Honors Course Offerings Spring 2025
Achieve your potential with Motlow’s Honors Program! Our honors courses offer engaging topics, smaller class sizes, and opportunities to explore your passions in depth. Check out the full list of Honors Course Offerings below and find the perfect class to challenge and inspire you this semester! Learn more about Honors eligibility and benefits.
COMM 1010: Introduction to Mass Communications
Days: Tuesday/Thursday
Time: 12:30 pm - 1:50 pm
Professor: Christie Gilispie
CRN: 15571
This course examines how we communicate with the masses, from newspapers to social media. Students will study the development of various media and their impact on society. Topics include print media (books, newspapers, magazines), music media (radio, recordings), visual media (film, television), and internet media (World Wide Web, social media). The course also emphasizes historical, political, social, psychological, cultural, and consumer aspects of mass media. The class will visit local mass media outlets to witness the communication process firsthand.
ENGL 1020: English Composition II
Days: Tuesday/Thursday
Time: 9:30 am - 10:50 am
Location: MC 126
Professor: Nathan Sweeton
CRN: 15562
Who loves to argue? Turns out, we all do! Arguing is as essential to human experience as breathing air, and we see it everywhere—from advertising to social media posts to our favorite television shows, music, movies, and more. Spend the semester learning how arguments work, how to sort the strong from the weak, and how to craft better arguments of your own in academic settings and in professional careers. Students will interact with real-life arguments as well as craft various arguments of their own, which will then be shared with the professor and other students in class.
BIOL 1510: Environmental Science
Days: Tuesday/Thursday & Thursday
Time: 9:30 am - 10:50 am & 12:30 pm - 3:20 pm (Thursday Only)
Location: SH 233
Professor: Dr. Janet Forde
CRN: 15570
This course focuses on how humans and the environment influence and impact each other. Students will learn basic environmental science concepts and discuss how these are used in media. The class includes trips to local facilities to observe course concepts in real-world settings and examine the consequences when things go awry.
ENGL 1020: English Composition II
Days: Monday/Wednesday
Time: 9:30 am - 10:50 am
Professor: Donna Brewer
CRN: 10253
ENGL 1020: English Composition II
Days: Monday/Wednesday
Time: 2:00 - 3:20
Location: SH 240
Professor: Donna Brewer
CRN: 15561
This course, offered at two different times, emphasizes expository and analytical writing, critical thinking, extended research, and the incorporation and documentation of source material. Students will write one long paper investigating a serious problem and its possible solutions. Revision is emphasized, with students improving their work throughout the semester. Once a month, honors students visit a local coffee shop to discuss poetry in small groups.
HIST 2020: Modern United States History
Days: Monday/Wednesday
Time: 11:00 am - 12:20 pm
Location: SH 138
Professor: Dr. Charles Wexler
CRN: 15577
In this honors history course, students examine the political, economic, diplomatic, and social development of the United States from the Reconstruction Era to the present. The course uses "Reacting to the Past" (RTTP) content, where students adopt historical roles and engage in games set in the past. Students will need to purchase an outside game book for this activity. This semester’s game is set in the early 1900s.
MUS 1030: Introduction to Music
Days: Monday/Wednesday
Time: 12:30 pm - 1:50 pm
Location: SH 247
Professor: Dr. David Bethea
CRN: 15575
This honors course emphasizes a more interactive and creative understanding of basic musical concepts. It pursues deeper analytical interpretations and their applications in an interdisciplinary context.
MATH 1530: Introduction to Statistics
Days: Tuesday/Thursday
Time: 11:00 am - 12:20 pm
Location: SH 130
Professor: Lindsay Czap
CRN: 15624
Learn statistics like a modern scientist! This course covers introductory statistics topics while teaching the statistical programming language R. R is free and open-source, making it ideal for scientists, academics, and researchers. Students will learn to discern truthful from deceptive statistics, create their own reports, and develop numerical curiosity, all while acquiring practical programming skills.
PSYCH 1030: Introduction to Psychology
Days: Monday/Wednesday
Time: 8:00 am - 9:20 am
Location: SH 130
Professor: Dr. Stephen Guerin
CRN: 15567 (Honors)
This honors course is designated as a high-impact undergraduate research course. It emphasizes critical thinking, research, and writing in psychological science. Students will write individual research papers on approved topics, presented at the Honors Symposium at the end of the course. The course highlights the importance of peer-reviewed research and the use of academic and scientific databases.
ENGL 1020: English Composition II
Days: N/A
Time: N/A
Location: N/A
Professor: Nathan Sweeton
CRN: 10269
Who loves to argue? Turns out, we all do! Arguing is as essential to human experience as breathing air, and we see it everywhere from advertising to social media posts to our favorite television shows, music, movies, and more. Spend the semester learning how arguments work, how to sort the strong from the weak, and how to craft better arguments of your own in academic settings and professional careers. Students will interact with real-life arguments as well as craft various arguments of their own, which will then be shared with the professor and other students in class.
ENGL 1020: English Composition II
Days: N/A
Time: N/A
Location: N/A
Professor: Dr. Dawn Copeland
CRN: 15299
This spring course is a close study of several great Gothic films and literary works. Students will write expository, evaluative, and research-based essays analyzing and responding to Alfred Hitchcock’s adaptations of Gothic literature, novels, short stories, and other selected contemporary films and literature that explore the paradoxes of good and evil, love and hate, and awe and fear. The professor will provide access to all course materials at no cost to the students.
ENGL 2235: Topics in British Literature
Days: N/A
Time: N/A
Location: N/A
Professor: John Hart
CRN: 15300
Jump across the pond to England and meet the monsters! Grendel, the Green Knight, Mr. Hyde, Dracula, and others. This semester, we will explore the lasting impact that English literature has had on the stories we tell today in our own fiction and film.
ENGL 2330: Topics in World Literature
Days: N/A
Time: N/A
Location: N/A
Professor: John Hart
CRN: 15565
Come and feast at a literary buffet. Sample the literary cuisine of Classical Greece and India. Dine on Dante’s Divine Comedy and sample the haiku of Japan and the sijo poetry of Korea. This semester, we will delight in literary dishes from around the globe and across the timeline.
HIST 2020: Modern U.S. History II
Days: N/A
Time: N/A
Location: N/A
Professor: Dr. Charles Wexler
CRN: 15578
In this honors history course, students will examine the political, economic, diplomatic, and social development of the United States from the Reconstruction era through the present. This honors section features the use of Reacting to the Past (RTTP) content, where students learn by adopting roles grounded in historical documents within historical games set in the past. This will require the purchase of an outside gamebook, but students will spend five weeks playing one of these games. This semester, the Reacting game is set within the early 1900s.
HONS 1020: Seminar: Disaster Genre - Existential Terror
Days: N/A
Time: N/A
Location: N/A
Professor: Dr. Dawn Copeland
CRN: 15580
This seminar explores classic disaster films and the novels that inspired them. Students examine themes of existential dread, human resilience, and the perpetual hope for life in the face of alien invasions, natural disasters, plagues, and other catastrophic events. Course materials will be provided at no cost to students.
HIST 2320: Modern World History II
Days: N/A
Time: N/A
Location: N/A
Professor: Ramona Shelton
CRN: 14419
In this course, students cover material from the Reformation period to the modern world. The honors dimension is a focus on scholarly research, writing, and presentation, as students compose two scholarly research projects, one of which is the basis for their presentation at the Undergraduate Research Symposium. Upon successful completion of course requirements, students in Honors Modern World History will earn several High Impact Practice (HIPs) badges on their digital transcripts at graduation. These include Honors, Global Cultural Awareness, Technology-Enhanced Learning, and Undergraduate Research.
SOCI 1010: Introduction to Sociology - Harry Potter
Days: T/R
Time: 11:00 - 12:20
Location: Zoom
Professor: Dayron Deaton-Owens
CRN: 11478
In this honors sociology course, students will study human relationships, groups, and society by connecting sociology to the Harry Potter series. Students will participate in class discussions about topics ranging from crime, culture, inequalities, and politics/economics. Students will also compose reflection assignments connecting the Harry Potter series to everyday life in the world of sociology.
HONS 1020: Harry Potter and Popular Culture
Days: N/A
Time: N/A
Location: N/A
Professor: Nathan Sweeton
CRN: 15579
In this seminar course, take a magical journey through the books and movies of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Discussions may focus on house sorting, potion brewing, charm casting, Quidditch, historic witch hunts, gated communities, human and non-human politics, the nature of good versus evil, Bildungsroman, the hero’s journey, and owl post, all while providing an academic analysis of why these features of Harry Potter’s Wizarding World have captured the attention of 21st-century popular culture. As a bonus, students may get the chance to visit the Wizarding World in person as part of a trip to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida (depending on student interests and costs).
COMM 2025: Fundamentals of Communication
Days: W Only
Time: 9:30 - 10:50
Location: Zoom/Online
Professor: Dr. Phyllis Adams
CRN: 14379
In this three-hour course, honors scholars will study communication skills, including researching, preparing, organizing, practicing, and delivering speeches to entertain, introduce, inform, commemorate, and persuade. Classes will consist of lecture, roundtable discussions, presentations, delivery critiques, and opportunities to enhance written, verbal, and non-verbal communication skills. Scholars will study, witness, analyze, and critique student and professional speeches, research and prepare outlines, and receive feedback during this process. The class also includes listening activities and a highlight experience to engage in the world at large and analyze the communication process in a professional setting.
HONS 1001/1002/1003: Service Learning I, II, & III
Days: N/A
Time: N/A
Location: N/A
Director: Jenna Caviezel
CRNs: 13119/13120/13121
In this one-credit service-learning course, students will engage in semester-long service projects that connect with their academic, professional, or personal goals. At the conclusion of the semester, students will reflect on the impact of those service experiences—both on the community and on themselves.
BIOL 1120: General Biology II
Days: Monday/Wednesday
Time: 12:30 pm - 1:50 pm & 2:00 pm - 3:20 pm
Location: HSC 206
Professor: Stacy Dowd
CRN: 15569
In this course, students will examine the major groups of plants and animals. Students will engage in discussions of key characteristics of each of the major plant and animal phyla. Live examples will be used to showcase the different plant phyla, and comparative anatomy dissections of representative species will highlight animal classes. Emphasis is placed on the taxonomy, morphology, physiology, ecology, and evolution of these two kingdoms.
ENGL 1020: English Composition II
Days: Tuesday/Thursday
Time: 8:00 am - 9:20 am
Location: MLA 124
Professor: Tom Cruz
CRN: 15563
This course focuses on real-world applications of rhetoric and argumentation. Students will analyze texts, speeches, and popular culture media, ranging from classical Greek to modern advertisement techniques. This course culminates in a semester-long research project and presentation on a topic selected by the student.
ENGL 1020: English Composition II
Days: Monday/Wednesday
Time: 9:30 am - 10:50 am
Location: MLA 124
Professor: Jay Stringfield
CRN: 10276
This course will begin with a deep-dive exploration of persuasion, critically examining classical and modern arguments. We will also experiment with AI-generated advertisements, constructing them to appeal to specific target audiences. Our literature focus will revolve around an exciting, though sometimes bleak, genre: dystopias.
ENGL 2900/HONS 1023: Honors Seminar Creative Writing I
Days: Tuesday/Thursday
Time: 11:00 am - 12:20 pm
Location: HSC 316
Director: Jenna Caviezel
CRN: 14841 / 15302
In this honors seminar, students will study works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. All class readings will be drawn from recently published literary journals via "Journal of the Month," rather than a traditional textbook. Students will also compose and workshop their own original poems, short stories, and personal essays while learning about the process of submitting their creative work for publication. Highlight of the semester: a fully-funded one-day writing retreat to the Rock Vale Writers Colony!
HIST 2020: Modern US History II
Days: Tuesday/Thursday
Time: 12:30 am - 1:50 pm
Location: HSC 324
Professor: Dr. Monica Butler
CRN: 15572
This course covers modern American history from post-Civil War Reconstruction through the present. Students will explore key differences between fact, opinion, and interpretation by analyzing primary and secondary sources of historical data. This course aims to build research and writing skills as we examine the formation of American identity and the nation’s global influence.
MATH 1530: Introduction to Statistics
Days: Tuesday/Thursday
Time: 9:30 am - 10:50 am
Location: HSC 324
Professor: Keith Terrill
CRN: 15623
Students will learn how to create descriptive and inferential statistics from data. We will use those statistics to gain insights into how a large population behaves. Unlike traditional introductory statistics courses, which rely on antiquated graphing calculators, we will instead work with computational software in pursuit of drawing conclusions from "big data," bootstrapping, and nonlinear regression. Students can look forward to learning how to explain complicated mathematical ideas in ways non-experts might understand, as well as a day out with local small businesses in Smyrna.
PSYC 1030: Introduction to Psychology
Days: Monday/Wednesday
Time: 8:00 am - 9:00 am
Location: HSC 324
Professor: Kate Hayes
CRN: 15576
The honors section of this course will analyze human behavior and cognition using a biopsychosocial perspective. This course is certified as a High Impact Practice (HIP) course for the undergraduate research domain. Students will investigate a research question in depth with a chance to earn a HIP badge on their transcript at the end of the semester. Students can expect not only to learn about relevant psychological theories but also to apply the knowledge they learn to their own lives.
SOCI 1040: Social Problems
Days: Tuesday/Thursday
Time: 2:00 pm - 3:20 pm
Location: HSC 324
Professor: Liala Syler
CRN: 15566
Social Problems Honors provides a comprehensive study of the current social problems in our society today. We will study the process of how some issues become social problems in society, while others do not. The class will culminate with an intriguing sociological experiment. This is an interactive and entertaining course!
THEA 1030: Introduction to Theater
Days: Wednesday only
Time: 11:00 am - 12:20 pm
Location: HSC 323
Professor: Dr. Phyllis Adams
CRN: 11606
In this three-hour course, honors scholars will be introduced to the historical perspective of theatre, with a specific emphasis on 100+ years of theatre: changing stages from drama to dramatic realism. This will serve as the foundation for studying various genres, notable plays, playwrights, venues, and artists. Scholars will be introduced to the mechanics of acting and characterization, artistic engagements, stage space, rehearsal and audition techniques, and how to critically analyze and evaluate a play or theatrical performance.
The hallmark for this class is the opportunity for scholars to travel to New York City and experience Broadway up close and personal. The professor will provide scholars an opportunity to engage in a master class in New York, taught by professional Broadway actors and artists (playwrights, directors, artistic designers, etc.). This global, cultural, and theatrical student engagement will serve as a capstone project for the scholars.