HRS 100. Honors Foundational Sequence I: Beginnings of the Christian Intellectual Tradition. 3 credits.

A study of the beginnings of the Christian intellectual tradition. Students acquire an ability to situate the Christian intellectual tradition within the complex cultural context of the ancient Mediterranean world and the Near East. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 101. Honors Foundational Sequence II: The Rise of the West. 3 credits.

A study of the development of Christianity from antiquity through the Reformation, and of its fundamental role in forming and fracturing the broad intellectual underpinnings of Western civilization. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 200. Honors Foundational Sequence III: The Modern World. 3 credits.

A study of the challenges posed by modernity to traditional Christian understandings of the world, and of Christianity's responses to these challenges. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 301. Sources and Methods: The Epistemology of Political Science. 3 credits.

This course is an introduction to the study of politics. The focus will be on methods in the social sciences. That is, we are going to consider ways of knowing in political science. How do we know? The seminar will necessarily deal with paradigms, particularly how paradigms establish both ontological and epistemological bases for research and in so doing establish the boundaries of a discipline. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 305. Sources and Methods: Intelligence: Multiple Perspectives. 3 credits.

This Sources and Methods course explores the concept of intelligence from a variety of psychological perspectives. Students will be introduced to the science of psychology and its methodologies using the study of intelligence as the unifying theme. They will read scientific articles, books, and articles from the popular press. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 306. Sources and Methods: Organizational Learning: Finding Your Place in the World. 3 credits.

This Sources and Methods course focuses on organizational communication and narrative inquiry as a unique means for understanding the world and our places in it. Students draw upon the elements of human agency (Burke) to reflect on how organizational assimilation (socialization and individualization) occurs and how they, as individuals, learn about, interpret, influence, and create organizational change through continuous learning processes. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 307. Sources and Methods: Writing Our Lives: Identity and Culture in Personal Writing. 3 credits.

This Sources and Methods course invites you to study and practice personal writing in forms ranging from essay to memoir to criticism. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 308. Sources and Methods: The Theology of Medieval Women. 3 credits.

This Sources and Methods course introduces students to the theology and spirituality of medieval women. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 309. Sources and Methods: Philosophy and Economics: Method and Horizon of Discourse. 3 credits.

This Sources and Methods course uses Veblen's critique of the foundations of neoclassical economics as an approach to broader questions involving the philosophy of social science, the history of economic thought, the anthropology of economic life, critical social theory, political theory, the history of ethics, and economic history. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 310. Sources and Methods: Metaphysics of Film. 3 credits.

This Sources and Methods course explores the multiple senses of "film" (long strip of plastic, cinematic art object, separated form, means of understanding the structure of the World) as an approach to the most basic branch of academic philosophy: metaphysics. The course involves a mixture of film viewing, critical reading, classroom discussion and lecture, and on-line activities. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 311. Sources and Methods: Graph Theory. 3 credits.

This Sources and Methods course is an introduction to what is arguably the best modeling tool ever invented. Graph theory plays a very important role in many fields, including mathematics, computer science, game theory, and project management. Students will conduct research on graph theory to experience the very process of the research itself. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 313. Sources and Methods: European Literary Modernism. 3 credits.

This Sources and Methods course concerns 20th century European writers of the Modernist movement who consciously broke with 19th century literary traditions in the effort to "make it new" through experimentation in poetry, fiction, and drama. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 314. Sources and Methods: This View of Life -Evolutionary Biology. 3 credits.

This Sources and Methods course in the Honors Program examines the fundamental concepts of modern evolutionary biology and how they are studied. Students examine the nature of science; the distinction between science and pseudoscience; types of explanation, modes of reasoning, and levels of analysis; and ways by which evolutionary hypotheses may be tested. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 315. Sources and Methods: Imagination to Invention. 3 credits.

This Sources and Methods course in the Honors Program examines the nature of chemistry as a discipline: what makes it unique, and what unites it to other disciplines? In particular, the course investigates the origin of ideas and concepts in chemistry, and seeks to relate them to basic principles of creative thought. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 316. Sources and Methods: American Identity in the World. 3 credits.

This Sources and Methods course in the Honors Program examines the ways in which Americans construct themselves and are constructed by others elsewhere in the world. The course explores the ideologies and rhetorical strategies, as well as the material realities and lived experiences, at work in defining what it means to "be" and American, both for those residing in the U.S. and for those who have never set foot on U.S. soil. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 317. Sources and Methods: European Metropolis 1900. 3 credits.

This Sources and Methods course in the Honors Program is an introduction to the techniques of cultural history. It examines the creation and experience of European capital cities during the turn of the twentieth century, paying particular attention to the artistic and technological innovations that marked this critical period of urbanization. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 318. Sources and Methods: Animals, Persons, and Ethics. 3 credits.

This Sources and Methods course in the Honors Program introduces philosophical methods by way of the study of the nature of animals, the nature of persons, and the ethical dynamics between persons and animals. The course draws on literary and philosophical texts, ethological studies, and films to examine the complex ethical, social, and metaphysical relationships between persons and animals. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 319. Sources and Methods:The Psychology of Stereotyping, Prejudice and Intergroup Conflict. 3 credits.

Students will develop a scientific understanding of the complex phenomena of stereotyping, prejudice and intergroup conflict by examining how stereotypes are developed and maintained as a result of basic social and cognitive processes and evaluating the various approaches and methods used to research stereotyping in psychology. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 320. Sources and Methods: Cosmology and our Evolving Understanding of the Universe. 3 credits.

This course is an exploration of humanity's ever-changing perception of the universe from the ancient Babylonians to today. We'll cover roughly 3000 years of evolving thought, examining four distinct eras of cosmology: the era of myth/philosophy, the era of enlightenment, the era of revolution, and the era of understanding. We will examine how paradigms shift and how our understanding of the universe has grown enormously in the last century. The course will culminate with a scientific yet non-technical description of the standard big bang model of cosmology along with the observational and theoretical evidence that supports it. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 322. Sources and Methods: The Catholic Church and Latin America. 3 credits.

The Roman Catholic Church has been present in Latin America for over 450 years. Initially an active participant in the conquest and domination by European powers, the Church has fundamentally changed its mission and doctrine over the past 50 years. Students will be introduced to Latin American history and Roman Catholic ecclesiology using the development of doctrine as the unifying theme. They will read primary sources in English and Spanish, books, articles, and scholarly journals. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 324. Sources and Methods: Classics of Social Theory: Positivism and its Discontents. 3 credits.

This course illuminates the common origin of the social sciences in the intellectual currents of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, focusing especially on the texts of Freud, Marx, Weber, Durkheim, Levi-Strauss, and Saussure. Students reflect on what we mean by "social," "modernity," "science," "the family," "language," and "the psyche." P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 325. Sources and Methods: Evolution and Human Behavior. 3 credits.

Students will be introduced to the science of psychology and its methodologies using the theories of evolutionary psychology. They will read scientific articles, books, and articles from the popular press. The primary assumption is that the human mind and behavioral predispositions have been shaped by the process of natural selection throughout our evolutionary past. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 326. Sources and Methods: Gender in Classical Antiquity. 3 credits.

By reading and interpreting primary and secondary sources, students examine Greek and Roman ideas about gender including how gender roles governed men and women's lives; how the ancient Greeks and Romans defined and used gender categories in literature, politics, law, religion, and medicine; and how these ancient ideas inform contemporary ones. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 327. Sources and Methods: Greek Tragedy: Texts, Contexts, Subtexts. 3 credits.

This Sources and Methods course is an introduction to a crucial genre in Western literature. Students will: read the majority of extant Greek tragedies; understand the historical and material circumstances under which the plays were created and performed; and tackle the "macro" interpretive questions to which they give rise. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 328. Sources and Methods: Critical Perspectives of Disability and Society. 3 credits.

Disability is usually viewed as a condition of personal deficit, misfortune, and shame. This course will question practices and discourses through which these negative perceptions are generated and reinforced. Students will explore models of disability, reinterpretations of human variation, and narrative methods used to investigate the personal experience of disability. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 329. Sources and Methods: In Search of the Promised Land: Religion and Place in America. 3 credits.

This course will examine the quest for the Promised Land in diverse religious communities with a particular emphasis on religion and place. Issues for consideration include concepts of home and sacred space, religion and nature, the faith and practices of exile communities, and the influence of border culture on religion. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 330. Sources and Methods: Christian and Jewish Theology after the Holocaust. 3 credits.

In the decades following the Holocaust, the reality of evil, the power and benevolence of God, the nature of covenant, and other key theological concepts became points at which traditional Jewish and Christian theologies were challenged and defended.  This course will investigate these challenges, focusing on the central concept of covenant. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 331. Sources and Methods: Representations of Piracy from 1600 to the Present. 3 credits.

This course examines representations of piracy from 1600 to the present. It considers the process by which pirates have become romanticized rather than censured figures as well as how the idea of piracy functions in terms of the illegal reproduction of various forms of media. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 333. Sources and Methods: The Renaissance Artist. 3 credits.

The artist and art historian Giorgio Vasari was the first to use the term "Renaissance" to describe the cultural movement that ran through Europe from approximately 1300-1550  Since then, countless historians in many fields have sought to make sense of the happenings in those centuries, many focusing on the era's chief protagonist: the Renaissance artist.  In this class we will undertake a close study of the surviving documents of Renaissance art literature in an effort to understand better how the men and women of the Renaissance conceived of their time and their world. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 334. Sources and Methods: Green Chemistry and Sustainability. 3 credits.

Chemistry has had many positive impacts on society, such as the development of medicines and many items we take for granted. Many of these items have come at a cost to the environment. Green chemistry considers human beings, our surroundings, and the environment when designing a chemical reaction, experiment, or process. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 335. Sources and Methods: Not Lost in Translation. 3 credits.

This Sources and Methods course in the Honors Program looks at how the Bible has been translated from antiquity to the modern world. Students will situate selected versions and translators within their historical, social, cultural, political, and religious contexts.  They will also learn how to identify and evaluate differing styles of translation.  In addition, students will become familiar with the nuances of different contemporary English versions and will come to recognize how important these differences can be to discussions of topics such as the environment, sexuality, and war. It is not expected that students in this class will have knowledge of either of the major languages in which the Bible was composed, Hebrew and Greek. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 336. Sources and Methods: Theory, Method and Art of Autoethnography. 3 credits.

Autoethnography is both art and science, a reflexive research practice that uses the lens of the self (auto) to describe and write (graphy) about people and cultures (ethno). This course will introduce students to the methodological and theoretical roots of autoethnography, and then guide them in becoming autoethnographic researchers. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 337. Sources and Methods: Women in Music. 3 credits.

This course will explore numerous issues concerning women in music. These may include, but are not limited to: 1) The contributions and roles of women as composers, patrons and performers in Western art music, non-Western art music and popular music, 2) The portrayal of women in opera and Broadway, and 3) Feminist perspectives in musical criticism. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 338. Sources and Methods: Research in Writing of Poetry. 3 credits.

This course will explore the role of research in the inspiration and composition of imaginative writing, specifically poetry. Students will practice various methods used in the process of creating poetry that is inspired and informed by research and learning in areas other than literature. Our central questions will be: How do poets write poems based on research into history, biography, science? What part does research play in the inspiration of poems? How do facts drawn from research and the poetic imagination interact? How do poets - how will you - choose areas to research? Can subject matter be drawn from and expand on, for example, daily interests and activities, such as other courses one is taking? In addition, students will explore the various elements of poetic form and craft. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 339. Sources and Methods: The Age of Augustus. 3 credits.

This course provides an interdisciplinary introduction to one of the most important eras in history. We will study how a nineteen-year-old youth, Gaius Octavius, became the first Roman emperor, Augustus, and explore the ways the Western world was transformed during his fifty-eight years of power (44 BCE-14 CE). P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 340. Sources and Methods: Introduction to Green Cultural Studies. 3 credits.

This course will introduce students to the field of cultural studies as it emerged in the U.S. and elsewhere, give students a working knowledge of cultural studies as a methodological approach, and facilitate the application of this methodology to environmental texts and issues. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 341. Sources and Methods: The History and Future of the Book. 3 credits.

History of the book as a literate, literary, and cultural artifact; Examination of important trends in text production from ancient times to the present; examination of contemporary directions, including digital venues, in traditional and multi mediated bibliotechnology. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 342. Sources and Methods: Modeling Global Issues. 3 credits.

Students will be introduced to issues concerning comparative politics, nuclear stability, economic stability, economic freedom, creative economy, smart power, hard of hearing and deaf children, and the application of mathematical modeling to these and other issues. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 344. Sources and Methods: The Literature of Mysticism. 3 credits.

This course will focus on mysticism, East and West. Jean Gerson, the great 15th-century theologian and churchman, once defined mysticism as "the experiential knowledge of God that comes through the embrace of unitive love." In this course, we will explore the lives and writings of some of the great mystics, those remarkable individuals who claim to have tasted first-hand this "experiential knowledge of God." P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 345. Sources and Methods: The World and Writings of St. Augustine. 3 credits.

St. Augustine (354-430) is among the greatest and most influential of Christian theologians. This course offers in-depth examination of both his career and his theology, exploring his major works (Confessions, On the Trinity, and On the City of God) his doctrine-shaping controversies with Donatists and Pelagians, and his influence on Christian views of creation, Church, sacraments, and grace. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 346. Sources and Methods: Philosophy as Therapy. 3 credits.

We will study the ways philosophers of various eras have employed philosophical therapies (e.g., against emotional turmoil or distorted outlooks on the world). We will explore the strengths and limitations of philosophical therapy and compare its techniques with those of psychological, sociological, and spiritual therapies. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 347. Sources and Methods: Stoics in Film and Literature. 3 credits.

Study of the idea of the stoic as presented in various literary genres, philosophical texts, and films. Examination of the stoic life as portrayed in poems, short stories, novels, treatises, letters, and video media. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 348. Sources and Methods:Pictures and Words: The Visual Book. 3 credits.

Pictures and Words will introduce the student to the history and fine art of photographic materials in books and visual design, as well as present the student with an introductory studio arts course in the hands-on creation of visual books with photographic materials and written text. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 349. Two Philosophical Perspectives. 3 credits.

This course compares philosophies that treat the same issues from instructively different perspectives. Students will learn how different philosophical methods influence the articulation and resolution of problems, and how different conceptual apparatus enable philosophers to engage the same problems differently. May be repeated one time. P: Membership in the Honors Program.

HRS 351. Colonialism and Agency. 3 credits.

This course investigates colonialism and human agency in modern history, with an emphasis on relations between “East” and “West.” It first examines the philosophical and methodological approaches of historical inquiry and then outlines the basic theoretical models for understanding colonialism, agency, and post-coloniality, balancing theory with primary accounts of colonialism. P: Membership in the Honors Program.

HRS 352. Sources and Methods: Organizational Rhetoric. 3 credits.

Organizational rhetoric is the strategic use of symbols to generate meanings: communication processes through which organizations influence popular attitudes and public policies. Students use rhetorical critical methods to analyze how people within organizations use language to generate collective identities, to communicate with stakeholders, to reinforce organizational values, and in many ways, to control. P: Membership in the Honors Program.

HRS 353. American Classical Music. 3 credits.

The course investigates Western art music from the American perspective - everything from the music of indigenous people, to the New World classical music, to the birth of jazz, film, and Broadway, and the 20th century American avant garde. Students will also develop listening skills for the aural analysis of such music. P: Membership in the Honors Program.

HRS 354. Antiquity in Modern Media. 3 credits.

This course will explore the advantages and disadvantages of learning about the Near East, Greece, and Rome through such non-traditional media as the performing arts, games, sports, and graphic novels. It will also introduce students to three methods for studying ancient history: social history, cultural history, and political history. P: Membership in the Honors Program.

HRS 355. Biotechnology. 3 credits.

An introduction to biotechnology and its application in a variety of disciplines. Since biotechnology is based on the techniques and tools in several fields, students will learn the details of fields such as molecular biology, biochemistry, bioinformatics, and genetics. We will also explore the ethics of implementing this technology. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 356. Archaeology and Politics. 3 credits.

This class will analyze the political use of the past with a focus on archaeological and artistic cultural monuments in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. We will explore the intertwining of modern political ideologies with the way past cultural heritage is collected, interpreted, presented, and maintained. P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 358. Literature Religion Philosophy. 3 credits.

This course examines the ways in which religious activity, beliefs, and aspirations are presented in literature. Can literature convey information about religion that standard academic discussions cannot? Does literature help to convince us that certain religious beliefs are plausible or implausible, or that certain religious aspirations are worthwhile or not? P: Only open to students in the Honors Program.

HRS 360. The Search for Christian Unity. 3 credits.

This course tackles the daunting task of understanding the root cause of divisions among Christians as well as the ways Christians have attempted to overcome these divisions. The bulk of this course will focus on the phenomenon of the ecumenical movement. P: Membership in the Honors program.

HRS 361. Topics in Political Science. 3 credits.

This course will focus on a specific problem in political science (such as predicting elections, legislative strategy, or collective choice and electoral rules). After learning the concepts, theories, and methods needed to address the semester's topic students will apply that background knowledge to resolve a particular question. P: Membership in the Honors program.

HRS 362. Multiculturalism. 3 credits.

We shall look at the problem of multiculturalism from a variety of practical and theoretical perspectives, using philosophical, fictional, and autobiographical works addressing encounters between different cultures. What does multiculturalism imply, and how should we best approach ideas and values that may seem alien to our established way of thinking? P: Membership in the Honors program.

HRS 363. Sources and Methods: Opera and the Novel. 3 credits.

Borrowing from dramatic and literary criticism, Opera and the Novel explores the relationship between the two most popular literary and dramatic forms of the nineteenth century, focusing specifically on adaptation, politics, gender, and performance in major operas, plays and novels. P: Membership in the Honors Program.

HRS 365. SAM: Chemistry of Brewing. 3 credits.

This course will examine fundamental scientific principles and pathways underlying the transformation of water, barley, hops and yeast into beer. Students will learn basic chemical analysis and brewing techniques via a combination of lecture instruction and hands-on activities. Must be at least 21 years old to participate. P: Membership in the Honors Program; Instructor Consent.

HRS 366. Sources and Methods: Biology with Darwin. 4 credits.

Students will engage in biological investigations following the work of Charles Darwin. Students will read excerpts of Darwin's scientific writings and personal correspondence and explore the current scientific literature that builds upon his ideas. ln the laboratory, students will replicate classic experiments and test hypotheses based on Darwin's foundational work. P: Membership in the Honors Program and Program Consent.

HRS 367. Christianity & the Rwandan Genocide. 3 credits.

This course analyzes the 1994 genocide in Rwanda through the lenses of theology, history, politics and genocide studies. Particular attention is paid to the roles of religious communities, especially the majority Catholic Church, and questions of identity, violence, and reconciliation. P: Membership in the Honors program.

HRS 368. Phenomenology: A Science of Experience?. 3 credits.

An introduction to the sources and methods of phenomenology, one of the major theoretical underpinnings of philosophy in the last century, and one that continues to be influential today in philosophy and beyond. Phenomenology is characterized by a focus on method and purports to offer a science of first-person experience. P: Membership in the Honors program.

HRS 369. The Bible in Popular Culture. 3 credits.

This course will explore the ways in which individuals and themes in the Bible find their way into popular culture, such as music, film, comics, political debate, and habits of daily life. P: Membership in the Honors program.

HRS 370. Reading the City. 3 credits.

This interdisciplinary course in urban studies, drawing on diverse fields such as literature, philosophy, economics, political science, and medicine, will explore the city as a focal point for such topics as immigration, inequality, public space, inequality, and public health. P: Membership in the Honors Program.

HRS 371. Reading for Health. 3 credits.

This course explores the overlap between the study of literature and medicine. Through literature's revealing the social components of health, patients' narratives of their illness, and the way medical knowledge influences literary texts, these two disparate fields provide distinct opportunities to think about health, wellness, illness, and healing. P: Membership in the Honors program.

HRS 390. Special Topics for Honors Students. 3 credits.

This course will address selected topics appropriate for students in the Honors Program. The specific topic will be listed as a course subtitle in the Schedule of Courses. May be repeated under different subtitles.

HRS 391. Great Ideas. 1 credit.

A student-driven discussion and tutorial on great ideas. Texts or artwork may be drawn from thinkers of any age and culture, for instance, the Vedictexts, Galileo's thought experiments, or Kuniyoshi's artwork. P: Membership in the Honors Program.

HRS 493. Directed Independent Study. 1-3 credits.

A course of study in a particular area of interest with a faculty member cooperating with the Honors Program. Limit of three hours. May not be undertaken in the same semester as HRS 497.

HRS 497. Directed Independent Research. 0-3 credits.

Course undertaken in the department of one's major. Students may not register for this course until research has been approved by the departmental research director. May be repeated twice. P: IC.