HONORS SEMINARS - FALL SEMESTER 2007
SEMINAR REGISTRATION FOR FALL SEMESTER BEGINS
April 17th at Noon
WARNING!!!!!
IF YOU TRY TO REGISTER FOR SEMINARS BEFORE APRIL 17TH AT NOON , YOU WILL BE UNABLE TO ADD THE CLASS. ALSO THE SYSTEM WILL EXCLUDE YOU FROM THE WAIT LIST AFTER THE CLASS IS FULL.
Make sure you plan ahead and take the number of required Honors courses and seminars as prescribed by your college Honors committee. Don't wait until your last year to meet the requirements because you may find that you will have some scheduling conflicts. Please check the U.S. Diversity and International Perspectives website www.iastate.edu/~registrar/courses/div-ip-guide.htm for a listing of the approved U.S. Diversity/IP credit for honors seminars.
Important note: Attendance at Honors seminars is expected. Be sure to read all requirements. Be courteous and notify your instructor in advance if you are unable to attend class.
HON 321A, The Vikings Did Not Wear Horns, Monday, 2:10-4:00 p.m.; 1 credit, 1st Half, Enrollment limit: 15, Ref. No. 4626005, 0008 Carver FULL
Description:
This seminar will seek to amend misconceptions about the Vikings. It will provide the students with a basic cultural-historical understanding of the Vikings in that it will examine everyday life in Scandinavia during the Viking Age. Topics will include housing, food, income, clothing, transport, the family unit, slaves, as well as how they viewed themselves and death. Particular attention will be paid to the migrations of the Vikings from their homeland.
Students will critically read and discuss a variety of scholarly materials and perspectives on various aspects of Scandinavian Life during the Viking Age. Through this the students will be able to see how scholars can interpret the same facts in different ways, how they disagree with each other, yet all work together to create a better understanding of the Viking Age.
Texts:
Fitzhugh, William W. and Elisabeth I. Ward, eds. Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga. Washington: Smithsonian, 2000.
Instructor:
Jeanine Elise Aune is an award-winning Lecturer in the Department of English. She holds an MA in Scandianavian Studies specializing in Old Icelandic and Old English literature from the University of Wisconsin—Madison, where she is also ABD.
HON 321B, Forest to Factory to Folk to Fad: Critical Examination of Consumption Through Pop Culture, Tuesday, 1:10-2:00 p.m., 1 credit, Enrollment limit: 15, Ref. No. 4627005, 0126 Ross FULL
Description:
Ipods and Starbucks have become ingrained in the daily rituals of millions of Americans. Beyond the individual, what impacts do these products have on the greater globe? This seminar will focus on pop culture for looking at the social, environmental, and economic impacts of modern consumption. Students will learn to critically examine broader impacts of consumerism in the United States in both global and local contexts through following production, distribution, and ultimately consumption of food, fashion, and entertainment.
Texts:
Readings will include selections from:
Food in the USA. Edited by Carole Counihan. New York, NY: Routledge,
2002
Thorstein Veblen, The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of
Institutions New York: Macmillan, 1902
The Empire Filters Back: Consumption, Production, and the Politics of
Starbucks Coffee MD Smith - Urban Geography, 1996
Karl Marx, Grundrisse 1857
John Fiske, Reading the Popular. Boston : Unwin Hyman, 1989.
Hebdige, Dick. Subculture: The Meaning of Style. Routledge, 1979
Confronting consumption / edited by Thomas Princen, Michael Maniates,
and Ken Conca. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2002
Consumption and everyday life / edited by Hugh Mackay. London ;
Thousand Oaks, Calif. : Sage ; 1997
Instructor:
Sara Kaplan is a Ph.D. student in sustainable agriculture. She has a BS and MS in Environmental Engineering.
HON 321C, Democracy and Civic Engagement. Monday, 1:10 – 3:00 p.m., 1 credit, 2nd Half, Enrollment limit: 15, Ref. No. 4628005, 0118 Carver CANCELLED
Description:
The seminar will discuss democracy and civic engagement. Students will analyze their own political socialization, political participation and interest in politics. Students will learn about the shift in political and civic participation as suggested in Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone and Crenson and Ginsberg’s Downsizing Democracy. Students will identify their own conception of civic engagement and a definition of “good citizenship.” Class time will be discussion and participation based. Rhetorical criticism and analysis of political speeches, campaign messages, and get out the vote campaigns will be discussed. Class participation will also include observation and attendance at political candidate speeches and political or civic functions.
Texts:
A course packet will be created from the following list of books. Students will only read 15-30 pages per week in order to keep the reading load manageable.
Asen, Robert. A Discourse Theory of Citizenship. Quarterly Journal of
Speech. 90.2 (2004): 189-211.
Brock, Bernard L., Mark E. Huglen, James F. Klumpp and Sharon Howell.
Making Sense of Political Ideology: The Power of Language in Democracy. Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2005.
Hollihan, Thomas. Uncivil Wars: Political Campaigns in a Media Age.
Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2001.
Lakoff, George. Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think.
2nd Ed. Chicago: The University of Chicago P, 2002.
Putnam, Robert. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American
Community. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000.
And other selections.
Instructor:
Jennifer Farrell is a coordinator in the Office of New Student Programs at Iowa State University. She will receive her M.A. in Communication Studies from the University of Northern Iowa in May 2007. Her research focuses on conceptions of citizenship, youth voting, political communication and rhetorical criticism.
HON 321D, Section 2, Contemporary Writers of the Middle East, Tuesday and Thursday, 2:10 – 3:30 p.m., Second Half, 1 credit, Enrollment limit: 15, Ref. No. 4629010, 0145 Bessey
Description:
This seminar will explore written work from several Middle Eastern countries, including Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt. Students will be asked to relate to the writer, particularly women writers. By reading the written works of Arabs, student should be able to broaden their understanding of both Middle Eastern culture and geopolitics associated with the region. Class time will be spent reviewing passages of text, reflecting on the written works, and discussing how to place the written work into context. Students will read approximately 20-30 pages per week, write a final paper.
Texts:
Translated copies of poetry will be provided. Each poem is approximately one page in length or less.
Due to the number of books examined, only passages will be assigned of the following books:
Memoir’s of a Woman Doctor, Nawal El-Saadawi
Daughter of Isis, Nawa El-Saadawi
Beirut Blues, Hana Al-Sheikh
Between Two Worlds, Zainab Salbi
Gates of the Sun, Munif Abdelrahman
Cities of Salt, Elias Khoury
Students may choose to check-out library copies or buy them. If it does not conflict with copyright law, very short passages may be photocopied for student use by instructor.
Instructor:
Jennifer Clair-Toy was born in the U.S. but raised in Marseille, France and Saida, Lebanon from 1984 until 1996. She attended high school in Ohio and graduated from Cleveland State University in with a B.S. in Biology. Clair-Toy was raised in a Lebanese Christian-Shiite family, and is married to a Turkish Ph.D. Student.
HON 321E, Leadership Skills in Practice, Thursday, 1:30-3:30 p.m., 2 credits, Enrollment limit: 15, Ref. No. 4630005, 2015 Morrill
Description:
Students will have the opportunity to practice servant leadership skills in their personal and professional lives.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the seminar, the students are expected to have the following abilities:
- List the attitudes, characteristics and behaviors of a servant leader
- Demonstrate effective use of at least one leadership skill in their daily lives or careers.
Procedures:
The class is highly participatory. Student workbooks (available in WebCT and in print) and class discussions will guide each student’s activities. Classroom and WebCT discussions will provide students with feedback and support as they practice their leadership skills. Students will also complete a project which they share with classmates.
The students will focus on what leadership means to them and then work through a process to define their goals as leaders and to practice skills which would be used by servant leaders.
Teaching Philosophy:
Students and instructor will together explore what leadership means to different people and what are the commonalities among leaders.
HON 321F Section 1, The 21st Century Learner, Monday & Wednesday, 4:10-5:00 p.m., 1 credit, 1st Half, Enrollment limit: 15, Ref. No. 4631005, 1155 Jischke
Description:
This seminar will explore the concept of the “21st Century Learner” and critically analyze elementary and secondary education. Over the course of the seminar, students will be able to identify issues in education and analyze how growing trends and/or changes will influence education over the next ten years.
At the completion of the seminar, students will have a stronger understanding of the status of K-12 education, understand how trends impact education, and develop their own plan on how to prepare students for the 21st century.
Students in this seminar are expected to complete a series of readings that emphasize challenges in the K-12 system. Each week we will deconstruct a challenge and determine how it affects students and their learning environment. In the last two weeks of the course, students will define what they feel is the biggest challenge to success in the K-12 system and will design a program, to be implemented in schools or classrooms, that addresses the challenge.
Texts:
A few of the required readings will include:
Delpit, L. (2006). Teachers' voices: Rethinking teacher education for diversity. In E. G. Reeves
(Ed.), The New Press Education reader (pp. 30-53). New York City: The New Press.
Greene, J. P. (2005). Education myths: What special interest groups want you to believe about our
schools - and why it isn't so. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield
Wallis, C., & Steptoe, S. (2006, December 18). How to bring our schools out of the 20th century.
Time, 168, 50-56.
Instructor:
Stephanie Masta Zywicki is in her first year as a hall director with the Department of Residence. Before coming to Iowa State University she was Residence Life Coordinator and Career Counselor at Grinnell College. She received her Master of Education degree from Arizona State University and her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan. She hopes to begin her Ph.D. in the fall.
HON 321G, Technology – Issues in Society, Wednesday, 3:10-4:00 p.m., 1 credit, Enrollment limit: 15, Ref. No. 4632005, 206 Durham
Description:
Using the Internet Access Grid and other resources the students will be able to virtually meet with and learn from a number of advanced thinkers in a variety of disciplines. The common thread that will tie all of the online meeting sessions together will be consideration of technology and the role it plays in a given area (e.g., technology in higher education, personal privacy issues and technology in our current social environment, etc.)
Class time will be spent in online interaction and group discussion. Students will be expected to complete assigned readings and participate in classroom discussions.
Texts:
TBA
Instructor:
James A. Davis, is an Associate Professor in the Department of ECpE, and is also University Chief Information Officer at Iowa State University. Dr. Davis has multiple publications in his main area of interest – Information Systems and Computer Systems security.
HON 321H, From Ants to Elephants: Biodiversity, Evolution, and Conservation Issues in the 21st Century, Monday, 3:10-5:00 p.m., 2 credits, Enrollment limit: 15, Ref. No. 4633005, 0108 Science II FULL
Description:
Some scientists contend that we are currently facing the 6th mass extinction of species since the origin of the Earth over 4 billion years ago. Unlike the first five mass extinctions, this current crisis is driven by the rapid increase in human population growth, habitat destruction, pollution, and global climate change. The goals of this seminar will be to explore these modern issues and their associated ethical and political ramifications. We will begin by surveying some of the major groups of life on the planet today and how evolution has shaped their morphology and ecological roles in the environment. We will then discuss evolution in the context of geological history and debate theories regarding the biological mechanisms that have led to the vast array of species we see today. The second half of the course will focus on the current species crisis and conservation issues. Controversial topics will be chosen throughout the course of the semester in order to spark discussion and debate. Such topics will include but are not limited to: global climate change and its impact on biodiversity, education and evolution, human ecology, environmental ethics, evolutionary theory, regulations regarding human population growth, the role of biotechnology in conservation, the power crisis, and habitat destruction.
Texts:
Wilson, E.O. 1999. The Diversity of Life. W.W. Norton and Company, New York.
Brown, W.L. 1987. Punctuated equilibrium excused: The original examples fail to
support it. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 31: 383-404.
Eisner, T.E. 1990. Prospecting for nature’s chemical riches. Issues in Science
and Technology. 6(2): 31-34.
Eldredge, N., and S.J. Gould. 1972. Punctuated equilibria: an alternative to
phyletic gradualism. Pp. 82-115 in “Models of Paleobiology,’ edited by
Schopf, TJM, Freeman, Cooper, and Company, San Francisco.
Gould, S.J. 1980. Is a new and general theory of evolution emerging?
Paleobiology. 6(1) 119-130.
Instructors:
Brian Olechnowski is a Ph.D. student in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. his research is in the area of songbirds, prairie habitat and conservation.
Christopher Chandler is a Ph.D. student in Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology. Chandler’s research areas involve amphibians, pit vipers and rattlesnakes.
HON 321J, The Power of Quiet, Monday, 1:10 – 3:00 p.m., 1 credit, 1st Half, Enrollment limit: 15, Ref. No. 4634005, 2121 Martin FULL
Description:
With so much going on in our communities and our personal lives, we rarely take the time to relax, reflect and enjoy the world around us. This course will give students two hours this week to discuss things they have noticed and been able to appreciate, to take the time to clear their minds and find out what is really important to them – beyond the daily business of life, and to develop the skills to find this kind of time outside of the class once the seminar is over.
Texts:
The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
Instructor:
Michelle Boettcher is a Hall Director with Department of Residence. She has taught two other honors seminar courses on Identity and Community and Electronic Relationships, as well as other courses at Iowa State University and other institutions.
HON 321K, Introduction to Cryptography, Tuesday, 5:10 - 6:00 p.m., 1 credit, Enrollment limit: 15, Ref. No. 4635005, 0290 Carver FULL
Description:
This seminar will cover classical cryptographic techniques such as affine cipher, substitution cipher and transposition cipher. We will discuss the difference between those techniques and public-key cryptography. Also, we will learn a few of the mathematical concepts behind cryptography and basic number theory.
Students will gain an understanding of the basic principles of cryptography and the role cryptography plays in modern communication. In particular they will explore the evolution of the science of cryptography from ancient to modern times, culminating in the development of public-key cryptography. Students will understand the role that mathematics plays in the field.
Students are expected to participate in all seminar activities. Material will be presented by the teacher and then discussed by the students. Some of the classes will involve group work. At the conclusion of the seminar, students will report on one or more of the topics covered during the semester.
Texts:
Invitation to Cryptology, by Thomas H. Barr, Prentice Hall, ISPN: 0-13-088976-8, as a text book.
Instructor:
Elizabeth Kleiman is a Ph.D. student in Mathematics and Computer Science. Her Masters Degree area of research was Cryptography. And she is the T.A. for the Math 533 Cryptography course.
HON 321L, Religion and Political Discourse, Monday, 4:10-5:00 p.m., 1 credit, Enrollment limit: 15, Ref. No. 4636005, 1151 Jischke FULL
Description:
How, if at all, should public officials draw from religion in arguing for their policy positions? Should respect for religious diversity induce them to exercise restraint in making their own views known? Or do religious views play a legitimate role in public decision-making? In specific, what sorts of religious language are the current presidential candidates using, and is it appropriate?-At the end of this seminar, participants will have earned their own answers to these questions.
Students will proceed by examining some of the answers that politicians, lawyers, political theorists and religious scholars have already given to these questions, and by debating them in class. Students will also track, analyze and assess the use of religious language by candidates campaigning in Iowa, and try to publicize the findings to the public at large (e.g., on the Web).
Text:
Selections from authors such as:
Robert Audi, Religious Values, Political Action, and Civic Discourse,
Indiana Law Journal, 75 (2000) 273-294.
Stephen Carter, God's Name in Vain: The Wrongs and Rights of Religion
in Politics (2000).
Mario Cuomo, Notre Dame Address (1984).
Eugene Garver, Why Should Anyone Listen? The Rhetoric of Religious
Argument in a Democracy, Wake Forest Law Review, 36 (2001) 353-399.
Kent Greenawalt, Private Consciences and Public Reasons (1995).
Amy Gutmann, Religious Freedom and Civic Responsibility, Washington &
Lee Law Review, 56 (1999) 907-922.
John F. Kennedy, Speech to the Houston Ministerial Association (1960).
John Kerry, Address on Faith and Values at Pepperdine University (2006).
Joseph Lieberman, Notre Dame Address (2000).
Richard Neuhaus, The Naked Public Square (1984).
Michael Perry, Why Political Reliance on Religiously Grounded Morality is
Not Illegitimate in a Liberal Democracy, Wake Forest Law Review, 36 (2001) 217-249.John Rawls, Political Liberalism (1996).
Instructor:
Jean Goodwin is an Associate Professor of English. Civic discourse is her primary research area, including the perennial question of what counts as a good reason in civic arguments. She has taught a version of this course before, at another university, and is excited at the idea of combining the philosophic question with a look at the actual politics of this election year.
HON 321M, Your Money; Your Life, Thursday, 9:00-9:50 a.m., 1 credit, Enrollment limit: 15, Ref. No. 4640005, 0124 Carver FULL
Description:
Students will become knowledgeable in four of the six areas of financial planning: Current financial situation, need for insurance, Income taxes, and investments.
Understanding will come in two ways:
1. Local representatives of the financial industry will visit the class and tell about
their industry. There will be more than one person from each industry
representing different philosophies.
a. Invited speakers will be from the following areas: insurance, stocks and bonds, mutual
funds, banks, mortgage companies, real estate brokers, and maybe more.
b. Students will hear two or more views on each topic.
c. A reliable “text book” understanding will be incorporated in the real world presentation.
d. Following the presentations the students will discuss the ideas, their understanding,
how they felt about the presentation and presenter,” and how this information will be
important for them in future decisions.
2. Students will:
a. Project out 5 years after graduation
b. Research - internet research- (pay, benefits, location of position they aspire to after
graduation)
c. Project personal life-style situation.
d. Develop a budget and investment strategy based on their projected future life.
Students will produce:
(1) a written “story” about their life 5 years after graduation, their profession, family and location
(2) budget
(3) investment strategy.
Texts:
Each student will subscribe to or have daily access to the Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal will be used to help students understand how business and economic issues affect their every day life and the ability to be successful financially.
Internet research will be used:
To establish student specific: anticipated income, cost of living, and
affordable lifestyles based on the students planned location and career plans after graduation.
To do investment research
Instructor:
Karen Petersen is a graduate in Family Resources Management and Consumer Sciences, a Certified Fiancial Planner (CFP), taught Advanced Family Financial Managment (HDFS 483) and supervised the web-based master’s practicum in financial plannning at Iowa State.
Her 19 years of working with clients provide expertise in the real world of financial decisions, investing and long term financial planning.
HON 321N, Hunger, Poverty and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, Tuesday, 2:30-4:00 p.m., 1 credit, 1st Half, Enrollment limit: 15, Ref. No. 4645005, 0142 Curtiss
Description:
The seminar will use the framework of the UN Millennium Development Goals, which were adopted by 189 heads of state at the United Nations Millennium Summit in September 2000, to organize a learner-centered exploration of some of the principal challenges facing the developing world. The Millennium Development Goals are to:
1. halve extreme poverty and hunger;
2. achieve universal primary education;
3. empower women and promote equality between women and men;
4. reduce under-five mortality by two-thirds;
5. reduce maternal mortality by three-quarters;
6. reverse the spread of diseases, especially HIV/AIDS and malaria;
7. ensure environmental sustainability; and,
8. create a global partnership for development, with targets for trade, aid,
and debt relief.
(United Nations, 2002)
Readings, presentations and discussions will center on an analysis of the progress and prospects of the United Nations' Millennium Development Project toward achieving these goals around the world.
This seminar will culminate in attendance at The World Food Prize International Symposium to be held in Des Moines on October 18 and 19, which will feature presentations on hunger and poverty reduction.
The goals of the seminar are to:
1) Introduce students to the complexity and interconnectedness of strategies to alleviate
problems in developing countries.
2) Help students understand the strengths and weaknesses of the approach
underway by the world community to solve serious problems of poverty,
hunger, education, health, etc.
3) Connect students with some of the key ideas and key people in the field
today through participation in the World Food Prize International Symposium
4) Encourage self-directed learning, dialog, teamwork, and engagement outside of the campus
boundaries
5) To utilize critical thinking and systems approaches to examine a variety of dimensions of
the complex problems of international development.
Texts:
2006 Human Development Report, (expected release in the summer of 2007). (Can be accessed on-line, no purchase necessary).
For their individual presentations, students will be required to identify and share with the seminar outside texts and sources that describe the most significant roadblocks to the accomplishment of each goal.
Instructor:
David Acker is Associate Dean for Academic and Global Programs, College of Agriculture, Raymond and Mary Baker Chair for Global Agriculture, and Professor of Agricultural Education and Studies. Dr. Acker has been involved in international research and education since 1975, including eight years living and working at agricultural and extension education institutions in Greece and Tanzania. His research interests focus on agricultural knowledge and information systems. During 2002, he served on a UNESCO/FAO editorial committee to produce a book focusing on the second Millennium Development Goal: Education for All. He participated as an invited resource person at a workshop at United Nations headquarters in New York as well as UN conferences in Bangkok and Rome that dealt with education for rural people, a flagship program under the UN goal known as Education for All.
HON 321P, Developing Your Emotional Intelligence: EI over IQ?, Thursday, 3:10-5:00 p.m., 1 credit, 2nd Half, Enrollment limit: 15, Ref. No. 4647005, 0119 MacKay FULL
Description:
Through this seminar students will develop abilities to define and use emotional intelligence and think critically about frameworks of emotional intelligence.
Seminar activities will include:
- EI self-assessment
- Refining EI concepts and activities for self-development
- Role-playing exercises to model development of EI abilities
Texts:
TBA
Instructor:
Hendrich is Professor of Food Science & Human Nutrition, an ISU faculty member for 19 years. She taught “EI” in the CFCS freshman learning community from 2000-2002, and an Honors seminar F 2002, F 2004, 2005, 2006. Students in the CFCS learning community in Fall 2000 reported statistically significant increases in their self-assessed confidence in emotional intelligence skills as they participated in the course, suggesting that the proposed course may help students to gain useful insights into EI. Through a Miller Faculty Fellowship in 1999-2000, she has focused on learning about interpersonal skill development in college students in attempting to enhance cooperative learning environments in the classroom.
HON 321Q, Ethical Eating, Wednesday, 2:10-4:00 p.m., 1 credit, 2nd Half, Enrollment limit: 15, Ref. No. 4648005, 0145 Bessey FULL
Description:
“Ethical Eating” explores the consequences of the food choices we make. If we choose to eat meat where does that meat come from, under what conditions was the animal raised and what are the environmental consequences of animal production? For the plant products we eat, were they produced by industrialized agriculture in some distant location or grown organically by a local farmer? This seminar will deal with issues such as animal rights and welfare and the environmental consequences of food production.
The objective of the course is to make students more aware of the stories behind the food they pick off the supermarket shelves. With knowledge of those stories they can begin to apply their personal ethical framework to the choices of what foods to eat.
The seminar will consist of readings for each week followed by a discussion led by 1 or more students in the group who have delved more deeply into the topic.
Texts:
The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan
Livestock’s Long Shadow, (excerpts) UN report 2006
Additional selected current articles will be provided
Instructors:
Barbara Pleasants served many years on the ISU Animal Care Committee and teaches courses on Comparative Anatomy, Human Biology, General Biology and the Holocaust. She has also taught an honors seminar on “Issues in Biology and Medicine”.
John Pleasants teaches Environmental Biology, Human Biology and General Biology. He has co-taught an honors seminar on “Issues in Biology and Medicine”. His research is in the area of the environmental effects of GMO’s.
HON 321R, WOW: Women on Work, Tuesday, 1:10-3:00 p.m., 1 credits, 2nd Half, Enrollment limit: 15, Ref. No. 5145005, 0008 Carver
CANCELLED
Description:
This seminar is a comprehensive approach to understanding women’s unique issues and experiences as they relate to the professional workplace; and professional and personal choices. Course taught through lectures, guest speakers, field trips, assessments and other hands-on opportunities.
Objectives:
To understand choices women have in the work world
To identify mentors and examples of women in the work world
Explore goals and expectations as they relate to students’ personal and
professional lives
Be aware of the opportunities and barriers related to gender in prospective
career fields
To gain knowledge of the skills needed to successfully apply for jobs and
to succeed in the workplace
To be aware of many of the issues facing women as they prepare to enter
and become involved in the workforce
To be aware of diversity and ethical issues that women may face in the
workforce
Texts:
Appropriate Career Related Articles of Women in the Work World through websites, newspapers, professional associations, etc.
Instructors:
Chris Fowler, Program Coordinator of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, MSE in Counseling Education, taught women’s studies classes, career exploration courses, and honors seminar.
Jeana Gingery, Assistant Director of Career Services, MSE in Higher in Education. Over two years with LAS Career Services, Mother, Taught LAS 104-Personal Career Development and LAS 288X Leadership. Personal and Professional Explorations for Women.
HON 321T, Outside the Writer’s Window, Tuesday, 3:10-5:00 p.m., 2 credits, Enrollment limit: 15, Ref. No. 5148005, 1132 Eaton
Description:
Whether you enjoy outdoor recreation or are more concerned about environmental issues, this seminar will help you develop a written voice regarding the natural world around us. This seminar will enable students to develop their writing skills by creating original work that reflects individual values and interactions with nature.
Through this course students will:
• Gain experience writing about nature
• Explore personal values about interacting with the natural world
• Read works by several authors providing exposure to a wide variety of approaches to writing
about nature and understanding how individual values impact the use of nature in writing
• Produce original work integrating different approaches to writing about nature.
This class will be highly interactive. Class time will be used to discuss readings, give and receive peer feedback, and brainstorm writing projects.
Texts:
Students will read excerpts from:
A River Runs Through It and Other Stories by Norman Maclean
Autumn: From the Journal of Henry David Thoreau, edited by H.G.O Blak
The Literary Art and Activism of Rick Bass, edited by O. Alan Weltzien
Stories of the Old Duck Hunters, by Gordon MacQuarrie
Instructor:
Craig Chatriand is currently the Eaton Hall Director for the Department of Residence and pursuing a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. He received his M.A. from the University of Northern Colorado in Higher Education/Student Affairs and his B.S. in Secondary Education, History/English from the University of Montana-Western. A Montana native, he has always had a passion for nature and the outdoors.
HON 321U, The History of Love, Thursday, 11:00-11:50 a.m., 1 credit, Enrollment limit: 15, Ref. No. 5149005, 0060 Hixen Lied FULL
Description:
This seminar will discuss the many facets associated with love throughout history. From the moment Eve was tempted by the forbidden fruit (if you believe she was, anyway), love has been a central theme in history. Love has served as the central cause of wars, religions, debates, governments, and controversy throughout it all.
Throughout the semester, students will examine the many historical aspects of the concept of love, from the Bible to Strictly Sex with Dr. Drew to the debate over gay marriage.
Several objectives serve as the basis for this seminar.
1. Students will understand the religious implications and connections associated with the
idea of love from several different religious perspectives.
2. Students will begin to think about how love is connected to other aspects
of society (politics, relationships, social policy)
3. Students will explore love within the context of a culture other than their own in order to gain
a broader perspective on love and culture.
4. Students will discuss how love and our definition of love is influenced by outside forces
(leaders, family, media)
5. Students will take a critical look various controversial issues associated with love (gay
marriage, biblical interpretations of love, etc.)
Texts:
Ackerman, D. (1994). A Natural History of Love. New York: Vintage.
The History of Love, http://www.neo-tech.com/pleasures/history.html
A Medieval Love Story: True-life romance in the 12th Century, http://historymedren.about.com/library/weekly/aa020500a.htm
History’s Greatest Love Affairs (Podcast), http://www.podcastingnews.com/details/feeds.feedburner.com/HistorysGreatestLoveAffairs/view.htm
Bible verses of days past, http://www.loveisloveislove.com/bibleverses.htm
What Does The Bible Say About Love, http://www.twopaths.com/faq_love.htm
History of Marriage in Western Civilization,
http://www2.hu-berlin.de/sexology/ATLAS_EN/html/history_of_marriage_in_western.html
Other articles will be assigned depending on interest and subject matter
Instructors:
Adam Foley received a B.S. in Residence Life Studies & Sexual Health Education, with a minor in Leadership, from the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities, in 2003. I then received an M.A. E.d. in Educational Leadership and Policy studies from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 2005. Foley is currently in his second year as a Residence Hall Director at Iowa State University.
Foley has taught numerous courses as an undergraduate, graduate, and professional, including Psychology 131 and Gender Justice at Iowa State University. In addition, I have served on many different committees, including the Student Affairs Assessment Committee, the Vagina Monologues Planning Committee, and numerous Department of Residence committees.
HON 321V, Are you What You Eat?, Tuesday, 1:10 - 2:00 p.m., 1 credit, Enrollment limit: 15, Ref. No. 6545005, 0305 Kildee FULL
Description:
What nutrients are essential for life, and what food and food supplements will improve the quality of life? Why? Why not? This seminar will emphasize the role of nutrition provided by food and food supplements in promoting a healthy life through the prevention of diseases and disorders. The physiological function of nutrients and the provision of those nutrients by common foods will be the topic of the first part of the course. Then, the role of nutraceuticals and probiotics as food supplements in a healthy life will be emphasized. Popular topics of nutrition will be discussed via oral presentations by the students.
Texts:
Handouts will be provided for use during discussions at each class meeting except for student presentation days (last five class periods). Handouts will describe such topics as nutritional guidelines of American Heart Association and USDA, nutrient requirements, food composition, biochemistry and function of each nutrient, World Food Prize, and recent publications on controversial topics of nutrition.
Instructor:
Don Beitz is a Distinguished Professor of Agriculture who has taught biochemistry classes (e.g., BBMB 420 and BB405) for 40 years at ISU. In addition, he teaches an Agricultural Biotechnology Colloquium for Scholarship for Excellence students in the College of Agriculture. His research program focuses on application of molecular biology and biochemistry to animal food production and animal diseases. He has participated actively in Honors programs (e.g., Freshman Mentor, Honor projects, Honors seminar teacher, advisor, Honors Seminars) throughout his ISU career.
HON 321W, Contemporary Arabic Culture, Wednesday, 2:10-3:00 p.m., 1 credit, Enrollment limit: 15, Ref. No. 6564005, 2125 Pearson FULL
Description:
The seminar will cover several topics in Arabic culture (media, music, literature). Students will have a better understanding of the Arab world while taking into consideration recent political issues. Each class time will be devoted to a particular issue (newspapers, religious aspects, history, etc.). Students will read Arabic newspapers in English and compare political issues and will examine current, historical and religious issues from the Arab perspective.
Texts:
Amin Maalouf: Crusades through Arab Eyes (ISBN: 0805208984) and selected readings online.
Instructor:
Jean-Pierre Taoutel was born in Syria and grew up in Lebanon before moving to France. French and Arabic are his native languages. He has been teaching at ISU since 1999 as a Lecturer of French and an instructor of Arabic.
HON 321Y, From Incunabula to PDFs; The Future of Libraries, Tuesday, 6:00-8:00 p.m., 1 credit, 2nd Half, Enrollment limit: 12, Ref. No. 7631005, 0403 Parks Library FULL
Description:
Utilizing the rare and unique collections housed by the Special Collections Department in the Iowa State University Library, students will explore and discuss the various issues relating to the preservation and access of primary sources. We will specifically look at the Department's rare book collection, including incunabula (published between 1475 and 1501); the artifact collection, documenting the history of ISU; the photograph collection which numbers over 1 million images; manuscript collections, focusing on the topic of international agriculture through letters and photographs; and a collection of motion picture films created by ISU. How researchers use this material will be discussed, and finally, the class will look at the impact of the digital revolution. What issues does digitizing raise for these materials, in terms of their access, care of the physical object, copyright, reference use, and technological needs of the institution? Class time will be dedicated to presentations based on the topic, care and handling of the objects, and class discussion related to the presentation and readings.
Texts:
Readings and other handouts will be distributed in class.
Instructor:
Tanya Zanish-Belcher is currently an Associate Professor and Head of the Special Collections Department and the University Archives at the Iowa State University Library. Her research focuses on the role of oral history in documenting women in science and engineering, the development of women's archives, and special collections and archives management issues.
HON 321Z, The Mythology of Harry Potter, Thursday, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m., 1 credit, Enrollment limit: 15, Ref. No. 7634005, 0403 Ross FULL
Description:
In this seminar, we will examine the books in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series and consider them as literature and as myth. We will also practice the techniques of close reading, with careful attention to detail, and with some attention to placing these books in the context of other literature. Class will be discussion-based with the supplemental readings providing further basis for discussion. Participants should have prior knowledge of the Potter books, so that we can focus on overall characters and themes.
Texts:
Harry Potter vols. 1, 3, 6, 7; reading from Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces
Instructor:
Susan Yager is an Associate Professor in English and has taught Honors seminars in the past on Harry Potter and (with Carol Fuhler) on banned and challenged books. She have also taught students in the OPPTAG program about Harry Potter.
HON 323A, The Future of International Development: Continued Aid or Sustainable Action, Tuesday, 10:00 a.m. - 11:50 p.m., 2 credits, Enrollment limit: 12, Ref. No. 7587005 CANCELLED
Description:
This seminar will introduce topics surrounding international development and sustainability. Provide multidisciplinary analysis of controversial topics currently under debate. Build coursework to address deficits in individual disciplines for describing real-world situations. Content includes issues surrounding fulfillment of Millennium Development Goals. Analysis of barriers to meeting targets with emphasis on problem solving. Movement towards holistic viewpoint through consideration of controversial theories. Discuss development issues in the South pertaining to production and distribution.
Develop students’ understanding of current issues in international development and sustainability. Enhance analysis techniques of complex and open-ended problems. Acquire factual data and represent arguments within contexts that are often heavily politicized. Analyze issues from multiple viewpoints and take stance on topic for discussion and debate. Clearly portray thoughts in written and oral formats. Understand components of development stemming from allocation and acquisition of resources. Gain higher appreciation of diverse cultures and engage in intercultural dialogue with greater awareness of differences.
Texts:
Dasgupta, P. (2005) “Sustainable economic development in the world of today’s poor,” (14:267-282) in Simpson R.D., Toman M.A. & R.U Ayres, editors. Scarcity and growth revisited: Natural resources and the environment in the new millennium. Washington, DC: Resources for the Future.
Portocarrero J.V., Young T. & D. Colman (2006) “Non-farm rural activities in a peasant economy: The case of the north Peruvian Sierra,” Journal of International Development, 18:207-221.
UNDP (2003) “Policy, not charity: What rich countries can do to help achieve the goals,” (8:145-162) Human Development Report 2003. New York: United Nations Development Program.
Various news articles collected over the past three years focusing on global politics, energy, and local solutions.
Instructor:
Nathan Johnson
Education:
Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, 2009 (anticipated).
Thesis: Engineering development of coupled human-natural systems within virtual environments for dynamic problem solving.
Advisor: Kenneth “Mark” Bryden
M.S. International Development, Iowa State University, 2007.
Thesis: Social science issues in sustainability of technical development initiatives: An analysis of biomass gasification stations in rural China.
Advisor: Robert Mazur
M.S. Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, 2005.
Thesis: Risk analysis and safety evaluation of household stoves in developing nations.
Advisor: Kenneth “Mark” Bryden
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, 2004.
Honors with Distinction
