Honors Program Courses

Catalog description: This course equips students with essential skills needed to lead and join conversations that respond to public problems. Students develop a deeper understanding of at least one specific issue of social concern, such as race, gender, or class, and learn about how communication contributes to the status of that issue. With the goal of preparing students to engage in deliberative processes needed to improve our current social situation, students enrolled in this class learn how to craft and deliver messages for diverse audiences across a variety of mediums, understand the power and influence that communication has over our identities and shared realities, and learn about the ethical and practical dimensions of advocating for change. This course prepares students to be engaged, reflective, ethical citizens across contexts, audiences and issues. 

Fall 22: Jennifer Malkowski, PhD. (Communication Studies and Honors Program)

Catalog description: An interdisciplinary introduction to the Arts with an emphasis on the visual arts, cinema, dance, music, and/or theatre in diverse cultural and international contexts. The specific content of the course varies by section and instructor.

Spring 23: Heather Altfeld, PhD. (Comparative Religion and Humanities, Languages and Cultures, and Honors Program) This section covers poetry from the Modern and Contemporary era. Students will read widely and generate their own poetry in the vein of the voices we read. 

Fall 22: Lateasha Meyers, PhD. (Multicultural and Gender Studies and Honors Program) This section focused on visual arts and art movements through an intersectional lens.

Fall 22: Jason Nice, PhD. (History and Honors Program) This section was an antiracist introduction to historical art and commemoration.

Catalog description: An interdisciplinary introduction to Humanities with an emphasis on literature, history, comparative religion, and/or philosophy. The specific content of the course varies by section and instructor

Spring 23: Tricia Sweet, MA. (Honors Program) This section focused on the theme of young adulthood in world literature. 

Fall 22: Heather Altfeld, MFA. (Comparative Religion and Humanities, Languages and Cultures, and Honors Program) This section focused on the theme of memory and forgetting in modern literature, history, and culture.

Fall 22: Tricia Sweet, MA. (Honors Program) This section focused on the theme of young adulthood in world literature.

Catalog description: This course approaches a topic or problem in the Physical Sciences from multiple disciplinary perspectives. The specific content of the course varies by section and instructor. 

Spring 23: Rachel Teasdale, PhD (Earth and Environmental Sciences and Honors Program) This section focused on California water issues and ways communities can prepare for sustainable water use.

Spring 22: Hyewon Pechkis, PhD (Physics and Honors Program)

Catalog description: In this course, students explore Ethnic Studies research methodologies. The course content is variable with a focus on at least one of the following groups: American Indian/US Native American Studies, African American Studies, Asian American Studies, and Chicanx/Latinx Studies. The course is centered on experiential learning opportunities to engage in introductory explorations of research methodologies. The course uses both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies; therefore, students are expected to produce course projects that demonstrate their understanding in both approaches

Spring 22: Browning Neddeau, PhD (Multicultural and Gender Studies, School of Education, and Honors Program)

Catalog description: This course approaches a topic or problem in the physical and/or natural sciences from multiple disciplinary perspectives. This course welcomes transfer students to the Honors Program, and introduces the Honors Program capstone options: undergraduate research/creativity, or leadership. The specific content of the course varies by section and instructor.

Spring 23: Eric Gampel, PhD (Philosophy and Honors Program) This section explored the psychological, philosophical, social, biological, and technical aspects of machine "minds," and explored core issues within a subset of the disciplines that comprise the cognitive sciences, including artificial intelligence, philosophy, and evolutionary psychology. Readings and discussions focused on theories of artificial intelligence and classic themes in human cognition.

Fall 22: Kristen Mahlis, PhD (Multicultural and Gender Studies and Honors Program) and Don Miller, PhD (Biological Sciences and Honors Program) This section investigated the ethics of food production and consumption in the past and present to make clearer the choices and crises that confront us in the 21st century, from our current pandemic to the existential threats of the climate crisis. 

Catalog description: As the first course in a two-course capstone, students learn how to choose an interdisciplinary topic for a thesis or creative project, and how to begin the research/creative process with a focus on social science approaches to their topic.

Fall 22: Heather Altfeld, MFA (Comparative Religion and Humanities, Languages and Cultures, and Honors Program)

Catalog description: As the second course in a two-course capstone, students continue the research/creative process with a focus on humanistic approaches to their topic, and complete an interdisciplinary thesis or creative project.

Spring 23: Heather Altfeld, MFA (Comparative Religion and Humanities, Languages and Cultures, and Honors Program)

Catalog description: This course examines the issues of power, influence, and change within the context of world cultures. The course includes comprehensive review of issues and perspectives on leadership, multidisciplinary and classic theoretical approaches and literature, moving to the examination of evolving contemporary beliefs of leadership, power, and change. Through a process of readings, self-discovery, group observations, film, and case studies, students identify, observe, and analyze change philosophies in historical and cultural contexts.

Fall 22: Nandi Crosby, PhD (Multicultural and Gender Studies, Sociology, and Honors Program)

Fall 22: Matthew Thomas, PhD (Political Science and Honors Program)

Catalog description: Students study leadership and its impact on social, economic, and political structures and institutions from a contemporary perspective. Throughout the course, students identify, apply, and reflect on aspects of leadership development, power, influence, and social change. Topics cover leadership theories, personal assessment and development, motivation, power, followership, group dynamics, equity in leadership, conflict resolution, change process, and citizenship. Through a process of selected readings, self-reflection, group observations, and case studies, students identify, observe, analyze, and apply new leadership behaviors through integrated project-based application.

Spring 23: Nandi Crosby, PhD (Multicultural and Gender Studies, Sociology, and Honors Program)

Spring 23: Dana Williams, PhD (Sociology and Honors Program)