Counseling & Student Resources

ART = Art
DIV = US Diversity
FR = Formal Reasoning
GP = Global Perspective
KA = Knowledge Application
LIT = Literature
NSTN = Natural Science & Technology
SS = Social Science
WCIV = Western Civilization
WIG = Writing Intensive in the General Education

HC1000 Making Discoveries
Instructor:  Dr. Graeme Harper, Dean of The Honors College
Gen Ed:  Art or WCIV
Course Days/Time:  MW 3:00 p.m. - 4"47 p.m.  or TR 10:00 a.m. - 11:47 a.m.

Course Description:  HC 1000 is a 4 credit freshmen course exploring the exciting and significant nature of human discovery, whether in the sciences, the arts or the community, whether by individuals or by groups. It is also a course in which you can explore your own ambitions; that is, your own potential personal and professional discoveries. We will look at things that have been (and are) discovered in and around a university (like this one!). In addition to exploring a range of university disciplines and subjects, Making Discoveries will examine the wider world, to industry and the professions, and to the community for models of the opportunities that the world offers. The course will encourage and develop your critical thinking, as well as your creative engagement. It will look at what we can do individually as well as what we can do in teams or groups, as a leader and as a participant.

ART 
HC- 2010 Graffiti and Street Art
Instructor:  Roberta Michel
Gen Ed: Art
Course Days/Time:  T 5:30 p.m. - 8:50 p.m.

Course Description:  This course will examine murals, graffiti and other forms of street art created the late 20^th and early 21^st Century as an expression of culture, social and community identity.

HC- 2010 Aesthetics of Chinese Film
Instructor:  Yujie Mao
Gen Ed:  Art
Course Days/Time: MWF 9:20 a.m. - 10:27 a.m.

Course Description: This course analyzes narratives in Chinese cinema in order to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of Chinese film aesthetics such as composition, lighting, and
cinematographic techniques. Through a detailed examination of these elements, students will
investigate the aesthetic complexities of Chinese cinema as well as the cultural meanings
embedded in its films. Students will embark on a cinematic journey through the study, delving
into visual narrative, symbolism, and cultural influences, revealing the cinematic lens
language of Chinese films.

HC -2010 The Rube Goldberg Project
Instructor: Doris Plantus
Gen Ed:  Art
Course Days/Time:  MWF 8:00 a.m. - 9:07 a.m.

Course Description:  American cartoonist Rube Goldberg first established the concept of his eponymous machine that uses a chain reaction characterized by indirect and convoluted ways of performing a simple task ( e.g. The Mousetrap game). We will study various examples of such contraptions to understand the process of cause and effect. We will then explore ways to design a Rube Goldberg machine that defines a particular issue from a variety of possibilities, such as a social or policy issue, or a natural or man-made event. The goal is to analyze anything that involves a chain-reaction by assigning an element of cause or effect using physical pieces like dominoes or springboards, ball bearings, levers, or gravity to explain the completed task. This unites creativity, critical thinking, imagination and logic in problem solving.

HC - 2010 Opera: Singing Great Stories
Instructor: Victoria Shively
Gen Ed: ART
Course Days/Time:  TR 8:00 a.m. - 9:47 a.m.

Course Description:  How does music effectively illuminate narrative as varied as mythology, fantasy, love stories, and tales of deception and treason? We will first explore the nascence of opera and learn key components of this multifaceted genre. Analysis of four operas from distinct eras, different countries and languages, and varied musical styles will help us discover the techniques used by composers to effectively convey emotions and further plots. In addition, we will establish the context in which each opera was written and examine influences surrounding their creation

Literature 
HC- 2020 Unsolved Historical Mysteries
Instructor: Doris Plantus
Gen Ed: LIT + WIG
Course Days/Time: MWF 9:20 a.m. - 10:27 a.m.

Course Description: We will consider some of the more famous unsolved mysteries in history as we evaluate what missing information would give potential answers and how such information may be discovered. We will also think about what present knowledge and technological advances might support such answers—known and emergent. Topics such as the birthdate of Jesus, the identity of Jack the Ripper, who killed JFK, and the fate of the Ark of the Covenant, to name a few, will comprise our efforts to formulate a theory that could yield answers by offering explanations for past or present historical mysteries. The course will culminate in a project that theorizes a solution based on analysis and creative, modern, method.

HC - 2020 A Lion. A Witch. A Wardrobe
Instructor: Randall Engle
Gen Ed: LIT + WIG
Course Days/Time:  TR 1:00 p.m. - 2:47 p.m. or
                                TR  10:00am - 11:47am            

Course Description:  Author C.S. Lewis is a towering giant of an author and educator. While teaching first at Oxford and then at Cambridge, Lewis wrote one of the masterpieces of 20 th century literature, The Chronicles of Narnia. Though intended as children’s literature (rarely, if ever, is any word more than 2 syllables long) the 7–volume series captures adults as well, and pulls all readers into its inescapable imagination, metaphor, and delight. This course will survey the life and times of Clive Staples Lewis and read closely The Chronicles of Narnia, the work that brought Lewis such international acclaim. We’ll also evaluate radio, television, stage, film, and video game adaptations of the Narnia series.

HC - 2020 Animals in Literature
Instructor: Carol Hart
Gen Ed: LIT + WIG
Course Days/Time:  MWF 10:40 a.m. - 11:47 a.m.

Course Description:  We see animals in literature from our first encounters with books. Children’s literature is filled with animal characters who possess different levels of self- awareness. What does the representation of animals in literature mean? Animals can function as symbol, stand in for humans in allegory or satire, or be the recipients of the best and worst of human nature. We will look at a variety of texts depicting animals across literary traditions and cultures from early fables to folklore, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. We’ll contemplate the nature of the human-animal bond and consider the boundaries of animal rights. Our study will include questions of anthropomorphism, anthropocentrism, consciousness, and subjectivity. Potential texts include Aesop’s Fables, folklore from around the world, the limericks of Lear, Bulgakov’s The Heart of a Dog, stories from Kafka, animal biography by Virginia Woolf (Flush), Wallace’s “Consider the Lobster”, and Coetzee’s The Lives of Animals.

HC - 2020 - That's Uncanny!
Instructor: Susan Lynne Beckwith
Gen Ed: LIT + WIG
Course Days/Time:  MWF 2:40 p.m. - 3:47 p.m.

Course Description:  From philosophy and theory to literature and film to technology, we’re going to explore the uncanny (a figurative and literal valley). This journey will start with considerations of what it means to sit with ambiguity, and why we find this both anxiety-provoking and also possibility-inspiring. However, no anxieties will be provoked in this class because we’ll also explore how we resolve these uncertainties in stories that have endings (denouement if not absolute resolution) and how we are reassured through catharsis on screen! And of course, AI has opened a whole new door for us to be able to ‘chat’ about the uncanny valley (including the tiktok trend that embraces the bot in the room!).
     The Turn of the Screw is endlessly adaptable, relocating itself to Bly Manor. Black Mirror reflects the moral uncanny. And The Outer Limits (1963) of the uncanny span from before Rod Serling’s original Twilight Zone in 1959 to Jordan Peele’s in 2020 (and beyond!).
     While ambiguity and uncertainty will be modes of being that we examine, there is no doubt that we will have fun in this class!

WESTERN CIVILIZATION
HC - 2040  Mermaids and Other Fish Tales
Instructor:  Cornelia Schaible
Gen Ed: WCIV + US Diversity
Course Days/Time:   TR  1:00 p.m. - 2:47 p.m.

Course Description:  Mermaids have captured the collective imagination since ancient times. These mythical creatures who live under the sea are half women and half fish, but before they became movie stars, people weren’t really sure what they look like. This explains why explorer Christopher Columbus thought he was seeing mermaids when he had actually spotted manatees. Also, mermaids are often mixed up with sirens, but these have bird-like bodies. And boy can they sing! Sitting on a rock with waves crashing around them, sirens lure sailors to their death – Ulysses needed every trick in the book to escape them. In this class, we will explore how the image of the mermaid has changed over time: In Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Little Mermaid”, the heroine still has an enchanting voice, but she trades it in for the love of a prince, two legs and a soul. The redheaded Ariel, in the latest Disney version of the story, is now part of pop culture and more diverse and nuanced than ever.


GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE 
HC-2050 Social Movements and Sports
Instructor:  Roberta Michel
Gen Ed: GP
Course Days/Time: TR 3:00 p.m. - 4:47 p.m.

Course Description:  Social Movement and Sports introduces students to the global environment of Sports (and Sporting Events). This course focuses on how differences in economic systems, national culture, socio demographics, and political orientations affect the way in which various sporting events are (played) and experienced by fans. This course integrates knowledge of how different international sports such as Soccer, Rugby, Baseball, and potentially a few other sports like Golf, Basketball and American Football has impacted people socially as well as culturally for over one hundred years. Students will have opportunities to watch (directly) and indirectly international sporting events and recognize how different political, environmental as well as social constructs influence the purchasing (of seats) and the experiences of people. Sports protests raise awareness and invite spectators and fans to become engaged and speak up. Many sports protests are organized to defend equal rights for all. Whether it is the athletes or the fans, often the point is to get people engaged and aware of certain issues, be it race, religion, gender, social class or previous activism or engagement. For example, on the local level, during the summer of 2023 the Detroit FC general admission seats was an ongoing location for public protest against recent Hamtramck banning of the Pride Flag. This protest is a micro example of social movement expressions and experiences happening in various sports arenas across the globe.

HC -2050 Contemporary World Economics - China
Instructor: Frank Cardimen
Gen Ed: GP
Course Days/Time: TR 10:00 a.m. - 11:47 a.m.

Course Description:  This class will comprehensively examine the three major free trade zone initiatives in North America (USMCA), Europe (European Union) and Asia (Regional Cooperative Economic Partnership). We will evaluate the similarities and the differences of each and examine how American businesses can enter these other free market zones……studying culture, politics, language, currency and history that will provide a chance to succeed in foreign investment.
     In the past 25 years CHINA has developed into an economic powerhouse rising to the number 2 country in the world economically – GNP - $17 Trillion. The US leads the world with $24 Trillion. It is the fast growth of China economically and their current public position to become the #1 country economically, militarily and politically. This class will examine all elements of China’s growth and evaluate the future of CHINA vs. the USA.

HC 2050 Psychology of Compassion and Kindness
Instructor:  Travis Hartin
Gen Ed: GP
Course Days/Time: MWF 10:40 a.m. - 11:47 a.m.

Course Description:  What is compassion? What is kindness? Are these constructs measurable? What conditions and experiences prevent us from developing or exhibiting kindness and compassion to others? How do these ideas vary across cultures? The purpose of this course is to try to answer these and similar questions by examining compassion and kindness as psychological constructs. Throughout the semester, we will explore current and historical theories of compassion and kindness, characteristics of kind and compassionate people, barriers to the exhibition of kindness and compassion, and cultural views of these concepts across the world and across history. We will also look at these concepts through a developmental perspective to understand the childhood experiences that contribute to the development of kindness and compassion.

SOCIAL SCIENCE
HC-2060 Intelligence and Creativity
Instructor: Travis Hartin
Gen Ed:  SS
Course Days/Time:  MWF  1:20 p.m. - 2:27 p.m.

Course Description:  What is intelligence? What is creativity? What constitutes creative or intelligent thinking? How do we measure them? Can one exist without the other? What function(s) do these ideas serve in society? The purpose of this course is to try to answer these and similar questions by examining creativity and intelligence as psychological constructs. Throughout the semester, we will explore current and historical theories of human creativity and intelligence, characteristics of creative and intelligent people, barriers to creative and intelligent output, and cultural variations in the way we think about these concepts.

HC -2060 Native American and First Nations Gender Studies
Instructor:  Noelle Mongene
Gen Ed: SS
Course Days/Time:  TR  3:00 p.m. - 4:47 p.m.

Course Description:  In this interdisciplinary course, students will examine the impact that colonization has had on gender structures in Native American and First Nations communities. The course will begin by establishing a theoretical knowledge base for thorough comprehension of gender as a socially, culturally, and historically situated concept. Students will learn and discuss various gender theories, including intersectional feminism, postcolonial feminism, hegemonic masculinity, and social constructionist perspectives. The history of colonization will be discussed, and gender in Indigenous communities will be examined from early contact with European settlers to the lasting effects of colonization seen today (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit individuals, violence against Indigenous women, increased poverty and marginalization, disruption of matriarchal societies). Readings, discussions, and research projects will be used to critically examine the intersection of colonization and gender, and discuss how factors such as cultural erasure, dispossession of ancestral land, imposed patriarchy, and specific historical events have changed gender structures for Indigenous men, women, and non-binary individuals. The course will also explore cultural resilience and resistance movements that have emerged as a response to the profound and often detrimental impacts of colonial structures.


FORMAL REASONING
HC-2070 The Art of AI 
Instructor: Susan Lynne Beckwith
Gen Ed:  FR
Course Days/Time:  MWF 1:20 p.m. - 2:47 p.m.

Course Description:  Technology and technological advancements are nothing new to artists: techniques and mediums are always evolving with new tools and materials. A profession centered on creativity is not adverse to innovation. But where is the line with regard to generated? We now lean toward thinking of ‘generated’ in terms of AI, but many famous artists well-known to you and whose art hangs on museum walls had apprentices and studio workers who performed various aspects of those canonized and familiar works. How is that different from AI generated work? What do we make of our ability to now become literally part of the work with immersive experiences where we enter a field of sunflowers or starry night? Can these same technologies also perhaps be used to make the field of art more accessible to the differently-abled or those without the ability to purchase and procure the often-expensive materials? Questions of production and ethics as well as inclusivity and accessibility will be entertained in this class as we enjoy looking at works of art together. In this course we are going to explore the possibilities of AI generated art. As always, we will also expand our gaze and look at artists from outside the canon (those of other cultures) and whose work hangs on city street walls and buildings (street art and graffiti). And since we will also consider the body – the body of the artist, the body of the audience, the differently-abled creator and viewer – we’ll look at body art – tattoos – and consider the literal meeting of human and machine when AI becomes a component of these works. Who is the artist in AI generated art? Can we all become creators? We’re going to be creative and have fun as we explore these questions, our own creativity, and immerse ourselves in the question ‘What Is Art’ and who is the artist?


NATURAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 
HC-2080 What are we Eating?
Instructor: Kelly Bambrick
Gen Ed: NSTD
Course Days/Time:  TR 1:00 p.m. - 2:47 p.m.

Course Description:  We live in a technologically advanced society with increasing demands for anything fast and convenient. Food is no exception. We are surrounded by processed foods with a large number of difficult-to-pronounce chemicals. In this course, we will examine topics such as food processing, synthetic ingredients, industry practice of labeling food items, and GMO foods and explore their potential impact on our health and wellbeing. We will also discuss health promoting alternatives that will allow us to function optimally in this fast-paced society.



HC-3900 Research and Scholarship
Instructor: Susan Lynne Beckwith
Course Day/Time: Online (1 credit)

Course Description: With the support of an OU faculty member of your choice (your thesis mentor) and the HC 3900 teaching team, you will work to develop the proposal for your final Thesis project.

Collaboration Center

The Honors College offers a large classroom style space that is also our Pre-Medical Hub and is located in Hillcrest Hall room 212.  This space can be reserved for study sessions, seminars, workshops or special events.  Please contact Sheri Rourke for more information: [email protected]

The Pre-Medical HUB

The Pre-Medical HUB is housed in our Collaboration Center and is an amazing space to have study sessions as it is equipped with many things such as: virtual reality aids, anatomical models, study charts, workbook sheets, flashcards, whiteboards, wall diagnostic system and four flat screens televisions to hook up your laptops to.  We encourage OUWB medical students to the HUB to study and collaborate with undergrads who aspire to be in their shoes someday.   Contact Sheri Rourke at [email protected] for more information.  

The Honors College, in collaboration with Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine work to bring high achieving students various workshops that prepare them not only for the medical school application process, but the transition to and the life of a medical school student.  Workshops such as applying to medical schools, writing a personal statement, the interview process and how to find the best medical school for specific areas of interest to name a few.  Please watch for workshop dates and times in The Honors College Friday Newsletters.

Additionally, The Honors College is working on creating a relationship between current OUWB medical school students and honors college students who seek guidance and additional resources to help them during their undergraduate education.  Additional information will be posted in the Friday newsletter and in The Honors College office as it becomes available.

The Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) is an online database of comprehensive medical school profiles which includes all MD-granting, LCME-accredited medical schools in the U.S. and Canada.  It is the only resource that includes data directly from the MCAT exam, AMCAS application, as well as information and data provided directly by medical school admissions offices.  Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR)

Honors College Students who have a junior or senior class standing, a minimum grade point average of 3.7 and who can submit a spreadsheet with a minimum of 40 hours dedicated to humanitarian efforts can earn a two-year paid subscription by The Honors College.  

If you have the minimum requirements and want to be considered for a paid subscription, please schedule an appointment with an Honors College Counselor.