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Honors CoursesAll Honors Program students must take at least three Honors courses during their time at UMD. One Honors class needs to be the Freshmen Honors Seminar (HON1101), offered at night both fall and spring semesters. Of the remaining two classes, at least one must be a regular Honors Program course and one can be (but doesn’t need to be) an Honors contract course. This is a regular class in which you have an agreement with the professor (which is approved by the Honors Program) to do an extra project or component of the class for which you will get Honors credit. Students who are interested in approaching a professor about making his or her class an Honors contract class should contact the Honors Program for more information.
Note that Honors Chemistry I, Honors Chemistry II, Honors Calculus, and Honors Computer Science are departmental honors courses and are not Honors Program courses. Honors Program students may count up to ONE of the classes mentioned above toward their Honors Program course requirement, but only one. Students who choose to do this will need to take as their other two classes the Honors Freshman Seminar (HON 1101) and an upper level Honors Program course or else make a regular course into an Honors contract course. Courses for Spring 2013HON 1101:
Freshman Seminar Exploration of the intersection of the sciences, humanities, and social sciences through analysis of academic and popular writings in journals, books, newspapers, and other popular media including film. Evaluate the social, cultural, and historical background of ideas and current events to develop in-dept understanding and hone critical thinking skills. Assess the impact of past and current events on perceptions of other societies, cultures, and religions. Examine the use of written, oral, and visual techniques to convey a particular opinion or point of view.
MGTS 3411: Honors Organizational Behavior and Management Simply stated, management is getting things done with and through people. Managing people is evident in every organization and within every job field, from traditional business functions such as accounting, marketing, and human resources, to jobs in fine arts, sciences, engineering, education, human services, etc. In “Organizational Behavior & Management” we will explore the effects of the situation, personal characteristics, and related dynamics on employees’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors based on theoretical foundations with practical applications. Throughout the course, we’ll talk about how employees might react to situations in which managers don’t do what they should and how that affects the organization. You’ll also learn from managers who work in the types of industries and organizations related to your career interests.
HON 3095: Writing Wrongs: Studies in Human Rights and Literature How do we comprehend the incomprehensible? How do we speak the unspeakable? In other words, how do we write wrongs? And how do we read them? The matter of human rights raises a number of questions that have no easy answers. In this course we will address ourselves to the long history of human rights, while focusing primarily on how human rights and human rights abuses are represented and challenged in post- 1945 literature. We will consider a diversity of topics such as international law, the ethics of witness, cosmopolitanism, the problematics of trauma and torture, humanitarian Courses for Fall 2012Honors Public Speaking (COMM 1511) One of the most important abilities that marks the difference between "human beings" and other living beings is our fluidity with symbols, and especially with words. Since the dawn of human societies, especially those that have emerged with some form of democracy, the persons best able to express their thoughts have enjoyed success in their pursuits, and have ascended to positions of leadership. In the 21st century, the ability to speak clearly, to explain complex ideas, to employ language that is both comprehensible and memorable, to deliver those well-conceived ideas in a physical and vocal manner that fully engages the audience, crafted in the context of a commitment to ethical behavior and outcomes that are good for society -- these combined skills are precisely what the 21st century world demands. Whether students are moving toward careers in science and engineering, business, education, human services, liberal arts, or fine arts, or any other discipline, Communication 1511, Honors Public Speaking, will help develop the skills in critical thinking, topic research, idea development, case-building (argumentation), effective expression, and delivery. Moreover, once students move through the fear many experience at the prospect of speaking in front of others, many report that Public Speaking is a very fun course. While there is a significant writing component in this course, the bulk of students' focus will be on oral delivery of prepared speeches, which include ceremonial and informative speaking, leading to a persuasive speech. The course is "developmental," in the sense that students start with an emphasis on style and delivery (the last 2 of the classical canons of oratory), and will move forward -- or backward -- to consider invention, arrangement and memory (the first three). The course involves a great deal of active learning, with students honing their skills through exercises, and engaging in regular structured (though not always graded) speech assignments.
Honors Seminar: Global Issues (SW 1212) Description: The study of issues that can be viewed as global in nature is especially appropriate currently, since we have truly become what has been termed a "global village," and the decisions that we make in the next few years will determine the future of this village. The world has become smaller in many ways in the past few decades. We now have the capability of communicating with people around the world in less than a second. The decisions that are made in Beijing, Brussels, or the caves of Afghanistan can have almost immediate implications for those of us who live in the middle of the United States. Our world is currently facing many crises. Population is growing at an alarming rate in some regions; environmental concerns are everywhere; global resources appear to be dwindling; national security eludes many countries, especially as terrorism has become an international phenomenon; and human rights are violated in a variety of ways. These crises certainly represent significant problems facing our world today; on the other hand they provide opportunities for us to bring about changes that will significantly increase the ongoing quality of life around the world. In examining the crises cited above, and other global issues currently facing humanity, this course will attempt to achieve the following goals: 1. Students will adopt global perspectives in examining the critical issues currently facing our world, including problem solving, systems, and futures perspectives. 2. Students will better understand the nature of the worldwide problems we are currently facing and will analyze the underlying causes of these problems. 3. Students will recognize alternative solutions and opportunities associated with these problems. 4. Students will identify actions that can be taken locally that will address the global issues considered in this course. 5. Students will gain skills that will enable them to obtain and evaluate information about global issues and to take action to address these issues. 6. Students will be predisposed to be open to new ideas and perspectives and to be intellectually curious about the world. In attempting to accomplish these objectives, we will incorporate a variety of learning activities. One text will be made available to you, and a bibliography of additional readings appears in this book. The Internet is an invaluable source of information regarding global issues, and you will be provided a rich repository of Web-based resources using the Epsilen platform and guidance in searching for additional resources. Class meetings will include extensive seminar-style discussions, presentations by the instructor, review of Internet resources, guest presentations, videos, and other activities. Students will also be encouraged to participate in additional outside learning activities, such as using interactive technologies to understand global issues.
Honors Freshman Seminar (HON 1101) Exploration of the intersection of the sciences, humanities, and social sciences through analysis of academic and popular writings in journals, books, newspapers, and other popular media including film. Evaluate the social, cultural, and historical background of ideas and current events to develop in-dept understanding and hone critical thinking skills. Assess the impact of past and current events on perceptions of other societies, cultures, and religions. Examine the use of written, oral, and visual techniques to convey a particular opinion or point of view.
Intercultural Communication (COM 2929) Intercultural Communication is a very unique class. There are no textbooks. It is an applied class in which students engage with each other, a culturally diverse group of classmates, to learn about individuals and their experience with culture and communication here in the US and around the world. The class is based on the notion that to understand people and culture one must start by getting to know the person. As such the class requirements are almost exclusively relational in nature. You will be engaging in and writing about out-of-class “dates” with classmates from other cultures and will be participating in several class activities and trips (including two all day Saturday trips) to spend some time together building friendships. In the past these relationship-building class activities have included picnics, canoeing, swimming, camping, roller-skating, competitions, and dining out, amongst others. Students leave this class with an immensely personal understanding of humans and how culture affects their lives and views. They also often leave the class with lifelong friends, friends from various cultures both within the US and around the globe. Intercultural Communication fulfills the Cultural Diversity in the United States requirement of UMD’s Liberal Education Program requirements. It is a four-credit class that begins the first week of Fall semester, like all others, but lasts only six weeks instead of sixteen. The class is time intensive early but complete before midterm exams are scheduled for most other classes. Student demand for this class is extremely high. It usually fills up within minutes of its registration opening. But UMD freshman Honors students have priority registration and immediate access to 15 seats in this class.
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