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Projects for Seniors

Student-initiated projects involving significant study and writing carried out through frequent conferences with a faculty sponsor. These projects are completed in addition to the five courses required for the advanced level of the major. Prerequisites: senior standing, a 3.25 GPA in English, and approval by the departmental Honors/Independent Projects committee. Proposals for fall projects must be submitted to the committee by March 1 of the semester preceding the beginning of fall projects, and by November 1 of the semester preceding the beginning of spring projects.

Global Health and Justice

This course considers the ways colonial power dynamics continue to structure our present and are fundamentally sickening. Solutions for contemporary health injustices must take into account ongoing colonial effects including the construction and continued salience of race, the imposition of gender/sex binaries, ecological devastation, global inequities in wealth and power, and the dominance of colonial knowledge systems.

Arts of South Asia

By examining sculpture, architecture, painting and film from South Asia, this course introduces students to the multiple cultural strands that contribute to the histories of countries such as Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan. We also study art made by and for communities of South Asian origin in North America today. Issues of cross-cultural contacts, ethnicity and gender are emphasized and we look critically at current debates surrounding methods of studying, collecting and displaying South Asian art. Diversity (DIV 13). No Prerequisite. Offered every Fall.

Ecological Restoration

This course examines how the principles and techniques of restoration ecology are used in planning and implementing projects in degraded landscapes. An introduction to restoration ecology, conservation of biological diversity, ecological integrity, and sustainable land-use are major themes. Students learn field and analytical techniques pertaining to ecosystem management. Comparisons of restoration frameworks through case study analysis illustrate modeling and analytical techniques for the restoration field.

Canadian-American Relations

Examination of the economic, cultural, military and environmental aspects of the Canada-United States relationship, as well as of the public and private institutional arrangements involved in the maintenance of that relationship. Although the evolution of the Canadian-American interaction is dealt with, the emphasis is on the contemporary period. Prerequisite: CNS101 or permission of the instructor. Also offered through Peace Studies.

African-American History to 1865

A survey of the social, political, cultural, and economic history of African Americans from the 1600s to the end of the Civil War. Topics include the Atlantic slave trade, colonial and antebellum slavery, family life, resistance to slavery and African-Americans’ participation in the Civil War, and contributions to the building of the nation. Fulfills HU requirement.Also offered through African-American Studies.

Comparative Politics

Comparative politics analyzes how demands emerge, power is exercised and benefits are distributed in different countries. It uses both historical and contemporary evidence to examine how societies respond to these challenges in order to appreciate and learn from the differences among them. Developing societies, communist and formerly communist regimes, as well as industrialized democracies, are analyzed and compared as a basis for evaluation and judgment.

Say What? Let's Talk: Learning to Listen and Speak Across Difference

Have you ever found yourself wondering, “Did that person just say that?”? Have you ever felt like someone just didn’t understand where you were coming from? Have you ever found yourself caught off-guard by a comment and weren't sure how to respond? In this course, students will take stock of the aspects of their personal and social identities and how those identities shape their perspectives and life experiences. Topics will include emotional intelligence, active listening, empathy, civility, and other topics as they relate to diversity and inclusion.

British Romanticism

The Industrial Revolution. The French Revolution. Abolition. World exploration. The British Romantic period saw huge paradigm shifts in ideas about human rights, the natural world, and what it meant to be “English.” This period also saw a set of intellectual and aesthetic revolutions that resulted in a nearly complete overturning of what were considered the aims of “good” poetry and fiction.