Course Offerings
Honors core classes provide our high-ability students a common liberal arts experience,
bringing together a multitude of majors and perspectives to share meaningful ideas.
Taught by dynamic faculty, our "HON" courses emphasize discussion and collaboration
to analyze and solve real-life problems. These classes are also designed to satisfy
core requirements and move students closer to graduation while polishing professional
skills.
Our "HON" courses interface seamlessly with an enhanced major experience in any program
of study on campus - a major experience that connects students with faculty mentors
as well as research opportunities and internships in their field.
Honors Course Descriptions
Read below descriptions of each of our core courses and click here for a list of Fall 2024 HON 4950 seminars and Spring 2025 HON 4960 seminars.
HON 1010: Ideas and Society
Core Humanities
Through a process of critical examination, analytical thought, and intellectual exchange, students engage in study of ideas in society during different time periods and across different cultural contexts as well as intellectual disciplines. Drawing upon primary and secondary sources using multiple humanities discourses, students analyze and evaluate and respond to diverse populations and perspectives. From this synthesis, students gain ability to apply understanding of ideas in contemporary society as well as ideas in their fields of study.
HON 1020: Innovation and Society
Core Humanities
In this interdisciplinary course, students will analyze and critique various processes
of innovation in society with an emphasis on its impact on human society. Students
will gain the ability to evaluate course concepts against competing approaches and
solutions in society, as well as in their own fields of study.
HON 1010 is not a pre-requisite for HON 1020.
HON 2010: Multicultural Toledo
Core Social Science & Multicultural U.S. Diversity
Multicultural Toledo is an interdisciplinary investigation into the multicultural, historical, and socio-economic development of the greater Toledo area and the ways that different community groups respond to, and shape, this transformation. Topics may include: ethnicity, race, gender, gender orientation, socioeconomic class, religion, national origin, dis/ability, and age within the Toledo community. The course features multiple site visits to community organizations.
HON 2020: Multicultural Literatures - North American Experience
Core Multicultural U.S. Diversity and humanities and WAC
This reading, writing, and discussion course examines selected literatures of the North American experience: for example, texts by African American, Arab American, Asian American, Hispanic, or Native American authors. Through fiction, non-fiction, drama, and poetry from multiple American cultures, students will gain a greater awareness of the diverse cultural practices, beliefs, and societal contributions of North Americans. Topics may include race, ethnicity, identity, gender, and class.
HON 2030: Multicultural Literatures - Non-European World
Core Multicultural Non-Western Diversity and humanities and WAC
This reading, writing, and discussion course examines selected non-European literatures. Through fiction, history, current commentaries, and other documents created by the people living in the locales examined, students will gain an awareness of diverse world cultures, their histories, current situations, practices, beliefs, and global significance in the world. The course may contain segments on selections from China and Japan, India, Southeast Asia, Africa, Central America, South America, and/or Polynesia.
HON 3010: Community Engagement
This research intensive, interdisciplinary course is designed to provide students
with experience in effective community engagement through work on a local issue or
problem in a mentored, multidisciplinary team. Class will focus on developing practical
skills, identifying best practices, and exploring potential solutions for complex
problems. The course culminates in a grant proposal that can be adopted or adapted
by our community partners. Class time consists of short instructional presentations,
group work, and class discussions.
Students must take an HON multicultural course (i.e., HON 2010, HON 2020, or HON 2030)
as a pre-requisite before being able to register for HON 3010.
HON 4950/4960: Honors Seminars
These interdisciplinary seminars are organized around a variety of subjects and intellectual
concerns.
A unique slate of Honors seminars is offered each Fall and Spring, with occasional
offerings during intersession terms. The content of these courses is quite often interdisciplinary
and is shaped by the research interests of the specialists from fields across campus
who teach them.
See below for a list of Fall 2026 HON 4950 seminars and Spring 2027 HON 4960 seminars:
HON 4950-001 | Eastern Thought
Dr. Ashley Pryor
CRN 46768 | MW 2:30 p.m. - 3:50 p.m. | 3 credit hours | Memorial Field House 2230
An examination of major philosophies of Asia and the Far East, their specific concerns,
and their relevance to contemporary problems.
HON 4950-002 | U.S. Congress
Dr. Jeffrey Broxmeyer
CRN 46798 | MW 2:30 p.m. - 3:50 p.m. | 3 credit hours | Snyder Memorial 3066
Despite its key role in our political system, the U.S. Congress is not well understood
by the public. This course examines how it works: the committee system, parties, and
arcane legislative procedures. We consider topics like the impact of party polarization
on congressional gridlock, the impact of divided government on policymaking, and how
to improve representation.
HON 4950-003 | Natural Resource Economics
Dr. Kevin Egan
CRN 46799 | MW 9:35 a.m. - 10:55 a.m. | 3 credit hours | Memorial Field House 1120
Economic analysis of natural resource conservation and use, considering the objectives
of efficiency and sustainability. Topics include energy, minerals, marine resources,
land and agriculture, outdoor recreation, biodiversity, and wildlife management.
HON 4950-004 | Food, Health, and Society
Dr. Shahna Arps
CRN 46803 | Distance Learning | 3 credit hours | Online
This course deals with multi-cultural dietary patterns through time and space, as
well as cross-cultural influences on health and disease.
HON 4950-005 | Eugenics Past and Present
Dr. Kim Nielsen
CRN 46837 | TR 9:35 a.m. - 10:55 a.m. | 3 credit hours | Memorial Field House 2880
This course provides a historical overview of the ideologies, implementation, and
global spread of eugenics, primarily focusing on the United States but also including
non-U.S. perspectives. We conclude by raising contemporary questions about eugenics,
relating the past to the present.
HON 4950-006 | Sports, Politics, and Policy
Dr. Jami Taylor
CRN 48059 | TR 2:30 p.m. - 3:50 p.m. | 3 credit hours | University Hall 4310
This course explores the intersection of sports with politics and policymaking. Topics covered include sports and nationalism, sports and international diplomacy, globalization and sports, economic development and sport stadiums, antitrust law, Title IX and women's athletics, and athletes and political advocacy.
HON 4960-001 | Public Relations and Principles of Advertising
Dr. Fatima Shousher Simon
CRN 16550 | TR 12:55 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. | 3 credit hours | Rocket Hall 1549
This course explores public relations and advertising as key forms of strategic communication
that shape meaning, identity, and public discourse. Emphasis is placed on how media
platforms influence and shape consumer behavior, exploring the complex relationship
between advertising, branding, marketing strategies, and societal values within a
culture focused on consumption, analyzing how advertising interacts with direct communication
efforts such as promotion and outreach.
HON 4960-002 | Ethics in Criminal Justice
Dr. Kasey Tucker-Gail
CRN 16551 | Distance Learning | 3 credit hours | Online
This course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to integrate ethics
in their understanding of criminal justice.
HON 4960-003 | Sexual Politics
Dr. Renee Heberle
CRN 16553 | TR 11:10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | 3 credit hours | Carlson Library 0500C
This course critically examines gender, sex, and sexuality as identities, practices,
and relationships. Through readings in feminist political theory and history, we study
state practices, social norms, and historical movements for change to understand why
and how various forms of gender, sex, and sexuality become normal or are challenged
in unexpected ways.
HON 4960-004 | Art and Disease
Dr. Mysoon Rizk
CRN 16555 | R 1:30 p.m. - 4:10 p.m. | 3 credit hours | Center for Visual Arts 0090
This WAC course considers how objects of material culture (film, photography, painting,
sculpture, et cetera) have intersected with disease while studying disease-related texts and histories
of contagion (e.g., AIDS). Web-assisted course.
HON 4960-006 | City and Metropolis in Modern America: 1850 to the Present
Dr. Michael Stauch
CRN 16698 | TR 2:30 p.m. - 3:50 p.m. | 3 credit hours | Memorial Field House 2660
The growth of the 19th-century city and the emergence of the 20th-century American metropolis. Urban problems of the 20th century.