CFAS 2300-H01   Communication, Civility, & Ethics     (CRN #19604)     Prof. K. Harris      TR 9:30-10:50 PM

Corequisite: HONS 1000-H01 LCG Section                  (CRN #20410)     Student Mentors         M 4:30-5:50 PM

Communication, civility and ethics are skills which are crucial to every facet of individuals' personal and professional lives.  Success is greatly determined by the proper knowledge and utilization of these life skills.  This course is designed to assist students in the transition into their first year by developing their communication styles and an understanding of ethics while teaching skills and strategies for interpersonal, academic, and business interactions.  An emphasis on civility and demonstrating respect for individuals and self serves as the underlying framework for course content which includes assessment of aptitudes in communication, civility, and ethics arenas; skill development in professional communication areas including interpersonal communication, public speaking, and writing; relationship development strategies at individual, group, and organizational levels; and strategies for bringing civility into daily interactions.  This course focuses on the application of these skills in real life situations through exercises in experiential learning. THIS COURSE FULFILLS 3 HOURS OF THE CORE CURRICULUM ORAL COMMUNICATION REQUIREMENT.

ENGL 2307-H02    Intro to Fiction: Sherlock Holmes      (CRN #28863)      Prof. W. Aycock       MWF 10:00-10:50 AM

                             and the Rise of the Detective Novel

Corequisite: HONS 1000-H20 LCG Section                       (CRN #28864)     Student Mentors              W 4:30-5:50 PM

Prerequisite: ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302

During this semester, English 2307, “Studies in Fiction,” will be a special section that is devoted to the study of “Sherlock Holmes and the Rise of the Detective Tale.” It is very hard to find anyone who has not heard of Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, yet Doyle did not invent the detective story. Several other authors wrote what are recognized as detective stories before Sherlock Holmes appeared. And, at the time that Sherlock Holmes was becoming quite popular, other authors also begin writing detective stories. During this semester, we will study some of Poe's detective stories, consider the works of Emile Gaboriau and Willie Collins (The Moonstone), as predecessors of Sherlock Holmes. And we will look at some of the film versions of Sherlock Holmes to see how they contribute to or simply make changes in the legend. Finally, we'll consider the enduring influence of Sherlock Holmes and see how such writers such as Agatha Christie, with her characters Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, have continued to create detectives like Holmes.
The major emphasis in the course, however, will be Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. By reading the works of Conan Doyle, we can come to an understanding of why this literary character has made such an impact that some people throughout the world still think of him as being a real person who can still solve their problems.
Students in this class will be required to write two short essays and a research essay; in addition, there will be a mid-term examination and a final examination. Oral reports will be optional. THIS COURSE FULFILLS 3 HOURS OF THE CORE CURRICULUM HUMANITIES AND/OR SOPHOMORE LITERATURE REQUIREMENT.

ENGL 2351-H01    Writing in the Outdoors               (CRN #20081)     Prof. K. Caswell              TR 9:30-10:50 AM

Corequisite: HONS 1000-H03 LCG Section               (CRN #20510)     Student Mentors               M 4:30-5:50 PM

Note:In addition to FYE and English, this course counts toward the major or minor in Environment and the Humanities.

Prerequisite: ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302

If you love to write and be outdoors, this class is for you. Our primary task is to workshop your creative nonfiction essays, but you'll also write regularly in a field journal as a springboard for ideas, subjects, and inspiration. You will study major American writers in the naturalist tradition such as John Muir, William Stafford, Terry Tempest Williams, Wendell Berry, Annie Dillard, and Barry Lopez (who is a distinguished visiting scholar here at Tech). Classes will be held outdoors, and we'll make a 3-day, weekend hiking trip to the White Mountains of New Mexico. The Honors College will subsidize the $100 special course fee for this trip. THIS COURSE FULFILLS 3 HOURS OF THE CORE CURRICULUM HUMANITIES AND/OR SOPHOMORE LITERATURE REQUIREMENT.

ENGL 2391-H01     Intro toCritical Writing            (CRN #24990)             Prof. K. Caswell           TR 2:00-3:20 PM

Corequisite: HONS 1000-H14 LCG Section              (CRN #20521)             Student Mentors          W 4:30-5:50 PM

Join Professor Kurt Caswell on a journey through four genres and four worlds while mastering critical writing in ENGL 2391: Critical Writing. You'll explore Shakespeare's Othello; Ceremony, Leslie Marmon Silko's novel about a young American Indian war veteran; the Pulitzer Prize winning book about Iraq and Afghanistan, The Forever War by Dexter Filkins; and The Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest story in the world. The course will focus on the writing process rather than content, and students will engage in meaningful discussion about these books toward this end. We'll build a dynamic, lively community of writers, and learn by sharing our work with each other.  THIS COURSE FULFILLS 3 HOURS OF THE CORE CURRICULUM HUMANITIES AND/OR SOPHOMORE LITERATURE REQUIREMENTS.

ENGR 1315-H01    Introduction to Engineering         (CRN #14829)         Prof. W. Oler       TR 11:00 AM-12:20 PM

Corequisite: HONS 1000-H04 LCG Section                (CRN #20511)       Student Mentors         W 4:30-5:30 PMo:p>

ENGR 1315-H02    Introduction to Engineering           (CRN #20135)     Prof. M. Maqusi      MWF 1:00-1:50 PM

Corequisite: HONS 1000-H05 LCG Section                   (CRN #20512)     Student Mentors         M 4:30-5:50 PM

Note: This course is open to all Honors engineering and non-engineering majors and may be substituted for the following discipline-specific Introduction to Engineering courses: CH E 1305, CE 1305, EE 1304, IE 1305, ME 1315, and PETR 1305. This course should also be of interest to non-engineering majors who have an interest in technology or a desire to learn more about an engineering discipline.

Corequisites: ENGR 1315 Lab section and MATH 1351

This course is designed to introduce engineering and non-engineering first year to the opportunities and challenges offered by a career in engineering.  Through an exploration of the new and evolving technologies and the national and international issues relating to energy conservation, production, and consumption, students are given a preview of the problems and analyses typical of mechanical, civil, electrical, chemical, industrial, petroleum, and computer science engineering.  Students also gain experience in the application of basic computer tools (e.g., Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Mathcad, MATLAB) to analyses, reports, and presentations typical of engineering.  Finally, students develop an understanding and appreciation of the design process and the open-ended problems found in the practice of engineering.

GEOG 1401-H01   Physical Geography                  (CRN #27700)     Prof. G. Elbow                   TR 8:00-9:20 AM

GEOG 1401-H51   Physical Geography Lab              (CRN #27702)     Prof. G. Elbow                    F 8:00-9:50 AM

Corequisite: HONS 1000-H15 LCG Section            (CRN #20522)     Student Mentors              M 4:30-5:50 PM

Corequisite: Geog 1401-H51 Lab section (Info above).

This course deals with the physical world in which we live. Specific topics include global distribution of climate and the reasons for that distribution, landforms and their location and formative processes, biogeography (distribution of plants and animals)  and genesis and classification of soils. This course is especially concerned with looking at these phenomena to explain how science works, how science has developed and how it has changed the way humans see their world. We will also look at the phenomenon of science skeptics and evaluate what science can and cannot tell us. The laboratory exercises are focused on exploring how scientists collect, classify and interpret data from the natural world. THIS COURSE FULFILLS 4 HOURS OF THE CORE CURRICULUM NATURAL SCIENCE REQUIREMENT.

HIST 2301-H01      History of the US Since 1877       (CRN #14859)     Prof. G. Bell                  TR 12:30-1:50 PM

Corequisite: HONS 1000-H11 LCG Section               (CRN #20518)     Student Mentors          W 4:30-5:50 PM

Note: You need not take HIST 2300 before taking HIST 2301.

This course will discuss, in an overview format, all of the main currents--political, economic, and social, etc.--of American history since 1877.  Of special interest will be such American turning points as the second  industrial revolution, imperialism, the two World Wars, the Great Depression, Viet Nam and the current political scene.  The course focuses on broad patterns and interpretations rather than a collection of independent facts.  Two elements especially distinguish this particular class: an emphasis on discussion over sometimes controversial issues and an awareness of current events, which are nothing more than a continuation of the American story through the present. This is a writing intensive class.  THIS COURSE FULFILLS 3 HOURS OF THE CORE CURRICULUM U.S. HISTORY REQUIREMENT. 

HIST 2301-H02      History of the US Since 1877       (CRN #28390)      Prof. J. Willett                 TR 2:00-3:20 PM

Corequisite: HONS 1000-H19 LCG Section               (CRN #25100)     Student Mentors             M 4:30-5:50 PM

Note: You need not take HIST 2300 before taking HIST 2301.

This course will examine the history of the United States from 1877 to the present.  By looking at the ways in which women and men have understood their identity in terms of gender, race, class, and region, we will capture the diversity of American experiences. In the process we will explore the ways in which “ordinary” folk have coped with and challenged broader economic, cultural, and political developments in their everyday lives. Students' grades will be based on a series of short essays, two exams, class discussion, and an oral history project. THIS COURSE FULFILLS CORE CURRICULUM U.S. HISTORY CREDIT.

HONS 1301-H01       Philosophy and Literature         (CRN #14875)     Prof.C. Bradatan            TR 12:30-1:50 PM

Corequisite: HONS 1000-H08  LCG Section           (CRN #20515)     Student Mentors                  W 4:30-5:50 PM

In this interdisciplinary seminar we will consider several works of fiction from the point of view of their philosophical content: Albert Camus' The Stranger,Lev Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Illych, Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Herta Müller's The Land of Green Plums, and AldousHuxley's Brave New World.  Special attention will be paid to the overlap between philosophy and literature and, in particular, to the specific narrative, rhetorical, and stylistic modalities through which a work of fiction can nourish and convey a philosophical message. The understanding of these works will be enriched through viewing of like-minded art films. THIS COURSE FULFILLS 3 HOURS OF THE CORE CURRICULUM HUMANITIES REQUIREMENT.

HONS 1301-H02    Windows on World War I               (CRN #14888)     Prof. J. Brink                TR  9:30-10:50 AM

Corequisite: HONS 1000-H10 LCG Section               (CRN #20517)     Student Mentors              M 4:30-5:50 PM

This course is a seminar on themes (windows) in World War I (1914-1918).  This, “the war to end all wars”, was a major watershed in the Western World.  Massive armies of conscript soldiers employed and suffered from sophisticated and terrible technology.  Yet the conduct of the war, especially on the Western Front, was for the most part static along a 450 mile line from the North Sea to Switzerland.  During periods of inactivity, soldiers wrote, sang, and drew, expressing their feelings and reactions to this human catastrophe in ways which ennobled them as soldiers and as humans and which have left a wondrous record of their experiences.  Beginning with an in-depth section of lecture and discussion of the history of the war, we will probe the social and literary history of soldiers on the Western Front.  The remainder of the course will consist of class presentations and written reports.  Topics will be selected during the first weeks of the term. THIS COURSE FULFILLS 3 HOURS OF THE CORE CURRICULUM HUMANITIES REQUIREMENT.

HONS 1301-H03    The Mother Earth Chronicles  (CRN #21978)     Prof. S. Tomlinson    TR 11:00 AM-12:20 PM

Corequisite: HONS 1000-H06 LCG Section            (CRN #20513)     Student Mentors         M 4:30-5:50 PM

Note: After the first class, some class meetings will be held outdoors. If you cannot attend the first session, please contact the instructor immediately.

“The Mother Earth Chronicles” is a fun, gentle, thought-provoking exploration of literary and film works about nature, environment, and landscape. In this course, you can expect to cover a wide and diverse range of topics about living with “Mother”—everything from bees, to homesteading, to white water rafting. This is also an excellent opportunity to practice writing in a workshop/tutorial format; if you've always thought that writing is a boring, excruciating, mind-numbing, pointless exercise in formulaic drivel and pap, well then, you've never done any writing like this. This course is writing intensive.  THIS COURSE FULFILLS 3 HOURS OF THE CORE CURRICULUM HUMANITIES REQUIREMENT.

HONS 1302-H01    Perspectives on Nature         (CRN #20085)     Prof. M. McGinley        MWF 11:00-11:50 AM

                                and the Environment

Corequisite: HONS 1000-H18                             (CRN #23167)     Student Mentors                  W 4:30-5:50 PM

The planet is warming, the ice caps are melting, our oceans are full of toxic waste.  Dolphins, pandas, and Bambi are going extinct, and it seems that everything in the environment gives us cancer.  If you spend too much time listening to Greenpeace, you might conclude that our environmental situation is hopeless.  Alternatively, regular viewers of Fox News might decide that there is nothing to worry about because the climate isn't changing, extinction is a natural process, clean coal and nuclear power are the answer to our energy needs, there are enough resources for everyone, and technology will allow us to solve any problem we face.  In this course we will explore why people have such divergent views about the environment.  In addition to examining the science behind environmental issues, we will explore how the different ways that people value the environment (their environmental ethic) influences their opinion on environmental issues.  Wind power vs. clean coal?  Drive a Hummer or ride a bike?  Build a national park or build a mall?  Save a logger's job or save the spotted owl?  Recycle or throw it away?  “The Earth is for us to use as we wish” vs. “The Earth is ours to care for?” At the end of the course you can decide.  THIS COURSE FULFILLS 3 HOURS OF THE CORE CURRICULUM TECHNOLOGY AND APPLIED SCIENCE REQUIREMENT.

HONS 1304-H02    Frankenstein and Theater   (CRN #24835)        Prof. M. Purinton     TR 11:00 AM - 12:20 PM

Corequisite: HONS 1000-H02   LCG Section              (CRN #20509)      Student Mentors           M 4:30-5:50 PM

Note: No performing arts background is necessary for enrollment in this course.

In order for us to explore the ways that “Frankenstein” has permeated our cultural consciousness, we must begin with the original novel first published in 1818, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. Shelley's novel integrated many Romantic-period preoccupations with science, sex, family, politics, mythology, education, and monsters that continue to be relevant. By 1822, the name of the creator Victor Frankenstein and his creature became synonymous so that the word “Frankenstein” is actually associated with monstrosities. The “Frankenstein” monstrosity as name and icon has become so ubiquitous that it is a part of our cultural consciousness, even if we do not truly understand its origins and its transmutations through time. Mary Shelley's creature continues to haunt us and is reshaped for contemporary issues, expressed frequently in popular culture.

This incredible novel, therefore, will be the starting place of our course which will explore a multitude of “monstrous offspring” that it has engendered. We will read various melodramas that were staged after the novel was published, including Richard Brinsley Peake's 1823 Presumption; or, The Fate of Frankenstein and Another Piece of Presumption; the anonymous 1824 Frank-in-Steam; or, The Modern Promise to Pay; Henry M. Milner's 1826 Frankenstein; or, The Man and the Monster; John Atkinson Kerr's 1826 The Monster and Magician; or, The Fate of Frankenstein; Richard and Barnabas Borough's 1849 Frankenstein; or The Model Man; John Balderston's 1930 Frankenstein.

We will also explore the novel's monstrous offspring that took the form of cinematic adaptations of the novel. Among those movies, we will consider Thomas Edison's 1910 Frankenstein; John Whale's 1931 Frankenstein and 1935 The Bride of Frankenstein; James Mason's 1973 Frankenstein: The True Story; Mel Brooks's 1974 Young Frankenstein; Jim Sharman's 1975 The Rocky Horror Picture Show; David Wickes's 1992 Frankenstein; Kenneth Branagh's 1996 Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

Another form of the novel's monstrous offspring in the last century has taken is TV adaptations, such as the 1960s comedy “The Munsters”and “Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein.” We will listen to musical adaptations, including the 2007 Young Frankenstein Musical and the 2010 Broadway hit Frankenstein: A New Musical. And we will look at the way in which the “Frankenstein” name and icon have been deployed in cartoons, comics, and merchandised items such as toys and breakfast cereal.
We will conclude our Frankensteinian journey with a look at the way in which genetically altered food and food laced with corn products and chemicals dominates our food supply today. We will consider this “Frankenfood” in the context of the Summer Reading Program selection of Michael Pollan's bestseller In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto (2008) and the ways in which this monstrous offspring is leaving Americans nutritionally deficient and paradoxically obese.

This course will require you to be curious and excited about exploring monster theory and its application to Frankenstein as well as to its monstrous offspring. We will write brief reflections papers and performance reviews. We will collaborate on a creative group project. And we will have ample provocative discussions. We will go to the Lubbock premier of the musical Mel Brooks's Young Frankenstein, staged by Celebrity Attractions on November 18 or 19 at the City Bank Coliseum.

This course will be taught from a pedagogy informed by feminist theory, and so be prepared to encounter decentralized instruction and to take an active role in your learning process. THIS COURSE FULFILLS 3 HOURS OF THE CORE CURRICULUM VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS REQUIREMENT.

HONS 1304-H03    Joan of Arc and the Arts             (CRN #25700)     Prof. J. Brink         TR 11:00 AM-12:20 PM

Corequisite: HONS 1000-H17 LCG Section              (CRN #23166)     Student Mentors        W 4:30-5:50 PM

Arguably the most famous teenager in history, Joan of Arc has been embraced as a symbol for France, for feminism, for the right, for the left, in fact for nearly the whole spectrum of human identification.  That she lived, that she played a very important role in relieving France of an “invading” army (the English and their Burgundian allies), that she was captured, tortured, tried and executed, all are without doubt.  Just how she has become a symbol for such a variety of “causes”, even the inspiration for a television series of a modern girl, is more problematic. And that's what we're going to investigate, almost like a “cold case” approach to the facts and myths of her life, trial, and death.   We possess the trial transcript, drawn up by the prosecution.  In other words, the responses to the prosecution's questions (there was no defense!) ascribed to this nineteen year old illiterate peasant girl were preserved by those most intent on seeing her discredited and found guilty of a vast array of charges , principal among which was witchcraft.  We will look at the facts, the facts, but not nothing but the facts in a seminar built on individual reports by the class.  Where does truth lie and where does myth begin?  This is rich material, from the transcript to histories, to plays and films and art.  The fascinating life and larger than life impact of this teenager will be a microcosm for how history “treats” figures for purposes that spontaneously present themselves. THIS COURSE FULFILLS 3 HOURS OF THE CORE CURRICULUM VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS REQUIREMENT.

PHIL 2320-H01      Introduction to Ethics               (CRN #20414)     Prof. D. Nathan             TR 2:00-3:20 PM

Corequisite: HONS 1000-H12 LCG Section            (CRN #20519)     Student Mentors           W 4:30-5:50 PM

So how ought persons behave toward one another?  And does it even make any sense to reason about moral questions in the first place?  After all, perhaps morality is just an individual subjective response, like one's taste in ice cream.  Or maybe it's just a matter of religious dogma, so that one needn't think for oneself or bother trying to reason about it at all.  Or perhaps all behavior boils down to self-interest anyway, so that talk of "moral obligation" is merely empty rhetoric.  And, if it is not empty talk, what could possibly ground moral obligation?  Imagine having one of those heavy late-night dorm discussions, but with Plato, Thomas Hobbes, John Stuart Mill, and Immanuel Kant chiming in.  You will find that, even though those folks are long dead, it turns out that they had a lot to say about matters of morality that still concern us deeply today.  In this course, we will explore the potential of thinking carefully and creatively about morality, and we will do so in the company of some of the giants of Western moral philosophy.  (Did you know that the 17th Century philosopher, Thomas Hobbes, even came up with a theory to explain why people stay late at parties?)  THIS COURSE FULFILLS 3 HOURS OF CORE CURRICULUM HUMANITIES REQUIREMENT.

POLS 2302-H02     American Public Policy             (CRN #15080)     Prof. D. Patterson                 TR 12:30-1:50 PM

Corequisite: HONS 1000-H13 LCG Section             (CRN #20520)     Student Mentors             W 4:30-5:50 PM

[Note:  You need not take POLS 1301 and 2302 in any particular order.]
We are currently in an age of radical change. Public policies, from health care to education policy, punishment to corporate regulation – are under a new scrutiny in the contemporary climate of economic crisis. For many citizens, economic crisis eventuates existential crisis – crises that are about the very means by which Americans will live. In this course we will examine particular public policies, such as social security, health care and immigration law, and their impact on the masses of Americans, and on specific subpopulations (such as the elderly, citizens with Middle Eastern heritage, Latinos and African Americans, for example) to better understand the significance of this transformative period in public policy that the nation is now undergoing. The major assignments for this course are weekly writing assignments, an in-class presentation of a research topic of your choosing that is relevant to the course material, and a research essay. THIS COURSE FULFILLS 3 HOURS OF THE CORE CURRICULUM POLITICAL SCIENCE REQUIREMENT.

PSY 1300-H01        General Psychology                     (CRN #15084)            Prof. A. Edwards              TR 2:00-3:20 PM

Corequisite: HONS 1000-H09 LCG Section                (CRN #20516)     Student Mentors                     M 4:30-5:50 PM

Have you ever wondered why people do the things they do? Have you ever wondered why they think the way they think? This course is designed to introduce the field of psychology and its many topics, theories, and contributions to understanding human behavior and thought. Application of psychology to various aspects of everyday life, investigation of the impact of culture on psychological processes, and critical analysis of research will be emphasized. Topics will include emotion, motivation, sensation and perception, personality formation, social behavior, intelligence, and psychological disorders. This course is an engaging, fun, and thought-provoking course that has real-life applicability in virtually every discipline.   THIS COURSE FULFILLS 3 HOURS OF THE CORE CURRICULUM INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP BEHAVIOR AND MULTICULTURAL REQUIREMENTS.

SOC 1301-H01        Introduction to Sociology          (CRN #15091)     Prof. C. Dunham            TR 2:00-3:20 PM

Corequisite: HONS 1000-H16 LCG Section                (CRN #20523)     Student Mentors           W 4:30-5:50 PM

Ever wondered why some people fall in love?  Have you ever wondered why some kids turn to crime and others don't? This introductory course is just for you!  In this class we will examine individuals, families and communities and the social factors that play such an important role in determining life experiences. We'll study social issues like crime and deviance, social inequality and the relationship between women and men.  We'll use popular culture such as the critically acclaimed movie CRASH or moving documentaries like God Must Be Tired of Us as well as the scientific studies. This course is not only an opportunity to expand your understanding of people and social life; it is also a chance for you to examine where your own ideas and beliefs come from (and how they can change!).  Are you interested yet?  I'll see you in the fall!  THIS COURSE FULFILLS 3 HOURS OF THE CORE CURRICULUM INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP BEHAVIOR AND MULTICULTURAL REQUIREMENTS.