Spring 2021 Honors Scholars Seminars

Winter 2020 Session Seminar Offering:

Behaving Badly: Communicating in Less than Ideal Ways  

HON 431-50 / HON 441-50
M-Th Daily 10:00-11:30 (Remote Discussion Times)
Professor K. Walker
Remote with Designated Discussion Times

In this course, we identify and examine the underbelly side of interpersonal communication paying close attention to people behaving badly. We will identify communication challenges people face when interacting with others such as: why do some people make us feel guilty (or why do we use guilt to persuade others)?, is cursing appropriate (and if yes, by whom, what words, and what context?)?, why do we hurt the ones we love (or why do they hurt us?), can we be allergic to certain people?, and how do we navigate conflict (you had your first big fight – now what?)?  We will uncover how communication influences, creates, resolves, and maintains unnecessary chaos within interpersonal communication settings. In short, we will explore how well meaning people communicate in less than ideal ways and sometimes behave badly.  

This course fulfills requirements in the Humanities or the Social Sciences.

Music Scenes and Social Change

Click the title to hear from Professor Buckman about previous iterations of the course and what's he's hoping for Spring 2021! Use your ULink/Blackboard info to view.

HON 331-03 / HON 341-03
TTh, 2:30-3:45pm
Professor L. Buckman
Hybrid: 25%-75% of instruction is face-to-face meetings at the time and days designated in the schedule of classes; at least 25% of the course delivered digitally.

I hope you’ll join me this spring as we retrace the history of popular music in the 20th century through the development of music scenes (local, regional, and even virtual), musical subcultures, and their relationship to various social movements. The global musical landscape is dotted with many independent factions that operate--and, in some cases, thrive--according to their own set of rules and ideals. These scenes emerged and developed as alternatives to mainstream popular culture or societal norms. In this seminar, we will examine (through listening, reading, and viewing) some of the major music scenes that developed over the last 75 years, while also dedicating time to exploration of lesser-known national and--time permitting--international scenes. Some examples of scenes and movements we will explore include: Stax Records & Memphis during the Civil Rights era; the early days of disco and dance music and its relationship to LGBTQ history; Riot Grrrl & Seattle Grunge; vaporwave; and more. In addition to considering each of these scenes from a social change lens, we will grapple with questions such as:  What is it that defines a musical subculture? What constitutes a music scene? What is genuinely and authentically local about local culture? How does the production and consumption of its music affect a scene? What happens when the sounds of a scene are co-opted and absorbed into popular music? Are music scenes bound by physical space and geography? How has the Internet transformed music scenes and subcultures? How does the relationship between musicians and fans shape a scene? How is music used to represent or depict a place, a community, or its way of life?

This course fulfills requirements in the Humanities or the Social Sciences.

The American Pastime: Baseball as Myth

Click the title to hear Professor Williams speak more about his interest in this topic and why he's teaching a seminar about it!

HON 331-05 / HON 341-05
Professor M. Williams
Remote: This class will be offered online with 100% digital instruction and no designated meeting times. Final Exams may be scheduled for and limited to the assigned time in any course type.

“The Great American Pastime,” it’s often been called.  Though it may have faded from prominence as the country’s favorite sport, baseball continues to be a rich source of national lore—our legends, our social history, the way we understand ourselves.This class will consider the stories of baseball as American mythology, centering on novels and films in which the sport reflects the changes and self-imagining of the country over the last 150 years, reflecting our encounters with issues of immigration, urbanization, race and politics.  Lectures, discussion boards, two reviews and two papers (and if the virus permits, a night at the ballpark).

This course fulfills requirements in the Humanities or the Social Sciences.

How the Heavens Go

Click the title to hear more about the course from Professor Steffen himself!

HON 341-07 / HON 351-07
MW, 2:00 - 3:15
Professor J. Steffen
Hybrid: 25%-75% of instruction is face-to-face meetings at the time and days designated in the schedule of classes; at least 25% of the course delivered digitally.

Copernicus and Galileo were the “disruptors” of their time, the former, hesitantly, the latter, aggressively, rediscovering and supporting the heliocentric model of their universe. The course will examine models of the solar system and universe from the Babylonians and Egyptians onward, discuss the influence of leading scientific figures such as Pythagoras, Ptolemy and Aristotle, and, using the biographic novels of Dava Sobel about Copernicus (A More Perfect Heaven) and Galileo (Galileo’s Daughter), more closely examine the historical and religious contexts of these two individuals as they promote the heliocentric versus geocentric models in the 16th and 17th centuries. This course will utilize our access to rare books to view and handle first editions of both scientists’ writings along with other relevant materials. The course will appeal to those interested in natural science as it is influenced by the world around it.

This course fulfills requirements in the Social Sciences or Natural Sciences.

Innovation Through Culture

HON 331-09 / HON 341-09
TTh, 12:00-1:15
Professor T. Edmonds
Remote: 100% instruction digital with synchronous sessions available at the time and days designated in the schedule of classes; all sessions recorded for possible asynchronous participation.

Have you ever thought about a music festival or the Super Bowl as an opportunity for population health innovation?  How about building a business that becomes a global brand just on having people give short speeches? How about a cloud-based service that utilizes artificial intelligence to personalize people’s relationship with food based on the geospatial informatics of culture?  This course will examine emerging forms of innovation through case studies of the world’s most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors, forecasters and scientists. Spoiler alert:  in most fields—especially those that are complex and unpredictable—generalists, not specialists, are primed to excel. Generalists often find their path late, and they juggle many interests rather than focusing on one. They’re also more creative, more agile, and able to make connections their more specialized peers can’t see. This course is also designed to provide an overview of transdisciplinary approaches to innovation and science that are opening new pathways in how people gather to learn, work, and celebrate. And, in the process, moving business from shareholder to stakeholder capitalism.  The course materials will range from scientific fields of public health, behavioral, events, and brand loyalty to learnings from the experience economy, shifting stakeholder capitalism demands, and pandemic recovery to inform a powerful path forward for next generation entrepreneurship that is radically diverse and inclusive. Supported by readings and relevant videos, the first half of the course will engage students in guided discussion on weekly themes. The second half of the course is devoted to practical application, giving students the opportunity to workshop their own innovation design through use of industry tools, student and instructor feedback, and guest lectures with leaders in the field.  This course is designed for creatives interested in working with science; researchers interested in sports, music, and culture; and entrepreneurs interested in building inclusive economies at the intersection of public health, business and humanities.

This course fulfills requirements in the Humanities or the Social Sciences.

Russia and Eurasia: A New Cold War? // WR

HON 336-01 / HON 346-01 / POLS 345-01
MWF, 10-10:50am
Professor C. Ziegler
Hybrid: 25%-75% of instruction is face-to-face meetings at the time and days designated in the schedule of classes; at least 25% of the course delivered digitally. 

Russia is back as America’s chief enemy. Under President Vladimir Putin, Russia has engaged in a war with Georgia, annexed Crimea and destabilized Ukraine, poisoned opposition figures at home and abroad, supported the brutal dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, modernized nuclear weapons, dispatched mercenaries to Africa, and interfered in American elections. Russia has teamed up with China in a strategic partnership designed to limit U.S. influence around the world and works closely with “rogue states” like Venezuela and Iran. Is this a new Cold War? 

In this course we’ll examine how Russia and key states of Eurasia (Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Belarus and the Baltic States) have evolved since the collapse of communism. We will discuss the roots of authoritarianism, problems of building democratic institutions, issues of economic reform and political participation, the development of civic culture and ethnic relations, and the role of leadership in these countries. We will also discuss how Russia and Eurasia factor into America’s national security, whether in Europe, the Middle East, or the Indo-Pacific.

This course fulfills requirements in the Humanities, Social Sciences, or for the Department of Political Science.

Amazonian Architecture and the Future of Tropical Forests

HON 341-01 / HON 351-01 / ANTH 364-01
TTh, 9:30-10:45
Professor A. T. Brown Ribeiro
Hybrid: 25%-75% of instruction is face-to-face meetings at the time and days designated in the schedule of classes; at least 25% of the course delivered digitally.

The Amazon is on fire.  When this is not true literally, it is certainly true figuratively. Amazonia, the world’s largest tropical forest biome, is also among the most poorly understood regions of the world.  Students will embark on an exploration into Amazonia's deep history and contemporary socio-biodiversity through archaeology and material evidence.  Together, we will examine the narratives that led us to common misconceptions about Amazonia, and the range of archaeological evidence we have uncovered that corrects these impressions.  We will learn about ancient lifeways and cultural phenomena that have transformed a once pristine landscape into the garden forest we see today - and how these techniques have helped ancient cultures to withstand climatic and natural food and resource dispersal patterns we are poorly equipped to handle today.  These data are crucial to contemporary debates about human and non-human populations living in Amazonia, and the future of the biome itself.  Through this exploration, we will gain a fuller understanding of the importance of Amazonia to archaeology, to the study of Amerindians, to colonialism, and to global understandings of the tropics, now, and in the future.

This course fulfills requirements in the Social Sciences, the Natural Sciences, or the Department of Anthropology.

The Heroine Feminism Made: Wonder Woman at 80

Click the title to hear from Professor Pruitt about the evolution of Wonder Woman and why he's teaching a course about her!

HON 431-75 / HON 441-75
W, 5:30-8:15
Professor D. Pruitt
Remote: 100% instruction digital with synchronous sessions available at the time and days designated in the schedule of classes; all sessions recorded for possible asynchronous participation.

You're invited to a surprise early birthday party for a pop culture and feminist icon: Princess Diana of Themyscira, better known as Wonder Woman!

Diana debuted in October 1941’s All-Star Comics #8. To modern readers, 1941’s Diana’s wholesome image, patriotic bodice and miniskirt are odd, but inoffensive, relics of 1940s pin-up girl calendars and pre-war propaganda. In 1941, however, everything about Wonder Woman was controversial. Many parents found her costume to be scandalously revealing. As they read the first Wonder Woman stories, astute readers found a character who reflected the provocative feminist and sexual politics of her creator and his sister wives. This story content could not continue under the conservative cultural politics of the 1950s, so Wonder Woman was arguably the first superhero to receive a significant reboot. Since then, Wonder Woman has been rebooted, refitted, redressed, and reimagined perhaps more than any other superhero. Along the way, she has also become comics’ most recognized superheroine and a global feminist and queer icon. This seminar will explore Princess Diana’s 80-year journey from Paradise Island to twenty-first-century gender politics. Comics’ struggle to get Diana right for contemporary audiences tells us a great deal about comics’ gender trouble, but Diana’s constant evolution offers far more important insight into America’s historical—and ongoing—debates about appropriate gender roles and female sexuality.

This course fulfills requirements in the Humanities or Social Sciences.

Cultures of Slavery // WR

HON 436-01 / HON 446-01 / ENGL 402-01
MW, 2:00-3:15pm
Professor A. Clukey
Remote: 100% instruction digital with synchronous sessions available at the time and days designated in the schedule of classes; all sessions recorded for possible asynchronous participation.

This course will examine the legacies of slavery in the twenty-first century United States. We will look at recent literature, film, and other forms of popular culture that reconstruct histories of slavery and track how it evolved into new forms of racialized control that affect the justice system, housing, universities, healthcare, and the environment. We’ll also look at how contemporary writers, artists, and intellectuals are seeking to educate the public at large about the legacies of slavery right now (such as the New York Times’s 1619 Project, Kara Walker’s sculptures and installations, and the anti-racist work of Ibram Kendi), and we’ll consider proposals for the removal of Confederate monuments, reparations, and restorative justice. Our guiding questions include: how do Americans remember the history of slavery within their own families and within the nation? How are cultural memories of slavery mediated by race, class, gender, art, popular culture, and the educational system? How does art—literature, cinema, and visual arts—narrate the reverberations of slavery in our current moment and why does it matter? What role do cultural memories of slavery play in current debates about race, migration, and justice in the United States in general and in Louisville in particular?  

Readings may include texts by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Ibram Kendi, Jesmyn Ward, Yaa Gyasi, Colson Whitehead, Michelle Alexander, Saidiya Hartman, Harriet Washington, Edward Ball, Kara Walker, etc., and films may include Get Out, Antebellum, Sorry to Bother You, among others.

This course fulfills requirements in the Humanities, Social Sciences, or for the Department of English.

Indigenous Cities: Place and Power in Native American Studies // WR

Click the title to hear the seminar description from Professor Kelderman!

HON 436-02 / HON 446-02 / ENGL 402-02
MWF, 12:00-12:50pm
Professor F. Kelderman
Hybrid: 25%-75% of instruction is face-to-face meetings at the time and days designated in the schedule of classes; at least 25% of the course delivered digitally.

Since the early 1970s, the majority of Native American people in the United States have lived in cities. Yet even today, the predominant cultural image of Indian nations is that they exist in rural areas, on tribal reservations. Why has this idea persisted in US culture? And how can we begin to unthink these assumptions, to more accurately understand the place that Indigenous people have claimed in urban landscapes? This course will engage with the work of Indigenous writers, artists, musicians, and activists who reflect on the changing shape of Indian country, to explore how Indigenous people have asserted an ongoing political place for Indian nations in the face of US colonialism. We will explore such historical events as the Relocation Program of the 1950s (which spurred the movement of Native people from reservations to major cities), the emergence of the Red Power Movement in Minneapolis, and the Occupation of Alcatraz in the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, we will examine a range of different topics including Indigenous hip hop; statues of Native American historical figures in US cities; Native American travelers to European metropoles such as London and Paris; and the Mohawk construction workers who built many of New York City’s tallest skyscrapers. 

 Across these topics we will ask the question: How have Native people claimed a place in contemporary US society, while simultaneously continuing the social and cultural life of sovereign Indian nations? This course will be interdisciplinary in nature, drawing on literature, history, anthropology, sociology, and cultural studies. We will read fiction and poetry by Indigenous authors including Tommy Orange (Cheyenne/Arapaho), Esther Belin (Diné), and Susan Power (Standing Rock Sioux). In addition, we will study films (Kent MacKenzie’s The Exiles), music, visual art, historical texts, and a work of anthropology (Renya Ramirez’s Native Hubs). In doing so, you will become familiar with different critical methods and vocabularies for conducting research in Native American and Indigenous Studies, including tribal sovereignty, settler colonialism, environmental justice, transnationalism, and indigenous feminism. If it is safe to do so, we will also pay visits to the Special Collections and the Speed Art Museum to deepen our engagement with the course themes. 

This course fulfills requirements in the Humanities, the Social Sciences, or for the Department of English.

The City // WR

HON 436-04 / HON 446-04 / POLS 504-01
TTh, 11:00-12:15
Professor C. Leonard
Hybrid: 25%-75% of instruction is face-to-face meetings at the time and days designated in the schedule of classes; at least 25% of the course delivered digitally.

We will approach urban studies from a multidisciplinary perspective. We cannot understand how the modern city works without understanding America’s history of settlement by succeeding waves of European ethnics and the movement of African Americans from the plantation South to the industrial North. An anthropological perspective is important in looking at how European, Asian, and Hispanic immigrants and African American transplants brought their cultures with them to the city, and how those cultures impacted their respective social and political organizations. Economic forces are obviously powerful in shaping the American city and in determining whether it succeeds or fails. Much of the energy of city officials is spent trying to make a better “business climate” in order to improve the quality of life and to obey the imperative that their municipality must grow or die. American cities look the way they do, and are organized the way they are, largely as a result of political decisions. Elected and appointed officials write and enforce the rules of the game, and their decisions are influenced by voters, business interests, and other political entities. From the political scientist’s perspective, of course, everything is politics, particularly when we are talking about decisions that create winners and losers in the public sphere. We will use the City of Louisville as an example, a laboratory, and a resource.

This course fulfills requirements in the Humanities, the Social Sciences, or the Department of Political Science.

International Law // WR

Click the title to hear from Professor Bunck about the details of her seminar!

HON 436-05 / HON 446-05
TTh, 9:30-10:45am
Professor J. Bunck
Hybrid: 25%-75% of instruction is face-to-face meetings at the time and days designated in the schedule of classes; at least 25% of the course delivered digitally.

In focusing upon the role that international law plays within the larger realm of international relations, this course will ask where is law important, where is it less important, and why? We will consider where international law comes from, how it differs from and resembles domestic law of various sorts, how international tribunals function, and what is meant by such terms as sovereignty, sovereign immunity, jurisdiction, extradition, adjudication, arbitration, mediation, and conciliation. Throughout the course we will adopt an interdisciplinary approach to the study of international law, making a special effort to discuss political, historical, and other relevant social contexts.

In pursuing these broad themes, the class will consider a multitude of cases involving different aspects of international law, including the Iran hostage crisis of 1980, trials involving alleged Nazi, American, and Japanese war criminals, and the assassination in the U.S. of a former Chilean politician by Chile’s secret police. We will examine how law enforcement agencies in different countries are cooperating to combat terrorism, drug trafficking, and other forms of organized crime.  We will think through issues of cultural property, focusing on artifact looting in war-torn Cyprus, and the problems of refugees, including the boat people of Haiti. The class will also examine the outlawing of piracy, slavery, and genocide, and will assess the role that international law played in United States history, from the Civil War through the world wars to the conflicts in Vietnam, Nicaragua, Grenada, Panama, Afghanistan, and Iraq. We will analyze the relation of international law to the various responses to the attacks of September 11 and, more generally, the different possible roles for international law in the post-Cold War world. We will discuss international environmental problems such as air pollution crossing borders and natural resources problems involving endangered species, including whales.

This course fulfills requirements in the Humanities or Social Sciences.

Psychology and Social Media // WR

HON 446-03 / HON 456-03 / PSYC 414-02
TTh, 1:00-2:15pm
Professor C. Cashon
Hybrid: 25%-75% of instruction is face-to-face meetings at the time and days designated in the schedule of classes; at least 25% of the course delivered digitally.

In this course, we will draw from different areas of psychology (e.g., social psychology, clinical psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, and neuroscience) to examine social media use from a psychological perspective. We will cover topics such as the effects of mental and physical health, the relation between personality and social media use, what makes posts go viral, and how to combat the spread of disinformation. We will also draw from cognitive science to better understand the roles (good and bad) that artificial intelligence and computer vision play in our social media experiences (e.g., bots, automated face recognition, intelligent virtual assistants, linguistic sentiment analysis). Students may have the opportunity to earn certificates or badges related to these topics through IBM, Google, or Microsoft. No programming experience is necessary.

This course fulfills requirements in the Social Sciences, the Natural Sciences, or the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences.

Corporate Social Responsibility

HON 441-05 / BUS 441-01
MW, 2:30-3:45
Professor J. Haugen
Hybrid: 25%-75% of instruction is face-to-face meetings at the time and days designated in the schedule of classes; at least 25% of the course delivered digitally.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives provide businesses with opportunities to engage in public dialogue, legitimize the company’s for-profit activities, and build positive relationships with external stakeholders. In this class, we will learn how businesses do well by doing good through their CSR efforts. Additionally, we will get a better understanding of the beneficiaries of CSR and learn how to craft messages that can help publicize our efforts to external audiences. In this class, industry leaders like Brown-Forman, PNC, LG&E, the Kentucky Distiller's Association and more will showcase their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives and provide the business case for engaging in CSR. You will also get the opportunity to engage in the community outreach efforts of the College of Business.

This course fulfills requirements in the Social Sciences or the College of Business.