Spring 2005 Honors Seminars
HON 322A Section 1, Issues in Biology and Medicine, Friday, 1st half semester, 12:10-2 P.M., 1 credit. Enrollment limit: 15, Reg. No. 4651005
Description: Students engage in round-table discussions of current issues related to medical ethics and environmental ethics. Focus is
on the controversial and provocative issues that lie at the interface of science and society. Examples of topics include: animal welfare,
organ transplants, euthanasia, brain death, human embryo research, repoductive technologies, genetic engineering, cloning and environmental
ethics. Discussion sessions revolve around published articles, book chapters, case studies, and situational role playing.
Instructor: Charles Drewes is a professor here at Iowa State for 30 years and have taught this seminar for the past 11 years.
HON 322A Section 2, Issues in Biology and Medicine, Tuesday, 2nd half semester, 11 A.M.-1:00 P.M., 1 credit. Enrollment limit: 15, Reg. No. 4651010
Description: Examination of the ethical and social issues resulting associated with recent advances in biology and medicine. Topics explored
include animal rights, genetically modified organisms, cloning, reproductive technology, and genetic testing.
Instructor: Barbara Pleasants is Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Zoology and Genetics. She teaches general biology and comparative
anatomy. She has also taught an Honors seminar on the Holocaust as well as previous sections of this seminar.
HON 322B, Tolkien's Mythology, Friday, 2:10-4 P.M., 2 credits. Enrollment limit: 15, Reg. No. 4652005
Description: This seminar offers a thorough exploration of the mythology developed in the imagination of Professor J.R.R. Tolkien. Like all mythologies,
Tolkien's is a collection of stories in which listeners might find for themselves explanations of concepts difficult to understand in a scientific, rational,
or empirical manner. Major themes of the mythology include the nature of good and evil, and the meaning and nature of human mortality. Tolkien is best known
for his epic romance The Lord of the Rings, widely recognized as one of the greatest works of fiction written in English. This novel describes the conclusion
of a 10,000-year history that constitutes Tolkien's Mythology, offering a transition from the imaginary world into the reality of our present day. The seminar
will concentrate for the most part on Tolkien's other writings including The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and some of the extensive background writings presented
to the public after the author's death. The class will also examine The Lord of the Rings in the context of how it contributes to the structure of the mythology.
Outside of the conceptual theme of the seminar, students will be guided through an entertaining body of literature that casual readers often find challenging
owing to its great complexity. Specific readings will be assigned for each class period. A short term paper will be required, intended to be a creative
writing piece set within Tolkien's mythological structure. These student contributions will be discussed in the class during the closing weeks of the semester.
Instructor: Alan Myers is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology, and has long taught various biochemistry, molecular
biology, and genetics courses. The College of LAS has recognized Dr. Myers with its award for outstanding teaching at the introductory level. Dr. Myers is the
director of an active biochemistry research program focused on molecular mechanisms in plant metabolism. His qualification to teach a course in Tolkien's Mythology
is a long-standing personal interest in the subject, broad study of all of Tolkien's published work, and the experience gained in six previous offerings of this seminar.
HON 322C, Theatre of Tragedy, Comedy, and Social Commentary, Wednesday, 6-9 P.M., 2 credits. Enrollment limit: 15, Reg. No. 4653005
Description: Students will dramatically act out the above listed plays, one every other week, and on alternate weeks will discuss the play acted out the previous week.
Roles will be assigned the week before the play will be performed, and participating students will be responsible for familiarizing themselves with their assigned parts
and assembling all necessary props associated with their parts. For each play, designated students will be responsible for presenting, on discussion weeks, brief biographical
information on the playwright whose play is being discussed. Students will be responsible for participating in a meaningful discussion of these plays on designated weeks.
Instructor: Elizbeth Schabel has taught honors sections of English 105H, 302H and 314H since the mid 80's. She has taught several honors seminars over the years.
She won first Excellence in Teaching Award for ISU Honors Program, Excellence in Teaching Award for teachers of Freshman English. She has taught in ISU's OPTAG Program
for over 10 years and was the Program Coordinator for OPTAG for one year. She is now past President of Ames TAG Association.
HON 322D, Your Virtual Financial Future, Thursday, 1:10-2 P.M., 1 credit. Enrollment limit: 15, Reg. No. 4654005
Description: Current economic and political conditions have prompted people to think more carefully about their financial circumstances, both current and long term. This
seminar will introduce students to four of the six key principles of financial management and the importance of how those principles operate in an uncertain economy. Students
will project their financial future by applying the principles to their own "future" lives.
Instructor: Karen Petersen is a graduate in Family Resources Management and Consumer Sciences. She has taught Advance Family Financial Management (DHDFS 483). She is a
certified financial planner in the Ames area. She supervises the web-based master's practicum in financial planning at Iowa State.
HON 322E, Predicting Our Technological Future, Thursday, 2nd half semester, 10-11:50 A.M., 1 credit. Enrollment limit: 15, Reg. No. 4655005
Description: The purpose of this course is to improve our understanding of predictions about our technological future. "Technology" means any actual gadget, but also includes
a set of procedures or systems designed to accomplish something. Thus, an i-Pod device is a technology, but so is our system of education, health care or politics. The course
begins by using a case study about predictions made about the Internet and its effects on politics. A number of people have declared that the Internet is fundamentally different
from previous communication technologies in that it is more democratic more user control and contributions. A common theme of the course will be to examine various methods of
predicting the future, and to understand their strengths and weaknesses.
Instructor: Eric Abbott is a professor in the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication. He is coordinator of the Technology and Social Change Program at Iowa State,
which focuses on global interactions between technologies and people/societies. He has worked in Latin America, Africa, Asia and Russia on international development projects,
many of which focus on the transfer of new technologies and methods from one country to another. Special interests include the future of rural areas and the adoption and use of
new information technologies by those in rural areas. He also has studied public understanding and response to new biotechnologies.
HON 322F, Elements of Garden Design, Tuesday, 2nd half semester, 3:10-5 P.M., 1 credit. Enrollment limit: 15, Reg. No. 4661005
Description: This seminar will explore the elements of a garden. In a sense it is an exploration of "rules" for creating a garden. As Joe Eck states, "Rules are the life and
death of any art". To one who is unaware of design, these rules are a fresh and welcome perspective in the understanding of spaces. For those well-versed in design they may
provide too much structure. Either way these rules provide an interesting point of departure when creating a special place. This seminar will include both the theory and practice
of garden design: intention, site, frame, style, structure, rooms, harmony, contrast, scale, symmetry, time and will include the design of your own small garden.
Instructor: Lisa Orgler, a graduate of the Iowa State Honors Program, is the Education and Volunteer Coordinator for Reiman Gardens. She has her bachelor's and master's in
Landscape Architecture. Prior to her current position she was a landscape architect for Iowa State.
HON 322G, Global Climate Change and Public Policy, Tuesday, 1st half semester, 6-8 P.M., 1 credit. Enrollment limit: 15, 4664005
Description: This seminar focuses on the current debate on global climate change and public policy. The course will look at the scientific data that describe global warming;
the causes and expected consequences of global warming; policy alternatives, conflicts and dilemmas facing the global community.
Instructor: Yong Lee teaches science and technology policy in the Department of Political Science. He also teaches organizational theory, human resources management, and
employment law. In addition, he serves as Director of the Institute of Science and Society. In this capacity he coordinates interdisciplinary research and promotes science and
society dialogue.
HON 322H, Musical Culture in the United States, Thursday, 4:10-6 P.M., 2 credits. Enrollment limit: 15, Reg. No. 4668005
Description: This seminar will cover up to ten selected eras and genres from the history of American music from pre-colonial times to the present. The objective of this
course is for ISU Honors students to acquire an understanding of some of the most important styles and aesthetic currents that have characterized music in the United States over
the past four centuries. This course will investigate American music from cultural, historical and aesthetic viewpoints, and will not require analytical techniques from professional
study in the field of music theory.
Instructor: Jeff Prater has been deeply involved in teaching American music to university students for thirty-five years as a composer, music theorist/historian, and conductor.
He is a 'Master Teacher' in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and was named ISU Distinguished Scholar in the Arts and Humanities in 2003.
NOTE: Please check with the Honors office to see if this seminar has been approved by the Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee as meeting the Diversity credit. To apply this seminar
credit toward this requirement, please complete the designated form in the Honors office.
HON 322J, Food for Space Exploration, Tuesday, 3:10-4 P.M., 1 credit. Enrollment limit: 15, Reg. No. 4678005
Description: Students will discuss issues and problems related to development of food systems for space. Students will be introduced to the history of foods in space, current space
food systems, nutritional requirements for space travel, plant production in space, food processing techniques, packaging, waste management, and NASA's plans for future space exploration.
Instructor: The instructors are food scientists at ISU. In addition, Lester Wilson is a NASA Faculty Fellow for 2003 and 2004 and Cheryll Reitmeier is a NASA FTSCS Education Mission Specialist.
HON 322K, Rich Countries, Poor Countries: Development and Poverty in a Globalizing World, Tuesday, 2nd half semester, 2:10-4 P.M., 1 credit. Enrollment limit: 15, Reg. No. 4679005
This seminar will focus on the glaring inequalities in the world between rich countries and poor countries, which may be increasing globally and are certainly increasing between the richest
and poorest countries. Some believe that these inequalities, and the consequent poverty they create, are a root cause of terrorism, a threat to global stability, and a moral affront. Students
will learn what is included in national income and how comparisons across countries are made, and how much poverty exists and with what human consequences. They will assess the Millennium Development
Goals and progress toward achieving them. They will analyze how the 25 rich countries became rich, why a smaller number are now becoming rich, and why a larger number remain poor, many of the last group
growing even poorer. They will evaluate the impacts of globalization on the poor countries, and consider how foreign aid and policies of high-income countries help or hurt the poor. The seminar will be
participatory. Students will be expected to attend, contribute to the discussion and prepare a short (10 pages maximum) paper on a specific selected topic.
Instructor: Dr. Fletcher has taught economic development, comparative capitalism and economic transitions, and microeconomics. Research and advisory experience in more than 30 countries. Worked with several
international development agencies.
NOTE: Please check with the Honors office to see if this seminar has been approved by the Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee as meeting the Diversity credit. To apply this seminar
credit toward this requirement, please complete the designated form in the Honors office.
HON 322L, What is Life?, Tuesday, 6-8 P.M., 2 credits. Enrollment limit: 15, Reg. No. 4680005
Description: The purpose of the seminar will be to provide a stimulating environment within which to explore different explanations of life and its meaning from the world over and
different periods in history, as well as exploring the worldviews of participants in the seminar. There is no bigger question for each of us than what it means to be alive. The
stories we believe and/or enact shape and affect our daily behavior and decisions, and a conscious examination of these stories can provide an illuminating window into our species
and our selves. The narrative frameworks, or worldviews, that humans have created range widely from the mystical through the metaphysical, to the positivistic. Therefore, a useful
preparation for taking part in the world (education writ large) would be to understand: 1) a sampling of historical, multicultural efforts to explain this most fundamental of questions;
and 2) the contexts out of which these worldviews were generated and the consequences that follow on them. The primary learning mechanism will consist of directed readings followed by
vigorous critical group discussions facilitated by students. On completing the seminar, students should have enhanced perspective on the importance of explicitly recognizing the dogmas
that give meaning to our existence and linking these to the outcomes of our personal decisions and behaviors.
Instructor: Ricardo Salvador is associate professor of Agronomy and Director of Graduate Education for the Graduate Program in Sustainable Agriculture. He currently serves as coordinator
of the Agronomy Department's global Agricultural Science and Policy Initiative and is the Interim Faculty Director of the University Honors Program. He has taught graduate and undergraduate
courses in crop production, world food issues and sustainable agriculture since 1989. His major qualification for organizing and offering this course is that he has been alive and actively
reflecting on the experience for 47 years.
Gretchen Zdorkowski is a Lecturer in food issues and sustainability in the Agronomy Department with an interdisciplinary background in botany and geography. She has taught graduate classes
in sustainable agriculture and undergraduate classes in urban geography, cultural geography and world regional geography since 1981. Her qualification for developing and team-teaching this
course is a long-term interest in perspectives into the human condition and a passion for finding out the answer to the question "why?"
HON 322M, Street Law, Thursday, 6-7 P.M., 1 credit. Enrollment limit: 15, Reg. No. 4681005
Description: Today's society is saturated with legal issues and complications. Most people realize the legal implications of their actions only when they are stopped for a traffic violation
or when they sign a contract. Actually, hundreds of daily activities have a history, relationship or effect with the law. Street Law is designed to provide practical information to students
about the legal implications of everyday activity.
The Street Law curriculum, originally designed by the National Institute for Citizen Education in the Law, provides a framework of readings, case studies, mock trials and role-plays upon
which students can build. This course will adapt that curriculum to local issues, resources and needs. The course will include, to the extent possible, a courtroom visit and guest presentations
from local officials, police and attorneys. The course will cover as wide a range of legal issues as possible, from simple contract to constitutional law. A portion of this course will be devoted
to a review and discussion of the legal implications of the events surrounding VEISHEA 2004. Although the instructor intends to set most of the course content, a portion of the course may address
issues selected by the students as most relevant and interesting.
Instructor: Doug Houghton, Captain, Iowa State University Department of Public Safety. Doug received a law degree from the University of Colorado and has been at Iowa State for over 17 years.
He has served as an attorney with Student Legal Services, as Assistant Dean of Students and as the Interim Dean of Students in 1994-95. He has been a police officer with DPS for 8 years. He has
taught several Honors seminars in the past including Street Law, Investigation and Prosecution of Drug Offenses in Rural America and Constitutional Conflict on Campus.
HON 322N, Race, Ethnicity and Community Relations, Wednesday, 1st half semester, 12:10-2 P.M., 1 credit. Enrollment limit: 15, Reg. No. 4687005
Description: Using Ames and Iowa State University as the focus, the instructors will facilitate discussions among the students regarding race, ethnicity, and community relations. Through guided questions,
participants will discuss their personal experiences and perspectives. As a class, the students will move from dialogue to planning the future through policy changes and action groups.
Instructor: Jan Beran is a retired professor of Health and Human Performance. She is coordinator of the Dialogues series for the Ames Human Relations Commission. She has taught previous Honors
seminars on the Politics of the Olympics.
Honors Program senior Basil Mahayni will be team teaching with Jan Beran.
NOTE: Please check with the Honors office to see if this seminar has been approved by the Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee as meeting the Diversity credit. To apply this seminar
credit toward this requirement, please complete the designated form in the Honors office.
HON 322P, Unlocking the DaVinci Code, Monday, 2nd half semester, 3:10-5 P.M., 1 credit. Enrollment limit: 15, Reg. No. 5111005
Description: The DaVinci Code has sparked an enormous and controversial curiosity about the role of Mary Magdalene in the early Church and the relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene.
Was she, as some have suggested, the wife of Christ? Did they have children? Is their bloodline the Holy Grail? This course will examine the roots of the speculations and the known facts
about these two major characters in Christian tradition. Students will become familiar with exactly what is claimed in the DaVinci Code, explore the likely roots of the book's thesis, and
examine the often-tense relationship between the Church and feminine sacral power and authority. Class time will involve presentation of material in lecture and discussion by students in a
seminar-type format.
Instructor: At Iowa State, Nikki Bado-Fralick teaches courses in religious studies and women's studies.
HON 322Q, Modern Day Plagues, Wednesday, 12:10-1 P.M., 1 credit. Enrollment limit: 15, Reg. No. 5113005
Description: Over the last two decades, a number of "new" microbial agents and diseases have appeared worldwide, including HIV, Ebola virus, West Nile virus. "Mad cow disease" and SARS. This
class will examine the biological, environmental and political factors that contribute to the emergence of new infectious diseases. Students will develop an understanding of the biology and
evolution of pathogens and how local and global events influence the probability of disease spread.
Instructor: Susan Carpenter is a Professor of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine whose research concerns animal models of HIV and molecular evolution of viruses.
HON 322R, Unfit to Read? Banned and Challenged Books in America, Wednesday, 3:10-5 P.M., 2 credits. Enrollment limit: 15, Reg. No. 5117005
Description: How does a book make the Banned Book List? Once it is labeled as such, is it forever banned? Who is behind the banning and challenging of book? Questions such as these will
be addressed in this thought-provoking seminar. After being provided with a background on banned books including understanding why particular books are challenged or banned, students will
read a selection of titles identified by The American Library Association. They will review and discuss a number of books across age groups from children's picture books through young adult
novels and on to those read in high school and/or college courses. During the course of reading, topics such as intellectual freedom, censorship versus selection, and issues tied to the
Political Left or the Political Right will be investigated. This seminar will require a sizable time commitment because of its challenging, often controversial content. This is a class for
people who like to read, think, and talk.
Instructor: Carol J. Fuhler is Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at Iowa State University. She teaches undergraduate primary and intermediate literacy courses in
addition to the graduate children's literature course.
Susan Yager, Associate Professor of English, is Associate Director of the Cneter for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT). She has previously taught four popular Honors seminars
investigating the world of Harry Potter.
HON 322T, Calculating Risk: Assessing Factors that Affect Attitudes and Actions
CANCELED
HON 322U, Introduction to Relativity: The 100th Anniversary, Thursday, 11-11:50 A.M., 1 credit. Enrollment limit: 15, Reg. No. 2977005
The year 2005 will mark 100 years since Einstein published his papers on the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion and Special Relativity. These papers forced a re-examination of classical
physics and culminated in the development of General Relativity and Quantum Theory. Independently, these fields of thought have been responsible for great technological achievements as well
as for greater comprehension of the nature, origin and eventual fate of the cosmos. In this seminar we will explore how Relativity theory and Particle Physics stand with respect to one
another one century after Einstein introduced and unified the relativity of space and time, the limiting character of the speed of light and the absence of an ether as the carrier of
electromagnetic force. To survey the developments in physics since Einstein's paper on Special Relativity, we will take a historical approach and review the key concepts of Special and
General Relativity and Particle Physics. Examples include the concepts of space-time, inertial frames and the Einstein-Minkowski light cone. In addition, we will cover the essential
concepts of Particle Physics, such as momentum and energy and collision and particle creation. Finally, we will survey General Relativity and cosmology, including the topic of black
holes and physics beyond the "Standard Model" (which unifies the strong and weak nuclear forces), through a brief overview of efforts to unify Quantum Theory and Relativity.
The instructor will assume background of Phys 221 (or equivalent) and the mathematics courses normally associated with sophomore-level physics.
Instructor: David Atwood is a particle physicist at Iowa State University. In addition to his duties as an undergraduate educator (Physics 222) in the Department of Physics and
Astronomy, Dr. Atwood is also a collaborator in the Ames High Energy Physics group, where he conducts research on physics beyond the Standard Model. Dr. Atwood's obtained his degree
in physics from the University of Toronto and completed his graduate studies at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
HON 322V, Evolution, Computation, and Complexity, Tuesday, 2:10-4 P.M., 2 credits. Enrollment limit: 15, Reg. No. 3552005
Description: The topic of evolution seems to have endless capacity for generating both understanding and controversy. Living organisms, computer algorithms, and human cultural artifacts
are all based on stored information, and biological, algorithmic, and cultural evolution can be formally described as computations. Both biological and cultural evolution have long been
controversial topics, but for different reasons. We will discuss the basic Darwinian paradigm that underlies the scientific notion of evolution, what information and computation mean, and
the implications of a computation-based definition of evolution to the controversies. The perspective that evolution is a property of information is pertinent a wide range of related questions
that include: How do systems self-organize? How does stored information enable the formation of complex structures? What is the source of creativity? What is knowledge? How does learning
occur? And, how to explain the increasing complexity of human inventions? The class will have the opportunity to choose specific issues for in-depth exploration.
Instructor: John Mayfield is Professor of Genetics Development and Cell Biology. He has taught freshman biology for many years and has spent most of his research career studying molecular biology and molecular
genetics of various organisms. He is interested in evolution, information science, and the philosophical implications of treating evolution as a computation. Professor Mayfield is planning
to write a book on the subject and hopes student input will help focus the project.
HON 322W, Orienteering - Map and Compass Navigation, Thursday, 2:10-4 P.M., 1 credit. Enrollment limit: 15, 3675005
Description: This seminar will familiarize students with types and uses of maps as they pertain to land travel, navigation and competition. Compasses, altimeters and GPS units will be
introduced and used as tools to understand and utilize maps.
Instructor: Jerry Rupert, Coordinator for Outdoor Recreation Program at Iowa State University has a M.S. Degree from the University of Utah in Commercial Recreation & Marketing and
a B.S. Degree from Lock Haven University in Health & Physical Education. Jerry has been teaching outdoor activities for over twenty years. He has taught numerous classes related to Map,
Compass & Orienteering over the past twenty years in a university setting. Jerry has also had significant experience teaching this subject matter in the field in areas such as the Appalachian
Mountains, Rocky Mountains and La Laguna Mountains in Mexico.
Chad Ward, Assistant Coordinator for Outdoor Recreation Programs, is a new professional at Iowa State University. Chad is in the process of finishing his M.S. at Prescott College. Chad earned
his undergraduate degree at Iowa State University. He has been working in the field of Outdoor Education and teaching Map and Compass skills for nearly ten years. He has utilized his navigation
skills for adventure races and backcountry off-trail travel.
HON 322Y, Moby Dick: An Epic for the Ages, Tuesday, 1:10-2 P.M., 1 credit. Enrollment limit: 15, Reg. No. 3725005
Description: Melville's Moby Dick, largely unread today, is one of the most important novels written in English. The work repays reading and re-reading, both as a study of the American character and
as a political allegory that transcends national boundaries. Students will read and discuss the novel over the course of the semester. By the end of the term, seminar participants will have a firm
grasp of Melville's "quarrel with God" and his world-view as an American.
Instructor: Dale Ross is Associate Professor Emeritus at Iowa State University. He was chair of the English Department from 1992-96. He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses
in American Literature for several decades and has taught honors courses and seminars.
