identities and the law, and the history of trans political organizing.
UHON 3520R – Topics in Literature – 3 credit hours
Embodiment in Adolescent Literature
Dr. Beth Pearce
MW 2:00-3:15 – Face-to-Face
The world of adolescent literature (also known as young adult, or YA, literature) has rapidly developed over the last few decades and become more representational of actual adolescents. This course will focus on recently works published, especially those that look at intersectional body issues in many ways (including gender, sex, size, sexuality, race, ability, etc.). We will be reading and interrogating intersectional issues of all kinds, especially looking at bodies and embodiment. Using the books listed below, we’re going to delve into topics like anti-fat bias, ableism, transphobia, and racism. The class will involve lots of student-led discussion and connect to many current events. If you’d like to start thinking about some of these issues, I highly recommend listening to the podcast Maintenance Phase (hosted by Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbes) debunking the wellness/health industry.
Booklist:
Faith: Taking Flight, Julie Murphy Pet, Akwaeke Emezi Fat Chance, Charlie Vega, Crystal Maldonado The Marrow Thieves, Cherie Dimaline Love is a Revolution, Renée Watson Darius the Great is Not Okay, Adib Khorram Firekeeper's Daughter, Angeline Boulley Iron Widow, Xiran Jay Zhao Cemetery Boys, Aiden Thomas
UHON 3570R – Topics in Mathematics – 3 credit hours
The Mathematical Foundations of Artificial Intelligence
Dr. Christopher Cox
TR 10:50-12:05 – Face-to-Face
The use of artificial intelligence tools, including in the areas of autonomous vehicles, personalized medicine, language processing & speech recognition, computer vision & pattern recognition, is growing exponentially and is expected to continue doing so for the foreseeable future. This course will first provide an introduction to AI – its history (briefly) and mathematical underpinnings. The emphasis on a mathematical perspective is motivated by two principles: (1) the algorithms of AI are built upon a foundation of mathematics, and (2) the tendency to treat AI as a ‘black box’, where the user sees only the inputs and outputs, warrants a healthy skepticism about its use which is best addressed by learning the basics of how AI works along with its strengths and limitations. The subfields of machine learning and deep learning will be explored. Applications of AI, in both technical and non-technical fields, societal impacts (e.g. from ethical, legal, and social perspectives) and possible future directions for the field will be considered.
UHON 3520R – Topics in Literature – 3 credit hours
UHON 3540R – Topics in Visual and Performing Arts – 3 credit hours
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)
Representing Appalachia: Bearing Witness through Contemporary Art and Literature
Dr. Jayda Coons and Professor Rachel Reese Waldrop
MWF 10:00-10:50 – Face-to-Face
This course explores the possibilities and limits of documenting “reality” in Appalachia, centering around artist Stacy Kranitz’s body of work, As it was Give(n) to Me, on view as a special exhibition in UTC’s own Institute for Contemporary Art gallery from January-March 2023. Our course will investigate various modes of Appalachian cultural production--photography, literature, and film--to ask: How is Kranitz’s work situated in representations of Appalachia? What are the aesthetics of “the real”? What are the ethical responsibilities attached to making visual images, specifically in communities with generational histories of misrepresentation? This course will meet often in the ICA gallery space, applying theories of visual culture and photography to Kranitz’s work, and we will read broadly within a growing canon of Appalachian literatures to deepen our understanding. As this exhibition is part of the TN Triennial theme “RE-PAIR,” we may also visit other art venues in Nashville, Knoxville, and potentially Kranitz’s studio in east Tennessee to further examine these themes.
UHON 3540R – Topics in Visual and Performing Arts – 3 credit hours
Storytelling with Podcasts
Professor Will Davis – TR 9:25-10:40 – Face-to-Face
Storytelling with Podcasts is a hands-on seminar focused on the layered processes and dramatic forces that make audio storytelling work. Using local oral histories about political polarization by the national non-profit StoryCorps, students will work with multiple editors in a collaborative narrative arts exercise to create compelling theater of the mind in the form of a multicharacter, episodic podcast.
UHON 3540R – Topics in Visual and Performing Arts – 3 credit hours
UHON 3550R – Topics in Behavioral and Social Science – 3 credit hours
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)
Dramatizing the Data: Performing Other People’s Stories
Drs. Anne Swedberg and Peggy Douglas
TR 3:05-4:20 – Face-to-Face
This class seeks to understand the following questions: What is the potential role of the arts in community life and the lives of individuals, as well as in the overall mental health of communities?And by extension, how can a community reach vulnerable people who often “slip through the cracks” and remain invisible, unheard, and thus underserved? The goal of this course is to create a performance based on listening to the stories of people who have struggled with mental illness and thus have found themselves incarcerated.
As a class, we’ll focus on this style of performance, which sometimes is called “applied theatre,” or “ethnodrama,” and examine a range of interview-based productions before embarking on the creation of our own performance piece. In the process, you’ll learn to conduct interviews with participants in the project and then to create poetic monologues based on your interviews. As a class, you’ll collectively design a performance piece that incorporates the monologues and that can be shared with the UTC community.
UHON 3550R – Topics in Behavioral and Social Science – 3 credit hours
In Living Color: Conversations about Colorism
Professors Sherese Williams and Chris Bridgers
Wednesdays 5:00-7:30 – Face-to-Face
Colorism is prejudice or discrimination against individuals within people of the same ethnic or racial group. While colorism is not unique to one culture or ethnicity, this course will explore colorism within the Black community. Students will have the opportunity to assess, discuss, and reflect on the sociological, psychological, and historical influence and impact of colorism within the Black community.
What are the impacts? How does colorism influence health care, education, and the media? Students will begin the course with an introduction to the history of colorism in the US and progress into learning and applying Racial Identity Development theory, Cross Theory of Racial Identity, and Social Identity Theory before engaging with colorism in media, healthcare, mental health, and education. This course will also include guest lecturers from various fields who will share their experiences with colorism as professionals.
Content for this course will be generated from weekly topics and discussions that will challenge students to analyze and reflect on their personal experiences and perceptions. The course will conclude with an in-class debate rooted in the above theories on topics derived from class discussions. Students that participate in this course will leave with skills to actively engage in discussions on colorism using the above listed theories and apply it to any ethnicity group or culture.
To cover costs of a three-night trip to Nashville, an additional course fee of $250 will be assessed
UHON 3565R – Topics in Natural Science: Lab – 4 credit hours
Tropical Island Ecology
Dr. Dawn Ford
Mondays 2:00-4:30 – Face-to-Face
In this course, students will develop in-depth knowledge of tropical marine ecosystems and oceanic processes through hands-on experiences. This course involves classroom meetings and laboratories at UTC for the first 8 weeks of the semester to prepare students for a one week group-based field experience at the Gerace Research Centre on San Salvador island, The Bahamas. Upon completion of the field experience, students work in groups to develop a poster presentation to be presented at UTC. Travel during spring break is required. This experience involves strenuous physical activities (hiking, swimming). Snorkeling training will be provided (no SCUBA required).
To cover costs of the trip to the Bahamas, an additional course fee of $950 will be assessed
UHON 3565R – Topics in Natural Science: Lab – 4 credit hours
The Amazing Biology of Fishes
Drs. Hope Klug and Fernando Alda
TR 12:15-1:30 (lecture) and Tuesday 2:00-4:50 (lab) – Face-to-Face
Fish are biologically incredible and have a range of unique adaptations, including the ability to change sex, the generation of electricity, the ability to climb waterfalls, extreme morphologies, and the ability to navigate using magnetic fields. In this lab and lecture course, we will explore the incredible adaptations and striking diversity of fish species. Our central questions will include the following: 1) what unique behavioral, physiological, genetic, and morphological adaptations occur in fish species; 2) how have unique adaptations in fishes evolved; 3) how biodiverse are fish species locally, regionally, and globally; and 4) what are the primary conservation threats to fish species? Students will be highly engaged and active participants in the lecture and lab. The lab will include local and regional field trips to observe fish biodiversity first-hand and a semester-long project at the TN Aquarium Conservation Institute. Field trip options are likely to include a regional snorkeling trip, a fly-fishing outing, and the option to swim with whale sharks and other marine fishes at the Georgia Aquarium.
To cover costs of the three field trips, an additional course fee of $300 will be assessed
- Fall 2022
UHON 3510r – Topics in Historical Understanding (CRN 45202)
American Spectacle: A Cultural History of Performance, Audience, and Stage
Dr. William Kuby
MW 3:25-4:40 – Face-to-FaceIn this seminar we will explore United States history by immersing ourselves in the world of theater, popular performance, and pageantry. Over the course of the semester, we will consider a wide range of performance genres—including Shakespearean drama, street theater, minstrelsy, circuses and freak shows, bare-knuckle prize fighting, burlesque, better babies contests, Tom Thumb weddings, dance marathons, beauty pageants, and blockbuster musicals—as gateways into the American past. As we study the history of American performance, we will contemplate a number of central questions: How does the historical study of performance help us to understand the nation’s growth from colonial times to the present? What can we learn from historical efforts to censor public spectacles? How do debates over the propriety of performance illustrate changing ideologies surrounding race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality? How have expected audience behaviors changed over time, and what is the historical significance of these developments? How can performance-related sources (e.g., plays, theatrical advertisements, and photo/video footage of public events) help us to craft historical narratives about the past? In sum, how has performance both reflected *and* shaped the course of United States history?
UHON 3510r – Topics in Historical Understanding (CRN 45201) – 3 credit hours
UHON 3590r – Topics in Non-Western Culture (CRN 43486) – 3 credit hours
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)
Colonized and Marginalized People of the Japanese EmpireDr. Fang Yu Hu
TR 9:25-10:40 – Face-to-FaceJapan’s often contentious relationships with other Asian countries today are shaped by Japan’s imperial ambitions in the first half of the twentieth century. In this course, we will learn about the lives and experiences of the colonized and the marginalized people of the Japanese empire from 1874 to 1945. With the onset of the Meiji Restoration in 1868, Japan modernized and created a multi-ethnic empire. Instead of focusing on mainland Japan, we will focus on the historically marginalized people of the empire by paying attention to Okinawa, Taiwan, and Korea. We will also learn about the indigenous (Ainu) people in Hokkaido, the Sino-Japanese relations, Southeast Asians during the Pacific War (1941-1945), and other marginalized people (e.g., sex workers, migrant workers, and trafficked children) in the Japanese empire and beyond in the Americas. In addition to scholarly studies, we will read a collection of oral history of Koreans (Under the Black Umbrella), a semi-autobiographical fiction (Orphan of Asia) by a Taiwanese writer, and a memoir (The Girl with the White Flag) by an Okinawan woman to try to answer the following questions: Why did Japan colonize many neighboring territories and people? How did the colonized people live under often-harsh colonial policies? What strategies did marginalized people use to live their full life under imperial influences? What impact did the Japanese imperial ambitions have on East Asia and the world? By examining the colonized and the marginalized people in the Japanese nation-empire, we will learn that imperial Japan created different policies that led to different experiences for different people in different spaces within and outside the Japanese empire. In addition to two short argumentative papers and a group presentation, each student will produce a short research paper after presenting their findings to the class at the end of the semester.
UHON 3520r – Topics in Literature (CRN 44333) – 3 credit hours
UHON 3590r – Topics in Non-Western Culture (CRN 44535) – 3 credit hours
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)
The Japanese Novel
Professor Andrew Najberg
TR 12:15-1:30 – Face-to-FaceIn 1945, Japan suffered a collective trauma unlike any other in the history of the world with the nuclear detonations at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As a culture and nation, they found themselves at a profound crisis of societal ethics that demanded a re-envisioning of their identity as a collective people. Literature and art herald cultural development, and this course seeks to explore through multiple artistic expressions, primarily literature and the influence of magical realist authors in their narratives, the emergence of a new cultural identity that re-establishes Japan as a cultural presence worldwide, negotiating challenges of their history, profound moral questions, and the relationship of themselves to the diversities within their borders.
The course is divided into three principal units. The first unit would explore the emergence of a new literature in Japan through the authors Kenzaburo Oe and Kobo Abe, focusing in on both their seminal works of fiction as well as some of their non-fiction politico-cultural writings. The second unit would follow the literary successors of Oe and Abe by considering the authors Haruki Murakami and Banana Yoshimito, specifically how both these authors tie heavy western influences into narratives that “update” traditional Japanese cultural values into the modern world. Unit three would then conclude with contemporary women authors, exploring the enormous growth of feminist authorship in the style of magical realism that, in many ways, has come to define the 21st century Japanese novel, focusing centrally on Yoko Okawa, Sayaka Murata, and Mieko Kawakami.
UHON 3520r – Topics in Literature (CRN 44532) – 3 credit hours
UHON 3530r – Topics in Thought, Values, and Beliefs (CRN 43481) – 3 credit hours
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)
The Existential NovelDr. Talia Welsh and Professor Sybil Baker
TR 1:40-2:55 – Face-to-FaceAnxiety, absurdity, and despair fill the pages of existentialist writing, but so do themes of freedom, revolt, and liberation. This class will explore iconic existentialist novels and theory to explore the nature of our human condition. We’ll also examine the writing structures and strategies used in these novels as well as produce our own existential fiction pieces. You do not need to have any previous creative writing or philosophy experience to take this class! In this journey, we will explore how existentialists fight to create meaning in a world that seems indifferent, even hostile, to the aspirations and hopes of humankind, and we will discuss the structural and craft strategies these texts use to achieve these goals. We will read existentialist theory, literature, watch existentialist films, and discuss the craft of novel writing. Students will work both with producing theoretical as well as artistic works. In writing creatively, students will look to create visions of their own struggles with existence and how one can convey such themes through literary expression.
You’ll have a chance to read, discuss content and craft choices of a range of existential novels such as the following:
Fydor Dostoyevsky, Notes from the Underground,
Franz Kafka, The Trial
Albert Camus, The Stranger
Dashiell Hammett, Red Harvest
Kamel Daoud, The Meursault Investigation
James Baldwin, Giovanni’s Room
Walker Percy, The Moviegoer
Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar
Philip K. Dick, Blade Runner: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
Han King, The VegetarianUHON 3530r – Topics in Thought, Values, and Beliefs (CRN 45203) – 3 credit hours
Pilgrimage, Land Ethics, and Leadership on the Trails of ChattanoogaDr. Christopher Johnson and Professor Bengt Carlson
Thursday 2:00-4:30Have you always wanted to explore more of the natural beauty around Chattanooga but never had the chance? Do you have an interest in issues such as lands ethics, stewardship, pilgrimage, religious views of nature, and sacred geography? Would you like to take a 100% outdoor course that will improve your leadership, sense of community, and wellbeing and challenge you mentally, physically, and spiritually? If your answer is yes to any of these, this course is for you. The course will explore vital issues related to land and spirituality by discussing thought-provoking readings while hiking on trails in and around Chattanooga once a week for 2.5 hours and reflecting on these experiences in a journal. Join us for a memorable adventure!
UHON 3530r – Topics in Thought, Values, and Beliefs (CRN 45204) – 3 credit hours
UHON 3550r – Topics in Behavioral and Social Science (CRN 42489) – 3 credit hours
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)
Deconstructing Discrimination in the Sciences and Behavioral SciencesDr. Jenny Holcombe and Professor Chapel Cowden
TR 3:05-4:20 – Face-to-FaceDuring your college journey, you will take numerous courses and learn about the “big names” in each discipline, those who made the groundbreaking discoveries and propelled their respective fields of study forward. What about the names you don’t learn about – the names that could not author a journal article or book because they were female or their skin was not white or they were from the wrong socioeconomic class? Conversely, how do you separate the significant contributions of many from their often not so hidden, prejudiced/racist/xenophobic views that may have influenced their work? Can you appreciate the discoveries, innovations, and/or advancements of those in a field without agreeing with or supporting their personal beliefs? Should a brilliant mind be stifled or “pushed out” of a discipline because of their personal beliefs?
This seminar will explore these questions, and others, using the personal narratives of multiple scientists/researchers/academics, and those kept in shadows, within their cultural/historical/societal contexts. Through this lens, students will examine the influence of systemic racism, gender discrimination, and xenophobia across various science and social science disciplines.
UHON 3550r – Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences (CRN 42488) – 3 credit hours
Strategic Communication for Social MediaDr. Nagwan Zahry
MW 10:00-11:15 – Face-to-FaceThe course introduces students to the role of social media in creating and managing communication among different target audiences. It focuses on topics related to crisis communication, advertising/marketing, and health communication to better understand the good, the bad, and the ugly of social media. Through lectures, discussions, working groups, and case studies, students will think critically about social media as a source of information that can impact interpersonal and professional relationships. During the semester, we will discuss the role of social media in shaping people’s identities and behaviors by looking at social media campaigns, influencers, consumer behavior, and user engagement strategies. By completing this course, students will possess a practical working knowledge of strategic uses of social media in the context of personal and professional settings. They will be able to critically evaluate various social media platforms and determine their uses and drawbacks, successfully develop social media campaigns related to their area of study, and strategically create content for interpersonal and professional purposes.
UHON 3565r – Topics in Natural Science - Laboratory (CRN 45205) – 4 credit hours
They Like to Move It, Move It! The Natural History of Animal MigrationDr. David Aborn
MWF 11:00-11:50 (lecture) and Wednesday 1:00-3:50 (lab) – Face-to-FaceThousands of animal species are migratory. Migration is an intriguing phenomenon with many facets, and given its importance for so many animals, understanding those facets is critical for the continued survival of those species, especially in the face of urbanization and climate change. The course will examine why animals migrate, how they accomplish it, and the threats they face. It will be topic based with examples from a variety of taxa (e.g. orientation and navigation, evolution, conservation), rather than taxonomically focused (e.g. bird migration, butterfly migration). The lab will include field trips to witness migration and migration research, and will also require the class to develop migration-themed activities that can be used by zoos, nature centers, and other facilities to teach the public about migration in an interactive way.
- Spring 2022
UHON 3510r – Topics in Historical Understanding – 3 credit hours
UHON 3550r – Topics in Behavioral and Social Science – 3 credit hours
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)American Approaches to Health, Humanity, and Healing
Drs. Julia Cummiskey, Shewanee Howard-Baptiste, and Bethany Womack
MWF 9:00-9:50 – Face-to-FaceLed by faculty from history, public health, and social work, this interdisciplinary seminar will explore the history and current status of ideas about whose health matters, what kinds of knowledge are relevant to health, and who claims authority over health and its determinants. The COVID-19 pandemic has stimulated many discussions about health disparities, the relationship between individuals and the community, and the different ways that people define and pursue health. In this seminar, students will explore the context in which these discussions take place and the broader set of questions, values, and beliefs that they engage. Students will examine the relationship between individuals’ health and community health, how biological and social determinants of health have been prioritized for intervention throughout history, and how different professions and groups make claims to expertise on health. Students will interrogate strategies used by different professions and disciplines to measure and improve the health of individuals and communities and examine ideas defining what it means to be a healthy human. We will discuss topics including eugenics and genetic engineering, drug policies and implications for impoverished communities, and community and environmental health. Underlying these discussions is the theme of how humanity is defined, by whom and for whom, and across groups. By the end of the seminar, students will have gained knowledge about historical and social perceptions of humanity and contexts of health-related issues and apply this knowledge to policy development and advocacy. The course will culminate in a policy proposal that will reflect an analysis of and response to a contemporary health issue impacting a targeted population.
UHON 3510r – Topics in Historical Understanding – 3 credit hours
UHON 3550r – Topics in Behavioral and Social Science – 3 credit hours
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)Colonial Roots of Contemporary Inequalities
Drs. Carey McCormack and Elisabeth Sheff-Stefanik
MW 2:00-3:15 – Face-to-FaceSocial inequality is a defining issue of the early 21st century. In order to develop a deep understanding of the mechanisms of inequality, students must understand the origins of those hierarchies. This class does both and examines current social inequalities based on social class, gender, race, and region. Dr. McCormack sets the stage by explaining the origins and global impacts of colonialism, and Dr. Sheff explains how sociologists view contemporary social inequalities in the United States. The first part of the course introduces inequality and globalism using intersectionality and postmodern theories. Next the class focuses on race and class, examining how social construction of race and immigration shape global economic inequality. Then the class turns to gender and sexuality, examining the relationships between gender, empire, sexuality, suffrage, and contemporary sex and gender diversity. Last, the class explores the more recently acknowledged elements of inequality such as disabilities and the environment. In addition to listening to lecture and participating in discussions, students in this class will have a midterm group exam and present a poster for their final.
UHON 3530r – Topics in Thought, Values, and Beliefs – 3 credit hours
UHON 3590r – Topics in Non-Western Cultures – 3 credit hours
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)Guatemala and Chattanooga: Land of Many Trees
Professors Bengt Carlson and Krue Brock
Thursday 2:00-4:30 – Face-to-FaceThis course provides tools and lenses for students to engage Guatemalan people and culture throughout the Chattanooga region. Guatemalans are the fastest growing Latinx group in Chattanooga, and Chattanooga is being and will continue to be shaped by Guatemalan culture. This class will focus on experiencing this culture through outings to local places and meeting people, as well as studying Guatemalan culture, history and way of life. Students will be expected to develop questions of their own resulting from the interplay of the issues, people and cultures they encounter here as well as demonstrate personal initiative to engage this culture.
UHON 3530r – Topics in Thought, Values, and Beliefs – 3 credit hours
Adventure, Misfits, and the Search for Meaning
Drs. Andrew Bailey and Moise Baptiste
TR 3:05-4:20 – Face-to-FaceThe search for meaning and purpose has fueled many adventures throughout history, both internal and external. From monks and sages to modern dirt-baggers and mountain climbers, purposeful happiness is often found in discomfort, challenge, deprivation, and humbling encounters with the “other”. What compels individuals to push beyond personal, societal, and conventional boundaries? Why is it so difficult for some to be content within cultural norms? Why are travel and encounters with nature so commonly extolled by seekers?
This course will explore the concepts of values, meaning and purpose within the context of adventure-seeking. Students will explore various value-constructs through history and across cultures while assessing their personal values-system, and how it guides their lifestyle and vocation. They will wrestle with issues of risk, challenge, and discomfort, assessing how these concepts can facilitate growth and competence. Special emphasis will be given to the lives of outdoor adventurers, with a culminating spring-break trip abroad to an Ecuadorian landscape that inspires adventure seekers from all over the world. Students will experience the “other” first-hand, interacting with indigenous cultures and challenging activities in a novel environment. This experience will, ideally, compel deeper reflection on their personal values and vocation, and inspire them to embrace the unease that accompanies growth and adventure. No special skills are required, but an openness to experience is a must. The travel component of this course depends on Spring semester University COVID travel policy and U.S. COVID travel guidelines for Ecuador. An additional course fee of $850 will be assessed. If travel is not allowed, the course will be canceled.
UHON 3530r – Topics in Thought, Values, and Beliefs – 3 credit hours
UHON 3550r – Topics in Behavioral and Social Science – 3 credit hours
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)The Green New Deal
Drs. Lucy Schultz and Jeremy Strickler
TR 10:50-12:05 – Face-to-FaceIn 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which is made up of scientists from around the world, stated that to keep the planet habitable, we must strive to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. This would require net human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide to be cut in half by 2030, reaching “net zero” by around 2050. Achieving this goal will require rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society, and time is running out. The IPCC’s latest report that was published this fall stated in no uncertain terms that dangerous levels of global warming have already occurred and will worsen unless drastic actions are immediately taken to mitigate its effects. In response to the IPCC’s reports, a movement has taken shape around a set of initiatives collectively known as the Green New Deal. This course will draw on discussions within environmental philosophy and political science to explore the various facets of this revolutionary legislation and social movement, including its principles, goals, and challenges associated with its implementation. More specifically, this course will explore the connections between society and the environment by examining the workings of the material economy and urban ecologies in relation to existing state policies. Then we will consider the specifics of the Green New Deal agenda, namely, the decarbonization of the economy, a federal jobs guarantee, and economic and social justice. Finally, we will consider how these policies could be implemented, both locally, nationally, and internationally. We will end with a consideration of what implementation of the Green New Deal would mean for Chattanooga and its surroundings.
UHON 3530r – Topics in Thought, Values, and Beliefs – 3 credit hours
UHON 3590r – Topics in Non-Western Cultures – 3 credit hours
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)Religions, Embodied and Virtual
Dr. Christopher Johnson
TR 12:15-1:30 – Face-to-FaceMost of us want to understand different religious perspectives, but how exactly can we “climb into [someone’s] skin and walk around in it,” as Atticus Finch tells Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird? While this level of empathy is probably impossible to fully achieve, it can be approximated by visiting sacred sites, talking to practitioners, and experiencing a new religion firsthand. But what if a religious community is not at hand but a world away? This class will combine the use of Virtual Reality, virtual international exchanges, visits to local religious sites, face-to-face-interviews, and ethnographic recording and analysis to immerse you in new ways of seeing, being, and acting in the world to reflect on and share with others. This collaborative project-based course will be a mixture of technologically-mediated and direct experiences that allows you to attempt to step into the shoes of others both across the globe and across the street. https://youtu.be/pXGPPIhvoNs.
UHON 3540r – Topics in Visual and Performing Arts – 3 credit hours
Storytelling with Podcasts
Professor William Davis
TR 9:25-10:40 – Face-to-FaceStorytelling with Podcasts is a hands-on seminar focused on the dramatic forces and layered processes that make audio storytelling work and how to best unleash the emotional power of the narrative arts. Using local oral histories, students will take on multiple production roles in a collaborative storytelling exercise to create compelling theater of the mind in the form of a multi-episode, multi-character local history podcast series.
UHON 3560r – Topics in Natural Science: Non-Lab – 3 credit hours
The Physics of Cooking
Dr. Luis Sanchez Diaz
TR 1:40-2:55 – Face-to-FaceUsing concepts from physics, we will explore the science behind preparing different foods and how to cook them in extreme environments. Why do we knead bread? What determines the temperature at which we cook a steak or the amount of time our chocolate chip cookies spend in the oven? What is the effect of gravity on food? Examples of topics covered in this course will be gravity, energy, thermodynamics, waves viscosity, electricity, and relativity.
UHON 3565r – Topics in Natural Science: Lab – 4 credit hours
Tropical Island Ecology
Dr. Dawn Ford
M 5:00-7:30 – Face-to-FaceIn this course, students will develop in-depth knowledge of tropical marine ecosystems and oceanic processes through hands-on experiences. This course involves classroom meetings and laboratories at UTC for the first 8 weeks of the semester to prepare students for a one-week group-based field experience at the Gerace Research Centre on San Salvador island, The Bahamas. Upon completion of the field experience, students work in groups to develop a poster presentation to be presented at UTC. Travel during spring break is required. This experience involves strenuous physical activities (hiking, swimming). Snorkeling training will be provided (no SCUBA required). The travel component of this course depends on Spring semester University COVID travel policy and U.S. COVID travel guidelines for San Salvador, Bahamas. If travel is allowed, an additional course fee of $670 will be assessed. If travel is not allowed, the course will be canceled.
UHON 3565r – Topics in Natural Science: Lab – 4 credit hours
Ecology and Management of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Dr. Joey Shaw
W 3:00-4:50 – Face-to-FaceThis course explores the ecology of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the complex issues of national park management. Students will learn about ecology and management issues in class and through guest lectures by park researchers, as well as through extensive camping excursions. The entire week of Spring Break (March 14-18) is spent in the park – the “front country trip” – as well as a second entire week following the last day of classes (May 2-6) – the “back country trip.” (The latter may require students working with some of their professors to take final exams early.) Both excursions will involve camping and backpacking (gear provided). To cover costs of food, permits, and supplies, an additional course fee of $150 will be assessed.
UHON 3570r – Topics in Mathematics – 3 credit hours
The Mathematical Foundations and Ramifications of Artificial Intelligence
Drs. Christopher Cox and Reinhold Mann
TR 9:25-10:40 – Face-to-FaceThe use of artificial intelligence tools, including in the areas of autonomous vehicles, personalized medicine, language processing and speech recognition, computer vision and pattern recognition, is growing exponentially and is expected to continue doing so for the foreseeable future. This course will first provide an introduction to AI – its history (briefly) and mathematical underpinnings. The emphasis on a mathematical perspective is motivated by two principles:
(1) the algorithms of AI are built upon a foundation of mathematics, and (2) the tendency to treat AI as a ‘black box’, where the user sees only the inputs and outputs, warrants a healthy skepticism about its use which is best addressed by learning the basics of how AI works along with its strengths and limitation. The subfields of machine learning and deep learning will be discussed. Applications of AI, in both technical and non-technical fields, societal impacts (e.g., from ethical, legal, and social perspectives) and possible future directions for the field will be explored.
UHON 3590r – Topics in Non-Western Cultures – 3 credit hours
Human-Centered Design Thinking in Kenya
Professor Owen Foster
TR 3:05-4:20 – Face-to-FaceThis UTC Honors College and EDU Africa collaboration aims to help students broaden their intellectual horizons and grow personally, cross-culturally, professionally, and as global citizens, using the unique context of Kenya and the principles of Design Thinking and creative, human-centered problem solving. Students will work together and develop strategies for tackling both broad, complex problems and specific, service-focused challenges. Beginning with a virtual exchange component and flowing into an in-country visit Kenya, students will work with local industry and community development leaders to understand and observe real-life diversity challenges faced by the Maasai community as presented to them by the Maa Trust. By working in a cross-cultural team, students will be exposed to needs in a context different from their own, as well as the challenges and benefits of working with people from different backgrounds. Students will also be challenged to collaboratively apply their skills, knowledge, and diverse cultural influences in a practical design project. A required three-week residency in Kenya will take place in May. The travel component of this course depends on Spring semester University COVID travel policy and U.S. COVID travel guidelines for Kenya. If travel is allowed, an additional course fee of $2500 will be assessed. If travel is not allowed, the course will be canceled.
- Fall 2021
UHON 3510r – Topics in Historical Understanding (CRN 44332) – 3 credit hours
UHON 3550r – Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences (CRN 43483) – 3 credit hours
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)Fight the Power: Hip Hop in Sociological and Historical Perspective
TR 3:05-4:20 – Face-to-Face
Drs. Edward Brudney and Chandra WardThis class examines the creation, evolution, and implications of hip hop by combining sociological and historical approaches, both within and beyond the United States. Students will learn about the history and development of hip hop and consider how its meanings have changed over time up through our present moment. In this class, we will learn to use various theoretical frameworks, including critical race theory, feminist analysis, and Marxism. Students will follow the development of hip hop from its origins in Black and Hispanic communities in the Bronx, through the rise and spread of hip-hop culture, and up to its ascendancy as a dominant cultural form in recent years. By tracing the development of hip hop across multiple eras, we will explore how capitalism and the commodification of hip hop have affected a) its representation and consumption; b) its performers and listeners, and their relationships to the art form; and c) the way artists conceptualize and present masculinity and femininity.
UHON 3520r – Topics in Literature (CRN 44333) – 3 credit hours
UHON 3590r – Topics in Non-Western Cultures (CRN 43486) – 3 credit hours
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)Black British Literature
MW 3:25-4:40 – Face-to-Face
Dr. Jayda CoonsIn an article titled “This is my England,” author Andrea Levy writes: “Any history book will show that England has never been an exclusive club, but rather a hybrid nation. The effects of the British Empire were personal as well as political. And as the sun has finally set on the Empire, we are now having to face up to all of these realities.” To put it another way, as she does: “If Englishness doesn’t define me, redefine Englishness.”
This course explores Black British literature and culture from the mid-20th century to the present, focusing mostly on writers linked to Afro-Caribbean diaspora. We’ll ask: How do these writers help us understand the historical and lasting effects of British imperialism? How do they help us think through questions of identity and origin, considering intersections of race, gender, class, and sexuality? In what ways do they write against empire, creating new knowledges, values, perspectives? Writers may include Bernardine Evaristo, Zadie Smith, Caryl Phillips, Samuel Selvon, George Lamming, Buchi Emecheta, Andrea Levy, Grace Nichols, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze, Jacqueline Roy, Afua Hirsch, Stuart Hall, Paul Gilroy, Sylvia Wynter, and Michaela Coel.
UHON 3520r – Topics in Literature (CRN 44532) – 3 credit hours
UHON 3590r – Topics in Non-Western Cultures (CRN 44535) – 3 credit hours
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)Travel Literature/Travel Writing
TR 12:15-1:30 – Face-to-Face
Dr. Gregory O’Dea and Professor Meghan O’DeaFor as long as humans have walked the earth, they’ve been travelers. And for as long as humans have been telling stories, they’ve been describing what they’ve seen, heard, smelt, felt, and done while criss-crossing the globe. From Marco Polo’s accounts of his “oriental” explorations to emerging experiments in space tourism, we are fascinated with the many ways that travel transforms us, inspires us, and challenges us. But what is travel, really? What has it meant in different times, places, and cultures? And what do we mean to do when we write about it?
In this seminar we will explore the genre of travel writing, from ancient Chinese diaries to the European colonial canon to contemporary, global texts that wrestle with what’s so powerful (and problematic) about modern tourism. Along the way you’ll not only interrogate a world-wide range of writers and their thinking, but also discover how to shape your own, very purposeful travel narratives.
The class will include a fall break trip to South Carolina’s Gullah-Geechee corridor to learn more about a distinctive regional culture that has been shaped by the West African traditions, the trans-Atlantic slave trade, coastal gentrification, and even climate change. This required excursion will provide an important occasion for crafting your own unique travel narrative. An additional course travel fee of approximately $250 will be assessed.
UHON 3530r – Topics in Thought, Values, and Beliefs (CRN 43481) – 3 credit hours
UHON 3550r – Topics in Behavioral and Social Science (CRN 42489) – 3 credit hours(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)
Perspectives on Death and Dying
TR 1:40-2:55 – Face-to-FaceDr. Jenny Holcombe and Professor Chapel Cowden
Only two things in life are supposedly certain—death and taxes. Taxes are boring however, so we turn our gaze to life’s common denominator: death. As we cling to this mortal coil we are at once fascinated and repulsed by death. What is death? What does dying look like in our culture & other cultures? How do we memorialize the dead? What can we learn from the undead? Join us for a “spirited” semester-long discussion on these questions and many more as we work our way through an exploration of death and dying at the intersections of religion, culture, technology, and science. From funeral playlists to plastination students will be challenged to examine their personal beliefs and socially constructed ideologies on death and what it means to die and, in the process, what it means to live.
UHON 3540 – Topics in Visual and Performing Arts (CRN 42487) – 3 credit hours
Movement, Communication, and Awareness in Acting
TR 5:30-6:45 – Face-to-Face
Professor Magge HudginsMovement plays a large part in person-to-person communication. It is the first of many clues one assesses in any social or professional situation. We give off information the second we walk into the room and for every other second thereafter through body language, gestures and facial expressions, even before we utter one word. Actors have a heightened awareness of these clues and they develop keen observation skills that serve them both on stage and in everyday life. Imagine making the impression you want the very second you walk in the door of that important interview. In this course, students will participate acting exercises and games that not only train in movement, but it will help develop courage in a playful working environment. Students will have the opportunity to participate in acting games, movement, vocal exercises and scene work with a culminating showcase at the end of the semester.
UHON 3550r – Topics in Behavioral and Social Science (CRN 44334) – 3 credit hours
Black Social Capital
TR 1:40-2:55 – Face-to-Face
Professor Loren BassThis course involves the exploration of social capital in the black community from the 1900s to present, which will allow the students to think critically as they analyze and navigate the power of the dollar in the black community and in the United States. We will begin the semester by examining what social capital is and the benefits of possessing and using social capital; we will then transition to understanding what Black social capital is, and compare the differences in social capital among various ethnic groups utilizing self-reflection as well as informational interviews to qualitatively discern the value of Black social capital. Quantitatively, students will look at the wealth distribution gap and generational wealth in the black community in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries to examine the opportunities and obstacles of Black social capital.
UHON 3550r – Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences (CRN 42488) – 3 credit hours
Cultivating Creativity
TR 9:25-10:40 – Face-to-Face
Professor Owen FosterThis course will explore ways that allow students to cultivate creativity within themselves to develop a greater growth mindset. By implementing the foundational blocks of curiosity, discovery, critical thinking, reflection, and play, students will identify and amplify their own creative capacities and start to uncover their true creative potential. Everyone has the ability to be creative, and this course will help improve those skills. The goal is for each student to feel better prepared and empowered to take on any challenge.
Lessons within this course will focus on observation, visual communication, reframing, prototyping, reflecting, sharing, and hands-on play. Each class builds on previous classes to allow for a more fun, immersive, and enriching experience. Think about it this way: a person can’t write a book all at once, but they can write a page at a time. When most people try to solve an overwhelming task all at once, they are more likely to procrastinate because they are fearful of failure. When people narrow the focus to a single, feasible task, it becomes easier to push past the mental and emotional discomfort. Over time, small steps add up to produce dramatic results.
UHON 3550r – Topics in Behavioral and Social Science (CRN 44533) – 3 credit hours
Strategic Communication for Social Media
MW 10.00 am – 11.50 am – Hybrid: Face-to Face and Online Asynchronous
Dr. Nagwan R. Zahry
This course introduces students to the strategic role of social media in creating and managing communication among different target audiences. It focuses on topics related to public relations, advertising, and health communication to create a better understanding of the good, the bad, and the ugly of social media. One main focus is how social media changes organization-customer relationship and the ways social interactions are being shaped.
The course’s main topics include the role of online communication in shaping customers’ perceptions and behaviors, components of strategic social media communication campaigns, creation of content marketing, understanding of consumer behavior, brand management, social media research, and online customer engagement techniques. Through lecture, discussions, and case studies, students will be able to think critically about social media platforms as sources of information that can impact relationships in personal, professional, and organizational settings.
By completing this course students will possess a practical working knowledge of strategic uses of social media in public relations, advertising, and health communication. They will achieve a high degree of understanding of best practices of social media in strategic communication, the impact of social influence in online communication, the psychology of online consumers, and the role of consumer research in creating efficient and meaningful communications. Students will be able to analyze consumers’ perceptions and behaviors, create branded content, develop comprehensive social media campaigns, and evaluate social media strategies.
UHON 3560r – Topics in Natural Science (Non-Lab) (CRN 44534)
Mate Selection
MWF 11:00-11:50 – Face-to-Face
Dr. Hope KlugAnimal behavior is incredibly diverse. In particular, the way in which animals select mates varies widely among species. Some animals choose mates based on appearance. Others base mating decisions on the resources that potential partners have, while some animals select mates based on smell. In this course, we will explore the amazing diversity of mate choice in animals (including humans!). We will specifically ask: 1) how variable is mate choice in animals? 2) why are females the choosier sex in many animals? 3) what traits are preferred in mate choice across non-human animals? 4) how do humans select mates? 5) what are the evolutionary consequences of mate choice? Students will be active participants in the class and will review primary literature research, develop and give presentations, lead discussions, and participate in a semester-long project.
- Spring 2021
UHON 3510 – Topics in Historical Understanding (CRN 23437) – 3 credit hours
UHON 3590 – Topics in Non-Western Culture (CRN 22640) – 3 credit hours
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)Debating the Middle East
MW 2:00-3:15 – Online Synchronous
Dr. Annie Tracy SamuelThis course introduces students to the history and politics of the Middle East. It does so through a close examination of three dominant Middle Eastern powers—Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. In addition to achieving greater understanding of those countries and of the wider Middle East, students who complete this course will learn to synthesize a body of historical knowledge and to use that knowledge to formulate cogent and compelling arguments regarding the most important issues facing the countries of that region. The course’s main themes and topics include the emergence of the modern Middle Eastern state system and the formation of national identity; the role of religion in politics and public life; the relationship between state and society; and the nature of legitimate rule.
By completing this course students will achieve a high degree of understanding of the modern history of the Middle East, and particularly of the three dominant countries on which the course focuses. Students will be able to speak accurately and with ease about the main subjects and events of that history and that have shaped the modern Middle East. They will also be able to identify and assess the elements of effective arguments and to formulate strong arguments of their own. The course, in other words, will focus on both the acquisition and the application of knowledge.
The central questions the course will pose to students include the following: What makes an argument effective? What are logical fallacies and how are they identified? How can evidence be used to support a position accurately and persuasively? What forces and debates have shaped the modern Middle East? How is a government’s legitimacy established and determined? What role does and should the United States have in the Middle East? How should we balance national security concerns and human rights?
UHON 3530 – Topics in Thought, Values, and Beliefs (CRN 22798) – 3 credit hours
UHON 3590 – Topics in Non-Western Culture (CRN 22623) – 3 credit hours
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)Black Athena: Color Before Color Prejudice in the Pre-Modern West
MWF 11:00-11:50 – Face-to-Face
Professor Justin ColvinThe past is a battleground, and interpretations of the past matter to the present. This course will correct self-serving white, male narratives of antiquity. This course will make plain the fact that the present configuration of historical knowledge has racist origins and effects. This course will help students understand that “race” has a history, that racism has historically (and presently) been a feature, not a bug, in the academy, and will equip students to resist that hegemony.
This course will correct the Eurocentric mythos of antiquity and the middle ages. Presently, antiquity and the middle ages have been configured to provide succor to malevolent forces of white supremacy, and, consequently, the myth of European patrimony has been complicit in the subjugation of black and brown peoples. “Classics,” as a discipline, and “western civilization,” as a cultural (and pedagogical) paradigm, owe their existence to the cultivation, maintenance, and continued celebration of white supremacy. This willful cultural blindness has resulted in the erasure of the presence of non-Europeans from the ancient past.
We will deconstruct the field of “classics” and identify its hegemonic, white supremacist origins while considering primary source evidence for the presence of black and brown people in antiquity and late antiquity using text, art history, historiography, and the natural sciences. We will consider critical theories that allow us to deconstruct race as a product of modernity and examine the polyphony of alternative modalities for “reading bodies” that existed in pre-modern Europe. We will also consider ancient accounts of difference and explore different models for categorizing bodies other than “race” and “ethnicity.”
UHON 3540 – Topics in Visual and Performing Arts (CRN 22619) – 3 credit hours
Women Behaving Badly in American Film
MW 3:25-4:40; T 5:30-8:00 – Face-to-Face
Dr. Jayda CoonsSocial climbers, bored housewives, courtesans, gold diggers, cheaters, hysterics, witches, criminals, femmes fatales, outlaws, hustlers--the bad girl is everywhere in film history. This course considers the “bad woman” trope in American film from the 1930s to the present. We’ll think about how these representations are constructed, narratively and visually; what it means to be “bad”; how formal techniques enhance or challenge narrative meaning; how relationships between image and spectator are established; how representations change over time, considering diversity onscreen and behind the camera; how generic conventions inform narrative possibilities; and many other questions! This course functions in part as an introduction to film studies, so as we examine this theme, we’ll also develop a general understanding of film studies terminology and significant critical histories. There will be an optional weekly in-person screening. Assigned films may include: Baby Face, Double Indemnity, Carrie, Johnny Guitar, Thelma and Louise, Heathers, Mi Vida Loca, Set It Off, Mean Girls, Tangerine.
UHON 3540 – Topics in Visual and Performing Arts (CRN 23438) – 3 credit hours
Movement, Communication, and Awareness in Acting
TR 5:30-6:45 – Face-to-Face
Professor Magge HudginsMovement plays a large part in person-to-person communication. It is the first of many clues one assesses in any social or professional situation. We give off information the second we walk into the room and for every other second thereafter through body language, gestures and facial expressions, even before we utter one word. Actors have a heightened awareness of these clues and they develop keen observation skills that serve them both on stage and in everyday life. Imagine making the impression you want the very second you walk in the door of that important interview. In this course, students will participate acting exercises and games that not only train in movement, but it will help develop courage in a playful working environment. Students will have the opportunity to participate in acting games, movement, vocal exercises and scene work with a culminating showcase at the end of the semester.
UHON 3540 – Topics in Visual and Performing Arts (CRN 22620) – 3 credit hours
Storytelling with Podcasts
TR 1:40-2:55 – Face-to-Face
Professor Will DavisStorytelling with Podcasts is a hands-on seminar focused on the dramatic forces and layered processes that make audio storytelling work and how to best unleash the emotional power of the narrative arts. Using local oral histories, students will take on multiple production roles in a collaborative storytelling exercise to create compelling theater of the mind in the form of a multi-episode, multi-character local history podcast series.
UHON 3550 – Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences (CRN 23439) – 3 credit hours
Cultivating Creativity
TR 9:25-10:40 – Face-to-Face
Professor Owen FosterThis course will explore ways that allow students to cultivate creativity within themselves to develop a greater growth mindset. By implementing the foundational blocks of curiosity, discovery, critical thinking, reflection, and play, students will identify and amplify their own creative capacities and start to uncover their true creative potential. Everyone has the ability to be creative, and this course will help improve those skills. The goal is for each student to feel better prepared and empowered to take on any challenge.
Lessons within this course will focus on observation, visual communication, reframing, prototyping, reflecting, sharing, and hands-on play. Each class builds on previous classes to allow for a more fun, immersive, and enriching experience. Think about it this way: a person can’t write a book all at once, but they can write a page at a time. When most people try to solve an overwhelming task all at once, they are more likely to procrastinate because they are fearful of failure. When people narrow the focus to a single, feasible task, it becomes easier to push past the mental and emotional discomfort. Over time, small steps add up to produce dramatic results.
UHON 3550 – Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences (CRN 22799) – 3 credit hours
Legal Issues Facing Sex & Gender Minorities
MW 11:30-12:45 – Hybrid (M Face-to-Face; W Online Synchronous)
Dr. Elisabeth Sheff-StefanikGender and sexual expression seem like such a personal thing, it can be unsettling to think about how private sex lives or gender identities intersect with the public sphere. Some peoples’ gender and sex matters quite a bit, however, when it comes to employment, healthcare, housing, family status, immigration, protection from violence, policing, and incarceration (among other things). Laws regulating sexuality and gender expression impact who gets fired, keeps their children, and gets to use public restrooms. In the last 20 years there has been a rapid increase of all things related to sex and gender minorities (SGM), including growing diversity of options (ie. pansexual, nonbinary), public awareness of that diversity, and political organization around minority statuses. Laws regulating the way society treats sex and gender minorities have struggled to keep pace with this rapid social change. In the culture at large, these changes seem long overdue and painfully slow for some, and bewilderingly too far and much too fast for others.
This class uses the perspective of intersectionality to explore social inequality through its expression in sexuality regulation, gender norms, and laws. Intersectionality is a theoretical perspective that emphasizes the overlapping and cumulative nature of social categorizations (i.e. race, class, gender, (dis)ability, etc.) in producing systemic advantage or disadvantage. We will use readings, lectures, discussions, guest lectures, videos, and final projects to learn about intersectionality and legal issues facing SGM. The class starts with defining SGM and providing a common vocabulary, and explaining the legal history of SGM in the United States and around the world. It then introduces intersectionality theory and uses that framework as it focuses on specific legal issues. The course ends with students’ final projects. Ultimately, this class is designed to help students both understand sex and gender minorities, and also learn about how the intersections of race, class, and gender shape institutional advantages or disadvantages.
UHON 3550 – Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences (CRN 23642) – 3 credit hours
Social Influence: How People Get What They Want
M 5:00-7:30 – Face-to-Face
Dr. Jerold HaleWe are bombarded daily with attempts to influence what we think, how we feel, and how we behave. Friends and classmates request favors. Companies try to influence our spending decisions. Politicians want our votes. This course will explore what makes some people more susceptible to persuasive appeals than others. It will delve into why some people are able to exert more influence than others. It will focus on what makes some messages more convincing than others. A student who completes the course should be a more discriminating, and less easily influenced, target of influence attempts.
UHON 3560 – Topics in Natural Sciences (Non-Lab) (CRN 22621) – 3 credit hours
Deja Flu: Intervention and Control of Emerging and Re-Emerging Epidemic Diseases
MWF 9:00-9:50 – Face-to-Face
Dr. David GilesThe course will examine epidemics from a variety of perspectives. With a central theme of microbial transmission dynamics, the class will consider historical, political, social, ethical, and economic factors that influence society's handling of epidemics and pandemics. Several case studies will examine viral and bacterial causes of widespread disease, highlighting advancements in epidemiology. Students will learn about the evolution of biology, public health and medicine through the lens of disease outbreaks.
UHON 3560 - Topics in Natural Sciences (Non-Lab) (CRN) - 3 credit hours
Nurturing Nature: The Science of Gardening
MW 3:25-4:40 – Online Synchronous
Professor Angela BallardWe often look to plants as we attempt to understand life, and gardening is a systematic way for the human mind to comprehend the natural world. From ancient forest gardening to modern urban gardening, we’ll look at the way horticulture has evolved through history and the questions humans have pondered along the way: Does life begin in darkness? What is the definition of an invasion? Does procreation annihilate eternity? Is death the end of life or something else entirely?
Horticulture is, by nature, a hands-on field. While this is not a laboratory course, there will still be extensive interaction with plants and their environments. Through applied plant physiology, biology, climatology, hydrology, chemistry, and ecology, we will explore science-based decision-making in the garden and the ways our ecologically-sound gardening choices can have a positive impact on the greater environment of our community and our planet.
UHON 3565 – Topics in Natural Science (Lab) (CRN ) – 4 credit hours
The History of Evolutionary Thought
TR 9:25-10:40 (Lecture); T 1:40-4:30 (Lab) – Face-to-Face
Dr. Timothy GaudinWhat do Charles Darwin’s Theories of Evolution and Natural Selection really mean, and where did they come from historically? How old is the earth, and the life that abounds here, and how do we know? How does our own story fit into the history of life? What is Science, and what is its relationship to other ways of knowing? What is Creationism, and why does it annoy scientists so much? These are the central questions this course will explore, through an analysis of historical and scientific texts. The course includes a required lab, where we will conduct hands-on exercises collecting and identifying local fossils, examining the history of life and humanity using fossils, learning about radioactivity and radiometric dating, and examining the nature of science.
- Fall 2020
UHON 3520 – Topics in Literature (CRN 43620) 3 credit hours
UHON 3565 – Topics in Natural Sciences – Lab (CRN 43604) 4 credit hours
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)Mythology of the Night Sky
TR 9:25-10:40; F 3:00-5:00Professor Justin Colvin and Dr. Louie Elliott
The pictures imagined in the stars were an early form of entertainment enjoyed by ancient peoples. The ancients told stories about what they thought they saw, and we still tell them today. These stories not only tell us a great deal about Greco-Roman nocturnal diversions; they also tell us about Greco-Roman customs, anxieties, desires, and values. These ancient astronomical yarn-weavers laid bare the conceptual underpinnings of their cultures in these narratives.
But we know much more about the nature of the cosmos now that the ancients did. It's time we reconcile the stories of the ancients alongside our own astronomical explorations. While our ancient forebears looked at the stars and saw hunters, hares, and hydras, we look at the night sky and see red-shift, blue-shift, luminosity, and ellipses.
This course will explore ancient astronomical tracts by Ptolemy, Eratosthenes, Hyginus, Aratus, ancient mythological tracts by Hesiod, Ovid, Apollodorus, and ancient scientific tracts by Pliny the Elder, Lucretius, Seneca, Plutarch, and others. We will consider the ways in which the ancients explained cosmology, discuss their definitions of stars and planets, examine the stories they imbedded into their apprehension of the night sky, and examine the ‘antikythera mechanism’ – the world’s oldest computer.
We will supplement this exploration by replicating Ancient Greek techniques of celestial reckoning as well as exploring concepts in modern astrophysics. Some class meetings will be held at Clarence T. Jones Observatory and Planetarium, where will explore not only the ancient mythology of the night sky but also modern scientific astronomy.
UHON 3530 – Topics in Thought, Values, and Beliefs (CRN 43481) 3 credit hours
UHON 3560 – Topics in Natural Science (Non-Lab) (CRN 43484) 3 credit hours
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)Narratives of Illness and Care
MW 3:25-4:40Dr. Jayda Coons and Dr. Kelli Hand
Our bodies regularly rebel against what we call “health.” We all get sick; yet, our experiences of illness often feel singular, extraordinary, lonely, and difficult to articulate. In order to find treatment and heal, we narrate these experiences to family, friends, and medical professionals, an act of storytelling that is complexly shaped by our contexts. In this course, we will analyze a combination of literary and medical narratives to understand illness, care, therapeutic communication and empathy. We will ask questions like: How can narrative analysis help us understand human illness and pain? How have these stories been imagined and responded to over time? How are narratives of illness inflected by race, class, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and politics? For ourselves and for others, this is a course meant to help us learn how to heal.
UHON 3530 – Topics in Thought, Values, and Beliefs (CRN 43482) 3 credit hours
The Good Place
TR 10:50-12:05Dr. Carl Springer and Dr. Norton Wheeler
In this interdisciplinary honors seminar we will be asking you to consider one of the most important of all human questions--just in time for the 2020 presidential election: is it possible for us to live together peacefully, justly, and happily in a “good place”? Central to what we will be considering is the idea of a perfect place, that is to say, utopia. How important is it to situate individual and collective “goodness” in a place? What would such a place look like? Can dystopian thinking help to clarify the issue? Perhaps it is easier for us to agree on what is a bad place than a good place. If this course is about “place,” it is also about the idea of “good.” Is “good” the same as “good enough?” Is the perfect the enemy of the good? Can religion, the arts, philosophy, political theory, history, and political economy help us answer these questions? Assignments include:
One short (8-10 pages) research paper Weekly reading responses in first half of semester Electronic journal in second half of semester, responding to oral presentations by fellow students and subsequent discussions Written reflection on “candle-lit dinner” (with someone with whom you disagree politically)
UHON 3590 – Topics in Non-Western Culture (43486) 3 credit hours
Food: Our World's Culinary Cultures
MW 3:25-4:40Professor Angela Ballard
Forget man’s search for meaning. Since the dawn of time, man has been searching for food. History has unfolded as humans have hunted and gathered, fished and farmed, seasoned and spiced in order to feed their bodies and fuel their souls. Food is deeply intertwined with religion, war, family, community, and culture. In this course, we’ll explore everything from man’s first meal millions of years ago to modern gastro-politics. Did cooking make us human? Why did we decide to eat rocks? How did the invention of restaurants change our sense of community? Who decides what’s delicious? In addition to our own culinary conversations, we’ll hear from chefs, farmers, and other experts in the field of food. And we will, of course, eat.
UHON 3570 – Topics in Mathematics (CRN 43605) 3 credit hours
The Language of Mathematics
TR 3:05-4:20Professor Krue Brock
Is "e" a letter or a number? Good question. For many of us, our experience with math is simply a class we are required to take. We spend years merely memorizing times tables; learning to solve for "x"; proving that two shapes are similar. Sadly, math is often reduced to an assessment of a student's aptitude in technical fields like engineering or medicine. This engagement with math focuses more on getting answers rather than asking good questions. Math, however, has a much richer history and application that we can discover. Great mathematicians of old addressed core philosophical questions - "who am I?", "where did I come from?", "where am I going?" and "how do I know?" They discovered mathematics to be a language, one that peers into both the infinite and the infinitesimal, and describes patterns of reality that allow us to communicate the complex realities that we experience as life.
In this class, we will work with the language of mathematics with hopes of expanding our sense of awe and wonder. We will work with numbers that have no end, and numbers that mysteriously capture ratios we find in creation. If you have hard questions you are addressing as a learner, this class will help develop mathematical thinking that often leads to more freedom and understanding in this process. In this class, concepts that seem irrational will be placed in a context that touches on beauty instead of impossibility. Like other languages, mathematics ought to help us communicate, listen, articulate, understand, integrate and expand our understanding of ourselves, each other, the world we find ourselves in and beyond. Yes, we will work with trigonometry, geometry, algebra, calculus, etc, but this class is going to be a dynamic learning environment where everyone will be invited to discover their inner mathematician.
UHON 3540 – Topics in Visual and Performing Arts (CRN 42487) 3 credit hours
UHON 3550 – Topics in Behavioral and Social Science (CRN 43483) 3 credit hours
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)Applied Theatre in the Health Care Setting
MW 2:00-3:15Professor Laurie Allen and Dr. Amber Roache
Do you want to making a positive impact in health-related professions? Ready for an interactive general education course that you’ll never forget? We invite you to actively engage in a course that mixes theatre and healthcare by facilitating deep explorations of performance methods situated for a real-world purpose. Co-facilitated by an energetic, fun, and inspiring faculty duo, Applied Theatre in the Healthcare Setting helps students understand patients as people rather than someone with a diagnosis. During the semester, students will participate in a series of inter-professional simulations, which means you get to portray a patient for a healthcare provider in training, while breaking labels associated with a myriad of diagnoses. Course activities and readings explore how empathy might contribute to the quality of care individuals from a diverse background receive. AND IT GETS BETTER! This course meets the general education requirements for either visual and performing arts or behavioral and social sciences.
UHON 3550 – Topics in Behavioral and Social Science (CRN 42489) 3 credit hours
Emotions and Emotional Intelligence in Cultural Contexts
R 5:30-8:00Dr. Zibin Guo
Emotion is not only an integral part of human life, it is also human life itself. Despite the fact that the abilities of having and expressing emotions are biologically based, the specific ways we experience and express emotions are socially and culturally constructed and shaped. This seminar, relying on the use of anthropological/ethnographic literatures on the study of emotions from both western and non-western societies, intends to provide students with cross cultural and comparative approaches in examining and illustrating the social and cultural forces in shaping and regulating the personality, the meanings and practices of emotion expressions, and how these practices play a role contributing to human, family, and social relations, and population health.
UHON 3550 – Topics in Behavioral and Social Science (CRN 42488) 3 credit hours
Cultivating Creativity
TR 9:25-10:40Professor Owen Foster
This course will explore ways that allow students to cultivate creativity within themselves to develop a greater growth mindset. By implementing the foundational blocks of curiosity, discovery, critical thinking, reflection, and play, students will identify and amplify their own creative capacities and start to uncover their true creative potential. Everyone has the ability to be creative, and this course will help improve those skills. The goal is for each student to feel better prepared and empowered to take on any challenge.
Lessons within this course will focus on observation, visual communication, reframing, prototyping, reflecting, sharing, and hands-on play. Each class builds on previous classes to allow for a more fun, immersive, and enriching experience. Think about it this way: a person can’t write a book all at once, but they can write a page at a time. When most people try to solve an overwhelming task all at once, they are more likely to procrastinate because they are fearful of failure. When people narrow the focus to a single, feasible task, it becomes easier to push past the mental and emotional discomfort. Over time, small steps add up to produce dramatic results.
UHON 3550 – Topics in Behavioral and Social Science (CRN 43628) 3 credit hours
Social Spaces Dialogue: Precarity
TR 1:40-2:55Professor Roy Wroth
Social Space Dialogues is a seminar concerned with questions of meaning in the built environment. For Fall 2020, the seminar theme is “Precarity,” with readings concerned with risk: social framings of risk and cultural responses to risk, seen through the lens of spatial theory. Introductory readings will survey the history and theory of social space and its major thinkers, including sociologists, psychologists, and designers. Precarity, in its broader (not just economic) form, challenges our ideas about civic inclusion, the neutrality of public space, and the comforts of architecture.
Topics include: the production of space; the phenomenology of space; social space in fiction and film; popular spatial practices; informal housing and squatters’ rights; space and power; theories of agency; and gendered spaces.
Initial questions:
How do space and culture influence each other? How do contemporary societies produce space? How do identity, place, and history frame the political? Is precarity natural or constructed? What are the available responses, personal and collective, to precarity? How are precarity and our responses to precarity enacted in social space? And how can spatial strategies address precarity?
- Spring 2020
UHON 3510 – Topics in Historical Understanding (CRN 22614)
UHON 3560 – Topics in Natural Sciences – Non-Lab (CRN 22621)
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)Consilience History: Ancient Rome
TR 10:50 – 12:05Professor Justin Colvin and Dr. Joanne Romagni
In the past fifteen years, the field of classics has turned to the natural sciences in search of new methods for exploring the classical past. And the sciences have responded with enthusiasm. Today, the archaeo-sciences – such as ancient DNA (aDNA), paleoforensics, paleoepidemiology, archaeobotony, paleozoology, and paleoclimatology, just to name a few – have provided solutions to vexing questions; suggested new, pressing questions to ask; and provided a multidisciplinary approach to the study of the classical past. To capitalize on this new approach – which some have called “consilience history” – we will examine the ways in which the ancient Romans thought about the natural world they inhabited and what the natural sciences can tell us about that world. The course will also provide an opportunity (which may be partially funded by Odyssey Grants) to travel to Rome over Spring Break, with members of the UTC Classics Club.
UHON 3520 – Topics in Literature (CRN 22615)
UHON 3530 – Topics in Thought, Values, and Beliefs (CRN 22617)
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)The Art of Fly Fishing: A Religious and Literary Approach
R 3:00 – 5:30Dr. Jonathan Yeager and Professor Joshua Parks
Casting a fly rod has long been seen as an art form by its practitioners. It takes years of practice to learn the intricacies required to create long, graceful loops capable of placing a fly on the water. But it's in the fishing that the art becomes a spiritual practice. From learning the cast, to tying one's own flies, to reading the mysteries of the water, fly fishing immerses its practitioners in nature in ways few other activities can. Because of that, fly fishing has long been viewed as an act of spirituality as much as an outdoors sport. Drawing from the disciplines of religious and literary studies as well as our experience in fly fishing, this class will approach the subject in a variety of ways. We will study a variety of texts, both fiction and non-fiction, and discuss the spiritual context and implications of these works. In addition, students will be taught how to fly fish and taken on the water for practical experience. The intersection of those disciplines will be the focus of the course. This course will include a required full-day (overnight) fly-fishing excursion over Spring Break. An additional course fee of $250 will be assessed.
UHON 3530 – Topics in Literature (22616)
UHON 3590 – Topics in Non-Western Cultures (22623)
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)Hispanic Cultures Across the Americas
MWF 10:00 – 10:50Dr. Edwin Murillo
This seminar examines the various Hispanic cultures in the Americas from a comparative perspective. We will study short stories, poems, novels, films and music from Hispanic America, meaning the many different Spanish-speaking cultures from the United States down to the Southern Cone. The course will focus on how the cultural dynamic of Hispanic Americans, beginning in the 15th century through the 21st century, is comparable and distinctive when juxtaposed to the each other, and what Hispanic culture has to contribute globally. Through a variety of disciplines, students will explore the vibrant cultures (i.e. Native-American, African and Mestizo) of the many peoples of Hispanic America, with special attention to their literatures (in translation), music and films. Topics will include migration, social movements, literary traditions, revolutions, race, histories, gender, religions, and linguistic backgrounds. We will address such questions as: What cultural, historical, and environmental phenomena inform the voices in the films and the other cultural texts? How are concepts such as identity, civilization, love, violence, desire and death articulated? What role does culture play in individual and collective experiences? What historical and political role does the United States play in the evolution of these stories? This course will include a required trip to New York City over Spring Break. An additional course fee of $400 will be assessed.
UHON 3530 – Topics in Thought, Values, and Beliefs
UHON 3590 – Topics in Non-Western Culture (22640)
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)Leadership
W 5:30-8:00Dr. Lucien Ellington and Dr. Kody Cooper
In a recent survey by the World Economic Forum, a startling 86% of respondents believed that there is a crisis of leadership in our world. This included 82% of North American, 85% of European, and 83% of Asian respondents. It appears that no major institution of modern life is untouched by the crisis. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer most countries around the world are experiencing historic distrust of institutions not only of government but also of business, media, and NGOs.
Honors students of today will be the leaders of tomorrow in government, business, education, religion, the media, and the nonprofit sector. A course on leadership therefore seems both urgent and fitting. In this course, we propose to ask a series of interrelated questions: what is leadership? Why is leadership valuable? What sorts of qualities are necessary for good leaders? How have these questions been answered in the history of political philosophy, statesmanship, education, and business, and what lessons can we draw from the past? How should leadership be conceived in modern democracy, particularly in light of its commitments to individual rights, universal suffrage, and majority rule? What difference do gender and race make for the question of leadership? What sort of education is needed to form excellent leaders in modern institutions? Is good leadership possible in the institutions of liberal democracy and a globalized economy, and how might it be recovered?
UHON 3530 – Topics in Thought, Values, and Beliefs (CRN 22618)
Walking
TR 12:15 – 1:30Dr. Linda Frost and Dr. Greg O’Dea
In his 1862 essay “Walking,” Henry David Thoreau extols the virtues and asserts the artistry of walking – or striding, roving, strolling, hiking, ambling, rambling, tramping, tromping, traipsing, trekking, traversing, roaming, marching, promenading, sashaying – and this is the subject of our course. What does it mean to walk, or to be a “walker”? How has walking figured in the thought and imagination of the past? What does it mean to walk in the wild, in nature, as Thoreau insists, versus the urban walking so much favored by Charles Dickens? How do various world cultures understand the numerous forms of “bipedalism” – for example, why are “a baby’s first steps” so thoroughly fetishized and documented? What role has walking assumed in an automobile-dependent Western culture? How does the physical act of walking intersect with cerebral thought and spiritual meditation? How can we understand ritualized walking – religious pilgrimages, for example, or parades, or protest marches, or fashion-runway catwalks? What about enforced walking, such as the Baton Death march, the Trail of Tears, refugee migrations, or the Underground Railroad? In exploring these and similar questions, we will also have a look at the science of walking (skeletal evolution, gait analysis, etc.), and do a lot of walking ourselves. This course will include a required multi-day hiking trip on the Appalachian Trail over Spring Break. An additional course fee of $100 will be assessed.
UHON 3530 – Topics in Thought, Values, and Beliefs (CRN 21942)
Perspectives on Death and Dying
TR 1:40 – 2:55Dr. Jenny Holcombe and Professor Chapel Cowden
Only two things in life are supposedly certain—death and taxes. Taxes are boring however, so we turn our gaze to life’s common denominator: death. As we cling to this mortal coil we are at once fascinated and repulsed by death. What is death? What does dying look like in our culture & other cultures? How do we memorialize the dead? What can we learn from the undead? Join us for a “spirited” semester-long discussion on these questions and many more as we work our way through an exploration of death and dying at the intersections of religion, culture, technology, and science. From funeral playlists to plastination students will be challenged to examine their personal beliefs and socially constructed ideologies on death and what it means to die and, in the process, what it means to live.
UHON 3540 – Topics in Visual and Performing Arts (CRN 22619)
DRAG!
T 3:00 – 6:30Dr. James Arnett and Professor Gaye Jeffers
In this course, two professors from two different fields – theatre and performance, literature and theory – come together to deliver a sweeping historical and cultural survey of drag practices through history and into the present. We will ultimately focus on practices of drag as related to performance and theatre, although the adjacency of transvestism, genderqueer, nonbinary, transgender identities, and subjects will also be considered in dialogue with performance and performativity.
Drag is an intensely personal and public phenomenon, and by centering our intellectual investigations on the phenomenon, we seek to foreground questions of public gender and sexuality, identity, and power. By requiring our students to engage with practices and performances of drag, we are asking students to perform rigorous, but guided, self-exploration and self-expression. We are sensitive to students’ sensitivities around questions of gender and gender performativity, but even so, we seek to challenge our students’ preconceptions and naturally believe that an experiential component to the topic can go farther to engender understanding than any academic discussion or intellectualizations.
UHON 3540 – Topics in Visual and Performing Arts (CRN 22620)
Storytelling with Podcasts
TR 9:25-10:40Professor Will Davis
Storytelling with Podcasts is a hands-on seminar focused on the layered processes and dramatic forces that make storytelling work and how to best unleash the emotional power of the narrative arts. Using local oral histories recorded by the non-profit organization, StoryCorps, students will work with multiple editors in a collaborative audio storytelling exercise to create compelling theater of the mind in the form of multi-character podcasts.
UHON 3550 – Topics in Behavioral and Social Science
Theories of Social Space
MW 2:00 – 3:15Professor Roy Wroth
“Theories of Social Space” is a seminar concerned with questions of meaning in the built environment. Readings will survey the history and theory of social space and its major thinkers, including sociologists, psychologists, and designers. We will also make several field trips to community spaces in the Chattanooga area.
Topics include: the production of space; the phenomenology of space; social space in fiction and film; popular spatial practices; informal housing and squatters’ rights; space and power; theories of agency; and gendered spaces. Readings include: Italo Calvino, Jan Gehl, Kevin Lynch, William Whyte, Henri Lefebvre, Jane Jacobs, and Gaston Bachelard.
Initial questions for Spring ‘20: How do space and culture influence each other? How do identity, place, and history frame the political? What forms of contemporary ‘community’ would be possible? What would a space for ‘difference’ look like?
UHON 3565 – Topics in Natural Sciences – Lab (CRN 22622)
Tropical Island Ecology in the Bahamas
M 5:00 – 7:30Dr. Dawn Ford
In this course, students gain in-depth knowledge about tropical island ecosystems through classroom sessions, laboratory experiences, and hands-on fieldwork and research in the Bahamas. Students will be able to explain and discuss: evolutionary processes, biological taxonomy with a focus on marine taxa; oceanic processes such as tides, waves, currents, and sea level rise; hurricanes and their impacts; marine biological communities such as seagrass beds, coral reefs, intertidal zone, caves, and mangroves; island biogeography theory, and the scientific research process (research question, hypothesis, research design, data collection, data analysis, presentation of findings). Students will work in groups to conduct a research study while on San Salvador, The Bahamas and will present their findings through a poster presentation. While this course is focused on marine biology, students will also benefit from social and cultural interactions with the local people of The Bahamas. This course will include a required trip to the Bahamas over Spring Break. An additional course fee of $750 will be assessed.
- Fall 2019
UHON 3520 (42485): Topics in Literature (3 credit hours)
Adolescent Literature and Intersectional Oppression
MW 2:00 – 3:15Dr. Tiffany Mitchell and Dr. Elizabeth Pearce
What the heck is intersectionality? What is oppression? How are groups of people oppressed, and in what ways? How in the world are race, gender, class, and sexuality linked together? What does adolescent literature have to do with all of this?
In Adolescent Literature and Intersectional Oppression, Prof. Mitchell (rhetoric and composition), Dr. Pearce (gender and adolescent literature), your classmates, and you will explore the questions above in an attempt to dissect and unpack these systems of oppression. We may not find all of the answers, but we’ll have a great time working to study the history of oppression, understand how these systems of oppression still work today, and develop ways to dismantle them to make society better and more equitable for all. We’ll read books like So You Wanna Talk About Race (Oluo), The Hate U Give (Thomas), I Am Malala (Yousafzai and Lamb), and The Marrow Thieves (Dimaline) along with many other academic and popular sources including work from James Baldwin, bell hooks, Roberta Seelinger Trites, and Nikki Giovanni.UHON 3520 (42486): Topics in Literature (3 credit hours):
Mass Incarceration, Family Separation, and Violations of Human Rights in American Literature
W 5:30 – 8:00Dr. Victoria Bryan
This course aims to examine the United States’ literary efforts to grapple with patterns of human rights violations and eras of atrocity to 1) better understand our current moment of mass incarceration, and 2) examine the connections between mass incarceration and other atrocities like slavery, the criminalization of immigration, family separation, and the Holocaust. We will focus on the following questions: What role does literature play in helping us understand the legal policies and practices that lead to these violations of human rights? How does literature aid in this understanding in ways that news reporting and other nonfiction writing doesn’t? What role does popular culture play in these efforts of understanding our world? Should literature/art/music be political? To what degree do writers and other artists have an obligation to take up political topics in their work?
UHON 3540 (42487): Topics in Visual and Performing Arts (3 credit hours)
Race and Gender in Black Mirror
F 1:00 – 3:30Dr. Elizabeth Gailey and Professor Angelique Gibson
Few science-fiction television series have been more preoccupied with public fears about digital technology than the popular Netflix series, Black Mirror. Yet, in addition to its dystopian themes, the series routinely uses its futuristic gaze to destabilize patriarchal and racist ideologies. The aim of this course, team-taught by communication professors who teach media theory (Dr. Gailey) and screenwriting (Prof. Gibson), is to help students develop both their critical and creative media skills. The first part of the course will use Black Mirror—among the most inventive and provocative TV shows of our era—as a platform for understanding theories ranging from feminist film and critical race theories to the ideas of McLuhan, Baudrillard, Hall, Gramsci, Debord, and Foucault on the intersection of power, representation, and popular culture. In the second part of the course, students will analyze select Black Mirror screenplays and write their own Black Mirror episode, using a media theory covered in class as a thematic framework. (Alternatively, students will be allowed to write an original academic paper related to race and/or gender in Black Mirror, which they will ideally be able to publish or present at a conference). The overall goal of the course is not only to encourage students to recognize popular culture ideologies related to race and gender, but to help them intervene in these discourses by creating their own transformative “techno-fantasies” of resistance.
UHON 3540 (42655): Topics in Visual and Performing Arts (3 credit hours)
Cinema and Psychology
W: 1:00 – 3:30Dr. Nicky Ozbeck and Professor Phillip Lewis
Cinema and Psychology aims to present psychological concepts using the medium of film. Students will analyzing films and producing their own video on a psychological construct. To complete this film project students will engage in reasoning using qualitative or quantitative social science tools and information and will describe and explain social or behavioral phenomena. Ethical considerations in conducting research and limitations of the research methods will be discussed following examination of film re-creations of famous psychological experiments. Filmed behavioral observations of humans in public places and behavioral counts of specific behaviors will be produced by students.
UHON 3550 (42488): Topics in Behavioral and Social Science (3 credit hours)
Sex and Violence in the Media
W 2:00 – 4:30Dr. Jessica Freeman
We live in an age of #TimesUp, #MeToo, and #WhyIDidntReport -- hashtags and headlines addressing the intersection of sex and violence, and the increasingly heated political climate surrounding these issues. As such, it is more important than ever to help students become informed consumers of media, which features increasingly sexual and violent themes. Thus, the purpose of this course is to cultivate engaged, media literate citizens by acquainting students with the many issues surrounding the prevalence of sex and violence in the media, which are often studied under the same theoretical umbrella. Topics addressed in this course will include market forces driving sexual and violent content, the ethics and laws regulating such media, effects this content has upon audiences, and theories addressing these issues. The first half of the course will cover topics primarily surrounding sex in media, while the second half will broach violence in media. Throughout the semester, parallels will be drawn between sexual and violent content and the shared theoretical and methodological frameworks used to examine both.
UHON 3550 (42489): Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences (3 credit hours)
UHON 3590 (42491): Topics in Non-Western Cultures (3 credit hours)
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)Challenge of Global Poverty: The Search for Solutions
T 5:30 – 8:00Dr. Irina Khmelko
This is a course for those who are interested in international issues and would like to develop a more comprehensive approach to world development while investigating one of the most difficult issues in the world - massive and persistent world poverty. The main question for the course is: why do some countries fail to thrive and what are solutions to this challenge? By drawing comparisons among countries in different parts of the world, students will be able to identify persistent and emerging patterns in world development, review main trends in world development, understand roles of markets, governments and nongovernmental organizations in world development and work on applying critical thinking skills to find solutions to the ills of poverty. Students will discover ways in which all parts of the world have the chance to join an age of unprecedented prosperity building on global science, technology, and markets. But students will also see that certain parts of the world are caught in a downward spiral of impoverishment, hunger, and disease. Our task will be a collective one – to work as a group to discover opportunities for ending poverty in the world. This will translate into a transferable skill for students to address any other major issue in the world, such as gender equality, environment, etc.
UHON 3580 (42490): Topics in Statistics (3 credit hours)
Data Analytics Using Excel
TR 10:50 – 12:05Dr. Mohammad Ahmadi
In this decade, “Data Analytics” and “Big Data” have expanded more than at any other time. The science of data analysis or statistics has evolved into “Data Analytics,” which has become an essential tool for data analysis. Data analytics provides many ways to deal with uncertainties and, hence, is useful for both descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analyses.
This course will cover topics of descriptive and predictive analytics that are useful in any discipline of study. The course will present analytics concepts and their applications for decision-making. Computer based analyses and the application of the insights gained through such analyses will be integrated into every aspect of the course. Excel will be used as the main tool for the analysis of data.
- Spring 2019
UHON 3510 – Topics in Historical Understanding (CRN 29923) (3 credit hours)
Marriage, Family, and Kinship in Colonial Africa
TR 12:15 – 1:30
Dr. Julia CummiskeyIn the late nineteenth and early to mid-twentieth century, European colonial governments went to great lengths to study and manipulate family life in Africa with both intended and unintended consequences. In this class, we will consider the diversity of African societies with respect to marriage, family, and kinship, and the ways they changed during the colonial period. Students will explore questions like: How do we read problematic sources, like the transcript of a hearing about a case of unlawful enslavement in the British Gold Coast, “against the grain” to recover alternative ways of understandings of marriage, family, and kinship in African societies? How did colonial policies, like laws about polygamy, initiation, and childhood, transform African societies and what are the legacies of these policies in post-colonial Africa and the African diaspora? How do ideas about marriage, family, and kinship interact with issues such as religion, economics, politics, and public health? Course materials will include primary sources, graphic histories, novels, scholarly books and articles, documentary and feature films, and more.
UHON 3520 – Topics in Literature (CRN 29595) (3 credit hours)
Disability in American Literature of World War I Era
MWF 11:00 – 11:50
Dr. Aaron ShaheenHistorians often regard World War I as the world’s first fully mechanized war—the first war, in other words, that adapted modern methods of industrialized production to weaponry and killing efficiency. Modern medicine attempted, albeit imperfectly, to adapt to these brutal realities through new surgeries (including plastic surgery), prosthetic innovation, and experimental psychological treatments. Even though the United States was fully engaged in the conflict for less than a year, its casualties exceeded 120,000. Had the U. S. been in the war from the beginning, August 1914, World War I would have proven the deadliest conflict after the Civil War. This course will examine the American literary response to war-induced disability, breaking up the readings and realms of investigation into at least two different units: physical disability (including maiming and amputation) and psychological disability (namely “shell shock”). Among the texts we’ll read in the first unit are the wartime rehabilitation periodical Carry On, Laurence Stallings’s 1924 novel Plumes, and Dalton Trumbo’s 1939 novel Johnny Got His Gun. In the second unit we’ll read Freud’s Beyond the Pleasure Principle as a preface for Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises, which features both penile amputation and shell shock, and William Faulkner’s 1929 Flags in the Dust (originally printed under the title Sartoris). Finally, we’ll read April Smith’s 2014 novel A Gold Star for Mrs. Blake, which details the trek several American mothers take to Europe in the 1930s to track down the graves of their sons who died in the war. Major assignments will include a short paper of 6-8 pp due around midterm and a research paper around 12-15 pp. If feasible, the course will include side excursions to the Chattanooga National Cemetery, UTC’s Special Collections Room to examine wartime recruitment posters, and Memorial Auditorium, which was dedicated in 1922 to the fallen soldiers and sailors of the First World War.
UHON 3520 – Topics in Literature (CRN 29594) (3 credit hours)
Comic Book Culture
TR 3:05 – 4:20
Dr. Thomas BalazsUp, Up, and Away! Since the 1937 debut of Superman in Action Comics, “sequential art” has evolved from a trivial outlet for preadolescent fantasy to a (more) mature art form—maybe even a modern mythology—incorporating psychological realism, self-conscious social engagement, and postmodern experimentation. At the same time, comic-book characters, themes and techniques have broken free of their panels to take their place not only in the realms of television and movies, but also of painting, poetry, fiction and music. In many ways, we now live in a comic-book culture.
In this course we will study the history and rhetoric of comic books, the tensions between art and commerce inherent in the medium, and the perennial, if shifting, controversies about how comics reflect and influence the larger culture, especially children.
Readings will include social critiques such as the infamous Seduction of the Innocents, scholarly essays from the emerging field of “comic studies,” and, of course, a whole lot of comic books and comic-book-influenced art forms. Students will have opportunities to explore the subject both critically and creatively.
UHON 3530 – Topics in Thought, Values, and Belief (CRN 29924) (3 credit hours)
Perspectives on Death and Dying
TR 1:40-2:55
Dr. Jenny Holcombe and Professor Chapel CowdenOnly two things in life are supposedly certain—death and taxes. Taxes are boring however, so we turn our gaze to life’s common denominator: death. As we cling to this mortal coil we are at once fascinated and repulsed by death. What is death? What does dying look like in our culture & other cultures? How do we memorialize the dead? What can we learn from the undead? Join us for a “spirited” semester-long discussion on these questions and many more as we work our way through an exploration of death and dying at the intersections of religion, culture, technology, and science. From funeral playlists to plastination students will be challenged to examine their personal beliefs and socially constructed ideologies on death and what it means to die and, in the process, what it means to live.
UHON 3540 – Topics in Visual and Performing Arts (CRN 29596) (3 credit hours)
Music in the Third Reich
MW 3:25 – 4:40
Dr. Alison AllertonThis course will examine role of music in Nazi Germany (1933-1945), the effect of a fascist government on the music profession, and the difficulties faced by composers during this era. We will begin by examining the cultural identity of Germans as a "People of Music" and the state of the music profession in the first decades of the 20th century and during the Weimar Republic. We will then explore how Nazi government structures and policies affected the music profession, for good and ill.
Two specific composers will be highlighted--Richard Strauss and Paul Hindemith--and students will select a composer of their own choosing to research and present to the class, describing how they fared as composers during the Third Reich. We will also discuss issues related to Nazism and the sacred music profession, jazz, atonal music, and other forms of "degenerate" music. We will end with discussing government intervention in the music profession today and in other countries around the world. The central question will be: "How involved should the government be in the arts profession and other creative sectors?" In our attempt to answer this question we will consider issues of funding, censorship, prejudice, national identity, professional organizations, central administration, and other related themes.
UHON 3540 – Topics in Visual and Performing Arts (CRN 29698) (3 credit hours)
Making Yourself Heard
MWF 9:00 – 9:50
Professor Evans JarnefeldtMaking Yourself Heard will facilitate students’ exploration of exercises intended to acquaint each student with his/her natural, speaking voice. Prior to the 1980s, most voice and speech work aimed to correct speech identified as improper. Four voice and speech practitioners from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama endeavored to alter this focus in professional, London theatres. Though Cicely Berry, Patsy Rodenburg, Kristin Linklater, and Catherine Fitzmaurice represent a wide range of voice pedagogy foci, Rodenburg’s epigraph to her 1992 book, The Right to Speak, captures their united shift away from corrective elocution and towards affirming the preciousness of vocal uniqueness. Rodenburg’s clarion call reads, “The right to breathe, the right to be physically unashamed, to fully vocalize, to need, choose, and make contact with a word, to release a word into space - the right to speak.” A human being’s speaking voice is one of the most intimate expressions of who his/she is.
What is yours? If you were asked to draw your voice, what would your marks on the pad look like? What is the balance between making yourself heard and retaining your individualized expression? In this course students will acquire a basic understanding of the anatomy of speech as well as the international phonetic alphabet (IPA). Throughout the semester, students’ enhanced voice and speech skill will be applied to contemporary poetry, cartoon character voices, rhetorical speeches, accents and early modern soliloquies. No previous acting or voice and speech experience is required.
The course will include a required weekend trip in March or April to the Humana Festival of New American Plays at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, KY. An additional course fee of $100 will be assessed.
UHON 3550 – Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences (CRN 29925) (3 credit hours)
The Politics of Metropolitan Governance
T 2:00 – 4:30
Dr. Christopher AcuffMany young voters often feel that their voices aren’t heard by elected officials or that government doesn’t reflect citizens’ vision for their communities. However, the best opportunities to affect change and make your opinions known are often right in your backyard. This course will give students an opportunity to do just that by providing local officials with a potential vision for Chattanooga and Hamilton County going forward. Specifically, this class will examine the possibility of creating a metropolitan government in the area, and allow students to explore alternatives to the current governance structure—allowing for potential improvements to representation, service delivery, and economic development in the area. Over the course of the semester, students will have the opportunity to conduct research in their communities, and develop a plan for improving governance in Chattanooga and Hamilton County. Through applied research and interaction with local government officials, students will develop expertise in a chosen area and craft recommendations for improving government through the consolidation process. Additionally, several opportunities to travel to nearby metropolitan governments will give students insight on how to design a local government aimed at promoting more efficiently, effectiveness, responsiveness to its citizens, and increased economic viability. By the end of the process, students will create a blueprint for a Chattanooga-Hamilton County government, and propose recommendations on how best to serve citizens in the region.
UHON 3550 – Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences (CRN 29597) (3 credit hours)
#Trending Now: Social Media Management
MW 2:00 – 3:15
Professor Sherese WilliamsEverything is a hashtag now, including this class! Social media management has become an integral part of most businesses and organizations. This course will help you understand the difference between using your social media and managing it. Special emphasis will be placed on developing social media strategies and plans based on metrics and data. This purpose of this course is to prepare students to develop productive relationships with potential organizations, identify social media trends, and develop the necessary skills to manage and maintain an organization’s social media account. The course will culminate with students preparing and pitching social media strategies for an organization.
UHON 3560 – Topics in the Natural Science--Non-Lab (CRN 29598) (3 credit hours)
Deja Flu: Intervention and Control of Emerging and Re-Emerging Epidemic Diseases
MWF 10:00 – 10:50
Dr. David GilesThe course will examine epidemics from a variety of perspectives. With a central theme of microbial transmission dynamics, the class will consider historical, political, social, ethical, and economic factors that influence society's handling of epidemics and pandemics. Several case studies will examine viral and bacterial causes of widespread disease, highlighting advancements in epidemiology. Students will learn about the evolution of biology, public health and medicine through the lens of disease outbreaks.
UHON 3565 – Topics in the Natural Sciences--Lab (CRN 29599) (4 credit hours)
Darwin and Science of the Galapagos Islands
M 5:00 – 7:30
Dr. Dawn Ford and Dr. J. David PleinsLearn about the natural history of the Galapagos Islands and about Charles Darwin’s life and thought through classroom sessions at UTC and hands-on fieldwork and experiences on the islands of the Galapagos. The course will emphasize the scientific significance and historical misconceptions regarding Darwin’s world voyage aboard H.M.S. Beagle, in particular his time in South America and especially the Galapagos Islands. While this course is focused on biological and methodological questions, students will also benefit from social and cultural interactions with the local people of the Galapagos Islands.
This course will include a required 10-day trip to the Galapagos over spring break. An additional course fee of $1500 will be assessed. Students should be accustomed to physical exertion (walking, hiking); activities involving swimming will be a part of the trip.
UHON 3565 – Topics in the Natural Sciences--Lab (CRN 29703) (4 credit hours)
The History of Evolutionary Thought
TR 9:25 – 10:40 (Lecture); T 1:40 – 4:30 (Lab)
Dr. Timothy GaudinWhat do Charles Darwin’s Theories of Evolution and Natural Selection really mean, and where did they come from historically? How old is the earth, and the life that abounds here, and how do we know? How does our own story fit into the history of life? What is Science, and what is its relationship to other ways of knowing? What is Creationism, and why does it annoy scientists so much? These are the central questions this course will explore, through an analysis of historical and scientific texts. The course includes a required lab, where we will conduct hands-on exercises collecting and identifying local fossils, examining the history of life and humanity using fossils, learning about radioactivity and radiometric dating, and examining the nature of science.
The course will also include a required four-day Spring Break field trip to Chicago, where we will learn about global biodiversity first hand at such world-renowned institutions as the Field Museum of Natural History (including a behind the scenes tour), the Shedd Aquarium and Brookfield Zoo. While there, we will also learn something about Chicago’s rich history and vibrant culture (from Skyscrapers to Millenium Park to Second City), guided by a local historian. An additional course fee of $500 will be assessed.
UHON 3590 – Topics in Non-Western Culture (CRN 29710) (3 credit hours)
Personal Identity in Buddhist, Western, and African Philosophy
MW 2:00 – 3:15
Dr. Ethan MillsWhat makes you, you? What does it mean to be a person? What matters when it comes to identifying the same person over time? How do our answers to these questions affect how we think about the meaning of our own lives, how we treat others, and our place in the universe? This course will focus on the philosophical problem of personal identity as it has been discussed in Buddhist, Western, and African philosophical traditions. We’ll start with the early Buddhist notion of non-self (including a dialogue between a Buddhist monk and an Indian-Greek King) and then we’ll see how these concepts have been refined by classical Indian Buddhist philosophers as well as contemporary scholars. Turning to Western philosophy, we’ll cover excerpts from seventeenth- and eighteenth-century European philosophers (including an exchange of letters between a philosophical princess and the father of modern European philosophy) before turning to an influential work of twentieth-century analytic philosophy that uses thought experiments involving Star Trek-like transporters: Is the transporter harmless transportation or high-tech murder? We’ll end with some intriguing ideas from African traditions that touch on whether our identity is relational and if there’s some aspect of identity beyond merely mind and soul. Along the way, we will occasionally discuss contemporary cases and relevant film or television excerpts (including Star Trek, of course). We may also discuss treatments of the issue of personal identity in contemporary science fiction literature.
- Fall 2018
UHON 3510 (CRN 50099 – Topics in Historical Understanding (3 credit hours)
Consilience History: The Case of Anglo-Saxon England
MWF 11:00–11:50Professor Justin Colvin
The discipline of history has, until quite recently, had at its disposal only textual evidence. Historians have been beholden to the written material that survives from the past. Recently, however, new techniques offered by the natural sciences have allowed historians peer into the past using fresh eyes; the sciences allow historians to pose new historical questions, recover lives silenced by the vicissitudes of time, and increase the scope and scale of their historical considerations — from the microbial level, to the human level, to the climatic level. This field, called recently 'consilience history,' makes use of the techniques and findings of the natural sciences in a multi-disciplinary fashion to pose and answer questions about the past. In this course, we will examine the so-called British Dark Ages: Sub-Roman Britain and Anglo-Saxon England (ca. 400 AD to 1066 AD); we will use the textual evidence that survives to furnish our picture of this past — alongside the findings of population genetics, ancient DNA, paleoclimatology, paleoepidemiology, osteoarchaeology, and a host of other scientific disciplines to consider this historical period and its long shadow.
UHON 3520 (CRN 49906) – Topics in Literature (3 credit hours)
Popular Horror Fiction
MW 2:00–3:15Professor Michael Jaynes
Here’s the deal: we love to be scared. We love spooky stories; we are drawn to the macabre. Dark elements of the human psyche hold a certain taboo interest. Throughout literature, ghost stories abound. This class investigates the literary and historical roots of popular horror fiction. We will certainly read contemporary horror authors such as Stephen King and Dean Koontz. And yes, we will get deep into H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos cycle. However, fellow dark travelers should be informed that the larger part of this course is tracing the literary roots of the genre, beginning in the 14th century with Dante’s treatment of the thieves in Canto 25 of “Inferno.” Students will read and write about gothic horror, supernatural horror, psychological horror, vampirism, zombies, demonic pacts, werewolves, witchcraft and ghost stories mainly from the 19th and 20th centuries, though our inquiry will extend before and after that time frame.
This course also will examine various aspects of Victorian English history with a focus on the last half of the century. Social elements such as the rise of spiritualism, Darwinism, Atavism, and the changing role of women will be studied in relation to their role on Victorian Gothic Fiction. We will also study the Burning Times in Europe and the Salem Witch Trials in similar literary context.
We will read stories, poems, and novels by authors such as H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, Henry James, Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ben Loory, Shirley Jackson, Charles Dickens, Anne Rice, M.R. James and a few others.
UHON 3530 (CRN 47277) – Topics in Thought, Values, and Beliefs (3 credit hours)
The Impacts of Artificial Intelligence
TR 1:40–2:55Dr. Gregory O’Dea and Vince Rollins
Research in AI began in the 1960’s and has progressed exponentially, with every day bringing a new development that moves us closer to an artificially intelligent program. Even more than the internet, AI has the potential to change every aspect of our world, but as with the early days of the World Wide Web, relatively few people are aware of that potential. This course examines the development of artificial intelligence in the modern world and the impacts of this emerging technology across our culture, including such areas as technology, economics, law, social equity, philosophy, religion, politics, ethics, and literature/film.
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to: understand both the history of AI and the current direction of its development; recognize the potential impacts that artificial intelligence offers; comprehend where and how different areas of culture are driving AI development; and analyze how our culture can be better prepared in areas such as job displacement, law precedence, social equity, and cultural response to the emergence of synthetic intellects and electronic entities.
UHON 3540 (50486) – Topics in Visual and Performing Arts
Understanding Music Through Songwriting
T 5:30-8:00Dr. Stuart Benkert
Through lectures and workshop sessions, this course examines the craft of popular songwriting from both an elementary and practical viewpoint. Song elements covered include basic song structures and forms, lyric writing and prosody, melody, harmonic setting and basic accompaniment approaches. Collaboration within the workshop environment is encouraged, and the course culminates with a class recital of original student works. Previous musical experience is not required as we will begin with a brief overview of scales, how they relate to chord construction, and how chords are sequenced (progression). Basic chord progressions will be taught on piano and guitar in class. Students may choose to write with piano, guitar, ukulele, or a tablet application of their choice. Following the introduction, the class will include discussion, analysis and composition exercises that investigate the development and fusion of basic elements into completed songs. Discussions will include: a featured songwriter, students’ songs discussion, and watching interviews of our favorite songwriters.
UHON 3550 (47279) – Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences (3 credit hours)
UHON 3590 (49101) – Topics in Non-Western Cultures (3 credit hours)
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)Global Humanitarianism
TR 3:05-4:20
Dr. Jessica Auchter
Work for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and global forms of volunteerism are key career choices for many students contemplating their futures, and questions of global social justice motivate individuals’ economic, social, cultural, and political choices. This seminar will explore how institutions, governments, and individuals identify humanitarian issues. If an individual is concerned about global justice, and the plight of those suffering from poverty, hunger, displacement, and violence, what can be done at the individual level, and what can and is being done by various organizations? What are the obstacles to various forms of global aid? How can we evaluate their effectiveness? How do we make decisions surrounding the best type of humanitarian intervention? Our readings will explore the role and politics of charitable, philanthropic, and religious organizations, and international peacekeeping and aid efforts. We will examine decisions surrounding significant military humanitarian interventions and quieter interventions that often receive less media attention. The course ultimately surveys how humanitarian work has become a strong political force in today’s world.
UHON 3550 (49907) – Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences (3 credit hours)
Capitalism and Socialism in the Age of Globalism
TR 10:50–12:05Dr. Irina Khmelko and Professor Catherine Middleton
This course will provide a discussion of how capitalist and socialist societies have attempted to address challenges created by the increased globalization of the world. Students will identify main components of the process of globalization and challenges that societies around the world face as a result of this process, such as economic development, poverty, income inequality, health care, and environmental change. Students will compare/contrast systems, discuss successes and failures, and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of these systems in dealing with the challenges of globalization.
UHON 3560 (47280) – Topics in Natural Science (Non-Lab) (3 credit hours)
Biology, Medicine, and Public Health
MW 3:25–4:40Dr. Clifton Cleaveland
Infectious diseases first linked the triad of biology, medicine, and public health. Discovery and development of vaccines and antimicrobial agents gradually led to the containment of most epidemic diseases; although emerging pathogens will always present a new challenge. To maintain both personal and community health the triad must be extended to such diverse threats to health as accelerated climate change, resource depletion, environmental degradation and pollution, opiates and other addictive substances, and violence. In this seminar we will examine the history and contemporary applications of the three disciplines and how they may best be coordinated through national and international policies.
Want to learn more about attaining good health? Take this seminar.UHON 3690 (47282) – Topics in Non-Western Culture (3 credit hours)
Zimbabwean Literature
TR 12:15–1:30Dr. James Arnett
The central themes and questions for the class center around the unique history of colonization and independence in Zimbabwe – once Rhodesia, and a white settler colony, after a protracted 15-yr war, independent since 1980 – and that history’s impact on the development of its literatures. Literatures is important, as the body of Zimbabwean literature is still deeply racially divided – there is “white” “Rhodesian” or “European” literature and black African literature – and so some of the questions posed will be about the ideology and philosophy of monoracial states, the history and aftereffects of colonialism, and contemporary landscapes of belonging. The class will explore in particular the mid-20th-century, honing in on literature, memoir, and historical accounts of that long civil war, and the scars that it has left on the culture and in the literature. Dr. Arnett is particularly eager to teach this class because he will be returning from a year-long Fulbright Scholar visiting professorship in Zimbabwe, having spent a year learning Ndebele and immersing himself in the culture.
- Spring 2018
UHON 3510 (26707) – Topics in Historical Understanding (3 credit hours)
Minorities in Twentieth-Century Europe: Jews, Germans, and Roma
T 2:00–4:30Dr. John Swanson
Since the early twentieth century most countries in Europe define themselves as nation-states, but most of them are not ethnically homogeneous. Two of the largest minorities in Eastern Europe before 1945 were Jews and Germans. Today one of the largest groups is the Roma. In this course you will learn how Central and Eastern Europe became a series of nation-states with numerous national, ethnic, and religious minorities. During Spring Break we will travel to Slovakia to meet representatives of the Hungarian minority in Slovakia, and we will also visit communities in Hungary that were once German and some that are mainly inhabited by Roma. We will also meet with members of the Jewish community in Hungary and learn about how they are today one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe after the Holocaust. Students will be admitted to this course by application only, and will be required to travel with the class to Slovakia and Hungary during Spring Break 2018. Cost to students will be $1500.
UHON 3510 (28577) – Topics in Historical Understanding (3 credit hours
American Paradox: Slavery in the Land of Liberty
W 2:00–4:30Dr. Michael Thompson
The institution of racial slavery is widely regarded as America’s greatest national sin and paradox. How could a republic forged in the principles of independence, freedom, liberty, and the self-evident truth “that all men are created equal” also be established on a foundation of inhuman bondage? How could Thomas Jefferson—the author of that famous phrase from the nation’s foundational document—also write of creating an “empire of liberty” even as the domestic slave trade flourished and the “peculiar institution” spread westward across the American landscape? And what did other national leaders like William Seward mean when describing the clash between freedom and slavery as an “irrepressible conflict”? This seminar will examine major topics and themes in the history of American slavery in its various forms, times, places, perspectives, and interpretations. The course will consider—through reading, discussion, research, and writing—the persisting legacy and consequences of American greatness, prosperity, and exceptionalism being built upon nearly 250 years of black bondage. To enable an experiential encounter and exploration of course content, students will participate in a multi-day Spring Break study trip to Charleston, South Carolina. Cost to students will be $100.
UHON 3530 (28578) – Topics in Thought, Values, and Beliefs (3 credit hours)
From Dayton to Dover: The Evolution of CreationismTR 10:50–12:05
Professor Barry Matlock
The “Dayton” and “Dover” of the title reference the two landmark court cases that bookend a century of religious and political conflict: the 1925 Scopes “Monkey Trial” of nearby Dayton, Tennessee, and the 2005 federal court case arising from Dover, Pennsylvania (Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, the first test-case relating to “intelligent design” and the public school science classroom). Connecting the two is a series of public debates and court cases in an ongoing battle between religion and science, extending to the present and into the foreseeable future. This course is not conceived as a debate between creationism (or “creation science”) and evolution. Rather, it is a study of creationism vs. evolution as an American historical and cultural phenomenon. As such, it draws on several intersecting disciplines: Biology, of course (in relation both to the history of evolutionary thought and the contemporary state of the field of evolutionary biology); Anthropology (in relation both to human evolution and to cultural analysis); Philosophy and Religion (in relation to the philosophy of science, to matters of religion and society—modernity, secularization, fundamentalism, church/state relations—and to the interpretation and use of sacred texts, particularly ancient cosmogonies/creation myths); and Law and Political Science (in relation to the legal history and to religion and politics). This course will explore such weighty and wide-ranging matters as: the definition, differentiation, and inter-relation of science and religion; the possibilities and pitfalls of argumentation across ideological divides; and the intersection of religion and politics in American society. Students registering for this course must also register for 3 hours of one of the following: UHON 3550 (28580), UHON 3550 (28581), or UHON 3560 (28583).
UHON 3540 (26708) – Topics in Visual and Performing Arts (3 credit hours)
Curiosity and CreativityTR 12:15–1:30
Dr. Karen Adsit
This course will explore the ideas of curiosity and creativity; what they are, and how to adopt those lifelong learning traits to become more creative and curious. What does it mean to be curious? To be a curious person? What does it mean to be creative? To be a creative person? Is it possible to learn curiosity and creativity? If so, how? What are the best ways to increase both your curiosity and creativity? Students will design "creative" products as a part of the class, requiring written, visual and oral presentations and representations, and participate in a showcase of class student creations.
UHON 3540 (27962) – Topics in Visual and Performing Arts (3 credit hours)
On the Grid: Engaging Greek Tragedy Through Modern Movement TheoryMWF 9:00–9:50
Professor Evans Jarnefeldt
Why do ancient Greek tragedies include a chorus? Why do plays continue to include unnamed masses in addition to titled characters? “On the Grid” uses modern movement theory to build an experiential understanding of ensemble performance. It will first use a global and historical framework to investigate the relationship between theatre space, cultural identity, and their embodiment in ensemble performance. It will then provide students with a shared movement vocabulary and practice through Anne Bogart’s The Viewpoints Book. This practice will allow students to gain a kinesthetic understanding of the fundamental tools of theatre: space and time. Sophocles’ tragedies will be folded into the study, as the online discussions engage textual analysis and as studio work explores kinesthetic response to the text. Finally, students create a capstone presentation of ancient Greek chorus passages. No previous acting, movement, or dance experience required. The course will include a College Days Weekend trip to Humana Festival of New American Plays @ Actors Theatre of Louisville. HAM students have priority in registering for this class; registration will open to other Honors College students after HAM students have registered.
UHON 3550 (26709) – Topics in Behavioral and Social Science (3 credit hours)
Come On, Get Happy! The Science of Positivity!MWF 10:00–10:50
Professor Libby Byers
Society tends to associate psychology with the study and treatment of mental illness. However, psychology is also about nurturing strengths, creativity, and promoting positive well-being. In the late 1990’s the field of positive psychology was introduced and research was dedicated to the study of happiness, life satisfaction, and optimism. This seminar will explore various concepts within the field of positive psychology and propose questions such as: What is happiness? How can I be happier? What is my meaning and purpose in life? Through reading, applications, and film; students will take an in-depth look at the science of happiness. They may find that there is a contradiction between what society states will bring us happiness and what truly does.
UHON 3550 (28579) – Topics in Behavioral and Social Science (3 credit hours)
Media and TerrorismMW 3:25–4:20
Dr. Michael McCluskey
This interdisciplinary course investigates the interplay between terrorism around the world and communication about terrorism. Modern terrorism can be seen as a form of strategic communication in which media, especially news media, amplify messages about terrorism to a world-wide audience, influencing audience perceptions about the world. The course will focus on how news and entertainment media portray terrorism and terrorists, and the effects of terrorism and media portrayal of terrorism on the public and public policy.
UHON 3550 (28580) – Topics in Behavioral and Social Science (3 credit hours)
From Dayton to Dover: The Evolution of CreationismTR 9:25–10:40
Dr. Pamela AshmoreThe “Dayton” and “Dover” of the title reference the two landmark court cases that bookend a century of religious and political conflict: the 1925 Scopes “Monkey Trial” of nearby Dayton, Tennessee, and the 2005 federal court case arising from Dover, Pennsylvania (Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, the first test-case relating to “intelligent design” and the public school science classroom). Connecting the two is a series of public debates and court cases in an ongoing battle between religion and science, extending to the present and into the foreseeable future. This course is not conceived as a debate between creationism (or “creation science”) and evolution. Rather, it is a study of creationism vs. evolution as an American historical and cultural phenomenon. As such, it draws on several intersecting disciplines: Biology, of course (in relation both to the history of evolutionary thought and the contemporary state of the field of evolutionary biology); Anthropology (in relation both to human evolution and to cultural analysis); Philosophy and Religion (in relation to the philosophy of science, to matters of religion and society—modernity, secularization, fundamentalism, church/state relations—and to the interpretation and use of sacred texts, particularly ancient cosmogonies/creation myths); and Law and Political Science (in relation to the legal history and to religion and politics). This course will explore such weighty and wide-ranging matters as: the definition, differentiation, and inter-relation of science and religion; the possibilities and pitfalls of argumentation across ideological divides; and the intersection of religion and politics in American society. Students registering for this course must also register for 3 hours of one of the following: UHON 3530 (28578), UHON 3550 (28581), or UHON 3560 (28583).
UHON 3550 (28581) – Topics in Behavioral and Social Science (3 credit hours)
From Dayton to Dover: The Evolution of CreationismTR 10:50–12:05
Dr. Michelle Deardorff
The “Dayton” and “Dover” of the title reference the two landmark court cases that bookend a century of religious and political conflict: the 1925 Scopes “Monkey Trial” of nearby Dayton, Tennessee, and the 2005 federal court case arising from Dover, Pennsylvania (Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, the first test-case relating to “intelligent design” and the public school science classroom). Connecting the two is a series of public debates and court cases in an ongoing battle between religion and science, extending to the present and into the foreseeable future. This course is not conceived as a debate between creationism (or “creation science”) and evolution. Rather, it is a study of creationism vs. evolution as an American historical and cultural phenomenon. As such, it draws on several intersecting disciplines: Biology, of course (in relation both to the history of evolutionary thought and the contemporary state of the field of evolutionary biology); Anthropology (in relation both to human evolution and to cultural analysis); Philosophy and Religion (in relation to the philosophy of science, to matters of religion and society—modernity, secularization, fundamentalism, church/state relations—and to the interpretation and use of sacred texts, particularly ancient cosmogonies/creation myths); and Law and Political Science (in relation to the legal history and to religion and politics). This course will explore such weighty and wide-ranging matters as: the definition, differentiation, and inter-relation of science and religion; the possibilities and pitfalls of argumentation across ideological divides; and the intersection of religion and politics in American society. Students registering for this course must also register for 3 hours of one of the following: UHON 3530 (28578), UHON 3550 (28580), or UHON 3560 (28583).
UHON 3560 (28583) – Topics in Natural Science (Non-Lab) (3 credit hours)
From Dayton to Dover: The Evolution of CreationismTR 9:25–10:40
Dr. Timothy Gaudin
The “Dayton” and “Dover” of the title reference the two landmark court cases that bookend a century of religious and political conflict: the 1925 Scopes “Monkey Trial” of nearby Dayton, Tennessee, and the 2005 federal court case arising from Dover, Pennsylvania (Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, the first test-case relating to “intelligent design” and the public school science classroom). Connecting the two is a series of public debates and court cases in an ongoing battle between religion and science, extending to the present and into the foreseeable future. This course is not conceived as a debate between creationism (or “creation science”) and evolution. Rather, it is a study of creationism vs. evolution as an American historical and cultural phenomenon. As such, it draws on several intersecting disciplines: Biology, of course (in relation both to the history of evolutionary thought and the contemporary state of the field of evolutionary biology); Anthropology (in relation both to human evolution and to cultural analysis); Philosophy and Religion (in relation to the philosophy of science, to matters of religion and society—modernity, secularization, fundamentalism, church/state relations—and to the interpretation and use of sacred texts, particularly ancient cosmogonies/creation myths); and Law and Political Science (in relation to the legal history and to religion and politics). This course will explore such weighty and wide-ranging matters as: the definition, differentiation, and inter-relation of science and religion; the possibilities and pitfalls of argumentation across ideological divides; and the intersection of religion and politics in American society. Students registering for this course must also register for 3 hours of one of the following: UHON 3530 (28578), UHON 3550 (28580), or UHON 3550 (28581).
UHON 3565 (28584) – Topics in Natural Science (Lab) (4 credit hours)
Tropical Island Ecology and GeologyM 4:30–6:00
Dr. Dawn Ford and Professor Sabrina Novak
In this course, students will develop in-depth knowledge of tropical marine ecosystems and oceanic processes through hands-on experiences. This course involves classroom meetings and laboratories at UTC for the first 8 weeks of the semester to prepare students for a one week group-based research experience in marine biology at the Gerace Research Centre on San Salvador island, The Bahamas. Upon completion of the field experience, students work in groups to develop a scientific paper and poster presentation on their research to be presented at UTC. Travel during spring break is required. Cost to students will be $500. This experience involves physical activities (hiking, swimming). Snorkeling training will be provided (no SCUBA required). To read about the 2016 course, go to https://blog.utc.edu/news/2016/05/honors-students-study-environmental-impact-hurricanes-bahamas/.
HAM students have priority registration for this class; registration will open to other students after HAM students have registered.
UHON 3590 (26712) – Topics in Non-Western Cultures (3 credit hours)
African Historical FictionTR 3:05–4:20
Dr. Immaculate Kizza
“There is no Frigate like a Book/To take us Lands away/…./Without oppress of Toll” (Emily Dickinson). This course will be an enchanting journey exploring a continent which you might think is far away, only to discover that in some ways it is quite near and familiar to you. In our quest, we will be trying to grasp the essence of Africanness; how is the African experience different? What sounds familiar? We will endeavor to answer these questions and many more as we journey along by glimpsing into the Africa that was and is, peeping into the socio-cultural, historical, and political dynamics of the continent and its peoples, and getting into the rhythm of African life. We will be guided by African experts on the trail, such as Niane, Achebe, Paton, Nwapa, Aidoo and Tsitsi among others, whose works will provide us with a context for academic dialogue, debate, self-interrogation, and question-answer sessions with our peers. You will read those authors’ assigned texts which will be discussed in groups, and group discussions will be shared with the whole class. You will also do research about these authors’ specific peoples and countries, and present your findings to our class audience in a “conference” at the end of the semester. Hopefully this journey will expand our imagination; increase and challenge our knowledge of a continent of diverse peoples and experiences, and stimulate us to think critically and to re-examine our perceptions of not only Africa and the Africans, but of our own experiences, and the complexities of the human experience in general.
- Fall 2017
UHON 3530 (47277) – Topics in Thought, Values, and Beliefs (3 credit hours)
Advocacy Speech
TR 9:25–10:40Professor Jeannie Hacker-Cerulean
Advocate for positive change in our community! Create your own advocacy speech and use it as a tool to message the culture. You will study speeches that effectively persuade their target audiences and identify the thoughts, values, and beliefs they express. You will also research a local organization (on campus or in Chattanooga) and determine what their advocacy needs might be. Your advocacy campaign will reach beyond the classroom as you interact, message, and invite decision makers to help make positive change a reality.
You will work with your creative team to achieve results. (All work is graded on an individual basis). Through the use of argument tools and advocacy tools your skill set will get a work out. The virtual environment of wikis will improve your digital communication skills while your F2F (face to face) presence will be enhanced through your practice of revealing your character, expressing your passions, and developing your timing. Your final speech will become part of your digital resume and be shared with the organizations receiving your advocacy efforts.
UHON 3540 (49003) – Topics in Visual and Performing Arts (3 credit hours)
World Architecture
TR 1:40–2:55Dr. Gavin Townsend
A chronological survey of global architecture designed to enhance understanding of the built environment. Students will be exposed to the formal elements, design principles, vocabulary, and technical factors involved in architecture. However, emphasis will be placed on putting buildings into historical and cultural context. Students will come to know the major architects and styles of architecture, from prehistory to the present. While most of the course will be centered on the western tradition, we will also investigate those of the Islamic world, India, the Far East and Pre-Columbian America. Students should leave the course with enhanced skills of perception and communication, a thirst for travel, and a desire to learn more about themselves through their interaction with architecture.
UHON 3550 (47279) – Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences (3 credit hours)
UHON 3590 () – Topics in Non-Western Cultures (3 credit hours)
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)
Scholars and Journalists at Risk: Free Speech and the Problem of Global Human Rights
W 5:00–7:30Dr. Jessica Auchter
This course will focus on considering the problem of human rights and free speech in the world today. It will begin with philosophical and practical questions governing free speech in democracies and the suppression of speech in authoritarian regimes. We will explore questions such as what limitations should be placed on speech, examining the case of the illegality of Holocaust denial in Germany as one example. We will then discuss persecution of journalists and academics as a way to study the dynamics of human rights and speech. We will do so in two ways: first, a series of case studies where we will examine the causes of and explanations for crackdowns on journalists and academics as a way of studying the degeneration of democratic norms and institutions in these countries. (Some potential cases we might discuss include Turkey, Rwanda, Egypt, Thailand, Eritrea, China, and Iran, though this may change based on evolving global events and specific student interest). The second way we will approach these topics is through in depth study and advocacy work. Students will work directly on research and advocacy for scholars at risk (academics who have been threatened, fired, or arrested based on their support for human rights or protest of their own governments). We will work together to generate reports on the status of particular individuals and contribute to advocacy on their behalf. The class requires a commitment to participation in research work associated with active and ongoing human rights violations in these countries, analytical written work, and an openness to engage difficult subjects and conversations.
UHON 3560 (47280) – Topics in the Natural Sciences (Non-Lab) (3 credit hours)
Biology, Medicine, and Public Health
MW 3:25–4:40Dr. Clifton Cleaveland
Epidemics have decimated populations, influenced history, and precipitated widespread prejudice and fear. Bubonic plague repeatedly swept through Europe following its initial outbreak in the 14th century. Small pox, measles, and influenza--microbial passengers in the first European explorations of the New World--wiped out native populations throughout the Americas. Tuberculosis, cholera, and typhoid accompanied the populations that crowded into cities in the wake of the industrial revolution. Vaccines and public health measures blunted many epidemics. New diseases--HIV, Ebola, and Zika--are reminders of evolving, deadly threats. Beyond infectious diseases epidemics of violence, opiate abuse, and environmental toxins pose continuing threats to American and worldwide societies. Biology provides the basic science underlying each epidemic. Medicine represents the application of this knowledge to safeguarding the health of individuals. Public health represents the extension of this knowledge to protecting the health of populations. Every epidemic begins with a person. The seminar will highlight individual responsibility and tactics for preventing epidemics of all causes.
UHON 3570 (48067) – Topics in Mathematics
The Origins of Mathematics
MWF 1:00–1:50Dr. Matt Matthews
Students will learn the origins of much of the mathematics they already know: geometry, algebra, and calculus, to name a few. Brief excursions into related parts of our world – physics, music, and more – will illuminate the varied paths which led to our current understanding. A series of projects will permit students to engage in the mathematical process itself, and thereby appreciate major milestones leading to modern mathematics.
UHON 3580 (49005) – Topics in Statistics
Data Analysis Using Excel
TR 10:50–12:05Dr. Mohammad Ahmadi
In the 2017 presidential election, most polls (sample information) had Hilary Clinton ahead of Donald Trump. What happened?
All of the above have one thing in common: DATA.
Why do people gather data? What are data? Do they have any use? What is Data Analytics?
In this decade, “Data Analytics” and “Big Data” have expanded more than at any other time. The science of data analysis or statistics has evolved into “Data Analytics,” which has become an essential tool for research. No matter what the field of study, analysis of data is there.
In this course, we will study the evolution of data analytics, types of data, how to gather data, how to organize and analyze data, and draw conclusions. All the analyses will be done in Excel, and a very small amount of manual computations will be involved. The emphasis will be on understanding the analyses and Excel results. Students will learn the basic tools of conducting research and drawing conclusions based on the sample information.
UHON 3590(47282) – Topics in Non-Western Cultures
Ethiopia: A Culture of Famine and Beauty
MW 2:00–3:15Professor Russell Helms
In December 1984, “Do They Know It’s Christmas,” by the super group Band Aid, climbed to the top of the pop charts. The group had been formed to raise money for relief efforts in Ethiopia, which was suffering from the worst famine of the century. It is estimated that as many as half a million people died between 1983 and 1986, primarily from starvation and disease, but also as a result of relocation programs directed on the unwilling masses by a Marxist military regime. Beyond a Western lens, this class will focus on the grandness and tragedy of the great famine through the eyes of the Ethiopian people, primarily using literature by and for Ethiopians. Although one could rightly say that Ethiopia reflects a culture of famine, the rich and stark routines of daily life there yield not only tremendous hardship but also great beauty.
Worldwide, tobacco use causes nearly 6 million deaths per year, and current trends show that tobacco use will cause more than 8 million deaths annually by 2030. Why? Women in Japan have the longest life expectancy in the world at 87 years, followed by Spain, Switzerland and Singapore. How do we know?
- Spring 2017
UHON 3510 (26707) – Topics in Historical Understanding (3 credit hours)
The History of the Holocaust: Making Documentary Film
M 2–4:30Dr. John Swanson
This is a course about the Holocaust: the discriminatory and murderous actions mainly against European Jewry during the Second World War. In addition the course is about the discipline of history and how scholars struggle to create cause-and-effect narratives, while taking into consideration contingency and context. Students will learn about the series of events and the ideologies associated with twentieth-century European history and the Holocaust, as well as the scholarly disagreements about how to explain what happened between 1939 and 1945 and why it happened. Apart from studying the Holocaust and the many scholarly arguments that to try to explain it, students will learn to create a narrative concerning a Holocaust topic on film. Students taking this course will also be required to travel with the class to Germany and Poland during Spring Break 2017. Cost to students will be $1500. For more information about the course, please watch this video: https://vimeo.com/128163494.
UHON 3520 (27902) – Topics in Literature (3 credit hours)
Comic Book Culture
TR 3:05–4:20Dr. Thomas Balazs
Up, Up, and Away! Since the 1937 debut of Superman in Action Comics, “sequential art” has evolved from a trivial outlet for preadolescent fantasy to a (more) mature art form—maybe even a modern mythology—incorporating psychological realism, self-conscious social engagement, and postmodern experimentation. At the same time, comic-book characters, themes and techniques have broken free of their panels to take their place not only in the realms of television and movies, but also of painting, poetry, fiction and music. In many ways, we now live in a comic-book culture.
In this course we will study the history and rhetoric of comic books, the tensions between art and commerce inherent in the medium, and the perennial, if shifting, controversies about how comics reflect and influence the larger culture, especially children.
Readings will include social critiques such as the infamous Seduction of the Innocents, scholarly essays from the emerging field of “comic studies,” and, of course, a whole lot of comic books and comic-book-influenced art forms. Students will have opportunities to explore the subject both critically and creatively.
UHON 3540 (26708) – Topics in Visual and Performing Art (3 credit hours)
Migration, Memory, Moving Image, and Mass Culture
TR 12:15-1:30 (lecture); M 2-4:30 (screening)Dr. Victoria Steinberg
Migrants are on the move, but to what? How do they know what they are moving towards? Here lies the intersection of cinema, mass culture and memory. And what of the role of the receiving culture -- a pertinent question for indigenous and migrant alike?
Movies have always been about crossing boundaries of space and time. With film as our medium of study, we will explore migrant narratives, the influence of mass culture and journalism as well as policy, politics, history and stories.
The toil: close readings of films, relevant scholarly articles, 3-5 short papers (3-5 pages). Class-time: choreographed intellectual free-for-all with a low threshold for nonsense.
UHON 3540 (27962) – Topics in Visual and Performing Art (3 credit hours)
Mis-enscene of Play
MWF 9:00 – 9:50
Professor Evans JarnefeldtWhat if Hamlet took place in a laundromat? A peripatetic exploration of early modern and contemporary plays will use non-traditional theatrical spaces to disrupt convention and expose the plays' essential vitality. This class will travel to New York City over spring break as a group in order to investigate other theater companies who use similar methods to expand the possibilities of performance.
UHON 3550 (26709) – Topics in Behavioral and Social Science (3 credit hours)
What Will the Fed Do? An Introduction to Macro Financial Economics
W 2:00–4:30
Dr. Bento LoboDo you see yourself as a policy wonk and dream of fixing all that is wrong around you? Looking to change the world?
Think of this course as an introduction to macro financial economics. The course offers a broad overview of the institutions, instruments and markets that make up the field of finance and business through the lens of the nation’s central bank, the Federal Reserve.
By using the Fed as the central organizing theme, we will explore:
- causes and effects of financial panics
- how to look for clues as to where we are in the business cycle
- data that is used by policy makers and professional forecasters
- how financial economists make forecasts
- the theory and practice of regulation
- how policy makers communicate with economic agents
We will read and discuss issues from the Wall Street Journal and learn to speak the language of Finance. Finally, we will simulate a Fed policy meeting where you will have a seat at the table. Actual Federal Reserve economists will critique your performance.
UHON 3565 (26710) – Topics in Natural Science (Lab) (4 credit hours)
The History of Evolutionary Thought
TR 9:25–10:40 (lecture); T 1:40–4:30 (lab)
Dr. Timothy GaudinWhat do Charles Darwin’s Theories of Evolution and Natural Selection really mean, and where did they come from historically? How old is the earth, and the life that abounds here, and how do we know? How does our own story fit into the history of life? What is Science, and what is its relationship to other ways of knowing? What is Creationism, and why does it annoy scientists so much? These are the central questions this course will explore, through an analysis of historical and scientific texts. The course includes a required lab, where we will conduct hands-on exercises collecting and identifying local fossils, examining the history of life and humanity using fossils, learning about radioactivity and radiometric dating, and examining the nature of science. Course will also include a four-day Spring Break field trip to Chicago, where we will learn about global biodiversity first hand at such world-renowned institutions as the Field Museum of Natural History (including a behind the scenes tour), the Shedd Aquarium and Brookfield Zoo. While there, we will also learn something about Chicago’s rich history and vibrant culture (from Skyscrapers to Millenium Park to Second City), guided by a local historian.
UHON 3590 (26712) – Topics in Non-Western Culture (3 credit hours)
Zen in Film and Anime
TR 1:40–2:55
Dr. Talia Welsh and Professor Bo BakerThis course will explore how Japanese, Korean, and Chinese film and philosophy provide a venue to explore Eastern philosophies of self, other, family, duty, and reality by extending beyond written texts to visual and auditory rhetoric. Stylistic and poetic aspects of cinema, such as narrative structure, composition, editing, and genre will help students discuss ideas that resist typical Western language-centric reasoning.
We will read and discuss issues from the Wall Street Journal and learn to speak the language of Finance. Finally, we will simulate a Fed policy meeting where you will have a seat at the table. Actual Federal Reserve economists will critique your performance.
- Fall 2016
UHON 3520 (47276) – Topics in Literature (3 credit hours)
UHON 3530 (47277) – Topics in Thought, Values, and Beliefs (3 credit hours)
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)
The Idea of Love in Italian and English Renaissance Literature
TR 10:50–12:05Dr. Bryan Hampton
This interdisciplinary course will explore the thorny relationship between lover and beloved in medieval and Renaissance literature, principally through the work of two figures, one Italian and the other English: Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) and John Donne (1572-1631). Students will consider how Michelangelo and Donne depict the struggle and negotiate the differences between rival forms of love—youthful infatuation and dangerous obsession, promiscuous conquest and abiding love, and earthly desire and divine devotion—as they inherit and transform the tradition from its medieval roots.
UHON 3540 (47278) – Topics in Visual and Performing Arts (3 credit hours)
Post-War British Masculinities
MW 5:30–7:30Dr. James Arnett
What makes Colin Firth so foppishly charming? How did David Bowie manage to turn all of us on? How do we read the body of David Beckham? From teddy boys to dreads, from angry young men to punks, the wide range of post-WWII British masculinities and masculine styles and personas will be investigated and discussed in this class. We will be reading a dense mixture of films, plays, television shows, novels, albums and images in order to get to the bottom of what forces shape, influence, alter and proscribe cultural expressions of British masculinity. The class will be shaped by threads and methodologies from feminism, queer theory, psychoanalysis, and Marxism. Should you stay or should you go? Put on those red shoes and dance the blues, or just paint it black; it’ll be a long day’s night, but never mind those bollocks – everything’s gonna be alright!
UHON 3550 (47279) – Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences (3 credit hours)
UHON 3590 (47282) – Topics in Non-Western Cultures (3 credit hours)
(course may be registered under either number, not both; credit awarded for only one)
Global Humanitarianism
TR 1:40-2:55Dr. Jessica Auchter
Work with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and global forms of volunteerism are key career choices for many students contemplating their futures, and questions of global social justice motivate individuals’ economic, social, cultural, and political choices. This seminar will explore how institutions, governments, and individuals identify humanitarian issues. If an individual is concerned about global justice, and the plight of those suffering from poverty, hunger, displacement, and violence, what can be done at the individual level, and what can and is being done by various organizations? What are the obstacles to various forms of global aid? How can we evaluate their effectiveness? How do we make decisions surrounding the best type of humanitarian intervention? Our readings will explore the role and politics of charitable, philanthropic, and religious organizations, and international peacekeeping and aid efforts. We will examine decisions surrounding significant military humanitarian interventions and quieter interventions that often receive less media attention. The course ultimately surveys how humanitarian work has become a strong political force in today’s world.
UHON 3560 (47280) – Topics in the Natural Sciences (Non-Lab):
Biology, Medicine, and Public Health
MW 3:25–4:40Dr. Clifton Cleaveland
The secular practice of medicine, freed of magic and superstition, began in Ancient Greece and proceeded for centuries with little scientific basis. Much later, discoveries in anatomy and biology provided vital insights into the mechanisms of disease in individuals. The study of epidemics in the 19th century extended medicine's concerns to entire populations. This seminar will link biology with individual and population health and illness. Topics to be studied will include infectious diseases from plague to Zika virus, violence, malignant diseases, environmental, nutritional and occupational health, and psychiatric disorders. This seminar should be especially useful for students planning careers in medicine, nursing, public health, physical therapy, and pharmacology. Any student curious about mechanisms and prevention of illness should find the course helpful.UHON 3570 (48067) – Topics in Mathematics
Logic, Graph Theory, and Social Networks
MWF 12:00–12:50Dr. Lucas van der Merwe
A study of graph theory that attempts to explain some of the complexities of physical and social networks. In this setting, a graph is simply a collection of points called vertices, together with some or all of the connections between these vertices, called edges. An edge between two vertices indicates some well-defined relationship between these vertices; for example, in the Facebook graph, vertices represent people, and an edge between two vertices indicates that they are friends. We will study graph parameters such as, connectivity, edge density, degree sequence, and others. We will also look at different types of graphs including trees, cycles, complete graphs, and sub-graphs. To better facilitate understanding of these ideas, introductory concepts of logic and set theory are presented early in this course.
- Spring 2016
UHON 3510 – Topics in Historical Understanding:
La Dolce Vita: A Socio-Cultural History of Food in Italy and the United StatesTR 10:50–12:05
Dr. Salvatore MusumeciThis course will examine the relationship between food and culture in Italy and the United States. Topics include: the commutation of different foods and culinary traditions in antiquity as instances of cultural and economic exchange; medieval and early modern beliefs about intellectual, spiritual, and physical aptitudes associated with diet and consumption rituals; and regional cuisine as a mark of cultural identity. We will also discuss Italian and Italian-American cuisine as the reflection of related, yet very different, cultures.
UHON 3540 – Topics in Visual and Performing Arts:
Collaborative Creation: Theatre OffstageMWF 11:00-11:50
Professor Gaye JeffersA seminar offering an alternative approach to creating theatre that focuses on fact-finding interviews and community-based research as a means of examining global concerns and political issues. The creation of an original performance piece, relying on the participants as the central impetus of ideas, will utilize methods that encourage storytelling in collaboration, while exploring process,form and theory. Previous experience in theatre is not required.
UHON 3550 – Topics in Behavioral and Social Sciences:
Terrorism and the MediaMW 2:00–3:15
Dr. Michael McCluskyThis interdisciplinary course investigates the interplay between terrorism around the world and communication about terrorism. Modern terrorism can be seen as a form of strategic communication in which media, especially news media, amplify messages about terrorism to a world-wide audience, influencing audience perceptions about the world. The course will focus on how news and entertainment media portray terrorism and terrorists, and the effects of terrorism and media portrayal of terrorism on the public and public policy.
UHON 3565 – Topics in Natural Sciences (Lab):
The History of Evolutionary ThoughtTR 9:25–10:40 (lecture); T 1:40–4:30 (lab)
Dr. Timothy GaudinA study of the historical and scientific origin of the Theory of Evolution and Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection, along with their important conceptual precursors, including the significance of fossils, the reality of Extinction, and the discovery of “Deep Time,” through an analysis of historical and scientific texts, among them Darwin’s The Origin of Species. Additional topics to be considered will include Human Evolution and the modern Creationism/Evolution controversy. Course includes a required laboratory, which will provide hands-on exercises related to the course content, along with several required field trips.
UHON 3590 – Topics in Non-Western Cultures:
African Women Writers and Feminist DiscourseTR 3:05–4:20
Dr. Immaculate KizzaWhat exactly is African Feminism? How is it similar and different from mainstream Feminism? Why do African women distance themselves from mainstream Feminism? What is its agenda and how is that agenda advocated? What is its effect and influence on African cultural traditions and women's lives? Is it a viable, relevant, sustainable ideology in the 21st.C and beyond? In this seminar, we will explore those issues and many more, first by immersing ourselves in the pertinent theoretical scholarship, and second by actively participating in the discourse on African women writers' texts presumed to be pivotal to this ideology.