Fall 2004 Newsletter

Important Dates    |    Robert D. Clark Library    |    New Faculty    |    Internships & Mentorships
Fall 2004 Course Descriptions    |    Literature    |    History    |    Science
Special Studies    |    Colloquia    |    Special Course Offerings    |    Seminars
Open-ended Courses    |    Curriculum Changes    |    Winter Term 2005

FALL 2004 - IMPORTANT DATES

September 22 - Wednesday
New student orientation

September 23-26
Week of Welcome

September 27 - Monday
Fall Term first day of classes

October 24 - Sunday
Fall Term graduates' deadline for graduation and Winter Term graduates' priority deadline for graduation - apply at the Registrar's Office

November 11 - Thursday
Veteran's Day - classes will be in session

November 15-24
Winter Term registration

November 25-26
Thanksgiving vacation

December 2 - Thursday
Fall Term graduates' last day to submit final thesis copies to the CHC Office

December 3 - Friday
Fall Term last day of class

December 6-10
Fall Term finals week

The Robert D. Clark Honors College faculty and staff welcome our new and continuing students to the 2004-2005 academic year. We hope that you will take full advantage of the many resources available to you at Clark Honors College. We encourage you to meet with your CHC Faculty Advisor often with questions about current and future coursework and graduation requirements, particularly with respect to the curriculum changes described on page 12 of this newsletter. Graduates of Clark Honors College have told us that regular meetings with their advisors made a positive difference in their academic careers. If you have any other questions or problems, please feel free to visit the CHC Office staff in Chapman 320.

ROBERT D. CLARK LIBRARY back to top

Some great advancements are being made to the Robert D. Clark Library, 301 Chapman Hall. Currently the library's collection is being entered into a searchable database, which will include all of our graduates' theses. It will be up and running by Fall 2004. The library is a quiet, comfortable study location and has some great books. Come check it out!

NEW FACULTY back to top

Three new Assistant Professors will join the Clark Honors College faculty next September. These three young women will bring a diverse set of new talents and perspectives to our program.
Monique Balbuena, a native of Rio de Janeiro, was educated in Brazil and at the University of California, Berkeley. Professor Balbuena is currently a Starr Fellow at the Harvard University Center for Jewish Studies. She is a poet, and is especially interested in the literature of Sephardic Jewish communities written in Ladino.
Historian Dayo Mitchell went to Williams College and the University of Virginia. She is a native of Sacra-mento. Professor Mitchell is an expert on freed slaves in the 19th Century Caribbean, and will enlarge the scope of our history program.
Toral Gajarawala grew up in New Jersey, and attended Tufts, New York University, and UC Berkeley. Her courses will reflect her interests in the literature emerging among French Algerian immigrant communities, and the Dalit ("untouchables") of India.

INTERNSHIPS & MENTORSHIPS back to top

The CHC Internship & Mentorship Program has undergone a period of growth and development. We now have more resources than ever to offer CHC students, including

• mentorships with CHC alumni
• internship networking and placement by CHC alumni
• social events aimed at fostering professional networks and relationships between students and alumni
• career workshops on searching for jobs or internships, interviewing, building and preparing resumes, networking, and other skills
• workshops on utilizing your CHC thesis to reach post-graduate goals
• upper division credit available for qualifying internships
• grants for unpaid, non-profit internships
• postings and emails of internship opportunities
• assistance with post-graduation preparation and planning.

FALL 2004 COURSE DESCRIPTIONS back to top

LITERATURE back to top

HC 221H			4 Credits
CRN 12290	9:00-9:50	MWF	CHA 307

Professor Henry Alley

HONORS COLLEGE LITERATURE
"The Suppressed Voice Gets a Voice"

The texts are The Odyssey, Sophocles I, The Aeneid, Hildegard's "The Order of the Virtues" and Dante's Divine Comedy. Through these, we will study changing models of heroes, such as Odysseus, Penelope, Oedipus, Antigone, Aeneas, Hildegard's Soul, Dante the Wanderer. We will give attention to reading the poetic or prose texts closely, to some of the larger controversies raised by these great works, as well as to the continuing conflict between political and private commitments - as dramatized by the epics, plays, dialogues and stories. We will also look at some current literary criticism, particularly with regard to the theme of male/female roles, and the way the traditionally suppressed voice of marginalized people becomes recognized. The major emphasis of the class will be on discussion - the more debate the better. There will be three short papers and a journal (a chance to explore your responses to the literature in a more informal context).

HC 221H			4 Credits
CRN 12292	12:00-12:50	MWF	CHA 307

Professor Monique R. Balbuena

HONORS COLLEGE LITERATURE
"Language and War"

The human mind works by analogy. People usually try to understand what they do not yet know by estab-lishing comparisons and analogies to what they know already. Metaphorical thought governs much of our un-derstanding of the world; it also defines most of our responses to this world and our actions upon it.
This course intends to critically analyze metaphor systems used to engage in a war and to justify a military campaign. It will also examine the connection between war and gender, observing how culturally endorsed assumptions of femininity and masculinity are reproduced or contested in the context of war. The objective of Language and War is therefore twofold: to serve as an introduction to metaphor and to the analysis of metaphorical discourse; and to examine women's role in war, with special attention to the woman as combatant. In a diachronic and cross-cultural approach, we will read passages from the Aeneid, fragments from Sappho, many excerpts from the Hebrew Bible, speeches from World War II leaders and contemporary chiefs of state, newspaper articles and interviews with combat soldiers. Our corpus will also include Shakespeare, Assia Djebar, Chinua Achebe, S. Yizhar, and poets Wilfred Owens, Walt Whitman, Mitsuye Yamada, and Yehuda Amichai, among others. In addition, we will cover theoretical material about metaphor (including George Lakoff's famed Gulf War text "Metaphor and War") and about women's relation to war. We will also watch a few movies. This course requires a significant amount of reading and writing, so be prepared to work!

HC 221H			4 Credits
CRN 12295	8:30-9:50	UH	CHA 307

Professor Louise Bishop

HONORS COLLEGE LITERATURE
"The Narrative Subject, the Subject of Narrative"

In this survey of ancient and early medieval western literature, we will concentrate on narrative (plot and genre) and identity (character), and the legacy of the western literary tradition. We will assess our texts with an eye to their contexts, engaging our sympathies to pay close attention to the past. Our interest will be particularly drawn to the shift of narrative form from epic to romance. Our reading list will be drawn from The Epic of Gilgamesh, Homer, the Bible, The Aeneid, vernacular epics, and vernacular romances, such as the Roman de Silence. Written work for the class will include ungraded response papers, two five-page formal papers, and a comprehensive final examination. Some special events related to the class, such as films (the new movie Troy will be out) or readings, will be arranged during the term.

HC 221H			4 Credits
CRN 12291	10:00-10:50	MWF	CHA 307

Professor Toral Gajarawala

HONORS COLLEGE LITERATURE
"Categories"

In this course we will explore the representation of social stratification and general questions of class, caste, community and tribe as they appear in the epic, and lyric and narrative poetry. We will be studying works from various socio-cultural contexts. What insights do they offer us on how different early societies were structured and how those structures were maintained? How do these texts understand social relations? How do they treat issues of gender? We will attempt to answer these questions through close, careful analysis of the narra-tive strategies used in these texts and discussion of critical readings. Students will be required to write two short papers and take a final exam.
Some of the texts we will be studying are Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali - Niane, The Ramayana - Valmiki, The Inferno - Dante, The Pillowbook of Sei Shonagon - Morris.

HC 221H			4 Credits
CRN 12296	14:00-15:20	UH	CHA 307

Professor Frances Cogan

HONORS COLLEGE LITERATURE
"Heroes, Heroines and Virtue"

What makes a hero or heroine these days? Do we have a clear idea of heroic behavior or action today - or the idea a mixed mishmash of comic book super beings, cancer victims who have survived, civil rights leaders, soldiers, and sports figures? Where does virtue fit in with heroism? Is it a necessary ingredient? What model of virtue should we emulate and why? Do women represent the same heroic code? Do they have their own? If so, in what sense?
The classical and medieval periods were much clearer about the nature of heroism than we are today and clearer still about the virtue their heroes were expected to exhibit. Do we still admire many of the characteristics classically considered heroic? Can we discern something truly admirable in a Hektor, a Beowulf, an El Cid, a Roland, a Sir Gawain or Sir Lancelot? Are there Eastern heroic models of similar virtues and dimensions? Where should we fit the Monkey King or Tripitaka, for example, in our pantheon of heroes?
Fall term will try to answer these questions while studying primarily poetic form (narrative, dramatic, lyric) by both men and a woman (Sappho), from Greece, from China, from England (Anglo-Saxon), from Spain and Persia?
The period covered will stretch from Homer to 16th century China, from the Romans to 11th century Persia. Possible texts for the term include: The Iliad, Lyric Poetry by Sappho, Medea by Euripides, The Voyage of the Argo by Apollonius of Rhodes, The Aeneid by Virgil, Beowulf, and the female chivalric heroine. Silence, lyric poetry by Omar Khyyám, and the Chinese classic, Journey to the West.
The course will require 3 literary critical papers of medium or short length (3-5 pages, 2-4 pgs), for which a literary response journal, kept all term, can substitute for paper three.
Course will be run as a mixture of punctuated lecture and discussion, including small group work, as well as large group discussion. Students will be expected to have the reading done before coming to class so that meaningful discussion is possible. There will be a final in-class exam (with study sheet one week in advance), but no midterm.

HC 221H			4 Credits
CRN 12297	17:30-18:50	UH	CHA 307

Professor Helen Southworth

HONORS COLLEGE LITERATURE
"Heroes and Villains in Classical & Medieval Literature"

This course will cover a selection of ancient and early medieval texts. We will explore literary genres, use of literary language, ethical and moral issues, and social, cultural, and religious questions. We will explore how these texts provide and undermine the traditional interpretations brought to bear on them. We will also explore questions of canon formation, and ask what makes a book "great" or "classic."
Readings to include: Book of Job, Virgil's Aeneid, Homer's Odyssey, Sophocles' Oedipus the King, Euripides' Iphigenia at Aulis, Irish Myths and Legends and Dante's Inferno.
Films to include: Michael Cacoyannis' Iphigenia in Aulis, Pasolini's Oedipus, and Peter Greenaway's The Divine Comedy.
Students will be required to write three short papers (3-5 pages) and take a final exam. There will also be other in-class writing assignments. Class will consist of some lecture, large and small discussion groups, with an emphasis on close textual analysis.

HC 221H			4 Credits
CRN 12293	13:30-13:50	MWF	CHA 307
CRN 12294	14:30-14:50	MWF	CHA 307

Professor Cecilia Rosenow

HONORS COLLEGE LITERATURE
"Travelers' Tales"

Some of the most interesting, and at times humorous, literature comes from travel writing in the broadest sense of that term. This course covers a selection of travel-related texts ranging from the epic poetry of An-cient Greece to the travel diaries of Medieval Japan. By considering the formal conventions as well as the tales themselves, we will explore how and what these works teach us not only about the cultures the writers encounter but, more importantly, about the cultures to which the writers belong.
Class time will include lectures, small and large group discussions of the literature, and in-class activities. There will be two short papers (3-5 pages), a mid-term, and a final exam.

HISTORY back to top

HC 231H			4 Credits
CRN 12299	11:00-11:50	MWF	CHA 307

Professor Joseph Fracchia

HONORS COLLEGE HISTORY
"Early Civilizations: Comparative Socio-cultural Histories"

This course is the first of a three-quarter sequence designed as an "Introduction to Historical Thinking in a Global Framework." Our main concern this quarter will be a comparative socio-cultural history of some of the major societies of antiquity. We will begin with a consideration of the early river-valley civilization in the Middle East (Mesopotamia, Ancient Israel, Egypt). Then we will move east to the early empires and cultures in China and India. From there, westward to the Mediterranean to study first the Imperial city-states of the Greco-Roman world and then the feudal society that formed as the Roman empire was in decline. We will conclude with a study of the rise of Islam on the Arabian Peninsula and its spread westward across North Africa and into Spain and eastward through the Middle East and into South Asia.
Throughout, our purpose will be to ask historical questions, to understand socio-economic, political, and cultural forms not as static entities, but as the evolving means by which human beings satisfy their needs, order their affairs, and attempt to make sense of their worlds. We will also try to understand the causes of historical change. The dual aim of thinking historically is to learn how past civilizations evolved and how to ask historical questions about, and enhance our understanding of, our own evolving civilization. Our goal is to paint a portrait of each society: its modes of material reproduction, the economy; its social order including class and gender divisions; its political institutions; and its cultural forms. Through an analysis of socio-economic and political forms, we will attempt to reconstruct modes of behavior and the tone of daily life; and through an analysis of art and literature, religion and philosophy, we will attempt to understand how members of those cultures viewed themselves, their society, and their relation to the natural and supernatural.
Class meetings will be a combination of lecture and discussion. Readings include: The Epic of Gilgamesh, and selections from the following: The Hebrew Bible; the Analects of Kongzi (Confucius); the Mencius; the Vedas; The Oresteia from Aeschylus; from Plato, the Christian Bible; the Koran.

HC 231H			4 Credits
CRN 12300	15:00-16:20	MW	CHA 307

Instructor TBD

HONORS COLLEGE HISTORY

Course description unavailable

HC 231H			4 Credits
CRN 12302	10:00-11:20	UH	CHA 303

Professor Roxann Prazniak

HONORS COLLEGE HISTORY
"Central Asia: Mediterranean/Himalayan routes in the making of world history [800 B.C.E. - 1500 C.E.]"

This course travels across the Eurasian continent from Greek city-states and Buddhist kingdoms to the early medieval era of Christian knights and Sufi masters. Considering primary sources from both Europe and Asia, our focus is on social and intellectual interactions in the mid-continent areas we now refer to as Central Asia. With attention to the commercial and social practices that organized life for specific groups across Eurasia, we will traverse routes linking Changan, Dunhuang, Leh, Mustang, Bamiyan, Samarkand, Antioch, Venice, Constantinople, and Rome alert to interactions that defined Central Asia and contributed to historical developments to the west and the east. Along the way we will explore aspects of the vast Hellenic metropolis of Ai Khanum, discuss the Tarim mummies, view the unique Greco-Buddhist sculpture of Gandhara, and analyze the conflict between Augustine's Christianity in Rome and the Manichaeism which found refuge in Changan and Loyang. Our method is to let the interplay of social groups across this region illuminate our understanding of any one location and time period. We will practice interpreting primary sources and write brief position papers for seminar discussion. Reading includes: Xinru Liu, The Silk Road: Overland Trade and Cultural Interactions in Eurasia [a brief introductory essay]; Richard C.Foltz, Religions of the Silk Road: Overland Trade and Cultural Exchange from Antiquity to the Fifteenth Century; selections from: Augustine's City of God; Farid ud-Din Attar, The Conference of the Birds; Christine de Pisan, Book of the City of Ladies; and Wu Cheng-en, Monkey: Journey to the West.

HC 231H			4 Credits
CRN 12298	8:00-8:50	MWF	CHA 307

Professor Dayo Mitchell

HONORS COLLEGE HISTORY
"Introduction to the Global Past: the Ancient and Medieval World"

This first installment of the year-long core sequence in history examines ancient and medieval worlds, traveling around the globe to introduce students to Asian and African history as well as European and American. While our theme for the year will be the rise of the west to the dominant position it holds today, this early segment will focus on the rise of civilization itself. How did humans move from hunter-gatherers to city-states to empires? What assumptions and beliefs did they enshrine in an attempt to organize the society they lived in? How did their understanding of the world around them differ from continent to continent and change over the centuries? We will consider the different ways in which historians have chosen to write the history of the pre-modern world.
Work inside and outside class will be designed to encourage students to develop a historian's eye for the patterns of world history and the connections and interactions among cultures. Assignments will focus on in-troducing students to close analysis of primary sources and building students' writing skills.

HC 231H			4 Credits
CRN 12303	10:00-11:20	UH	CHA 307

Professor Daniel Rosenberg

HONORS COLLEGE HISTORY
"Introduction to Ancient and Medieval History"

This course introduces students to problems in ancient and medieval history in Europe and the Mediterranean. The course takes a topical approach, focusing especially on the social functions of narrative, questions of body and sexuality, and religion as a cultural form. Texts include: Hesiod, Theogony; Plato, Symposium; Suetonius, Twelve Caesars; Augustine, Confessions.

SCIENCE back to top

HC 211H			4 Credits
CRN 15378	12:00-13:20	MWF	CHA 303

Professor Michael Anderson

HC INTRODUCTION TO EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

In this honors level introduction to experimental psychology, we will focus on topics in cognition, including sensation, perception, learning, memory, thinking, and language. Research methods will also be covered. The course will consider both behavioral and neuroscientific approaches to human (and where relevant, animal) cognition.

HC 207H			4 Credits
CRN 12289	8:30-9:50	MWF	CHA 303

Professor Dennis Todd

HONORS COLLEGE SCIENCE
"Sex, Selfishness, And Genes"

Humans are intensely social animals - and, in a sense, so are our genes. We aggregate in great crowds to celebrate and to mourn. Our genes combine and create an individual. We court, we fight, we jostle for power. Our genes cooperate or compete for dominance.
Many of our social behaviors seem exceedingly odd, and approaches to understanding have ranged from mysticism to experimental psychology. A newly developed field of biology, sociobiology, applies a Darwinian model to animal behavior and reveals that much human behavior has deep evolutionary roots. Sex, selfishness, altruism, dominance and submission, nepotism, deceit, and parent-offspring conflict can be observed in animals other than humans; insights gained in studying their behavior may illuminate our own habits and proclivities.
While sociobiologists may posit that it is the individual or a kin group of related individuals that survives and reproduces or perishes without offspring, and thus is the unit subject to natural selection, other biologists argue that it is the gene or a group of related genes that is the fundamental unit of selection. They propose that an organism is just the manifestation of and vehicle for the expression of the genes, and that genes may compete with one another, even to the detriment of their host, in the struggle for existence. Recent research has demonstrated, for example, that the genes of the sperm and egg battle to suppress one other when they first unite to form a new individual.
We will examine historical and current theories on social behavior, investigate the results of experiments in animal and human behavior and genetics, and perform experiments and observations on social behavior. This course is designed for non-science majors. No background in physics, chemistry, biology, or mathematics is required. Students will write two papers and give one oral presentation. Open book exams. There will be two 1.5-hour lectures and one lab period per week.

SPECIAL STUDIES back to top

HC 199H			3 Credits
CRN 15687	14:00-15:50	UH	CHA 203

Freshman Seminar - open to non-CHC students

Professor David Frank

SPECIAL STUDIES
"Moral Reasoning Through Oral Advocacy"

Through careful examination of famous public speeches by Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Jessie Jackson, Barbara Jordan, and others, we will identify the principles of moral reasoning and effective oral advocacy and public speaking. Students will write one three-page paper on one famous speech and will take a short examination on the principles of moral public speaking. Once these principles are identified and understood, students will present three speeches and engage in two debates on race relations in America. These exercises will be designed to help in the development of habits of mind and speech needed to wed knowledge to eloquence.

HC 399H			1-5 Credits
CRN 12295	8:30-9:50	UH	CHA 307

Professor David Frank

SPECIAL STUDIES
"Forensics"

Clark Honors College hosts the nationally ranked University of Oregon Forensics Program. The program is designed to teach rhetorical habits of mind and speech through intercollegiate debate and individual events. The program travels to about 13 tournaments, hosts two on-campus tournaments, and engages in some on-campus speaking activities. Two graduate teaching fellows are assigned to the program.
Debate students will be paired with partners and will be expected to conduct extensive research on the debate topics selected by the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) and the Parliamentary Debate Association. Novice and experienced student debaters are welcome, and students do not need to be Honors College students to enroll.
Individual events students select from among ten to fifteen public speaking and oral interpretation events and, in addition, work to prepare and perfect speeches designed to persuade, entertain and move. Students are graded on their performances.

COLLOQUIA back to top

Colloquia Are Limited To Students With Sophomore Standing And Above

HC 421H			4 Credits
CRN 12317	10:00-11:20	MW	CHA 303

Professor James Earl

HC ARTS & LETTERS COLLOQUIUM
"Mahatma Gandhi"

The course will study the life and teachings of Gandhi, and the Indian literature which grew up around him and his movement. Readings (and films) include:

• The Bhagavad-Gita
• Gandhi's autogiography, The Story of My Experiments with Truth
• His teachings, The Bhagavad-Gita According to Gandhi
• Mulk Raj Anand, Untouchable
• Raja Rao, Kanthapura
• R. K. Narayan, Waiting for the Mahatma
• Richard Attenborough's film, Gandhi
• Peter Brook's film The Mahabharata, and the Indian TV version of the same work.

HC 412H			4 Credits
CRN 12316	14:00-16:50	W	CHI 127
	14:00-14:50	F	CHA 303
	14:00-14:50	F	CON 330

Professor Mia Tuan

HC IDENTITIES COLLOQUIUM
"Modern American Race Relations"

Now more than ever we are in need of people who have invested the time and energy to develop thoughtfulness and sensitivity when it comes to issues of race. We need people who can speak intelligently about racial issues, who know the facts (or can be honest when they don't), and are able to juggle the complicated factors informing such issues. But equally important, we need people who understand first hand just how hard it is to engage with others around race and have developed the stamina and understanding to hang in there even during difficult times. The purpose of this course is to support individuals in developing these complimentary strengths by providing a comprehensive "taste" of the race relations field and ample opportunities to engage with one another around race.
Course requirements include weekly reading summaries and personal memos, graded attendance and participation, one 6-8 page paper, and a comprehensive oral final exam.

HC 421H			4 Credits
CRN 12318	12:00-12:30	UH	CHA 303

Professor Louise Bishop

HC ARTS & LETTERS COLLOQUIUM
"Women Write Science"

Scientia is Latin for knowledge. In this course we will examine the texts of five women writers to assess their attachment to, interest in, and use of science as a body of knowledge, a rigorous discipline, and a framework for sapientia, wisdom.
Our first writer, Hildegard of Bingen, wrote her medico-scientific treatises during the first half of the twelfth century. Both her Physica, a "natural history," and Causes and Cures, a compendium of medicine some argue derives from Hildegard's own experience, reveal her immersion in the learned texts of her day as well as her unique additions to a received corpus. Trota, author of the Trotula and a teacher at the first medical school in Europe, wrote a medical treatise roughly contemporary with Hildegard's. In true medieval fashion, the Trotula acquired other medical texts while retaining Trota's name and her gender in its title. The Trotula was widely disseminated throughout Europe, in both Latin and vernacular languages, into the seventeenth century. Margaret Cavendish, Countess of Newcastle, authored a "poetry of science" in the mid-sixteenth century, using atomic theory and mathematics, literally and metaphorically, for understanding the science of human existence. Jane Marcet wrote a chemistry book at the beginning of the nineteenth century to teach chemistry to interested parties, including women. Marcet pens a dialogue between "Mrs. B" and her two female charges in order to answer questions about chemical properties and experiments.
These four authors provide a wide-ranging journey through women writing science in the past. The final woman writing science will be at the choice of each member of the class. Each student will research a modern (defined as beginning in the nineteenth century) woman writing science. Students may also choose to work collaboratively on particular figures. Among the candidates for such research are Sophie Germain, Rosalind Franklin, Marie Curie, Ada Byron, and Rachel Carson, but students are not in any way limited to this particular list. Students are encouraged to treat science broadly - medicine, "natural philosophy," and mathematics all reside under the "science" umbrella - and to wrestle with social and literary meanings of women writing science.
Students will write short reaction papers for each of our four shared authors; at midterm they will provide a thesis question and an annotated bibliography for their chosen woman writing science; they will present their research to the class, either in groups or singly; and they will write a term paper on their writer, taking into account some of the "pre-history" of women writing science.

HC 431H			4 Credits
CRN 12321	18:00-20:50	M	CHA 303

Instructor John Orbell

HC SOCIAL SCIENCE COLLOQUIUM
"Constructing Social Theory"

This course will introduce students to the art and (I hope) pleasure of constructing theory in science, in particular social science. It is intended to teach some basic skills and techniques, to give you practice and confidence in constructing your own theories and - for better or worse - to make you a habitual theorizer. The course is divided into five two-week modules, each presenting a distinct mode of theorizing in the social sciences. At the end of each module, you will write a brief theoretical paper (up to four pages, plus diagrams when necessary) using the theoretical mode in question to construct your own theory about some (broadly "social") process that interests you. Your subject matter might be chosen from your own life, from some fictional account, or some other social narrative that interests you. Each exercise will count for 20% of your final grade. In addition, I will ask each class member to present two or three (depending on the size of the class) abstracts summarizing the work of other scholars who have constructed theories using one or other of the theoretical modes in question. I plan to spend a good part of the class time in a "workshop" mode.

HC 431H			4 Credits
CRN 15902	19:00-21:50	U	CHA 303

Instructor Cheyney Ryan

HC SOCIAL SCIENCE COLLOQUIUM
"Violence and Nonviolence"

This course will deal with central issues in the ethics and politics of violence and non-violence. Our focus will be on questions of war and peace, but more personal forms of violence and peace-making will be addressed as well. There will be much discussion, based around fairly short readings, that will draw on philosophy, politics, and history. Students will write several short response papers plus do a longer project. Attendance and participation in class will be mandatory.

HC 431H			4 Credits
CRN 12320	17:00-18:20	UH	CON 203

Professor Joseph Fracchia

HC SOCIAL SCIENCE COLLOQUIUM
"Bodies and Artifacts"

We tend to think of artifacts as remnants or shards, as archaeological finds that provide some clue to a culture that has disappeared. But the term "artifact" means quite literally "made objects". Understood as made objects, artifacts are everywhere; the made worlds that we inhabit are worlds of artifacts. Perhaps because of the association of artifacts with archaeology, we also tend to think of artifacts as material objects. But languages, ideas, symbols, and metaphors are also made objects; they do not simply exist in nature, but are produced, made by human beings living in particular socio-cultural contexts. But why do human beings produce artifacts? It is certainly true that the human species produces artifacts because it can (and is essentially the only species that can). But this is also a trivial observation. More to the point is Elaine Scarry's observation that the human being is "the interior structure of artifacts". By this Scarry means both that all artifacts are produced because they pertain to some aspect of (a need, want, or desire deriving from) human corporeal form, and that all artifacts can be produced because of the capacities and dexterities, as well as the needs, limits, and constraints embedded in human corporeal form. And she concludes that through the production of arti-facts, human beings remake the world in their own corporeal image. These are the themes that will be ad-dressed in this course which will be divided into two parts: one focusing on semiotic artifacts (language, sym-bolic forms), and one focusing on material artifacts. In both parts we will be concerned with understanding the body as "the interior structure of the artifact." Readings will drawn from a variety of disciplines ranging from linguistics, philosophy, and literary studies to anthropology and history. The major written assignments are a paper and final exam.
This course is built around the topic of an essential part of my current book project. What I have in mind for the course is not only to focus on my work in progress, but also to integrate student papers into my book project. This part of the book will consist first of a theoretical framework which I shall present in the class and then of a series of vignettes that exemplify how that framework might be used in individual analyses. The paper assignment is to write such a vignette which will be a study of the relation of the human body (or what I will call corporeality) to a specific artifact or set of artifacts produced within a given socio-cultural form. I am hoping to include some or all of the student papers in this part of the book. The authors of those papers included will be fully acknowledged and get a publication on their curriculum vitae. For this reason, the course will require a serious commitment to doing a great deal of thought about, discussion of, and reflection on a new way of looking at the artifacts we produce and the made worlds we inhabit.

HC 441H			4 Credits
CRN 12323	10:00-10:50	MWF	WIL 112

Instructor James Schombert

HC SCIENCE COLLOQUIUM
"Cosmology"

Cosmology, the study of the formation and evolution of the Universe, has progressed from its origins in early man's ideas of Nature, to Chinese and Greek worldviews, to Dante's vision of Heaven and Hell, to Newton's Clockwork Universe. Today, cosmology has entered a Golden Age with the launch of numerous space telescopes and development of technology that allows us to study the echo of the Big Bang. In addition to exploring the processes behind the origin of spacetime and matter, the science of cosmology has also expanded to resolve a number of philosophical and theological issues, such as Creation (i.e. Genesis 1:1) and the anthropic principle.
This course is a historical and philosophical review of our cosmological worldview from mythical times to modern science. We will explore topics in the geometry of the Universe, expanding spacetime and the Big Bang, dark matter, black holes and wormholes, quarks and mesons, galaxies and quantum physics. Our goal is to provide the student with a summary of our current understanding of astrophysics as it relates to the structure of the Universe and what topics remain to be explored in the 21st century. The material is presented without complex mathematics, but an understanding of algebra is required.

HC 441H			4 Credits
CRN 15381	18:30-21:20	W	CHA 303

Instructor Sarah Douglas

HC SCIENCE COLLOQUIUM
"Democracy and Technology"

Democracy is an essential part of the American political system and the election process is the key mechanism through which it is manifested. However, the hanging chad of the 2000 Presidential election, Diebold electronic balloting machines, and Howard Dean's use of the Internet for grassroots organizing suggest that technology has both peril and promise for the election process. Is this a good trend for American democracy? What are the value-laden assumptions of technology? Who stands to benefit from its adoption? Do we need to safe-guard our American institutions in the face of this rapid change? This course will take an in-depth look at the relationship between the computer and communications technology that has built recent American wealth and its role in carrying out (or not) the principles of American democracy. Coincidental with the class, the November 2004 Presidential election will provide a rich resource of material as well as a bit of spice for our discussions.
We will begin with a discussion of concepts and principles of American democracy and the institution of voting by exploring the historical heritage including the Athens city-state of 5th century BC, early American and European democracy of the 18th and 19th century, and modern 20th and 21st century American global democracy. Then we will examine four contexts where computer and communication technology has had the greatest impact: the campaign process including organizing and party politics, the media and information dissemination, the analysis of public opinion, and the voting process itself. We will pay particular attention to how the details of the technology and its implementation interact with American principles of democracy. Reading materials for the course will consist of materials primarily from contemporary news and Internet sources, as well as texts such as De Tocqueville's "Democracy in America" and the US Citizenship Test.

SPECIAL COURSE OFFERINGSback to top

These courses do not satisfy CHC requirements, but may reserve spaces for CHC students or may feature CHC professors teaching in other departments or schools.

CRWR 451/551			3 Credits
CRN 11367/11370	15:00-16:50	MW	COL 249

Professor Henry Alley

PROJECTS IN WRITING
"Writing the Short Story and Short Novel"

In class, stories will be discussed to highlight technique, as well as the major concerns of characterization, style, tone, and plot. At appropriate times, students will listen to recordings of authors reading their own work, in order to encourage an understanding of prose rhythms, pace of plot, nuance of dialogue and, finally, literary ambiguity. Also, we will discuss the differences between the dimensions of the short story and short novel form - what one can and cannot do, given the space.
Also, each week, students' work will be duplicated and discussed, so that each person has a chance to get feedback. Students will be encouraged to attach journal entries which gave rise to their finished work, so that the creative process may be considered as well.
Writing assignments will include several stories and a writer's journal. A short novel may be submitted in lieu of two stories. Also students may work on an overall plan for a full novel. The work of published authors will be assigned to elucidate technique. Writers we will look at include Porter, O'Connor, Welty, and Carver.

• Class enrollment limited to fifteen.
• Some spots will be reserved for graduate students.
• Course does not count toward the HC Seminar Requirement.
• Pre-requisite: a 200-level Creative Writing course in fiction or non-fiction or instructor approval.
• CRWR 324 suggested as a previous course.

SEMINARS back to top

HC 407H			2 Credits
CRN 12310	14:00-15:50	M	CHA 303
Professor David Frank
HC 407H			2 Credits
CRN 12311	8:00-9:50	U	CHA 303
Professor Helen Southworth
HC 407H			2 Credits
CRN 12312	14:00-15:50	W	CHA 303
Professor Francis Cogan
HC 407H			2 Credits
CRN 12313	16:00-17:50	H	CHA 303
Professor Sharon Schuman
HC 407H			2 Credits
CRN 12314	10:00-11:50	F	CHA 303
Professor Richard Kraus

PASS/NO PASS     ATTENDANCE MANDATORY

THESIS SEMINAR

Students will spend a majority of their time in the seminar polishing their prospectuses and then participating in a mock oral examination. Before enrolling in the seminar, students should have done the following:

1. Chosen a primary thesis advisor from your major department or school
2. Have a rough draft of your prospectus, following the guidelines in the Clark Honors College Thesis Manual,
3. Consulted with your primary thesis advisor on possible second readers from your major department, and
4. Completed the Thesis Seminar Application and turn it in to the CHC Office well in advance of the start of the registration period in order to be pre-authorized for the class (you can download the form online).

OPEN-ENDED COURSESback to top

If you wish to take an open-ended course, as listed below, please follow these steps.

1. Complete a Permission to Register for Individualized Study form, meet with a CHC faculty member, and determine the number of credits, grading option, and the title of the course as you want it to appear on the transcript. The instructor must sign the form.
2. Submit the completed form to the CHC Office so that you can be pre-authorized.
3. Register for the class.

HC 403H	CRN 12307	Variable Credits
THESIS

HC 405H	CRN 12308	Variable Credits
READING & CONFERENCE

HC 406H	CRN 12309	Variable Credits
SPECIAL PROBLEMS

HC 406H	CRN 12315	Variable Credits
PRACTICUM

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CURRICULUM CHANGES back to top

Beginning Winter 2005, the following curriculum changes will go into effect. If you have any questions about your course-work, or how these changes will affect your graduation requirements, please contact your CHC Faculty Advisor.

WINTER TERM 2005 back to top

LITERATURE
HC 222H Honors College Literature - 8 sessions

HISTORY
HC 232H Honors College History - 8 sessions

SPECIAL STUDIES
HC 399H Forensics (Frank)

SEMINARS
HC 477H Thesis Seminar - 3 sessions

COLLOQUIA
HC 421H The Historical Novel (Cogan)
HC 421H Metaphors We Live By (Johnson, Mark)
HC 421H Political Theatre of Arthur Miller (Mason)
HC 421H Literature, no title (Gajarawala)
HC 421H The University in Peace and War (Clark, S.)
HC 434H Cinematic China (Li)
HC 434H Human Rights and Environment (Kravchenko)
HC 441H Mysteries of the Brain (Tublitz)
HC 441H The Ecological Footprint of Energy Generation (Bothun)

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