HON 101-01 The Spoken Word as Written
Drs. Rosenthal (Communications) and Tiu (Mathematics)
TIme:
Mondays (4:30 – 6pm)
In this seminar, we will study the content of some of the best-known speeches in history. In our analysis of each piece, we will focus on three key questions: (a) “How did this speech break new ground?” (b) “What is its logical structure?” and (c) “How did it try to persuade its audience?” Prospective majors in History, Politics, English, and Communication and Rhetoric Studies should find the seminar particularly useful.
HON 101-02 World Cinema: Showcasing Films from the Developing World
Drs. Chandler (Spanish) and Shrikhande (Communications)
TIme:
Wednesdays (11am - noon)
This honors course will explore international film as artistic, social and political expression. In this course, students will engage film as a medium which powerfully expresses the human condition as it is viewed and defined in diverse cultural contexts. Through exposure to national cinemas from the Developing World, with particular emphasis on Africa, Asia and Latin America, students will be exposed to rich cultural landscapes quite different from their own. This course will entail class discussions, written and oral reports, presentations, supplemental readings, and critical viewing of a selection of carefully chosen international films.
HON 101-03 The Mind’s I – What is Thinking?
Drs. Belcher (Philosophy) and Rulison (Physics)
Wednesdays (3 – 4:15pm)
The participants in this seminar will investigate the nature of self from a variety of perspectives. In particular, how does the self arise from a collection of inanimate matter? To provide a focus and stimulus for our discussions we will use Douglas Hofstadter’s Gödel, Escher, Bach and/or his more recent I Am a Strange Loop. As we investigate these relationships we will be naturally drawn to consider not only biology, philosophy, and self-organized criticality, but also machine intelligence, and will use Conway’s ‘Game of Life’ as well as Braitenberg vehicles to explore these recent forays into machine intelligence. Associated with this seminar we will plan to attend a performance of Bach fugues or canons, as well as a visit to the Escher collection permanently housed at the Artist’s Market in Norwalk, CT.
Freshman Honors seminars are capped at 30 students. For that reason, we ask that you rank your preferences, so that if your first choice is full, you will still be enrolled in a Honors seminar. Please rank your preferences (1 -3) with 1 being your first choice if you are enrolling in HON 101. We will try to match all students with one of their top choices.
HON 201-01 Ecotourim – Can We Save Earth’s Biodiversity?
Drs. Copeland (Economics) and Donnelly (Biology)
TIme:
Mondays (noon – 1:20pm)
Students enrolled in this seminar will investigate the environmental impact of tourism, and the innovative approaches to environmental education through the market mechanism. We will address the importance of biodiversity, tourism as a classroom for environmental education, and the connection of government and private market incentives.
HON 201 -02 Representations of Eva Perón and Ernesto “Che” Guevara in Literature and Film
Drs. Nardo (Mathematics) and Plotnik (Spanish)
TIme:
Fridays (1:30 – 3pm)
This seminar explores the impact and legacy of two legendary figures from Argentina: Eva Perón and Ernesto “Che” Guevara. We will study some of the various Evitas and Ches created at different times and places (from the 1950s to the present) by examining both literature and film. By the end of the seminar, students should be able to answer the following questions:
- Why are Guevara and Perón such powerful icons?
- How and why have representations of these historical figures changed?
At the same time, students will become aware of historical, social, and cultural processes that will widen their knowledge of Latin America.
No knowledge of Spanish is necessary.
|
