Honors Courses

Fall Honors Program Courses

ENG 101H – Honors English Composition I.
This honors course acquaints the student with the conventions of expository writing. It offers training in clear, logical communication and encourages the student to read, analyze, discuss, and write. The “substance” of English Composition I is the essay: students study both the content and the rhetoric of selected essays and write essays which thoughtfully develop their own ideas in good rhetorical form.
(Required for almost every degree we offer; Communication General Education Elective, Liberal Arts Elective, Free Elective)

ENG 102H: Honors English Composition II
English Composition 102, the second semester of a two-semester general education course, develops the student's ability to read and write, building on the foundation of English Composition 101. To this end, it begins with a review of the subject matter and terminology taught in English Composition 101—a rapid and rigorous review, neither an attempt to re-teach subject matter nor an exercise in teaching elementary editing skills—to prepare the student for the more challenging reading and writing of English Composition 102. The reading assignments represent the best writing in English, both in the quality of the writing and in the quality and complexity of content. All writing assignments are based on these readings. The course stresses argumentative writing and grounds the student in the rhetoric of argumentation. It also develops the student's research skills and ability to use source material.
(Required for almost every degree we offer; Communication General Education Elective, Liberal Arts Elective, Free Elective)

ENG 282H – Honors American Literature II
American Literature II is a study of masterpieces in American literature from 1860 to the present. The course analyzes the major social, ideological, and literary trends that contributed to present day American life. Students will read authors, such as Dickinson, Twain, James, Eliot, Hemingway, and Faulkner.
(Literature General Education Elective, Humanities General Education Elective, Liberal Arts Elective, Free Elective)

HIS 101H – Honors World Civilization I
An introduction to the major cultures of the world from the ancient period to c.1500 C.E. in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America, this course will analyze these cultures in their political, economic, and religious aspects, and will also reflect the latest information on the role of women in society. The objectives of this course are to give students a greater understanding of why the world is the way it is today, to develop within the students the necessary skills to analyze both contemporary and historical societies and their institutional components, and to cultivate an awareness of foreign cultures and societies in order to give new perspectives on our own cultural assumptions and traditions.

(Depending on your degree, this course can be used as a History General Education Elective, Humanities General Education Elective, Liberal Arts Elective, Diversity Elective or Free Elective)

MUS 101H – Honors Music Appreciation
This elective course is essentially a course in perceptive listening for non-music majors. Beginning with fundamentals, the student is introduced to music listening in a manner that will enable the student to gain an understanding of the art, its vocabulary, and its techniques. The music used is from the Renaissance through the 20th century. Outside concert attendance is required
(Arts General Education Elective, Humanities General Education Elective, Liberal Arts Elective, Free Elective)

PHL 131H – Honors Introduction to Ethics
The course requires students to read from primary sources which introduce major ethical theories, both classic and contemporary. Students will then analyze contemporary articles which offer opposing views about ethical dilemmas such as: euthanasia, affirmative action, pornography, abortion, world hunger, capital punishment, etc. This course is not to be taken by students who have taken PHL-232, Biomedical Ethics; credit will not be given for both courses.
(Ethics General Education Elective, Humanities General Education Elective, Liberal Arts Elective, Free Elective)

PSY 101H – Honors Basic Psychology
This introductory course covers the major principles and scientific research underlying behavior and mental processes. Topics include history and schools of psychology, careers in psychology, research methods and ethics, biological foundations of behavior, sensation and perception, basic principles of learning, thinking, memory, language, intelligence, motivation, emotion, personality, social behavior, mental disorders, and therapies.
(Social Science General Education Elective, Liberal Arts Elective, Free Elective)

Spring Honors Program Courses

CHM 140H: Honors Chemistry and Society
This course is designed for non-science majors. The course will present some of the fundamental concepts of chemistry and introduce students to laboratory experimentation. Interesting chemistry topics will be considered with regard to their social, environmental and economic issues. Discussion topics may include: air pollution, the ozone layer and the impact of technology on global warming; alternative energy sources, such as solar, nuclear and biomass processes; water pollution; nutrition; the mechanism of action of various drugs, and other topics based on student interest and instructor expertise. Fundamental chemistry topics to be discussed include: experimental measurements; atomic structure, atom properties and the periodic table; bonding, structure and reactivity; the solid, liquid and gaseous states; stoichiometry of chemical reactions; properties of solutions; rates of chemical reaction and catalysis; oxidation-reduction and acid-base reactions; pH; synthetic and natural polymers, including biopolymers such as proteins, carbohydrates and nucleic acids; and electrochemistry.
(Satisfies the lab science requirement for all AA degrees; Science General Education Elective, Liberal Arts Elective, Free Elective)

ENG 102H: Honors English Composition II
English Composition 102, the second semester of a two-semester general education course, develops the student's ability to read and write, building on the foundation of English Composition 101. To this end, it begins with a review of the subject matter and terminology taught in English Composition 101—a rapid and rigorous review, neither an attempt to re-teach subject matter nor an exercise in teaching elementary editing skills—to prepare the student for the more challenging reading and writing of English Composition 102. The reading assignments represent the best writing in English, both in the quality of the writing and in the quality and complexity of content. All writing assignments are based on these readings. The course stresses argumentative writing and grounds the student in the rhetoric of argumentation. It also develops the student's research skills and ability to use source material.
(Required for almost every degree we offer; Communication General Education Elective, Liberal Arts Elective, Free Elective)

ENG 271H: Honors World Literature I
Masterpieces of literature representative of various epochs, nationalities, and literary genres from ancient times to the sixteenth century form the core of this course. World Literature I explores the relationship of humanity to the world and deities in such works as the Bible, the Upanishads, Homer’s epics, ancient Greek drama, Virgil’s Aeneid, the poetry of Li Po and Tu Fu, and Dante’s Inferno.
(Diversity, Literature and Humanities General Education Elective, Liberal Arts Elective, Free Elective)

HIS 102H: Honors World Civilization II
This course is an introduction to the major cultures of the world from c.1500 C.E. to present.
(Depending on your degree, this course can be used as a History General Education Elective, Humanities General Education Elective, Liberal Arts Elective, Diversity Elective or a Free Elective)

MTH 140H: Honors Calculus I
This is the first course of the calculus sequence intended for science, technology, engineering, and math majors. Topics covered include: limits and continuity of functions, differentiation of algebraic, and transcendental functions, applications of the derivative, anti-differentiation of algebraic and transcendental functions.
(Math General Education Elective, Technical Elective, Liberal Arts Elective, Free Elective)

PHL 232H: Honors Biomedical Ethics
The first third of the course will be devoted to an historical study of the way in which several ethical theories have attempted to answer the question of how we can determine what we ought to do – i.e., what does it mean to “do the right thing”? The remainder of the course will be spent reading and analyzing articles which present differing views about what we should or should not do with respect to difficult situations in biomedical ethics. For example: is euthanasia ever permissible? Does a clinic have a duty to serve a person who is in pain but who has no health insurance? Should a nurse treat a critically ill patient who, because of illness, is unable to give consent for a procedure? Should animals be used for medical research? What is the appropriate use for genetic information about an individual? As we address these and other similar issues, emphasis will be placed on close reading of the text and on class discussion.
(Ethics General Education Elective, Liberal Arts Elective, Free Elective)

SOC 101H: Honors Introduction to Sociology
Sociology is the scientific study of human societies and social interaction. This course provides an overview of the discipline of sociology, including sociological concepts, methods, perspectives, and areas of substantive inquiry. Particular emphasis will be placed on the contributions sociology makes to understanding everyday life and current events.
(Social Science General Education Elective, Liberal Arts Elective, Free Elective)

SPE 102H: Honors Public Speaking
Public Speaking introduces the principles and techniques of formal communication. Attention will be given to speaker - listener relationships, management and choice of ideas, selection and organization of materials, and use of language and nonverbal elements. Particular attention will be paid to the principles and skills of persuasion and delivery skills as well as audience analysis. Formal presentations will be required.
(Required for AA degrees; Communication General Education Elective, Liberal Arts Elective, Free Elective)