Honors Sections of University Core Curriculum Courses Each semester, the Honors College offers Honors sections of several University Core Curriculum (UCC) courses. Honors sections are more intense than traditional sections, they rely more upon discussion, and they are capped at 20 students. Before priority registration begins in the fall and spring semester, the Honors College Office produces a list of all Honors sections of UCC courses and shares it with students via e-mail. Registration Process: All incoming first year students (current high school seniors) are registered by the registrar. Current students: See your advisor before March 20th to discuss your Fall 2023 courses and obtain your alternate pin. For more information about permits and the registration process click here. For a course registration video, please click on the following link: https://youtu.be/EzBYVn7qpuU Click here for a helpful schedule planner. Click here for a blank 8-semester planning sheet. Courses are available only by permit. To obtain a permit, please email honors@wpunj.edu with your name, 855 number and the course information. Fall 2023 Honors Courses UCC Area 1 – Personal Well Being Financial Planning - Honors CRN: 40757, FINP 1600-001, Lawrence Verzani, MWF, 02:00pm-02:50pm Financial well-being is designed to promote financial literacy among students in order to allow them to increase their overall financial, economic and social well-being. Consumers operate in a buyer beware marketplace and must be financially literate in order to achieve and maximize their own well-being and security. This course covers the basic financial planning process and will help students obtain a working knowledge of creating an investment portfolio, filing taxes, risk management, insurance, credit scores, credit reports, debt management, retirement planning and time value of money. UCC Area 2B – Expression: Writing College Writing ENG 1100-002, CRN: 40071, Staff A, MWF, 10:00am-10:50amENG 1100-017, CRN: 40920, Matthew J Kendrick, MW, 03:30 pm-04:45 pmENG 1100-026, CRN: 41492, Martha Witt, TR, 09:30am-10:45am A workshop course in which students read about writing practice and theory and learn strategies for developing and revising pieces of non-fiction writing. Students share their writing with the instructor and their peers, get feedback on drafts, and consider this feedback as they progress through the writing process. At least one writing project should be developed over four different drafts. This course develops students’ writing competency on the college level. Attribute: Writing Intensive UCC Area 3A – Ways of Knowing: Philosophical Perspectives Intro to Philosophy – Honors CRN: 40104, PHIL 1100-002, Laura Di Summa, TR, 11:00am-12:15pm Representative problems of philosophy, ranging from methods of inquiry, moral dilemmas, religious knowledge, problems of existence, artistic judgment and criticism to political and social philosophy. UCC Area 3B – Ways of Knowing: Historical Perspectives The Modern World- HonorsCRN: 40659, HIST 1050-003, Navyug Gill, TR, 11:00am-12:15pmThis course is designed to introduce students to the past three centuries of remarkable political, economic and cultural interactions that produced our modern world. We will explore a series of significant ideas, individuals and events, and their linkages between different regions across Europe, Africa, Asia, and North and Latin America from the mid-eighteenth century to the present. Specific themes include: the American, French and Haitian revolutions; the expansion of European imperialism; the development of modern science, industry and culture; the emergence of capitalism and its opponents; the rise of nationalism and anti-colonial liberation movements; and the new struggles for gender, racial and migrant justice. We will conclude by reflecting upon the novel connections and divergences that structure modernity in the early twenty-first century. It is important to recognize that this course is not exhaustive. Rather, it is intended to be a provocative survey that connects certain moments from the past to provide a narrative of how our world came to be the way it is, as well as how it might have been otherwise. Area 3C- Ways of Knowing: Social and Behavioral Sciences General Psychology CRN: 41180, PSY 1100-005, Christian Holle, MW, 03:30pm-04:45pmmThis course surveys the chief theories, principles, and methodologies of psychology with special emphasis on their relationships to human behavior. The biological foundations of behavior, sensory processes, learning, perception, memory, emotion, motivation, personality, and the social bases of behavior and behavior pathology are examined to establish the foundations for advanced study in psychology. Current research findings are included wherever applicable. UCC Area UC 3D – Ways of Knowing; Scientific Perspective General Biology: EEB – Honors CRN: 41426, BIO 1620-006, Staff A, TR, 09:30 am-10:45am, R 02:00pm-4:40pm For students intending to major in biology, this course is an introduction to general principles of biology for students preparing for careers in life science. Course emphasis is on evolution as a unifying principle in biology, natural selection, macroevolution, evolutionary history of life on earth, exploration of the tree of life, comparative form & function, and interactions among organisms within populations, communities, and ecosystems. UCC Area 4- Diversity and Justice Race, Gender, and Social Justice CRN: 40244, AWS 2250-001, Danielle Wallace, TR, 11:00am-12:15pm This course analyzes multiple forms of social oppression and inequality based on race, gender, sexual orientation, ability and class in the United States. It will examine systemic aspects of social oppression in different periods and contexts and the ways that systems of social oppression manifest themselves on individual, cultural, institutional and/or global levels thus becoming self-perpetuating but not wholly unaltered structures. Individual and group agency, strategies of resistance, and visions for change will also be studied. UCC Area 5- Community and Civic Engagement Structural Determinants of Health – Honors CRN: 41037, PBHL 3820-001, Marianne Sullivan, W, 11:00am-1:40pm This Honors, Area 5 course explores macro-level societal structures as fundamental determinants of health. Emphasis will be placed on how political and economic institutions as well as systems of power and ideology shape social life, population health, health behaviors, and health disparities. UCC Area 6- Global Awareness Global Transformations & the Human Condition-Honors COURSE FULLCRN: 40545, ANTH 3100-071, Sreevidya Kalaramadam, W, 12:30 pm-01:45 pm, and onlineThis course develops an understanding of the experiences of “globalization” as a historical phase of capitalism, and “development” as a post-World War II set of practices. It will analyze specific “global” problems as manifested in the lives of large sections of the world’s poor and marginalized populations across multiple societies. These problems include: poverty and inequality; livelihoods and food security; endemic hunger, malnutrition and healthcare systems; overconsumption, population and environmental degradation; international debt; displacement and migration; intellectual property rights and indigenous knowledge; wars and cultural conflicts. Emphasis will be on contradictory impacts on people and societal prospects in Asia, Africa and Latin America, and on marginalized populations in advanced capitalist countries. Methods to facilitate a just and sustainable future for humanity will also be explored. Readings in Global Literature – Honors CRN: 42390, ENG 3540-060, Judith Broome, M, 06:00pm-08:40pm This course introduces students to representative texts in literatures from across the world, focusing especially on literatures from the global south/ non-western world, which may range from the ancient to the modern and contemporary periods. The course emphasizes a broadly comparative perspective which situates literary texts, either Anglophone or in translation, from different regions, both in specific cultural and political contexts, as well as studies them in depth from a broadly literary perspective in conversation and canonical western literary texts and genres. Counts as a major elective in several majors Intro to Counseling/Psych – HonorsCRN: 40649, PSY 4100-001, Robin Nemeroff, TR, 11:00am-12:15pmThis course is designed to provide an introduction to various methods of assessing and treating people with mental health issues. Students will learn and pratice clinical interviewing techniques, gain familiarity with psychological assessments, discuss relevant ethical issues, evaluate the empirical research on current psychotherapies, and gain exposure to a variety of treatment approaches. Spring 2023 Track Courses Track courses are for students already enrolled in the Honors track, mostly juniors and seniors. Read the Honors College Student Handbook to see the order in which you should take your track courses. Biology Track Honors Literature Seminar CRN: 40691, BIO 3950-001, Staff A, MW, 12:30 pm-01:45 pm This course serves as an intensive introduction to reading and criticism of biological scholarship via select papers from the primary literature. Designed for 3rd-year Honors students, the course will move students who are preparing for major senior research projects into addressing the literature across the life sciences, and in their area of interest in particular. Students will read, evaluate, and critically discuss papers on a weekly basis and write a review-style final paper on a scientific topic of their choosing. Students will be encouraged to choose a topic close to their Honors research project, which should be in development by the time they take this course. This will allow students to make supervised progress toward their Independent Study proposals and Senior Thesis work. Research Methods Bio – Honors CRN: 40153, BIO 5330-060, Staff A, TR 06:30pm-09:30pm A thorough examination of the methodologies, procedures and issues of science, particularly as they apply to biology. Emphasis is on design of research, statistical treatment of data and interpretation of results. Lecture and lab. Business Track Contact Dr. Ge Zhang to discuss the Honors assignment for FIN 3200, MGT 3550 and MGT 4600. Business Case Writing (Honors) Meetings ACCT 4850-001; CRN: 41945, Staff A, R 02:00 pm-4:40 pmECON 4850-001; CRN: 41946, Staff A, R 02:00 pm-4:40 pmFIN 4850-001; CRN: 41947, Staff A, R 02:00 pm-4:40 pmMGT 4850-001; CRN: 41943, Staff A, R 02:00 pm-4:40 pmMKT 4850-001; CRN: 41944, Staff A, R 02:00 pm-4:40 pm This is a cross-disciplinary course that represents the first part of the 6-credit practicum Honors option, which must be conducted over two semesters and undertaken in the junior or senior year. It will be a core component of the Practicum Honors option. Honors Practicum credits will be applied towards major concentration requirements. The course involves writing an effective business case based on the consulting report or business plan completed in the practicum course. This course will be supervised by a mentor chosen from the Cotsakos College of Business Academically Qualified (AQ) faculty members who participated in the corresponding practicum course. Clinical Psychology/ Neuropsychology Psychopharmacology – Honors CRN: 41053, CLSI 4150-070, Bruce Diamond, W, 09:30am-10:45am, and Online Asynchronous This course provides foundational knowledge in psychopharmacology within an applied and clinical context. The course includes an overview of the Central Nervous System (CNS), communication within the CNS (i.e., neurotransmitters), and discussions of basic pharmacological principles and biobehavioral research methods. The physiological, behavioral, and psychological effects of the major classes of psychoactive drugs are presented as well as the application of psychopharmacology in treating various disorders and diseases (i.e., depression, memory disorders, anxiety). Emphasis is placed on understanding the mechanisms underlying these drugs at the molecular, cellular, and neurophysiological levels; the similarities and differences in mechanisms between drugs; and the experimental paradigms utilized to arrive at the findings. Finally, clinical cases and examples are provided emphasizing real-world applications of what we learn. Clinical Science Thesis I – HonorsCRN: 40862, CLSI 4700-080, Bruce Diamond, AsynchronousThe central goal of this course is to provide feedback, guidance and oversight of the honors research experience and the process of writing and ultimately presenting the honors thesis. This course will provide a brief review of the foundational knowledge, research skills, methods and ethical principles central to the research process. An integral part of this course is providing oversight of the early and, in some instances, the latter phases of the thesis process including: conceptualization, goal-setting, IRB approval stage if appropriate, literature review, methodology, analysis, conclusion section and presentation of results. This course helps facilitate writing, learning, critical thinking and collaborative discussion as well as provide an evaluation tool. Overall, it is intended to be a comfortable place for you to learn, discuss issues, perhaps make some mistakes and exchange ideas in a non-judgmental, constructive and mutually supportive environment. Cognitive Science Cognitive Science Seminar - HonorsCRN: 40395, CGSI 2000-001, Michael Gordon, MW, 09:30am-10:45amCognitive Science is a multidisciplinary field that draws on behavioral research, intelligent system design, and neuroscience. This course enables the development of student-centered scholarship through direct faculty interactions in a range of disciplines including anthropology, biology, communication disorders and hearing science, computer and information sciences, economics, education, linguistics, music, philosophy, and psychology. Through this cognitive science filter, students survey the current methods in service to their own intellectual advancement. Prerequisite: PSY 1100 AND PHIL 1100 Cognitive Science Honors Thesis ICRN: 40192, CGSI 4010-001, Amy E Learmonth, F, 02:00 pm-04:40 pmThis is a research based course that is the first part of a two semester thesis. Although students will have already been exposed to at least one research methods course prior to the thesis course, an overview of the logic of research and the methodology will be presented. This overview will also serve to highlight the various options students will have for their own research projects. Research methods open to the students include computer modeling and simulations, experimental and quasi-experimental designs, qualitative research methodologies, discourse analysis and think-aloud protocols. The 'how to' of research will be explored in detail. Students, in consultation with faculty, will select a topic for their research project. The exploration of the research topic will be the primary focus of the course. Formal oral and written presentations of the research proposal as well as summaries and research notes of a minimum of twelve research articles relevant to the student’s individual topic will be completed. Attribute: Writing Intensive Global Public Health Structural Determinants of Health – Honors CRN: 41037, PBHL 3820-001, Marianne Sullivan, W, 11:00am-1:40pm This Honors, Area 5 course explores macro-level societal structures as fundamental determinants of health. Emphasis will be placed on how political and economic institutions as well as systems of power and ideology shape social life, population health, health behaviors, and health disparities. Attribute: UCC 5 PUBLIC HEALTH HONORS CAPSTONE ICRN: 41381, PBHL 4800-001, Marianne Sullivan, T, 09:30am-12:10pmThis course addresses the main research methods used in public health. The course covers the role of research in understanding public health problems, research design and methods (quantitative and qualitative), and ethics. Students will learn how to search for published, peer-reviewed literature and will develop skills in reading and analyzing published studies. Considerable attention is given to the process of scientific writing. The course will culminate in the development of the research proposal for the senior honors thesis, which will include a literature review of hypothesized relationships, and a detailed plan for the senior thesis research project. Attribute: Writing Intensive Humanities Honors HUMANITIES HONORS Cross-listed with ENG 3540 CRN: 42144, HUMH 2020-060, Judith Broome, M, 06:00 pm-08:40 pm An examination of ideas about human nature and values specifically designed to introduce students to interdisciplinary methods and arguments in the humanities and to explore the characteristic ideas and literary forms of different eras, cultures, intellectual and artistic movements. Course themes explore the evolution of the literary hero (protagonist) as an expression of changing cultural values and the various means individuals from many eras and backgrounds have found to achieve self-discovery, and salvation. HUMANITIES HONORS THESIS SEMINAR ICRN: 40090, HUMH 4010-001, K. Molly O’Donnell, Meeting Times TBD The first of two capstone courses in the Humanities honors track, designed to engage students in identifying, researching, and organizing an appropriate topic for their honor’s thesis. The course will include extensive individual work with a thesis supervisor. Course culminates in the completion and submission of a research proposal to University Honors College. Attribute: Writing Intensive HUMANITIES HONORS THESIS SEMINAR IICRN: 41688, HUMH 4020-001, K. Molly O’Donnell, Meeting Times TBDThe second, culminating capstone course in the Humanities honors track, in which students produce and present their individual senior research publicly in fulfilment of the thesis requirements for an honors degree from the University Honors College. Attribute: Writing Intensive Music MUSIC HONORS RESEARCH METHODS – HONORS CRN: 41008, MUSI 4960-060, Staff A, M, 05:00 pm-06:50 pm This two-credit course will instruct students in the nature, purposes, and types of entry-level research for music; the basics of music bibliography and webliography; and academic writing about music-related topics. Music Honors Seminar - HonorsCRN: 41194, MUSI 4970-060, Staff A, M, 04:00 pm-04:50 pmThis four-semester sequence, one-credit course is the forum for basic orientation, communication, group collaboration, analysis, assessment, and mentoring for students in the Music Honors track of the University Honors Program. Students plan their course of study in honors, including choices of courses in and out of the Music Department, and begin to formulate and pursue the various honors project options working in consultation with the Honors Track Director and other Music Honors Students throughout their seminar experiences. MUSIC HONORS PROJECT Honors CRN: 40351, MUSI 4980-001, Staff A, Meeting Times TBD This is the culminating experience in the Music Honors track of the University Honors Program. It consists of a recital, lecture, paper, report of research, or a combination of these to be determined in consultation with the music honors track coordinator. Nursing: Note that you cannot request permits directly from the nursing department secretary as she is not able to provide to you; the request needs to come from your advisor after you have met with him/her. CRITICAL THINKING INQUIRY – HONORS CRN: 41701, NUR 3260-001, Staff A, F, 09:00am-11:30am The concepts and processes related to critical thinking, nursing informatics, and evidence based nursing provide the framework for this course. Knowledge and skills required for critical analysis of information relevant to all aspects of professional nursing practice are developed. Attribute: Writing Intensive HONORS RESEARCH PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION CRN: 40645, NUR 4526-001, Staff A, R, 08:00am-10:40am CRN: 41116, NUR 4526-002, Staff A, F, 11:00am-01:40pm This course provides the opportunity for nursing honors students to implement the research proposal begun in the previous course (NUR 3330H). This seminar course supports and guides students as they implement their individualized research study. Students will develop their results chapter of their quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods research or begin to synthesize findings of their systematic or integrative review of the literature. Students working with human subjects will finalize letters of consent and complete Institutional Review Board applications through the University as well as corresponding health care systems where research will take place. Students will develop surveys through Qualtrics, establish data collection databases, and begin analysis of findings. Students will seek opportunities to submit abstracts of their work at local, regional, and national conferences. At the completion of the course, students will be prepared to present their findings to their peers and provide constructive feedback via a peer review process. The seminar includes critical thinking and discussion of the challenges that students face as they implement their research study and analyze the raw data. Performing & Literary Arts Contact Dr. Timothy Newman to discuss your pre-thesis track courses. HONORS RESEARCH THESISCRN: 40359, PLA 4010-001, Martha Witt, Meeting Times TBD CRN: 41383, PLA 4010-002, Timothy Newman, Meeting Times TBDThis course will support and monitor the development of students’ Honors projects, original, artistic works of substance, as well as the writing of their PLA thesis document, an in-depth written reflection on their artistic projects. Student projects in this course vary in nature and involve original thought and creative composition in one or more artistic fields, including, but not limited to, creative writing, music, film, art, theatre, and photography. The course will cover such topics as setting goals, doing research, identifying and engaging with artistic models, creative thinking, planning and scheduling artistic work, and examining and revising components of the artistic project and the thesis. The course will also address career readiness, including developing a resume and discussing and refining career goals. Throughout the semester, students meet in pairs with the professor on a weekly basis. Though students in PLA 4010 will complete a substantial amount of work on their artistic projects and written theses, final versions of both will be submitted at the end of PLA 4020, offered in the spring semester. Social Sciences SOCIAL SCIENCES HONORS SEMINAR IIICRN: 42143, SSH 3010-001, Staff A, MW, 02:00 pm-03:15pmEach semester, this seminar will examine a selected topic from a variety of social science perspectives. An effort will be made to show how psychologists, sociologists, political scientists, and anthropologists approach the topic. Our plan is to cover different themes on a rotating basis. Seminars will likely focus on: (1) Law and Justice, (2) International Conflict, (3) Family Matters, and (4) Race, Class, and Religion. HONORS THESIS ICRN: 41384, SSH 4010-001, Staff A, F, 11:00am-01:40pmThe primary goal of this course is to enable students to launch a significant honors research project that they will complete in SSH 4020. Prior to enrolling in the course, all students will have completed SSH 2020 - the honors methodology seminar - as well as relevant methodology courses in a particular discipline. In this small group course, students initiate their honors theses by conducting extensive reviews of the applicable social scientific literature. The ultimate goal for the semester is to develop realistic research proposals and, when possible, to begin implementing these proposals. As a group, the class explores various research strategies and, in particular, focuses on overcoming the roadblocks that frequently emerge during the course of any serious research project. Students are required to produce frequent written progress reports and a formal research proposal that should, in most cases, become (with adaptation) a portion of their thesis write-up. Students are encouraged to assist each other when possible and to offer constructive feedback on each other's proposals. SOCIAL SCIENCES HONORS THESIS IICRN: 41164, SSH 4020-001, Staff A, F, 11:00am-01:40pmThe primary goal of this course is to enable students to complete and successfully defend a significant honors research project (started in SSH 4010). Students are required to produce chapters or thesis segments on schedule and to submit a final honors thesis that should (in most cases) be suitable for publication or presentation at a social scientific conference. Class meetings involve group discussions of the research process and collective efforts to solve problems and facilitate successful completion of the projects.
