ÃÛÌÒAPP

Honors Seminars and Topics

Honors Seminars & Topics

Available only to Reaud Honors College students, Honors Seminars and Honors Topics courses are taught by distinguished ÃÛÌÒAPP faculty on an ever-changing array of diverse subjects. 

Each seminar or topic course is an interdisciplinary, intellectually challenging, out-of-the-box course. Honors students are invited to propose their own ideas for such courses.

ENROLL EARLY
You may enroll in these courses as early as your second semester of your first year in college. You should not wait until your senior year to start fulfilling this honors requirement. 

FALL 2025 Honors Seminars & Topics

HNRS 3161: Honors Seminar (1 credit) and HNRS 4364: Honors Topic (3 credits).

HNRS 3161-01

Beginning Social Magic

Magic has been around for thousands of years. Rumor has it there are hieroglyphics of the cup and balls trick in ancient Egypt. Aside from trying to fool people, magic is a fun hobby and easy ice breaker. This class will meet for an hour once a week to go over some self-working and almost self-working tricks, along with flourishes and moves so that you can always be ready to amaze people with your skills in legerdemain.

HNRS 4364-01

Social Issues through Comics

Although many people think of comics as mindless entertainment, they have dealt with serious issues from the very beginning. This class will use specific comics to illustrate how social issues are examined, the influence of said comics, and an exploration of why and how this is handled in the industry. Issues to be explored include substance abuse, mental health issues, the impacts of war, and capitalism.

HNRS 4364-02

Modernism: Art & Literature

Changes to daily life brought about by processes of industrialization and developments in science and technology caused Westerners’ perspectives and understandings about the self, society, and even the universe to dramatically shift during the 19th and 20th centuries. Emerging theories delving into the nature of human evolution and consciousness challenged the very fabric of long-held values, creating a sense of crisis (for some) and a spirit of liberation. Artists and writers responded to this rapidly changing world with a new sense of artistic freedom, creating novel forms of art and literature to evoke the spontaneity of modern life and reinvigorate approaches to lived experience, philosophy, and spirituality. This course will explore modern experiments in art and literature, considering the ways in which artists investigated perspective, perception, and representation to convey the spirit of modern life.

HNRS 4364-48F

Internal View of a Vampire

Explore the mythical creature, the vampire. Pitch your ideas to medical professionals on how their bodies work.

  

 


SPRING 2025 Honors Seminars & Topics

HNRS 3161: Honors Seminar (1 credit) and HNRS 4364: Honors Topic (3 credits).

HNRS 3161-01

Ethics & Soft Skills for STEM and Business Careers 

This seminar will explore a variety of topics in ethics and soft skills, equipping students for success in STEM fields and business. Research indicates that developing these skills and ethical values early on enhances the marketability and career success of young individuals. The lectures, presentations, and workshops have been crafted drawing from selected chapters of key texts to support this objective. 

HNRS 3161-48F

Ethical Use of AI

This 1-hour online honors seminar will explore the rapidly evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education and the workforce. As AI capabilities advance, ethical questions about their appropriate use in teaching, learning, research, and professional domains are raised. We will examine and debate key ethical issues surrounding AI, including privacy, bias, transparency, accountability, and the impact on human labor. Emphasis will be placed on critical thinking, moral reasoning, and formulating guidelines for the ethical development and deployment of AI across academia and the workforce. By the end of this seminar, students will be able to articulate the major ethical concerns around AI, analyze differing viewpoints, and propose principled frameworks to uphold human values.   

HNRS 4364-01

Law & Orders:  Justice and Injustice Across the World 

This course investigates concepts and practices of law, justice, and injustice across the world. Students learn about and critique different approaches to legal systems, as well as concepts of justice, norms, punishment, and rehabilitation. Students engage with ethnographic cases