Honors (HON)

HON 1390C. Greek Civilization: The Trojan War and the Western Imagination.

This course examines Greek civilization through the literary and cultural legacy of the Trojan War and its influence on later Western thought and imagination. Students study major texts from the Greek literary tradition alongside selected later works shaped by Greek models, themes, and characters across periods. The course emphasizes close reading, historical context, comparison, and analysis of how the Trojan War tradition has informed literary form, cultural memory, and interpretations of heroism, conflict, and human experience.

HON 1390D. Ideal Societies I: The Greek Experience.

This course examines cultural, intellectual, and political developments in fifth-century Athens and considers how Greek thinkers and institutions shaped ideas about human nature, community, and civic life. Students analyze primary texts and material culture to explore how Athenians understood citizenship, ethics, education, and the structure of society. Attention is given to literary, philosophical, and historical sources that influenced later conceptions of ideal societies.

HON 2110A. Soundscape Research and Environmental Listening.

This course introduces students to the research and scholarship associated with the World Soundscape Project as both a historical development and a set of contemporary practices. Students analyze primary and secondary sources by musicians, sound artists, and researchers, including figures such as R. Murray Schafer, Barry Truax, and Hildegard Westerkamp, to examine approaches to environmental listening and soundscape documentation. Through workshops and field-based activities, students practice analyzing local sound environments and apply methods used to describe and assess aural characteristics of sites in San Marcos and Central Texas.

HON 2110B. Research Experience.

This course provides students direct engagement with research at Texas State and in the surrounding region. Students will interact with faculty and graduate students, explore different levels of research engagement, and examine the role that research plays in graduate school. Students will also explore how undergraduate research can enhance and expand future learning and career opportunities by interacting with professionals and/or Texas State alumni.

HON 2301A. Writing to Change the World.

This course examines written communication as a method for analyzing public issues and presenting evidence-based arguments to varied audiences. Students study rhetorical strategies, research practices, and genre conventions used in academic and public writing. Emphasis is placed on drafting, revision, and evaluation of sources, with attention to how purpose and audience shape effective communication. Students select a global issue to investigate and analyze relevant texts, incorporating structured community-based activities as material for written analysis. The course develops skills in argumentation, clarity, and ethical use of sources.

HON 2302A. Elementary Number Theory.

This course engages students in the systematic study of elementary number theory through precise definitions and logical deduction. Students examine fundamental theorems and properties related to the structure and behavior of integers, with particular attention to concepts such as divisibility, prime numbers, and the division algorithm. The course emphasizes problem solving and the construction of mathematical proofs as central modes of inquiry. Students also explore selected applications of number theory, including connections to cryptography and computer science, while developing critical thinking and quantitative reasoning skills.

HON 2302B. Graph Theory and Applications.

This course introduces students to graph theory through the study of core concepts, proofs, and applications. Students examine mathematical structures consisting of vertices and edges that model relationships in a wide range of contexts. Emphasis is placed on developing mathematical techniques through problem solving and proof construction. The course also allows students to apply graph theory methods to a problem of their choosing, strengthening critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, and the ability to translate real-world questions into formal mathematical models.

HON 2303A. Teaching Physical Science to Children.

This course introduces students to foundational concepts in physical science and to research-based approaches used to study physics learning. Students investigate physical phenomena through studio-style activities that involve modeling, experimentation, and analysis. Emphasis is placed on developing conceptual understanding and applying scientific reasoning to everyday contexts. The course is designed for students interested in the study or teaching of science at the K–8 level, though it is open to all students.

HON 2303C. Everyday Energy Science.

This course introduces students to scientific principles related to energy production, resource use, and consumption in everyday contexts. Students examine patterns in electrical energy use, including analyses of individual consumption data, and investigate how building construction and HVAC systems influence energy use. Students analyze their personal energy use and how energy consumption is regulated at regional and global scales. Students develop quantitative skills while analyzing conservation programs and public policies related to energy consumption at local, state, national, and global levels.

HON 2303D. Everyday Biology.

This course introduces non-science majors to the principles of scientific inquiry and essential biological concepts. Students will explore topics that impact everyday life, including disease, evolution, genetics, biotechnology, nutrition, and environmental biology. Emphasis is placed on analyzing how these concepts are applied in discussions of current and future societal issues. Through analysis of biological topics and their depictions in news stories, social media, and real-world events, students will develop critical thinking skills and apply biological principles to analyze issues at local and global scales.

HON 2304A. The Meaning of Death.

This course examines philosophical, cultural, and artistic approaches to human mortality through texts and materials from multiple historical contexts. Students analyze how different traditions represent death and how intellectual frameworks address questions concerning finitude, meaning, and moral significance. Using close reading, discussion, and written analysis, the course explores debates about dying, grief, suicide, and the value of life. Emphasis is placed on evaluating arguments, comparing perspectives, and situating ideas within their cultural and historical settings while developing skills in critical reading, analytical writing, and reasoned discussion.

HON 2304C. Nonviolence and Sustainable Social Change.

This course examines theories and historical applications of nonviolence as frameworks used to analyze social conflict. Students analyze ethical theories and moral reasoning as they evaluate historical and contemporary efforts to address cycles of violence and inequality. Emphasis is placed on critically assessing how ethical principles have been applied in different contexts and how scholars interpret their implications for social development.

HON 2304D. Reinventing Utopia.

This seminar introduces students to utopian studies, an interdisciplinary field within the humanities that examines representations of ideal societies across historical, cultural, and intellectual traditions. Students analyze religious texts, literary works, philosophical writings, and historical examples of intentional communities to evaluate how different cultures have conceptualized social order, values, and human possibility. Through close reading and critical analysis, the course examines how utopian thought has been used to interpret the human condition and to critique existing social arrangements across time and place.

HON 2305A. African American Popular Music: Society, Politics, and Culture.

This course examines African American popular music in the United States as an interdisciplinary subject connecting music, culture, society, and the arts. Students analyze musical styles, performances, and recordings alongside historical, social, and cultural contexts that influence their development. Through reading, listening, discussion, and writing, the course analyzes how musicians and musical practices engage with social conditions, artistic traditions, and public discourse. Emphasis is placed on analytical listening, critical interpretation of texts and musical examples, and evaluation of relationships between music, dance, visual culture, and broader historical developments.

HON 2305B. Women and Texas Music.

This course examines the lives and creative contributions of women in Texas music and the arts, including composers, performers, historians, and patrons. Students study musical works, performances, and historical sources to analyze how these figures shaped artistic activity within specific cultural and historical contexts. Through listening, reading, discussion, and writing, the course explores relationships between music, social conditions, and artistic institutions in Texas. Emphasis is placed on evaluating primary and secondary sources, comparing perspectives, and situating musical activity within broader scholarly discussions of class, race, and identity formation.

HON 2305D. Honors Creative Arts.

This course introduces students to creative arts disciplines through project-based learning. Students work on projects designed to reflect challenges encountered in fields such as art, music, theatre, or dance. To develop informed proposals, students engage with practitioners, study relevant artistic and cultural materials, and apply research-based methods drawn from creative arts inquiry.

HON 2306A. American History Through Memoirs.

This course examines American history since the end of the Reconstruction period through the study of selected memoirs. Students analyze how authors represent interactions among individuals, communities, states, and national or global contexts, and consider how these narratives depict historical events and social conditions. The course introduces approaches for interpreting memoirs as historical sources and for situating personal accounts within broader historical frameworks.

HON 2306B. Baseball and the American Experience.

This course examines American history since the end of Reconstruction through the study of baseball as a cultural and historical institution. Students analyze how developments in areas such as race relations, civil rights, technology, and organizational practices are reflected in and connected to the sport over time. The course emphasizes methods for interpreting sports-related materials as historical sources and situating them within broader social and historical contexts.

HON 2306C. America in the 1960s: A History of Movements and Ideas.

This course examines the development of American social movements from the end of Reconstruction to the early twenty-first century, with particular attention to the 1960s. Students analyze how these movements shaped subsequent social, cultural, policy, and institutional developments, drawing on multiple perspectives to assess their origins, historical contexts, and impacts. Topics may include movements for African American civil rights, women’s rights, and the historical development of LGBTQ communities.

HON 2306D. Capital Crime in Early America.

This course examines the social and legal culture of early America through the study of microhistorical cases, such as those involving accusations of heresy, witchcraft, theft, murder and wartime insurgency. Students analyze primary and secondary sources related to these offenses to understand how law, religion, and community norms shaped responses to crime, including those involving women. Focusing on the period from the seventeenth century through 1900, the course explores legal procedures, punishment practices, and social attitudes toward transgression. Emphasis is placed on historical analysis, interpretation of evidence, and situating individual cases within broader cultural and institutional contexts.

HON 2306E. Early American History Through Biography.

This course examines early American history, from the colonial period through 1877, through the lens of biography. Students read biographies and autobiographical writings alongside primary and secondary sources to analyze how individual lives have been documented and interpreted. The course considers biography as a historical method and as a genre of nonfiction writing, comparing representations of prominent and lesser-known figures. Emphasis is placed on close reading, source evaluation, and written analysis to assess how personal narratives contribute to interpretations of American historical development.

HON 2306F. History of American Exceptionalism.

This course examines major political, economic, social, intellectual, and cultural developments in American history through Reconstruction, with focused attention to the origins and evolution of the idea of American exceptionalism. Students analyze primary sources and scholarly interpretations to assess how this concept has been defined, debated, and revised over time. The course emphasizes historical context, close reading, and comparative analysis across texts drawn from history, philosophy, literature, and the social sciences, developing skills in evidence-based argumentation and historical interpretation.

HON 2306G. American Countercultures.

This course introduces students to major political, economic, social, and cultural developments in American history since the 19th century through the lens of counterculture. Students will examine how countercultures, from the transcendentalists to the hippies and beyond, shaped American society.

HON 2307A. Democracy in America.

This course examines the American system of government and social order through close study of Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville. Students analyze Tocqueville’s account of political institutions, civic practices, and social conditions to understand the structure and operation of modern democratic societies. The course emphasizes careful reading of primary texts, historical context, and analytical discussion of themes such as authority, equality, and participation. Students develop skills in textual interpretation, comparative analysis, and evidence-based argumentation through written assignments and structured discussion.

HON 2307B. Contemporary Issues in American Politics.

This course examines contemporary issues in American politics by analyzing how constitutional concepts such as liberty and equality are interpreted and debated in modern public life. Students analyze a range of texts addressing political ideas, institutional structures, and electoral processes and evaluate how different authors explain factors influencing political decision-making and public discourse.

HON 2308A. Economic Anthropology.

This course examines central questions in economic anthropology, focusing on how societies organize production, exchange, distribution, consumption, property, inheritance, and economic surplus. Students analyze economic systems across a range of cultural and historical settings, including hunter-gatherer communities, agricultural societies, and pre-capitalist complex states. Course materials also address theories of economic organization and approaches to development in non-industrial contexts. Through readings and analysis, students evaluate how economic practices relate to social institutions and cultural patterns. Emphasis is placed on comparative perspectives and careful interpretation of ethnographic and historical evidence.

HON 2309A. Origins of Civilization.

This course examines literary, mythic, and philosophical works that address narratives of human origins and the development of early civilizations. Students analyze how different cultures have used origin stories, cosmologies, and philosophical accounts to explain social order, moral values, and human purpose. Through close reading and comparative analysis, the course situates these texts within their historical and cultural contexts and evaluates how interpretive frameworks have shaped understandings of humanity across time and place.

HON 2309B. Technology and Human Communication.

This course examines the role of technology in human communication. Students analyze scholarly perspectives on technology-mediated interaction and critically examine the use of digital tools across communication contexts. The course emphasizes analysis and application of interpersonal, small-group, and presentational communication strategies, as well as the use of oral, aural, written, and visual forms of communication. Through research and applied activities, students evaluate scholarly arguments and empirical research addressing how technology influences communication practices across contexts.

HON 2309C. Great Ideas: Humanities I.

This course examines significant works from the humanities tradition through interdisciplinary study of literature, philosophy, history, and cultural expression. Students analyze primary texts and artistic materials from the earliest recorded periods through the Renaissance selected around a unifying theme to explore how authors and thinkers represent human experience across different periods and genres. Through reading, discussion, and analytical writing, the course emphasizes methods of interpretation, contextual inquiry, and comparative analysis.

HON 2309D. Magic Realism in the Works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

This course examines selected literary and journalistic works by Gabriel García Márquez. Students analyze key texts associated with magical realism alongside essays, criticism, and films to understand narrative techniques, genre conventions, and thematic patterns. The course situates these works within debates about history, memory, and representation in twentieth-century Latin America. Emphasis is placed on close reading, comparative analysis, and written interpretation of literary texts, with attention to how fiction and nonfiction engage social, political, and cultural conditions.

HON 2309E. War Stories: Conflict, Narrative, and Human Experience.

This course examines literary representations of armed conflict through novels, short stories, essays, and memoirs addressing post-World War II wars, such as Vietnam, the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Students analyze how authors depict combat, civilians, memory, and aftermath across different conflicts and narrative forms. Readings are considered within historical and cultural contexts, with attention to genre conventions of war writing. Emphasis is placed on close reading, comparative analysis, and written interpretation to evaluate how war narratives construct meaning, perspective, and experience.

HON 2309G. Nature and the Search for Meaning.

This course examines American nature writing to analyze how authors represent the natural world and communicate its significance. Students read essays, memoirs, and literary texts that depict nature as an object of study, a site of personal reflection, and a framework for exploring meaning. Emphasis is placed on close reading, critical analysis, and interpretive writing to evaluate how literary form, language, and context shape representations of nature. Through analytical and reflective assignments, students consider how literary representations of encounters with the natural world contribute to interpretations of self, culture, and environment.

HON 2309H. Great Ideas: Humanities II.

This course examines significant works from the humanities tradition through interdisciplinary study of literature, philosophy, history, and cultural expression. Students analyze primary texts and artistic materials from the Enlightenment through the present selected around a unifying theme to explore how authors and thinkers represent human experience across different periods and genres. Through reading, discussion, and analytical writing, the course emphasizes methods of interpretation, contextual inquiry, and comparative analysis.

HON 2309J. Memoirs from Lives off the Neurotypical Map.

This course examines memoirs and aesthetic works by authors who describe experiences related to neurological, cognitive, or psychological difference. Students analyze these texts to explore how individuals represent their own perspectives, how labels and diagnostic categories function in various cultural, medical, and social contexts, and how such narratives contribute to scholarly discussions of human experience in relation to commonly used normative frameworks.

HON 2309K. The Death Plot: Fiction, Memoirs, Poems.

This course examines how fiction, memoirs, and poetry represent death and related concepts, including endings, transitions, grief, remembrance, and renewal. Through close reading of selected works, students analyze the narrative and thematic approaches authors use to explore these ideas and consider how different genres structure meaning around the conclusion of a life or a story.

HON 2309N. Don Quixote and the Birth of the Modern Novel.

This course examines Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote within the cultural and intellectual contexts of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Spain. Students analyze the novel’s engagement with medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque traditions and its relationships to literary forms such as chivalric romance, pastoral narrative, and the picaresque. Emphasis is placed on close reading of formal and thematic features, including narration, irony, and genre. The course situates the work within early modern European history and considers its lasting influence on the development of the modern novel worldwide.

HON 2309O. Talking Like TED.

This course explores presentational speaking and storytelling through the contemporary genre of TED Talks. Students analyze models of effective oral communication as defined by rhetorical principles and audience context, language, visual design, and delivery techniques. Emphasis is placed on the production of presentations, including researching topics, organizing content, scripting, rehearsing, and refining talks for specific audiences. Through individual and group activities, students design, deliver, and assess presentations while applying feedback. Attention is given to verbal and nonverbal communication and to interpersonal and small-group processes that support the development of polished public presentations.

HON 2309P. Honors American Literature.

This course examines representative authors and works from American literature across multiple genres and historical periods. Readings are situated within literary, historical, and cultural contexts to analyze form, theme, and genre conventions. Genres may include fiction, poetry, drama, and nonfiction. Students engage with texts through close reading, research, and discussion. The course emphasizes critical interpretation, comparative analysis, and written argumentation. Assignments may include analytical essays and creative projects that apply literary concepts while evaluating how texts reflect and shape American literary traditions.

HON 2309Q. Honors British Literature.

This course introduces students to selected authors and works from British literature, with attention to their historical, social, and cultural contexts. Students analyze how these texts represent various aspects of human experience across different periods and genres and engage in interpretive and analytical methods commonly used in literary study. Through close reading, discussion, and written analysis, the course develops skills in contextual inquiry, critical interpretation, and evidence-based literary analysis.

HON 2380J. Applying Statistics to Your World.

This course examines statistical thinking through the analysis of real-world data, research studies, simulations, and statistical software. Students study how data are collected, modeled, interpreted, and used to draw conclusions while taking into account variability, uncertainty, and the limits of inference. The course emphasizes applied analysis, evaluation of statistical claims, and interpretation of results in relation to everyday, scientific, and public contexts. Through active learning and writing, students develop the ability to use statistical tools and reasoning to investigate questions and communicate evidence-based conclusions.

HON 3010. STEM Cognition and Pedagogy.

This course provides an introduction to pedagogical ideas relevant to teaching and learning in STEM-related fields. Students study key educational theories and methods from STEM education research and cognitive science. They evaluate processes of teaching and learning and examine structures and practices that facilitate or inhibit student learning. Students engage in discussions of STEM teaching and learning and reflect on their own instructional practices in peer education, tutoring, or Learning Assistant contexts.

HON 3100. Research, Fellowships, and Grant Proposals.

This course examines the fellowship, scholarship, and grant application process, with attention to proposal development, evaluation criteria, and application components. Students analyze application materials and develop competencies related to articulating academic and creative interests in written proposals. Through iterative drafting and structured feedback, students engage collaboratively with the instructor and peers. The course draws on examples from nationally and internationally competitive programs, including Fulbright, Churchill, and Rhodes, as comparative frameworks for analysis.

HON 3210. STEM Cognition and Pedagogy.

This course provides an introduction to pedagogical ideas relevant to teaching and learning in STEM-related fields. Students will study key theories and methods from STEM education research and cognitive science. Students will evaluate the processes of teaching and learning and examine structures and practices that facilitate and/or inhibit student learning. Students will engage in discussion of STEM teaching and learning and reflect on their own instructional practices in peer education, tutoring, or Learning Assistant contexts.

HON 3380A. Introduction to Design Thinking.

This course introduces students to approaches used in design thinking and human-centered design for developing products and services. Students examine methods for defining problems, organizing information from observations and interviews, and generating and refining concepts through iterative processes. Through readings, guided activities, and project-based assignments, students apply analytical and interpretive techniques used to document problems, prototype solutions, and communicate proposals within a product development context.

HON 3380C. Entrepreneurial Design: Utilizing Design Thinking to Create Disruptive Companies.

This course examines the interconnection between entrepreneurial thinking, design, and innovation. Students study innovation-driven venture development through interdisciplinary collaboration, rapid prototyping, and analysis of user response in relation to design problems and community contexts. The course emphasizes open and critical inquiry, calculated risk, and project development through applied design processes. Students also evaluate how concepts move from initial idea to structured proposal as they develop and refine a concept, prototype, and business plan in response to identified needs and opportunities.

HON 3380E. Exhibition Design & Curatorial Practices.

This course examines how exhibitions communicate knowledge through spatial design, narrative structure, and material presentation. Students analyze a range of exhibition models across historical, scientific, contemporary, and research contexts, with attention to how institutional contexts shape curatorial choices. Through readings, discussion, and applied studio work, students study exhibition planning, display methodologies, and project development. The course includes a sustained, collaborative design project in which students develop an exhibition proposal from initial concept through final design documentation.

HON 3380F. Design Across Cultures.

This course examines cross-cultural collaboration through structured projects with students from a university program outside the United States. Students collaborate to analyze design practices, cultural contexts, and design values as they operate in international settings. The course emphasizes comparative inquiry, research, and critical reflection on communication design across cultural contexts. It concludes with at least one substantial communication design project that presents student research through international or comparative perspectives and includes analysis of design decisions, process, and outcomes.

HON 3380G. Dramaturgy and New Play Development.

This course introduces students to the role and practice of dramaturgy in both new play development and the production of established texts. Through script analysis, research, and guided application, students will examine how theatrical works are interpreted, shaped, and prepared for performance. Coursework emphasizes practical dramaturgical tools, including textual investigation, historical and contextual research, and collaboration within the rehearsal process. Students will engage with working drafts, published plays, and production materials, gaining firsthand experience in the dramaturgical process from early development through rehearsal and culminating in fully mounted productions.

HON 3380H. Regional Field Study: International Sustainable Transportation Engagement Program.

This course examines sustainable transportation through project-based field study in an international context. Students collect and analyze primary data related to transportation systems, mobility patterns, and the use of public space, and they develop structured interpretations of these findings in relation to local conditions and comparative urban contexts. The course emphasizes field observation, collaborative research, oral presentation, and critical analysis of transportation practices, policy questions, and spatial design. Students also study how transportation systems operate within broader cultural, social, and institutional settings.

HON 3382B. Narratives In Psychology, Health, And Illness.

This course explores the fields of narrative psychology and narrative medicine. Narrative psychology examines how stories and storytelling shape interpretations of human experience. Narrative medicine involves the analysis of literature and nonfiction related to health and illness. The course focuses on narrative representations of health, illness, and healing written by patients, physicians, caregivers, and others, with attention to individual and social contexts. Topics include illness narrative theory, narrative research methodologies, and representations of mental health in narrative forms. Students analyze and produce narrative texts related to health and illness.

HON 3384A. The Roots Of Modern Wellness, Illness, And Healing In Europe.

This course examines the complex relationship between the humanities and medicine in European contexts through literature, film, psychological thought, and visual arts. Students investigate how cultural values, historical conditions, and political debates have shaped understandings of health, illness, and healing. Through critical interpretation of diverse media, the course highlights how representations of well-being emerge from specific social, environmental, and institutional structures. The course also examines how cultural background relates to differing interpretations of health in German-speaking and U.S. contexts, providing analytical approaches to understanding how knowledge about the body and care is constructed and contested.

HON 3384B. Intercultural Communication in Polarized Contexts.

This course examines intercultural communication in contexts of social, political, and cultural disagreement. Students study theories of culture, identity, language, and power in order to analyze how people interpret difference, negotiate meaning, and communicate across varied perspectives. The course emphasizes case-based analysis of historical and contemporary “culture wars,” comparison of communication practices, and evaluation of communication in personal, institutional, and public settings. Through readings, discussion, applied exercises, and a sustained final project, students investigate intercultural communication across national, social, and ideological-based contexts.

HON 3384C. Modern, Antimodern, Postmodern.

This course examines major aesthetic, philosophical, historical, and political developments associated with modernism, antimodernism, and postmodernism from the eighteenth century to the present. Through primary texts and artistic works from music, architecture, and visual culture, students analyze how Enlightenment ideals, industrialization, capitalism, and rapid technological change have shaped cultural production and social thought. Emphasis is placed on the interaction between artistic practice, theory, and historical context as modernity was articulated, contested, and reinterpreted over time.

HON 3385A. Worldbuilding in Fiction.

This course examines worldbuilding in speculative fiction through the study of geography, technology, economy, government, biology, culture, religion, and other elements that shape imagined worlds. Students analyze how speculative worlds achieve internal coherence, narrative force, and cultural meaning across fiction, film, games, and related media. Through readings, discussion, media analysis, and design projects, the course emphasizes comparison of existing worlds and the development of original settings informed by historical, anthropological, and literary perspectives. Students also evaluate how worldbuilding can be used to explore social, political, ethical, and imaginative questions.

HON 3390H. The Problem of Evil.

This course examines the philosophical problem of evil through major arguments and counterarguments about whether belief in an all-knowing, all-powerful, and wholly good God is reasonable in light of evil and suffering. Students study logical and evidential formulations of the problem, along with major responses including free will defenses, soul-making theodicies, skeptical theism, process theism, and related critiques. The course emphasizes close analysis of philosophical texts, comparison of competing positions, and written defense of interpretive and argumentative claims.

HON 3390J. Don Quixote and the Birth of the Modern Novel.

This course examines Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote in relation to its literary antecedents, historical context, and long-term significance in the development of the modern novel. Students study the novel alongside major literary genres and traditions that informed it, including chivalric romance, pastoral romance, and picaresque narrative, as well as selected critical approaches to its interpretation. The course emphasizes close reading, historical analysis, and comparison of the novel’s themes, forms, and reception in relation to seventeenth-century Spain, Baroque culture, and later literary and artistic traditions.

HON 3391. The Nature of Modernity.

This course examines interdisciplinary topics related to modernity, with attention to cultural, intellectual, artistic, scientific, and social developments associated with the modern world. Students study texts, ideas, media, and other cultural forms in relation to changing understandings of self, society, technology, history, and human experience. The course emphasizes interpretation, comparison, and critical analysis of the ways modernity has been represented, debated, and evaluated across disciplines. Topics may vary by section and may include literary works, philosophical questions, historical problems, or cultural responses to modern social and technological change.

HON 3391W. Service Learning: A Study Abroad Course.

This course examines service learning in an international context through volunteer work, cultural study, and reflective analysis. Students participate in supervised service activities with nonprofit or governmental institutions while studying the historical, cultural, and social contexts of the host community. The course emphasizes analysis of volunteer experience through discussion, journal writing, and comparison of institutional practices across settings. Students also examine how language, local history, and cultural traditions shape contemporary community life and public service in the host environment.

HON 3392V. Elementary Number Theory.

This course examines elementary number theory through the study of integers, divisibility, modular arithmetic, prime factorization, and related topics in proof-based mathematics. Students analyze mathematical problems using definitions, logical reasoning, and rigorous deduction in a setting that does not require advanced prior background. The course emphasizes the construction and evaluation of mathematical proofs, the development of careful written and oral explanations, and the application of number-theoretic ideas to problems such as Diophantine equations, residue systems, and coding or encryption contexts.

HON 3392Y. Immortality.

This course examines philosophical arguments about immortality, personal identity, and survival after death. Students study major positions on whether belief in life after death is reasonable, what conditions would be necessary for a person to survive death, and how concepts such as mind, body, soul, resurrection, reincarnation, and identity have been understood in philosophical debate. The course emphasizes close analysis of primary texts, comparison of competing arguments, and written defense of interpretive and philosophical claims concerning death, survival, and the value of life.

HON 3393S. Entrepreneurs, Leaders, Teams: Best Practices.

This course explores biographical and autobiographical accounts of entrepreneurs to understand how personal narratives reveal leadership practices and organizational roles. Students examine the strategies used to build and lead ventures, as defined and evaluated within specific historical, organizational, or market contexts. The course introduces frameworks for studying group formation and team dynamics, allowing students to apply these concepts to real-world examples drawn from course materials. Through discussion and analysis, students gain insight into leadership and collaboration in business contexts.

HON 3394N. Introduction to the Humanities I.

This course advances the study of foundational humanities questions by engaging original texts and creative works with greater analytical depth. Students draw on literature, philosophy, history, and the arts to examine how conflicts between individual desires and social obligations are represented and theorized. Concentrating on the Classical period through the early modern era, the course emphasizes sustained interpretation, comparative analysis across disciplines, and contextual research. Students evaluate arguments, methods, and evidence used by different fields and develop extended written analyses that synthesize perspectives on authority, community, and selfhood.

HON 3394P. Introduction to the Humanities II.

This course extends advanced humanities inquiry into modern and contemporary contexts by examining how conflicts between individual desires and social obligations are reformulated from the Enlightenment to the present. Students analyze original texts and creative works from literature, philosophy, history, and the arts, emphasizing theoretical frameworks, comparative methods, and historical interpretation. The course foregrounds sustained analysis, synthesis across disciplines, and independent research. Students evaluate shifting concepts of freedom, authority, community, and selfhood through extended writing, discussion, and critical engagement with complex cultural materials.

HON 3394X. Magic Realism in the Works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

This course examines selected literary works by Gabriel García Márquez in relation to magical realism, literary history, and the cultural and political contexts of Latin America. Students analyze major texts alongside literary criticism, archival materials, and selected films in order to study narrative technique, genre, and thematic development across García Márquez’s fiction. The course emphasizes advanced close reading, historical contextualization, comparative interpretation, and research-based analysis, with particular attention to questions of colonialism, memory, gender, ecology, love, violence, and the representation of Latin American social and cultural experience.

HON 3395B. Integral Ecology.

This course examines integral ecology as an interdisciplinary framework for studying relationships among ecological systems, human societies, cultural practices, and environmental ethics. Students analyze how ecological, social, cultural, economic, and philosophical perspectives contribute to the study of contemporary environmental problems. The course emphasizes comparison of theoretical approaches, critical reading of environmental thought, and evaluation of complex issues such as environmental degradation, social inequality, and human relationships to nature. Through discussion and writing, students investigate how integrated approaches to ecology shape interpretations of environmental responsibility and change.

HON 3395J. The Meaning of Death.

This course examines philosophical, psychological, literary, and cinematic approaches to mortality and human experience. Students analyze texts and films from varied traditions to compare how authors and thinkers address finitude, loss, and interpretations of meaning or self-understanding. Emphasis is placed on close reading, conceptual analysis, and comparative evaluation of arguments and representations across disciplines. Through discussion and writing, students situate works within historical and intellectual contexts and assess how different frameworks explain responses to death and dying.

HON 3395L. Summer Study in France.

This course introduces students to selected aspects of French history, culture, and the arts through an immersive study-abroad experience. Classroom sessions and field-based activities examine cultural traditions, historical developments, or artistic expressions in regions visited. Students analyze sites, texts, and visual materials to understand relationships between place, history, and artistic production. Emphasis is placed on observation, comparative analysis, and documentation through discussion and writing. The course develops skills in contextual analysis, reflective research practices, and synthesis of field-based evidence within relevant historical and cultural frameworks.

HON 3395Y. Juke, Twang, and Shout: Popular Music and Race in the U.S. South.

This course examines selected forms of popular music associated with the U.S. South and explores how scholars have documented and interpreted the social, historical, and regional contexts in which these musical traditions developed. Students analyze recordings, archival materials, and historical writings to examine musical production and performance practices. The course emphasizes scholarly approaches to studying regional identity, genre formation, and interpretation within broader cultural and historical frameworks.

HON 3396B. Writing for the Stage.

This course examines playwriting through the study and practice of writing for the theatrical stage. Students analyze dramatic structure, action, conflict, dialogue, character development, and theatricality through readings, writing exercises, and workshop discussion. The course emphasizes drafting, revision, and critique as students develop short plays, ten-minute plays, one-act plays, or a full-length script. Students also examine how playwriting relates to performance, directing, and production in order to understand how dramatic writing functions in theatrical context.

HON 3396C. Writing for Screen.

This course examines screenwriting through the study and practice of writing for film and related screen media. Students analyze screenplay structure, plot, story, character, dialogue, action lines, and format through readings, writing exercises, workshop discussion, and staged script development. The course emphasizes pitching, outlining, storyboarding, drafting, and revision as students develop a short film script, television pilot, or feature-length screenplay. Students also examine how screenwriting relates to production, audience, and the professional contexts of script development and submission.

HON 3396E. Free Speech, Free Press and the Supreme Court of the United States.

This course examines U.S. Supreme Court decisions related to the First Amendment rights of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition, with particular emphasis on speech and press. Students analyze how the Court has interpreted the First Amendment in key cases involving law, media, technology, and democratic governance. Through reading, discussion, legal research, and writing, the course evaluates the legal principles, arguments, and judicial reasoning that shape constitutional protections and their application in changing social and technological contexts.

HON 3396L. Early American History through Biography.

This course examines early American history, from the colonial period through 1877, through the lens of biography and autobiography. Students analyze biographies, autobiographical writings, and related primary and secondary sources in order to study how individual lives have been documented, interpreted, and situated within larger historical narratives. The course emphasizes biography as both a historical method and a genre of nonfiction writing, with attention to historiography, source evaluation, and comparative interpretation. Students develop advanced written analyses of how personal narratives shape historical understanding of political, social, and cultural developments in early America.

HON 3396N. American History Through Memoir.

This course examines American history since the end of Reconstruction through the study of memoir and related forms of life writing. Students analyze memoirs, autobiographies, oral histories, graphic narratives, and other personal accounts in order to interpret how individuals represent interactions among communities, institutions, the nation, and the wider world. The course emphasizes memoir as both a historical source and a constructed narrative form, with attention to source evaluation, historical context, comparative interpretation, and historiographical questions. Students develop advanced written analyses of how personal narratives shape understandings of modern American history, memory, and public life.

HON 3396Q. Public Policy for Energy, the Environment, and Global Sustainability.

This course examines public policy frameworks addressing energy systems, environmental protection, and sustainability in the United States and globally. Students analyze laws, regulations, and international agreements related to air and water quality, waste management, energy production and use, and conservation of natural resources. Emphasis is placed on policy design, implementation, and governance across local, national, and international levels. Through case studies and comparative analysis, students evaluate tradeoffs, evidence, and institutional roles that shape environmental decision making and long-term sustainability strategies.

HON 3396U. Historical Discourses on Sex Trafficking: From ‘White Slavery’ to the Present.

This course examines the historical development of debates about sex work and sex trafficking from the late nineteenth century to the present. Students analyze how concerns about migration, labor, gender, and morality shaped public discourse and policy over time. The course situates the United States within a transnational context, drawing on primary sources and scholarly interpretations to compare historical and contemporary frameworks. Emphasis is placed on historical analysis, evaluation of evidence, and sustained research and writing.

HON 3396V. Capital Crime in Early America.

This course examines the social and legal culture of early America through the study of microhistorical cases involving capital and other serious crimes, including accusations of heresy, witchcraft, theft, murder, and wartime insurgency. Students analyze primary sources, legal records, and historical scholarship to investigate how law, religion, gender, race, and community norms shaped responses to transgression from the seventeenth century through 1900. Emphasis is placed on historical interpretation, evaluation of competing scholarly arguments, and the development of an independent research-based analysis that situates individual cases within broader legal and cultural contexts.

HON 3396X. Storytelling in Video Games.

This course examines narrative design in video games as a form of interactive storytelling. Students analyze how plot, character, worldbuilding, player choice, and game mechanics shape narrative experience across a range of digital games. Drawing on literary theory, game studies, and narrative design scholarship, the course compares video game storytelling to more traditional narrative forms while also considering features distinctive to interactive media. Students evaluate existing games and develop their own design concepts through analytical writing, discussion, and project-based work.

HON 3396Y. Urban Horticulture.

This course examines horticultural practices and plant systems in urban environments. Students study food production, ornamental planting, plant propagation, pest management, and the design and maintenance of urban green spaces, including community gardens, rooftop gardens, and vertical farming. The course considers how horticultural decisions relate to land use, environmental conditions, and the uses of plants in densely populated settings. Emphasis is placed on applied analysis, field-based observation, research in urban horticulture, and written and oral communication about horticultural practices and their contexts.

HON 3397A. America in the 1970s.

This course examines political, social, and cultural developments in the United States during the 1970s. Students analyze how Americans from different backgrounds defined citizenship, rights, and public life during a period marked by political realignment, social movements, economic uncertainty, environmental crisis, and changing cultural representation. Using historical scholarship and a range of primary and cultural sources, including newspapers, film, television, music, and documentary materials, the course evaluates how the decade was interpreted at the time and how it has been remembered since.

HON 3397G. Memoirs from Life Off the Neurotypical Map.

This course provides an advanced interdisciplinary study of memoirs and personal narratives that describe experiences analyzed in relation to commonly referenced neurotypical frameworks. Students examine a range of autobiographical, literary, and documentary materials to analyze how authors represent perception, communication, and daily life from their own perspectives. The course introduces scholarly approaches from literary studies, disability studies, psychology, and the humanities to examine how different genres and interpretive traditions describe neurological and cognitive diversity. Through close reading, research, and discussion, students explore how narrative form, audience, and context shape how these experiences are communicated and interpreted.

HON 3397H. International Culture Course.

This course introduces students to the study of cultural traditions, beliefs, practices, and social structures of a selected international context. Students examine historical and contemporary materials to analyze how cultural expressions, institutions, and forms of communication develop over time. The course emphasizes comparative perspectives, considering nations and cultures in relation to one another rather than in isolation. Attention is given to intercultural communication, interpretation of cultural practices, and analysis of interactions across national contexts through reading, discussion, and written work.

HON 3397J. Extraordinary Leadership: Ownership and Influence.

This course examines major theories, models, and practices of leadership across organizational, civic, and professional contexts. Students analyze leadership frameworks related to self-management, interpersonal influence, organizational behavior, communication, trust, and decision-making. The course considers how leadership concepts are applied in varied settings and evaluates approaches to collaboration, motivation, conflict, and change. Through reading, discussion, presentations, and analytical writing, students assess leadership practices and develop evidence-based interpretations of effective leadership in contemporary contexts.

HON 3397L. Economic Anthropology.

This course examines major theoretical and ethnographic approaches in economic anthropology, with emphasis on how economic life is embedded in social relations, cultural meanings, and historical processes. Students analyze anthropological debates concerning production, exchange, consumption, property, labor, debt, value, and development across a range of societies and political-economic systems. Through sustained engagement with ethnographic case studies and scholarly arguments, the course evaluates how economic practices intersect with kinship, power, inequality, globalization, and moral frameworks. Emphasis is placed on advanced comparative analysis, interpretation of anthropological theory, and evidence-based writing about economic systems in cultural context.

HON 3397N. Advanced Writing for Video Games.

This course examines writing for video games through the study of narrative design, interactive storytelling, and the conventions of contemporary game development. Students analyze examples of game writing, study the relationship among story, mechanics, character, dialogue, and worldbuilding, and apply these principles in collaborative design teams. Working within a classroom adaptation of Agile methodology, the iterative, team-based framework standard in game studios, students practice the sprint planning, regular check-ins, and cross-functional collaboration that define professional game development. The course includes analytical and production-based work leading to the development of an original game concept, selected game-writing components, and a completed game design document.

HON 3397Q. Women and Texas Music.

This course examines scholarship on the lives and contributions of Texas women composers, performers, historians, and patrons within the state’s musical history. Students analyze musical works, archival materials, and historiography to assess how institutions, markets, and regional cultures shaped artistic production. The course emphasizes methodological approaches used in musicology and cultural history, including source criticism, comparative analysis, and sustained research. Through listening, reading, discussion, and extended writing, students develop arguments that situate individual careers and practices within broader historical debates concerning the complexity of class, race, and identity formation in Texas music.

HON 3397R. Demonology, Possession, and Exorcism.

This course examines historical and contemporary ideas related to demonology, possession, and exorcism across a range of cultural and intellectual traditions. Students analyze primary texts, case studies, and scholarly interpretations to examine how different societies have described and responded to experiences understood as demonic or supernatural. The course introduces approaches from history, anthropology, religious studies, and psychology to explore how concepts related to demonology have been documented, interpreted, and represented over time.

HON 3397W. Alienation and Authenticity: In Search of the Modern Self.

This course examines concepts of alienation, authenticity, and selfhood in modern European thought through works in philosophy, literature, and social theory. Students analyze how major thinkers and writers from the Enlightenment to the digital age have interpreted individuality, conformity, freedom, identity, and social belonging under changing historical conditions. Organized thematically and historically, the course draws on primary texts and related scholarship to compare differing accounts of modern subjectivity and to evaluate how these ideas have shaped intellectual and cultural discourse.

HON 3397Y. Deception, Risk, and Science Ethics of Research with Human Subjects.

This course examines major ethical issues in research involving human subjects. Students will analyze cases in which researchers expose participants to risk, use deception, or work with vulnerable populations in the course of scientific inquiry. Using historical and contemporary examples, the course considers informed consent, risk-benefit analysis, institutional review processes, and the ethical standards that govern human subject research. A case-study approach emphasizes analytical evaluation of research design, ethical reasoning, and the application of relevant legal and professional frameworks.

HON 3397Z. Makerspaces: Intersections of Art and Everything.

This course introduces students to multidisciplinary concepts within makerspaces through hands-on design projects using beginner-level DIY techniques. Students will experiment with creative methods such as upcycling recyclable materials, 2D subtractive manufacturing (CNC cutting of acrylic, cardboard, vinyl), 3D additive manufacturing (modeling and printing), textiles (embroidery and sewing), and basic electrical circuits (microcontrollers and sensors). By designing and implementing their own projects, students will develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills while gaining practical experience in innovative design.

HON 3398G. Psychology and Law: Adult Guardianship and Vulnerability.

This course examines clinical, legal, and psychosocial issues involving adults who, because of mental illness, developmental impairments, brain injuries, or aging-related conditions, are subject to court-appointed guardianship. Students study legal standards for capacity, guardianship procedures, residential and service settings, and the practical challenges faced by individuals under guardianship and those responsible for their care. The course includes a service-learning component in which students serve as court visitors, observe living conditions and services, and analyze guardianship practices through written reports, class discussion, and research-based reflection.

HON 3398I. Aesthetics of Failure.

This course examines how failure has been interpreted, represented, and debated within aesthetic theory and cultural practice. Drawing on fields such as philosophy, music, architecture, performance, and popular culture, students analyze historical and contemporary case studies in which works, ideas, or practices have been labeled unsuccessful, controversial, or problematic. Through critical readings and analysis, the course explores how concepts such as failure, success, authenticity, originality, and value are constructed, contested, and evaluated across different cultural and disciplinary contexts.

HON 3398K. Art as a Way of Knowing.

This course explores how arts-based research methods support inquiry and interpretation in qualitative research. Students work with visual, written, and performative forms to investigate social questions, document processes, and present findings. Guided activities and discussion examine connections among artistic practice, knowledge production, and scientific approaches to evidence and explanation. Emphasis is placed on methodological design, ethical representation, and clear communication of complex ideas through creative and analytical work. Students evaluate examples of arts-based scholarship and revise projects in response to feedback.

HON 3398M. The Future of Work: Stratification, Low Growth, and Universal Basic Income in the 21st Century.

This course investigates how automation, artificial intelligence, and demographic change are reshaping labor markets and social stratification, and it analyzes prognostications about an economy with radically fewer jobs in the decades to come. Students analyze scholarly and policy debates spanning technological unemployment, the gig economy, degrowth economics, and universal basic income, while examining historical patterns of growth and innovation as context for current projections. The course also evaluates competing accounts of higher education and meritocracy as mechanisms for distributing economic opportunity. Finally, students assess philosophical questions about the purpose and moral status of work in a future where the nature and availability of employment may change dramatically.

HON 3398O. Introduction to Statistical Genetics and Bioinformatics.

This course provides an interdisciplinary introduction to statistical genetics and bioinformatics with an emphasis on methods used to analyze genetic and computational biological data. Students study foundational concepts from genetics, statistics, and programming, and apply these concepts through guided analytical exercises. Coursework includes working with representative datasets, examining commonly used computational tools, and developing basic workflows for processing and interpreting genetic and computational biological data.

HON 3398Q. Life Online: Epistemology, Ethics, and Culture on the Internet.

This course examines how digital environments shape communication, knowledge, and culture. Students study how people create, share, and evaluate information online and consider the social and ethical questions raised by these practices. Topics may include the circulation of inaccurate information, the formation of online communities, and the cultural roles of digital images and humor. Through discussion and analysis, students examine how online environments influence contemporary ways of thinking and interacting.

HON 3398R. Culture, Medicine, and the Body.

This course examines how the body, bodily functions, medicine, and healing are interpreted within cultural and social frameworks. Drawing on medical history and anthropology, students analyze case studies related to health and illness across the life course, from birth to death, in both U.S. and global contexts. Topics may include medical education, reproductive health, disability, mental illness, maternal mortality, healing practices beyond biomedicine, and ethics of care. Emphasis is placed on cultural analysis, comparative interpretation, and the application of anthropological theory to medicine, health, and the body.

HON 3398S. Geography of Food and Agriculture.

This course examines local and global food and agricultural systems from a geographic perspective. It explores patterns of production, distribution, and consumption across regions, and considers how climate, resources, culture, technology, and economic organization shape agricultural landscapes. Attention is given to rural and urban settings, regional variation, and connections among places at multiple scales. The course provides an overview of food-related spatial processes and landscape change worldwide within established geographic frameworks and comparative regional contexts used in contemporary geographic scholarship.

HON 3398T. Dramatic Adaptation.

This course examines the craft of dramatic adaptation for stage and screen through structured analysis and sustained writing practice. Students will study narrative structure, character development, and dramatic action while transforming existing source material into original theatrical or screen-based works. Through writing exercises, script readings, and guided critique, students will develop full-length and short adaptations in multiple formats. Emphasis is placed on interpretive decision-making, narrative clarity, and disciplined revision. The course culminates in public readings of student-written adaptations, allowing students to experience the full creative process from source analysis through performance.

HON 3398V. Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.

This course introduces students to interdisciplinary approaches used in the fields of philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE). Students examine how concepts from moral and political theory, institutional analysis, and economic modeling are used to study questions related to individual decision-making and the structure of social and political systems. Readings and case studies provide opportunities to analyze how scholars from these three disciplines address topics such as cooperation, governance, policy design, and the organization of economic activity.

HON 3398X. Language & the Body.

This course examines how language shapes embodied experience, social interaction, and cultural meaning through approaches drawn from linguistic, cultural, and medical anthropology. It analyzes how discourse relates to identity, belief, stigma, social status, and bodily experience across contexts such as everyday conversation, schools, social media, popular media, and medical settings. Drawing on theoretical and applied scholarship, the course emphasizes anthropological analysis of language in relation to the body, along with observation, interviewing, ethnographic interpretation, and written analysis.

HON 3398Y. Creativity: Interdisciplinary Perspectives.

This course examines theories, definitions, and examples of creativity across fields such as philosophy, psychology, science, and the arts. Students analyze historical and contemporary accounts of creative practice, study the work of influential creators, and consider creativity as an individual, social, and cultural phenomenon. Through readings, discussion, and applied projects, the course explores how creativity is conceptualized, evaluated, and practiced in diverse contexts, including emerging questions surrounding technology and artificial intelligence.

HON 3398Z. Political Ecology of Science Fiction.

This course examines cultural and political ecology through the analytic use of science fiction. It explores how speculative narratives engage geographic concepts such as power, environmental knowledge, resource use, and human–environment relationships. Science fiction texts are used to examine imagined worlds, futures, and alternative socio ecological arrangements in relation to real world geographic processes. Emphasis is placed on comparative analysis across spatial and temporal contexts, linking speculative environments to broader political, cultural, and ecological frameworks in human geography.

HON 3399C. Comics, Cartoons, and Contested Racial Identities in U.S. History.

This course examines how comics have reflected, shaped, and challenged American understandings of racial difference from the nineteenth century to the present. Students analyze a wide range of political cartoons, newspaper comic strips, and comic books alongside recent scholarly literature, tracking the relationship between comics and broader patterns in U.S. race relations. The course uses comics as a lens to examine how representations of race have changed over time and across historical contexts.

HON 3399D. Hell Across Cultures.

This course examines the concept of hell across religious traditions and cultural contexts. Using historical, literary, and comparative methods, students analyze how hell has functioned as a doctrinal, intellectual, and social concept in traditions such as Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and popular culture. The course considers how depictions of hell reflect broader questions about morality, authority, identity, and social order in different times and places. Emphasis is placed on historical contextualization, comparative analysis, and research-based interpretation of primary and secondary sources.

HON 3399F. The Myths of Western Civilization.

This course examines the concept and history of “Western Civilization” through the study of myth, political symbolism, and historical interpretation from antiquity to the present. Students analyze primary and secondary sources to investigate how narratives, legends, and cultural symbols have shaped understandings of European history and its legacy. The course considers how historical accounts are constructed, revised, and contested across time, with attention to the relationship between mythic representation, political culture, and historical memory. Emphasis is placed on research, source analysis, and written interpretation of historical narratives and symbols.

HON 3399G. Graph Theory & Its Applications.

This course introduces students to central concepts and methods in graph theory and examines how these ideas are applied in areas such as computer science, network analysis, and discrete mathematics. Students study fundamental structures—including paths, cycles, connectivity, trees, and graph colorings—and work through selected proofs to develop skills in logical reasoning and mathematical argumentation. Problem sets, modeling exercises, and project-based activities provide practice in applying graph theory to real-world scenarios and communicating results using appropriate mathematical notation and terminology.

HON 3399H. Southern Gothic Storytelling: An Analysis Of Text And Performance.

This course examines Southern Gothic storytelling through the study of literature, theatre, film, and music. Students analyze how narrative structure, character, setting, and atmosphere function within the genre across multiple forms. Through close reading, discussion, written analysis, and creative exploration, students evaluate how Southern Gothic works shape meaning through tone, environment, and dramatic tension. The course emphasizes interpretive analysis and performance-based perspectives, allowing students to investigate how texts are translated into theatrical and cinematic expression. Coursework culminates in an analytical or creative final project demonstrating sustained engagement with the genre. (WI).

HON 3399I. Ethics, Science, And Society.

This course examines ethical issues related to the interactions between science and society through case studies drawn from multiple scientific disciplines. Students analyze how ethical questions arise in scientific research, technological development, and applied practice. The course includes an in-depth project in which students investigate an ethical topic relevant to their own field, using disciplinary standards and scholarly frameworks. The course is designed for students across STEM fields and emphasizes comparative analysis of ethical considerations in scientific research.

HON 3399L. Exploring The Italian World.

This course examines contemporary society and culture in Italy through an interdisciplinary lens that connects history, the arts, politics, and everyday life. Students analyze literature, film, visual culture, and historical sources to trace how cultural traditions, social institutions, and public debates have developed over time. Attention then turns outward to Italian American experiences, using migration and transnational exchange to link Italy to broader global contexts. Emphasis is placed on close reading, comparative analysis, and written and oral communication grounded in regional, national, and global frameworks.

HON 3399M. The "Color Line" in U.S. Intellectual and Cultural History.

This course examines the concept of the “color line” as an idea in United States intellectual and cultural history. Beginning with its formulation by W. E. B. Du Bois and tracing its evolution from the seventeenth century to the present, students analyze how this concept has been articulated, debated, and reinterpreted through literature, film, television, and other cultural media. The course emphasizes how ideas about race, identity, and social boundaries have developed over time within changing historical, political, and cultural contexts.

HON 3399Q. Harry Styles And The Cult Of Celebrity: Identity, The Internet, And European Pop Culture.

This course examines the cultural and political development of modern celebrity through the study of British musician Harry Styles and European popular culture since World War II. Students analyze scholarship and media related to celebrity, fandom, music, fashion, digital culture, consumerism, and public identity in order to investigate how celebrity is produced, circulated, and interpreted in contemporary society. The course also considers how debates about masculinity, class, nation, and global media shape public responses to celebrity culture. Emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary analysis of texts, media, and cultural forms within historical and social context.

HON 3399R. Alien First Contact: Best Practices.

This course investigates the premise of first contact with an intelligent alien species as a framework for analyzing human culture, social institutions, and competing value systems. Students examine scholarship spanning history, philosophy, political theory, and sociology, evaluating questions about the universality of human values, the social consequences of technological change, and the psychology of belief in the face of the unknown. Topics include the Fermi paradox, Enlightenment humanism, cultural change, and millennial movements. The course develops students' capacity to apply established scholarly frameworks to unfamiliar and conceptually demanding problems.

HON 3399S. Seminar on Public Policy.

This course examines contemporary transportation and urban policy through comparative study. Students analyze debates about congestion, climate change, multimodal mobility, active transportation, transit, and street design in relation to broader questions of urban growth, governance, and public space. The course combines scholarly and policy readings with field-based observation in order to evaluate how different cities organize transportation systems and address policy challenges. Emphasis is placed on comparative analysis, policy writing, and interpretation of urban form in varied metropolitan settings.

HON 3399T. Intellectual Property Law in Society.

This course examines intellectual property law within its governmental, legal, and social contexts, including patents, trade secrets, copyrights, and trademarks. Students analyze the historical development, legal foundations, and policy rationales underlying intellectual property law, as well as its relationship to broader governmental and regulatory frameworks. Through case studies, applied analysis, and sustained writing, the course explores how intellectual property systems operate in practice and how legal rules shape innovation, creative production, and economic activity across fields of study.

HON 3399U. Public Memory.

This course examines how public memory shapes historical narratives in the United States. Students analyze how societies remember, preserve, interpret, and contest the past through sites such as museums, memorials, archives, landscapes, and public rituals. Using case studies, the course investigates how certain narratives become dominant, how others are marginalized, and how public memory relates to political power, national identity, and historical interpretation. Emphasis is placed on multidisciplinary analysis, discussion, writing, and field-based observation of memory practices and sites.

HON 3399W. The Art of Bob Dylan: Explorations of Method and Performance.

This course examines the work of Bob Dylan across music, literature, performance, and visual art. Students analyze Dylan’s songs, performances, writings, and other artistic productions in relation to American cultural history, popular culture, and debates about originality, appropriation, intertextuality, and authorship. The course considers Dylan’s evolving public identities, artistic methods, and reception over time, including his place in discussions of literature and performance. Emphasis is placed on critical interpretation, historical context, and written analysis of artistic production across media.

HON 3399X. The Beat Generation and Explorations of the Self.

This course examines the literary works and cultural contexts of the Beat Generation within twentieth-century American literature. Focusing on fiction, poetry, and memoir, students analyze how Beat writers engaged with earlier literary traditions, including nineteenth-century American Romanticism, while responding to postwar social and cultural conditions. Through close reading and discussion, the course explores themes such as artistic form, identity, censorship, media, spirituality, and embodiment, emphasizing the relationship between literary expression, historical context, and aesthetic experimentation.

HON 3399Y. American Money.

This course examines the legal, economic, financial, and historical development of the United States dollar from its legal birth in 1792 to the present. Students analyze economic and financial theories of the dollar and their social, environmental, and economic impacts through primary legal texts, historical sources, and scholarly arguments. The course also considers how the monetary system functions within constitutional, statutory, and institutional frameworks and examines competing interpretations of monetary design and policy through sustained research, writing, and discussion.

HON 3399Z. Sound, Music, and the City.

This course introduces students to the study of music and sound in relation to individual and collective experiences, assessments, and values of built environments. Through foundational and experimental concepts coined by musicologists, artists, philosophers, sociologists, and scientists in the field of Sound Studies, students perform fieldwork by engaging essential traits of urban environments (e.g. the river in San Marcos). Students apply established methodologies (e.g. soundwalks) and explore the implications of technologies such as virtual city planning, personal audio devices, active noise cancellation, and ecological AI-assisted applications. The course culminates by inviting participants to present findings in formats appropriate to their disciplines.

HON 4090. Honors Capstone.

This course supports the completion of an independent Honors capstone project in the form of research, scholarly study, or creative work. Students pursue an approved project under faculty supervision and apply appropriate methods, sources, and standards relevant to the field of inquiry or practice. The course emphasizes sustained investigation, project development, revision, and the communication of substantial academic or creative work. As the zero-credit version of the Honors Capstone, it is intended for students who are completing an approved departmental course that also counts toward the Honors College capstone requirement.

HON 4390A. Research Capstone Development.

This course prepares students to develop and begin a research-based Honors capstone project within their disciplinary or interdisciplinary area of study. Students refine a focused topic, analyze relevant scholarship and other appropriate sources, evaluate methods and project scope, and develop a feasible plan for sustained independent research. Emphasis is placed on advanced inquiry, faculty consultation, peer feedback, and the application of research practices appropriate to the field. Students also produce work that demonstrates substantive progress toward the capstone, such as preliminary research, source analysis, written drafts, or other project development consistent with the expectations of advanced undergraduate scholarship.

HON 4390B. Honors Capstone.

This course supports the completion of an independent Honors capstone project in the form of research, scholarly study, or creative work. Students pursue an approved project under faculty supervision and apply appropriate methods, sources, and standards relevant to the field of inquiry or practice. The course emphasizes sustained investigation, project development, revision, and the communication of substantial academic or creative work. It serves as the culminating Honors capstone experience and fulfills the capstone requirement for graduation from the Honors College.

HON 4391. Honors Independent Study.

This course provides an opportunity for individualized study under the direct supervision of a faculty member for Honors credit. Students pursue an approved topic, problem, project, or body of readings in a field appropriate to their academic interests and preparation. The course emphasizes sustained inquiry, independent work, and regular consultation with the supervising professor. Depending on the discipline and approved plan of study, the course may involve research, creative work, field-based observation, site visits, or other forms of guided academic investigation.