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Upper-Level Courses
BACCALAUREATE HONORS PROGRAM
COURSE ROSTER--FALL 2008/SPRING 2009
Fall 2008
Upper-Level BHP and Single-Discipline Honors Course Offerings
BHP-209 Honors Seminar: Genetic Engineering and the Philosophy of Science
3 credits
This interdisciplinary course will integrate the basics of molecular biology with the philosophy of science. We will explore the nature of the relationships among atoms, molecules, DNA, proteins, cells and genetic engineering. Molecular biology will be used as the content to explore such philosophic questions as: What is the nature of scientific methodology? What is the nature of scientific observation and explanation? What is the nature of scientific laws and theories? We will also discuss the scientific and ethical implications of genetic engineering.
Instructors: Dr. Kelly Bidle and Dr. Richard Burgh
Period: M (Mon. 6:00-9:00 p.m.)
Core Substitution: Science Core OR Philosophy Core
BHP-310 Honors Seminar: European Historical Fiction in the 19th Century
3 credits
This course involves reading major European historical novels of the 19th century. Students will discuss why the vogue for historical fiction began and why the novels of Sir Walter Scott had such a tremendous impact on the genre. Topics will include the definition of historical fiction, the importance of historical accuracy, the relationship of literature and history, and the influence of historical differences in the development of historical fiction in different countries.
Instructors: Dr. Charles Richardson and Dr. Robert Winter
Period: D (T/TH 9:45-11:15)
Core Substitution: Literature Core OR History Major/Minor
BHP-315 Honors Seminar: Twentieth-Century European Ideologies
3 credits
This course covers the origins and development of 20th-century European ideologies in a comparative perspective. Topics include the condition of European political culture at the turn of both centuries (i.e. 1900 and 2000), methods of spreading Nationalism and national culture, the First World War and the emergence of Fascism and Communism, the origins and consequences of the Cold War, the development and fate of the Socialist and Capitalist systems, and the ideology of Conservatism/Liberalism. We will also reflect upon the condition of European political culture in our day.
Instructors: Dr. Barbara Franz and Dr. Lucien Frary
Period: W (Wednesday 6:00-9:00 p.m.)
Core Substitution: Social Science Core OR History Major/Minor
BHP-320 Honors Seminar: Gender and Music
3 credits
Through listening and reading assignments, this interdisciplinary course introduces students to the role of gender in shaping the creation, performance, and reception of Western music. Topics include canon formation and the reception history of works by male and female composers; the historical conditions in which women became composers, performers, listeners, and patrons; the musical representations of gender difference and sexuality; definitions of feminine and masculine musical style; ideologies of genius; and gender issues in music aesthetics, music historiography, and in the biographies of composers.
Instructors: Dr. Judith Johnston and Dr. Sharon Mirchandani
Period: M/W 2:45-4:15 (WCC)
Core Substitution: Fine Arts Core
Spring 2009
Upper-Level BHP (Team-Taught) Course Offerings
BHP 213 Honors Seminar: Text and Context – George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four
3 credits
Contemporary discussions of politics, journalism, and social issues regularly reflect the influence of George Orwell’s classic novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. Expressions like “Big Brother is Watching” and the term “Orwellian” routinely appear in modern speech and writings. Published in 1949, the book reflects the turbulent world that Orwell participated in from the waning of British colonialism to the rise of the Cold War. This course will explore the historical and cultural context that shaped Orwell as well as the ways in which Orwell’s writings continue to be used by politicians and cultural critics.
Instructors: Dr. Pamela Brown and Dr. Arlene Wilner
Period: R 6:30-9:30 p.m. (WCC)
Core Substitution: Social Science Core OR Literature Core
BHP-230 Honors Seminar: Political Culture of the High-Tech Society: From the Authentic to the Synthetic
3 credits
This course explores social, political, and cultural transformations associated with the radical extension of cybernetic and reproductive technologies in modern society. In particular the course will focus on the impact of new so-called high technologies such as computer-based communications, robotics and biotechnology on such areas as the structure of the world economy, the organization of work, patterns of consumption, styles of popular culture, the design of private and public space, and the liberal-democratic political process.
Instructors: Dr. James Dickinson and Dr. Barry Seldes
Period: T (Tuesday 6:00-9:00 p.m.)
Core Substitution: Social Science Core
BHP-280 Honors Seminar: The World as a Social Construct
3 credits
This course examines how world views continue to change under the impact of communications revolutions, and how this is reflected in global economic and sociopolitical alignments. The course will look at how the world has been ideologically and socially constructed within various historical, philosophical and religious traditions and perspectives. We will study how communications technology and European ideological traditions formed such labels as “East,” “West,” “North” and “South” and other geopolitical identifications. We will also examine sociopolitical ideology behind global communication labels such as the “First,” “Second” and “Third” labels, and how groups in Asia, Africa and Latin America form outlooks congenial to their world views.
Instructors: Dr. Bosah Ebo and Dr. Jonathan Mendilow
Period: G (M/W 1:10-2:40)
Core Substitution: Social Science Core
BHP-318 Honors Seminar: The Bible as Literature and Philosophy
3 credits
In this course students will read and discuss selections from the three major divisions of the Bible: the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Apocrypha. Stories such as Joseph and his brothers, Exodus, Samson and Delilah, Jonah and the whale, Susannah and the Elders, the raising of Lazarus and the trial and execution of Jesus will be read. Students will study many genres, including the short story (The Book of Ruth), poetry (Psalms), history (I and II Samuel), apocalypse (Revelations), letters (I and II Corinthians) and philosophical tales (The Book of Job).
Instructors: Prof. Rebecca Basham and Dr. Richard Burgh
Period: W (Wednesday 6:00-9:00 p.m.)
Core Substitution: Literature Core OR Philosophy Core
