Courses

Fall 2013 Course Brochure

Honors Courses, Spring 2013

 Check out the links at the bottom of the page to find
the courses from previous semesters!

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Issues in Social Sciences:

What’s Race/Sex Got to Do with It?
The Clarence Thomas /Anita Hill Hearings 
MWF 11:00-11:50 am
James King

     In October of 1991, the nation watched with deep interest the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Nominee Justice Clarence Thomas. Thomas, selected by President George H.W. Bush, appeared to be on the fast track to nomination, soon to become only the 2nd African American to hold such a position, after retiring Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. What followed quickly became conversation more suited for the locker-room, as questions concerning Justice Thomas’ past interactions with Ms. Anita Hill began to surface. After ten years of silence, Hill testified as experiencing sexual harassment directed at her by Thomas while working for him in the EEOC offices. Using literature and media generated by these court proceedings, we will try to arrive at our own assessments of what happened, how, and why; viewing these events through a range of critical lenses in an attempt to further understand the
role(s) of race, class, gender and sexuality in this selection and confirmation process.

Satisfies a Social Sciences General Education Requirement (Group IIIB)

 

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Issues in Social Sciences:

Watching Sports with an Economist
TR 12:30-1:45 pm
Brian Hill

     At the finals of the 1976 UEFA European Football Championships, Antonin Panenka stepped to the penalty box with a chance to secure victory over the West Germans and win the tournament for Czechoslovakia. Panenka understood that the location of his kick and the direction of the goalkeeper’s dive would determine the outcome. Should he kick to the right, his preferred direction, or should he kick to the left in an effort to outsmart the goalkeeper? Which way should Panenka strike the penalty kick? Perhaps surprisingly, economists have a lot to say about how to take penalty kicks. In this course, we will explore how economic theory examines decisions, including the direction of a penalty kick, made within sports. In addition to the optimal penalty kick strategy, we will explore a variety of issues, including the following: Is there such a thing as a “hot streak” in sports? What effect does the presence of a superstar have on teammates and opponents? What level of discrimination exists in sports and how is it revealed? Do teams or athletes ever alter their effort to “cheat” the system? How much competitive balance is there across leagues and how much is optimal?

Satisfies a Social Sciences General Education Requirement (Group IIIB)

 

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Issues in Social Sciences:

Political Arguments Alive
HONR 112-041 MWF 10:00-10:50 am
HONR 112-043 MWF 12:00-12:50 pm
Lauren Hill

        Should we be proud of our current presidential candidates? Would Aristotle be proud of them? Why and how are musicians Pink and Eminem political tools? How can a simple t-shirt stir a political debate? Why are documentaries such as 2016: Obama’s America becoming more and more popular? What are the politics of Disney cartoons? Why are Tim Tebow’s actions and comments so discussed? Is Homer Simpson far more intelligent than we realize? In this class, we will study Aristotle and Cicero to understand how and why politics appear in popular culture. We will start by examining how, with the foundations of Aristotle and Cicero, figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, and John F. Kennedy set the stage for Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Mitt Romney. In the second half of the semester we will explore how this political language infiltrates everyday life: music, advertisements and marketing, commercials, billboards, television, film, clothing, art, sports, and more. By analyzing the language of politics, we will begin to understand how politics are alive in every day in every way.

Satisfies a Social Sciences General Education Requirement (Group IIIB)

 

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Issues in Natural Sciences:

Playing with Mathematics
MWF 9:00-9:50 am
Jathan Austin

       We are often only implicitly aware of the mathematics involved in games, but mathematical reasoning and problem-solving are often key components of game design and game play. In this course, we will explore mathematics and mathematical reasoning with respect to a variety of board, card, and dice games. For particular games, we will use mathematics to analyze a number of game features including fairness, complexity, and play strategies.

       Satisfies a Natural Sciences General Education Requirement (Group IVB).

 

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Issues in Natural Sciences:

The Science of Sustainability
MWF 1:00-1:50 pm
Matthew Bailey and Andrew Pica

        A profound crisis has been silently gathering for decades and is now reaching a point of no return. This crisis manifests as the twin challenges of global fossil fuel depletion and environmental collapse. Supplies of oil, coal and natural gas are beginning to dwindle, and renewable energy sources are nowhere near ready to substitute in the quantities and applications we currently require. The best known, and potentially most severe of environmental challenges is global climate change. Yet we are also now facing a series of natural resource limits—fresh water supplies, fish stocks, topsoil, and biodiversity—that threaten our very existence. All of the debts for society’s century-long industrial fiesta are coming due at the same time. We have no choice but to transition to a world no longer dependent on fossil fuels, a world made up of communities and economies that function within ecological bounds, a world that can live sustainably so that our children and grandchildren can simply live. The best way to understand the consequences of present and future energy use, and the environmental, social, and economic tradeoffs that must be made, is to understand the scientific principles involved. These principles will be presented with a minimal amount of math and with the help of everyday examples. Questions (many unanswered) will be raised throughout the course to cause students to critically think ahead and maybe begin to develop their own solutions. A series of these “How Would You Choose?” questions will help to encourage this critical approach. Those worried about the future of this planet should join us. With shared purpose and a clear understanding of both the challenges and the solutions, we can manage the transition to a sustainable, equitable, post-carbon world.

Satisfies a General Education
Requirement (Group IVB)

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Interdisciplinary Seminar:

Social History of Drinking in America
MW 3:00-4:15 pm
Tom Goyens

         This course explores the social and cultural history of alcohol consumption, production, and control in the United States from the late 18thcentury to today. We consider the changing relationship between social drinking and everyday life as well as political and religious dimensions such as morality and democratic politics. In this respect, we analyze the saloon as a now-defunct American institution. We further discuss attempts to control alcohol consumption such as the temperance and prohibition movements. The socalled “liquor question” has historically been enmeshed with issues of ethnicity, gender, class identity and the role of science. Many immigrants, for example, clashed with native-born Protestants over the issue of drinking. We also explore popular culture surrounding alcohol such as advertising and film. This fascinating history may help us understand better today’s attitudes, customs, and policies surrounding alcohol.

 

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Interdisciplinary Seminar:

American Education, Yesterday & Today: An International Comparative Perspective
M 4:30-7:15 pm

This course tracks the development of the American public education system, showing how diversity is not just an issue of today’s society. We will look at how the educational system has taken shape historically in response to socio-political issues, and how the economic model adopted for the country has been a driving force. We will also address how the mass media have helped shape public opinion about the quality of American education, by looking at representations in movies, TV and journalistic texts. We will consider alternative models of education that have been developed within and outside the U.S., and compare the American educational model with those established in other countries such as Sweden, Finland, Denmark, the UK, New Zealand, South Africa, and Argentina. This will help us address the question of whether our educational system is truly innovative and responsive to technological developments, and analyze how competitive it is in the global market. We will also explore what we think our schools should look like:  Why are so many children disengaged with schools? What are the consequences of No Child Left Behind? What comes after No Child Left Behind? What direction are current educational policies taking? The course includes a field component, with time spent in local schools.

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Interdisciplinary Seminar:

Glass as an Aesthetic and Societal Force
TR 12:30-1:45 pm
Alison Chism

         This is a hybrid studio art / traditional seminar course, in it students will focus on the mysterious yet pedestrian material that is glass. Glass is the servant that does everything from hold our water to clothe our buildings. It sparkles from chandeliers and glows filled with champagne around a festive table; it preserves our food, and fills our days with light. Glass is a metaphor for the coldest heart, and the sleekest, cleanest, sharpest surface is glass. Modern, clean and scientific, glass is the product of an amazingly complex technology that was first produced in ancient Egypt over 5000 years ago. What makes this seminar unique is the opportunity to learn how to form glass in Salisbury University’s glassblowing facility. The lived experience of being in our studio and working with glass will serve to deepen and triangulate the intellectual journey through the aesthetic and social -political impact of the glassblowing industry has had on the world we live in. This class will carry a $125 course fee. 

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Honors Junior Research Project

HONR 312-041
James Burton

       Honors students complete a research or creative project in a 300-400 level course of their choosing (this does not have to be an honors course) and will present their research or creative project at a public symposium or conference.   One credit, pass/fail.

 

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Honors Thesis Preparation  

HONR 490-041
Kristen Walton

       In Honor 490, before students begin work on their thesis, students select a thesis committee comprised of a thesis advisor and two readers.  The mentor and one reader are chosen from the student’s major department. The other reader is selected from faculty in one’s school.  Additionally, students do preliminary research on their topic and write a two-page prospectus (which must be approved by their committee) describing what they hope to accomplish in their thesis.   In addition to meeting as necessary with their mentor, students will meet together regularly with the Honors program liaison to discuss progress and problems.One credit, pass/fail.

 

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Honors Thesis

HONR 495-041
Kristen Walton

       The Honors thesis is a three or four credit, focused, in-depth project in one’s major field. What distinguishes an Honors thesis from a research paper in a regular classroom is the willingness of the student to go beyond the classroom and to assume the responsibilities associated with commitment to scholarship.

Prerequisite: Completion of HONR 490
Co-requisite: Honors 496-041    

  

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The following links take you to previous course brochures:

Fall 2012
Spring 2012
Fall 2011
Spring 2011
Fall 2010
Spring 2010
Fall 2009
Spring 2009