Fall 2018 Honors Seminars
Seminar Registration for Fall Semester is currently open.
The descriptions below indicate whether a seminar counts toward the International Perspective (IP) or US Diversity requirements.
Reference numbers can be found below. Should you try to enroll in a course that is full, you will be placed on a waitlist. If openings become available after a seminar is full, Honors staff will contact those on the waitlist.
Make sure you plan ahead and take at least two Honors courses and two Honors seminars or the number required 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.
Important: Attendance at Honors seminars is expected. Be sure to read the entire seminar description and requirements. Be courteous and notify your instructor in advance if you are unable to attend class.
Check back regularly for updates.
- HON 321A: Are You What You Eat?
- HON 321B: Activism & Cultural Resistance in the United States
- HON 321C: Religion & Responses to Climate Change Around the World
- HON 321D: How to Spy on Everyone
- HON 321E: Orchid Mania
- HON 321F: Ethical Eating
- HON 321G: Medical Genetics in Popular Culture
- HON 321H: Norse Myth: Gods, Heroes, and Monsters
- HON 321J: What We're Doing Here: History of US Higher Education
- HON 321K: My Life As a Parasite: Fetal Development and Birth
- HON 321L: Human Trafficking in the United States and Beyond
- HON 321M: Reproductive Rights
- HON 321N: Getting Out the Vote: The Power of Political Campaign Ads
- HON 321P: Entrepreneurship
- HON 321Q: Exploring Environmental Issues through Documentaries
- HON 321R: Have You Valued Your IP today?
- HON 321S: Music and Health
- HON 321T: Performing Arts Exploration - Live!
- HON 321U: Conflicts in the Middle East
- HON 321V: That's Me in the Corner
- HON 321W: Exploring the Historic Built Environment
- HON 321Y: War and Peace
- HON 321Z: The Blues
Full Semester HON 321A, Are You What You Eat?, T 1:10-2:00pm, 305 Kildee, 1 credit, full semester, Enrollment limit: 17. REF# 4626005
About the Course: What nutrients are essential for life, and what foods and food supplements will improve 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 seminar. Then, the role of nutraceuticals as food supplements in a healthy life will be emphasized. We will discuss popular topics of nutrition in 15-minute oral presentations. By the end of the semester, you will be in a stronger position to make difficult decisions about your diet composition and supplementation and to evaluate nutrition information advertised on TV, magazines, and the internet.
About the Instructor: Don Beitz, Distinguished Professor of Agriculture, has taught biochemistry (e.g., BBMB 420 and BBMB 405) for five decades. In addition, he teaches an Agricultural Biotechnology Colloquium for Scholarship for Excellence students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. His research focuses on the application of molecular biology and biochemistry to animal food production and animal diseases. He has participated actively in Honors programs (e.g., First-Year Mentor, research projects, seminar teacher, and advisor) throughout his tenure at Iowa State.
CANCELLED 1st Half HON 321B, Activism and Cultural Resistance in the United States, T 10:10-11:50 am, 1 credit, First Half semester, Enrollment limit: 17 US Diversity.
About the Course: This seminar will examine non-traditional forms of political activism and cultural resistance of women in the United States. Through discussions, readings and documentaries, you will learn about various forms of activism by women throughout history and in contemporary times. Examination will include the use of the body, clothing, art, narrative, community, and other forms. We’ll explore social movements ranging from women’s suffrage and civil rights to motherhood and current events.
About the Instructor: Ashley R. Garrin is the Assistant Director of the Ronald E. McNair Program and instructor for the NCORE-ISCORE Project. Her research interests include the historic and social aspects of dress and appearance of marginalized groups in the United States, specifically African-American women and hair. Through her work, she is also a proponent of accessibility to graduate education for underprivileged populations.
1st Half HON 321C, Religion and Climate Change, R 4:10-6:00 pm,1 credit, 1st Half semester, Enrollment limit: 17, 0225 Curtiss, REF# 4628005
About the Course: Religion shapes how we understand science and envision the future. How does religion affect citizens’ responses to climate change around the world? In the United States, conservative Christians tend toward climate skepticism as well as opposition to environmentalist policies. However, as we will find in this seminar, the relationship between religious beliefs—both Christian and non-Christian—and attitudes toward the environment varies a great deal from country to country.
About the Instructor: Amy Erica Smith is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science. Her research focuses on public opinion as well as religion and politics in Latin America. She has special expertise on Brazilian politics and is beginning a new research project on religion and climate change in the developing world.
Full Semester HON 321D, How to Spy on Everyone, R 4:10-5:00 pm, 1 credit, full semester, 1011 Coover, REF# 4629005
About the Course: Where is your phone right now? Is it in your pocket? On your desk nearby? Wherever it is, the signals it transmits to nearby base stations and Wi-Fi access points reveal a lot about what you are doing right now. If you ever watch an old spy movie, you might notice that much of the information those characters gathered, like where people go and who people meet, could be discovered today by tracking the targets’ cell phones. This seminar will explore the wealth of information—and how it is being used—that almost everyone shares all the time, every day, whether they know it or not. We will read about and discuss several examples of how information transmitted by your phone is (or could be!) used. We will also take a look at some real, over-the-air cell phone data to see what we can learn from it.
About the Instructor: Andrew K. Bolstad is an adjunct assistant professor of electrical engineering. Before joining the faculty at Iowa State, he worked at MIT Lincoln Laboratory in the Advanced RF Techniques and Systems group. He is interested in understanding and exploiting usage of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Full Semester HON 321E, Orchid Mania, W 9:00-9:50am, Hort 138, 1 credit, full semester, Enrollment limit: 17, REF# 4630005.
About the Course: Orchids are among the most fascinating groups of plants on earth. Their beautiful and unique flowers have created an allure that is legendary. Whether it is flower hunters searching tropics around the world for orchids, plant physiologists trying to understand how these unique plants function, or enthusiastic collectors trying to grow these plants, orchid mania is real! This seminar will focus on the world of orchids, introducing students to the physiology, history, lore, and culture of the world of orchids. This seminar is geared toward non-life science majors.
About the Instructor: Christopher J. Currey is an assistant professor in the Department of Horticulture. He specializes in greenhouse crop production. He is a former commercial orchid grower, and these flowers ignited the passion for plants that led him to pursue graduate degrees in greenhouse crop production. He has grown orchids for years in windowsills, under lights, and in greenhouses, and still finds them both challenging and rewarding to grow, as well as fascinating to learn about.
1st Half HON 321F, Ethical Eating, W 12:10-2:00 pm, 0124 Carver, 1 credit, 1st Half-semester, Enrollment limit: 17, REF# 4631005.
About the Course: “Ethical Eating” explores the ethical implications of the food choices we make. For example, if we choose to eat meat, where does that meat come from, under what conditions were the animals raised, and what are the environmental consequences of animal production? What are our ethical obligations with regard to the welfare of animals? What are our ethical obligations to the workers who process our food and to the environment? What are the concerns with industrial agriculture? Do farm subsidy programs create a food system that promotes consumer and environmental health? The objective of the seminar is to increase awareness of the stories behind the foods that are available for us to eat. With knowledge of those stories, we can begin to apply an ethical framework to the choices of what foods to eat. The seminar will consist of readings for each week followed by a discussion, viewing of several videos, discussion with visiting speakers, a possible field trip to a farm, and student presentations by on the ethical issues associated with a common food item. The seminar will end with a potluck meal at the instructors’ home.
About the Instructor: 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, and has co-taught the Honors seminar on “Issues in Biology and Medicine.” His research is in the area of the environmental effects of GMO’s, particularly with regard to monarch butterflies.
Full Semester HON 321G, Medical Genetics in Popular Culture, M 10:00-10:50 am, 305 Kildee, 1 credit, full semester, Enrollment limit: 17, REF# 4632005. US Diversity
About the Course: In this seminar, we’ll examine the genetics of human disease, in particular, the history of the scientific discipline and clinical specialty. While a few lectures will give you some biochemical and genetic background, most of the class will include films, Dr. Robert Marion’s book Genetic Rounds, and guest speakers. We’ll view films focusing on medical genetics in history, for e,xample, The Madness of King George (porphyria), Nicholas and Alexandra (hemophilia), and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (congenital deformity) as well as futuristic topics on medical genetics (GATACA), and disease and the human condition (Mask), or family struggle and treatment development (Lorenzo’s Oil, Extraordinary Measures). Guest speakers will discuss, in a roundtable format, families and patients affected by inherited genetic disease.
About the Instructor: Dr. Matthew Ellinwood is an associate professor in the Department of Animal Science. He has a background in fine arts and earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Washington University in St. Louis, as well as a degree in veterinary science from Colorado State and a PhD in molecular genetics, also from Colorado State. His areas of research include physiology and animal breeding and genetics.
Full Semester HON 321H, Norse Myth: Gods, Heroes, and Monsters, T 2:10-3:00, 1 credit, full semester, limit 17, REF# 4633005.
About the Course: In this seminar, we will read early literature from Nordic Europe and surrounding areas, primarily mythology and Viking literature. Some traits are common across the mythological, cultural, and historical stories, such as the values of a heroic world, honor, loyalty, and an ethic of revenge—along with interests in faith, fate, otherworldly journeys, and the monstrous. We will examine these works as reflections of the societies which created them, and consider what functions stories and poetry served within those societies. We’ll explore a number of themes, including the role of women, the role of the poet, the function of humor, and the nature of Norse story-telling.
About the Instructor: Carolyn Gonzalez and Spencer Dodd are graduate students in English Literature and currently are lab instructors for Speech Comm 212. Carolyn received her BA in English, with a cross-departmental Medieval Studies Certificate, from the University of Iowa. She has an immense fascination with medieval Nordic texts and their cultural significance today. Spencer has a BA in English, with a minor in Classical Studies, from Iowa State. He is interested in mythology and changes in narrative practice over time.
Full Semester HON 321J, What We’re Doing Here: History of US Higher Education, W 1:10-3:00 pm, 0032 Carver, credits, full semester, limit 17, REF# 4634005, US Diversity.
About the Course: Colleges and universities in the United States are complicated and controversial places, yet in some ways their existence is a historical accident. In this seminar, we will ask the question “What exactly are we doing here?” and, in an attempt to better understand this question, we’ll explore the history of American higher education, from its colonial-era foundations to its modern form today. We will address topics such as the emergence of the liberal arts, the first research universities, the origins (and controversies) of college athletics, student revolutions of the 1960s (and earlier!), and the debate over free speech and open exchange of ideas on campus.
About the Instructor: Garrett Gowen is a doctoral student in the School of Education. He received an M.Ed. in higher education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. His research focuses on the organization of higher education throughout history.
Full Semester HON 321K, My Life As a Parasite: Fetal Development and Birth, W 5:10-6:00 pm, 0225 Curtiss, 1 credit, full semester, REF# 4635005.
About the Course: Using the book Life Before Birth: The Challenges of Fetal Development, this seminar will discuss the stages and mechanisms of normal fetal and placental development during pregnancy. We will learn how the placenta functions as a lung, gut and kidney for the fetus; factors that affect normal development of the fetal brain; maternal lifestyle and its impact on fetal development; fetal signals that initiate the birth process; and how the newborn baby adapts to the outside world. You will actively participate in class discussions and create and deliver a short presentation on a relevant topic of your choice.
About the Instructor: Howard Tyler is the Assistant Dean in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and a professor in the Department of Animal Science. His research program has focused on comparative perinatal physiology and development and he has taught a variety of animal science courses, including a graduate course in perinatology. Greer Potadle is a graduate student in Animal Physiology with a passion for doing research on various aspects of placental physiology and pathology. She has served as a teaching assistant in animal physiology laboratories and in a graduate course in perinatology.
Full Semester HON 321L, Human Trafficking in the United States and Beyond, W 2:10-4:00 pm, 1026 Black Engineering, 2 credits, full semester, limit 17, REF# 4636005, US Diversity.
About the Course: This seminar will explore the phenomenon of human, sex, and labor trafficking within the United States and beyond. You will learn about the history of and concepts that define trafficking; the intersectionalities of race, gender, nationality, etc.; legal and political ramifications of trafficking, and how you can make a difference in your community by educating peers about this crime against humanity. Guest speakers include representatives from the Central Iowa Service Network Against Human Trafficking, Youth and Shelter Services, ISU Network Against Human Trafficking and Slavery, etc.
About the Instructor: Dr. Alissa Stoehr is a Lecturer in the Sociology Department and the Women’s and Gender Studies Program. Her research interests include human trafficking, women’s and gender studies programs at community colleges, child support and welfare policies in the state of Iowa, racism within intercollegiate athletics, and work-life balance issues affecting female PhD students at Iowa State.
Full Semester HON 321M, History of Reproductive Rights in the US, W 4:10-5:00 pm, TBA, 1 credit, full semester, Enrollment limit: 17, REF# 4640005.
About the Course: We will examine the history of reproductive rights in America in this seminar, discussing these rights across different historical periods. We’ll also learn about and the life experiences of different people with multiple identities (e.g., White women, women of color, men, LGBT, etc.). We will watch documentaries and discuss readings relating to reproductive rights in the US. You will keep a journal throughout the semester in order to reflect on the class material. You will then either write a final paper or create a final project about a reproductive-rights issue you have learned about during the semester.
About the Instructor: Dr. Alissa Stoehr is a Lecturer in the Sociology Department and the Women’s and Gender Studies Program. Her research interests include human trafficking, women’s and gender studies programs at community colleges, child support and welfare policies in the state of Iowa, racism within intercollegiate athletics, and work-life balance issues affecting female PhD students at Iowa State.
Full Semester HON 321N, Getting Out the Vote: The Power of Political Campaign Ads, T 3:10-4:00 pm, 0008 Curtiss, 1 credit, full semester, Enrollment limit: 16, REF# 4645005
About the Course: Are you intrigued by politics? Do you wonder why candidates project a certain persona in their campaign ads? The world of campaign ads is wild and woolly, and in this seminar, we will explore the elements that make campaign ads successful, such as appeals to humor and to fear. We will examine the visual stereotypes that make campaign ads so easy to parody, and exactly how ads influence voters. In addition to looking at some classic examples of campaign ads, we will explore ads that are being aired for the fall 2018 elections. The seminar will be discussion-based, and will culminate in a project where teams will make a 30-second candidate introductory ad. The skills you learn in this seminar will help you be a more discerning voter!
About the Instructor: Krista Klocke earned her BA in Speech Comm and Comm Studies and MA in Rhetoric, Composition, and Professional Communication, both at ISU. A proud alumna of the ISU Honors Program, having served as both an FHP Leader and a UA, Krista is a PhD student in Rhetoric and Professional Communication. She is passionate about rhetoric and is a graduate instructor for SpCm 212 (public speaking). Her research interests include abolition and suffrage rhetoric, and women’s political communication (especially campaign ads).
1st Half HON 321P, Entrepreneurship, R 10:00- 11:50 am, 3164 Gerdin, 1 credit, first half, 4647005.
About the Course: This seminar is designed to help you acquire sound business acumen. It will include a series of lectures on business models for different types of businesses. You will be able to interact directly with business professionals and learn from their expertise in this field. You’ll become familiar with the overall business environment, brainstorm start-up ideas, and understand legal and capital needs for various kinds of business organizations. The seminar may include field trips to Workiva and Ames Ford Lincoln.
About the Instructor: Shoba Premkumar, a Senior Lecturer in the College of Business, will coordinate this seminar. Guest speakers will include Nick Johnson, owner/manager of Ames Ford Lincoln; Eugene T. Hibbs, owner, Little Caesar’s of Ames; Dave Tucker, Director of Product Development, Workiva; Rick Brimeyer, President, Brimeyer LLC, and Chris Seymour, CEO of Seymour Screen Excellence.
1st Half HON 321Q, Exploring Environmental Issues through Documentaries, R 10:00-11:50 am, 0009 Curtiss, 1 credit, first half, REF# 4648005.
About the Course: In this “blended” seminar, with online and face-to-face components, we will explore current issues related to overpopulation, overconsumption, industrial food production, climate change and species extinction. We will analyze these issues through award-winning documentaries, readings, face-to-face and online discussion, and student presentations. You will gain a better understanding of some global environmental problems, learn how to reduce your ecological footprint, and practice your critical thinking skills via documentary critiques.
About the Instructor: L. R. Skrynnikova is a Lecturer in the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management. She has taught all levels of undergraduate courses including Animal Ecology and Wildlife Management, Introduction to Renewable Resources, Foundations in Natural Resource Policy and History, and Controversial Issues in Natural Resource Management. She also developed new courses for WLC and NREM: Environmental Issues in Modern Russia, Influential Environmental Thinkers in Russia and the U.S., and Seminar on Social Justice and Environmental Sustainability.
Full Semester HON 321R, Have You Valued Your IP today?, R 2:10-3:00 pm, 1 credit, full semester, 1151 Jischke, REF# 5145005
About the Course: In this seminar we will explore the intellectual property strategy of Fortune 100 companies (patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyright, etc.). Eighty percent of a company’s value is based on intangible assets, which includes intellectual property. We will discuss what strategies are good for starting a company, versus the strategy needed to grow and maintain a large company. Coca-Cola and Nike will be used as in-class examples, and you will select a Fortune 100 company, determine the company’s intellectual property strategy, and use in-class discussion to compare and contrast these companies.
About the Instructor: Lisa L. Lorenzen, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the ISU Research Foundation (ISURF) and the Director of the Office of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer. Together these offices facilitate interactions with industry via research contract negotiations and transfer of intellectual property. ISURF owns and manages intellectual property on behalf of Iowa State. This includes receiving and evaluating the innovative research produced by ISU employees, protecting the innovations, marketing, and licensing to companies. Lisa is an alum of the ISU Honors Program and was an Honors Leader.
Full Semester HON 321S, Music and Health, R 10:00-10:50 am, 0024 Music, 2 credits, full semester, Enrollment limit: 17, REF# 8951005.
About the Course: We will explore the relationship of music and health via readings, recordings, lectures, discussions, and musical experiences, investigating the history, theory, and practice of the creative power of sound and music in international health care settings. In addition to reviewing the work of musicians-physicians and music therapy research, we will study prevention of injury and health maintenance for musicians, and medical challenges of performing artists and composers. You actively listen to musical compositions of various styles and genres, learn to identify them by composer, historical context, and stylistic characteristics, and explore their potential use as treatment in clinical applications. You also will explore values, attitudes and norms that shape cultural differences of people who live in the U.S. and in other regions of the world.
About the Instructor: Dr. Miriam Zach is [a] musicologist, organist, harpsichordist, pianist, author, and professor. She is the inaugural Charles and Mary Sukup Artist in Organ teaching organ, harpsichord, and music-history courses at Iowa State. She is also Director of Music-Organist at St. John’s Episcopal Church, and enjoys playing chamber music as a member of the Alachua Consort. From 1996-2016 at the University of Florida she taught interdisciplinary Honors Music and Health, undergraduate and graduate Music History, organ, and harpsichord. She edited the book Resonance: Essays on the Intersection of Music and Architecture (2007) with her husband, ISU Architecture Professor Mikesch Muecke, and co-taught a seminar with him for many years at Iowa State. At Florida, she was Professor of the Year in 2000-01.
2nd Half HON 321T, Performing Arts Exploration – Live!, T 4:10-6:00pm, 1151 Jischke, 1 credit, arranged/irregular, second half, Enrollment limit: 17, REF# 5148005, IP Credit
About the Course: Would you like to attend events at Iowa State Center, but can't find the time? Wondered how the arts intersect with your academic field? Through performance attendance, discussion, tours and readings, you’ll have an opportunity to experience live productions in the performing arts. You’ll understand the importance of various art forms and explore the connections between the arts and your chosen curriculum. And we bet that having had a taste of events at Stephens, you’ll be on the lookout for more! HON 321T Event Schedule
About the Instructor: Laurie Law, Administrative Director of Honors, and Sara Compton, Iowa State Center Outreach Manager, will facilitate this seminar, including in-class discussions. Laurie has led Honors seminars on a wide variety of topics. Guest speakers will appear in the classroom or via Skype, and additional ISC staff will offer a backstage tour. (There may be a course fee for attending performances.)
Full Semester HON 321U, Conflicts in the Middle East, T 2:10-3:00 pm, 1 credit, full semester, REF# 5149005, IP Credit.
About the Course: What are the current political conflicts in the Middle East? How should we understand the wars in the Middle East? In this seminar, we will examine the current political conflicts and wars in this region. We will examine in depth the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Lebanese War, the Palestinian question and other regional issues (Iraq, the Kurds, Iran, Syria, etc.). You will better understand the “complicated Middle East” and how these conflicts affect the war on terrorism.
About the Instructor: Jean-Pierre Taoutel has been teaching at ISU since 1999 as a Senior Lecturer of French and an Instructor of Arabic. He was born in Syria and grew up in Lebanon before moving to France. He holds an M.A and a D.E.A in French literature from the Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris, France. He has taught several Honors seminars. Jean-Pierre enjoys traveling and he has been in over 45 countries.
Full Semester HON 321V, That’s Me in the Corner, M 2:10-3:00 pm, 1 credit, full semester, limit 17, REF# 6545005, IP Credit.
About the Course: How much do you know about the problems that many people in the world face today? Are you aware of the plagues (organ traffic, modern slavery, child soldiers, forced prostitution, etc.) that are destroying the lives of millions of people around you? On the first day of this seminar, you will be given a photo that represents a random person suffering from one of today’s plagues. Who is this person? What is his/her problem? How come he/she has ended up in this situation? You will do research about the issue represented in the photo and present it in class. You will learn more in-depth about issues that, even if they don’t make the headlines, affect millions of people in the world. You could have been that person in the corner!
About the Instructor: Jean-Pierre Taoutel has been teaching at ISU since 1999 as a Senior Lecturer of French and an Instructor of Arabic. He was born in Syria and grew up in Lebanon before moving to France. He holds an M.A and a D.E.A in French literature from the Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris, France. He has taught several Honors seminars. Jean-Pierre enjoys traveling and he has been in over 45 countries.
Full Semester HON 321W, Exploring the Historic Built Environment, R 5:10-6:00pm, 1155 Jischke, 1 credit, full semester, REF# 6564005, Enrollment limit: 17.
About the Course: In this seminar you’ll learn to “read” and comprehend the built environment—buildings, cities, and so on—as you would read a book: as a legible work onto which accounts of past peoples and events are inscribed. To better understand how places become infused with meaning and shape our perceptions, we will explore our surroundings, both hallowed (or controversial) sites as well as the mundane corners of familiar neighborhoods. We’ll draw widely from places in Iowa and around the world and broach challenging topics as a steamship house in Mason City; Adolf Hitler’s boyhood home; downtown Detroit as a modern Acropolis, and the lone Scotsman of the Lincoln Highway. We will likely an overnight field trip to Mason City to visit several historic sites and meet with members of the community.
About the Instructor: Ted Grevstad-Nordbrock is an assistant professor in Community and Regional Planning whose expertise is historic preservation and heritage studies. He’s a graduate of the Wisconsin, Cornell, and Michigan State. Ted is currently a board member of Preservation Iowa, sits on the City of Ames Historic Preservation Commission, and was recently appointed to the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs’ State Nominations Review Committee. He is Principal Investigator on the ISU/US Department of State Cultural Heritage Documentation Project.
Full Semester HON 321Y, War and Peace, W 2:10-3:00 pm, 1 credit, full semester, limit 17, REF# 7631005 IP Credit.
About the Course: How do conflicts between nations start? Why do we go to war, and how do we make peace? Are wars the only option to solve conflicts? In this seminar, we will explore several past and present global conflicts to understand the mechanisms that lead nations to war, and the steps put into place to resolve international conflicts. You will learn how the worst adversaries could one day become the best allies (for example, France/Germany, USA/Japan) or vice-versa (Iran/USA). Our goal is to analyze the steps that start or end wars, and thereby gain insights into resolving conflicts. You will choose one topic of interest to research and present to your peers.
About the Instructor: This seminar is led by two faculty members from the Department of World Languages and Cultures who have interests in many global issues. Jean-Pierre Taoutel has been teaching at ISU since 1999 as a Senior Lecturer of French and an Instructor of Arabic. He was born in Syria and grew up in Lebanon before moving to France. He holds an M.A and a D.E.A in French literature from the Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris, France. He has taught several Honors seminars. Jean-Pierre enjoys traveling and he has been in over 45 countries. Mitchell Holthaus has been at ISU since 2015 as a lecturer of German and an instructor of International Studies. He holds an M.A. in German Studies from California State, Long Beach (2014). He has spent time studying and working in Germany and has worked as an English language teaching assistant in Austria.
2nd Half HON 321Z, The Blues, T R 4:10-5:00 pm, 1155 Jischke, 1 credit, second half, Enrollment limit: 17, REF# 7634005. US Diversity
About the Course: Have you listened to Eric Clapton play the blues and wondered about how the blues developed, from field holler and prison work songs in the Mississippi delta around the turn of the 20th century to its present forms? Have you listened to popular songs in other styles, unaware that they follow in the tradition of the blues? Through discussions and readings, you’ll have an opportunity to trace this great American musical tradition, and understand the importance of this art form, as well as its connection to and influence on popular music throughout the world. (There may be a course fee for attending performances.)
About the Instructor: Dr. David Stuart is Professor of Music Emeritus in the Department of Music and Theatre. He taught the History of American Rock’n’Roll at Iowa State for more than 25 years.