Classes

Honors Colloquia

Every student in Honors must complete six elective colloquia, also called “exploratory” courses. The colloquia are selected through a competitive process by the Faculty Senate Honors Committee. They are designed to allow highly motivated and dynamic teachers and students the opportunity to learn together. Because of the diversity of student majors in the Honors Program, courses are oriented towards non-majors and have no prerequisites. Past courses have ranged from once-in-a-lifetime offerings to enhanced versions of courses that faculty regularly teach well.  If student and faculty interest is high, occasionally a colloquium will be offered more than once.

    Current and Past Honors Colloquia

    2013 to Present

    2024-2025

    Migration and Borders in the Hispanic World — Kathleen Connolly, Spanish
    Digital Inclusivity: A Deep Dive into Accessible Media Creation — Greg Zobel, Teacher Education
    Non-Nicene Christianity — Ken Kirby, Philosophy & Religious Studies
    The Queen’s Gambit: Chess in Mass Media & Culture — Greg Zobel, Teacher Education 
    Dance and the Moving Image: Short-form Screendance Films — Tim Cowart, Dance
    Children’s Literature in Diverse Classrooms — Marie LeJeune, Teacher Education
    UFOs – Government Officials Go on the Record — Eliot Dickinson, Political Science

    2023-2024

    Extraordinary Bodies: Gender and Disability in Hispanic Cultures — Kathleen Connolly, Spanish
    Musicals and American History — Corrie Cowart, Dance
    The New Wild West — Henry Hughes, English
    Reproductive Health Emily Vala-Haynes, Public Health
    Mathematics of Voting — Leanne Merrill, Mathematics
    Mysticism in World Religious Traditions — Ken Kirby, Philosophy & Religious Studies
    Remembering Trauma — Tiara Good, Communication Studies

    2022-2023
    Music & Social Justice Movements — Charles Mueller, Music
    Migration & Borders in the Hispanic World — Kathleen Connolly, Spanish
    Math Puzzles and Patterns — Leanne Merrill, Mathematics
    Overview of the Cannabis Industry — Graham Rankin, Chemistry
    Children’s Literature in Diverse Classrooms — Marie LeJeune, Teacher Education
    Paradoxes — Ryan Hickerson, Philosophy
    Oregon Women’s History — Kimberly Jensen, History
    2021-2022

    Rhetoric of Horror: Society and Identity — Tiara Good, Communication Studies
    Complexity Theory: How the World Works at the Edge of Chaos  Lar Soderlund, Writing
    Reproductive Health Emily Vala-Haynes, Public Health
    Dance and Race Relations Cynthia Gutierrez-Garner, Dance
    Speaking Rivers: People and Water Henry Hughes, English
    Emotional & Physical Survival in Law Enforcement Jennifer Moreno, Criminal Justice

    2020-2021

    Children’s Literature in Diverse Classrooms — Marie LeJeune, Teacher Education
    System Languages: From Morse to Moore  Ted Beers, Computer Science
    Introduction to Linguistics — Cornelia Paraskevas, Linguistics & Writing
    Rhetoric of Horror: Society and Identity — Tiara Good, Communication Studies
    Mysticism in World Religious Traditions — Ken Kirby, Philosophy & Religious Studies
    Blues and the African-American Experience — Charles Mueller, Music

    2019-2020

    Forensics in the Media Misty Weitzel, Criminal Justice
    The Dark Side of Big Data — Breeann Flesch, Computer Science
    Medieval Truth vs. Medieval Myth Samantha Morgan, Literature
    Voting Theory: Electoral Politics and Math Leanne Merrill, Mathematics
    Marine Invertibrates: Creative Investigations Karen Haberman, Biology
    Transmitting Reality through Personal Writing Lars Soderlund, Writing

    2018-2019

    Communication and Civic Action — Emily Plec, Communication Studies
    History of the Book as Disruptive Technology — Robert Monge & Elizabeth Brookbank, Library Science
    Introduction to Linguistics — Cornelia Paraskevas, Linguistics & Writing
    Creative Writing Workshop — Katherine Schmidt, Writing
    The Dark Side of Big Data — Breeann Flesch, Computer Science

    2017-2018

    Children’s Literature in Diverse Classrooms — Marie LeJeune, Teacher Education
    Nineteenth Amendment Centennial in History — Kimberly Jensen, History
    Language in Place — Robert Troyer, Linguistics
    Critical Videogame Studies — Daniel Tankersley, Art & Visual Design
    Dances that Changed the World — Sharon Oberst, Dance
    Artistic Pathways to Scientific Understanding — Karen Haberman, Biology
    Make ‘Em Laugh — Kent Neely, Theatre Arts

    2016-2017

    Intellectual Boldness & Humility — Sriram Khe, Interdisciplinary Studies
    Introduction to Linguistics — Cornelia Paraskevas, Linguistics & Writing
    Non-Nicene Christianity — Ken Kirby, Philosophy & Religious Studies
    Games, Simulation, Role-Playing — Frederick Oerther, Business
    Complexity Theory: World on the Edge of Chaos — Lars Soderlund, Writing
    Popular Music & Postmodernism — Charles Mueller, Music

    2015-2016

    Performance Anxiety — Diane Baxter, Music
    Difference, Inequality, Social Justice — Susanne Monahan, Sociology
    Game Theory — Breeann Flesch, Mathematics
    Children’s Literature in Diverse Classrooms — Marie LeJeune, Teacher Education
    Critical Videogame Studies — Daniel Tankersley, Art & Visual Design

    2014-2015

    Creative Writing Workshop — Katherine Schmidt, Writing
    Environmental Politics — Mary Pettinger, Political Science
    Scientific Inquiry and Design for Educators — Erin Baumgartner, Biology
    History of the Book as Disruptive Technology — Robert Monge & Elizabeth Brookbank, Library Science

    2013-2014

    Exploring Literacy — Cornelia Paraskevas, Linguistics & Writing
    Introduction to Linguistics — Cornelia Paraskevas, Linguistics & Writing
    History of Cognition — Joel Alexander, Behavioral Science
    Mysticism in World Religious Traditions — Ken Kirby, Philosophy & Religious Studies

    2000 to 2013

    2012-2013

    Human Rights — Mary Pettinger, Political Science
    Communication and Civic Action — Molly Mayhead, Communication Studies

    2011-2012

    Causes of Peace — Eliot Dickinson, Political Science
    Why Do We Move? A Cross-Disciplinary Study — Bob Hautala, Heath & Exercise Science

    2010-2011

    Oregon Women Suffrage History — Kimberly Jensen, History
    Creativity — Deborah Jones, Dance
    Communication and Civic Action — Emily Plec, Communication Studies

    2009-2010

    Transformative Experiences — Mark Girod, Teacher Education
    Environmental Writing: Cultural Foundations of Nature — John Campbell, Writing

    2008-2009

    Prison Writing — Steve Gibbons & David Murphy, Criminal Justice

    2007-2008

    Fitness/Wellness: One Body/Many Disciplines — Bob Hautala, Exercise Science
    The Intersection of Theatre Arts & Science — Michael Phillips, Theatre Arts

    2006-2007

    The Literature of Terrorism — Gavin Keulks, Literature

    2005-2006

    20th Century Irish Literature: Modernism & Beyond — Gavin Keulks, Literature
    Masculinites and the Media — Emily Plec, Communication Studies

    2004-2005

    The Terrorist as a Liminal Figure: A Cross-cultural and Historical Examination — Ram Sil, History
    Maps and Math — Maria Fung, Mathematics, & Sriram Khe, Geography

    2003-2004

    The Truth of that Particular Fiction: Fact, Falsehood, and Invention in Historical Fiction — Susan Kirtley, Writing

    2002-2003

    The Art of Mindful Living — Jerry Braza, Health Education
    Detective and Crime Fiction — Gianna Martella, Spanish Language & Literature
    Nuclear Landscapes — Max Geier, Political Science

    2001-2002

    Judeo Christian Mysticism in Medieval and Renaissance Spain — Jeffrey Diamond, Humanities

    2000-2001

    The Arthurian Legend — Ann Bliss, Literature
    Creativity — Deborah Jones, Dance

    1987 to 2000

    1999-2000

    Women & the Sea: Cross-Cultural Analysis of History, Metaphor, Ideology, & Institutions — Kimberly Jensen, History

    1998-1999

    Religion and Science — Dale Cannon, Religious Studies, and Robert Turner, Biology
    Human Movement in Science, Art, and Technology — Brian Caster, Health & Exercise Science

    1997-1998

    African American Culture as Seen Through its Music — Marion Schrock

    1996-1997

    Modern Mythology: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien — Ann Bliss, Literature
    Mourning the Holocaust: Representing the Unrepresentable — Kit Andrews, Literature

    1995-1996

    Improvisation (Dance) — Jacqueline McCormick, Dance
    World War I & 20th Century Culture — Richard Meyer, Literature & Folklore

    1994-1995

    Exploring America’s Drug Policy — Carl Stevenson

    1993-1994

    Sensitivity to Language — Cornelia Paraskevas, Linguistics & Writing

    1992-1993

    World Music — Thomas Bergeron, Music

    1991-1992

    The Discovery of America — John Rector, History

    1990-1991

    The Rhetoric of Social Protest and Control — Molly Mayhead, Communication Studies

    1989-1990

    The College/Knowledge Experience in the Fiction of Hardy and Lawrence — Betsy Sargent, Writing

    1988-1989

    Aspects of Evolution — J. Morris Johnson

    1987-1988

    Ethnic Oregon in the 1990’s: Current and Future Perspectives — Xavier Romano

    Honors Program

    Academic Programs and Support Center, Room 210

    Phone: (503) 838-8519
    Email: honors@wou.edu

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