Spring Semester 2009 Honors Course Offerings

Honors Civilization & Literature 3 IDST 2227 (01) M/W/F 2-2:50                              Instructor: Dr. Darren Harris-Fain

In this course students will read and discuss selected short stories and novels by African, Middle Eastern, Asian, Australasian, Latin American, and Native American writers to explore important themes in non-Western cultures. Students will also view and discuss movies related to these themes.

          Honors Senior Seminar IDST 4490 (05) T/R 2:00-3:20                    Instructor: Dr. Michael Field

The topic or theme for this course will be “What’s Funny and Why: The Nature and Function of Humor.” This honors course will include all the normal expectations for a senior seminar. Participants will be asked to do research, present their work--in—progress to the seminar, write a substantive and persuasive research paper dealing in considerable depth with an issue or question about which there is thoughtful public or scholarly disagreement, and give a public presentation summarizing their work. The focus on the nature of humor should provide flexibility for students to pursue an interdisciplinary topic that relates directly to their academic majors or to a different special interest if they wish.

                    Honors English 1105 (16)  T/R 12:00-1:20                             Instructor: Shannon Lawson

The focus in this course is upon argumentation and composition.  Students will read, analyze, and write several argumentative essays.  They will study the cause-effect essay, exploring the question: What causes good people to do evil things?  They will research several historical genocides, including the reading of the supplemental text, First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung, survivor of the killing fields of  Cambodia.  The author will visit SSU in March. 

Students will also study the Classic & Rogerian essay, exploring the topic: Media & Technology.  They will research major developments in media and technology and write essays about the rights of individuals and society in view of some of the most recent developments in media and technology.

Finally, students will study the literary argument, reading some classic short stories and literary criticism, and write essays using literary analysis.