Honors Courses (Spring 2007)

SPRING 2007 COURSES

PFORZHEIMERHONORS 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 therequirements 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: ART 196 _   SEMINAR: RE-PAINTING HISTORY: LESSONS FROM LEONARDO DA VINCI, 3 credits

Prerequisite: None

Fulfills: Writing Enhanced, AoK  4

Day: M 1:25-4:30, Janetta Rebold Benton and Duston Spear

Course Description: Combining art history and studio practice, students will study the work of Italian Renaissance artists, including Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo, and then go into the studio and apply the principles they have learned to a  work of art they create. Understanding artistic concepts will be stressed, as opposed to mastering artistic techniques; an open mind is required, although artistic ability is not. This course includes a guided visit to the Italian Renaissance galleries of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

MCA 220 THE MAKING OF A MOTION PICTURE, 4 credits

Prerequisite: None

Fulfills: Writing Enhanced

Evening: M 6:00-8:45, Maria Luskay

CIS 102W WEB DESIGN FOR NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, 3 credits

Prerequisite: None

Fulfills: AoK 1, Service Learning

Day: R 10:10-12:10, Pauline Mosley

Course description:  In this discipline-based course, students will examine actual Web sites that benefit local non-profit agencies. Working in teams that include clientele of the agencies, students are introduced to the methods of designing Web sites in a non-profit paradigm and are involved in developing, implementing, and enhancing the sites in the field.

ENG 201 WRITING IN THE DISCIPLINES, 3 credits, crn 21913

Prerequisite: ENG 120

Fee: $20

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

Day: M 9:05-11:05, W 9:05-10:00, Bette Kirschstein

ENG 201 WRITING IN THE DISCIPLINES, 3 credits

Prerequisite: ENG 120

Fee: $20

Fulfills: Foundation requirement (suggested for second-semester sophomores and juniors)

Evening: W 6:00-8:45, Dan Bender

ENV 296S NATURAL DISASTERS: FROM THE VOLCANO VESUVIUS TO HURRICANE KATRINA, 3 credits

Prerequisite: None

Fulfills: Writing Enhanced, AoK  2 or 4

Day: T 8:00-11:05 AM, William Ventura

Course description: Bringing together specialists from a variety of disciplines (including Biology, Environmental Studies, Political Science, Law, Nursing, Economics, History, Psychology, Sociology, Literature, Philosophy, and Religion), this course examines the many ways in which people have dealt with various types of natural disasters.

LIT 211H  SHAKESPEARE IN HIS TIMES, 3 credits

Prerequisite: None

Fulfills: Writing Enhanced, AoK 2 or 4

Day: M 11:15-12:10, W 10:10-12:10, Jane Collins

Course description: This course will explore two Shakespeare plays--“Macbeth” and “The Merchant of Venice”--in the context of their historical moments. The  Reacting to the Past pedagogy developed at Barnard College will be employed to engage students in complex games, set in the past, that explore the ideas and desires of Shakespeare, his patrons, his theater troop, and his audiences.



PSY 396Y SPECIAL TOPICS: POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY AND HAPPINESS, 3 credits

Prerequisite: None

Fulfills: Writing Enhanced, AoK 5

Day: T 2:30-3:25, R 1:25-3:25, Paul Griffin

Course description: This course focuses on what psychologists have learned about happiness and optimal human functioning. Topics addressed include: identifying the goals and subject matter of positive psychology; examining theoretical perspectives and empirical findings on what  predicts human happiness, from the biological to the environmental; aspects of the “good life” such as signature strengths, purpose in life, gratitude, and acts of kindness; and the application of these theories and findings to everyday life.

SPA  154 J  SEMINAR: SPECIAL TOPICS: CULTURAL FIELD STUDIES: SPAIN, 3 credits

Prerequisite: None

Fulfills:  AoK 2 or 4

Day: T 11:15-2:20, Andres Villagra

Course description: This course focuses on the Iberian civilization of Spain: its people, life and culture from the earliest settlers, through the Middle Ages and the Golden Age, to the present day. The diverse society of Christians, Jews, and Moslems, as well as the distinctive regions and ethnic groups of Catalonia, Andalucía, the Basque country, Galicia, Castile, and Asturias are studied. The great Spanish artists and architects (El Greco, Velázquez, Goya, Gaudí, Dalí, Miró, and Picasso) are examined, as are Spanish traditions and festivals (Holy Week in Seville, pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, and bullfighting). Traditional Spanish music and dance (Flamenco, Sevillanas, Cante Jondo, Rodrigo, and M. de Falla), modern poetry and drama (Federico García Lorca), and Spanish film are explored. Spain is studied from historical and intellectual perspectives, including contemporary life in Spain (women’s issues, the new democracy and the monarchy, family values, and student life in Spain).  Includes trip to the Museo Casa de Espana.

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 in Transactions, 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.