Fall 2004 Honors Courses

NOTE: If you are interested in signing up for a course that is FULL according to this list, please send an email to clostran@syr.edu asking to be put on the waitlist. Be sure to include your name, SUID, and the course name, number, and section.

Foreign language course require permission from the Language Department in 340 HBC before registering.

If you have other problems with registration for Honors Courses, please call our office at 443-2759 or stop by the Honors Program at 306 Bowne Hall.

Fall 2004 Registration Information
Fall 2004 Seminar Listings

CHE 109  Honors General Chemistry/Honors
ECN 203 Economic Ideas and Issues/Honors
ETS 116 U.S. Literary History: Slavery and Servitude in American Literature Before 1860/Honors
ETS 235 Classics of World Literature I/Honors
FIA 105  Arts and Ideas/Honors
FRE 201  French III/Honors
GEO 219  American Diversity and Unity/Honors - FULL
HNR 250 Darwin and the History of Evolutionary Theory
HNR 250 The History and Natural History of Medicinal Plants/Honors
HST 210  The Ancient World/Honors
ITA 101  Italian I/Honors
LIT 226 Dostoevsky and Tolstoy/Honors
MAX 123  Critical Issues for the United States/Honors
MAX 132  Global Community/Honors
NEU 211  Introduction to Neuroscience/Honors - FULL
PAF 101  Introduction to Analysis of Public Policy/Honors
PHI 109  Introduction to Philosophy/Honors - FULL
PHI 209 Introduction to Moral Philosophy - CANCELLED
PSC 139  International Relations/Honors
PSY 209 Foundations of Human Behavior/Honors -
REL 191 Religion, Meaning and Knowledge/Honors
SPA 101  Intensive Spanish I/Honors
SPA 102  Intensive Spanish II/Honors
SPA 201  Intensive Spanish III/Honors
SPA 202 Intensive Spanish IV/Honors
WRT 109  Practices of Academic Writing/Honors
 

For courses that have honors discussion sections, honors students should register both for the lecture and for the honors discussion section, unless otherwise indicated.

CHE 109   General Chemistry/Honors
3 credits
Honors Lec M001: MWF 9:35-10:30, #12117
Professor Karin Ruhlandt-Senge

This is the first half of a general chemistry course for students with strong science interests.   The emphasis is on quantitative, physical and inorganic chemistry, with reference to application in current research.   Students should register for this Honors course and an Honors lab.   The course is worth four credits including lab.   High-school courses in chemistry and introductory calculus recommended, but not required.

CHE 129   General Chemistry Lab/Honors
1 credit
Honors lab M001: W 1:00-3:50, #12118
or Honors lab M002: Th 1:00-3:50, #12119 FULL
Professor Karin Ruhlandt-Senge

An introduction to chemical laboratory techniques.   Experiments are designed to provide an understanding of physical measurements of chemical systems.   Topics include surface tension and viscosity, molecular weight determination, polymer synthesis, thermodynamics of gases and solutions, chemical equilibrium, biochemical isolation and molecular absorption spectroscopy.   General principles underlying the experiments are emphasized.  

ECN 203 Economic Ideas and Issues/Honors
3 credits
Lecture M001: MWF 12:50-1:45     
Honors lab M018: WF 10:40-11:35m, #21098
Professor Donald Dutkowsky

This course focuses on the foundation of modern Western economic thought, and a model economists have built on this foundation as applied to current issues facing individuals and society. Emphasis in the honors course will be given to applications of the economic model, related behavioral concepts, institutional features, and economic data to current or recent developments in the US or world. The course will feature regular written individual or group assignments for students to apply this framework to analyze actual problems and issues.

ETS 116   U.S. Literary History: Slavery and Servitude in American Literature Before 1860/Honors  
3 credits
Honors section M002: MW 4:30-5:50, #18998
Professor Jolynn Parker

This course focuses on United States literary and cultural texts studied in the context of American history, culture, and politics. Readings in this particular section will be focused on slavery in American literature.

ETS 235 Classics of World Literature I/Honors
3 credits
Honors section M001:   MWF 4:05-5:00, #21241
Professor Brooks Haxton

This course introduces students to a number of the most highly valued literary works from ancient cultures around the world. Starting with some of the earliest surviving texts from Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations, and moving forward through time, students will read translations of Hebrew Scripture, Sanskrit and Greek classics, Matthew's gospel, Augustine, Chinese poetry from the T'ang and Song dynasties, and classical Japanese literature. Each week students will hear a lecture delivered by a distinguished faculty member from one of several departments on a work related to his or her expertise. Professors Haxton and Teres will then meet twice with their individual sections to discuss the lectures and works in greater depth. They will lead students in the discussion of these readings to investigate the notion of literary merit in relation to historical context. Social and religious ramifications of these works will include questions about representations of social life, morality, and religious revelation as well as standards of beauty and ideas about what art is and what it does. Careful attention to the interrelation of works from different cultural systems will help to elucidate the workings of cultural forces such as colonialism and imperialism in the production and reception of literature. Underlying the goals of the course is the belief that a vital part of any education must be the training of sensibility, the enlargement of the capacity for aesthetic experience and the ability to make judgments regarding the quality of written and oral expression. We feel these must be the possessions of all citizens in a democracy, which depends upon articulate discourse by discerning participants. Moreover, as societies become increasingly interconnected on a global scale, familiarity with and appreciation for diverse histories and cultural achievements, in other words, worldliness, looms larger than ever as a vital part of an educated person's makeup.

Regular attendance and active participation informed by familiarity with all readings will be expected. Occasional quizzes and response papers will measure students' understanding of the readings. Required Texts: The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Volumes A and B and selected handouts.

FIA 105   Arts and Ideas/Honors
3 credits
Honors section M018: MW 3:00-4:45, #12328
Professor Sandra Chai

This course is primarily a survey of the visual arts from the Prehistoric period through the High Renaissance and Mannerist periods. Emphasis is on art as a reflection of its historical context.   Art as aesthetic object will also be considered.   Parallel phenomena in music and literature may be briefly discussed.   The course requirements include three equally weighted exams, occasional short writing assignments, and one paper that may be revised for additional credit. There will be at least one excursion on or near campus.

FRE 201   French III/Honors
4 credits
Honors section M002:   MW 1:55-2:50 and TTh 1:00-2:20, 306A Bowne, #12399

Instructor:  

This is an advanced intermediate-level intensive language course for students who have completed the basic skills requirement in French or students placed into this level.   In addition to providing intense conversation practice and grammar review, it also serves as a transitional course between language and introductory literature courses.   The use of films, video, and guest speakers will augment regular assignments.  

GEO 219   American Diversity and Unity/Honors
3 credits
M001: TTh 10:00-11:20, #15753
Professor John Western

Discussion of the ethnic and racial interactions which influenced American culture's present form, both visible [i.e., landscape] and invisible.   Study of contemporary sociocultural changes in three regions:   the Frontier/the West/Alaska; Southern California; the South.  

HNR 250   Darwin and the History of Evolutionary Theory/Honors
3 credits
Honors lecture M001: TTh 11:30-12:50, 320 Hall of Languages, #19564
Professor Cathryn Newton

This course will examine from an evolutionary scientist's perspective the life and work of Charles Darwin.   Introductory lectures will include a biographical summary of Darwin's life and discussion of evolutionary theory during pre-Darwinian time, with emphasis on the first half of the nineteenth century.   Thereafter, the course will concentrate on the written work of Darwin.   Readings include On the Origin of the Species and excerpts from The Descent of Man , Voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle , and Darwin's scientific correspondence and notebooks.   The final segment will be an examination of Darwin's unique contributions to evolutionary theory, as judged by his nineteenth century colleagues (e.g. Huxley, Hooker) and by modern evolutionists.   Prerequisite:   Biology AP, Biology 121-123, or Geology 101-102.  

HNR 250   The History and Natural History of Medicinal Plants/Honors
3 credits
Honors section M002: MW 1:55-2:50 and F 1:55-5:00, #21744  
Professor Ernest Hemphill

Virtually all societies use plants for medicinal purposes. Moreover, many naturalists and physicians well into the twentieth century at least dabbled in herbal medicine, and medical plants and the search for new ones have spurred exploration and commerce from ancient times to the present. This course will begin with a discussion of how illness and wellness have been viewed in the past and in other societies, the history of herbal medicine, and the origin of the modern explanation of diseases. These issues help define what is meant by a medicinal plant, and delineate the criteria scientists use to determine whether a medicine is efficacious. Plants produce a vast array of chemicals (phytochemicals) which affect animals: some are poisons, others attract pollinators or repel insects, still others modify animal behavior in other ways, and a few, presumably without the intent of the plant, are of clear medical benefit. The class will examine some of these chemicals from the standpoint of the natural history of plants, chemical ecology, and the evolution of plants and animals. In addition, animals such as ourselves must avoid being poisoned by the plants we eat, and this has interesting ramifications in human physiology, choice of foods during pregnancy, and even how we spice our foods. In a few instances such as digitalis, the precise mode of action of a phyto-chemical is known at the molecular level. Examining these allows us to learn something about cell physiology, and to close the circle between ancient medical healing and the modern understanding of diseases and drug therapy.

A note on meeting times: The extended three-hour class on Friday will be used as needed for field trips and special classes requiring more than an hour. Most Friday classes will meet 1:55-2:50. However, students must be able to attend class at all indicated times.

Topics will include: What is an illness? What is wellness? The definition of a medicinal plant. The language of herbal medicine, does language define illness? Cures in search of a disease. Medical plants and history; voyages of discovery, the Doctrine of Signatures, herbs and astrology. Ague and the Jesuit cure. Dropsy and the foxglove. The germ theory of disease and the rise of Western medicine. How do we determine if a drug is effective? The structure of a plant: the view of the worm, the view of butterfly, the survival strategy of the plant. The chemical armamentarium of plants: chemicals that kill, chemicals that modify animal behavior, antimicrobials. Nutrients, antioxidants, spices. Preventative herbal medicine. The taste of poison, the liver and detoxification, the value of morning sickness. How we elude the killer plants. Medicine or poison? The matter of dosage. The mode of action of ouabain, curare, atropine, scopolamine, opiates, capasaicin: herbal medicine meets molecular biology.

Texts are likely to include: Judith Sumner: The Natural History of Medicinal Plants; Mark Plotkin: Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice. Grading will be based largely on class participation, class presentations, and written papers. There may be a few quizzes to determine whether students are learning terminology and mastering important concepts. Attendance at field trips is required.

Prerequisites: High school biology and chemistry or permission of the instructor.

HST 210   The Ancient World/Honors
3 credits
Lec M001:   MW 12:50-1:45, #17157
Honors discussion section M002:   MW 3:00-3:55, #17159
Professor Michael Gaddis

This course surveys the history of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East, and explores the classical roots of modern civilization. We will begin with the first civilizations of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, the roots of western religion in ancient Israel; then proceed through the Bronze Age, archaic and classical Greece, the Persian wars, the trial of Socrates, the conquests of Alexander the Great, the Hellenistic world, the rise of Rome, and end with the fall of the Roman Empire and the coming of Christianity. The course will treat political, social, cultural, religious and intellectual history. We will focus on issues that the ancients themselves considered important - good and bad government, the duties of citizens and the powers of kings and tyrants - but we will also examine those who were marginalized by the Greeks and Romans: women, slaves, so-called "barbarians." The course will emphasize reading and discussion of primary sources, in order to provide a window into the thought-worlds and value systems of past societies.

This course counts as Humanities Basic List and is also Writing-Intensive.   It may be combined with either HST 211 or HST 212 to form a sequence for purposes of Liberal Arts Core requirements and also for the History Major.

The Honors Section will meet for two hours a week (in addition to two hours of lecture) and will require more active participation and engagement from students.   Honors students will have some additional reading, covering both primary sources and major historiographical debates.   They will spend the last month of the course working on a research paper (15-20pp), the topic chosen in consultation with instructor. See the syllabus for the course. See the syllabus for the honors section.

ITA 101   Italian I/Honors
4 credits
Honors Lec M008:   TTh 10:00-11:20 and W 10:40-11:30, #16181
Instructor:   Jacquelyn Sorci

This is an introductory course for students with no functional ability in Italian, recommended for students who have previously studied a foreign language other than Italian.   In this proficiency-based course, there will be ample opportunity to accelerate the acquisition of listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills.   Class activities are communicative and interactive and conducted in Italian.   Video and multi-media computer work are an integral part of this course.

The course is highly structured.   Class attendance is obligatory, and there is a two-hours per week lab requirement.   Testing consists of unannounced quizzes, chapter tests, a written and oral midterm, and a final.

LIT 226 Dostoevsky and Tolstoy/Honors
3 credits
Honors Lec M002:   TTh 7:00-8:20 pm, #21761
Professor Patricia Burak

"The truth.   I care a great deal."   Tolstoy's last words set the tone for the depth and breadth of study in this honors section.   Two of the greatest writers in the world provide material for critical thinking, analysis and increased understanding of life's greatest questions.   Dostoevsky asked, "What is it man fears most?"   In this weekly seminar, we will study this question, among others:   man's search for the meaning of life, the essence of truth in life and the significance of suffering.   Readings include those in the regular syllabus of LIT 226 plus several other works of both authors.   Reviews of film (video) versions of Anna Karenina , War and Peace and The Brothers Karamazov further supplement discussion and inspire term paper themes.   This will present challenging material for students of literature who are interested in the philosophical, sociological, spiritual, historical and psychological dimensions of man's existence as portrayed in great works of literature.  

MAX 123   Critical Issues for the United States/Honors
3 credits
Lec M001: M 9:35-10:30, Max Aud, #16802
Professor Robert McClure
Sec M013: MW 11:45-12:40, #15494
Professor Heidi Swarts

This is an interdisciplinary, team-taught course that focuses on fundamental questions in American democracy. What is fair in a society dedicated to the equality of citizens?   How can we effectively achieve the greatest good for the greatest number?   How do we understand the relations between equality, liberty, and freedom?   How do we adjust traditional concerns to accommodate for changing imperatives?   How do we preserve the inheritance of the future while enjoying the present?   In other words, what does it mean to be a citizen, both in terms of rights and responsibilities, and the creation of good public policy?   These questions press upon us today, but they also rest on deep historical traditions that demand our attention.

MAX 123 is a required course for the Policy Studies major.   More information is available on the web. http://classes.maxwell.syr.edu/max123/maxindex.htm

MAX 123 and MAX 132 may be counted toward the Arts and Sciences Core Curriculum divisional requirement in the Social Sciences.   These courses may be taken in sequence (either course may be taken first), or with other courses as listed in the Core Guidebook under Interdepartmental Sequences in the Social Sciences.   Both courses also meet the Writing Intensive and Critical Reflections requirements.

MAX 132   Global Community/Honors
3 credits
Lec M001: W 9:35-10:30, #16803
Professor Tod Rutherford
Honors discussion section M002: MW 10:40-11:35, #12871
Professor Douglas Armstrong

The four-unit course is designed to help students become informed about globalization and its consequences. The first begins with a general look at globalization and how it seems to be reshaping our world, then continues with an examination of the free trade notion that is so much at the center of disputes surrounding globalization. The other three units vary each year. They may include globalization's impacts on everyday life, as represented by the workplace, domestic arrangements, and consumption habits; how globalization has generated responses that favor both wider political unity and disunity; and why globalization has spawned protest movements and how they in turn use it to their advantage.

MAX 132 is a required course for the International Relations major.   More information is available on the web.   (link to:)   http://classes.maxwell.syr.edu/max132/

MAX 123 and MAX 132 may be counted toward the Arts and Sciences Core Curriculum divisional requirement in the Social Sciences.   These courses may be taken in sequence (either course may be taken first), or with other courses as listed in the Core Guidebook under Interdepartmental Sequences in the Social Sciences.   Both courses also meet the Writing Intensive and Critical Reflections requirements.

NEU 211   Introduction to Neuroscience/Honors - FULL
3 credits
Lec M002: TTh 2:30-3:50 and TTh 4:00-5:00 in 105 Link, #17474
Professor Steven Chamberlain

This course will explore foundations of neurobiology beginning with cellular neurobiology, moving on to integrative systems and ending with higher brain functions. Emphasis will be on understanding of nervous system operation through lectures, discussion and demonstrations.   We will explore such questions as:   Can dogs see color?   Is there a cure for jet lag?   Can computers replace brains?   What causes a migraine headache?   Why are more men color blind than women?   Can you view the inside of the human brain as it works?   Do cats see better than you do?   Why does a bird change its song?   Is your eye like a camera?   Prerequisite:   high school biology and chemistry.  

PAF 101   Introduction to Analysis of Public Policy/Honors
3 credits
Lec M002: MWF 12:50-1:45, #17823
Honors discussion section M003: M 1:55-3:55, #17824
Professor William Coplin
Register for section M002 and discussion M003 will auto-enroll.

This course requires the completion of the assignments required for all students in the course plus a one hour and fifty minute meeting on Monday, immediately following the class. This course is designed to help you develop the skills widely used in government, business, and public communications to formulate, implement and evaluate public policy. The Honors section will consist of the following:

. Application of the skills covered in 101 to undergraduate education problems at Syracuse University and elsewhere.

. Informal discussions of public policy topics with the instructor and outside speakers.

. Chance to develop and demonstrate leadership skills.

This course is an introduction to highly valuable community experiences on and off campus.

PHI 109   Introduction to Philosophy/Honors - FULL
3 credits
Honors lecture M001: TTh 11:30-12:50, 306A Bowne, #12953
Professor Kris McDaniel

This will be a topical introduction to philosophy:   we will learn what a philosophical problem is, and what methods philosophers use to solve such problems, by attempting to answer several (three or four) philosophical questions.   The approach will be analytical rather than historical:   we'll be focused more on the truth of the matter than on what X, Y, or Z said about it.   Possible topics include:   personal identity over time, the mind-body problem, the existence of God, skepticism about the external world, and time-travel.

PHI 209   Introduction to Moral Philosophy/Honors - Cancelled
3 credits
Honors lecture M001:   MWF 11:45-12:40 102 HL, #19269

This course will consider problems of social morality such as abortion and world hunger, personal moral issues such as bitterness and self-respect, as well as perennial moral questions concerning death and the meaning of life.   These topics will be discussed in the context of alternative moral theories.   In addition to two major writing assignments, there will be brief, in-class writing exercises to test reading comprehension and to develop skills of argument analysis.   Tuesdays will be devoted primarily to lectures by the professor. Student presentations, in which both sides of an issue are considered, will begin class discussions on Thursdays.   This course is the honors equivalent of PHI 191.

PSC 139   International Relations/Honors
3 credits
Honors lecture M001: TTh 11:30-12:50, #19601, 304C Bowne
Professor Mark Rupert

This course introduces students to the theory and practice of world politics. In part I, we will survey some of the major theories which purport to help us understand international relations, and assess their relative strengths and weaknesses -- both as explanations and as guides to action. In part II, we will examine the position and role of the US in world politics, including the recent war in Iraq, from a variety of conceptual and political perspectives.

PSY 209   Foundations of Human Behavior/Honors
3 credits
Honors section M001: TTh 10:00-11:20, 304C Bowne,   #13183 FULL
or Honors section M002: TTh 8:30-9:50, 304C Bowne, #21754
Professor TBA

This course fulfills the introductory requirements for all additional coursework in psychology.   It is designed to give the student a comprehensive overview of the field of psychology, and will cover some of the following topics:   history of psychology, the human nervous system, learning and conditioning, emotion and motivation, developmental psychology, social psychology, perception, personality, and diagnosis and treatment of behavior disorders.   Course will include discussion and field-based observation.  

REL 191 Religion, Meaning and Knowledge/Honors
3 credits
Honors discussion section M002: MW 11:45-12:40 and TTh 10:00-11:20, #21810
Professor Edward Mooney

We will take religion to be a search for ways to answer our need for meaning, our need for self-knowledge, and our need to find a place in the vast history of the earth and cosmos. If religion is this search for meaning, self-knowledge, and place it might be fulfilled in whole or in part, or it might seem to end in futility. If we have faith or trust or hope that this search is not futile, this can be the core of religious faith.

The books we read are texts that over time have helped people define what this search for religion, meaning, and knowledge, is all about: how things fit together for us -- and how things so often fall apart. These texts will likely include: The Stranger, Camus; The Book of Job, from the Old (First) Testament; The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Basho; The Tao Te Ching, Lao Tsu; Fear and Trembling, Kierkegaard; The Life of St. Teresa; War Music from Homer's Illiad; The Inward Morning, Bugbee; On Religion, Caputo; Love's Work, Rose.

We will see some films, including: The French Lieutenant's Woman, Babette's Feast, and The Apostle. (You may want to see these early, on your own, on home video. Only portions will be viewed in class.)

SPA 101   Intensive Spanish I/Honors
4 credits
Honors sec M004: MW 10:40-11:35 in 306A Bowne, and TTh 10:00-11:20, 306A Bowne, #13321
Instructor:  

This is an introductory course for students with no functional ability in Spanish, recommended for students who have previously studied a foreign language, other than Spanish.   In this proficiency based course, there will be ample opportunity to accelerate the acquisition of listening, reading, writing and speaking skills.   Class activities are communicative and interactive and conducted in Spanish.   Video and multi-media computer work are an integral part of this course.  

SPA 102   Intensive Spanish II/Honors
4 credits
Honors sec M001: MW 10:40-11:35 and TTh 10:00-11:20, #13330
Instructor:    

This is a continuing course for students who have successfully completed SPA 101 or students with several years of high school study of Spanish.   Small class size provides for ample opportunity to develop and reinforce listening, reading, writing and speaking skills at the Intermediate level.   Class activities are communicative and interactive and conducted in Spanish.   Video and multi-media computer work are an integral part of this course.  

SPA 201   Intensive Spanish III/Honors
4 credits
Honors sec M001: MW 10:40-11:35 and TTh 10:00-11:20 #13342
Instructor: Dennis Harrod

This is an intermediate level class which reinforces intermediate level skills in listening, reading, writing and speaking while moving students towards the Advanced level of proficiency.   All essential language structures are reviewed and recycled.   Authentic texts, both literary and informational, and sophisticated cultural materials serve as the context.   Class activities are communicative and interactive and conducted in Spanish.   Video and multi-media computer work are an integral part of this course.  

SPA 202 Intensive Spanish IV/Honors
4 credits
Honors section M004: TTh 10:00-11:20 and W 10:40-11:35, #13355
Instructor:

This course links the language-intensive lower division courses with the literature, culture and/or content-intensive upper-division courses of the Spanish curriculum. SPA 202 focuses on the systematic development of advanced level skills and prepares students for the increasingly diversified upper division courses. Students deal with authentic readings, both literary and informational, and with sophisticated cultural materials. SPA 202 is a pre-requisite for courses numbered 300 and above and is the first course that counts toward the major and minor.

WRT 109  Practices of Academic Writing/Honors
3 credits
Sec M060: MWF 11:45-12:40, 304C Bowne, #13593
Sec M080: MWF 12:50-1:45, #13594
Sec M200: TTh 8:30-9:50, #13595
Sec M240: TTh 11:30-12:50, #13596 service learning section FULL
Sec M260: TTh 1:00-2:20, 304C Bowne, #13597
Sec M300: TTh 4:00-5:20, #13598 service learning section

This course is the Honors equivalent of Studio 1.   Student writers investigate and design writing processes and practice an array of informal writing strategies that strengthen learning and composing.   They sharpen their critical edges as readers, writers, and thinkers.   The studio classroom forms an active intellectual community collaboratively pursuing a common topic of inquiry by unraveling complex texts, arguing relevant issues, and researching key problems.   Born out of this work is students' keen sense of themselves as developing writers within the University, writers who are skilled at assessing and revising their writing both in and outside the studio classroom.

Two sections, M240 and M300, will include service learning opportunities.   Students in these sections will accrue 20-25 hours of service toward the 50-hour community service requirement for first-year students in the Honors Program.