Please note: The following courses represent all Honors courses that have been taught in the past decade.  Most are offered a regular basis (every one to three years), yet some will not be offered again.  Please contact the course instructor or Dr. Burke for information about a specific course.

ART 401: Special Topics – Contemporary Movements in American Painting 
This course is an overview of themes in art from 1945 to the present.  The primary focus of this course will be on American Painting.  Topics to be covered include the legacy of Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art in the 60's, the emergence of the feminist art movement in the 70's, theories of post-modernism, the relation of subcultural phenomena including hip-hop and Punk-Rock to the mainstream, and contemporary developments of the last decade.  This course emphasizes student discussion and critical thinking derived from selected readings, films and attending gallery exhibitions.

Note: This course is numbered at the 400 level ONLY because the CBU catalog did not have a lower level Art Special Topics number.  It will not be taught at the 400 level and does not assume any level of art expertise.

BIOL 111:  Honors Principles of Biology I 

The first half of a comprehensive study of contemporary biology, this course covers bio-chemistry, cytology, photosynthesis, energy metabolism, cell division, development, genetics, evolution, systematics, and taxonomy of viruses, monerans, protists, and plant diversity.  Offered in the Fall semester. Corequisite BIOL 111L (there is no designated Honors lab section at this time).

Honors students will be in this course with non-Honors students but will have additional assignments and will be scheduled to meet for two rather than one discussion section each week.  . 
Instructor: Dr. Sandra Thompson-Jaeger

BIOL 112:  Honors Principles of Biology II 

Continuation of BIOL 111, this semester covers systematics and taxonomy of fungi and animals, anatomy and physiology of ukaryotic organisms, embryology, and ecology. Offered in the Spring semester. Prerequisite: BIOL 111. Corequisite: BIOL 112L. (There is no designated Honors lab section at this time.) 

Honors students will be in this course with non-Honors students but will have additional assignments and will be scheduled to meet for two rather than one discussion section each week. 
Instructor: Dr. Mary Ogilvie

ECONOMICS 209:  Honors Principles of Microeconomics
This course will focus on the mechanisms employed by the freee enterprise system to answer production, allocation, and distribution questions.  Students will develop an understanding of the importance of the incentives and individual decision-making and its impact on outcomes.  Finally, there will be a study of market failure, the proper role of government, and government failures.
Instructor: Dr. Dale Bails

ENGINEERING 400 (CE, ECE, CHE, ME 400):  Honors The Compleat Engineer
This course deals with a wide array of issues facing the practicing engineer.  Topics include: engineering ethics; regulatory issues; health, safety, and environmental factors; reliability, maintainability, producibility, sustainability; and the context of engineering in the enterprise, in society, and as part of the global economy.  Prerequisite: Permission of the department.

ENGLISH 231. Honors Survey Of World Literature I
A survey of significant prose and poetry writers of world literature from ancient times through 1600. This course will include an emphasis on writings skills. ENG 231 by itself can be substituted for ENG 111.  Offered in the Fall semester. 
Instructor: Dr. Ann Marie Wranovix

ENGLISH 232. Honors Survey Of World Literature II
A survey of significant prose and poetry writers of world literature from 1600 through the present.This course will include an emphasis on writing skills.ENG 232 by itself can be substituted for ENG 112.ENG 231 and 232 together can be substituted for ENG 111,112, and one of the following: ENG 211, 212, 221, or 222.  Offered in the Spring semester. 
Instructor: Dr. Steve Grice

ENGLISH/HISTORY 390.  History and Literature of the Vietnam War
This course takes an in-depth look at the causes, main events, reactions at home and aftermath of the Vietnam War as seen through the war's depiction in historical texts, personal memoirs, fiction, poetry, and film.
Instructors:  Dr. Steve Grice and Dr. Marius Carriere
Prerequisites:  History 104 and 152 or permission of instructor AND any 200 level English course

ENGLISH 392.  Rhetoric and Power
The course will discuss the reflection and interaction of language with society, with particular emphasis on gender, ethnicity, class and other “difference” issues.  Some specific foci will include (as they apply to language) definition, framing, stereotypes, language taboos, powerful and powerless language, etc. We’ll look at how language reflects the changing roles of people in contemporary society, and students will practice clarifying/expressing their own assumptions about language and these roles. Some important questions will be: (1) How does language reveal and perpetuate attitudes? (2) What kinds of power are there, and what role does language play in empowerment or marginalization? 
Instructor: Dr.Clayann Panetta

ENGLISH 450: Honors Contemporary Literature
A study of American and British fiction, poetry and drama of hte past twenty-five years.
Instructor: Dr. Libby Broadwell

ENGLISH 487.  Journal Internship
Experience in soliciting submissions for and editing the Honors Journal.  Must be approved by the Honors Program Director.  Students may enroll in this course more than one time.  Pass/Fail grading.
Instructor:  Dr. Roger Easson

HISTORY 392.  History and Literature of the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union is unlike many periods in history;  it has a definite beginning (1917) and a definite end (1991).  Under the Soviet regime, the citizens of this vast country endured incredible hardships and enormous suffering.  This applies particularly to the Stalin period, when millions died due to famine, terror and forced labor.  With the exception of a short thaw under Khrushchev, Soviet rules relied on political repression to rule their citizens.  Although freedom of expression and speech did not exist, Soviet authors did produce intriguing prose and poetry of high quality.  While the official Soviet style of "socialist realism" produced largely worthless literature, many writers such as Pasternak, Bulgakov, Solzhenitsyn, and Akhmatova have written works that are considered classics.  This course will examine both the history and literature of the Soviet Union.  It will feature some lectures and films as well as considerable reading and discussion.  Literature lovers of the world, unite!!!
Instructor:  Dr. Frank Buscher
 

HISTORY / POLITICAL SCIENCE 393. Political History of the Space Age
One of the most dramatic stories of the last fifty years is the entry of Humankind into space. Since the launch of the world’s first satellite by the Soviet Union in 1957, space has been an arena of superpower competition, scientific exploration and money making business endeavors. The political, economic, and social repercussions of space technology are enormous: live news coverage, weather forecasting, electronics, and even the environmental movement all owe something to the technology and imagery of space flight. Politically, space has come to symbolize national competition and national pride, while simultaneously stimulating hopes for international cooperation and unity. What are the “politics of space”? What is the legacy of the Cold War “space race” and where are we going in the twenty-first century? 
The course shall focus on the international politics of the space age, namely how the exploration of space has shaped (and been shaped) by international politics. Our topics shall include 1) the legal, political, and economic dimensions of space; 2) the domestic and international politics surrounding the “space race” between the United States and USSR; 3) the development of the national space programs of the US, Russia, Europe, Japan, China, and other countries. Our discussion shall revolve around two key themes: the tensions that arise as nations simultaneous compete and cooperate, and the interaction between foreign and domestic policy making.
Instructor: Dr. Karl Leib
 

HISTORY 395: Honors Special Topics: Life During Wartime 
Civilians and common soldiers in war from antiquity to the present
Military history has come a long way.  It used to focus on the exploits of the "movers and shakers," i.e., the generals, diplomats and political leaders.  Increasingly, however, military historians have focused their work on the experiences of common soldiers and civilians in war.  This course will examine several of the great conflicts in the history of the west and their impact on the average person.  Among others things, students will be exposed to the most important books written on the subject, group research, considerable discussion and a classic movie or two. 
Instructor: Dr. Frank Buscher

HUMANITIES 498. Honors Integrative Seminar: "Imagination and Social Justice" (Note, this topic may or may not be the focus of the spring 2007 Integrative Seminar.)
Required to graduate with an Honors Diploma.  To be taken in either the junior or senior year.
What is justice and how might it be achieved?  What moves people to seek justice?  Why do some people seek justice for others and other people do not?  How might stories, in particular novels, help us to imagine the lives of others in ways that may move us to live good lives and seek justice for others?  How might our ability to imagine what it might be like to be of a different gender, social class, or race influence our views of a good human life, justice, and our willingness to work for a more just society?  We will read and discuss some essays on justice along with some novels that direct us to such questions. 

(As a required capstone experience, each Honors student will participate in the Honors Integrative Seminar in either the Junior or Senior year. Using an interdisciplinary approach and drawing upon a special topic or theme that can vary from year to year, students will critically reflect upon their academic major and previous Honors courses in the context of broader moral visions and public commitments.)
Instructor: Dr. Max Maloney

MANAGEMENT 290: Honors Leadership 
An interdisciplinary study of leadership across contexts and across history.  Theories of leadership will be covered with reference to political, social, business, military and sports leaders. Students will begin to develop their own theory of leadership.  Potential topics include 1) Traits of a successful leader: Sam Walton and WalMart; 2) Power and Influence: Huey Long of Louisiana; 3) Charismatic Leaders, Good and Evil: Nelson Mandela and Charles Manson; Leadership Failures: Richard III in Fact and Fiction; 5) Leadership and Gender: Eleanor Roosevelt.  This course will require attendance at a mini-retreat to be held off-campus tentatively scheduled for Oct. 26 & 27.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.

Instructor:  Dr. Kristin Prien

PHILOSOPHY 234. Honors Theories of Human Nature
An intensive study of classical, modern, and postmodern theories of human nature through the reading of original texts.  There will be an emphasis on the philosophical concepts and the ethical implications of the theories.
Instructor:  Dr. Max Maloney

PHILOSOPHY 394. Special Topics in Ethics: Honors Philosophy and Film - Visions of the Human 
Note: This course satisfies the Moral Values general education requirement for all students except those in Business.

Philosophy doesn’t have a monopoly on reflective efforts to understand human experience and values. Like other forms of artistic expression, film frequently tackles big questions about the meaning of our lives and the choices we make. It is not uncommon, however, that filmic reflections are as difficult to appreciate as philosophic ones. This semester we will be using film and philosophy together to better understand what each of them individually has to contribute to our understanding of ourselves. Over the course of the semester we will watch 10 films, write short responses and discuss the films. 5 weeks will be dedicated to lectures on philosophy and film theory. Possible Films include:  Blade Runner, Third Man, Spirited Away, 3:10 from Yuma, The Bicycle Thief, Papillon, Persona, Rashomon, The Thin Red Line, Fast, Cheap and Out of Control, Taste of Cherry, Pather Panchali, Mi Vida Loca, A Clockwork Orange, Rope, Hero
Instructor: Dr. Max Maloney 

PHILOSOPHY/RELIGIOUS STUDIES 395. Special Topics in Philosophy and Religion: Sciences, Values and Religion 

This interdisciplinary course explores how science and religion jointly contribute to our understanding of the cosmos and humanity’s place in it. In particular, this course will devote considerable attention to the ways in which scientific knowledge and religious belief inform the full spectrum of human values, including moral and aesthetic values. In taking a philosophical approach to this investigation, the course will seek to demonstrate that religious faith and scientific understanding are not necessarily in conflict with one another as is often assumed. Rather, religion and science can often be seen as complementary with respect to their insights concerning cosmic creation, life, ecology, morality, and meaning.  There is no prerequisite for this course. It can be taken for either Philosophy OR Religious Studies and will fulfill the moral values General Education Requirement (GER).
Instructor: Dr. Paul Haught

PHILOSOPHY 491: Honors Women in Theory 
The purpose of this course is to identify and address the status of the contributions of women to contemporary theory, both as participants in contemporary theoretical inquiry and as its object. Taking up the question of the specificity of women’s participation in the physical and human sciences, politics, the law, and philosophy, students in the course will be introduced to and asked to reflect on the issues of sexual difference, sexual equality, the sex/gender distinction, feminism, and postmodernism. Our first and most important task will be to answer the question, “Is anything added, or does anything change, when we append ‘Woman’ to the roles or occupations listed here: experimental subject, defendant, voter, scientist, politician, philosopher, etc..”
Instructor: Dr. Max Maloney

POLITICAL SCIENCE / HISTORY 393. Political History of the Space Age
See description above under HISTORY / POLITICAL SCIENCE 393. Political History of the Space Age.

PSYCHOLOGY 229. Honors Reality, Fantasy, and Media
In this course students will investigate the media construction of reality by examining three media representations: 1) mental illness, 2) women, and 3) the elderly. Students will examine how reality is created from a cognitive psychological and social-cognitive approach, constructive memory, inference-making, advertising, priming perspective. This course includes an optional service-learning component where students will volunteer one to two hours per week with area agencies that work with the mentally ill, women or the elderly. 
Instructor: Dr. Elizabeth Nelson

PSYCHOLOGY 231. Honors Psychopathology
This course will critically examine current and historical views of mental illness.  Emphasis will be placed on understanding the social stigma of mental illness and placing mental illness in economic, historical, and socio-political frameworks. 
Instructor: Dr. Tracie Burke

PSYCHOLOGY/SOCIOLOGY/CRIMINAL JUSTICE 291.  Capital  Punishment
Students will study and debate issues surrounding capital punishment:  "Is the death penalty an effective punishment?";  "Is the death penalty just?";  "Is the death penalty applied unfairly?" etc.  As part of their study, students will examine existing research on the death penalty in the areas of sociology, psychology and criminal justice.  Students will view critically films (including popular films) about capital punishment (such as Execution at Midnight, Dead Man Walking , and the award-winning documentary Thin Blue Line ).  The class will read and think critically about Sister Helen Prejean's view of death row inmates in Dead Man Walking as well as a victim's personal account in Forgiving the Dead Man Walking
Instructor:  Dr. Elizabeth Nelson

PSYCHOLOGY/SOCIOLOGY 292. Sociology of Addiction
 A scientific approach to nature, role, and effects of chemical and psychological addiction in society.  Explores a variety of addiction issues as they relate to the social institutions of family, education, politics, and medicine. 
Instructor: Dr. Margie Miller

PSYCHOLOGY 294. Honors Special Topics.  Problem Solving and Decision Making
The objective of this course is to improve people’s ability to solve problems and make decisions using psychological material discussed in class. Students will learn to improve their practical problem solving skills by learning to recognize and overcome conceptual blocks to problem solving. Topics to be covered include creativity, methods of problem solving, memory aids, decision-making tools, avoiding biases of judgment, etc. Students will be given assignments revolving around practical problems and decisions.
Instructor: Dr. Rod Vogl

PSYCHOLOGY/SOCIOLOGY 320. Honors Seminar: Death and Dying
This seminar focuses on critically examining and understanding death, the dying process, grief, the ethics of life/death, and a variety of related issues. It integrates a number of multidisciplinary perspectives and resources, emphasizes the exercise of critical thinking and implements the philosophy of writing as an integral means of learning.  (Same as SOC 320.) 
Instructor: Dr. Margie Miller 

RELIGIOUS STUDIES 245. Honors Religion and Science
This interdisciplinary course focuses on the way religion and science jointly contribute to our knowledge.It is based on the premise that no one source of knowledge, theological or otherwise, can alone provide a complete description of reality.Readings and guest lecturers from other disciplines will cover a wide-ranging dialogue dealing with issues in astronomy, physics, biology, and ecology.A spectrum of possibilities for the relation between religion and science will be considered, including the options of conflict, independence, dialogue, and interaction.
Instructors: Dr. Ann McKean and Dr. Mary Ogilvie 

RELIGIOUS STUDIES/SOCIOLOGY 293. Special Topics: Honors Sociology of  Religion
Note:  This course can be taken for Sociogy or Religious Studies credit
Two characteristics distinguish a social scientific approach to religion from other approaches; it seeks to be both objective and empirical.  While religion exists in all societies throughout history and across cultures, it is always a socially-constructed reality.    Religion is formed out of the dynamics of human experience (the human condition, beliefs, values, norms, symbols, interactions, and commitments).  It has held societies together and has also, at times, torn societies apart. It is at once a source of meaning and a source of confusion, both to individuals and to groups.  Through a seminar format, employing reflection, discussion, investigation, film analysis, and research, students will be given opportunities to: 1) appreciate their own religious perspectives as well as those of other students, cultures, and societies; 2) see the effects of social organization on religion, including the inevitable dilemmas in the institutionalization of religion; and 3) examine the role religious ideas play in the development of society at large, including emphasis on American civil religion.
Instructor: Dr. Margie Miller 

RELIGIOUS STUDIES 296: Special Topics: God, Evil and Suffering
There is little doubt that the pervasive presence and persistence of evil and human suffering poses a most significant challenge to the Christian belief in an omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent God.  But is this challenge insurmountable?  The question of faith – reasonable faith – in God in the face of evil and seemingly senseless suffering is not a new one, and so we will consider this question as well as some of the more carefully-reasoned responses proffered within the history of Christian thought, both traditional – e.g., Job, Augustine, Aquinas – and modern – e.g., Dostoevsky, Hick, Swinburne.  This course does not pretend to resolve the problematic character of evil, but rather, seeks to provide a context within which the precise nature of the “problem” may be carefully considered.  And what about the attending “problem” of good?  Such questions, as illuminated by past Christian experience, in comparison with the present, are important ones in the light of Christian doctrines of Creation, Fall, Salvation, and Eschatology, to name a few.  Throughout the course, the student will be encouraged to understand, appreciate, and analyze critically various positions regarding God’s nature, as well as the nature of God’s relationship with and to the world.  Through critical reading and written analysis of selected texts, films, class discussions, and lectures, the student is encouraged and expected to develop the necessary critical and analytical skills to be able to participate in the “theological process” in attempting to respond to questions of God, evil, suffering, and human freedom as posed – quite fairly – by contemporary society.  In sum, the student is expected to reflect systematically on the nature of God and on God’s relationship with the world in light of the distinctive experiences of men, women, and children in the modern world.  Particular emphasis is placed on the development of the student’s ability to recognize and analyze critically the social implications of various theodicies developed and proposed over the past few centuries.
Instructor: Dr. Scott Geis

RELIGIOUS STUDIES 390: A History of God
Where do we begin?  Where is the source?  From whom do we receive our first concepts of God?  The answer to this question is all the same answer.  This answer is found in the people who live on the land between Eden and the Sea—some call this place the Holy Land.  Others simply say Israel. We will study God by using two texts.  The first is by novelist/historian James Michener called The Source.  This book is about the land.  Each layer of an archeological dig in this story reveals another insight into God beginning in 9831 B.C. moving to the present.  God concepts of the three great religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam are featured in this work shaping the behavior of its adherents, accordingly. The name of our course is borrowed from the name of our second book, A History of God.  Karen Armstrong, the author, masterfully weaves together the same three monotheistic religions and their relevance to our understanding and belief in God today.
Prerequisite: One other religious studies course
Instructor: Br. Armand Alcazar

RELIGIOUS STUDIES 391. Honors Special Topics: Religion and Law in Ancient Society 
Where did our legal system and its concepts come from? How do we know it is reasonable and valid? To address these questions and other issues, this course will study and compare two important early legal traditions: ancient Mesopotamian and biblical Israel. Specific topics will include laws dealing with capital punishment, slavery, adultery, and ritual laws dealing with diet, sacrifice, and labor. The relationship between normative behavior and legal prescription, the authority of sacred narratives, and society’s enduring fascination with “court” drama are some of the topics to be discussed. 
Instructor: Dr. Nikaido

RELIGIOUS STUDIES 405. Honors Contemporary Religious Thought
Mohandas K. Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., are two of the most important figures in the history of nonviolence.  During their lives these two spiritual and political leaders drew upon a variety of religious traditions to craft the convictions and practices at the heart of two powerful nonviolent movements for social transformation and liberation.  This course will examine their lives, thought, and activist strategies in order to critically assess the forms of nonviolence they urged and practiced, and to consider their ongoing importance for people of faith engaged in struggles for nonviolent social change.
Instructor: Dr. Pete Gathje
Prerequisite: a 200 level Religious Studies course