Honors Seminars - Fall 2006
This list can be downloaded as a PDF here.

HON 150-101: Creativity and Culture
Dr. E. Pendarvis, Education
Dr. C. Green, English

HON 395: Substance Abuse: From Biology to Treatment
Dr. J. Gottlieb, Social Work
D. Mallory, Biology
The impact of drug abuse on crime, poverty, domestic and foreign politics, the economy and more makes the biology and sociology of drugs a timely and resonant issue. This course will contextualize drug use and abuse by studying the biology of the human nervous system, the pharmacology of selected drugs of abuse, and the social implications of the issue. Coursework will involve applying the scientific method. Students will do research, oral reports, and will have a relevant community contact experience. The course will require in addition Problem-Based Learning and Cooperative Learning exercises associated with identifying and intervening in drug use and abuse situations.

HON 396: Literature and Revolution in Stuart England
Dr. T. Burbery, English
Dr. W. Palmer, History
Was the English Revolution the first middle-class revolution, one aimed at gaining greater control over political and economic resources—a clash between aristocratic feudalism and bourgeois capitalism—or was it the result of chance events, such as Charles I’s blunders? How did Puritanism play into this historical moment? What are we to make of the fact that two of the period’s most important poets, John Milton and Andrew Marvell, were Puritans? This course will address these and other controversies, some of which still rage today, through historical studies and documents, poetry and prose. Students will gain a solid background in the war and its events as well as in literary responses to it. Class assignments will be varied, including 2-3 substantial papers, informal writing prompts, quizzes and exams.

HON 480: Contemporary Spanish Women
Dr. M. Riddel, Modern Languages
Dr. M. Miller, History
This course will offer students the opportunity to analyze literary and historical discourses that demystify Anglo-American stereotypes about Spanish women in the twentieth century. The course will involve an examination of the social, ideological, and legal variations in the experiences of Spanish women, and it will trace the manifestations of female consciousness through literary representations and historical narratives. The course will also explore the role of women in the opposition to the Franco regime, in the transition to democracy, and in the contemporary government of Spain. Particular attention will be paid to the works (in translation) of Merce Rodoreda, Ana Maria Matute, Carmen Martin Gaite and other significant Spanish women of the twentieth century in translation. Projects include two five-page papers, informal writing, revision, mid-term and final exam in addition to informal in-class writings.

HON 481: Post-Colonial Theory and Literature
Dr. L. Whalen, English
Dr. J. Warner, Political Science
Over 75 percent of the people in the world have been affected directly by  colonialism, the practice by which one country takes and exerts control over another nation, region, or ethnic group, exploiting native peoples and the environment, often pillaging the area’s raw materials. This practice has disastrous consequences for the exploited cultures, so that it is no surprise that protest against colonization often finds an outlet in music, film, art, and writing. Indeed, it could be said that the histories of modern nation-states as well as of modern art and literature are bound inextricably to colonization. This course will study historical, theoretical and literary texts, providing students with knowledge of the geography and history of European colonialism and its aftermaths and of how that history plays out in various literary texts, films, and music. It will teach how literature, language and culture interact, how to read literary texts critically, how to see the traces of colonialism in current events and in West Virginia’s own history. Coursework will include short, formal response essays; longer researched papers; essay exams; in-class activities where students formulate discussion questions and even lead discussions.

HON 482: SpTp: Literary Ornithology
Dr. J. Van Kirk, English
Dr. K. Schray, English
Scientists count more than 9,700 species of birds living on Earth, with just  under one-tenth of that number inhabiting North America. Equally numerous in literature, birds appear in early and more recent literary texts in both practical and metaphoric capacities. This seminar will “bird-watch” in three natural sites in the Huntington area, but also in the texts and cultural artifacts of many times and places ranging from classical literature to modern popular culture. Students will learn the many bird species in our area and will see how birds function as barometers of an environment’s general health. They also will read works of literature, measuring literary portrayal with scientific observation, write reflections on field visits, and complete five major assignments, including formal papers and oral presentations as well as creative writing.

HON 483: SpTp: Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Democracy
Dr. J. Smith, John Marshall Professor of Political Science
An intensive look at the life and presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt through the eyes of a biographer. Students will read a copy-edited manuscript, check facts, prepare bibliographic material, review page proofs, discuss what they have read, and offer suggestions. There is no mid-term or final examination, but students will write either one long research essay or two shorter ones on a subject of their choice pertaining to FDR.

Spring 2006

HON 197: Exchange and Change: Commodoties in the Atlantic World, 1450-2000
Dr. C. Gruber, History
Dr. D. Holbrook, History
Even before Columbus’s trips to the Americas, Europeans began to populate areas outside Europe, initiating massive changes that affected daily lives and culture-wide practices.  Once the Americas were inhabited, a large Atlantic Ocean Trade Network emerged and began to exchange coffee, bananas, cocoa, potatoes, maize, and yes, slaves, producing profound social, cultural, and economic changes on both sides of the Atlantic.  Through readings and discussion, this course examines how the trade in coffee, bananas, sugar, and codfish, in particular, caused the expansion of the slave-trade, the rise of powerful merchant families, and a new diversity in cultures, races, and ethnicities.  Assignments may include individual and/or group papers, projects. 

HON 296: Gnosticism in Film and Literature
Dr. R. Edmunds, Communications
Dr. T. Burbery, English
Through films such as Eyes Wide Shut and The Matrix and the best-selling suspense novel by Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code, this course will explore how an ancient religious tradition called Gnosticism has re-emerged as a topic and background in and for contemporary film and literature.  Most often used in discussing the early history of Christianity and Judaism, the term Gnosticism involves secret studies that practitioners believed might help them transcend material and earthly limits.  As a religious system and a powerful cultural influence, Gnosticism’s ideas, history, and current manifestations in art and literature merit attention.  Primary texts include poetry, novels, short stories, and films; background materials include the Gnostic gospels and work by theologian Elaine Pagels; assignments will include informal writings and formal essays.

HON 395: Developing and Economy: Integrating Development Activities in an Emerging Economy
Dr. D. Brozik, Finance
Dr. J. Joy, Chemistry
In a semester-long simulation, students create policies and develop ways to implement them to support anmd emerging economy in the Paradise Islands.  Researching factors relevant to economic development, environment and business growth, students will devise strategies to balance conflicting priorities among interest groups while encouraging rapid economic growth and protecting culture and land.  The simulation will involve research, writing, collaborative group work, and conflict resolution.  It will conclude with creation of a development plan.

HON 396: Engineering and Scientific Problem Solving: Strategies, Techniques and Tools
Dr. V. Gudivada, IT and Engineering
P. Saveliev, Mathematics
Solving real-world problems in computer sciences, engineering, computational geometry and computational biology, students will explore the four stages of scientific problem solving.  Beginning with an array of challenging engineering and scientific projects chosen to evoke student curiosity and encourage creative thinking, the course’s structure and assignments will arm students with new tools and strategies for scientific thought and practical application.  The course is based on a four-phase approach to scientific problem solving: creative innovation, critical thinking, implementation, and evaluation and validation.  Written assignments will document and support problem-solving, while a variety of software systems will be used to complete course projects.

HON 480: Dangerous Reading
Dr. J. Badia, English
Dr. K. Grady, English
Since the origins of print culture, societies have designated certain books and certain readers as dangerous.  Literature itself, in turn, has presented some reading as dangerous both to society and to individuals, particularly when women and minorities are doing the reading.  This course will look at novels that show imperiled heroines led astray by reading; memoirs that recount the physical dangers encountered in cultures that prohibit certain kinds of reading; paintings that depict reading as threatening; political, social, and even medical tracts that attempt to prevent certain reading methods and prohibit certain texts.  Students will write informally throughout the semester and will also write formal essays.

HON 485: The Jurisprudence of John Marshall
Dr. J. Smith, John Marshall Professor of Political Science
This seminar deals with the principal decisions of the John Marshall Court and their impact on America’s constitutional development.  Students will read the court’s decisions as well as related commentary and eventually will produce a research paper and take one exam.

Fall 2005
This list can be downloaded as a PDF file here.

HON 150: Critical Issues: Media and Society (First year John Marshall Scholars only.)
Dr. W. Denman, Communications
Dr. S. Cooper, Communications
Is your favorite news source biased?  Do you think that violence and graphic sexuality on TV and in movies doesn't affect viewers?  This course will seek to answer these questions and more by identifying and analyzing the many forms of the media and the effects of media in today's society.  Students will consider such forms of communication as print, radio, news broadcasts, music, and films and discuss how they influence society and individuals.

HON 196: Tracking Through America
Dr. C. Meyer, Education
Dr. G. Doyle, Business
"All aboard!" for this exciting course that traces the history of the American railroad.  Beyond mere historical dates and events, the course focuses on the human experience associated with the development of the railroad and its descent in more recent decades.  Highlights of the course include a trip to the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore on the Cardinal.

HON 295: Global Terrorism
Dr. D. Masters, Political Science
Dr. S. Grubb, Criminal Justice
A must-take course in today's political atmosphere, this course provides students with a historical background on terrorism throughout the world.  Rather than focusing on one geographical area, students will explore the global nature of terrorism; students will also study the tactics for attack and defense in this uniquely psychological form of warfare.

HON 296: Tolkien and Film
Dr. T. Burbery, English
Dr. R. Edmunds, Communications
This course will focus both on Tolkien’s major works, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, and on two major film versions, Peter Jackson’s box-office blockbuster and Ralph Bakshi’s animated trilogy.  The class will study The Lord of the Rings in-depth as well as sections of The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and selected essays and short stories by the well-known Oxford don.  The class will also examine the two film versions as works of art in their own right and as critiques of Tolkien’s mythology.

HON 395: Within and Beyond the European Imaginary
Dr. J. Fogel, Classics
Dr. M. Burgueno, Spanish
This course will explore the ways that literature creates and maintains a common identity or “imagined community” for nations and other social groups.  Students will examine literature produced in Europe, North America, and South America which reflects a European epistemological, social, and political point of view and then examine literature that has challenged this Eurocentric perspective.

HON 482: Writing Biography:  Franklin D. Roosevelt (Juniors and seniors only.)
Dr. J. Smith, John Marshall Professor of Political Science
This seminar stresses writing in general and the writing of biography in particular.  The focus will be the life of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945).  Students will familiarize themselves with existing sources and participate in the presentation of a contemporary account.  No examination, but students will be expected to complete a seminar paper (20-25 pages) involving original research in primary sources pertaining to FDR. 

Fall 2004

*HON 150: Media and Society (Writing Intensive)
Dr. Steve Cooper, Communication Studies
Dr. William Denman, Communication Studies
If you are a movie junkie, a television couch potato, a computer geek, or simply cannot live without your cell phone, you are involved with many forms of communication media.  These media have shaped the world in which you live and ways in which you communicate with others.  But it isn’t enough to know about these various forms of media.  We need, for example, to know the theories of media control, influence and effects, or we can use media without being controlled by them.  This course will provide the opportunity to examine our mediated world as consumers and communicators living with media on a daily basis.

*HON 395: Looking for Prime:  What makes a classic in history, literature,  and film? 
Dr. Bill Palmer, History
During this course students will examine selected works in the areas of history, literature, and film to try to ascertain if there are criteria by which works can be judged as classics.  By reading, viewing, and discussing works in each of these categories, we will try to decide if the work under consideration is worthy of being called a classic and what it is about the particular work that makes or breaks it as a classic.  By the end of the term students should have developed their own criteria for designating works and have reached some conclusions on the basis of those criteria about which of the works they have looked at most deserve to be called classics.

*HON 396 Sec 101 – Endangered Species: Genetics and Policy
Dr. Thomas Jones, IST
Dr. Liz Murray, IST 
This course is intended to serve as an Honors section for ISC.  There will be laboratory classes focusing on genetics and molecular biology as a tool to understand speciation and evolution.  The model organism for laboratory classes will be rusty crayfish.  The culmination of the class will be a trip to Florida during Thanksgiving break to dive with the manatees.  Students will investigate the success of protecting this species in Florida.  The students will learn to SCUBA dive and earn a PADI open water certification.  There will be an extra student fee of $750 for each student for the certification and trip to Florida.

*HON 480: History of the College of Science (Writing Intensive)
Dr. Gary Anderson, Chemistry
Dr. Joseph Bragin, COS
Dr. Evelyn Pupplo-Cody, Mathematics
During this class students will collect the stories of the scientists who shaped the College of Science into what it is today.  Students will learn how to take an oral history and collect written information on scientists and their connections throughout the world.  Students will learn how to organize this material, write abstracts, and publish their results on the web.

HON 481: Beyond “Nations”: New Discourses and Global Designs in International Film, Literature, and Theory (International)
Dr. Carlos Lopez, Modern Languages
Dr. John Young, English  
This honors seminar will survey developments in postcolonial literature, film, and theory, focusing especially on the discourses circulating in Latin and South America, the Caribbean, Anglophone Africa, and India.  Students will be introduced to contemporary postcolonial cultures and politics in these geographical areas as well as contemporary literature, film, and theory.  Topics to be explored include the struggle of postcolonial societies with their own internal uses of political and cultural power against still oppressive native minorities, the shift from nationality to globalization and the resulting economic and cultural effects, and the vexed question of postcolonial authors writing in English, historically the language of colonial control, rather than in their “native” tongue.  

*HON 482: Literary Ornithology         
Dr. Kateryna Schray, English  
Dr. John Van Kirk, English 
The scientific consensus is that 3,097 bird species live on our planet, just under 1/3 of that number on the North American continent.  Birds are equally numerous in our literature and culture, appearing in early texts in both practical and metaphoric capacities.  Our seminar will “bird watch” not only in three natural sites in the Huntington area (an urban park, a man-made lake, a wetlands mitigation project), but also in the texts and cultural artifacts of many nations and cultures, beginning with classical literature and ending with modern popular cultures.  Students will see how birds function as a barometer of an environment’s general health.  Students will then read works of literature describing birds in light of our own experience, and measure their literary portrayals with what our scientific observations have shown us.  In a sense we will be looking for birds in literary texts and cultural icons as well as in the field.  

*HON 483 Sec 101 – The Roosevelts:  The Years Before the White House (3^rd & 4^th year students only)
Dr. Jean Edward Smith, John Marshall Professor of Political Science           
This seminar stresses writing in general and the writing of biography in particular.  The focus will be the pre-White House years of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1882 – 1932.  Students will familiarize themselves with existing sources and participate in the presentation of a contemporary account.  No examination, but students will be expected to complete a seminar paper (20 – 25 pages) involving original research in primary sources.

*Courses marked with an asterisk are 4-credit Honors Seminars that will fulfill scholarship requirements.

Spring 2004

Honors 295: Tolkien and Film (Writing Intensive)
Dr. Timothy Burbery, English
Dr. Robert Edmunds, Communications
This course will focus both on Tolkien's major works, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, and on two film versions, Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring and Ralph Bakshi's animation of the trilogy.  The class will study The Lord of the Rings in depth as well as portions of The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and selected essays and short stories by this well-known Oxford don.  The class will also examine the two film versions as works of art in their own right and as critiques of Tolkein's mythology.

Honors 395: History of Science (Writing Intensive)
Dr. Gary Anderson, Chemistry
Dr. Evelyn Pupplo-Cody, Mathematics
This course will focus on four key eras in the development of modern science:  the beginnings, the Islamic influence, the Scientific Revolution, and the foundations of modern science.  Because science is conducted and develops in a social context in which politics, culture, economics, religion, etc., have profound effects on the objects of scientific study, the students will explore the ways in which science is conducted, the technology of science, and the accepted scientific explanations of the natural world and vice versa. 

Honors 396: Tests, Tests and More Tests (Writing Intensive)
Dr. David Holliway, Educational Foundations and Technology
Dr. Edwina Pendarvis, Education
Historical emergence of the IQ test, the political use and misuse of standardized tests in general, and the personal consequences of intelligence, creativity, and aptitude testing are often overlooked in our social discourse.  Embedded within the construction and use of various standardized tests, particularly IQ tests, are deeply held assumptions about human nature and political ideology.  Through an examination of the history, sociology, and psychology of standardized testing, this course will enable students to develop a sophisticated perspective on the relative benefits and drawbacks of the standardized testing both in personal terms, for themselves, and in broad terms, for our society and as a whole. 

HON 480: Threads of Bale (International)
Linda Dobbs, Music
Dr. Wendell Dobbs, Music
Dr. Lachlan Whalen, English
Human summering has often found expression on poetry and song among other artistic and literary forms.  These expressions have commonalities among the peoples of Ireland and Appalachia, peoples who, in many cases, share ancestries and whose inspiration for these expressions are often similar.  This course will introduce students to a body of poetry, prose, and music that was created as a reaction to suffering and then will examine those sources in an effort to discover those threads that connect these two peoples both in terms of human suffering and in terms of the similarities in the styles of expression. 

HON 481: Castro's Cuba and the American Imagination (International, Writing Intensive)
Dr. Maria Carmen Riddel, Modern Languages
Dr. David Duke, History
This course will cover the period from 1959 to the present and examine the works in English written by both Cuban-Americans and other Americans concerning the ways in which different writers in various genres have approached Castro's Cuba.  Works written in English rather than those written in Spanish and translated into English suggest an appropriation of varying degrees of American culture and identity.  Through fiction (long and short), plays, poetry, autobiography, and travel literature, an American imaginative response to one of the most important political and cultural events in the Western Hemisphere will be examined. 

Fall 2003

HON 150: Media and Society (Writing Intensive)
Dr. W. Denman, Communications
Dr. S. Cooper, Communications
If you are a movie junkie, a television couch potato, a computer geek, or simply cannot live without your cell phone, you are involved with many forms of communication media.  These media have shaped the world in which you live and the ways in which you communicate with others.  But it isn't enough to know about these various forms of media.  We need, for example, to know the theories of media control, influence and effects, so we can use media with being controlled by them.  This course will provide the opportunity to examine our mediated world as consumers and communicators living with media on a daily basis.
Open to incoming John Marshall Scholars only.

HON 196: Tracking Across America: A History of the America Railroad and Its Impact on America's Industrial Development
C. Meyer, Education
With the advent of highways and air travel, the glory of the railroad is relegated to history.  The purpose of this course is to expose students not only to the historical development of the American Railroad but also to help students grasp the human experience associated with its development.  From the first steam engines to the end of passenger service, the class will explore what the railroad meant to the United States as a developing industrial nation and what it meant to the local communities that were connected to the rest of the country via the railroad.

HON 296: The Broadway Musical: An American Art Form
L. Stickler, Music
So much more than pure entertainment, the American Broadway musical offers a unique glimpse at the social, historical, and cultural development of the United States.  Students will examine the development of the American musical and its reflection of American society.  Students will view musicals, research background information, and role-play the many phases of a musical production.

HON 480: From Troy to Vietnam: Ancient and (More) Modern Combat Literature (Writing Intensive)
Dr. J. Young, English
Dr. C. Perkins, Classics
In this course, students will compare and contrast a variety of combat literature from ancient Greece and Rome with 20th-century British and American literature.  Two topics will draw focus in this course: war, which includes literature about the glory of war and combat, war protests and mutiny, and eyewitness accounts, and reactions to war, which includes escapist literature, narratives of occupation, and literature about the affects of war on military and civilian individuals.  In addition to introducing students to these types of literature, the course should establish a cross-cultural base for examining the literature.

HON 481: The American Constitution (Upper level students only)
Dr. J. Smith, John Marshall Professor of Political Science
This course deals with the development of the American Constitution as interpreted by the Supreme Court from 1801 to the present.  Readings will be drawn from the principal decisions of the Court, using the Case Method.  Topics include judicial review, federalism, the commerce and contract clauses, freedom of expression, religious liberty, civil rights, the nationalization of the Bill of Rights, and the right to privacy.

Spring 2003

HON 395: Shakespeare and Politics of Knowledge, Gender, Race, and Class (Writing Intensive)
Dr. M. Moore, English
This course will examine William Shakespeare as a philosophical poet and as a political thinker by exploring his perspectives on the manners in which knowledge, class, gender, and race affect, limit, or enhance political power.  In unfolding these themes, we will adopt a multi-disciplinary approach, using ideas of political and philosophical thinkers known to Shakespeare and ideas of contemporary feminist and colonial scholars.  The goal of this class will be to shed light on how Shakespeare conceives political power, who has it, what its just uses are, and how it is transmitted, controlled, and moralized.

HON 396: Violence in America: Sociological and Historical Perspectives (Multicultural)
Dr. F. Roth, Sociology/Anthropology
Dr. D. Duke, History
This course intends to present a comprehensive portrait of the social phenomenon of violence in the United States by employing both historical and sociological approaches.  An effort will be made to tether the various subject areas we expect to explore to the central theme of social inequality and its role in generating and promoting violent resolutions to social conflict.

HON 480: Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory in Literature and Culture
Dr. K. Schray, English
Dr. C. Perkins, Classics
In this course, we will look at views of afterlife offered by ancient, medieval, and more modern literature and other media with a view to discovering how similarities and differences among these views are culturally driven.  Students will also examine works of art that depict the afterlife, stage a play about the afterlife, and examine and report on scenes from a 20th century film or television show that deals with the afterlife.

HON 481: Beyond the Pale: The Gaelic Revival in Ireland Circa 1890-1948 (Iinternational)
Dr. W. Dobbs, Music
L. Dobbs, Music
K. Simpkins, Sociology/Anthropology
Dr. J. Young, English
This course will explore two different lines of political resistance produced in the creative writing of minority elements in the colonized world.  Both of these lines of poetic and critical resistance will be examined through close readings of poetry and critical essays in the context of Colonialism.  The fusion of political messages in poetic verse allows these two lines of oppressed voices to claim and redefine themselves and transgress the language of the oppressor.  This form of poetic social practice allows them to carve out a space that not only increases their power and sense of self-worth but also helps them to transform themselves into revolutionary artists.

Fall 2002

Honors 294: Hollywood Films Portray America (Multicultural)
Dr. William Denman, Communications
Dr. Robert Edmunds, Communications
The course, working from a critical and popular culture perspective, examines ways in which Hollywood films have both portrayed and influenced American life.  Using critical theories of film, and concepts or rhetoric and popular culture, the course will examine a variety of films from different periods to explore key questions.

Honors 295: The Scientific Essay
Dr. S. Cody, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine
Dr. Dan Holbroook, RBA Coordinator
The essay provides scientists with a vehicle for discussing and exploring ideas in a manner that technical scientific papers will not permit.  This course looks at how this vehicle has been used by writers from the life sciences to address subjects as diverse as the history of science, the nature of the scientific enterprise, the relationship between science and the humanities, scientific controversies, and the application of science to social issues.

HON 395: Culture and the Emergence of Language (Writing Intensive)
Dr. D. Holliway, Educational Foundations and Technology
Our values and beliefs about language use are socio-historically, socio-culturally constructed.  Literacy and culture are inseparable. Students will study multiple perspectives on theoretical issues of literacy while also gaining insight on specific contemporary issues.  This course will empower students to approach their personal and professional lives with sensitivity and understanding to the assumptions, expectations, and the social consequences that underlie particular uses of language. 

HON 480: Harry S. Truman:  His Life and Times
K. Hechler, Political Science
In conjunction with a biographical analysis of Harry Truman’s career, th course will study certain American political institutions as reflected in Truman’s actions and decisions, including such issues as presidential leadership, public opinion and pressure groups, Congressional relations, White House staffing, foreign policy, controlling bureaucracy, political parties and campaigns.  The course will also explore substantive issues such as civil rights, price control, and health care.

HON 481: Paris – USA,  1900 – 1940
Dr. B. Marchant, Art
Dr. J. Young, English
This seminar is designed to parallel the Birke Symposium  for the Fine Arts, 2002-03.  The Birke Symposium will examine arts in Paris and their influence in the U.S. from 1900 to 1940.  While the seminar will focus primarily on the visual arts and literature of this period, it will also take advantage of the lectures, performances, films, and other events associated with the Symposium that a committee (with representatives from the departments of Music, Art, Theater, and English) is still coordinating.

Spring 2002

Honors 280: The Physics of Everyday Phenomena
Dr. Ashok Vasheashta, Physics
Dr. Evelyn Pupplo-Cody, Mathematics
The primary objective of the class is to learn about the fundamental laws of nature.  Comprehension of many physical laws can be achieved by careful observation and logical analysis of events around us.  The course provides introduction to classical and modern Physics for honors seminar students.  The study will include: mechanics, the properties of matter, heat, sound, electricity and magnetism, light, atomic and nuclear physics, and relativity.  Major emphasis will be placed on the conceptual and fundamental understanding of the classical and modern physics.  The lectures will cover basic concepts, historical perspectives, standard conventions, modifications to conventional wisdom, and analysis-by-observation approach to provide a fundamental understanding of Physics.

Honors 480: Harry S. Truman, His Life and Times
The Honorable Dr. Ken Hechler, Former WV Secretary of State, former member of Congress
Dr. Hechler brings a world of expertise to this course. He served as Special Assistant to the President, 1949-53; Associate Director, American Political Science Association, 1953-56; U.S. Congressman from West Virginia, 1959-77; and Secretary of State of West Virginia, 1985-2001 In conjunction with a biographical analysis of Harry Truman’s career, the course will study certain American political institutions as reflected in Truman’s actions and decisions, including such issues as presidential leadership, public opinion and pressure groups, Congressional relations, White House staffing, foreign policy, controlling bureaucracy, political parties and campaigns.  The course will also explore substantive issues such as civil rights, price control, and health care.

Honors 481: Nietzsche and Greek Tragedy: Apollo, Dionysus, and the Possibility of Life for Today  
Dr. Charles Lloyd, Classics
Dr. Jeffrey L. Powell, Philosophy
This course explores an important intersection of two closely connected disciplines, classics, and philosophy, where the practice of philosophy, literary criticism, and cultural studies overlap.  Its purpose will be to explore the functioning of tragedy as an art form both for the ancient Greeks and for the modern readers and as a focus for reexamining contemporary life.  In recent years, the philosophical world has evidenced a regained interest in the discourse of Greek tragedy. For the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, Nietzsche’s The Birth of tragedy From Out of the Spirit of Music is paramount for any understanding of Greek tragedy.  Nietzsche’s interpretation of Greek tragedy has introduced a new way of looking at aesthetic phenomena, especially with regard to his complicated yet fascinating analysis of Greek mimesis. His profound insights have since been taken up by some of the greatest minds of the twentieth century, most notably, Martin Heidegger, Michael Foucault, Jacques Derrida, David Halperin, Luce Irigaray, and Sarah Kofman.  

Fall 2001

HON 196: Tracking Across America:  A History of the American Railroad and Its Impact on America's Industrial Revolution
Dr. Calvin F. Meyer, Education 

HON 396:  Environmental Policy:  Crossroads of Law and Science
Dr. Betsy Ennis Dulin, Engineering  

HON 481:  Beyond the Pale:  The Gaelic Revival in Ireland Circa 1890-1948
Dr. Wendell Dobbs, Music
Linda Dobbs, Music 
Dr. Karen Simpkins, Sociology 
Dr. John Young, English