HONORS CLASSES -- FALL, 2009

Sixteen classes in the Fall schedule are designated as "honors" sections. These are highly recommended for students of outstanding academic ability who welcome an intellectual challenge, especially those who aspire to graduate from Calvin College with honors. Honors classes are open to all students who enter with an ACT composite score of at least 29 (=SAT 1290+) or a Calvin GPA of at least 3.3, or the approval of the instructor.

Honors classes differ from regular classes in various ways, especially in devoting less time to elementary skills and information while stressing personal initiative and greater depth of learning. Apart from their intellectual value, the benefits of honors courses include smaller than average classes, greater freedom of exploration, opportunity to work with other honors students and some of Calvin's best teachers, and credit toward graduation with honors.

The Honors Program offers an exciting option exclusively for first-year students during the fall semester: honors cluster courses. These clusters draw two core classes together arounda common theme and offer a number of benefits:
• classes are integrated, allowing you to study core subjects in a more holistic and unified way;
• classes are capped at 20 students, so you’ll be able to get lots of attention from some of Calvin’s best professors and to form friendships with the same students in two classes;
• you’ll complete two core requirements AND two courses towards graduating with honors.

The CLUSTERS (reserved for first-year honors students, no more than 20 per cluster)

#1 - History, Art, and Culture in the Pre-modern World
ARTH 101 CH: “Introduction to the History of Art I,” MW 10:30-12:20, Prof. Henry
      Luttikhuizen; 4 credit hours.
HIST 151 CH: “History of the West & the World I,” TTh 12:30-2:20, Prof. Young Kim;      
 4 credit hours.

This cluster will offer a broad but detailed survey of human history, art, and culture from the prehistoric period and dawn of civilizations through the classical and medieval periods, up to about 1500 A.D. Much of our attention will be focused on the landmass of Eurasia, stretching from the Mediterranean to the Pacific, with a particular emphasis on the emergence and development of unique cultural traditions and the interactions that took place among the great societies of the pre-modern world. Students will faithfully attend lectures, engage in intense classroom discussions, compose focused response papers on primary source readings, and write exams to fulfill the requirements for this cluster. ARTH 101 satisfies the core requirement in The Arts. HIST 151 satisfies the core requirement in History of the West and the World.  

#2 - The Living World in Words
ENGL 101 MH: “Written Rhetoric,” TTh 12:05-1:20, Prof. Karen Saupe; 3 credit hours.
BIOL 123 H HA: “The Living World,” T 1:30-2:20, Prof. Curt Blankespoor; 4 credit hours
for BIOL 123.

This cluster focuses on helping students learn to think as biologists and to communicate scientific thought clearly in a variety of writing styles. In Biology 123, students learn biology as it is practiced, as a process of creative and critical inquiry. Topics of study focus on contemporary challenges related to biology, such as global climate change, human races, biodiversity, and infectious disease. We begin with questions, investigate and evaluate answers, then work to develop solutions. Writing comes into play as a way of articulating these questions, answers and solutions, so many assignments will be coordinated between the two courses in this cluster. In English 101, students will write to clarify ideas, then practice and develop skills for research and for producing clear, organized prose. This section of English 101 places less emphasis on reviewing mechanics (punctuation and grammar) and more on style and structure. We will work on developing rhetorical flexibility: the ability to adapt one’s writing habits and styles to the particular needs of a subject and audience. Writing assignments will range from informal personal narratives to formal lab and research reports. Though we will often write on scientific topics, we will also address the broader concerns of college writing in other disciplines. ENGL 101 satisfies the core requirement in Written Rhetoric. BIOL 123 satisfies the core requirement in the Living World; students who register for Honors Biology (123 H HA) take this weekly one-hour discussion session in addition to a regular lecture and lab section of Biology 123. Please note that all students who take BIOL 123 must also take (or have taken) CHEM 103.

#3 - America in Word and Music
      ENGL 218 BH: “Survey of American Literature II,” MWF 9:00–9:50, Prof. Lew Klatt; 3 hrs.
      MUSC 106 AH: “American Music,” MWF 1:30–2:20, Prof. Benita Wolters-Fredlund; 3 hrs.

In this cluster, students will survey the literature and music composed in the United States over roughly the last two hundred years, giving special attention to the beauty, poignancy, and insight in works by major American writers and musicians such as Emily Dickinson, T. S. Eliot, and Flannery O’Connor; Stephen Foster, Duke Ellington, and Bob Dylan. Throughout the semester we will explore the individual craft of these artists and probe the extent to which they reflect or helped shape broader cultural movements in American history. Students will also be encouraged to chart correspondences between literature and music – to consider, for example, polyphony in poetry or the narratives told in music. By engaging diverse musical and literary works – both familiar and unfamiliar, traditional and avant-garde – students will gain a deeper appreciation for America’s rich cultural heritage, contemplate the nature and aim of music and literature, and gain a new appreciation for the role of these arts in our lives. ENGL 218 satisfies the core requirement in Literature. MUSC 106 satisfies the core requirement in The Arts.  

STAND-ALONE HONORS CLASSES (open to all honors students)

HONORS COMMUNICATION: "Fundamentals of Oral Rhetoric"  (CAS 101 FH, 10:30 - 11:20 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with Prof. Randy Bytwerk; 3 credit hours). The primary objective of this honors section of Oral Rhetoric is to increase the student's competence in public speaking through the composition and presentation of different types of speeches. This honors section will provide more time for in-class performance exercises, discussion, and analysis of other speeches. Students will meet individually with the instructor to review their speeches. This course meets a core requirement in the Rhetoric in Culture category. Enrollment in honors CAS 101 is limited to 15 students. Honors Communication 101 will also be available in the spring. For more information contact Prof. Bytwerk at bytw@calvin.edu

HONORS COMMUNICATION: "Communication and Culture" (CAS 140 DH, 12:30 - 1:20 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with Prof. Peggy Goetz; 3 credit hours). The honors section of "Communication and Culture" is similar to the regular course. Together we will examine the fundamental concepts of culture, society, and communication, and relate these to a range of contemporary social issues, cultural texts and communication practices. In the honors section special attention is given to the complex interaction between cultural meaning and societal structuring with specific writing assignments to enhance the student's analysis of culture and communication. The approach of this course is designed to foster the development of the student's analytical ability and reading and writing skills by critically engaging both the written text and certain phenomena from everyday experience. Students will be expected to employ a theoretical understanding of the concepts treated in class in their own critical analysis of issues in communications and culture. Emphasis is given to rhetorical and discussion methods to help students learn about analyzing and constructing oral and written arguments and work cooperatively doing a research project for class presentation. This course meets a core requirement in the Rhetoric in Culture category. Enrollment in honors CAS 140 is limited to 20 students. For more information contact Prof. Goetz at pgoetz@calvin.edu

HONORS CHEMISTRY: “Honors Recitation in Organic Chemistry” (Chemistry 261 H HR, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday with Prof. Carolyn Anderson; 5 credit hours for Chemistry 261). Students who register for the honors colloquium in Chemistry 261 will meet approximately every other week in addition to their regular lecture and laboratory sections. While there will be no special tests or quizzes associated with this meeting, a written assignment will be collected at each session. These assignments are designed to stimulate greater discussion and deeper understanding of topics addressed in the lecture portion of the course. This will be accomplished while introducing students to both the chemical literature and the industry-standard chemical drawing program. To receive an honors grade, a student must participate in the honors colloquium at a satisfactory level (as determined by both attendance and prepared assignments) and earn a grade of B or better in the lecture and lab portions of the course. Students must register for a regular lecture section of Chemistry 261, the honors recitation (261 H HR), and a lab. Enrollment in Chemistry 261 H HR is limited to 18 students. For more information contact Prof. Anderson at cea3@calvin.edu

HONORS ENGLISH: “Written Rhetoric” (English 101 EH, 9:00 - 9:50 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with Prof. John Timmerman; 3 credit hours). The honors section of English 101 is similar to regular sections in several ways: both focus on written rhetoric, both use the same department handbook, both include the same standard grammar test and roughly the same number and types of essays. But students in the honors classes spend less time reviewing the elements of grammar and rhetoric and more time experimenting with and developing their own style of writing. The writing process is carefully supervised, from conception to evaluation, and enriched by extensive editing and revising. Besides focusing on rhetorical concerns, the course features an ongoing discussion of essays and stories that both exemplify and stimulate good writing in critical, interpretive, and reflective modes, paying particular attention to crossing cultural boundaries by cultivating intersubjectivity. This course meets the core requirement in Written Rhetoric. Enrollment in honors English 101 is limited to 17 students; honors English 101 will also be available in the Spring. For more information contact Prof. Timmerman at TIMM@calvin.edu

HONORS ENGLISH: “Survey of British Literature II" (English 216 BH, 10:30 – 11:20 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with Prof. Jennifer Holberg; 3 credit hours). A survey of the major movements (Romantic, Victorian, and Modern) of British literature during the 19th and 20th centuries. We will study a wide variety of works as well as the social and intellectual contexts in which they were produced. This course meets the core requirement in Literature and one of the British Literature requirements in the English major. Enrollment in honors English 216 is limited to 20 students. For more information contact Prof. Holberg at jholberg@calvin.edu

HONORS HISTORY: "History of the West and the World I" (History 151 BH, 9:00 – 9:50 on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday with Prof. Bert de Vries; 4 credit hours). Half of the course will be comprehensive coverage of world history from early hunting-gathering societies to the medieval mercantile empires before A.D. 1500, followed by a mid-semester examination on reading assignments and lectures. The other half will be a research and writing project on the theme "Collapse: An Examination of the Concept of the Decline and Fall of Ancient Civilizations" for the in-house publication of a class book. Each student will participate in the planning of the book, do the research and writing of an individual chapter, and help assemble the manuscript for its in-house publication. This process will culminate in a book-signing party in lieu of a final examination. This course fulfills the core requirement in History of the West and the World. Enrollment is limited to 20 students and is restricted to those who qualify for honors enrollment. For more information contact Prof. de Vries at dvrb@calvin.edu   

HONORS MATHEMATICS: "Calculus II" (Mathematics 172 CH, 11:30 - 12:20 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday with Prof. Gerard Venema; 4 credit hours). The honors section of Mathematics 172, like regular sections, will meet four times each week for classroom lectures and computer laboratories. The honors class will use the same textbook as the other sections and will cover all the standard calculus topics. The section is intended for students who have had a full year of AP calculus in high school and who want to build on that foundation to achieve a deep understanding of calculus. Those who register for this section should normally have earned at least a 4 on the AP calculus exam. The honors section will be distinguished from other sections of Mathematics 172 in focusing more on understanding mathematical concepts and less on doing routine computations. Enrollment in honors Mathematics 172 is limited to 25 students. For more information contact Prof. Venema at venema@calvin.edu

HONORS MATHEMATICS: First-year students may earn honors credit by completing Mathematics 171, 231, 256, or 271 while concurrently participating in Mathematics 190, the "First-Year Seminar in Mathematics." Simply register for an appropriate mathematics course and Mathematics 190 A, Wednesday from 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. For more information contact Prof. Mike Stob at stob@calvin.edu

HONORS PHILOSOPHY: ""Fundamental Questions in Philosophy" (Philosophy 153 IH, 10:30 - 11:45 on Tuesday and Thursday with Prof. David Hoekema; or Philosophy 153 QH, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. on Thursday with Prof. Kevin Corcoran; 3 credit hours). Like regular sections of introductory philosophy, the honors philosophy course is designed to facilitate philosophical reflection and develop fundamental reasoning, reading, and writing skills. The course uses contemporary essays and traditional texts by some of the most important philosophers. The honors class is designed to encourage student participation in formulating and evaluating arguments, and in writing critical essays that will sharpen analytical and hermeneutical abilities. This course meets the core requirement in Philosophical Foundations. Enrollment in honors Philosophy 153 is limited to 20 students per section. Honors Philosophy 153 will also be available in the Spring. For more information contact Prof. Hoekema at dhoekema@calvin.edu or Prof. Corcoran at kcorcora@calvin.edu

HONORS PHYSICS: To obtain honors credit in any physics or astronomy course, a student can arrange a contract with the course instructor regarding a special project. Alternatively, a student in an introductory-level physics course (up through Physics 235) or in a 100 - 200 level astronomy course may earn honors in that course by concurrently taking the Physics/Astronomy Student Seminar (Physics 195 A, Tuesday from 3:45 - 4:55) and completing its requirements. A student must earn a grade of B or better in a course to receive honors designation for that course. For more information contact Prof. Paul Harper at pharper@calvin.edu

HONORS PSYCHOLOGY: "Introductory Psychology" (Psychology 151 CH, 12:30 - 1:20 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with Prof. Blake Riek; 3 credit hours). The honors section of Introductory Psychology is similar to the regular sections in content and overall course requirements. However, the honors section provides greater opportunities for class discussion of critical issues, independent writing projects, and supplementary readings on topics of special interest. The course focuses on relationships among our general understandings of the meanings of human personhood, especially understandings shaped by Christian faith; methods of investigation and practice in psychology; and major areas of psychological theory and research (e.g. brain processes, learning and memory, motivation, perception, memory, thought and language, development, psychopathology, and social psychology). This course meets a core requirement in the Persons in Community category. Enrollment in honors Psychology 151 is limited to 20 students. For more information contact Prof. Riek at bmr2@calvin.edu