Honors Courses (Fall 2009)

FALL 2009 COURSES                                                  

PFORZHEIMERHONORSCOLLEGE, PLEASANTVILLE CAMPUS

Honors courses are designed to be innovative and challenging. They may be interdisciplinary, focus on great works and ideas, cover issues of keen interest, or present a topic in great depth with a faculty member who has expertise in that subject. Honors courses are open only to students in the Pforzheimer Honors College. Students who are not in the Honors College may be permitted to register for an Honors course with written permission from the Director of Honors, contingent upon the student’s GPA and space available in the course. Each Honors course carries Honors credit which will appear on the student’s transcript and will count toward completing the requirements of the Honors College. For additional information, contact Dr. Janetta Rebold Benton, Director, Pforzheimer Honors College, Mortola Library, third floor, Pleasantville campus, at 914 773-3848 or JBenton@pace.edu.

LEARNING COMMUNITY: ARTAND INTERACTIVITY: INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL DESIGN AND COMPUTING, 6 credits total

Prerequisite: None

CIS 101   INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING, 3 credits, crn 73200

Fulfills: Foundation requirement

Day: M 10:10 am -12:10 pm and one hour online, Jonathan Hill

ART 186    DIGITAL DESIGN, 3 credits, crn 73081

Prerequisite: None

Fee: $35

Fulfills: AOK 4, Writing-enhanced

Day, W 9:05-12:10 pm, Will Pappenheimer

Course description:   This course brings together the disciplines of Fine Arts and Computer Science as they intersect in the weblog or blog. The Fine Arts portion studies fundamentals of digital design including imaging, collage, typography, composition, form, perspective, and color theory. Students explore artwork and graphics on the Macintosh Platform with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and the blog format. The Computer Science portion provides an understanding of the role of computers and the skill sets required. Each student's creative abilities are identified and cultivated through the use of technology in the digital media context. Key concepts in computing technology are studied, including software and hardware needs for digital media, digital rights management, privacy, and security, as well as Web page design (HTML), programming (JavaScript), and building one's own digital media presence. Students produce a functional and well-designed blog centered on their interests.

LEARNING COMMUNITY: THE PERSON, 6 credits total

Prerequisite: None

PHI 110    INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY, 3 credits, crn 72315

Fulfills: AOK 2 or 5

Day: T 2:30-3:25 pm, R 2:30-4:30 pm, Lawrence Hundersmarck

PSY 111    INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY, 3 credits, crn 72318

Fulfills: AOK 5

Day: M, T, R   1:25-2:20 pm, Robert Keegan.

Course description: This course examines the most influential ideas regarding what it means to be human that have emerged from the traditions of religion, psychology, and philosophy.

LEARNING COMMUNITY:  INT 189E  ECONOMIC, POLITICAL, AND SOCIAL DIMENSIONS OF IMMIGRATION, 3 credits, crn 73202

Prerequisite: None

Fulfills: AOK 5 (pending approval)

Day: W 1:25-4:30 pm, Marie Werner, Sociology Department; Gus Karam, Economics Department; and George Picoulas, Political Science Department. (This course includes elements of SOC 227, ECO 359, and POL 219.)

Course description: Students will examine the political, social, and economic dimensions of immigration, giving serious consideration to the positive as well as negative potential of this phenomenon. While attention will be focused on U.S. immigration, this will be located in a broader global context. Each faculty member will bring their discipline's unique perspective to the course as well as explore the myriad ways these are intertwined.

ANT 101  INTRODUCTION TO ANTHROPOLOGY, 3 credits, crn 71054

Prerequisite: None

Fulfills: AOK 3 or 5

Evening: T 6:00-8:45 pm, Jeremy Savian

Course description:   Through discussions and films, this course is a voyage to discover: 1) Where, when, and how humans appeared; 2) How they evolved in their understanding and use of nature to develop a wide diversity of cultures within environmental constraints; and 3) The many different ways they devised for meeting needs for food, sex, courtship, marriage, shelter, communications, tools, child-rearing, medical practices, religious beliefs, and social, political, and economic organization.

CHI 154B    CHINESE FILM AND LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION: “BEIJING BICYCLE,” 3 credits, crn 73114

Prerequisite: ENG 120 or equivalent

Fulfills: AOK 3 (pending approval)

Evening: R 6:00-8:45 pm, Deborah Poe

Course description:  This course examines major aspects of contemporary Chinese film and literature. Studied as art forms, literature and film offer unique dimensions through which students may closely consider cultural representations as well as cross-cultural perceptions. This course is designed in part to introduce students to the relationships between literary and cinematic forms. Films are shown as an integral part of the course. Chinese foods are sampled!
 

CIS 101   INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING, 3 credits, crn

Prerequisite: None

Fulfills: Foundation requirement

Day: T 9:05-11:05 am and one hour online, Sue Merritt  (Dr. Merritt is former Dean of the Seidenburg School of Computer Science and Information Systems.)

Course description:  This course provides guided, hands-on exercises with a variety of computer-based tools through two hours of structured computer lab. Students complete web-based projects in problem solving, programming, and spreadsheets, and are introduced to new technologies. The lecture, discussion, and online component promote understanding of the fundamental principles of information technology, preparing students for the new systems and tools of the future.
 

ENG 120   CRITICAL WRITING, 4 credits, crn  71065

Prerequisite: None

Fee: $20

Fulfills: Foundation requirement

Day:   T, R 11:15-1:15 pm,   Zachery Snider

Course description: This course emphasizes the development of argument and analysis as students work with a variety of literary and nonfiction texts. Students learn more advanced research skills including methods of documentation, the use of library and Internet resources, and the integration of primary and secondary sources into their own essays.

ENG 201   WRITING IN THE DISCIPLINES, 3 credits, crn 71069

Prerequisite: ENG 120 and upper sophomore standing (completion of 45 college credits)

Fee: $20

Fulfills: Foundation requirement for students in their second semester sophomore or junior year.

Day: W 1:25-4:30 pm, Rebecca Martin (Dr. Martin is Chair of the English Department)

Course description:  This course focuses on writing effective essays and research papers in disciplinary modes and in students’ fields of interest. It may include interviews, analysis of journal articles, and appropriate documentation style formats. Students' writing and research will focus on issues of peace and justice in selected countries and regions. Students work collaboratively, approaching issues from the perspective of their chosen majors.
 

ENV 110    NATURE AND CULTURE: A STUDY OF CONNECTIONS, 3 credits, crn 73211

Prerequisite: None

Fulfills: AOK 5

Day: R 1:25-4:30 pm, Robert Chapman (Dr. Chapman is Chair of the Environmental Studies Department)

Course description: This course examines prominent world views (including organic, mechanistic, preservationist, conservationist, religious, and secular stewardship) that have guided human action toward the natural world. From a global and interdisciplinary perspective, led by the influential writings of philosophers, economists, environmentalists, theologians, historians, political scientists, biologists, and naturalists, students analyze the interaction between human and natural phenomena—the impact human actions have on the natural world and the ways nature affects civilizational change. Different views of ‘nature’ influence human choices and offer alternative courses of action toward viable solutions having ethical consequences.

HIS 270   HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA, 3 credits, crn 72970

Prerequisite: None

Fulfills: AOK 3

Day: R 10:10-1:15 pm, Patricia Gloster-Coates (Dr. Gloster-Coates is Chair of the History Department.)

Course description:  This course investigates the historical origins of modern South Africa. Were the original founders the Dutch East India Company in 1652 or the Bantu-speakers who arrived supposedly in 1500 AD? The course also traces South African history from the Cession of the Cape in 1806; the Great Trek in 1836; the gold and diamond rushes, 1868-90; the Anglo Boer War, 1899-1902; the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910; the victory of the National Party in 1848; the Sharpeville Massacre of 1960; the release of Nelson Mandela in 1990; the dismantling of apartheid in 1991; the new constitution  of 1999, and the new government under President Thabo Mbeki.

MGT 396    ETHICS: FROM DESCARTES TO WALL STREET, 3 credits, crn 73058

Prerequisite: None

Fulfills: AOK 1, Writing-enhanced

Day: T 12:20-3:25 pm, Joseph Pastore (Dr. Pastore is former Provost of Pace University)

Course description: Conflicting forces of economic performance, ethical behavior, legal compliance, and social responsibility have been recorded for centuries and remain a matter of global concern today. The twenty-first century began with notable breaches by organizations such as Enron, WorldCom, Adelphia, and Arthur Andersen.  More recently, multi-billion dollar “Ponzi schemes,” along with the loss of confidence by “Main Street” in both “Wall Street” and our governmental regulatory system, provide dramatic evidence of the dire consequences resulting from a failure to match ethical behavior with economic performance. Through the use of lectures, discussions, case studies, classical and contemporary readings, videos, and experiential learning exercises, this course explores such topics as fair competition, moral leadership, truth, power and greed, social responsibility, compassion, discrimination, cultural relativism, and civil disobedience in the pursuit of individual and organizational prosperity.

THR XXX    FROM PAGE TO STAGE, 3 credits

Prerequisite: None

Fulfills: AOK 2 or 4 (pending approval) 

Day: T 9:05-12:10 pm, Ruis Woertendyke (Professor Woertendyke is Chair of the Theater Department)

Course description: Students will spend the first half of the semester writing short plays and the second half of the semester preparing selected plays for presentation. The final for the class will involve the performance of the selected plays at Woodward Hall or another appropriate performance space.

UNV 101   FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR: INTRODUCTION TO UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY, 1 credit, 3 sections, crn 71130, crn 71509, crn 71895

Prerequisite: First-year student

Required of all first-year students

Day: F   10:10-12:10 pm, Christopher Walther, Jesse Valiante-Colvin, Deirdre-Noel Engels

HONORS INDEPENDENT RESEARCH COURSES, 3 credits

Prerequisite: Junior or Senior standing, 3.3 GPA minimum

With the written approval of the appropriate professor, the department chairperson, and the Director of Honors, a student may select a topic for guided research that is not included in the usual course offerings. The student meets regularly with the professor to review progress. To receive Honors credit, the results of this independent research must be presented at the Honors Independent Research Conference held every year at the end of April or beginning of May.

Students may have their papers published in Transactions, the journal of the Dyson Society of Fellows, and also made available through Pace University’s Digital Commons.

HONORS OPTIONS COURSES, 3 credits

Prerequisite: None

The Honors Option is designed for Honors-level work in a non-Honors course. To receive Honors credit, an additional paper (10-20 pages), project, or presentation is required. Written approval of the appropriate professor and the Director of Honors are necessary. Depending upon the number of credits completed prior to entering the Honors College, Honors students are limited to either one or two Honors options; other Honors course requirements must be completed in Honors courses.

The Lubin Leaders 495 course for seniors may also count as an Honors College course if you present the results of your research at the Honors Independent Research Conference.