Honors Courses Fall 2005
HN100 01: Medicinal Plants: Folklore or Not?
Villani, Phil
2, U
MW 2:00-2:50
For thousands of years humans have been captivated by the mystical and magical powers of plants. In fact, history is full of events that have occurred directly or indirectly due to the influence of plants on human desires for good health, wealth, power and greed. We are only just beginning to understand what lies hidden inside these silent organisms and how we may use the potential of these compounds as medicines, food, and more. First, we will look at what affects a number of medicinal plants have had on major historical events. Second, we will look at the different types of chemicals found in medicinal plants and how they influence human health. Finally, we will consider a number of contemporary issues related to medicinal plants, topics which may lead us into several ethical questions. Students will be asked to participate in class projects and complete a term paper style report on a plant’s medicinal and/or cultural implications.
HN 100 02: Power for the Good of All
Davis, Edgar
2, U
W 2-4
How do we determine a sense of power in our lives? We will explore the idea of power from many different angles in this course. Do we possess it individually? How do we know? How do we assess our own, an organization’s, and society’s use of power? This class will focus on growth, development, and learning about using power in many different ways. Drawing from some of Mr. Davis’ professional experiences in corporate America, as well as his personal experiences as a “regular guy” (husband, father, university professor, and friend), discover how to define power for the good of all – especially in your own life. Mr. Davis will encourage greater self-awareness through free expression of ideas; expect comfortable, thought-provoking class discussions.
HN100 50: Let’s Face It
Reeves, Carol and Saffire, Paula
U, 2
M 6:00-7:40 pm
We seem to have an intimate relationship with our faces. Are our faces authentically us? Are some faces more authentic than others? Can our faces/expressions be read by others? What if our response to a face is biologically built in? Is beauty connected with symmetry? Why is “saving face” important? We will explore these questions and more through readings such as Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy, Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmund Rostand, The Naked Face by Malcome Gladwell, and The Force of Face by James Hillman. We will experience photograph reversal, self-sketches and other-sketches, veiling and masking experiments, and guest speakers, including a dermatologist and people who have had facial surgery.
HN100 51: Who… Me in Charge?
Napier, Jamie and Eble, Nick
U, 2
T 5: 20 – 7:00 pm
From clinical help groups to spontaneous mobs- this course will explore the positive and negative aspects of group development. Students completing the course will have some proficiency with anticipating and managing the stages of team development, including a set of skills to facilitate the construction and execution of a team building or leadership workshop. This course will be an activity-based class where participants learn by doing and discussing. We will read The Wisdom of Crowds – How the Many are Smarter than the Few and A Clockwork Orange.
HN110 01: Inquiries Into The Human Condition I
Watts, William
U, 4
MWF 10:00-10:50
The first semester of a year-long sequence, this course examines the treatment of the human condition in significant texts of world civilization from the ancient and medieval periods. Texts for the course will come from the disciplines of literature, philosophy, and history. The course will emphasize questions about the nature of the individual soul, as well as the relationship of the individual to family, friends, community, and state. Students who enroll in this course are expected to enroll in HN111 in the spring semester. Completion of HN 110 and HN111 together will satisfy the requirements of EN102, ID103, and HN100. Completion of HN110 alone will only satisfy the requirements of EN102.
HN200 02: Michelangelo and His Times
Turner, John
U, 2
M 3:00 – 4:40
The period of Michelangelo’s career, c. 1490-1564, coincides with the beginning of the modern era. This course offers students the opportunity to explore the social, political, and religious context of Michelangelo’s art, and that of his contemporaries.
HN200 03: The University: Ivory Towers and Bottom Lines
Filice, Frederick
U, 2
W 2-4
We are all part of a system. The system is bigger than we are, older than we are, more complex than we imagine. The system is the university. One of the most curious and wonderful things about the university as a system is that it demands critical thinking and curiosity, and therefore demands questioning about itself. We are going to examine the history of the university in America, its roots in Europe and what it is today. We will be deconstructing the university, but, even as we examine our own intellectual foundations, we are going to be helping to construct one more brief moment of university history. This is going to take some philosophy, but we will also be looking at the nitty-gritty of operations and see just how this seeming paradox of ivory towers and bottom lines works together...and sometimes how it doesn't.
HN300 01: Grassroots Growth: Achieving Social and Racial Justice
King, Allison
U, 2
T 3:00 – 4:40 pm
This course will explore the various strategies for addressing issues of poverty, social justice and racial justice from the grassroots perspective in Indianapolis. Strategies implemented by traditional and non-traditional not-for-profit organizations will be compared, contrasted and critiqued. We will look at various funding streams for this work and the ability of public and private dollars to impact social and racial equity. While students will help determine the environment and aura of the classroom, classes will be held in community centers, neighborhood meeting places, etc. around Indianapolis; community leaders and activists will serve as guest speakers. Students will have some discretion on required elements for the course, but it will include some form of reflection paper, journal or multi-media presentation project. This course will include a service-learning component.
HN300 02: Everyday Gods
Deno, Vivian
U, 2
R 2:00 - 3:40
God is in the details: on the side of the road, on t-shirts, bumper stickers, and just about anywhere else one can imagine. This class examines the ways in which the sacred and the profane blend into everyday objects of devotion and consumption. We will visit Crown Hill Cemetery, the IMA, a Day of the Dead Celebration, and other off-campus locations and events. Students will keep a semester long photo journal of ‘found’ religion: roadside memorials, WWJD merchandise, Buddhist statues sold at Pier 1, etc. A camera is needed for the class (almost any kind will do) as students will be expected to complete a semester-long photo journal culminating in an open-to-the-public showing of our findings.
HN300 50: World Dance
McGuire, Susan
U, 2
W 5:30 – 7:30 pm
An introduction to the dances of Central and South America. Surveys the origin and development of both the indigenous dances of the region and those dances, such as the tango, which have been influenced by European forms. Non-dance majors are welcome (cross-listed with DA492).
HN300 51: American Literature and Folklore in Classical Music
Clark, Richard
U, 2
T 6:15 – 7:55
This course will include a discussion and survey of great American compositions based on American legends, authors and poets. From “The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County” to John Henry, Billy the Kid and Lizzie Borden; from Mark Twain’s “War Prayer” to Robert Frost’s “The Road not Taken,” the class will discover the resources and inspiration for American composers. Discussion and reading will include: Mark Twain, James Agee, Kurt Vonnegut, Robert Frost, Carl Sandberg, and composers Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, Lukas Foss, Randall Thompson, Morton Gould, and George Gershwin. Knowledge of classical music or musical ability is not required for this course!