Fall 2022 Honors Course Descriptions - Updated 2.21 - University of Kentucky
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Honors Course Descriptions
Fall 2022
Courses and descriptions are subject to change. The most upto date pdf can be found at
https://www.uky.edu/honors/honors-course-descriptions
Updated 2.21
Classes by Area of Fulfillment UK CORE: Humanities HON 151-001 The Ethics of Food HON 151-002 Jerusalem through the Ages HON 151-003 Medicine in World History HON 151-004 Relics in Antiquity and the Middle Ages HON 151-005 The Sacred and the Secular: Religion and Daily Life in Late Antiquity PHI 100-011 Honors Introduction to Philosophy: Knowledge and Reality UK CORE: Natural Sciences HON 152-001 Restoration Ecology in the Commonwealth HON 152-002 What is Possible? The Development of Biotechnology HON 152-003 Sex and Society HON 152-000 Drug Development: Pharmacology and Human Health HON 152-000 Addiction is a Chronic Disorder HON 152-000 Nature and Philosophy of Science BSC 152-001 Honors Psychological Influences on Health UK CORE: Social Sciences HON 251-001 Nature and Psychology HON 251-002 Theory, Popular Culture, and ICT HON 251-003 International Trade and War with Dune HON 251-004 Race & Gender in the Material World HON 251-005 Modern Material Culture HON 251-006 Visual Art and the Law HON 251-007 Understanding 9/11 UK CORE: Arts and Creativity HON 252-001 Comedians and Comedy: History and Practice HON 252-002 Short-Form Literature and the Art of Meaning HON 252-003 The Documentary Arts HON 252-004 The Documentary Arts HON 252-005 Paris and US Creativity HON 252-006 Peacebuilding and the Arts ENG 107-009 Introduction to Creative Writing Honors Seminars HON 301-001 The Holocaust and Humanity HON 301-002 Witches: A Literary History HON 301-003 Appalachian Women in America HON 301-004 Lives of the US Founders HON 301-005 Critical Code Studies HON 301-006 Science and Ethics on Film HON 301-007 Visionary Architecture and the Contemporary City Other Honors Sections BIO 198-001 Scholars Biology Research (sections 001, 002, 003, and 004) BIO 315-001 Honors Introduction to Cell Biology BSC 152-001 Honors Psychological Influences on Health PGY 412G-4 Honors Principles of Human Physiology
EM 221-003 Honors Statics CIS 112 Accelerated Comp and Comm II (sections 004 and 007) WRD 112 Accelerated Comp and Comm II ENG 107-009 Introduction to Creative Writing (UK Core: Arts & Creativity) ENG 280-005 Introduction to Film PLS 103-004 Honors Plants, Soils, and People—A Global Perspective (UK Core: Global Dynamics) PHI 100-011 Honors Introduction to Philosophy: Knowledge and Reality EGR 120-001 Technology: Blessing or Curse (This course is specifically for SEAM students) EGR 190-001 Undergraduate Leadership (This course is specifically for SEAM students) HON 140 Honors Foundations: Knowledge and Society As a foundational course to the Honors curriculum, Knowledge and Society takes a vested interest in helping students develop an appreciation for the pursuit of truth and knowledge. By exploring the links between subjective and social phenomena, students will gain a clearer understanding of the way inquiry and curiosity are implicated in our familial, cultural, historical, and political worlds. This course aims to foster an environment where students are equipped with the tools to confidently discern the assumptions, premises, and expectations of variant claims to knowledge and truth. Knowledge and Society is an invitation extended to students to (re)imagine their identity as agents in an interconnected and ever-expanding global context. Prereq: Lewis Honors students only. HON 140-001 Dr. Eric Welch MWF 9:00-9:50 HON 140-002 Dr. Tara M. Tuttle MWF 9:00-9:50 HON 140-003 Dr. Zada Komara MWF 10:00-10:50 HON 140-004 Dr. Kent Navalesi MWF, 12:00-12:50 HON 140-005 Dr. Kenton Sena MWF 1:00-1:50 HON 140-006 Dr. Rebecca Howell MW 3:00-4:15 HON 140-007 Dr. Ryan Voogt TR 9:30-10:45 HON 140-008 Dr. Tim Minella TR 9:30-10:45 HON 140-009 Dr. Ryan Voogt TR 11:00-12:15 HON 140-010 Dr. Tim Minella TR 2:00-3:15 HON 140-011 Dr. Eric Welch MWF 11:00-11:50 HON 140-012 Dr. Nazmus Sakib MWF 12:00-11:50 HON 140-013 Dr. Kent Navalesi MWF 9:00-9:50 HON 140-014 Dr. Daniel Kirchner MWF 1:00-1:50 HON 140-015 Dr. Nazmus Sakib MWF 9:00-9:50 HON 140-016 Dr. Dustin Faulstick MWF 11:00-11:50 HON 140-017 Dr. Kenton Sena MWF 12:00-12:50 HON 100-001
Service Learning for Singletary Scholars
Dr. Daniel Kirchner | W 3:00-3:50
Pre-requisite: Must be a first-year Singletary Scholarship recipient
This course is designed to introduce first-year Singletary Scholarship recipients to the scholarly life of the
University and also to organize and execute community service as a cohort. Through guest lectures,
discussions, and out-of-class assignments, HON 100 helps first-semester Singletary scholars gain an early
understanding of opportunities at a research university; increase awareness and use of campus resources;
reflect on community issues that they can address using the skills and talents specific to their cohort; and form
beneficial relationships with students, faculty, and staff.
HON 151: Honors In Humanities
Honors Humanities courses vary in topic by professor and are announced prior to course registration. These
courses engage students in the analysis and interpretation of the human experience in various cultures and
time periods. These courses feature elements of Honors pedagogy such as sustained interdisciplinary analyses
of art, historical documents, literature, philosophical and other texts; class discussions of assigned primary
materials and peer-reviewed texts; and the encouragement of students to be active collaborators in the
knowledge constructed by the course. May be repeated up to six hours under a different subtitle. This course
fulfills the UK Core requirement for Intellectual Inquiry in the Humanities. Prereq: Lewis Honors students
only
HON 151-001
The Ethics of Food - “Eat Your Values”
Dr. Daniel Kirchner | MWF 10:00-10:50
Eating is our most basic and common ethical action, and yet, despite our familiarity with the notion that
“we are what we eat”, decisions about what we eat are rarely evaluated in ethical terms. In this course, we
will consider the question of the role our values ought to play in decisions about what we eat, and the sorts
of implications those decisions have to shape the world around us. Ourapproach will be critical: we will
learn the standard ethical theories and then look at the data pro-vided by various reports about our food,
its production, consumption and associated effects and implications.
• What do the ethical theories have to contribute toward evaluating our food systems?
• Do they offer frameworks for arguing that we ought to think about our food in a particular way?
• Do they require changes in our production and/or consumption of food?
HON 151-002
Jerusalem Through the Ages
Dr. Eric Welch | MWF 1:00-1:50
As a prominent site in the religious and cultural histories of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Jerusalem is
uniquely situated as one of the world’s most sacred cities. For more than 3,000 years, this city has been a
focal point of religious and political activity. Through the critical reading of historical and religious
texts, and archaeological data, this course will explore the historical development of Jerusalem as a sacred
place in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and evaluate the competing narratives surrounding its identity.
For example, how does an insignificant village on a tiny hill become the focal point of modern religious
and political tension? Jerusalem has been inhabited for more than 6,000 years and today is recognizedas one of the most sacred cities in the world. How did this ancient city grow to have such significance?
In this course, we’ll explore the historical development of Jerusalem from its founding until the 21st
century. By analyzing historical and religious texts, archaeological remains, and the art and architecture
of Jerusalem we’ll explore what we can know about Jerusalem’s history and how this knowledge can
inform our understanding of the religious and political conflicts seen today. During the course of the
semester, students in Jerusalem Through the Ages will consider the following questions:
• How and when did Jerusalem become a political and religious epicenter for Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam?
• What kind of evidence is there for reconstructing Jerusalem’s history and how do we evaluate the
different kinds of evidence?
• Why does there always seem to be conflict in Jerusalem and where does it come from? Is there a
solution?
• How does the media talk about Jerusalem today and how do we evaluate accounts in the media?
• What do we think about the issues surrounding Jerusalem and how do we talk about them in an
informed manner?
HON 151-003
Medicine in World History
Dr. Timothy Minella | TR 11:00-12:15
This course examines the world history of medicine from ancient times to the present. From our modern
perspective, it is common to judge medical practices of the past (and of some societies) as ineffective at best
and harmful at worst. Instead of adopting this presentist perspective, we will seek to understand medicine in
historical context. In analyzing medicine historically, we will gain a broader perspective from which to ex-
amine critically the practices of medicine in the present. Topics will include theories of disease; the concept of
power in medical treatment; the relationships between medicine and other sciences; gender and race in the
practice of medicine; and the professionalization of medicine. Guiding questions for this course include:
• How has the practice of medicine changed over time, and why?
• What are the relationships between culture and medicine?
• In comparing the practices of medicine of different cultures and civilizations, what are the important
similarities and differences, and what explains these similarities and differences?
• How has the relationship between medicine and the other sciences changed over time, and why?
• How has the practice of medicine reflected and constructed notions of race and gender throughout
history?
HON 151-004
Relics in Antiquity and the Middle Ages
Dr. Kent Navalesi | MWF 2:00-2:50
From vacation souvenirs to large public monuments, objects evoking a time in the recent or distant past hold
immense personal, spiritual and historical importance for individuals and communities. In the religious realm,
many have found a connection to the past and a source of supernatural help through artifacts associated with a
holy person or an important event in religious history. These venerated objects, referred to broadly as “relics,”
come in many forms, possess different powers, and come from a variety of religious traditions, from the
weapons of long-dead Greek heroes to the miracle-working bones and organs of Christian saints. This course
will explore the use of relics in western religions between 500 BCE and 1500 CE, encompassing the
development of this tradition within Greco-Roman paganism, Judaism, Islam and Christianity.HON 151-005
The Sacred and the Secular: Religion and Daily Life in Late Antiquity
Dr. Kent Navalesi | TR 11:00-11:50 DON 001
Europe and the Mediterranean basin underwent dramatic social, political, religious, and cultural changes from
the third to the eighth century CE, a transitional period between classical antiquity and the Middle Ages called
“Late Antiquity.” Christianity —once a dissident, oppressed movement— became the official religion of the
Roman Empire and the dominant cultural force in what would become European Christendom. In the west, a
unified empire gave way to various barbarian kingdoms which adapted Greco-Roman culture and institutions
to Germanic social structures and customs. While Roman governance and urban life deteriorated in the west,
in the east it lived on as the Byzantine Empire, where emperors ruled with unprecedented divine authority.
Finally, Christian dominance of the Mediterranean basin came to an end with the rise and spread of Islam in
the seventh century; along with new religious ideas, this movement brought new legal systems, social
structures and literary traditions.
This course will explore this period through the lens of late antique people’s interactions with religion in life’s
significant and mundane affairs, including marriage, work, domestic life, education, sex, travel, community,
sickness and death. We will also discuss the themes that emerge in our readings from Late Antiquity in the
context of contemporary socio-religious issues, including separation of church and state, women’s and LGBTQ
rights, religious/cultural pluralism and medical ethics, among others. In doing so, students will become
acquainted with ancient and foreign religious concerns and explore the historical roots of questions still asked
today. Some questions we will ask include:
• How did late antique people differentiate “religious” from “secular” matters?
• Was “popular religion,” or the religion of the lower classes, different from that of the elites?
• How did women fare in different religions? Was religion the deciding factor in their treatment?
• How did religious ideas influence people’s experience of embodiment -hunger, sickness, sexuality, etc.?
HON 152: Honors In STEM
Honors STEM courses vary in topic by professor and are announced prior to course registration. These courses
engage students in the scientific process within a given STEM topic, emphasizing scientific methods and
fundamental scientific principles within a societal context and employing interdisciplinary approaches. These
courses feature elements of Honors pedagogy such as classroom discussion, engagement with peer-reviewed
literature, and active participation in the research process (including data collection and analysis, and/or
extensive literature review and synthesis). May be repeated up to six credits under a different subtitle. This
course fulfills UK Core requirement for Intellectual Inquiry in the Natural/Physical/Mathematical Sciences.
Prereq: Lewis Honors students only.
HON 152-001
Restoration Economy in the Commonwealth
Dr. Kenton Sena | MWF 3:00-3:50
Healthy ecosystems provide critical services, such as clean air and water, recreation opportunity, and wild- life
habitat. Unfortunately, in post-industrial societies, many ecosystems have been severely degraded by decades
of destructive resource extraction and poor management. Kentucky is home to a variety of valuable ecosystem
types, including forests, streams, wetlands, and grasslands. Each of these ecosystem types have been impacted
by various stressors over time—surface coal mining, agriculture, urbanization, invasive species, etc. However,
each of these ecosystems can be restored through intentional human intervention. We will start with anintroduction to healthy ecosystems, as well as their stressors and threats. Then, we will delve into the theory
and practice of ecological restoration. Topics will include:
• How do the ecosystems across Kentucky vary?
• What are the social and economic priorities for ecological restoration? Who are the stakeholders?
• How do we know which sites can be restored and how do we decide what sites should have the
highest priority?
• What are the goals for ecological restoration?
• How would we decide if the restoration was successful?
HON 152-002
What is Possible: Development of Biotechnology
Dr. Luke Bradley | MW 3:00-4:15
Due to an amazing increase in the basic understanding of how living cells and organisms function,
biotechnology is playing an emerging role in many aspects of our daily lives (including in agriculture,
medicine, biofuels, and industry). This introductory course (open to all majors) explores themulti-
collaborative nature, thought processes, creativity and risk taking that led to both discoveries in basic
sciences (i.e. the tool kit) and advances in biotechnology, while also looking towardsaddressing the
growing challenges of tomorrow, by addressing the following questions:
• How were some of the breakthroughs in science made? What were their implications (how did they
change the field)?
• What components are necessary for the development of a biotechnology from a discovery in the lab?
• What role(s) does communication play in science and biotechnology?
• What are the current challenges and issues in biotechnology? How can some of these challenges be
addressed?
• What are some of the challenges that you envision being addressed by biotechnology?
• What is the limitation(s)? What is possible?
HON 152-003
Sex and Society
Dr. Kevin Sarge and Dr. Ok-Kyong Park-Sarge | TR 12:30-1:45 LWS 135
Aldous Huxley’s 1931 novel Brave New World, set 5 centuries in the future, described fantastical
technological interventions in human development and selection. Just a little more than 80 yearslater,
however, our modern society is almost there to mirror Huxley’s vision. Recent technical advances in
reproductive medicine now force each of us to make decisions about what limits, if any, to place on them
as well as wrestle with the political challenges, ethical dilemmas, and societal impacts that flow from them.
Among the many exciting topics we will explore and deliberate on are:
• How many ways can a baby be conceived and what rights do a baby and its parents have (who is
more important, a pregnant woman or her embryo/fetus)?
• Is having a child a human right, and if so should any limits be placed on development of new
infertility treatments or use of existing technologies?
• How do the different forms of contraception work, and do differences in the mechanismaffect
their effectiveness or acceptability for use?
• Are genetic counseling and prenatal genetic diagnosis valuable tools to reduce humansuffering or
a cover for eugenics?• What are the pros and cons of gene editing, therapeutic cloning, and human cloning forour
society?
• Which plays more of a role, nature or nurture, in intersex, transgender, and sexuality?
HON 152-004
Nature and Philosophy of Science
Dr. Sahar Alameh |MWF 1:00-1:50
Philosophy and science are two of the most important modes of thinking about the world and our place in it.
In the recent global health emergency caused by COVID-19, we have witnessed firsthand the importance of
science, scientific literacy, and the nature of scientific evidence. In this course we will investigate issues in
philosophy of science through an exploration of the works of twentieth century philosophers of science and
history of science will also be explored. The course aims to help participants develop informed and critical
views of the nature of science and its implications for science teaching and learning. In this course we’ll seek to
answer questions like:
• Are atoms real? Who killed the dinosaurs?
• What is specific to the methods of science?
• How can one characterize scientific explanation?
• How can philosophical reflection on the history of science inform us about the current scientific
practice?
HON 152-005
Drug Development: Pharmacology and Human Health
Dr. Rolf Craven and Dr. Michael Kilgore | TR 9:30-10:45
Many of the deadliest diseases in human history can now be cured or at least improved by drugs.
Antibiotics, for example, have had a huge impact on the human condition. In some cases, though,new
drug development has led to important ethical challenges that will have an increasing impactin the future.
This course is based on students exploring how drugs work, critically evaluating how they are marketed
and discussing the implications for society now and in the future. This course changes each year based
on the hot topics in our world, but these are some themes thatwe will discuss:
• How much should a new drug cost if it can save someone’s life? How do you weigh a company’s
need to make a profit with people’s ability to afford it?
• Should there be limits on a company’s ability to market drugs, for example for ADHD,and who
should enforce those limits?
• Should marijuana be legalized in Kentucky? How do we best address the current opioidepidemic?
What are the causes?
• How were the current laws regarding drug prices established? How did the major players’ tactics
evolve, and are they still regulating drug policies in the health care debate?
HON 152-006
Addiction is a Chronic Disorder
Dr. Amanda Fallin-Bennet and Dr. Alex Elswick | TR 11:00-12:15
This course will cover a wide spectrum of topics linked to substance use disorder and recovery. While
addiction is a chronic relapsing brain disorder, we have for too long treated addiction as an acute condition.
This introductory course covers addiction models, including the medical/disease, psychological, moral,
sociocultural, and biopsychosocial models. Students will also explore harm reduction and abstinencephilosophies to drug and alcohol use. In addition, students will consider the interplay between identity (e.g,
race, socioeconomic status, gender) and addiction related outcomes (e.g, stigma, access to treatment). In
addition to discussing evidence based methods for prevention and treatment, we will discuss the recovery
movement and its implications for reducing addiction-related stigma. Topics explored in this course relate to
the following questions:
• What is addiction? How does the definition change based on your frame for understanding addiction
(e.g, the medical/disease, psychological, moral, sociocultural, or biopsychosocial model)?
• What is sobriety? What is the goal of addiction treatment? How does this change based on your overall
philosophy (e.g, harm reduction or abstinence)?
• What is harm reduction? What are the main ethical questions surrounding harm reduction initiatives
(e.g, Housing First Initiatives, syringe exchange programs, supervised injection sites, or “wet” houses)?
• What are “out of the box” ways to prevent drug and alcohol use among youth and young adults?
• Why is addiction a stigmatized medical condition? How does language impact stigma?
• What is the recovery movement? The relapse rate among individuals with substance use disorders
remains high for up to three years. As a society, why do we focus so little on sustained recovery from
addiction?
HON 251: Honors In Social Sciences
The World as Human Network and Affairs: Courses in this category promote the understanding of individuals
in the context of social interactions, groups and societies. The courses will focus on the subjective,
intersubjective, and structural aspects of society, with the goal of helping students to enhance their
understanding of the phenomenon that is human society. May be repeated up to six hours under a different
subtitle. Prereq: Lewis Honors students only.
HON 251-001
Nature and Psychology
Dr. Ellen Usher | TR 11:00-12:15
Scholars across disciplines have shown the ways that people’s connections to nature can facilitate health
and well-being. Some have even prescribed the “green pill” as an antidote to the ills of modern society. In
this course, we will explore insights from developmental, cognitive, social, and environmental
psychology to understand how humans’ connection to nature affects a variety of psychological outcomes,
including how people think, feel, and behave. In doing so, we will combine first-person reflective
experiences in nature with readings from psychological science and related disciplines. Special emphasis
will be placed on nature experiences and outcomes during childhood and adolescence. Topics include the
effects of nature on the self, physical health, social and emotional well-being, cognitive functioning,
creativity, and pro-environmental behaviors. We will consider questions such as:
• How have your own experiences in nature changed you?
• In what ways does nature facilitate an understanding of the self and your own personal agency?
• How does time in nature affect physical, emotional, and social well-being?
• How does nature affect learning and problem solving?
• How might understanding the psychology of nature be used to improve education and society?HON 252-002
Theory, Popular Culture, and ICT
Dr. Renee Kaufmann | TR 9:30-10:45
Using selected contemporary culture artifacts (Anthology Shows: e.g., Netflix’s Black Mirror, Twilights Zone)
this course will provide opportunities for students interested in exploring the darker side of new technologies
and theory. The selected artifacts will explore our uses of technology and be matched with theoretical
frameworks for understanding potential behaviors around this phenomenon.
HON 251-003
International Trade and War with Dune
Dr. Nazmus Sakib | MWF 2:00-2:50
In this course, students will critically engage and evaluate issues in peace science and international political
economy through the lens of the Dune novel series (full familiarity with all Dune books is NOT a
prerequisite—students of any degree of familiarity with the Dune world are most welcome to join). Frank
Herbert’s fictional intergalactic universe—set in roughly 20,000 years in the future—closely resembles the past,
present, and the foreseeable future real-world principles of war, trade, and peace. We will read some path-
breaking research in peace science and international political economy, then compare how the same principles
apply in the Galactic Padishah Empire and beyond. In many respects, this course serves as a gateway to
studying international diplomacy, free trade, economic statecraft, and peacemaking through a pop culture
lens. Topics covered in this course include why states go to war, why trade happens, how trade and wars can
be connected, bargaining (war, war termination, and crises), settlements and the durability of peace,
mediation, negotiation, peacekeeping, and the role of domestic politics. One of the outcomes of this course will
be a short work of fiction that critically engages with the real-world principles of peace science and/or
international political economy.
• What are the theories, methods, and data in peace science, conflict resolution, and international
political economy?
• How do the fundamental principles of war, peace, and trade evolve across time?
• What impact does the peace science tradition have on foreign policymaking and conflict resolution?
• What could be the future of peace and what role can the co-creators of knowledge play in that process?
• In what ways can fictional works like Dune inform us about social interactions in a complex contet like
international relations? Is it useful?
HON 251-004
Race and Gender in the Material World
Dr. Zada Komara
The material world is all around us, from our bodies to our homes and landscapes. Sometimes, we are highly
aware of how it shapes our social life, but often material culture (objects made, modified, and significant to
humans) operates in our peripheral vision making its influence on our collective behavior and thought
“unseen.” We don’t always question how material culture helps ensure normative behavior and encode
inequality in the very structure of our societies. Objects function as fellow actors in the social networks of our
lives. They shape us as we simultaneously shape them. They are deeply entangled in the ways we “do” our
identities, such as gender and race, and the ways we construct and deconstruct sexism, homophobia,
transphobia, racism, xenophobia, ethnocentrism, nationalism, and bigotry at large. In order to challenge
gender and race-based inequality, we must understand the role material culture plays in the constitution of
human life. This class investigates gender and race through an intersectional lens, asking how material culture
acts along with us as we produce/reproduce AND challenge persistent inequality. We will explore material
studies ranging from prehistory to our modern age, exploring objects from intimate scales (like tampons, sex
dolls, furniture, and guns) to large scales (like churches, concentration camps, and heritage landscapes).Subjects will include embodiment, sexuality, masculinity, femininity, non-binarism, racialization, ethnocide,
colonization, imperialism, politicization, otherness, space, and place. We will look in, on, and around us to ask
how gender and race inter- sect with other facets of identity and how taking an intentional look at material
things from the mundane to the spectacular challenges the “naturalness” of our own social worlds and
ontologies and makes transformation possible.
• What is material culture and what does it “do” in our social networks?
• What do we make of “immaterial culture,” like virtual bodies and virtual worlds?
• How do we “do” gender and race through our bodies, belongings, spaces, and places?
• How do race and gender, like physical objects, constrain and also enable us as social actors?
• How does material culture relate to our agency?
• How can we challenge social inequality through material studies, both theoretically and through our
material engagements in daily life?
HON 251-005
Modern Material Culture and the Archaeology of Us
Dr. Zada Komara |MWF 10:00-10:50
Material culture—the human-crafted physical component of everyday social life—is all around us. The giant
buildings that loom on campus, the foods you eat, and your hairstyle are all entangled in the constitution of
your social worlds. You use material things to negotiate your desires and your development of self, but these
things are not flat reflections of pre-existing identities or the fabric of our society. We worry in the age of
consumer goods that embracing material culture renders us shallow or powerless, but this class probes
everyday objects to analyze how they are integral to the fundamental experience of being human. We will
probe the technological, social, and ideological meanings caught up in material things, the politics of culture
embedded in their use, and the way in which they shape who we are and who we wish to be. We will consider
material culture from all over the world, including Barbie dolls, bumper stickers, the H2 Hummer, vintage
clothing, bottled water, anti-homeless park benches, graffiti, tattoos, Tupperware, Coca Cola, and the ruins of
atomic testing sites, among many other material forms. Material culture is an excellent entry into exploring
gender, race, class, sexuality, age, occupation, and all other facets of human social life. This is a class about
“stuff” exploring the stuff of humanity, from the intimate scale to beyond.
• What is material culture?
• How have we studied “the material” in the social sciences, philosophy, literature, the arts, and other
forms of inquiry?
• How is material culture entangled in the active constitution of self and society?
• How has the rise of modern consumer goods changed the way we negotiate our identities?
• What can we learn from an “archaeology of us?”
HON 251-006
Visual Art and the Law
Dr. Michael Murray | TR 11:00-12:15
This course will examine from a legal, historical, and ethical perspective the intersection of visual art and the
law, both historically and in contemporary society. The material is divided into three main topic areas:
intellectual property issues (copyright, trademark, moral rights, and right of publicity), First Amendment and
freedom of expression issues (protest art, censorship of obscenity and pornography, and private and indirect
censorship), and transnational and international law issues (international movement of art in peacetime and
wartime, and preservation and restoration of art and cultural property). The course will involve intensive
discussion of the problems of working artists and art institutions in dealing with government, the courts, and
with constituents in the art world, such as clients, galleries, and museums. The course will require research
and a written and oral report on a current issue regarding visual art, and a final exam or final writing project.From time-to-time students will be asked to help lead class discussion, and all students will be expected to
contribute to class discussions regularly. Guiding questions include:
• How should one define “art”?
• What do originality and creativity mean in the law of copyright?
• When should copying be labeled as infringement and when should it be “fair use”?
• What are the boundaries regarding the use of a person’s name, image, or likeness in art or other media?
• What are moral rights, and how do they protect the integrity of art and the attribution rights of artists?
• How does the First Amendment protect the freedom of speech, and when is censorship permitted?
When is it necessary to return items of cultural property or cultural heritage to their nation and culture
of origin?
HON 251-007
Understanding 9/11
Dr. M. Sara Rosenthal | TR 12:30-1:45
This course is designed to facilitate critical thinking about the historical, socio-political, ethical, legal, social and
cultural implications of 9/11. The course will begin with covering the events of September 11, 2001, and then
will explore the pre-9/11 world, examining precursors to the attack. Next, the course will explore the post-
9/11 world (from September 12, 2001 to ISIS and continuing post-9/11 conflicts) from a wide variety of
disciplines and perspectives. The goal of the course is to explain our complex world, and will be largely based
on primary sources and student participation in guided discussions. The course will examine a multitude of
questions including:
• How did the events of 9/11 change the world?
• How can students make sense of 17 years of continuous war and a destabilized Middle East?
• How does 9/11 indirectly (or directly) impact individual students’ lives?
• What are the multiple disciplines impacted by 9/11, including journalism, government, aviation, and
technology? How have multiple disciplines been most impacted or threatened?
• What are the cultural and diversity issues associated with 9/11?
• What are the international consequences of 9/11?
HON 252: Honors In Arts and Creativity
Honors Social Sciences courses vary in topic by professor and are announced prior to course registration. The
courses engage students in the exploration of relationships between individuals and society and how scholars
have come to understand these relationships using conceptual models and processes of inquiry. This
interdisciplinary course will focus on the subjective, communal, and structural aspects of society, with the goal
of helping students to critically enhance their understanding of the complex and diverse phenomenon that is
human social life. These courses employ Honors pedagogy by inviting students to be active collaborators in
knowledge construction through class discussion, engagement with peer-reviewed literature, innovative or
experimental projects and active participation in the research process (including data collection and analysis,
and/or extensive literature review and synthesis). May be repeated up to six hours under a different subtitle.
This course fulfills UK Core requirement for Intellectual Inquiry in the Social Sciences. Prereq: Lewis Honors
students only.HON 252-001
Comedians and Comedy: History and Practice
Dr. Nancy Jones | TR 12:30-1:45
This course will explore the history and practice of comedy on stage and in film from Greece to present
day. Through an investigation of the cultural necessity to react to the world we live in through the lens of
laughter, students will learn the roots of comedy in order to explore and create their own work. Students
will learn techniques for short form improvisation, and the course will culminate with students writing
and creating short, filmed, “situation comedies” that represent their reaction to the world they live in.
• What is the cultural necessity for laughter/comedy?
• How does a style of comedy reflect the challenges of a culture in any given epoch?
• How has comedy evolved over your lifetime?
• Which is more important: comedy or tragedy?
• What are the techniques for and archetypes of comedy?
• What makes you laugh out loud?
HON 252-002
Short-form Literature and the Art of Meaning
Dr. Dustin Faulstick | MWF 12:00-12:50
This course examines short stories, poems, nonfiction essays, and plays, focusing on how readers and writers
navigate meaning in the world. The brevity of these forms asks readers to fill in gaps as they read and to
imagine not only lives other than their own, but also the ways in which those lives have been shaped by
factors lying outside of the narrated action. A guiding hypothesis of the course will be that reading encourages
more patient political reflection and spiritual growth than watching either Fox News or MSNBC. At its best,
literature serves as a catalyst to provide more people more opportunities for justice and flourishing. A creative
component of the course invites students to adapt the artistic styles and strategies advocated by course authors
to produce their own literary artworks. The following questions will help to guide our conversations:
• What world circumstances—historical, social, and intellectual—influence the action of a literary text
even when those circumstances are not referenced by the text itself?
• How have expectations for where we find meaning in the world changed as a result of new scientific
discoveries and how have literary authors responded to those changes?
• What can visiting an art museum, listening to a piece of music, or reading about brain cog- nition
contribute to our ability to closely observe, assess, and reflect on art?
• How does thinking about the fictional lives of characters help us to reflect on our own lives and the
lives of others? Might we live differently after wrestling with literary texts?
• How does creating our own poems and short stories—imitating the styles of famous au- thors—aid in
understanding literary complexity and the processes of creation?
HON 252-003 and HON 252-004
The Documentary Arts
Dr. Rebecca Howell | TR 3:00-4:15 (section 003) or TR 3:30-4:45 (section 004)
In 1935, the United States federal government offered a most unusual relief response to The Great
Depression: it hired artists. Photographers and writers were employed to travel the country and
“document” the hidden, personal suffering of The Depression, especially in rural areas, especially
throughout the South. Why was this a worthy investment in such an austere time? Because it allowed the
American people to become well informed, not just with quantitative, but with qualitative data, with
human experience, thereby invoking empathy and unity on a national scale. And so, an art form was born.
In this class we will follow the form as it is developed throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, while
applying both critical and creative practice to our study. Together we will ask questions about the powerof words and pictures, the risks and responsibilities of representation, as well as how to see and share the
stories that build our lives, our communities, and our civic selves.
• Is a documentary work of art “news”? “truth”? “fact”? Why? Why not?
• How do pictures tell stories? How does the story change, depending on who is behind the camera/pen
and what they choose to leave in and out of the story?
• Why were rural spaces and Southern spaces so essential to the development of this form? Why is
“place” such a key character in this kind of storytelling?
• How is the internet and especially social media changing the form?
• How can the documentary arts teach us to responsibly engage stereotypes? cultural gaze? the
imagination?
• How can creative research techniques support your primary field of study? Your personal mission
statement?
HON 252-005
Paris and US Creativity
Dr. Dustin Faulstick | MWF 10:00-10:50
The twentieth century saw major historical, economic, scientific, religious, and political events shape the
creation of literature and the arts. Turn-of-the-century scientific discoveries had many people wrestling with
meaninglessness, which was accelerated by World War I. Some artists tried to replace, repair, or revive
traditional sources of meaning, while others abandoned the idea of inherent meaning all together. Our course
follows literary responses to the twentieth century and examines the relationships between literary authors
and other forms of art—especially painting and music. A creative component of the course invites students to
adapt the artistic styles and strategies advocated by our course authors to produce poems of their own. The
following questions will help to guide our conversations:
• What historical, scientific, and philosophical events informed the development of twentieth- century
artistic movements, and how did twentieth-century culture evolve from previous time periods?
• How did place and proximity to other artists—for example, many US writers found inspiration in
Paris, France—influence the development of literary styles?
• How did expectations for where we find meaning in the world change as a result of new scientific
discoveries and how have literary authors responded to those changes?
• What can visiting an art museum, listening to a piece of music, or reading about brain cognition
contribute to our ability to closely observe, assess, and reflect on art?
• How does creating our own poems—imitating the styles of famous authors—aid in understanding
literary complexity and the processes of creation?
HON 252-006
Peacebuilding and the Arts
Dr. Tara Tuttle | TR 2:00-3:15
These feel like particularly contentious times, but social conflicts and social movements with goals of justice
are not new. In this course, we will examine a variety of social conflicts, both past and present and from
different regions of the globe, and the creative, artistic, violent, and nonviolent strategies of response. Course
readings and films will also ask us to explore varying understandings of justice, peace, and conflict resolution.
We will consider how social movements are catalyzed, how leaders cultivate solidarity, and how groups
confront and leverage power as they address issues of justice, peace, human rights, and conflict
transformation. Students in the course will choose the social conflicts we investigate in the second half of thecourse as we search for patterns among social movements with outcomes that furthered peace and justice. We
will consider the following questions:
• How is peace defined and by whom?
• How have groups and individuals employed creative strategies to combat injustice?
• What kinds of practices create enduring peace? What role does the creative imagination play in the
building of peace?
• What is the role of writers, artists, and other creators in conflict transformation and peace-building?
• What patterns do we detect among peacebuilding, conflict transformation, and justice promotion
efforts with successful outcomes?
HON 301 Advanced Seminar
Honors Advanced Seminar courses vary in topic by professor and are announced prior to course registration.
These courses are interdisciplinary, discussion-based seminars that offer intensive examination of topics
related to the histories, cultures, and constructions of knowledge. Course format and work enhances critical
and creative thinking skills by requiring students to be active collaborators in the knowledge constructed by
the course and through innovative or experimental projects, assignments, or research that emphasizes the
value of intellectual and cultural contributions to society. May be repeated under different subtitles to a
maximum of 6 credits. Prereq: At least two lower-level Honors courses. Lewis Honors students only
HON 301-001
The Holocaust and Humanity
Dr. Ryan Voogt | TR 2:00-3:15
This course analyzes the events that resulted in the near destruction of Europe's Jews during the Second World
War. Readings, discussion, and audio-visual materials pertain to antisemitism, the development of Nazi policy
against the Jews, “ordinary” people as perpetrators, Jewish reactions, and the response of non-Jews and of
other governments to the Holocaust. While helping students to understand what happened, how it was that a
group of people willingly and unwillingly came to participate in and desire the murder of another group, the
course allows the historical events to confront us as a society and as individuals, to consider human nature and
morality.
HON 301-002
Witches: A Literary History
Dr. Tara Tuttle | TR 11:00-12:15
This class will be an in-depth investigation into cultural constructions of the witch in literary history and
popular culture. We will engage in explorations of the many intersections of gender, race, class, ability,
sexuality, age, and embodiment, as well as ideas concerning syncretic religious traditions, healthcare, regional
folkways, environment, and knowledge construction as they relate to conceptions of the witch. We will
examine the ways witches are cast as transgressive, liminal, and powerful heretics or healers and the ways
they are often perceived to be religious and cultural outsiders. Course texts will include diverse theological,
epistolary, literary, legal, and political documents, and discussions will connect concepts of Othering,
deviance, oppression, the monstrous feminine, power, and care.HON 301-003
Appalachian Women in America
Dr. Chelsea Brislin | MW 3:00-4:15 (meets at Gaines Center)
20th century representations of Appalachia often reflected and reinforced the narrative of the region as a
“strange land and peculiar people.” One can see this idea reproduced in everything from comic strips such
as L’il Abner to Hollywood blockbusters like Deliverance, simultaneously writing Appalachia as a romanticized
variation on “frontier life,” and a place where primitive impulses and violence abound. Perhaps the most
overlooked character in these damaging media representations is that of the Appalachian woman. For decades
representations of Appalachian women have fallen into two distinct categories: the oversexualized Daisy Duke
and the overworked Mamaw. While these two representations rose dramatically in popularity, real
Appalachian women were standing at the forefront of nearly every movement coming out of the region from
the arts to labor uprisings and social justice initiatives. This course will:
• Closely examine the role Appalachian women have played in shaping the future of the region,
while also analyzing the contrast of their representation in pop culture.
• Ask students to work through materials that center the narratives of Appalachian women
including the 2019 viral podcast, Dolly Parton’s America, the novel The Dollmaker by Harriet Arnow,
and the documentary Harlan County USA
• Critically examine how Appalachian women have continued to use their agency to affect change
in the region and how this has impacted the national narrative on Appalachia as we know it today
HON 301-004
Lives of the US Founders
Dr. Jane Calvert | TR 12:30-1:45 (meets in POT)
In this course, we will explore the lives of the seven leading Founders of the American Republic through best-
selling biographies and primary source writings by the figures. Students will critique the portrayal of these
figures by leading authors and use the historical facts they discover in their own research to confront the
popular myths in circulation about the figures and the Revolutionary Era. The myths might pertain to their
actions and contributions to the Founding, their personal lives and characters, and their political beliefs,
among others. This course will give students knowledge and skills in several areas: They will, of course, learn
about the leading Founders—Franklin, Washington, Dickinson, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, and Hamilton.
They will also gain skills in historical thinking. Perhaps most importantly, this course will train them to think
critically about how history is presented in popular culture and used to promote political and social positions.
Students will emerge from the course with significantly altered views of our leading Founders and how they
have been used in our history.
• How relevant is the American Revolution to American society today?
• Who were America’s Founders, really, and why are they so revered? Is this reference warranted?
• Do we, as a nation, need heroes? Can these heroes have tragic flaws?
• What makes a great Founding Father biography?
• What is the utility of history to a republic like ours?
• What are historical myths and how can they be both beneficial and detrimental to American society?
• What skills should American citizens possess to tell the difference between a salutary myth and a
harmful misrepresentation?HON 301-005 Critical Code Studies Dr. Trey Conaster | TR 12:30-1:45 In this course we will examine computer code, programming, and algorithms from the perspective of critical code studies, a small but growing humanities field announced by Mark C. Marino in 2006. The methods we’ll use are hallmarks of the humanities—close reading, analysis, and interpretation of (code) texts; placing our objects of study in historical and social contexts; and seeking use-cases or solutions that work toward the good or the just. The primary question we’ll pursue is what code means beyond what it does or how it works, implicating a range of issues from the technical to the personal and political. Possible topics for this course include histories of code and computation; feminist, anti-racist, and indigenous programming projects; “esolangs” and creative uses of code; algorithmic justice and ethical issues in programming; and the philosophy of code. Students will read secondary texts about code as well as code-texts themselves for speculative and analytical exercises; students may also compose their own code-snippets that apply course concepts. The major course project will involve research writing and digital/multimodal composing in relation to a topic of the student’s choice in close consultation with the instructor. The course does not require any prior experience with coding or programming. It is designed with all students in mind, serving the academic and professional goals of students in non-technical disciplines while also offering a compelling outlet for students in programming- related majors. HON 301-006 Science and Ethics on Film Dr. M. Sara Rosenthal | TR 2:00-3:15 This 3-credit course uses a variety of films (some documentaries) to examine core research ethics issues and principles comprising Respect for Persons, Beneficence and Justice. Core concepts in Scientific Integrity, Researcher Integrity, Collegiality and Professionalism and will also be explored. The course will be structured thematically featuring key research ethics case studies on film, or films based on actual cases. Each film will be discussed in class using instructor-guided seminar style discussions; there will be reflective writings on each thematic section. Students will have the option of either a final paper or presentation surrounding one of the films discussed in class. HON 301-007 Visionary Architecture and the Contemporary City Dr. Jeffrey Johnson | TR 12:30-1:45 Some of the most profound urban and architectural visions have occurred over the past half-century. Economic booms, politics, and globalized trade have radically transformed cities and the ways in which we think about their future. Where once we looked to cities like New York, London, Venice, Rome, and Paris for inspiration, cities in Asia and the Global South are now providing us with some of the radical contemporary models. This seminar will explore these new urban and architectural paradigms, and the forces that shape them, and how the most visionary, whether realized or not, might influence cities of the future. We will also look at historical precedents that were influential in the shaping the contemporary city.
Honors Departmental Sections Honors Department Sections are taught by professors in their own departments. These classes have been enhanced for Honors students through increased interdisciplinary content, use of primary materials, writing and discussion intensity, incorporation of independent research, or other elements that aim to deeply develop critical and analytical skills. These courses are typically available to Honors students at any level unless there is an established prerequisite for the course. These courses are crafted to fulfill or complement major or minor requirements, but do not always fulfill UK Core requirements. CIS 112 Accelerated Comp and Comm II (Sections 004 and 007) WRD 112 Accelerated Comp and Comm II PHI 100-011 Honors Introduction to Philosophy: Knowledge and Reality (UK Core in Humanities) Dr. Claire Batty | TR 11:00-12:15 An introduction to philosophical studies with emphasis on issues of knowing, reality, and meaning related to human existence. EM 221-003 Honors Statics Dr. Christine Goble | MWF 10:00-10:50 Study of forces on bodies at rest. Vector algebra; study of force systems; equivalent force systems; distributed forces; internal forces; principles of equilibrium; application to trusses, frames and beams; friction. EGR 120-001 Technology: Blessing or Curse (This course is specifically for SEAM students) Jennifer Doerge | MWF 1:00-1:50 Technology has created the world in which we live. Our wealth, our economy, and the way we live each day have come about due to the emergence of technology over the centuries. The course will examine the relationship between technology and society; how technology influenced the development of society, how society influenced the development of technology, and how people in society view technology. EGR 190-001 Undergraduate Leadership (This course is specifically for SEAM students) Jennifer Doerge | M 2:00-2:50 To introduce students to the principles of leadership, common strategies used by leaders, and communication techniques that are vital to becoming a dynamic leader. This course is only available to students admitted to the Scholars in Engineering And Management (SEAM) honors program. ENG 107-009 Introduction to Creative Writing (UK Core in Arts & Creativity) Dr. Frank X. Walker | MW 11:-11:50. F varies. An introduction to the genres and craft of imaginative writing, including fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Students will study, practice, and discuss writing in various modes through composition, peer critique, and research. This is an introductory course in creative writing for the novice. Participants will examine, discuss, and put into practice how poetry and prose can communicate and express ideas and emotions. Classes will
consist of large lectures and breakout discussion groups. Regular attendance, crafting, and reviews will be required in smaller groups. Some sessions will occur online. ENG 280-005 Introduction to Film Dr. Pearl James | MWF 1:00-1:50 An introduction to the study of films as narrative art and cultural documents. The course involves viewing and analyzing films from different genres and investigating a unified theme or set of topics. Students will learn how to view films closely, how to relate films to their contexts, and how to employ the basic terms and concepts of film analysis. Attention will be paid to student writing, particularly to devising a thesis, crafting an argument, and learning how to use supporting evidence. Viewing films outside of class is required. Offers UK Core credit for Intellectual Inquiry in the Humanities. We will ask: How do films tell stories and convey meaning? What kinds of visual and narrative impact do different aspects of the medium—color, sound, lighting, character, and so on—have on our impressions, emotions, and understanding? Beginning with these formal questions, we will develop a common vocabulary for analyzing films. We will study films from a range of periods, nations, and genres and consider how the art of filmmaking has changed over time. We will go on to ask cultural questions, including the one posed by critic David Denby: “Do movies have a future?” Do recent changes in how movies are delivered (digitally) and marketed (globally) threaten the tradition of film as an artform? Are films’ status as financial commodities degrading their value as art? BSC 152-001 Honors Psychological Influences on Health (UK Core in Sciences) Dr. TK Logan | TR 3:30-4:45 This interdisciplinary course focuses on how psycho-(individual thought and behavior) social (interactions with others) factors influence health and well-being. Psychosocial factors are broadly defined to include cognition, attributions, beliefs, personality, self-concept, social support, habits, behavior change, mindfulness, stress, and decision making. Likewise, health and well-being are broadly defined to include dementia, depression, coronary heart disease, rehabilitation after traumatic injuries, addiction, obesity, and mortality. Putting them together, examples of course topics include cognitive evidences of dementia, attributions causing depression, personality links to coronary events, beliefs promoting placebo effects, and behavioral change for smoking cessation. Concepts are introduced via charts with definitions and applications; quizzes are based on detecting the concepts in illustrative narratives. For those interested in pursuing careers in the health care professions it provides a basic understanding of the behavioral concepts that are included in professional school admissions tests as well as board certification tests. BIO 198-001 Scholars Biology Research (sections 001, 002, 003, and 004) Dr. Emily Croteau | Times vary according to section Biology 198 is one of the Scholars courses for biology majors in the Department of Biology Scholars Program. This course is designed to provide a solid introduction to 21st century bioscience research. Students will learn how to critically read, interpret, understand and discuss original literature. Students will learn how to discuss data and information from the original literature appropriately, develop reasonable hypotheses from current 21st century bioscience problems and provide plausible conclusions and presentations in regard to those problems using original information and data. Lastly, the course is designed to equip students with the necessary skills to participate and succeed in an upper-level research experience. The course substitutes for BIO 155 for Biology majors.
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