Fall Term 2017/18 Honors Course Descriptions

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1 Important notes to consider when registering for courses: 1. Honors Colloquia = Only HNRS 300 level courses satisfies the colloquium/colloquia graduation requirement. HNRS 301 SECTIONS = HUMANITIES HNRS 301 SECTIONS = ART & CREATIVITY HNRS 302 SECTIONS = SOCIETY AND CULTURE HNRS 302 SECTIONS = SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY 2. T480 courses do not satisfy the colloquium/colloquia graduation requirement but do count toward Honors credit. HONORS COLLOQUIA HNRS , The Internalization of English Literature CRN: Instructor: Sheila Sandapen Time: Monday, 2:00-4:50 This course focuses on the films and novels of English director Gurinder Chadha and Meera Syal who are known for their comedies which skewers the foibles of contemporary British Asian society. Beneath the laughter however are sharp observations on what it means to be a brown woman straddling two cultures. Students will encounter tales of interracial love, heartbreaks, betrayals and happy endings and think, read and write critically about what does it mean to be "British and or English in the 21st century and interrogate the question how such works add to or expand British Literature. HNRS , Shakespeare and the Law CRN: Instructor: John Culhane Time: Monday, 6:00-8:50 Shakespeare lived and wrote during a time of flux and uncertainty. In that setting, it s only natural that his plays, and his characters, would be much concerned with order. As is typical of Shakespeare s subversive impulses, though, the plays often question the very law and order they re supposed to be celebrating. The three plays chosen for this course are among those considered Shakespeare s problem plays they end happily, as required by comedies, but all contain deeply disturbing elements. We ll look at The Merchant of Venice, Measure for Measure, All's Well That Ends Well and how the legal issues raised contribute to the category into which the plays have been slotted.

2 HNRS , Prison Reading Project CRN: Instructor: Casey Hirsch Time: Tuesday, 6:00-8:50 In this Honors colloquium, we will create a dialogue by mail between ourselves and incarcerated learners at SCI-Fayette, a maximum security prison in Pittsburgh. We will begin by choosing readings from novels, plays, poetry, memoir, etc. from our own years of reading, and build questions for discussion around these readings, which we will send to the incarcerated men at SCI-Fayette. While we await their responses, we will take the opportunity in the intervening weeks to learn about mass incarceration, both in the United States and abroad. In response to articles, films, and other materials, we will create a dialogue among ourselves to attempt a deeper understanding of what mass incarceration has come to mean. HNRS , Media Law, Society, and Ethics CRN: Instructor: Chapin Cimino Time: Thursday, 9:00-11:50 It's an interesting time to be in the media business, and thanks to digital media, we're all in the media business. This course will look at the fundamentals of media law (including the basic structure of the legal system, an overview of the protections afforded by the First Amendment, and a primer on the different classifications that courts use to identify different kinds of speech); what it means to live in a media-saturated society (including the pros and cons of digital media, and how we use digital media differently than traditional media); and media ethics (including how we use and consume media; for example, what we do owe each other on social media?). HNRS , Political Dystopias in Fiction & Film CRN: Instructor: Daniel Dougherty Time: Wednesday, 6:00-8:50 In this course we will consider political issues and themes in light of dystopian societies. Dystopian fiction and film allows the reader/viewer to consider alternate and often unsettling realities, sometimes as a harbinger, and other times as commentary on one s current society. Based on a variety of books and films from the dystopian genre we will consider fundamental questions of politics such as power, privilege, equality, and the forms and functions of the state.

3 HNRS Discourse in Current Events HYBRID CRN: Instructors: Jonathan Awerbuch and Daniel Dougherty Time: Wednesday, 3:00-4:20 The goal of this course is to engage students in discourse on national and global issues including political, civic, legal, economic, technological, ethical, and other issue areas that shape societies today. The course is a hybrid between face-to-face and on-line formats and will be based on: submitting summaries online, and weekly face-to-face class discussions/debates on those summaries and related topics. The face-to-face portion of the course will be conducted in a seminar format. HNRS , David Bowie: Cultural Icon ONLINE CRN: Instructor: Anne Cecil Who would have thought that a young man from Brixton in South London would one day become one of the most instantly recognized men in the world? David Bowie discovered jazz at 13 and became one of the most innovative pop stars of the past 50 years. But that certainly is not all David Bowie has touched. Fashion, Film/Video, Theater and more, Bowie was always at the forefront of culture. He was a champion of individualism, preferred to lead, not follow and advised not to worry about the judgement of others. Through a variety of media, discussions and presentations, we will consider Bowie's life work and examine his participation, collaboration and influence on culture. as well as how these forces influenced him from his rise in the late 1960's to post-death today.

4 GREAT WORKS HNRS T , Reading Jane Austen Aloud CRN: Instructor: Paula Marantz Cohen Time: Wednesday, 10:00-10:50 Jane Austen ( ) is an iconic figure in Western literary culture. Her novels, the model for so much subsequent romantic fiction, have been adapted to film, TV, blogs, and comic books. And yet the novels themselves often go unread because their language seems outdated and difficult. In this course, we will read Austen s most famous novel, Pride and Prejudice, aloud together. We will discuss the action and the characters as we go, and students will be expected to write regular short responses to the reading. (Only those who feel comfortable and prepared will be asked to contribute to the class reading.). Although we may not finish the novel in the course of the term, it is hoped that students will be able to complete it on their own, having become comfortable with Austen s style. HNRS T , Great Films: Rear Window CRN: Instructor: Dave Jones Time: Tuesday, 11:00-11:50 An intensive study of Alfred Hitchcock s signature work, Rear Window, in order to discover its richness, learn Hitchcock s cinematic style, explore his obsessions, and gain insights into cinema in general. A few other Hitchcock films will be viewed out of class, online, and discussed in relation to Rear Window. HNRS T , Great Books: Anatomies CRN: Instructor: Melinda Lewis Time: Tuesday, 5:00-5:50 The human body has been a continuing reference point for science and the humanities. Using Hugh Aldersey-Williams s Anatomies, this course will explore the human body as a great work and students will unpack the ways in which we literally and figuratively discuss the body.

5 The Symposium HNRS , Community Advocacy & Mobilization CRN: Credits Instructors: Julia Novak Colwell and Kristine Mulhorn Time: Wednesday, 6:00-8:50 Location: TBA This course will explore how communities around the world have mobilized and advocated for their rights. From West Philadelphia to Flint, MI, from farming to fishing communities in India we explore cases of community advocacy around environmental justice and health issues. Students will gain both a local and global perspective on critical enabling factors that support successful community mobilization through a combination of outside expert lecturers from community organizations and Drexel faculty that have worked with communities to enact positive change. We will also engage with the local community to learn from them what their key issues of concern are and hold a workshop open to all on how to successfully and meaningfully advocate for change.