Honors Courses (Spring 2006)

Spring 2006 Honors Courses


Pforzheimer Honors College, 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 the 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 QPA and space availability 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.



BIO 220  HUMAN BIOLOGY AND CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY

CRN 22529, CRN 22530, 3 credits

Fee $55

Prerequisite: None

Day: Lecture M 8:00-9:50 AM, lab W 8:00-9:50 AM

Old Core: Fulfills Science requirement

New Core: Fulfills Foundation requirement of lab science

William Ventura

COM 200      PUBLIC SPEAKING

CRN 20310, 3 credits

Fee: $20

Prerequisite: None

Old Core: Elective credits

New Core: Fulfills Foundation course requirement

Day, F 8:00-11:00 AM

Ellen Mandel

CRJ 296H     CONTROVERSIAL CRIMINAL CASES

CRN 20669, 3 credits

Prerequisite:   None

Old Core: Elective credits

New Core: Writing-Enhanced course; fulfills 3 credits of Inquiry and Exploration

Course description: This course will explore several controversial criminal cases, such as the JFK assassination and the Michael Jackson case. The objective is to recreate, analyze, and hypothesize, based upon the information available. To be successful at this, students must be objective and review the facts critically.

Day, T 12:20-3:25 PM

Margaret FitzGerald

HONORS SEMINAR, EDU 201 D: INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

CRN 22728, 3 credits

Prerequisite: None

Old Core: Fulfills Honors Seminar requirement

New Core: Writing-Enhanced course; fulfills 3 credits of AOK 1

Course description: This course examines the interpersonal communication process as it affects communication style and competence. Theories and research on interpersonal communication will be discussed in the context of actual communication situations, allowing students ample opportunities to analyze experiences and practice new skills. Course topics include information processing, perception, verbal and nonverbal communication, listening skills, self concept, male/female communication, conflict management, interpersonal persuasion, and intercultural communication.  Students will visit various immigrant communities (e.g., Latino, Chinese, and Vietnamese) to help new immigrants develop communication skills in the United States ; at the same time, students will learn how to communicate with these people.

Evening, M 4:30-7:35 PM

Xaio-Lei Wang

ENG 201  WRITING IN THE DISCIPLINES

CRN 22588, 3 credits

Fee $20

Prerequisite: ENG 120

New Core: Fulfills Foundation course requirement (suggested for second semester sophomores and juniors)

Day, M 10:10-12:10 AM, W 10:10-11:05 AM

Amy Martin (Dr. Martin is Director of the University Writing Center )

ENG 308 CREATIVE WRITING: POETRY

CRN 22589, 3 credits

Prerequisite: ENG 102 or ENG 120

Old Core: Fulfills 3 elective credits

New Core: Fulfills 3 credits of Inquiry and Exploration

Evening, T 6:00-8:45 PM

Jane Collins

INT 297S  TRAVEL COURSE: SPLENDORS OF SPAIN : ART AND CULTURE

CRN 22628, 3 credits, Learning Community
Prerequisite: None

Old Core: Fulfills Art requirement or Honors Modern Language requirement

New Core: Writing-Enhanced course; fulfills 3 credits of either AOK 2 or AOK 4

Trip to Spain during Spring Break. Cost of trip approximately $1,800

Course description: This travel/study course introduces students to Spanish culture by exploring historical and stylistic trends/movements, including literature, art, and architecture.    Spain ’s diverse society (Christians, Jews, and Moslems), as well as its distinctive ethnic groups and regions, are examined.  Buildings studied include the cathedrals of Santiago de Compostela, Burgos, and Seville . Artists studied include El Greco, Velasquez, Goya, Gaudi, and Picasso. Novels studied include Carmen Martin Gaite’s El cuarto de atras(The Back Room). The 9-day trip to Spain focuses on Barcelona (excursion to Figueras) and Madrid (excursions to El Escorial and Toledo ).

Day, M 1:25-3:25 PM

Janetta Rebold Benton/Andres Villagra (Dr. Benton is Director of the Honors College)

HONORS SEMINAR, INT  196P, PLAGUES AND PESTILENCE

CRN 22629, 3 credits, Learning Community
Prerequisite: None

Old Core: Fulfills Honors seminar requirement

New Core: Writing-Enhanced course; fulfills 3 credits of AOK__  2 or 4 [?]

Course description: This course offers a multidisciplinary exploration of the impact of plagues and epidemics on society and culture, viewed from statistical, sociological, and literary perspectives. Questions to be explored include: where do epidemics come from, how do they spread, what is the “tipping point,” how have societies and cultures responded to plagues in their midst, and how has the artistic world reacted to/reflected the times?

Day, T 8:00-11:05 AM

Nira Herrmann (Dr. Herrmann is Dean of the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences)

INT 196U  ROOTS OF DEMOCRACY AND CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY: DEFINING THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

CRN 22433, 3 credits, Learning Community

Prerequisite: None

Video-conferenced between Pleasantville and New York City campuses

Old Core: Fulfills Philosophy requirement  

New Core: Writing-Enhanced course; fulfills 3 credits of AOK 1 or AOK 2

Course Description: This course begins withDemocracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville's classic description and analysis of the movement toward democratic egalitarianism, followed by an examination of important literary and philosophical texts, including treatises of 17th- and 18th-century political philosophers, as well as 20th-century developments in democracy and Civic Engagement.  The latter aims at the core of the malaise and passivity of contemporary society (many Americans will spend hours watching television, yet will not take an hour to vote). The goal of this course is to reverse the process of mere observation dominant in modern life (spectator sports, reality shows, and fantasy on-line living), through engagement in some of the political communities in which we live.

Day, W 1:25-4:30 PM, Adelia Williams/Harold Brown



 

POL  302  CONSTITUTIONAL LAW: CIVIL RIGHTS
CRN 22694, 3 credits

Prerequisite: None

Old Core: Fulfills Social/Behavioral Science requirement

New Core: Writing-Enhanced course; fulfills 3 credits of AOK 5

Course description: This course deals with the history of race through civil rights litigation, focusing on education, voting rights, and affirmative action. Much like a Law School course, included are moot court exercises and case briefings. This Honors course is offered on both campuses Spring 2006; Pleasantville and New York City students will be brought together for one or more of the moot course trials.

Evening, W 6:00-8:55 PM, Christopher Malone

HONORS INDEPENDENT RESEARCH COURSES,3 credits

Prerequisite: Junior or Senior standing, 3.3 QPA 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 Conference held each April. Students may have their papers published inTransactions, the journal of the Dyson Society of Fellows.

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.