Courses
HNRS-111 P1 Caught On Film (3)
The course explores how different disciplines can be used to interpret film. The primary task for students will be to compare and contrast interpretations of film from the perspective of multiple disciplines.
Attributes: P1 YLIB
Restrictions: Including: -Attribute: Honors StudentHNRS-150 Indecision 2016 (2)
Students in this 2-credit course will immerse themselves in the Presidential Election Campaign. Topics to be covered include electoral rules, polling, media and advertising, political mobilization, and the office of the president. The course will explore the ideology and policy proposals of the Democratic and Republican candidates. It will begin with a voter registration drive, feature invited guest speakers, and will culminate in a public event, right before the election, in which students “present” the candidates and their positions. Students will write frequent short discussions and reflections on the issues they study. The course will end shortly after the election.
Attributes: YLIB ZEXL ZRES
Pre-requisites: HNRS-100 D-
Restrictions: Including: -Attribute: Honors StudentHNRS-199C RW Research-Based Writing (3)
Students learn the basics of writing an academic research paper in this discipline. Emphasis is on elements of persuasive argumentation, the inclusion of more than one perspective on an issue, the proper use and documentation of sources, and revision. Students also learn how to make an effective oral presentation of their research. Department-determined topic may change from semester to semester and is likely to include literary texts as primary materials. Restricted to Honors Program new students. Note: 199C courses may not be taken for credit more than once.
Attributes: RW YLIB
Restrictions: Including: -Class: Freshman, Sophomore -Attribute: Honors StudentHNRS-209 CC Undrstnd Contemp Africa (3)
Most people in America know very little about sub-Saharan Africa, and most of what they do know is only partially correct or based on stereotypes or an inadequate historical or conceptual framework for understanding and interpretation. This course will provide the essential information, basic concepts, and theoretical frameworks from an interdisciplinary perspective, so that the students may be equipped with the necessary intellectual tools for understanding the dynamic and complex region that is Africa today. Major issues to be explored in this course include history, the politics of democratic transitions, the economy, the environment, health policies, family structure and women in development, religion, ethnicity, as well as African music, food and literature.
Attributes: CC ISRS YLIB
Restrictions: Including: -Attribute: Honors StudentHNRS-211C P4 Geol Natural Disaster (3)
This course examines earthquakes and volcanoes, water quantity and quality, the coastal setting and ocean processes, and wildfires, including the aftermath of landslides. The geologic processes that create threats to global populations are studied, as well as possible mitigation of these geologic hazards.
Attributes: P4 YLIB
Restrictions: Including: -Attribute: Honors Student; Excluding: -Class: Freshman, SophomoreHNRS-213 P1 Crime and Literature (3)
The outlaw, the criminal, and the rebel have maintained a central place in Western Literature since at least the 15th century. How does this fit with our general understanding of literature as an exercise that teaches morals and makes us better people? How does the characterization of the outlaw change with the generations, and what does that change reveal about the desires and fears of a culture? In this course we will read literature from England and America which celebrates or explores the outlaw, and watch films which glorify or expose the criminal, both alongside historical documentation and legal literature regarding real life criminals.
Attributes: P1 YLIB
Pre-requisites: ENGL-101C D- OR ENGL-101X D-
Restrictions: Including: -Attribute: Honors StudentHNRS-214 P4 The Theory of Games (3)
The course will focus on combinatorial games. A robust theory will be developed from scratch, including theories of partizan games, non-partisan games, nimbers versus numbers, the ‘”mex” function, and basic Sprague-Grundy theory. Several games will be introduced, including Nim, Hackenbush, Kayles, White Knight, and Chomp. Randomness will be added to these games, which is an active area of ongoing mathematical research.
Attributes: P4 YLIB
Restrictions: Including: -Attribute: Honors Student; Excluding: -Class: FreshmanHNRS-217 P3 Inside HBO’s America (3)
This course looks at the premium cable channel that has dominated the primetime television landscape for the last decade-plus. Whether it is through its original series, documentaries, miniseries, comedy specials, or sports programs, HBO has raised the bar on what storytellers who wish to work in television can do. This course will take a critical look through the last 10-15 years of HBO?s cutting-edge, award-winning programming to examine how it has been such a successful juggernaut. We will study the production, distribution, and reception of programs through contexts (artistic, economic, political, social, cultural) that offer a deeper explanation, understanding, and appreciation of them.
Attributes: P3 YLIB
Restrictions: Including: -Attribute: Honors StudentHNRS-218 P1 Chocolate & Its Impact (3)
The course traces the impact chocolate has had in world cultures since its mythical/botanical origin to the present day. The material includes select readings as well as multi-national films. In addition to the obvious presence/absence of the product, students explore important social issues such as human trafficking, immigration conflicts, societal infrastructures and gender and sexual identities.
Attributes: ISRS P1 YLIB
Restrictions: Including: -Attribute: Honors StudentHNRS-230 P1 Seeing Metaphor (3)
This course examines metaphor as it is represented in twentieth-century American film and literature. Why are metaphors an essential component of human communication? What is the relationship between art and metaphor? How do writers and filmmakers employ metaphor to effect cultural and social change? The works in question will allow us to analyze the conflicts and moral dilemmas confronting the individual in society. Restricted to Honors program students.
Attributes: P1 YLIB
Restrictions: Including: -Attribute: Honors StudentHNRS-235 P2 Environ Ethics&Sustain (3)
A variety of decision procedures may be and have been used to determine what to do regarding various environmental issues. We might make the choice that has the least worst alternatives, or the best alternatives, or is approved by the majority of those who vote or of those who are affected, etc. Each alternative can determine what is reasonable and moral, and assessing them presents a theoretical problem. We examine each in terms of morality, examine their presuppositions and consequences, determine whether we can assess them, and if so, how. Students begin to learn to be conscious of and assess the decision procedures that are often buried in policy recommendations regarding particular environmental problems. The course will place an emphasis on the meaning of ?sustainability? and also will be interdisciplinary in its focus.
Attributes: P2 YLIB
Restrictions: Including: -Attribute: Honors StudentHNRS-255 P4 Resampling Methods (3)
The course will introduce descriptive, inferential, and estimation statistics through the use of resampling. Resampling methods such as bootstrapping, permutation tests, and decision trees are common statistical tools in scientific fields from medicine to sociology to business. Resampling methods are intuitive and conceptually simple but computationally intensive; for that reason the course will cover how to write and run code in R, a statistical computing environment. Students will learn to generate and interpret basic resampled statistics, and use them to answer questions from a variety of scientific fields. No math prerequisite is assumed beyond high school algebra, and no prior experience with R is assumed or required.
Attributes: P4 YLIB
Restrictions: Including: -Attribute: Honors Student; Excluding: -Class: FreshmanHNRS-256C P4 Cryptology (3)
An introduction to the basic techniques and underlying mathematics of cryptology. We will explore a variety of historical methods for creating secret messages (from the time of Caesar to the modern era), as well as various means of deciphering a coded message that has been intercepted. We will develop the necessary mathematical techniques (modular arithmetic, probability and statistics, matrix arithmetic, and number theory) as we progress. Honors Program students only. May be used for Old Core Mathematics/Natural Science requirement.
Attributes: P4 YLIB
Restrictions: Including: -Attribute: Honors StudentHNRS-270 P1 Write Cntr-Write Margin (3)
This course is an interdisciplinary, cross-cultural analysis of texts, topics and tensions based on the African American experience. At least four critical issues —medical experimentation, schooling-education, law and work—will be examined using two texts on the same topic, one written by a White author and one by an African American author. A number of genres will be used— memoir, fiction, critical essays and film etc.— to conduct a comparative analysis of how authors at the center and authors on the margin address race, gender and class challenges through the motifs of representation, agency, appropriation and identity. Texts being considered include, but are not limited to, the following: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks; To Kill a Mockingbird; The Help and PUSH.
Attributes: P1 YLIB
Restrictions: Including: -Attribute: Honors StudentHNRS-275 P1 Tpc:Understanding Arts (3)
Creative expressions are found in all times and in all areas of the globe. The arts — music, television, literature, street art, photography, and creative expression in other media — are also embedded within the culture, beliefs, and practices of an intended public audience. This course will explore the historical and political as well as the formal aspects of art, and might focus on any of a number of topics, including cable TV, Caribbean food and music, the impact of chocolate on world cultures, and representations of criminals. A critical aspect of the class will be clear and critical communication, through writing but also through composition within visual and other creative media.
Attributes: P1 YLIB
Pre-requisites: HNRS-100 D-
Restrictions: Including: -Attribute: Honors StudentHNRS-280 P2 Tpc:Global Thght/Belief (3)
This course might explore the Contemporary Islamic World or the Ethics of Money or the Good Life. It will lead students to consider and examine one or more religious, philosophical, and/or ethical traditions, as well as the socio-cultural, political, and economic circumstances within which they emerged. Students will gain a better understanding of how these traditions provided needed answers and guidance for individuals in particular times and places, and how those traditions have changed over time to meet the emotional, spiritual, and/or intellectual needs of individuals in various cultural settings.
Fall 2017 Topic:Indigenous Philosophy Oriented by Indigenous philosophy this course will focus on the local Haudenosaunee territory. We will address historical specifics such as colonization, genocide, and boarding schools, but also their approaches to peace, democracy, and environmental issues. We will travel to important local areas and welcome guests from Onondaga for an open discussion. It will give a different perspective to Fisher’s location and what Rochester and NYS mean – especially with the legacy of broken treaties and less-than-honorable treatment of Indigenous communities. Projects might link to women’s rights and slavery in the area; not only were there moments of mutual support, but oppression led to conflict over who would get justice first. A final project might culminate in a college-wide educational presentation instructing people on the deep Indigenous history in this region and how Indigenous philosophy can help us deal with the many real issues that the students face, such as divisions and violence in the U.S., environmental issues, peace and healing relationships, etc.
Attributes: P2 YLIB
Pre-requisites: HNRS-100 D-
Restrictions: Including: -Attribute: Honors StudentHNRS-311 P3 Mental Illness Memoir (3)
Some courses on mental illness are subject to the shortcoming that they largely divorce the extensive database of knowledge of psychiatric problems from “real people” struggling with these challenges in the “real world.” In this course, students will learn about mental illness through the lens of a variety of prominent memoirs written by individuals coping with a wide range of psychiatric problems. In embracing this “person-centered” approach, the course affords students a unique perspective on the lived experience of individuals with mental illness. Student reflection on their reading, accomplished via writing and in-class discussion, is a critical element of the course. This is a reading-intensive course.
Attributes: P3 YLIB
Restrictions: Including: -Attribute: Honors StudentHNRS-316 P4 A Fungus Among Us (3)
More than just the fuzzy fruit in your fridge, fungi have molded life as we know it. This course will investigate fungal influences throughout history, illustrate how they ‘infect’ all aspects of the world around us, and explore the interdisciplinary nature of science. Students with credit for BIOL 116C cannot earn credit for HNRS 316.
Attributes: P4 YLIB
Restrictions: Including: -Attribute: Honors Student; Excluding: -Class: FreshmanHNRS-323C P3 France Since 1789 (3)
This course examines the salient social and political developments that have transpired in France from the French Revolution until the present. Topics covered include revolution, Napoleonic rule, the world wars, imperialism and decolonization, and France’s role within the European Union. The format of this seminar consists of discussion and lecture.
Attributes: P3 YLIB
Restrictions: Including: -Attribute: Honors StudentHNRS-325D P3 Swastika on Celluloid (3)
This seminar examines cinematic/televisual portrayals of Adolf Hitler in Europe and the United States before and after 1945. Topics covered include the nature of Hitler’s rule, his influence on European and global political developments, his personality, and the reasons for the enduring scholarly and popular interest in his person.
Attributes: P3 YLIB
Restrictions: Including: -Attribute: Honors StudentHNRS-344 P2 Capitalism&Soc Respons (3)
This course will trace the religious roots and societal values of capitalism as a transformational force in America and compare its current ethical underpinnings as practiced in the United States to the manner in which capitalism is currently practiced in other areas of the world (specifically countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East). The concept and meaning of corporate social responsibility and its emerging use as an ethical buffer between multinational firms and their shareholders and consumers will be explored, as well as the religious and ethical rationales for capitalism across geographies.
Attributes: P2 YLIB
Restrictions: Including: -Class: Junior, Senior -Attribute: Honors StudentHNRS-355C P3 Stress and Illness (3)
This is a topics course focused on the dynamic relationships between stress, illness, and healthy behavior. The course will consider stress, the role of stress in causing and moderating illness, coping, and psychophysiological disorders in which stress plays a prominent role. May be used for Old Core Social Science requirement.
Attributes: P3 YLIB
Restrictions: Including: -Attribute: Honors StudentHNRS-383 P3 Dog Days of Psychology (3)
Within the field of psychology and related disciplines (e.g., anthropology, ethology), there has been a recent surge of research on human-animal interactions (HAI), and on domestic canine behavior and social cognition in particular. Because dogs were the first animals to be domesticated, humans have interacted closely with them for thousands of years. For this reason, many scientists, especially those interested in social cognition and behavior, have recently been turning their attention to the study of dogs. Some argue that domestic dogs and humans represent an example of convergent evolution, and that consequently, humans and dogs have evolved to exhibit similar socio-cognitive and behavioral traits. Others argue that because humans often share their lives with canine companions, humans and dogs develop similar cognitive and behavioral traits as a result of common learning experiences. This course will explore some of the current questions and controversies in the area of canine social cognition and behavior, including: How do dogs perceive their world? Do dogs have a concept of self or others? Do they think and solve problems like we do? How do dogs communicate with us and with other dogs? Can dogs be helpful in improving our physical and/or psychological well-being?
Attributes: P3 YLIB
Pre-requisites: HNRS-199C D-
Restrictions: Including: -Class: Junior, Senior -Attribute: Honors StudentHNRS-425 Undergraduate Review (3)
This course focuses on the value of research in the undergraduate education, for both students who are and who are not going on to graduate school. We will learn the differences in standards and expectations across fields, will canvas institutions similar to Fisher to explore the range of undergraduate research publications currently available, and will research possible platforms, budgets, and audiences. Students will create a publicity campaign both to encourage submissions to the Undergraduate Review and to make the work in the published review visible on and off campus. The work we do will be practical, creative, statistical, theoretical, financial, and active, and will culminate in the publication of the Undergraduate Review in the spring.
Attributes: YLIB ZEXL
Restrictions: Including: -Attribute: Honors StudentHNRS-450 Capstone (3)
This course prioritizes synthesis of knowledge obtained in the Core Curriculum and in the students? major area of study, and is organized around a big, cross-cutting topic that is especially well suited to examination through multiple lenses. The course is designed collaboratively by faculty members from the Humanities, the Social Sciences, and the Physical Sciences, and is taught in three classes simultaneously. All three sections share the same syllabus and the same assignments. Students will bring their own expertise as well as their familiarity with viewing scholarly issues through multiple perspectives, and will collaborate to create and present a solution or clearer understanding of a real world problem. Topics may include Love, Beauty, Mental illness, Conflict/violence/war, God, Poverty, Food, and others. Spring 16 Topic: Sustainability.
Attributes: YLIB
Restrictions: Including: -Attribute: Honors Student; Excluding: -Class: FreshmanHNRS-496 Independent Study (1 TO 3)
The student’s independent study is under the direction of the Honors Program Director. An opportunity to explore an area not regularly offered in the program. Completion of the Independent Study Authorization form is required.
Attributes: YLIB ZEXL ZRES
Restrictions: Including: -Attribute: Honors Student