Spring 2005 Courses

Seminars for First-Year Students
(First-year students must take one of HNR 173 or HNR 172)

HNR 172: Literature and Imperialism (MWF 10:40-11:50)
Professor Rosemary Haskell (English)

General Studies Distribution: Expression (Literature)

This literature seminar will analyze and interpret “imperial” fiction, drama and poetry from several countries and historical periods. The course will survey the different ways in which imperialism has been represented in literature and students will begin to understand the historical and cultural forces that have shaped those representations.

HNR 173: Vulnerability and Resilience Across the Lifespan
(MWF 12:00-1:10)
Professor Catherine King (Psychology)

General Studies Distribution: Society

Human development involves continuous change and re-organization across the entire lifespan. In this class, we will focus on the complex interactions of biological and environmental factors that shape development, with a special emphasis on the periods of early childhood, adolescence, and old age as periods of increased vulnerability to conditions that have the potential to lead to poor developmental outcomes. We will examine individual and environmental risk and protective factors, and discuss prevention and intervention strategies.

(Honors courses taught or co-taught by Psychology Department faculty members may count for up to 4 hours of credit toward the Psychology major.  See the Psychology Department chair for approval.)

Optional for First-year students

ENG 110H College Writing (TTH 8:00-9:40)
Professor Cassie Kircher

This course, which focuses primarily on argumentative writing, will guide students in developing a more sophisticated writing process and in developing a better understanding of the relationship of purpose, audience and voice in writing, including an awareness that writing expectation and convention vary within the academy and in professional and public discourse.

Team-Taught Courses for Second-Year Students

HNR 276: The Challenges of New Reproductive Technologies
(TTH 10:30-12:10)
Professors Lisa Carloye (Biology) and Rebecca T. Peters (Religion)     

General Studies Distribution: Civilization or (non-laboratory) Science

The purpose of this class is to help students learn how to negotiate ethical dilemmas related to new reproductive technologies. This will involve learning the basic biology upon which these technologies are based; understanding the social context within which these dilemmas develop; and acquiring ethical tools for navigating these dilemmas.

HNR 275: The American Working Class (MWF 9:20-10:30)
Professors Sharon Spray (Political Science) and Ken Hassell (Art) 

General Studies Distribution: Society or Expression (non-literature)

This course is an exploration of how the American working class has changed over the last thirty years and the ramifications that such changes have had on the social fabric of our communities. There are certainly many ways in which a researcher could explore these questions. One method is to use non-anecdotal, systematic empirical research to understand trends and identify variables that explain such trends. Such inquiry, however, when not coupled with a normative or experiential framework can fail to fully illuminate the magnitude such changes have on individuals. Research that seeks only to understand social problems through anecdotal examples, however, runs the risk of misunderstanding aggregate social change (positive as well as negative). This course is designed to bridge the gap between empirical, normative and experiential research by asking students to explore working class issues through two very different methodological frameworks.

Courses for Upper-Class Honors Students

POL 359 Political Communication (MWF 9:20-10:30)
Professor Laura Roselle

This course will cover the role of media in politics, and is designed around the questions: What factors affect media coverage of political issues? Under what conditions do media affect political behavior? Specific areas of interest include: media and elections (campaigns, advertising, debates), media and legislation (congressional debates and legislation, lobbying and interest groups' use of media), media and public opinion (agenda setting, framing, protest movements), and media and national security (terrorism, war, international relations). The course is comparative in scope, analyzing the US, UK, Russia, and China.

JCM 395  Media Law and Ethics (MWF 12:00-1:10)
Professor Jessica Gisclair

This course examines the Freedom of Speech doctrine of the First Amendment. Students analyze topics such as first amendment theory, content regulation, obscenity, offensive speech, child pornography, time/place/manner restrictions, symbolic speech, secondary effects of speech, public and nontraditional forums, and hate speech. Students will read significant court cases that relate to the First Amendment.  In addition, the courses examines the ethical implications of the first amendment, examining the foundations of moral reasoing and applying the reasoning process to actual cases.

PHL 113H Critical Thinking (TTH 12:20-2:00)
Professor Anthony Weston

This is a course in practical intelligence. It aims to explore and develop six main skills:

- alertness, curiosity, attention: how to be observant;
- media literacy: which sources to trust and how far;
- argument-building: how to put a thought together;
- argument-evaluation: how to evaluate arguments;
- creativity: how to think "out of the box";
- argument as constructive dialogue: how to make a real difference.

GST 410 Race, Gender and Sport (TTH 8:00-9:40)
Professor Joyce Davis

Ethnic, gender and sport issues will be examined with emphasis placed upon the challenges and opportunities associated with the pursuit of equality and diversity in sporting environments. A brief history of ethnic and gender issues within American sport will be examined as well as the role of the media. Students will use current research and literature about sport, gender and ethnicity. Prerequisite: successful completion of sophomore writing test.