Course Descriptions

Courses numbered 1000-1999 are open to freshmen; 2000-2999 to sophomores; 3000-3999 to juniors; 4000-4999 to seniors. It is recommended that students elect courses in the years for which they are listed. Freshmen will be admitted to courses above the 2000 level only with the consent of the instructor and the student’s advisor. Juniors and seniors taking freshman courses may be expected to do additional work. Any course above 4999 is a graduate course.

NOTE:
The number in parentheses following the course title indicates the semester hours of credit assigned to the course.
An H following the course number indicates an honors level course.

HONR 1000
Honors First Year Seminar [Course] (3) (Liberal Arts)
A key component to the Global Honors Program is the Honors First Year Seminar course. First Year Seminar is designed to introduce first year students at Roberts Wesleyan University to university life. In addition to introducing the students to their new academic setting, the Honors First Year Seminar course will focus on a foundational principle held by B. T. Roberts: freedom. In this course, students will explore political movements and innovations from Rochester, NY, that led to various forms of freedom, not only in Western New York, but in the country and subsequently the world. Through a series of readings, historical Rochester site visits and guest lecturers, students will learn about: B.T. Roberts and the rich history of Roberts Wesleyan University, his views on women’s rights and slavery and his foundational work in the Free Methodist church. The work and lives of Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony, and explore how their freedom movements impacted the world. Additionally, students will learn about modern day slavery and the lessons learned from connections between the past and present. The Erie Canal, discovering how the canal system opened up freedom of commerce in the Rochester area and around the world. The invention of Photographic Film and how it revolutionized photography. Students will also research how the camera has been used to photo document freedom movements around the world. Throughout the course, students will discuss what it means to be free as Christians and the responsibilities Christians have to those suffering from oppression. To put hands and feet to the discussions and explorations, the class will participate in a service project working with a local anti-human trafficking organization. This course will allow students to see the global impact of local political movements and innovations and will help students realize that, no matter their location, they can make a difference in the world.

HONR 1020
Honors Writing and Research: Global Cultures [Course] (3)
Writing and Research: Global Cultures is designed both to help students build on writing competencies acquired in Principles of Writing (COMP 1010) and to learn about cultures around the world. The course’s scholarly content is largely based in culturology and anthropology, and explores modern cultural topics such as race, gender, language, family, place, religion, and aesthetics. Writings will be integrated with the cultural topics throughout the course. Prerequisite: COMP 1010 or its equivalent.

HONR 1300
Music and the Human Response [Course] (3) (Liberal Arts)
This course will engage students in an in-depth exploration of how human beings perceive, respond to, and engage in music. From the evolutionary origins of early music-making, to the influence of music on society and cultures around the world, students will explore how music plays a role in shaping both our individual lives as well as our global societies.

HONR 1500
Honors Global Water Use and Sustainability [Course] (3) (Liberal Arts)
Water is a unique molecule in many ways- chemically, biologically and environmentally- and its use and misuse have consequences both locally and globally. This lecture component of the course (3 credits) will cover the theme of water using a multidisciplinary science approach. The chemical properties of water and its biological functions will provide a foundation, but the majority of the course will be focused on the water cycle and how humans have affected it, exploring questions about drinking water and sanitation, agriculture, urbanization, industrialization, and climate change in the Great Lakes region and globally. The discipline of environmental science naturally includes other domains such as sociology, history, ethics, politics and justice, and the course will use science knowledge to inform and guide relevant discussions that encompass these areas. A service learning component with the Ugandan Water Project or other organization will be integrated into this course. Laboratory work that illustrates the major concepts of the course will be completed in the lab section which is taken concurrently.

HONR 1500
Honors Global Water Use and Sustainability [Laboratory] (1) (Liberal Arts)
The laboratory component of the course (1 credit) will incorporate work in both the laboratory and the field. You will learn chemical and biological water testing methods to assess water quality using test kits and macroinvertebrate surveys. You will design and carry out a multi-week experiment with a simulated aquatic environment investigating biogeochemical cycles and how altering the cycle can affect an entire ecosystem. Other experiments will look at cultural eutrophication and increasing ocean salinity. Field trips will include touring a local wastewater treatment plant in addition to visiting the testing sites for water quality. You will also participate in a citizen science effort to collect data on the salinity of waterways from the use of road salt in the winter and help to label storm drains in Chili with the Monroe County Water Authority.

HONR 1600
Honors Trauma & Resilience: A Cross Cultural Comparison [Course] (3) (Liberal Arts)
What determines whether an individual or a community will respond to trauma with pathology or resilience? This course will help students define trauma both at an individual and community level by looking at a variety of traumatic situations through the lenses of African American and Haitian history and culture, including: historical conflict, legal issues, cultural oppression, pandemic response; parental mental health; response to natural disasters/climate change; and military conflict. Next, resilience will be defined and explored at both individual and community levels in the Haitian and the African American community, including: preventative interventions to build resilience, post-trauma treatment and community programming/supports. Students will then demonstrate what they’ve learned through a variety of course deliverables, including reflective exercises, class discussion, a presentation, and a final paper.

HONR 2000
Honors On-Location Course [Course] (1 - 3) (Liberal Arts)
This course is the culminating course in the Global Honors Program, and provides students the opportunity to apply their global studies in in international context. Immediately following the end of their second year, students in the Global Honors Program will participate in a three-week, on-location course. Prior to this travel, the students will take a three credit course preparing them for this international experience.

HONR 2020
Honors Global Film [Course] (3) (Liberal Arts)
This course will introduce basic film vocabulary (e.g., composition, mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing, sound), and will develop thoughtful approaches to a variety of contemporary and historical global cinematic voices. Feature films produced outside the United States will be used heuristically to open informed conversations related to issues such as gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, history, ecology, transnationalism, religion, ideology, health, and economic disparity. Foreign language films may include those by Nair, Varda, Bergman, Tarkovsky, Kurosawa, Sembene, Wajda, Yimou, Chahine, Majidi, Bong, Fellini, and Herzog. Prerequisites : The students must be participants in the Global Honors Program.

HONR 2070
Honors World Literature [Course] (3) (Liberal Arts)
This is a course of selected readings in the literature of the world from antiquity to the seventeenth century. Though emphasis is placed on works in the Western tradition (excluding English and American texts), the course also includes a broad selection of texts from non-Western cultures, such as those of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.(Counts toward General Education LITR requirement); offered alternate years

HONR 2300
Honors Energy and Society [Course] (3) (Liberal Arts)
This course provides a strong global overview of the nature of energy, its uses, and its effects on the individual, society, and the environment. The course also explores the use of energy in contemporary society and the development of renewable energy technologies. Emphasis is placed on conservation, energy efficiency, renewable energy sources and technologies that can be utilized to create a sustainable energy society. Additionally, students will be introduced to worldwide energy challenges which connects them to personal and cultural differences.

HONR 2300
Honors Energy and Society [Laboratory] (1) (Liberal Arts)
The laboratory part of the course incorporates interdisciplinary topics that connect Chemistry, Physics and Biology into one. Examples include types of chemical energy and their uses, Law of Conservation of Energy, Photosynthesis and Solar Cells. This course fulfills Lab Science General Education requirements if Course and Lab are taken together.

HONR 2500
Honors First-Year Seminar Mentor [Course] (3) (Liberal Arts)
Sophomores team with faculty as mentors for First-Year Seminar. Responsibilities include co-planning and debriefing of class sessions, participating in all course activities, performing administrative responsibilities, responding to student work, attending training sessions, and developing a portfolio. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

HONR 3050
Honors World Religions [Course] (3) (Liberal Arts)
This study will focus on Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism, giving attention to the origins, development, literature, and belief systems of these religions. Issues of inter-religious dialogue will be examined.

HONR 3100
Honors Leadership Seminar [Course] (2 - 3) (Liberal Arts)
This course is the foundational course in the Leadership Honors Program. The course will introduce students to best practices in leadership and allow students to explore research topics for their senior honors projects. This course will also provide students the opportunity to interact with high-level leaders within the greater Rochester area from various fields.

HONR 3200
Honors Community Mentor Seminar [Course] (1) (Liberal Arts)
This course is one of the foundational courses in the Leadership Honors Program. This course will connect students with off campus community mentors from within their disciplines. Together, students and mentors will explore relevant vocational issues.

HONR 4100
Honors Senior Seminar [Course] (2) (Liberal Arts)
Honors students are expected to bring their expertise, gained through the senior honors project, to bear on issues addressed in SRSE 4100. They are encouraged to probe the implications of their study through such activities as field-tested service projects and dialogue with disciplinary experts.

HONR 4200
Honors Leadership & Mentoring [Course] (3)
This course teaches students in the Leadership Honors Program the skills of being a good mentor, including understanding the mentoring relationship. Alongside learning how to mentor this course provides opportunity to mentor lower division students at Roberts Wesleyan University. In addition to one-on-one mentoring this course also requires students to teach and prepare leadership workshops.