Fall & Winter 2024 Honors Scholars Seminars

Fall 2024 Honors Scholars Seminar Offerings:

Utopian Visions & Realities in the United States

HON 331-07 / HON 341-07
Professor Roy Fuller
TTh, 2:30 - 3:45 PM

Recent years have seen an influx of dystopian literature and films offering alternative realities even darker than the darkest realities of American life. But beginning with the earliest European settlements to more modern political rhetoric, the United States has been the setting for utopian ideals and realities that have inspired political leaders and movements, religious and secular communes, even our national sense of self-identity. This seminar will examine both the promises and realities of utopianism as seen in the American experience. While some political utopianism can be seen as fantasy or mere political rhetoric, many religious and secular communes were founded to live out utopian visions. Though most of these groups were small and short-lived, their impact on American culture lives on and continues to reverberate in political movements from progressivism to isolationism. The following questions will be explored: What has been the impact of utopianism in the United States? What accounts for the appeal of utopian groups? How have these groups impacted the broader American society? How have they evolved over time? Is utopianism dead or does it continue to inspire and if so, how, and where?

This course fulfills elective requirements in the Humanities or the Social Sciences. The course cannot be used to satisfy Cardinal Core Requirements.

Fandoms & Their Audiences

HON 331-08 / HON 341-08
Professor Siobhan Smith-Jones
MW, 2:00 - 3:15 PM

Anyone ever written fanfiction, been to a Con, or dressed like a favorite character? Calling all Trekkies!!! Jedis and Padawans!!! Twi-lighters AND Twi-harders – Team Edward, Team Jacob, and Team Alice??? Any Disney Princesses here? Any Bronies? Anyone love Pokémon, Dragon Ball Z, Inuyasha, or Sailor Moon? Where are my Gleeks, my Penny Dreadfuls? Members of the Beyhive or Little Monsters? Cowboys, Cubs, and all us Cards??? This seminar will provide you with the necessary critical tools to reflect upon and understand the gratifications various fandoms provide. In addition, you will critique the assumptions that “outsiders” put forth about fandoms and the devoted fans who love them. This semester, we will develop a more thorough and critical understanding of just what it means to be a “fan,” and the culture in which fans are encouraged in—or discouraged from—participating in various fandoms. Is it possible that there exists a fandom participation continuum? What identity factors might influence one to become a fan? My hope is that you will become more thoughtful, engaged, critical audience members who are able to understand just why anyone is a fan of anything.

This course fulfills elective requirements in the Humanities or the Social Sciences. The course cannot be used to satisfy Cardinal Core Requirements.

How to Be a Killjoy

HON 331-09 / HON 341-09
Professor Andreas Elpidorou
TTh, 1:00 - 2:15 PM

We often avoid and criticize conflict and dissent. Yet aren’t they important, perhaps even necessary elements of our social lives? They can change hearts and opinions, free us from the pressures of conformity, and help us to think better, more critically, and more creatively. This seminar draws upon philosophy, social and organizational psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and behavioral economics to discuss the nature of killjoys. It considers historical and contemporary examples of killjoy behavior in order to understand what it means to be a killjoy. It also explores the social, organizational, and personal harms and benefits of being a killjoy, and considers whether killjoy behavior is ever morally necessary.

This course fulfills elective requirements in the Humanities or the Social Sciences. The course cannot be used to satisfy Cardinal Core Requirements.

The Holocaust & Its Legacy

HON 331-12 / HON 341-12
Professor Eric Schmall
TTh, 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM

Immerse yourself in an exploration of one of the darkest chapters of human history as we delve into the intricacies of the Holocaust, examining its origins, progression, and enduring consequences. Through gripping lectures, poignant multimedia survivor testimonies, and thought-provoking discussions, students will gain a profound understanding of the socio-political landscape that allowed this unparalleled atrocity to unfold. Delving deeply into the roots of European antisemitism and the origins of the Nazi regime in Germany, the seminar not only dissects the historical events but also delves into the psychological, cultural, and ethical ramifications, fostering a nuanced perspective on how such suffering was inflicted upon millions of innocent human beings. As we navigate through the annals of this history, our exploration extends to the present, addressing the disquieting rise of fascism and antisemitism in our contemporary world. With a commitment to fostering empathy and critical thinking, "The Holocaust and Its Legacy" challenges participants to confront uncomfortable truths, igniting a spirit for social justice that transcends the classroom and resonates in the pursuit of a more compassionate world. 

This course fulfills elective requirements in the Humanities or the Social Sciences. The course cannot be used to satisfy Cardinal Core Requirements.

Urban Ecology

HON 341-10 / HON 351-10
Professor Tim Darst
MW, 4:00 - 5:15 PM

Urban Ecology examines the natural world in an urban setting and how humans interact with it.  This interdisciplinary field helps us understand how environmental systems and human systems can work together to make our world more sustainable.  Cities can nurture and sustain the human and non-human inhabitants of the earth.  Urban Ecology helps us to see community from a new perspective.

In this class, we will explore, from in the classroom as well as in the outdoors, ways that cities can provide habitat for humans as well as other animals and plants. We will call upon science, literature, economics, and spirituality to examine the need for seeking harmony between humans and the natural world and look at specific ways that we can bring this about this change.

This course fulfills elective requirements in the Social Sciences or the Natural Sciences. The course cannot be used to satisfy Cardinal Core Requirements.

AI & Media: Innovation, Impact, & Ethics

HON 341-11 / HON 351-11 / COMM 301-01
Professor Yi Jasmine Wang
MW, 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM

The seminar "AI and Media: Innovation, Impact, and Ethics" offers a comprehensive exploration of how artificial intelligence is reshaping the media industry.  The course blends concepts from the scientific intricacies of AI with insights from social sciences to offer a well-rounded view of AI in media. The course breaks down complex AI concepts like machine learning and algorithmic technologies to make them easy to understand. Additionally, it discusses how AI affects society, from media bias and privacy concerns to the way it shapes news production and entertainment consumption. Additionally, it features hands-on workshops and group projects, where students apply their knowledge to create AI-driven media, ensuring a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical experience. This seminar offers a clear understanding of technical know-how and an understanding of social and ethical questions that we face in this evolving digital landscape.

This course fulfills elective requirements in the Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, or the Department of Communication. The course cannot be used to satisfy Cardinal Core Requirements.

Global Politics through Film

HON 331-13 / HON 341-13 / POLS 360-01
Professor Rodger Payne
TTh, 1:00 - 2:15 PM

Students in this seminar will watch a film each week that pertains to global politics. The course will begin by asking how (and why) social scientists employ an artistic medium to understand important elements of world affairs. The class will examine how to “read” a film, often focusing on the specific narrative arc employed by the filmmakers and even more frequently reflecting on the thematic elements and topics. International relations is often viewed as a dark and violent context dominated by the strongest countries competing with one another for power and resources. The seminar will explore that perspective but will also discuss various alternative views of world politics, including some that allow for individual and collective human agency, transformative change, and happy endings, at least occasionally. As a subtheme, the course will explore the many creative influences on filmmaking, including accompanying music, artistic and literary references, and prior films.

This course fulfills elective requirements in the Humanities, Social Sciences, or the Department of Political Science. The course cannot be used to satisfy Cardinal Core Requirements.

Sherlock Holmes in Literature, Film, & Popular Culture (WR)

HON 336-03 / HON 346-03
Professor Michael Johmann
TTh, 2:30 - 3:45 PM

This course explores the phenomenal popularity of Sherlock Holmes in literature, film, and popular culture.  We will begin with the stories of Arthur Conan Doyle but explore the many ways in which Sherlock has continued to appear in film, on television, and in other media formats into the 21st century.

With the sole exceptions of Santa Claus and Count Dracula, Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective Sherlock Holmes has been portrayed more times in film and on television than any other fictional character. Played by actors ranging from Basil Rathbone to Benedict Cumberbatch, Holmes has not only survived attempts by his own author to kill off the character as early as 1893 but has lived to fight Nazis, defeat Jack the Ripper, reside simultaneously in London and New York, and use digital messaging to taunt the police. This seminar will explore the publishing and media phenomenon that is Sherlock Holmes, who first appeared in print in 1887. Beginning with the novels and short stories, we will examine the fascination with the character among his earliest Victorian readers, which extended onto the Victorian stage and even into silent film during Doyle’s lifetime. With the coming of sound in the 1930s, we’ll explore the ways in which Sherlock, along with his friend and biographer John Watson, become the model for Batman and Robin, along with other superheroes, during the golden age of comics and are transformed from their Victorian origins into patriotic Britons fighting against Hitler’s spies and saboteurs during World War II. We’ll examine the return to a traditional depiction of the great Victorian detective in the Granada Television productions of the 1980s and early 90s starring Jeremy Brett, and his emergence as a 21st century crime solver living in today’s London in the BBC series starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Along the way, we will consider some of the other characters and types of fiction created by Conan Doyle that either mirror his greatest success or starkly contrast with the Holmes universe. We’ll discuss the development of both the literary detective and the detective story genre inspired by Holmes that dominates so much of contemporary fiction and media and try to answer the question: Why does such an egotistical, arrogant, cocaine-addicted Victorian continue to fascinate us? As one of Sherlock’s adversaries, Irene Adler, famously puts it in the recent BBC series: “Brainy is the new sexy”. Be sure to bring your pipe and deerstalker hat.

This course fulfills elective requirements in the Humanities or the Social Sciences. The course cannot be used to satisfy Cardinal Core Requirements.

Art & Politics

HON 431-01 / HON 441-01 / POLS 502-01
Professor Charles Ziegler
TTh, 9:30 - 10:45 AM

Art reflects the values and norms of the era in which it was created. This seminar explores how the visual arts both support and challenge political orthodoxies, and the power relations that are at the heart of politics. Topics will include art and revolution; art and imperialism; art and democracy; art and totalitarianism; art, women and power; art and race; art and social class; art and war. We’ll examine how Jacque Louis David approached the French Revolution, discuss socialist realism under communism and Hitler’s degenerate artists exhibit, analyze Judy Chicago’s tribute to women through history, and learn about the Great Migration northward through Jacob Lawrence’s series. Other topics will include Italian futurism and fascism, American expansion westward through art, and French and Russian realist art depicting travails of the common folk.

This course fulfills elective requirements in the Humanities, the Social Sciences, or the Department of Political Science. The course cannot be used to satisfy Cardinal Core Requirements.

Nonprofit Strategy & Organizational Consulting

HON 431-51 / HON 441-51
Professor Eddie Bobbitt
Distance Education

This seminar is designed to overview the nonprofit management consulting profession with an emphasis on nonprofits in Louisville. The course will explore organizational structure, earned income strategies, philanthropic giving, grant writing, marketing, and programming outcomes. Students will work with nonprofits in Kentuckiana to assess and address their organization needs. You will leave this course clearer on what a public service-facing management consultant does, having practiced some of the skills they use, and with insight into how you can add the most value to nonprofits you care about.

This course fulfills elective requirements in the Humanities or the Social Sciences. The course cannot be used to satisfy Cardinal Core Requirements.

Comic Emotions (WR)

HON 436-04 / HON 446-04 
Professor Joseph Turner
TTh, 9:30 - 10:45 AM

Art often makes us feel something, and every form works differently. This seminar examines how comics, as a hybrid medium that combines images and text, tugs at our emotions in ways that traditional print novels or even films cannot. How do comics uniquely engage our senses and, as a result, make us feel? To answer this question, the course will build most of its theoretical approach through visual art, affect theory, literature, and the emerging field of comics studies, while also turning to relevant studies in biology and cognitive science.

We will of course spend time with primary texts: the dreamscapes of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman (the comics and the recent audiobook adaptation), Julie Maroh’s crisp and evocative inking in Blue is the Warmest Color, the violent charcoal sketches of Kyle Baker’s Nat Turner, and others, some of which will be chosen by students. There will be many supplemental secondary texts, too, from a variety of fields.

This course fulfills elective requirements in the Humanities or the Social Sciences. The course cannot be used to satisfy Cardinal Core Requirements.

The Art & Thought of Personhood (WR)

HON 436-05 / HON 446-05 / ENGL 401-01
Professor V. Joshua Adams
TTh, 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM

Questions of personhood are ancient, but they remain important in the present. What is a person? Where and when does personhood start and end? What makes the identity of a person persist through time? How do we tell if someone or something is a person in the first place, and what do we owe them (or it) once we make this decision? Can animals and plants and inanimate parts of the environment be persons? What about corporations or artificial intelligences? This seminar will introduce students to some major ideas about persons in the history of philosophy and psychology, and follow those ideas into works of literature, art, and cinema that are invested in exploring them. Our major concern will be to see what literature and art can add to our understanding of the concept of a person; secondary aims of this course include equipping students to enter into contemporary debates about the status of persons in a sophisticated way, and to consider the relevance of these debates to their own lives. Theoretical readings will include work by Aristotle, Boethius, the Buddha, Descartes, Locke, Kant, Freud, James, Beauvoir, and Maslow. We will also read work by Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Kafka, Woolf, Baldwin, Plath, Philip K. Dick, and other contemporary writers; look at some modern portraiture and photography; and screen some films (Bresson, Campion, Jonze).

This course fulfills elective requirements in the Humanities, Social Sciences, or the Department of English. The course cannot be used to satisfy Cardinal Core Requirements.

The Nature of the Individual & the Appropriate Role of the State: The Human Quest for Truth, Virtue, & Beauty (WR)

HON 436-76 / HON 446-76
Professor Julie Bunck
T, 5:30 - 8:15 PM

This seminar is offered to students who have a serious interest in the intellectual and practical intersection of political theory, political philosophy, and economic theory.  The central objective of the seminar is to provide a forum where all three disciplines can be brought to bear on the most serious, confounding, and timeless questions that continue to seek answers in the modern era. Throughout the semester we will work toward developing the analytical skills exercised in close reading, cogent writing, and clear oral expression. The course will focus especially on the central components of democracy, its essential requirements, and the factors that cause its weakening and eventual move toward authoritarianism.  Readings will include Tocqueville, Montesquieu, Hayek, Marx, Pascal, and Nietzsche.  Together we’ll examine the central questions through distinct and varied disciplinary windows in order to enhance our understanding of how political and economic systems shape society and are themselves shaped by society and the extent to which they enhance human happiness and fulfillment.

This course fulfills elective requirements in the Humanities or the Social Sciences. The course cannot be used to satisfy Cardinal Core Requirements.

Women and Music

MUH 331-01 / HON 331-14 / HON 341-14
Professor Kirsten Carithers
TTh, 9:30 - 10:45 AM

This course will consider the myriad roles of music-making women and non-binary individuals, including performers, composers, educators, patrons, and others, as well as the portrayal of women in genres like opera and music theater.

This course fulfills elective requirements in the Humanities, Social Sciences, or the Department of Music History. The course cannot be used to satisfy Cardinal Core Requirements.

Winter 2024 Honors Scholars Seminar Offering:

Health: Private to Public Messages

HON 431-50 / HON 441-50
Professor Kandi Walker
Distance Education

Do you consider yourself a person interested in health? What messages influence you to change your behavior? How often do you get sick? What are your thoughts about pandemics and public health issues? How do people behave when they aren't feeling well? These are the types of questions we will discuss and analyze in this seminar.

Despite vast improvements in health care and disease prevention, we still have a long way to go in terms of making our world a healthier place. "It appears that the severity of many health problems could potentially be reduced by improving communication among providers, between providers and patients, between health researchers, and between public health leaders and the public" (Wright, Sparks, O'Hair, 2020, p. 4). This seminar will discuss how we communicate health in personal, interpersonal, public, cultural, and mediated ways. The information presented will cover a broad range of topics from ethical dilemmas surrounding health, the close relationship between health and religious beliefs, and images of health in the media.  Additionally, we will look at how race, age, ability, language, sexual orientation, and economic status impact health.

Students are encouraged to voice and consider a wide variety of viewpoints. The object is not to find the one right answer, but to gain experience discussing and reflecting on the immense responsibilities involved in communicating about health.

This course fulfills requirements in the Humanities or the Social Sciences. The course cannot be used to satisfy Cardinal Core Requirements.