UNIVERSITY HONORS PROGRAM
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Spring 2007
HONR 300A Hitchcock's Cinema
(4 credits)
Inboden, Robin
Don't get in the shower! Actually, you probably won't be afraid of taking a shower after dissecting the editing of the famous scene in Psycho and you'll also have a much better sense of the real cinema of Alfred Hitchcock. Many viewers, familiar only with Psycho and The Birds, don't realize that they are late and somewhat anomalous entries in the great director's oeuvre. The real Hitchcock is about suspense, yes, but even more about questions of romance, trust, morality, insecurity, and self-definition. And all these issues are explored in visual images, words, music, and symbolism that make Hitchcock truly worthy of his label as auteur (we'll learn about that, too).
The class will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays, but there will also be showings of each week's movies on Monday evenings, so figure that into your schedule. (If you have an unavoidable conflict with the Monday showing, however, don't worry; you'll be able to watch the movies in the library on your own time, as well.) We will spend some time on basic film terminology and theory at first, then work through some of Hitchcock's greatest films chronologically. Along the way, class members will also give presentations on films we are not able to see and discuss as a class. The written work will include several short papers or projects and a longer paper on a topic of the student's devising. We will end by discussing some contemporary films that bear the stamp of Hitchcock's influence.
This course may be counted in place of ENGL 180A by English majors and minors. WRITING INTENSIVE.
HONR 300A/C Transitions in Russian Literature: The Search for Self
(4 credits)
Zaharkov, Lila
This course examines the transitions - moral, religious, philosophical, political and personal that the protagonists in Russian Literature experienced as Russian society moves into the Modern Age and continues to the present day. Five great Russian authors- Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Turgenev, Pasternak, and Solzhenitsyn portray the various challenges their protagonists faced in the light of the vast changes that have taken place in Russian society from the 1860's. Students who have had significant contact with one of the works assigned (for example in another college course) may opt to substitute a work by that author. Limited enrollment for RAST majors as space permits. Be prepared to read some great and (500-page) novels! Course is supplemented by films on the works where applicable. WRITING INTENSIVE
HONR 300B Psychophysiology
(4 credits)
Wilson, Josephine
In this course, we will look at the ways in which physiological measurements (such as heart rate, blood pressure, electrical activity of the brain, muscle tension, and skin resistance) can be used to assess underlying psychological variables (e.g., learning, attention, arousal). This course will meet for two hours per week in lecture and four hours in lab. Readings in the course will include a textbook in psychophysiology and numerous journal articles. Students will be expected to collect physiological data during the laboratory sessions, analyze this data, and write up the results in lab reports. WRITING INTENSIVE.
HONR 300R Bioethics
(4 credits)
Nelson, Paul
This seminar introduces students to basic concepts and contemporary discussions in bioethics. Topics may include organ procurement, abortion, reproductive technologies, euthanasia, use of human subjects in research, genetic engineering, cloning and stem cell research, autonomy, consent, truth telling and deception, confidentiality, access to health care, rationing, allocation of scarce resources, use of animals in research, and environmental concerns. The readings from a wide variety of disciplines - medicine, law, economics, and literature as well as philosophical and religious ethics. Oral presentations and papers will develop students’ ability to identify moral issues, analyze moral arguments, and make and defend moral judgments. WRITING INTENSIVE.
HONR 300S Mental Illness from Multiple Perspectives
(4 credits)
Little, Stephanie
This course will introduce students to the field of abnormal psychology. Various types and treatments of mental illness in our culture will be introduced. Then these disorders and their treatments will be compared and contrasted to how they are portrayed in the media (e.g., movies, television, advertisements), as well as to their historical and
cross-cultural counterparts. In addition, evidence for the causal role the media and culture plays in the development of some abnormal behaviors (e.g., alcoholism, eating disorders, violence) will be examined, along with other potential causes of mental illness. WRITING INTENSIVE.
