Honors College Courses

The Honors College is pleased to offer more than 1 course in each of the general education categories.  Please read course titles and descriptions within each category.

ART = Art   HC2010
LIT = Literature   HC2020
WCIV = Western Civilization   HC2040
GP = Global Perspective   HC2050
SS = Social Science    HC2060
FR = Formal Reasoning    HC2070
NSTN = Natural Science & Technology    HC2080

Attributes
DIV = Us Diversity
KA = Knowledge Application
WIG = Writing Intensive in the General Education

Summer I 2025

HC2010 Guitar Impact on US Pop Culture
Instructor: Nicholas Bongers
CRN: 32197
Gen Ed:  Art + DIV
Course Time:  W 5:30 p.m. - 800 p.m.
Course Description:  Analyze the transformative power of the guitar in American pop culture from the late 1950s to the 2010s. This course examines 15 pivotal TV programs and movies, from The Beatles to Lady Gaga, highlighting key moments where the guitar catalyzed cultural shifts. Through multimedia presentations, lectures & discussions, and readings, students will gain a deep understanding of the guitar’s role in shaping modern pop culture.


HC 2020  All the World is a Playground
CRN: 32199
Instructor:  Susan Lynne Beckwith
Gen Ed: LIT + WIG
Course Time:  T/TH 1:00 p.m. - 4:20 p.m.
Course Description: Even fish play. In class, we’re going to explore the world around us through literature that celebrates the interconnectedness of human and nonhuman life–and the desire for play we all share. In Richard Power’s Playground, we’ll discover a story woven together where the three human characters are a poet, a marine biologist, and a computer scientist: but the ocean is the main stage and marine life the lead. We’ll play
catch with a manta in this novel and think about the way play is ‘fun-and-games’ as well as growth. In this same story, the evolution of the seas is set alongside the development of AI and the ending of is described as a ‘Move 37’ (when humans were surprised by AlphaGo’s move in a computer-plays-human match). Incoming Twist! From Reddit to ‘read it,’ we’ll weave these knowledges together as Robin Wall Kimmerer does in Braiding Sweetgrass, where she explores poetry, science, and indigenous knowledges and we’ll learn the language of our connectedness to the wide wild world in our own stories. In Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures, an octopus steals the show (and your heart!) as a main character and narrator! So pack your bags to go where the wild things are! The animals will be our main characters in this class and since as Richard Powers says, “play is the engine of evolution” we are going to evolve our understanding of where the wild things are (including, perhaps, in our PCs and devices!) and learn by having fun!


HC2050: Food Cultures Around the World
CRN: 32198
Instructor:  Kelly Bambrick
Gen Ed:  GP
Course Time:  MWR 12:00 p.m. - 2:05 p.m.
Course Description:  Food is intimately tied to culture. Diverse cultures around the world boast their traditional foods that have been passed down and refined through generations. Certain ingredients in food exhibit the inhabitant’s connection to the immediate environment. Societal and religious traditions and values likely influence the individual’s and community’s dietary choices. Even in the United States, various regions have their own unique dishes that are connected to the characteristic culture and custom. What we eat is part of who we are. Food is a powerful tool to relate to others, create unforgettable memories, and to express and preserve one’s values. This course explores the culinary traditions found throughout the world and how cultural identity is expressed through food.


HC-3900 Research & Scholarship
CRN: 3200
Instructor: Susan Lynne Beckwith
Course Time:  (Online)
Course Description: With the support of an OU faculty member of your choice (your thesis mentor) and the HC 3900 teaching team, you will work to develop the proposal for your final Thesis project.




SUMMER II

HC-2050 Tudors of England
Instructor: Randall Engle
Gen Ed: GP 
Course Time: M/W  5:30 p.m -8:50 p.m. 
Course Description:  The Tudor sixteenth century is one of the most fascinating yet challenging periods in English history, even as it was England’s most formative. This course will survey the events that brought the Tudors to the throne, and England out of the medieval period and into the early modern world. Such topics as the English Reformation, the Church of England, the development of the nation state, the monarchy, and the blossoming of English literature and music will be explored. Tudor Intruders will be offered as a Summer 2course, with an optional travel component that invites students to travel to London for 12 days, a vivid travel experience to immerse students in all they have learned.
 

HC2070  Future-Proof: Tech & Teams
Instructor:  Hana Moudallal
Gen Ed:  FR
Course Time:  HYBRID  T/TH 1:00 p.m. - 4:20 p.m.
Course Description:  This course is 50% online (synchronous) via zoom.   Prepare yourself for the future of work in a globalized, tech-driven world in this innovative, project-based course. You’ll dive into the exploration of emerging technologies and information systems (IS) that are transforming industries and societies. Harness the power of generative AI to tackle real-world challenges while exploring critical issues like security, privacy, and ethics in today’s digital landscape.  The course features the Collaborative Online International Learning Virtual Exchange (COIL VE) model, connecting you with international peers through joint projects and online interactions. Together, you’ll solve problems, enhance your digital competencies, and gain valuable global perspectives.

The Honors College is pleased to offer more than 1 course in each of the general education categories.  Please read course titles and descriptions within each category.
ART = Art   HC2010
LIT = Literature   HC2020
WCIV = Western Civilization   HC2040
GP = Global Perspective   HC2050
SS = Social Science    HC2060
FR = Formal Reasoning    HC2070
NSTN = Natural Science & Technology    HC2080

Attributes
DIV = Us Diversity
KA = Knowledge Application
WIG = Writing Intensive in the General Education

Fall 2025

HC1000 Making Discoveries
Instructor:  Dr. Graeme Harper, Dean of The Honors College
Gen Ed:  Art or WCIV
Course Days/Time:  MW 3:00 p.m. - 4"47 p.m.  or TR 10:00 a.m. - 11:47 a.m.
Course Description:  HC 1000 is a 4 credit freshmen course exploring the exciting and significant nature of human discovery, whether in the sciences, the arts or the community, whether by individuals or by groups. It is also a course in which you can explore your own ambitions; that is, your own potential personal and professional discoveries. We will look at things that have been (and are) discovered in and around a university (like this one!). In addition to exploring a range of university disciplines and subjects, Making Discoveries will examine the wider world, to industry and the professions, and to the community for models of the opportunities that the world offers. The course will encourage and develop your critical thinking, as well as your creative engagement. It will look at what we can do individually as well as what we can do in teams or groups, as a leader and as a participant.

ART 

HC- 2010 Improving Life with Improv
CRN 45039
Instructor:  Shaun Moore
Gen Ed: Art
Course Days/Time:  TR 1:00 p.m. - 2:47 p.m.
Course Description:  This course will introduce students to the art of improv, and how learning the skills can benefit them in many facets of their life, such as social, educational, and professional. Improvisation is an art form, a fun way of traveling on the journey to self-actualization and feeling comfortable in one's own skin. Improv is a wonderful vehicle for leadership development, as it imparts crucial life skills that every person needs. We have all had moments in our life when we knew exactly what to do without censoring ourselves. These are moments we are using our intuition. This class will help us respond on impulse, on an intuitive level beyond intellectual and rational thought, by practicing a variety of improvisational exercises and games. This course is appropriate for complete beginners as well as those with previous acting or improv experience. Learn to play, connect, and heighten your awareness. Get outside your comfort zone and rediscover your natural spontaneity and flexibility. Through improv, students in this course will be empowered to find out more about who they really are, gain more confidence, and experience a sense of ensemble.

HC -2010 Saints and Sounds
CRN: 45040
Instructor: Randall Engle
Gen Ed:  Art
Course Days/Time:  M,W,F, 12:00 p.m. - 1:07 p.m.
Course Description:  Without fail every religious community has used music as an integral part of their worship and faith practice. This honor’s course will review the history of religious music from the earliest civilizations to the present. In between, lectures will survey the music of the orient, Africa, Palestine, the Arabian Peninsula, and Western Europe. In each case, music will be examined as it was used as a vehicle for faith expression and worship practice. The course will also help the student understand the theology of sound; that is, why in some cultures were certain sounds sacred, but in others the exact sound considered profane? In addition to lots of listening, a final project will allow the student to explore and write about the musical soundscape of their chosen religious community. The course coincides with the release of the professor’s book Sound Theology (Wipf & Stock, 2024). "Music is like a feather on the breath of God." -Hildegard von Bingen (Germany, c. 950 A.D.)

HC - 2010 Knitted Good
CRN: 45041
Instructor: Carol  Hart
Gen Ed: ART
Course Days/Time:  MWF 2:40 p.m. - 3:47 p.m.
Course Description:   The craft of knitting has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity over the last 20 years or so. Prior to its rediscovery as a craft with multiple benefits, the image of a knitter was of a gray-haired grandma in her rocking chair fighting with the cat over the ball of yarn. Today, there are an estimated 45 million knitters in the US, and they are not all grandmothers! The increase in knitting numbers was buoyed during the pandemic as people sought activities to do at home. Many new knitters discovered what experienced knitters already knew – knitting has proven health benefits. Knitters enjoy lower stress, greater contentment, social connection with other knitters, meditative flow, satisfaction from creating for themselves and others. Studies also suggest cognitive benefits from crafting. Knitting also has a long past, the oldest known knitted item dates to around 1100 CE from Egypt. Men have knit across the centuries and they are also participating in the craft’s renaissance. British diver Tom Daley attracted attention at the Paris Olympic Games for knitting while waiting to compete. Machine knitting has industrial applications, so engineers and mathematicians investigate knitted materials for their structure and characteristics. In class you will learn to knit, learn about the history and the future of the craft and the materials that supply it. After mastering the basics, students will produce items for donation to various knitting charities such as Mittens for Michigan, Knitted Knockers and Knit the Rainbow.

Literature 

HC - 2020  Medical Mysteries & Thrillers
CRN: 45046
Instructor: Susan Lynne Beckwith
Gen Ed: LIT + WIGE
Course Days/Time:  MWF 12:00 p.m. - 1:07 p.m.
Course Description:  Robin Cook’s Coma combined medicine and thriller in a single novel, perhaps establishing a genre where physicians and former medical practitioners put pen to paper and explore the emerging technologies, ethical concerns, and patient perspectives of their field. In this class, we’ll examine this body of literature to consider not only what this might reveal to us about realities in science and medicine, but why and how these stories appeal to us and continue to be popular best sellers.

IKYK Sherlock. Not only is his sidekick Watson a doctor, so was his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – and in one story the mystery is a tropical disease that is used as a weapon in The Adventure of the Dying Detective. Jurassic Park’s author Michael Crighton, also a Doc, publishes The Andromeda Strain the same year he got his MD from Harvard. And Bones is based on the works of Kathy Reichs, a forensic anthropologist. We’re going to explore how these medical practitioners call on their education and training to consider contemporary ethical concerns in their thrillers.

We’ll also explore medical-thrillers from authors who draw on their research expertise and observations, like Cate Quinn’s The Clinic, and Caleb Carr’s The Alienist (not a UFO thing! This is the now-obsolete term for psychiatry as it emerged as a recognized field in medicine in the mid-1800s).

HC 2020 Priest. Spy. Assassin. Meet Bonhoeffer
CRN: 45042
Instructor:  Randall Engle
Gen Ed:  Literature + Writing Intensive
Course Days/Time:  TR 10:00 a.m. - 11:47 a.m.
Course Description:  How could a Lutheran priest justify murder––so much so that he would even be part of the (unsuccessful) Valkyrie plot to assassinate Hitler? This course reviews the writing and complex life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer: priest, spy, assassin and, finally, execution victim. The course will situate Bonhoeffer in his historical context through engagement with primary sources, and help students understand the predominant concerns and animating center of Bonhoeffer’s life and work. Further, students will be able to gauge the impact of events in Nazi Germany on Bonhoeffer’s thought and writing. The class will also review two film adaptations of this intriguing figure of the 20th century, and pay a visit to the Holocaust Museum in Farmington Hills.

HC- 2020 University as Science Fiction
CRN: 45043
Instructor:  Christina Moore
Gen Ed: Literature + Writing Intensive
Course Days/Time:  TR 8:00a.m. - 9:47 a.m.
Course Description: This course invites students to explore how imagined academic institutions in literature reflect and critique our current societal issues, from technological advancements and climate change to elitism and the evolving role of higher education. Through a blend of historical texts, literary analysis, creative projects, and research, students will engage with provocative narratives that challenge and reimagine what higher education might become. Students will not only analyze these texts but also create their own speculative projects, imagining the future of education.

HC- 2020 Radical Writings and Banned Books
CRN: 45047
Instructor:  Roberta Michel
Gen Ed: Literature + Writing Intensive
Course Days/Time:  TR 3:00 p.m. - 4:47 p.m.
Course Description:  How does changing societal structures, culture, and political events influence the life fabric of fiction? What musings, ideas, and story plots are “too radical” and threaten social norms?  Questions that will be considered include: What constitutes a banned book? Are the social norms that govern the creation of a book different than the norms governing a social media post? What role does Artificial Intelligence play in the development or lack thereof of critical analysis of texts and their potential propagation of “ideas” as social influence? A diverse range of writings that have fueled a cultural change engine within the USA will be examined. The course will fulfill the Writing Intensive requirement and Diversity.

WESTERN CIVILIZATION

HC - 2040  History and Ethics of Hunting in USA
CRN: 45048
Instructor:  Nichols Bongers
Gen Ed: WCIV 
Course Days/Time:   TR 1:00 p.m. - 2:47 p.m.
Course Description:  This course offers students a unique lens to explore the cultural, economic, and environmental impacts of hunting across different American eras. This course is designed to be engaging and interactive, with a mix of lectures, discussions, and activities. Purpose: Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of how hunting has shaped American history and society. By examining key events, legislation, and influential figures, students will develop critical thinking skills and a deeper appreciation for wildlife conservation. Why Students Will Enjoy It: This course is perfect for history buffs, nature enthusiasts, policy analysts, and anyone interested in the intersection of culture and conservation. With a blend of storytelling, primary texts like Aldo Leopold's "A Sand County Almanac," and opportunities for field research, students will find the content both educational and enjoyable. Innovative Approaches: Research Component: Students will conduct independent research projects on specific aspects of hunting history, utilizing primary and secondary sources to produce well-supported historical arguments. Interactive Learning: Weekly discussions, guest speakers

 
HC - 2040  Less Grim(m): Fairy-Tale Films
CRN: 45049
Instructor:  Cornelia Schaible
Gen Ed: WCIV 
Course Days/Time:   TR 3:00 p.m. - 4:47 p.m.
Course Description:  When beloved fairy-tale figures come to the big screen, astounding things start to happen: A beautiful princess kisses an ugly frog, and – lo and behold – turns into a frog herself! That was unexpected, and clever twists and turns of this kind may greatly improve the watching experience of fairy tale films by Disney, Pixar and others. And yet, the House of Mouse is often criticized for sanitizing these old tales. There is even a verb for that: to disneyfy. Nevertheless, these stories of once upon a time tend to be highly enjoyable after turning them into animated movies, and they always have a better plot than folk fairy tales; the latter being clearly more beast than beauty. In this course, we will contrast and compare traditional stories from the collection of the Brothers Grimm and other sources to literary fairy tales as well as to modern and contemporary fairy-tale adaptations in a variety of media and texts. After all, fairy tales are not static; they are constantly retold, recreated and reformed.

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE 

HC-2050  Anime Movies: Art, Culture, and Narrative
CRN: 45050
Instructor:  Xiaoxia Chen
Gen Ed: GP
Course Days/Time:  TR 3:00 p.m. - 4:47 p.m.
Course Description: This course offers an in-depth exploration of Japanese anime movies, focusing on their artistic, cultural, and narrative dimensions. Students will examine the evolution of anime as a cinematic genre, tracing its roots from early Japanese animation to contemporary masterpieces. Through the study of iconic directors like Hayao Miyazaki, Satoshi Kon, and Makoto Shinkai, the course will explore how anime reflects and influences Japanese culture. Key themes such as identity, environmentalism, and the supernatural will be analyzed, providing insights into the unique storytelling techniques that distinguish anime from other film genres. Students will also consider the broader societal implications of anime, including its portrayal of gender roles, technology, and the tension between tradition and modernity.

HC-2050 Mirror into Quebec
CRN: 45051
Instructor:  Roberta Michel
Gen Ed: GP
Course Days/Time: T 5:30 p.m. - 8:50 p.m.
Course Description:  Quebec’s citizens are divided by different histories, sources of pride and grievances. Young people experience Quebec differently than seniors, who lived through decades of religious and linguistic conflict.  Québécois living in the regions often see Montreal as a foreign metropolis.  Quebec is increasingly the story of immigrants, the distinctly labelled Allophones, who think it is time for old-stock Francos and Anglos to get over their long-lost wars of conquest to deal with the urgent problems of the 21st century.  Mirror into Quebec will explores the things that make the Quebec Providence so fascinating, frustrating, and different.

Through examining stories, histories, artifacts, and films from Quebec, students will explore the events and role that English and French-Canadian identity plays as a narrator into people’s personal and professional lives.  In one portion of the course, lectures and readings will provide the backdrop that will enable the students to understand and analyze the cultural, socio demographic, and political development of Quebec.  The other portion of this course, about 7 days, is designed to provide a vivid travel experience that immerses the students in the culture of Quebec and encourages analysis of its unique development.  A Journal and daily explorations as well as a term-based project will guide this understanding and analysis.


HC-2050 Global Guitar Traditions
CRN: 45052
Instructor:  Chad Bousley
Gen Ed: GP
Course Days/Time: MWF 4:00 p.m. - 5:07 p.m.
Course Description:  Students will embark on a world tour to discover how the guitar has impacted musical cultures and societies worldwide. From Europe’s classical roots to Latin American rhythms, African innovations, Asian influences, and the rise of Rock and Roll, students will explore how the guitar has influenced and contributed to musical traditions and pop culture globally. With a hands-on, active learning approach, students will analyze music from a social context, engage in guided listening, research regional styles and genres, and participate in group discussions and presentations on the guitar’s cultural and social impact. This course blends historical analysis, musical exploration, and cultural research, offering students a dynamic perspective on the guitar’s role in traditional and popular music worldwide- from Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia and North America.


HC-2050 Questioning Resistance & Revolt
CRN: 45053
Instructor:  Bernadette Donohue
Gen Ed: GP
Course Days/Time:  TR 3:00 p.m. - 4:47 p.m.
Course Description:  The French are known for their tendency to go on strike, and these are nation-wide strikes, not miniature, special interest group strikes. And of course, the French Resistance to the German occupation in WWII is legendary and popular literature still returns to this source. But what about French culture makes them so predisposed to questioning authority and the status-quo, and what can we learn from this in our modern, troubled times? Through the analysis of historical examples of resistance, students will be asked to examine how they approach authority and the status-quo, and what constitutes acceptable ways of resisting in our modern society. The course will draw on historical documents and media, no textbook required.

SOCIAL SCIENCE

HC-2060 The Book – History and Future
CRN: 45054
Instructor:  Carol Hart
Gen Ed:  SS
Course Days/Time:  MWF 10:40 a.m. - 11:47 a.m.
Course Description:  Nowadays the book can seem like a relic, but it survives and thrives and continues to evolve as a technology while it serves as a key form of cultural knowledge and transmission. We will learn about the history of early written forms and the role that the written word has had for societies and cultures since humans have been writing. Our topics will include the economics of book production and the impact of books on scholarship and disseminating knowledge. Questions of access to books continue to be relevant to readers today whether they rely on libraries - public and private or fight against censorship and for freedom of the press. We will see how some things never change – when the printing press was new, it didn’t take long for people to claim that instead of fulfilling its promise to improve access to books, the world had been flooded with mediocre books not worth opening. (Sound like complaints you may have heard about the internet?) The class will assess the impact of the digital age on book access and the publishing and book trades. Our inquiries into the world of books will introduce us to some of the interesting men and women who affected the course of book production. We will visit the Kresge Library to examine some of the special collections and volumes held there. We will also read some key books in history and relate them to their places in publishing and reading history.

HC-2060  Board Games in History
CRN: 45055
Instructor:  Doris Plantus
Gen Ed:  SS
Course Days/Time:  MWF 8:00 a.m. - 9:07 a.m.
Course Description:  A study of classic board games as a reflection of human responses to historical events. Students will analyze how people interpret cultural, political, scientific, issues into pastimes. Additionally, we will consider how history influences games, and how games influence history. Finally, students will propose an original board game that addresses a specific issue.

FORMAL REASONING

HC-2070  Procrastination 4 Productivity
CRN: 45056
Instructor:  Susan Lynne Beckwith
Gen Ed:  FR
Course Days/Time:  MWF 1:20 p.m. - 2:27 p.m.
Course Description:  Can taking a nap be good for your grade point? (What is work? These are some of the questions we’ll be exploring together in this class. The subtitle for the class could be “How ‘Putting It Off’ Can Be a Plus! [aka “A ‘Nap’ for Success”]” because we’re also going to explore how our lives are sometimes mapped out for us and how alternate routes to success can be equally, well, successful!  From the “OMG-is-that-a-kitten?!?!” impulse to scroll to the buckle down and “Get-‘er-Done,” we all have contradictory calls upon our time.  Our society tells us we should always be productive, but is this a drain on our creativity?  da Vinci was known for getting ‘lost in the clouds’ and not getting down to business. Darwin got, well, distracted. A lot.  19^th-Century authors, like Hardy, integrate work/workers into their novels, though reading is a ‘leisurely’ activity: and scholars, like Scarry, tackle the perception of productivity and the representation of labor in art/literature to give us insight into the necessity of leisure for laborers.  The perception of work varies across the globe and history: different cultures approach work differently, offer more time off, achieve more productivity, and report greater life satisfaction.  In class, we’ll consider how ‘work’ works around the world and how mental vacations can lead to inspiration! And because play can be an essential aspect to the procrastination that leads to productivity, we’re going to have fun! In fact,  OHHHH, look, a kitten…  ;)

HC-2070  Underdogs and Outliers
CRN: 45057
Instructor:  Doris Plantus
Gen Ed:  FR
Course Days/Time:  MWF 1:20 p.m. - 2:47 p.m.
Course Description: History has been shaped by unlikely heroes at a distance from the center of power, whether geographically, economically, or institutionally. This course explores such people as Sacagawea, Alexander the Great, Joan of Arc, Confucius, Marie Curie, Galileo, Homer, Einstein, Elvis, Gandhi, Genghis Khan, Hannibal, Michelangelo, MLK, Mozart, Napoleon, Isaac Newton, and others, whose unique contributions determined the course of history. We will consider how individual characteristics combine with timing and opportunity to influence human events. As we analyze the role underdogs and outliers have on historical outcomes, students will evaluate contenders who deserve distinction in this category by creating a detailed profile of their choosing from the present day, with supporting criteria. The final project will include designing a trophy and certificate of recognition for the outlier/underdog, and how, specifically history will acknowledge their accomplishments.

 


NATURAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
 
HC-2080  Plant-Based Nutrition
CRN: 45058
Instructor: Kelly Bambrick
Gen Ed: NSTD
Course Days/Time:  TR 1:00 p.m. - 2:47 p.m.
Course Description:  While nutrition is not the only component of health, it plays a fundamental role in promoting or demoting health. Many nutrition myths abound; yet, there is a dietary pattern suitable for the human body, and by understanding the human design, we are able to discern what foods will bring not only essential fuel but nourishment and healing to the body. Conversely, the study of the human design will also reveal what foods (or food-like substances) will be detrimental to the body. This class focuses on whole food plant-based nutrition by examining the research behind this dietary pattern that has been demonstrated to not only prevent, but treat and in some cases reverse common chronic conditions. We will also investigate common pitfalls and assumptions found in nutrition research that may prevent us from finding reliable sources on nutrition. This class is a combination of understanding nutrition research and gaining practical information, offering not only the "what" and "why" but the "how" of plant-based nutrition so that the information gained in this course will have lifelong impact.

HC-3900 Research and Scholarship
Instructor: Susan Lynne Beckwith
Course Day/Time: Online (1 credit)
Course Description: With the support of an OU faculty member of your choice (your thesis mentor) and the HC 3900 teaching team, you will work to develop the proposal for your final Thesis project.

The Honors College is pleased to offer more than 1 course in each of the general education categories.  Please read course titles and descriptions within each category.

ART = Art   HC2010
LIT = Literature   HC2020
WCIV = Western Civilization   HC2040
GP = Global Perspective   HC2050
SS = Social Science    HC2060
FR = Formal Reasoning    HC2070
NSTN = Natural Science & Technology    HC2080

Attributes
DIV = Us Diversity
KA = Knowledge Application
WIG = Writing Intensive in the General Education

Winter 2026

ART 

HC-2010  Creative Minds: Puzzle Me This
CRN: 14565
Instructor: Susan Lynne Beckwith
Gen Ed: ART + WIG
Course Days/Time:  MWF  1:20 p.m. - 2:27 p.m.
Course Description: In this class, we’re not going to focus on ‘answers’ but rather the fun and benefit of creative puzzle solving. In fact, there won’t ever be a single ‘right’ answer, which also means there will be no wrong answers!   Instead, we’re going to consider how we put the pieces together to see the puzzle in the first place. We’re going to build games, play games, and puzzle through together!  This class is adapted from a medical school seminar, but it isn’t just for students in the medical and health sciences fields which increasingly emphasize and rely upon this in the practice of medical care – it is going to be beneficial and interesting to all students in all fields as we take into consideration the way in which a problem is presented in order to find a better and possibly more creative solution.    And whether we are going into healthcare, business, engineering, criminal justice, creative writing, or the arts, we all want to better understand the questions that puzzle us. Is something a problem or is it an opportunity? How do we find something or be rid of it? How do we achieve something we want? Why is this happening? What does it mean? Life is a puzzle to be figured out, putting pieces together, each in our own way.  Oh. And it’s all about having fun with games and puzzles. Who doesn’t love a good puzzle?

HC 2010 Art & Science of Emotions
CRN:  14566
Instructor: Susan Lynne Beckwith
Gen Ed:  ART 
Course Days/Time: MWF 12:00 p.m. - 1:07 p.m.
Course Description:  Johann Sebastian Bach is a household name. But why? This course surveys the life journey of Bach, from orphan Johann, to aspiring musician, to death in obscurity, to rediscovery in the 19 th century.  How did this musician (with 2 marriages and 22 children) manage to accomplish so much and write such sublime music of the High Baroque era? Along the way, lots of musical examples will guide our discussion and make the case that, indeed, Johann Sebastian Bach deserves his fame. And who knows––graduates may even add Bach to their playlists!

HC 2010 Poetry through Music: Art Song
CRN: 14564
Instructor:  Victoria Shively
Gen Ed:  ART & WIG
Course Days/Time: TR  1:00 p.m. - 2:47 p.m.
Course Description: In the 19th century, songwriters created a new genre that endeavored to marry the poetic texts of Goethe and others to music that would illuminate the poetry’s essence. In the salons of Vienna, Schubert and his contemporaries wove voice and piano into a rich tapestry that served both as art and entertainment. In addition to learning why this was the perfect time and place for this social and artistic innovation, we will interpret poetry and discover why the music effectively represents the language. We will also follow its expansion to other languages and times, including the present day. No prior music experience is necessary.

LITERATURE

HC 2020  Intro to Irish Literature
CRN: 14567
Instructor:  Roberta Michel
Gen Ed:    LIT
Course Days/Time:  T/TH 1:00 p.m. -2:47 p.m.
Course Description:  This course will examine prose and poetry written in the late 20th and early 21st Century that explores the connection between what, how, and why of Ireland’s most promising voices in contemporary fiction. As a writing intensive course, students will learn how to produce well written essays drawn from critically examining the course texts; engage in various rhetorical strategies that are appropriate to the topic and context as well as gain a greater appreciation for Ireland as offered through its literature. Irish writers have continued to focus on their relation to place, politics, history, and those points where the public and the private collide often with wit, humor and satire.

HC 2020 American True Crime Literature
CRN: 14568
Instructor:  Erin Dwyer
Gen Ed:   LIT
Course Days/Time:  TR 1:00 p.m.  - 2:47 p.m.
Course Description:  This interdisciplinary class will focus on some key true crime texts, like In Cold Blood and Killers of the Flower Moon, to unpack them as works of literature and as examples of the history of true crime and the legal system. Starting with confession pamphlets from colonial America and England and going through more recent noted works of true crime, including film versions and podcasts, the class will be chronological in structure. This will enable students to see how true crime has always been popular, but the genre and its conventions have evolved over time. Because this class will teach students to identify, examine, and employ tropes of true crime literature this class also incorporates elements of media literacy and creative writing.

HC 2020  Law and Literature
CRN: 14569
Instructor:  Julie Granthen
Gen Ed:   LIT
Course Days/Time:  T/TH 3:00 p.m. - 4:47 p.m.
Course Description:  My first exposure to the field of Law and Literature came when I read an article contending that our founding documents, such as the Constitution or the Federalist Papers, should be considered to be literature as opposed to being a legal document. Judge Richard Posner, influenced by his mother’s area of expertise, wrote a book on the intersection of law and literature. He focused on the works of Homer, Shakespeare, Kafka, Camus, and Dickens. In subsequent editions of the book, he also analyzed the more recent novels of Scott Turow and John Grisham.  This field has evolved to include legal concepts or legal issues in poems and plays in addition to fiction with the focus expanding to include ethics, justice, the role of lawyers in the justice system, and the private lives of lawyers.  We will first look at how law was portrayed in some classic pieces of literature including but not limited to Kafka’s The Trial and in Dicken’s Bleak House. Then, we will view how law has been portrayed in more recent pieces of literature such as Presumed Innocent by John Grisham and One L written by Scott Turow and will note some concerns. If nonlawyers write legal works, is there a risk the legal information will be incorrect? Or should the fiction just be entertaining to the reader as opposed to being true?

HC 2020  King David: Life and Legends 
CRN:14570
Instructor:  Michael Pytlik
Gen Ed:   LIT
Course Days/Time:  TR 10:00 a.m. - 11:47 a.m.
Course Description:  Explores the life, history, archaeology, and art devoted to one of the western tradition’s most celebrated characters, King David. Examines biblical passages, critical responses to his life and his actions in later works, including the Talmud, mystical texts and others.  Addresses the historical existence of David apart from the biblical texts.

HC 2020  A Lion. A Witch. A Wardrobe.
CRN: 14571
Instructor:   Randy Engle
Gen Ed:   LIT
Course Days/Time:  TR 10:00 a.m.  - 11:47 a.m.
Course Description:  Author C.S. Lewis is a towering giant of an author and educator. While teaching first at Oxford and then at Cambridge, Lewis wrote one of the masterpieces of 20th century literature, The Chronicles of Narnia. Though intended as children’s literature (rarely, if ever, is any word more than 2 syllables long) the 7–volume series captures adults as well, and pulls all readers into its inescapable imagination, metaphor, and delight. This course will survey the life and times of Clive Staples Lewis and read closely The Chronicles of Narnia, the work that brought Lewis such international acclaim. We’ll also evaluate radio, television, stage, film, and video game adaptations of the Narnia series

WESTERN CIVILIZATION

HC 2040  Declassified: Secret Programs
CRN: 14574
Instructor:  Doris Plantus
Gen Ed:   WCIV
Course Days/Time:  MWF 8:00 a.m. -  9:07 a.m.
Course Description:This course explores the often shocking secret government programs that had controversial objectives, paired with dangerous methods, obscured from the general public. Protected by concerns for national security, or sensitive historical content, declassification is a long process that ultimately releases information once any threat has passed. Of interest to students is the idea that many of these programs were frequently chalked up to conspiracies, but later validated after lives and reputations were ruined. Examples include Operation Midnight Climax (LSD), and Project Mockingbird (press manipulation). In addition to studying the range of declassified information, students will evaluate the merits of the secret programs. The final project will involve any one of current (conspiracy) theories, such as UFO/UAP, and others, where students will ascertain the value of both classification and declassification.

HC 2040  Crime Fiction and the French Riviera
CRN: 14573
Instructor:  Rebecca Josephy
Gen Ed:  WCIV   
Course Days/Time:  MWF 10:40  a.m. -11:47 a.m.
Course Description:  Students will learn about the rich history of mystery and detective fiction in the glamorous Côte d’Azur. From Agatha Christie’s lesser known The Mysterious Mr Quin series to Simenon’s 1932 Maigret novel, Liberty Bar, to Ian Flemming’s novels where Bond recuperates in Juan les-pins (just east of Cannes), students will trace the steps of crime fiction writers and their characters (both villains and investigators) through the beautiful Côte d’Azur. Some of the questions we will study are the following: what role do the mega rich play in mystery and detective fiction? How is the criminality beneath the glittering surface of the Côte d’Azur depicted? Are ethical and moral considerations different in big city crime fiction.  resort towns? How does trans-national crime and political scandal (France, Monaco, Italy) affect investigations in both classic and hardboiled crime fiction? Why is the French Riviera such a popular location for crime fiction, and, in what way does this sub- category of mystery and detective fiction inform the broader genre? By the end of the class, students will gain a deep understanding of the historical and theoretical importance of physical location in popular fiction as well as insight into the evolution of mystery and detective fiction, from the Golden Age to the present-day.

HC 2040  Kings and Things
CRN: 14572
Instructor:  Randy Engle
Gen Ed:   WCIV
Course Days/Time:  MWF 12:00 p.m. - 1:07 p.m.
Course Description:  The class will meet in the library of Meadowbrook Hall. Two sessions each week will be lecture-based, walking the students through English history and royalty. The third session (“Fun Friday”) will be an out-of-classroom experience: different tours of Meadowbrook, a visit to the Dodge graves, and so forth. A no-cost Reader, developed by the Professor, guides the course. Weekly quizzes, midterm, final, and a class project will assess students’ work.