spring 2012 courses

HONORS BIOLOGY: “Honors Colloquium in Cellular and Genetic Systems” (Biology 224 H-HA, 12:30 - 1:20 on Tuesday with Prof. John Wertz; 4 credit hours for Biology 224). Students who register for Honors Biology (224 H-HA) take this weekly one-hour discussion session in addition to a regular lecture and lab section of Biology 224. The weekly honors meeting is devoted to a study of various articles from Scientific American and the primary literature which are chosen to stimulate greater discussion and deeper understanding of topics addressed in the lectures of the course. The honors session is conducted in seminar style, which allows ample opportunity for discussion and personal initiative. No special tests or quizzes are required for the honors section. To receive an honors grade in Biology 224, a student must participate in the extra weekly honors session and earn a grade of B (3.0) or better in the lecture and lab portions of the course. Participation in the honors colloquium will provide a valuable base for further work in the natural sciences, especially for those who wish to enter the Biology Department's Honors Program, which leads to graduation with honors from Calvin College. Students must register for a regular section of Biology 224, the honors colloquium (BIOL 224 H-HA), and a lab. Enrollment in the honors colloquium of Biology 224 is limited to 20 students. For more information contact Prof. Wertz at jwertz59@calvin.edu

HONORS COMMUNICATION: “Fundamentals of Oral Rhetoric” (CAS 101 DH, 1:30 - 2:45 on Tuesday and Thursday with Prof. Garth Pauley; 3 credit hours). The primary objective of the 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. This course meets a core requirement in the “Rhetoric in Culture” category. Enrollment in honors CAS 101 is limited to 15 students. For more information contact Prof. Pauley at gpauley@calvin.edu

HONORS COMMUNICATION: “Communication and Culture” (CAS 140 BH, 10:30 – 11:45 on Tuesday and Thursday with Prof. Michael Page; 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. Page at mpage@calvin.edu

HONORS CLASSICAL LITERATURE: “Classical Literature” (Classics 211 AH, 9:00 - 9:50 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with Prof. Jeff Winkle; 3 credit hours). This is an honors course in the “classics” of Greek and Roman literature from Homer’s Iliad to Augustine’s City of God. Readings are chosen to introduce students to the origins and development of epic, lyric, tragic, and comic poetry, as well as historical and philosophical prose. The course devotes special attention to the stylistic characteristics of each author and period, the social and historical context of this literature, and the complex relationships between Christianity and classical culture. As part of their honors work students will complete an independent research project on a special author/topic of their choice. Personal conferences will focus on improvement in research methods and writing analytical papers. This course satisfies the core requirement in “Literature.” Enrollment in Classics 211 AH is limited to 20 students. For more information contact Prof. Winkle at jwinkle@calvin.edu 

HONORS ENGLISH: “Written Rhetoric” (English 101 KH, 8:35 – 9:50 on Tuesday and Thursday with Prof. Brian Ingraffia; 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 a grammar exam and roughly the same number and types of essays. But students in the honors classes spend less time reviewing the elements of grammar and more time learning how to write as Christians for academic audiences. The writing process is carefully supervised, from conception to evaluation, and enriched by extensive editing and revising. This course satisfies the core requirement in “Written Rhetoric.” Enrollment in the honors section of English 101 is limited to 17 students. For more information contact Prof. Ingraffia at bi22@calvin.edu

HONORS ENGLISH: “Literature in a Global Context” (English 200 CH, 12:30 – 1:20 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with Prof. James Vanden Bosch; 3 credit hours).
This course examines selected works of world literature, Western and non-Western, from classical antiquity through the Renaissance. We will give special emphasis to themes, genre developments, the historical and cultural context of the literature, and the accomplishments of the major authors. Students are expected to participate actively in class discussions and to write a variety of papers related to the readings. This course meets a core requirement in “Literature” and the Global Literature requirement in the Literature major. Enrollment in honors English 200 is limited to 25 students. For more information, please contact Prof. Vanden Bosch at vand@calvin.edu

HONORS ENGLISH: “Russian Literature” (English 202 AH, 9:00 – 10:00 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with Prof. Chad Engbers: 3 credit hours. This course surveys the golden age of Russian literature, beginning with Aleksandr Pushkin in the early nineteenth century and ending with Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in the middle of the twentieth century. Other authors include Gogol, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Chekhov; literary movements include Romanticism, Symbolism, and Realism. Issues that arise repeatedly in the literature include Russian identity and the relationship between faith and reason. Students read several novels--some of them quite long--participate in daily discussions, and write brief analytical essays. The course meets the core requirement in “Literature” and the Global Literature requirement in the Literature major.  Enrollment in English 202 is limited to 25 students.  For more information, please contact. Prof. Engbers at cengbers@calvin.edu.

 

HONORS HISTORY: “History of the West and the World II” (History 152 HH, 2:30 – 3:35 Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with Prof. James Bratt; 4 credit hours. An intensive study of world history since 1500. The first part of the course will offer an overview of the entire period, focusing on broad patterns of historical development in a global context. The second half of the semester will shift to a focused comparative study of the year 1848 around the world, from revolutions blazing across Europe to the Irish potato famine, from the Gold Rush to the Seneca Fall’s women’s rights convention in the USA, from the birth of religiously-suffused civil wars in Mexico and China to the seeds of the Sepoy Rising in India and the “opening” of Japan. Each student will choose a specific episode from that year as a subject for in-depth research and analysis leading to a class presentation and course paper. This course meets a core requirement in the “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. Bratt at jbratt@calvin.edu.

HONORS PHILOSOPHY: “Fundamental Questions in Philosophy” (Philosophy 153 MH, 1:30 – 2:20 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with Prof. Ruth Groenhout; 3 credit hours). This course is designed to introduce the students to some fundamental questions in philosophy by the reading of significant texts within the Western tradition. While reading Plato, Augustine and others, students will be given the opportunity to examine some of the basic questions in philosophy, to compare and contrast the answers philosophers have given to those questions, and to reflect on the compatibility of various positions with a Reformed worldview. Our focus throughout will be on the ways that stories, narratives, and myths function in all of the philosophers we will read, and on how the stories that we tell ourselves fit (or fail to fit) with the claims we make about truth, the nature of reality, and our visions of human life. The course is writing intensive, with regular informal writing as well as formal argumentative papers. This course meets the core requirement in "Philosophical Foundations." Enrollment in honors Philosophy 153 is limited to 20 students. For more information contact Prof. Groenhout at rgroenho@calvin.edu

HONORS PHYSICS: Qualified students may earn honors credit by completing any Physics course at the 100 or 200 level while concurrently participating in the "Physics-Astronomy Student Seminar." Simply register for an appropriate Physics course and Physics 195 A, Tuesday from 3:45 - 4:50. For more information contact Prof. Andrew Vanden Heuvel at avheuv99@calvin.edu

HONORS PSYCHOLOGY: “Introductory Psychology” (Psychology 151 CH, 10:30 - 11:20 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with Prof. Scott Stehouwer; 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, memory, thought and language, development, psychopathology, social psychology, and psychotherapy). 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. Stehouwer at rstehow@calvin.edu

HONORS RELIGION: qualified students may earn honors credit in Religion 121 (Biblical Literature and Theology), Religion 131 (Christian Theology), and intermediate and advanced courses by completing the requirements of an "honors track" in those courses. The honors track for Rel 121 and Rel 131 consists of: 1) a research/thesis paper (in place of the regular major writing assignment in  the course); 2) a four-page review of a book relevant to the subject matter of the course; 3) meetings with the professor several times during the semester to plan and discuss the honors work; and 4) an overall grade of B+ or higher in the course. In intermediate and advanced courses the "honors track" includes a special research/thesis paper (in place of the regular course paper), supplementary reading, meeting with the professor, and a B+ overall in the course. The specific requirements will be worked out in consultation with the professor. Interested students should inform a professor early in the semester of their intention to complete an honors track in the course; no special registration is needed. For more information contact Prof. Ken Pomykala at pomk@calvin.edu.