Fall 2012 Honors Courses

CORE SEMINARS

Core Seminar 1

ANT 202 0H1 (CRN 32081) Honors: Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology: Global Studies

Monday & Wednesday 9:30 am – 10:45 am, DP 2735, Instructor: Vicki Giambrone

With

HUM 142 0H1 (CRN 31931) Honors: Women and Creativity

Monday & Wednesday 11:00 am – 12:15 pm, DP 2735, Instructor: Kathleen Carot

This learning community is designed to introduce students to the variety of cultural systems throughout the world with particular emphasis on women’s contributions to these systems.  Particular attention will be paid to the role that creativity and artistic endeavor plays in shaping a given culture and how historically, women have had a unique relationship to this phenomenon.  Students will study the varied ways people live today and trace the historical developments that lead to current cultural behavior. Students will read and evaluate ethnographies from non-Western cultures, read text that covers the development of women’s social history and review examples of artistic endeavors (poetry, plays, music, folk art, etc.) from the past and present.  Students will be encouraged to express their own creativity and knowledge of course material through poetry, song, dance, and the visual arts. Students will also be asked to keep journals to record their thoughts, insights and reactions to the material being presented.  As with all core seminars, students will have plenty of opportunity to engage in lively discussions with their peers and instructors.  We look forward to a lively semester.

Both ANT 202 and HUM 142 have IAI certification, fulfill a general education requirement, and are transferable to other colleges and universities.

Professor Victoria Giambrone holds an MA in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
 

Kathleen Carot holds an M.A. in Theater Arts from Roosevelt University and is coordinator of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Oakton Community College.

Core Seminar 2: Understanding the Story of the West

PHL 230 0H1 (CRN 31932) Honors: Ancient and Medieval Philosophy

Tuesday & Thursday 9:30 am – 10:45 am, DP 2735, Instructor: Thomas Bowen

With

HUM 120 0H1 (CRN 31933) Honors: Western Culture and the Arts: Beginnings through the Middle Ages

Tuesday & Thursday 11:00 am – 12:15 pm, DP 2735, Instructor: Hollace Graff

This seminar provides a focused examination of Western culture and philosophy from its origins in Mesopotamia through the beginnings of the Italian Renaissance and will include Islamic culture and philosophy. By looking at the literature, art, architecture, and music of the historical eras covered and showing the relationship among these cultural forms. While this course will include some lecture materials, student-led discussion and projects will form a key component of the class. There will be a number of useful video presentations, and there will be several field trips that will provide a concrete sense of the cultures that we are studying. Students will be encouraged to do projects that reflect their primary areas of interest.

Both Humanities 120 and Philosophy 230 have IAI certification and fulfill the general education requirements in humanities. Humanities 120 also fulfills the fine arts requirement. These classes are suitable for students without previous background in these areas.

Thomas Bowen has an M.A. in Philosophy from Loyola University and is co-director of Oakton's Honors Program.

Hollace Graff holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Single-Section Honors Courses 

English

EGL 101 0H1: (CRN 31597) Honors: Composition I

Monday & Wednesday 12:30 pm - 1:45 pm, DP 2735, Instructor: Madhuri Deshmukh

Whether you are writing about your personal experiences or responding to the writing of others, writing is a form of self-definition.  In this course, we will explore the concept of the "self" by reading important reflections on the topic by diverse writers.  We will explore the importance of ethics, politics, culture, race, religion and history to the making of diverse concepts of selfhood.   As we read and discuss professional writers, you will be working on writing the story of your own "self" in essays about your personal experiences, observations, memories, and responses to the readings.

This course has IAI certification, fulfills a general education requirement, and is transferable to other colleges and universities.

Dr. Madhuri Deshmukh holds a Ph.D. in English from Loyola University, Chicago.

EGL 225 H50 (Co-Listed with EGL 225 050) (CRN 31936): Honors: Women and Literature

Thursday 6:00 pm - 8:50 pm, DP 2735, Instructor: Marian Staats

Writing Women’s Lives – Autobiography, Fiction and Film: What do women’s stories tell us about our experiences, desires, and identities? How do creative writers and filmmakers illuminate dynamics of sexual politics – as well race, class and physical ability – that shape our communities today? In this survey of women’s writing and filmmaking we will look at forms of self-expression that challenge traditional “scripts” for our lives and explore how writers engaged in self-making have resisted oppression to play vital roles in the shaping of our culture, revising notions of gender, sexuality, friendship, and family as they imagine possibilities for change. We will consider global perspectives, including the work of Harriet Jacobs, Gloria Anzaldua, Maxine Hong Kingston, Marjane Satrapi, Margaret Atwood, and Arundhati Roy. And, as we develop the course, you will actively participate in its creation by choosing some of the texts and methods of evaluation.
This course has IAI certification, fulfills a general education requirement, and is transferable to other colleges and universities.

Dr. Marian Staats holds a Ph.D. in English from Loyola University in Chicago.

History

HIS 120 0H1 (CRN 32096): Honors: United States History since 1945: Global Studies

Tuesday & Thursday 12:30 pm - 1:45 pm, DP 2735, Instructor: Richard Stacewicz

During the latter half of the 20th century, the United States and the world have undergone dramatic changes. This era has been characterized by the rise of the United States to the world’s dominant military and economic power whose actions have impacted every region of the globe.  Corporate led globalization has changed the economic, cultural, and political landscape of the nation and the world. This period has also seen the rise of mass movements seeking social and environmental justice, the expansion of a mass consumption culture and the development of new technologies that have transformed American culture. .  Finally, the era is characterized by a shift from Liberalism to Neoliberalism and Neoconservativism and the tensions this political transition has engendered. We will examine the legacies of these and developments during the course of the semester. We will also explore the historiography of the time period and how various historians have characterized the changes that have taken place.

This course has IAI certification, fulfills a general education requirement, and is transferable to other colleges and universities.

Dr. Richard Stacewicz holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Chemistry and Biology

CHM 240 0H1/BIO 240 0H1 (CRNs: CHM 30782 & BIO 31355) Honors: Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research Seminar

Lecture: Monday 12:30 pm - 1:45pm, DP 2222 & Lab: Friday 12:30 pm - 3:15 pm, DP 2222, Instructors: Team of Science Faculty

Developed by members of the science faculty, this Research Lab experience offers a hands-on approach to learning science while doing science.  Team-taught by faculty from several disciplines, this is a challenging interdisciplinary course that follows guidelines for inquiry-based learning. Content includes active participation in a research experience that involves performing experiments, collecting data, analyzing results interacting with other students and professors in their research reading and critiquing research articles in the same research area and presenting at the end of the semester. Course can be repeated once for credit.

AT THE SKOKIE CAMPUS

Co-Listed Honors Courses

PSC 202 0H1 (Co-listed with PSC 202 002) (CRN 31612): International Relations: Global Studies

Monday & Wednesday 11:00 am - 12:15 pm, RHC C114, Instructor: George Lungu

“May you live in an interesting age!” is a reputedly Chinese proverb and curse that seems to capture the essence of the world today.

This course is designed to provide students with a working understanding of the complexities of international politics and its primary objective is to equip them with a basic ability to critically evaluate and interpret contemporary international events and processes.

To achieve these goals, we will base our approach on the notion of “puzzles” – or observations that demand explanations – regarding such topics as international war, intervention, poverty, economic competition and development, as well as the global environment.

This course has IAI certification, fulfills a general education requirement, and is transferable to other colleges and universities.

George Lungu holds an M.A. in International Relations from the University of Chicago and is co-director of the Honors Program at Oakton Community College.

HIS 226 0H1 (Co-listed with HIS 226 001) (CRN 32019): History of the Islamic Middle East in Modern Times: Global Studies

Monday & Wednesday 12:30 pm - 1:45 pm, RHC C114, Instructor: George Lungu

What are the historical roots of the “Arab Awakening?” Is there a “Clash of Civilizations” that underpins the relations between the West and the Muslim world? What place do such Western concepts as secularization, nationalism, and democratization occupy in modern Middle Eastern history?

In addressing these and many other questions, this course will investigate the development of political institutions, as well as social trends and important cultural and religious developments in modern and contemporary Middle Eastern history

The ultimate goal is to illuminate the historical roots of present-day events in order to better understand their impact on Middle Eastern societies and their relations with the rest of the world.

This course has IAI certification, fulfills a general education requirement, and is transferable to other colleges and universities.

George Lungu holds an M.A. in International Relations from the University of Chicago and is co-director of the Honors Program at Oakton Community College.