Honors Courses

Spring 2008 - Daytime Courses 

Honors English: Composition and Literature II (Ref# 5678)
Composition and Literature II introduces students to literary genres (short story, poetry, drama, novel). This course will present masterpieces in each of these forms which students will read, discuss and write about in their journals and in critical essays. Research will be required.
3 credits, Instructor: Prof. Elizabeth Gaffney

Honors English: Literature into Film  (Ref# 5705)
This course explores film as a form of literature. Students study the similarities and differences between filmmaking and other forms of storytelling. They learn about the element of fiction common to movies and traditional literature as well as the technical and aesthetic features that make cinema so distinctive. By examining the heroes, stories, and cultural values at work in the movies, students learn how to become more informed, critical, creative viewers of feature films. 3 credits, Instructor Bill Costanzo

Honors English: Literature of New York (Ref# 5693)
Some people say that New York is so different from the rest of the U.S. that it is like its own separate country.  This course examines how New York is perhaps a truer embodiment of the ideals of America than the rest of what we call the “Heartland” or “Grassroots America.”  Readings will sample texts from a variety of fields and disciplines, including history, poetry, music, film, philosophy, and others.
3 credits, Instructor: Professor Rodriquez 

Honors English: Reading in Human Rights (Ref# 5681)
This course studies significant literary, historical and other texts related to human rights. Students read works that address essential questions of social justice, individual conscience and human dignity. International in scope and interdisciplinary in approach, this course explores the role of writing in the concept and practice of human rights. Students complement their reading with independent projects and participation in human rights actions.
3 credits, Instructor: Prof. Alan Devenish

Honors Humanities: Seminar in Ethics (Ref# 5717)
Honors Seminar in Ethics is a course whose text is a collection of excerpts written by Western philosophers from Plato to Sartre. We also read short stories, a novel, and plays with protagonists who struggle with moral dilemmas. Students are required to give presentations of their own choice (with the approval of the instructor), about religions, philosophers, belief systems, or other related topics. For example, in the past we have learned about Tao; Confucianism; Ethics in Christianity, Judaism, and Buddhism, West African religions; Animal Rights, etc. Journal responses on every reading and essays dealing with ethical questions which arise in our texts are assigned. Students are encouraged to engage in free and open discussions, to question, and to listen to others’ views with respect and interest.
3 credits, Instructor: Prof. James Werner

Honors Humanities: World Cinema (Ref# 5126)
This is an honors-level seminar on the movies as an art form and as an international multicultural phenomenon. Students will engage in a focused exploration of the technical and formal elements that make the movies a unique and powerful means of human expression, one that finds its definition in diverse cultural contexts. The course will provide students with a window onto the rich cultural landscape beyond their own, exposing them to cinematic accomplishments that extend beyond the conventional American model and their own experience and introducing them to the national cinemas of Africa, Asia, Europe, Central and South America, India and the Middle East, with their distinctive perspectives, attitudes, values and beliefs. The course will concern itself with culture and its impact on film as a work of art, with culture as shaper of both content and form. Methods include class discussion, oral and written reports, individual and group class presentations, readings, and critical viewing of selected films and videos.
3 credits, Instructor: Prof. John Cuniberti

Honors Behavioral Science: Introduction to Sociology (Ref# 2735)
This Honors course should appeal to students who are curious about the nature of the social world and who want to participate in a challenging academic environment that sharpens their analytical skills. Students will be introduced to the basic principles of sociology and the concept of culture, to important primary texts, and to the challenge of independent research on contemporary issues and problems.
3 credits, Instructor: Prof. Lori Maida

Honors Social Science: Microeconomics  (Ref # 2264)
This course is meant for the student who is already familiar with economic analysis (having taken Macroeconomics, for example) and wants a challenging course to help develop his/her analytical skills in economics. The course should appeal to the student who wants to use the power of economic analysis in addressing various policy issues of the day.
3 credits , Instructor: Prof. Farhad Ameen 

Honors Marketing: Advertising (Ref# 3025)
Development and social importance of advertising; economic and legal aspects; psychology of advertising; the advertising agency and how it works; the advertising manager; in-depth analysis of major media: newspapers, magazines, radio, internet, direct response, television; types of copy; advertising campaigns, research pertinent to advertising effectiveness and appropriateness of advertising. Students are required to submit creative work, including a magazine ad, radio ad, positioning paper and media plan.
4 credits, Instructor: Prof. Deirdre Verne

Honors Mathematics: History of Math (Ref # 3829)
A survey of the history of Mathematics from counting through Calculus. The Internet is the main reference tool to investigate the contributions of various cultures and individuals. A problem solving approach is used to study the Mathematical contributions of each culture.
3 credits, Instructor: Professor Jeannine Epps

Spring 2008 - Evening Courses

Honors English/Communications: Understanding Mass Media (Ref# 5831)
This course asks students to study the impact of American mass media on American culture in particular and on the cultures of other nations, to consider how the media alter the traditional elements of culture (customs, rituals, icons, and value systems), and to develop an understanding of the economic forces that influence and shape the media. Students will demonstrate their grasp of concepts through individual and group projects. An emphasis will be placed on critical thinking in a seminar setting. Offered in lieu of the Understanding Mass Media course available to all students, the course grants Communications or English credits.
3 credits, Instructor: Prof. C Passariello

Honors Social Science: Topics in Global History (Ref# 2327)
This course is a survey of global history from earliest times to the present. It will explore themes constant throughout that period to find patterns of development of governmental institutions and economic systems emphasizing the non-western as well as western experience. The rise and decline of major civilizations, the transition from an agrarian to an urban industrial and now post-industrial society and the nature of warfare will be examined. Emphasis will be placed on discovering the historical roots of contemporary conflicts.
3 credits, Instructor: Prof. Anne D'Orazio

Honors Social Science: Great Trials (Ref # 2783)
Great Trials exposes students to some of the greatest trials in the world. The exploration starts with the trial of Socrates, then the trial of Joan of Arc and Galileo Galilei. Manyother famous trials will be studied, which may include the following : Salem Witchcraft Trial, The Scopes Trials, The Nuremburg Trial, The Trial of Nelson Mandela, and The Tiananmen Square Dissidents Trial. 
3 Credits, Prof. Russell Ippolito

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