Ithaca College

 With registration coming up, here are the honors program classes and course descriptions for Fall 2020. Honors classes encourage creativity and critical thinking skills and challenge students to build interdisciplinary perspectives and skills. If you have any questions about honors courses, please email honors@Ithaca.edu.

 Cultural Encounters With IC:

Taught by Tatiana Patrone
CRN: 21542
MWF 1:00-1:50
What it means to have encounters with IC’s culture will itself be a question that we will be addressing in this course. Provisionally, it merits mentioning that we will take ‘culture’ to have both descriptive and normative meanings and that we will focus primarily on the latter. In other words, we will take culture to be our aspirational ideal – we will aim to cultivate ourselves by taking advantage of what Ithaca College has to offer outside of classroom settings. We will go to our theater’s plays and our gallery’s exhibits, to lectures and readings offered by various academic departments, and to events hosted within our school of music. In addition to this, we will debate what it means to be ‘cultured’ and what types of activities contribute to our growth. Reflections on our experiences will be key components of this course.

Paradigm Shifts: History and Philosophy of Science

Taught by Rebecca Brady

CRN: 22782

MWF 10:00-10:50

Science is much more than the slow accumulation of data or the clever conclusions of brilliant scientists. Most of the facts we accept as true are based on shockingly indirect evidence, and our current scientific worldview profoundly influences the way we interpret that evidence. In this course, we will take a comparative look at how disproved theories have provided crucial insight into our current approach to normal science. We will consider how scientific thought is benchmarked by philosophical notions of truth, facts, and evidence when new discoveries prompt a paradigm shift. Come and explore the surprisingly unintuitive nature of scientific revolutions.

Media Globalization and the Disney Empire

Taught by Kati Lustyik

CRN: 23126

T: 4:00-6:30

Transnational media giants such as Viacom or the Disney Company are among ‘the primary agents of cultural globalization’ and have been described as 'media superpowers.' The Walt Disney Company that owns Pixar, Marvel Entertainment, ESPN, Start Wars, and 21St Century Fox, is one the largest, and influential transnational media giants in the world. The primary aim of this interdisciplinary and critical course is to develop an in-depth understanding of the Walt Disney Corporation as a transnational media giant, its social, cultural, political, and economic importance around the world.

First, students will become familiar with the history of the Disney Company and its key holdings that include television, radio, film and animation, theme parks, music labels, theatrical production, tourism, sports and most recently streaming media services (e.g. Disney+, Hulu). The third unit will focus on ‘global Disney:’ the marketing and localization of Disney-owned programs, merchandizing and leisure activities created and promoted to an increasingly global audience.

Global Graphic Novels

Taught by Todd Schack

CRN: 23127

W 4:00-6:30

This seminar will explore the diverse range of voices and topics in graphic novels from around the world.  We will study issues of war, power, race, class and sex as represented by a multitude of non-traditional writers and visual artists, and discuss the history of conflict over the issue of multi-culturalism and diversity from these perspectives.   We will highlight the manner in which this genre is able to undermine and question dominant narratives of social, political and economic issues. We will be considering these texts from Cultural, Media and Visual Studies perspectives, and students will create their own version of a graphic novel using these theoretical perspectives in practical application.

Food as Communication

Taught by Cory Young 

CRN: 22211

3 credits

T/TR 2:35-3:50

This class exists at the crossroads of two different disciplines: food studies and communication. Both academic fields of study have their own working definitions, methods of inquiry, perspectives—positive and negative, ideologies, and foci (processes, everyday activities, relationships, values, and practices). What will we find at the intersection between these two subjects? 

We will engage intellectually through foundational readings, discussion questions, and Food for Thought reflections. Additionally, we will explore whom we are through hands-on, analytical and creative activities and assignments, done in and out of class.

Writing for Yourself

Taught by Katharyn Machan 

CRN: 21891 

1 Credit

TR: 5:25-6:15

Writing for Yourself is a course designed to lead students to the further exploration and discovery of the importance of words in their lives and how to shape them with significance and power. As an advanced course, it is primarily a workshop and discussion center, informed by a shared commitment to creating new poetry and prose and learning from offering and listening to thoughtful responses about it.

Introduction to Autism: What It Is and Isn’t

Taught by Skott Jones
1 Credit
CRN: 21954
W: 3:00-3:50

An overview of autism spectrum disorders, including characteristics, etiology, and common treatment techniques. An emphasis on the dynamic and diverse nature of autism will be explored through an interprofessional lens to learn about how to best work with individuals with autism across different settings. A variety of academic disciplines will be integrated including education, health sciences, arts, sociology, and psychology. 

Who We Are and How We Got Here

Taught by Brooks Miner

CRN: 23128

M: 3:00-3:50

In Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past, geneticist David Reich describes recent discoveries about human evolutionary and societal history derived from the study of DNA from fossilized human remains. The book was favorably reviewed by most professional biologists, science journalists, and others. Yet it was also the subject of controversy: the Wall Street Journal referred to it as “A potential political bombshell,” and an open letter, “How Not To Talk About Race and Genetics,” was published by Buzzfeed three days after the book’s publication. We will read Reich’s book alongside several commentaries from across the academic and political spectrum. Students will gain an increased understanding of the origins and evolutionary history of our species, in addition to an awareness of how misunderstandings about the science of human genetic variation can lead to inaccurate and potentially harmful conclusions.

Civic Engagement Seminar
Taught by David Harker

CRN: 22198
T/TR 2:35-3:50

This course draws on theory, research, and direct experience to explore numerous forms of civic engagement and evaluate the opportunities and challenges each offers in working towards positive social change. This course aims to develop a more complex understanding of what civic engagement entails and develops a greater sensitivity about the needs and gifts of the greater Ithaca community and its citizens.

Global Cartooning as Social Commentary

Taught by Pedro Molina

CRN: 22783

MW: 4:00-5:15

Since the earliest paintings on cave walls, people have used images to communicate their fears, accomplishments, history, and desires.  Such artistic communication was not intended for galleries where only a select few could appreciate it. People just wanted to communicate--- the more, the better. Cartooning today remains loyal to that principle. Cartoons can make you laugh, get angry, think, or scream, but they don’t leave you indifferent, at least not the good ones. In this course you will learn about the importance and virtues of cartooning as a form of expression. You will study the history behind cartoons, how they are created and presented, the venues in which they can be used, and the challenges that come with working with satire and humor in these humorless times.