Honors Discovery Seminars Course Descriptions
Fall 2024
MONDAY
Filmmaker Honors Portfolio
Monday 9:05 a.m. to 9:55 a.m.
This is a class for students seeking to pursue the Honors Portfolio as a creative film project, such as a feature screenplay, a short film, documentary, animated film, experimental film, video-graphic essay, audio podcast, or other work of audiovisual media. While useful for students pursuing the major or the certificate in Film Studies, this class is relevant to any student interested in realizing a substantial creative work in film and media for the Honors Portfolio. In the first weeks, we will review the requirements and opportunities unique to the Honors Portfolio as it pertains to film and media projects. We will explore the varieties of projects students might choose to undertake, drawing inspiration from film clips and screenplays. The following weeks are structured around the different types of possible projects, the specific research and preparation required for each, and recommended timelines for production, postproduction, and presentation of finished projects. We will discuss manuscript preparation for the accompanying written portion of the Portfolio and explore a variety of opportunities for presenting finished works at special screenings, organized film events, the URC, or another venue. Students are encouraged to choose a potential project for their Honors Portfolio. Exercises in the final weeks will introduce students to strategies for preparing the proposal materials for the research semester and for the production semester, conducting research and literature review, forming a thesis committee, crafting realistic timelines, addressing unforeseen obstacles, and completing an Honors Portfolio that realizes an ambitious and rigorous vision for the project.
Instructor: Daniel Pope
Class # 30954
Section: 01
Introduction to New England Town Planning
Monday 10:10 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
The purpose of this course is to develop an understanding of how town planners across New England help to guide the future prosperity of communities, ensure an improved quality of life, and protect the environment. The course begins with a discussion of the evolution of town planning from the time of the Puritans to the present. It will then explain how planning functions today and why it has taken on significant importance. It will then address the functional areas of the field and how they are applied in practice. Finally, the class will reflect on the importance of planning in an American political and ideological context and for the future.
Proposed Materials: Each student is required to keep a semester-long journal of her/his thoughts concerning the weekly readings and seminars. The weekly readings consist of both scholarly works and professional applications of current planning. At the end of the semester, each student will prepare a ten-page scholarly paper and present the work before her/his classmates. A non-mandatory field visit to Amherst to see planning "at work" will be offered.
Instructor: John Mullin
Class # 30955
Section: 02
Sustainable and Resilient City
Monday 11:15 a.m. to 12:05 p.m.
The seminar will explore what it means to be a sustainable and resilient city, in both the United States and throughout the world. Mitigating and adapting to climate change is just one piece of this examination. We will start with an exploration of the concepts of sustainability and resiliency, including a focus on equity. We will then discuss how these concepts apply to cities and the built environment. Finally, we will reflect on how cities can regenerate themselves to become more sustainable and more resilient. This reflection will include examining these issues from different perspectives and disciplines.
The class is centered on readings, reading forums, an in-class workshop to develop term paper subjects, a literature review, a short video on a term paper summary, a term paper, and in-class seminar discussions.
Instructor: Wayne Feiden
Class # 30956
Section: 03
Food as Medicine, Food as Prevention and Sustainable Diets
Monday 12:20 p.m. to 1:10 p.m.
"Let Food be Thy Medicine," one of the most widely quoted phrases of Hippocrates, has taken on new meaning in our contemporary society with the increasing prevalence of obesity and chronic disease. At the same time, 50% of Americans believe it is at least somewhat important for food to be produced in a sustainable way. What exactly does this mean? Can specific agricultural practices, food production/processing methods, and food preparation methods impact the sustainability and health-promoting capacity of our food? Why should we care about how "phytonutrients" are affected? What are the different components of a sustainable diet? Can a plant-based sustainable diet also include foods of animal origin? These are just a few of the questions we will address in this course as we explore the role of food as medicine and food as prevention in a sustainable diet.
Instructor: Christina DiMarco Crook
Class # 30957
Section: 04
The 1619 Project
Monday 1:25 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.
This course takes the 1619 Project, created by Nikole Hannah-Jones and the New York Times Magazine, as its case to stage a series of conversations about culture, racial history, and ideological power in the US. Organized into a series of bi-weekly learning modules, we consider the 1619 Project as an emblematic site of ongoing struggles over US history and collective memory, as a theater for “counter-stories” with links to specific literary, visual, and media genres (memoir, sci-fi, photography, video games, graphic novels), and as a form of alternative journalism geared to cultural resistance and urgent political advocacy. Centering critical race and feminist-of-color approaches, the course links theory with ‘real world’ examples, and incorporates practical tools for research, including specialized library databases, research management tools (such as Zotero), and the basics of qualitative research methods (such as oral history, discourse analysis) that prioritize often-marginalized ways of knowing.
Instructor: Roopali Mukherjee
Class: # 30958
Section: 05
“We are not extinct!” Taíno Culture and Survivance in the Past, Present and Future
Monday 2:30 p.m. to 3:20 p.m.
Taínos, inhabitants of Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas, were the first Native American people to experience, as well as resist, European colonization beginning in 1492 and continuing to this day. Yet many of us were taught that Taínos became extinct. In this introduction to Taíno survival and continuance, we will look at how knowledge about Taíno culture thrived but was also threatened by violence, the myth of extinction, and “paper genocide.” We will look at research from multiple disciplines in the last 30 years and will touch on Taínos in history as well as the contemporary Taíno resurgence in the Caribbean and in the United States. We will also learn about Taíno visions for future generations. This course will incorporate practical tools for research, including library research and research management tools such as Zotero and specialized databases, with an approach to research that honors Indigenous ways of knowing and knowledge production and dissemination.
Instructor: Isabel Espinal
Class: # 30959
Section: 06
Workshop in the Study of Commons and Commoning
Monday 4:00 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.
You know Wikipedia. But have you heard of other phrases like “Open Source Software,” Open Educational Resources,” “Open Source Science,” or “Makerspaces”? These are examples of “Commons”; a different way for humans to collaboratively solve problems or innovate. In this seminar, we will begin by discussing the broader concept of “Commons” and then focus on cases such as Open Source Software, Wikipedia, Open Educational Resources, Open Source Hardware, Open Data, Science, and Medicine. Students will identify and study cases of their choosing for class report-back and will participate in a real-world project called “World Librarians” a real-world open educational project where we support rural schools in Malawi and Kenya.
Instructor: Charles Schweik
Class: # 30960
Section: 07
TUESDAY
Revisioning the New Deal
Tuesday 10:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.
How does the legacy of the 1930s New Deal era resonate with our present and future? A range of media texts will introduce some key historical forces of the 1930‐40s, Great Depression‐WWII era: massive unemployment and the crisis of capitalism, industrial unionism, socialist and communist movements, Left cultural activism, government programs including the WPA and Federal Arts Projects, racial inequality, and the military‐industrial complex. The relevance of these issues to the present will be considered through topics including contemporary labor strategies, the New Jim Crow, calls for a Green New Deal, and contemporary activist movements. Short, weekly written assignments will be reviewed for coherence, clarity, grammar, and voice. Learner presentations that will include historical photos and illustrations.
Instructor: Joel Saxe
Class: # 30961
Section: 08
Cryptology: Basic Ideas, History, Significance
Tuesday 11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.
Cryptology, the (art and) science of communication designed to keep sensitive information secure, has been important in society since ancient times in connection with warfare, diplomacy, domestic secrecy (as in royal court intrigues), espionage, and more recently in communication related to commerce and crime (as on the Internet). This course will cover (i) the basic technical ideas of the two main branches of cryptology, namely, cryptography (the construction of secret codes) and cryptanalysis (the breaking of codes), (ii) the history of cryptology, and (iii) ethical and other issues related to the role of secrecy in society. The technical material involves some basic mathematics (number theory), which will be developed from the ground up, and we will use the free computer package R for cryptological computations. There are no formal mathematical or computer prerequisites, but students will be expected to know basic high school algebra and the alphabet. Grades will be based on (a) homework exercises in encryption, decryption, and related mathematics,(b) an essay on a specific topic of the student’s choice in the history and/or social aspects of cryptology, and (c) a short final examination.
Instructor: Joseph Horowitz
Class: # 30963
Section: 10
Privacy in the Age of Surveillance
Tuesday 1:00 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.
It is hard to imagine a word or phrase that has as many interpretations or stirs more emotion than the “right of privacy.” In its simplest form, it can be viewed as the right of a person to be let alone, to be free from disclosure of private matters, and to live without unwarranted government interference. And yet even these seemingly straightforward perspectives have each spawned a progeny of complex laws, disparate judicial interpretations, and controversy.
There are as many perspectives on privacy as there are ways that privacy concerns can affect modern life. Privacy isn't just about Big Brother, or about corporations collecting lots of data about us. Privacy concerns can extend to many of our personal relationships. Our boss might be watching us even when we work from home. Our ex-lover might be sharing intimate photos. Even overly protective parents can have their ways.
A survey of all the applications and implications of the right to privacy is beyond the scope of this course. As the course title suggests, we will focus on privacy rights arising from surveillance. We will see how advances in artificial intelligence, monitoring devices, and genetics are pushing boundaries and making data gathering more pervasive than ever.
We will study cases ranging from the use of drones by law enforcement to an employer tracking the whereabouts of an employee who called in sick. We will see how pro-life advocates are tracking pregnant women. We will conclude the semester with class visits by privacy thought leaders who will discuss their work and share their views on privacy in a world where surveillance techniques are becoming increasingly acute.
At a high level, this course aims for students to think critically about a timely and important matter of public interest and debate. It also aims for students to gain a deeper understanding of privacy rights, laws, and policies that may affect their personal, family, and professional lives.
Instructor: Charles Johnson
Class: # 30964
Section: 11
This Is America: Race and Racism in American Popular Music
Tuesday 1:00 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.
Music is a powerful lens for viewing, exploring, and analyzing society, its people, concerns, and hopes. In addition to unleashing human creativity for centuries, music has been used to uncover injustices and advocate for others. In other cases, music has perpetuated society’s shortcomings and pitfalls.
The purpose of this course is to use American music as a lens for exploring race and racism in the U.S. context. From minstrel shows to rock and roll, to modern-day hip-hop, music can speak to the American racial identity and the realities of racism that have existed throughout history. By engaging with readings, recordings, and music videos, students will understand how music reflects race and racism in the U.S. and analyze how music can perpetuate and perturb racial injustices.
Students will recognize the significance of popular music as cultural artifacts that convey social reality and the music industry as complicit in perpetuating systems of oppression. Students will use the knowledge gained to research a pertinent social issue through the lens of music, such as poverty, gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, or another issue of their choice. Students will articulate how music has addressed the issue through specific examples and relevant literature.
Students will prepare a bibliography of academic sources (journal articles and books) from various disciplines and specify how these sources speak to or contradict their argument and analysis. Students will also use audio-visual media to convey their ideas to a non-academic audience (e.g., TikTok videos, podcasts, slam poetry performances, movement, or dance).
Instructor: Musbah Shaheen
Class: # 30965
Section: 12
Our Place in the Universe
Tuesday 2:30 p.m. to 3:20 p.m.
If ten percent of the 200 million stars in the Milky Way had a planet or moon with intelligent life, could we interact with any of it? That depends on observations from ancient Greece, atoms and magnets, Einstein's limit, the transistor, Zeno's paradox, and the differences between the mathematical and physical universes. Grading is based on class participation and a final paper with an emphasis on writing and research skills.
Instructor: Ernest Manes
Class # 30966
Section: 13
Science Behind the TV Drug Commercial
Tuesday 4:00 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.
We are constantly inundated with TV commercials, many of which promote various functional foods and prescription drugs. In this barrage of advertising, the information presented is often unidirectional, primarily reflecting what pharmaceutical companies choose to disclose, rather than providing a comprehensive scientific understanding. This course is designed to delve into the foundational steps of new drug development, with a specific focus on unraveling the real science behind the drugs featured in these TV commercials. Our approach will be interactive and investigative; in each session, we will critically analyze a selected TV commercial. We'll conduct thorough research to understand the drug's mechanism of action and its clinical evaluation. Furthermore, we will engage in discussions about the impact these commercials have from a public health perspective. This course aims to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to discern the scientific accuracy and public health implications of drug advertisements
Instructor: Soonkyu Chung
Class # 30915
Section: 14
WEDNESDAY
Black Liberation and Labor in the Long 20th Century
Wednesday 10:10 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
What is the relationship of Black workers to freedom?
This course will look at the relationship between Black Liberation and labor struggles since the defeat of Reconstruction in 1877. It will focus on how Black workers fought employers but also had to fight other workers for higher wages, unions, and racial equality. The course will start with what the defeat of Reconstruction meant for Black workers who found themselves as sharecroppers in the South. The course will end by looking at the efforts of Black workers attempt to unionize Amazon in Bessemer, Alabama.
By the end of class, students will have: a) an introductory grasp of Black liberation and labor struggles, b) an understanding of the state of the field, c) the skills to write a literature review, and d) the skills to use academic databases.
Instructor: Shemon Salam
Class # 30916
Section: 15
How to Argue Like Socrates
Wednesday 11:15 a.m. to 12:05 p.m.
This honors discovery seminar will consist of a close reading of select "Socratic dialogues" by Plato. The purpose of the seminar is to help students train their close reading, analytic skills, critical thinking, and textual interpretation. Secondarily, the goal of the seminar is to provoke students to think about specific problems of the source of moral values, the nature of the good, the relationship between truth and beauty, and the distinction between knowledge and belief. The seminar will read a manageable amount of dialogue each week and consist of out-loud readings and dramatization of Socratic dialogues.
Instructor: Andrew March
Class: # 30962
Section: 09
Racialization of Chinese Around the World
Wednesday 1:25 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.
Today, the Chinese diaspora numbers 50 million. They are found in at least six continents and almost every country in the world. Through the watching of films, documentaries, and videos as well as reading of primary source materials (e.g. newspaper reports, traveler accounts) and scholarly works, this course seeks to understand the historical reasons behind the construction of the Chinese race as an "Other" in many parts of the world, including the US, Philippines, Panama, Italy, Trinidad and Tobago, Malaysia, South Africa, and Peru. Questions include: How have they been racialized by their host communities? What makes the Chinese diaspora different from other diasporic communities? How do the Chinese diasporic subjects negotiate the racialization of their identities? What role do media, politicians, communities, or governments play in the construction of these identities? By the end of the course, the student will be asked to write a short paper related to the themes (e.g., ethnicity; gender; transnationalism) or topics (Chinese Exclusion Act; model minority;" parachute kids," Yellow Peril) found in the course.
Instructor: Richard Chu
Class # 30918
Section: 17
Copyright, Contract, and Cultural Appropriation: Race and "Neutrality" in Music and the Law
Wednesday 2:30 p.m. to 3:20 p.m.
This course will examine U.S. copyright and contract law and how it has been used to facilitate cultural appropriation of African-American music by White musicians and music executives, while unequally disadvantaging Black songwriters and performers.
Students will read law review articles and blog postings; hear from legal scholars, advocates, and musicians; and engage in discussion about law, policy, neutrality, race, music, and cultural appropriation.
Students will learn about U.S. copyright and contract law, how to perform legal/policy research as well as research in other social science disciplines, and how to examine "neutral" legislation through a critical lens. Students will write a critical annotated bibliography, a case study, or a policy proposal on how government or non-government organizations might investigate and address discriminatory application of the law.
Instructor: Lisa Di Valentino
Class # 30919
Section: 18
History of the Book and Printing
Wednesday 4:00 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.
Johann Gutenberg was named by Time magazine as the Person of the Millennium in 2000 and technology notwithstanding, that title still holds. This course will examine the history of the book in antiquity and the Middle Ages, culminating in the dawn of the age of print and its subsequent evolution to the digital age of today. Along with relevant readings and viewings, we will examine such processes as the marbling of paper and the use of the iron hand press in the 19th century. In addition, we will explore the exotic world of artists' books and the lively realm of books for children, concluding with a dive into the world of electronic books as compared to the venerable realm of the print book.
Instructor: James Kelly
Class # 30977
Section: 19
THURSDAY
Walking as Writing Practice and Other Methods to Disrupt Anxiety and Writing Blocks
Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.
Even experienced writers face anxiety or blocks. As Octavia Butler said, “You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That’s why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.” This can be stressful, especially when faced with a deadline. Students in this class will reflect on potential sources of their particular writing challenges - which can include fear, lack of confidence, lack of practice, a focus on perfectionism, distractions, the belief that writing can’t be done in short time periods, etc. Different approaches work for different people, and students will learn a wide variety of methods to move through these challenges. Each week will include an exploration and practice of a research-based method. These include: walking or somatic work, creating writing priorities and tasks, timed writing such as the Pomodoro technique, technologies and systems that can help avoid distraction, free writing, processing partners, writing accountability groups, and more. Students will also explore how to find and maintain passion for or meaning in writing, whether in creative or academic projects. Students are encouraged to bring pieces of their writing to work on in class (such as class assignments, sections of their thesis, or creative endeavors), though this is not a requirement for participation.
Instructor: Deborah Keisch
Class # 30976
Section: 20
Collective Behavior in Fluids
Thursday 1:00 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.
The course studies collective behavior of live and man-made systems in fluid. This includes when the fish swim together in a fish school when birds fly together in a flock, as well as when cyclists ride close to each other, or when wind turbines are placed next to each other in a wind farm. What are the similarities and differences among these collective behaviors? How and why do flying birds form V-shaped or inline formations as they fly? Why do the fish swim in schools? How do they form their polarized, milling, or bait ball school structures? What are the benefits of such collective behaviors for their performance? There are several research labs in biology, mathematics, computer science, physics, and engineering disciplines that study these questions and other similar questions. In this course, students will read recent research/review papers from these different disciplines. The readings will be at a level where deep knowledge of any of the fields will not be necessary. Students will be asked to give flash talks (1-2 minutes) on the main lesson they learn from each of these readings and then there will be a moderated discussion on the topic. Students will have a term project on their topic of interest that they will choose in consultation with the instructor. They will write a report and give a short final presentation on their project. The course will train students in critical thinking about ongoing research, high-quality oral presentations, as well as concise and well-written reports.
Instructor: Yahya Modarres-Sadeghi
Class # 36418
Section: 21
Comics as a Way of Thinking
Thursday 1:00 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.
This seminar will explore comics as a unique and robust communication form, with an emphasis on understanding comics by making them and exploring the processes of drawing and sketch-noting. Although we will spend a significant amount of time making, prior drawing experience is not required. The seminar is meant to provide a creative space for students to play and explore the multiplicity of possibilities that emerge when we work in the bilingual fashion that comics facilitate. The seminar may serve as a springboard for students to develop new ways of seeing to incorporate visual practices gleaned from comics into their own work. Participants will learn strategies for using comics to enhance our way of seeing and experiencing the world.
Instructor: Paul Wolff
Class # 36419
Section: 22
Art Investigations
Thursday 2:30 p.m. to 3:20 p.m.
This course will concentrate on exhibitions in the museums, galleries, and public places on campus to investigate issues in contemporary art and society. Students will engage in discussion, write short essays, and respond in other ways to the wide range of art on display.
Instructor: Gary Orlinsky
Class # 36420
Section: 23
New England Wildlife and Conservation
Thursday 2:30 p.m. to 3:20 p.m.
This seminar will explore the ecology and conservation biology of New England wildlife. We will explore the historical ecology of New England landscape from the end of the last ice age to the present. This historical perspective will focus on how the natural landscape has changed by natural and human-caused mechanisms. In response to changes in the landscape came changes in the populations of wildlife. In addition to landscape changes, wildlife has also responded to many human-caused stressors (overexploitation, pesticides, habitat degradation, climate change). We will explore how different species responded to these stressors and what steps humans have taken to try and conserve the landscape and the species inhabiting it. In addition, to exploring the science of this subject, students will also be learning and practicing in several general education skills. This will include working in groups, and communicating orally and in writing. The course will culminate in the development of a digital storytelling project.
Instructor: Peter Houlihan
Class # 36421
Section: 24
FRIDAY
Blue Gold and World Water Wars
Friday 11:15 a.m. to 12:05 p.m.
The course will provide an overview of the emerging crisis of water scarcity and conflicts throughout the earth system. Using case studies throughout the world, students will learn about nature, distribution, institutions, and conflicts related to water resources. Each class will involve a mix of video discussion, brainstorming, short lectures, and exercises. Students will be able to share ideas and interact with others through a course website and in classrooms. The course is of interdisciplinary interest and provides a unique opportunity to learn and interact with students from a variety of majors. Grading will be based on weekly blogs students complete on the topic learned each week and a final presentation. The presentation will be a particular case selected by the student. The main objective of the course is to provide a scientific basis for understanding the water crisis and strategies to handle current and emerging water issues.
Instructor: Timothy Randhir
Class # 36422
Section: 25