Fall 2022 Advanced Honors Seminars
HON 202A75: Interdisciplinary Investigations
Section 1: Plagues, Pandemics, and People
1st half of the semester; Tuesday and Thursday; 11 - 11:50 am; Schroeder 396
Dr. Abigail Stone; Sociology and Anthropology
In this collaborative, interdisciplinary seminar, we will explore the transformative role of disease in human history. We will use disparate sources of information, from art and literature to bio-archaeology and genetics, to analyze the causes, courses, and consequences of diseases in the past. We will then use our knowledge to evaluate the current COVID-19 pandemic and make predictions about how it will alter humanity culturally and biologically.
Section 2: Understanding horror: Why would anyone love to be scared?
1st half of the semester; Tuesday, 7 - 7:50 pm and Thursday, 7 - 8:50 pm; State Farm Hall of Business 131 and some film screenings at the Normal Theater
Dr. Eric Wesselmann; Psychology
Horror stories have existed since people began telling folktales around campfires. Philosophers, psychologists, mythologists, and art critics alike have all pondered the paradox of why people would be attracted to stories that provoke negative emotions like fear, disgust, and dread. The reasons are as diverse as the manifestations of what scares us, individually and collectively. This seminar draws on theories and research from various disciplines, each united in the pursuit of understanding our morbid fascination for stories of “things that go bump in the night.” Academic concepts will be illustrated by screenings of select horror films, which students will reflect upon and discuss.
Students will be repsonsible for purchasing tickets from the Normal Theater for film screenings. The total cost for students will not exceed $40.
Section 3: Family Dynamics: Divorce as a Phenomenon?
1st half of the semester; Tuesday; 1 - 2:50 pm; Fairchild 206
Dr. Julie Campbell; Psychology
Divorce is a phenomenon which has an effect on about half of all United States families. For children and adolescents living through a divorce event, their developmental path is altered. This seminar will explore the effects of divorce on the adults and children who have gone through the experience of divorce. What are the effects of divorce on people's own marital behavior later in life? Economic and custody issues in relation to the cognitive and social-emotional development of children will also be explored. We will review family dynamics theory and how this theory works to explain the effects of divorce on family members. Several research studies on these topics will be reviewed, as well as a book about the life of a child as his family went through the divorce process. Two guest speakers will join the course for dynamic discussions. Their input will provide new ways to think about the effects of divorce on our society.
HON 202A77: Leadership in Action
Pathways to Leadership
1st half of the semester; Thursday; 4 - 5:50 pm; Hovey 419
Dr. Terri Goss Kinzy; Illinois State University President
Pathways to Leadership will explore the many different ways that people progress as leaders in their career. Students will learn about the different ways people gain both experience and training in the path to becoming a leader. Readings will focus on new concepts in career development such as the move from the career ladder to the braided river, identifying resources to develop leaderships skills, and guest speakers at different stages of their career will share how they advanced and use their skills.
HON 202A78: Culture, Context, and Identity
Cultures of Play: Leisure, Learning and Formations of Identity
1st half of the semester; Monday and Wednesday; 3 - 3:50 pm; Stevenson 132
Nic Heckner; Langauges, Literatures, and Cultures
In this seminar, we will compare how cultures across the world and across history use and have used forms of play (e.g. board games, historical re-enactments, video games, tabletop role-playing games) to express ideas about identity, citizenship and cultural participation. Through readings, discussions, active gameplay and our own game designs, we will not only identify the assumptions underlying these ideologies; we will also explore how forms of leisure can create a more inclusive society by designing our own games as final projects.