On Your Honor Newsletter
ENGL 130H - "Academic Writing" taught by Steve Metzger History 130H - "United States History" taught by Robert Tinkler PHIL 101H - "Introduction to Philosophy" taught by Troy Jollimore PSYC 391H - "Psychology of Prejudice, Hate and Violence" taught by Marvin Megibow HNRS 398H-02: "Men, Women & the Land" taught by Sally and Scott McNall Full list of Spring 2009 Course Offerings with times and locations
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Steve Metzger has one word of advice for students wanting to take ENGL 130H:
"Read.
Then read some more. Then read some more," Metzger said in an
e-mail. "Books of all kinds, magazines of all kinds, and as many
newspapers (especially editorial writers and columnists)
as possible."
Metzger,
the instructor of the class, doesn’t see a big difference between the
honors and regular version of ENGL 130, both of which he teaches.
"The
main difference is that I turn more of the responsibility for the
class over to the students," he said. "They present more of the
material than I do."
One
of the class assignments is to do a short presentation on the textbook
Metzger’s usual book of choice for the class is Jack Rawlins’ The
Writer’s Way, according to his syllabi from the last two semesters.
Also required is revision of papers and attendance.
Moreover, the honors class offers students "more of a community," Metzger said.
"It's usually
smaller," he said. "Students also have the opportunity to be inspired
by the other strong writers and committed students they're
surrounded by."
This class is not for those who are shy, Metzger said.
"These students tend to be friendly and outgoing and full of energy," he said.
"Honors
Academic Writing" offers a student the chance to be open and
imaginative with their own learning.
"I absolutely
love teaching this class and am constantly amazed at and inspired by
the intelligence and creativity of the students," Metzger said.
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| HIST 130H - "United States History" taught by Robert Tinkler |
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History 130 Honors will be a survey of U.S. history, with a focus on the question: “What is an American?” This may appear to be a simple question with an equally simple answer, yet it has often been (as it is today) a terribly contentious one. In examining American identity (identities?), we’ll pay particular attention to how Americans have grappled with issues related to:
- ethnicity and immigration
- political and social ideals (such as liberty and equality)
- personal and community values (involving ideas about morality, sexuality, gender roles, and families)
- America’s place in the world
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| PHIL 101H - "Introduction to Philosophy" taught by Troy Jollimore |
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What is philosophy? The Oxford Companion to Philosophy suggests the following:
“Most definitions of philosophy are fairly controversial, particularly if they aim to be at all interesting or profound. That is partly because what has been called philosophy has changed radically in scope in the course of history, with many inquiries that were originally part of it having detached themselves from it. The shortest definition, and it is quite a good one, is that philosophy is thinking about thinking. . . . A more detailed, but still uncontroversially comprehensive, definition is that philosophy is rationally critical thinking, of a more or less systematic kind about the general nature of the world (metaphysics or theory of existence), the justification of belief (epistemology or theory of knowledge), and the conduct of life (ethics or theory of value).” (Oxford Companion to Philosophy, p. 666)
Philosophy, then, deals with the most fundamental of issues at the most fundamental level. Philosophers tend to ask the sort of questions children ask: Why does the world exist anyway? Is there a God? Okay, but how do you know that the sun will come up again tomorrow? What happens when you die? Why should I do what you tell me to do? And so on.
In this course we will read some classic texts of philosophy dealing with some of the main issues of epistemology, metaphysics, and ethics. Questions addressed might include the following: Do we know anything at all, and if so, how? Does God exist? In what, ultimately, does personal identity consist? Do we have free will? What constitutes a good life for a human being?
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| PSYC 391H - "Psychology of Prejudice, Hate and Violence" taught by Marvin Megibow |
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| The course addresses some of the most challenging, problematic, and intriguing issues of our time. The principal goal is to better understand the psychological bases of prejudice (discrimination, bigotry, racism) and their relationship to interpersonal and inter-group hatred and violence. Another goal of the course is to sensitize each individual to his/her own dynamics with respect to these issues and to increase awareness of their prevalence in the community and larger society. We also examine ways that the individual can intervene with him/herself and with others to reduce the occurrence of prejudicial attitudes and their possible escalation to hatred and violence. Victimology of particular groups that have experienced prejudice, hatred and violence (e.g., racial groups, religious groups, females, elders, disabled persons, gay, lesbian, trans-gendered persons, etc.) will be examined with the goal of seeking possible ways to alleviate such victimization, in the family, community, workplace, and society in general. |
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| HNRS 398H-02: “Men, Women & the Land” taught by Sally and Scott McNall |
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Sally and Scott McNall, between them, use the perspectives of sociology, political economy, ecology, intellectual history, and literary and cultural studies to examine American land use, both historical and contemporary. Are we different from other western democracies because of our response to the environment?
The class draws on everyone's experience and expertise to answer or begin to answer questions of value and responsibility.
We will be talking about the sustainability of current relationships to the land, and also consider a number of future possibilities for positive change. Field trips are part of the class, as are novels, essays, films and food.
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