An Honors Colloquium is an HON-H 399 seminar course. Typically, it is led by different instructors in different semesters and the topic changes from semester to semester. To complete the Honors Program each student must complete two HON-H 399 Colloquium courses.
In-Person, Spring 2027- Regular Session T TH 11:30 AM -12:45 PM
Scott Blackwell, Senior Lecturer of Philosophy
This course will use multimedia to explore the true crime genre. We will read, view, or listen to books, magazine articles, graphic novels, artworks, poems, short stories, plays, websites, documentaries, motion pictures, YouTube videos, podcasts, and songs. We will focus on some of the following issues: feminist critiques of the genre, people’s fascination with true crime, the ethics of creating and consuming true crime narratives, the psychology of transgressive behavior, how true crime perpetuates, complicates, or refutes harmful racial and gender stereotypes, and the role criminality plays in culture. As a class, you will determine your assignments and final projects.
8 weeks, Online, Second 8 weeks
Ashley Duffitt, Senior Lecturer in Biology
In 1900, the global average life expectancy at birth was just 32 years; by 2021 it had more than doubled to 71 years. Why has this dramatic transformation occurred? This course will explore the remarkable rise in human longevity over the past two centuries by tracing the incremental scientific discoveries, public health innovations, and technological advancements that have collectively doubled the average human lifespan.
Students will learn how breakthroughs, like clean water, sanitation, vaccines, antibiotics, improved nutrition, and safety regulations have reshaped patterns of survival and wellbeing. The course will also explore the collaborative work of researchers, policymakers, community leaders, and everyday citizens who helped reduce mortality at every age. Students will consider the future of human health, factors that might extend or threaten life expectancy in the decades ahead, and reflect on the broader implications of increasing longevity.
6-week, Hybrid Course, Summer Session I
Tuesdays 10 A.M. - 12 P.M. and one mandatory full-day field trip
Minda Douglas, Associate Professor of New Media and Art
This course will explore a cross-disciplinary approach to the ways in which we observe and experience the world around us. What does it mean to truly observe something? Through readings, class discussions, and direct experiences, the course will explore various perspectives on discovering information. Students will conduct a lab experiment, create a nature journal, and participate in observational exercises. A field trip to location(s) associated with art and nature will be included in the course.
6-week, Online Course, Summer Session II
Dr. Nick Baxter, Associate Professor of Sociology
This course will examine patterns of environmental inequality and the policies, social action, and social movements used to advance environmental and social justice. Students will analyze how environmental advantages and disadvantages are distributed across communities and shaped by race, class, gender, geography, and political power. Topics include unequal exposure to pollution and environmental hazards; access to clean water, healthy food, green spaces, and natural resources; and the uneven consequences of climate change. Students will investigate the historical, economic, and institutional processes that produce these inequalities and explore relationships among ecological conditions, human health, and community wellbeing. Through interdisciplinary research, case studies, and critical discussion, students will evaluate public policies, community organizing, and environmental justice movements. The course emphasizes scientific evidence and analysis to assess competing solutions and envision more equitable, sustainable futures for communities.
8 week (1st 8wk Session), In-Person, Monday 4-6:30 PM, Fall 2026
J.R. Pico, Teaching Professor in Spanish and Humanities
This honors colloquium motivates students to explore the dynamic interplay of cultures, ideas, and global systems that shape our interconnected world. Through an interdisciplinary lens, the course examines how boundaries—geographical, cultural, political, and ideological—are constructed, challenged, and transcended. Students will engage with multiple perspectives on globalization, mobility, identity, and cultural exchange, analyzing how these forces influence societies and individuals.
This honors colloquium will emphasize critical thinking, collaborative dialogue, and experiential learning. Students will investigate case studies from multiple regions, participate in discussions on global challenges, and reflect on their own roles as global citizens. Topics may include transnational movements, intercultural communication, global ethics, and the impact of technology on cultural interaction.
6 week, Online, Summer Session I
Dr. Christina Romero, Associate Professor of Education
The term sacred literacies considers various practices of sacredly reading the world. The practices conceptualized as sacred would be so because of their strong connections to emotions.
These practices could be spiritual or religious in nature but would not be limited to such. Sacred literacies can encompass many different practices that can be considered significant, hallowed. Sacred literacy can then be conceptualized as the embodied knowing that life holds within it, components – events, relationships, memories, moments – which are special, ones given significant value. Sacred literacy is the use of various sacred practices (texts) to sacredly read the world through one’s experiences. (Ivanova, 2014, p. 276)
This course will acquaint students with different kinds of storytelling as they learn about storytelling as a dynamic sacred literacy (Ivanova, 2014). Students will learn about and create different kinds of stories through 55-word stories, poetry, narrative ethnographic journaling, and a digital story.
6 week, Online, Summer Session II
Dr. Niki Weller, Professor of Sociology
Why are we so captivated by visions of perfect or broken worlds? This honors course explores dystopian and utopian ideas in literature, film, video games, and politics, examining what these imagined futures reveal about our present society. You'll study classic and contemporary works, uncovering how they reflect our values, fears, and hopes. Through various media, we'll investigate portrayals of possible futures, discuss the likelihood of these scenarios becoming a reality, and debate whether aspects of our current world mirror dystopian or utopian ideals.
This course invites you to think critically and creatively about our world and the future we are shaping. Whether your interests lie in literature, film, technology, or social issues, you'll gain fresh insights into how dystopian and utopian ideas shape our understanding of society and our place within it.
Spring 2026
In-Person, Tu Th 11:30 A.M. - 12:45 P.M.
Scott Blackwell, Senior Lecturer of Philosophy
Most people are familiar with Margaret Atwood via her dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale, and its television counterpart. However, her MaddAddam Trilogy: Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood, and MaddAddam is her true legacy. Set in the near future, after the near extinction of humanity, Atwood deals with themes of genetic engineering, gene-spliced animals, environmental destruction, pornography, violence, and government monitoring –all of which are relevant to today’s society.
We will read the entire trilogy (each novel is approximately 400 pages; however, it is easy reading). As a class, you will determine your assignments and final project.
Spring 2026
8 week, Online, Spring 2026- Second 8 weeks
Kelly Fisher, Senior Lecturer of Criminal Justice and Homeland Security
This course will provide an in-depth exploration of family and intimate partner violence (FIPV), examining the complex dynamics of abuse within familial and romantic relationships. Students will study the patterns, causes, and consequences of physical, emotional, sexual, and economic abuse, with special attention to vulnerable populations and intersectional factors such as gender, race, and socioeconomic status. The course also critically evaluates abuse intervention programs (AIPs), including batterer intervention programs, parenting interventions, and restorative justice models. Emphasis is placed on prevention strategies, victim advocacy, trauma-informed care, and the role of the criminal justice and social service systems in addressing violence. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of both the personal and societal impacts of family and intimate partner violence, and the interventions designed to reduce harm and promote safety.
6 week, Online, Summer Session II, 7/7- 8/13
Summer 2025 (Online)
Dr. Nick Baxter, Assistant Professor of Sociology
This class will evaluate the social causes, consequences, and responses to climate change. The course relies on a social science approach (sociology, anthropology, and psychology) to analyze climate change as an environmental social problem. Students will examine the role of individual behavior, culture, and social structures like capitalism in driving climate change. They will evaluate the social consequences of climate change, including patterns of concern/anxiety, privilege/inequality, geographic impacts, migration, etc. They will also analyze social responses to climate change, including environmental activism and social justice patterns, climate denial, misinformation/disinformation, policy solutions, and attempts at green capitalism.
Fall 2025
In-Person, T TH 10 to 11:15 A.M.
Christian Chauret, Professor of Biology
The class will focus on the impact of the changing environment (such as climate change) on infectious diseases in humans, animals, and plants. Students will be introduced to notions of scientific inquiry, epidemiology, and infectious diseases. We will analyze how infectious diseases emerge and the factors associated with epidemics. Students will read relevant books on these topics, analyze them, and discuss them. Individual and group projects will be included to study the topics further.
Fall 2022 (Tuesday/Thursday 2-3:45 p.m.)
Wendy Grice
Why is singing no longer participatory? Until recent decades, people sang at work, at family gatherings, in church, and just for fun. Ask yourself, when was the last time you sang outside of your car or in the shower? We will discuss singing in Eastern versus Western cultures, the gender factor, social anxiety, and how singing impacts us emotionally, spiritually, and physically. We will also touch on the benefits of singing to stroke and Alzheimer's patients. Let's talk!
Fall 2022 (Tuesday/Thursday 10-11:15 a.m.)
Dr. Jim Coby
Monsters: they haunt our thoughts, patrol the periphery of our imaginations, and keep us awake at night. And yet...
Be they cryptids, vampires, zombies, or aliens, we find ourselves compelled by and drawn to monsters and the monstrous. In this HON 399 seminar, we will investigate our love/repulsion dilemma with monsters through readings of several critical texts exploring concepts such as monstrosity, the uncanny valley, abjection, and othering. To help reify these theoretical ideas, we will engage with several popular pieces of film and literature. Authors who will likely populate the syllabus include Jefferey Jerome Cohen, Sigmund Freud, Octavia Butler, Carmen Maria Machado, Jordan Peele, Stephen King, and a host of other nightmare instigators. Enroll...if you dare.
Spring 2023 (Monday/Wednesday 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.)
Deb Jaworski
In this seminar, we will investigate current issues impacting foster care in the United States. Students will discuss readings, explore regulations, analyze statistics, perform cost analysis, and consider issues such as racial bias in the system. Students will engage in service learning, conduct interviews, select an area of focus, and develop a proposal. At the end of the seminar, students will present their proposals on how we can create a brighter future for students who have been in foster care.
Spring 2023 (Online)
Stephanie Medley-Rath
Historical moral panics include the Salem witch trials among Puritans, the satanic panics of the 1980s, the Red scare during the Cold War, the war on drugs, among others. More recent moral panics include misplaced or disproportional concern about trans rights, the war on Christmas, human trafficking, crime surges, and cancel culture. Moral panics involve disproportionate media coverage and social media attention of a phenomenon thought to threaten societal values. Claims of harm and the size of the problem are typically exaggerated. Further, more legitimate threats may be minimized resulting in a moral calm, or lack of concern for other phenomena (e.g., viewing Covid-19 vaccines for children as unnecessary or lack of concern around the climate crisis).
This course will focus on a variety of moral panics and moral calms and sociological approaches to studying them. Urban legends and conspiracy theories may also be explored. Students will research a moral panic or calm, urban legends, or a conspiracy theory of interest and use data to make the case that society should be more or less concerned about the phenomena, whether societal concern or lack of concern is misplaced, or both. Students are expected to present their research at the IU Kokomo Research Symposium.
Indiana University Kokomo
765-453-2000