1998-1999 Academic Catalog

Interdisciplinary Studies 1 7 Course requirements for the honors program involve 24 quarter hours including: I. Freshman Colloquia: TheMaking ofthe Moden1Mind .............................................................. 15 hours 1 HON-101 Classical Antiquity .................................................. 5 2 HON-102RenaissanceandReformation ................................. 5 3 HON-103 The Age of Revolutions .......................................... 5 II. Honors Integrative Seminars .................................. 6 hours Two seminars, typically three hours each, taken in the sopho– more and junior years. III. Honors Research Project/Thesis ........................... 3 hours Paiiicipation in a one-hour interdisciplinary colloquium each quarter (HON-491, HON-492, HON-493) or areseai·ch project in the student's major, conducted under the direction of a depaitmental mentor (HON-495). 1 satisfies HUM-140 Introduction to the Humanities 2 satisfies humanities General EducationRequirement 3 satisfies histo1y General Education Requirement Co~Curricular Opportunities Tau Delta Kappa provides an opportunity for fellowship, ministry, exchange of ideas, and support of students involved in the honors program. TDK students also tutor school children in the Cedarville area. The honors program includes a research project within the student's major and conducted under the direction of a departmental mentor. Honors Course Descriptions Freshman Humanities Sequence HON-101,102,103 The Making of the Modern Mind 15 hours HON-101 Classical Antiquity -A 5 hours Explores those historical, religious, philosophical, and artistic beginnings that have shaped the modern mind or what some are now calling the "postmodern" mind. The story begins, naturally enough, at the beginning, in the mind of God.... HON-102 Renaissance and Reformation-W 5 hours Explores the uneasy tensions between Church and State, sacred and secular, piety and humanistic scholarship that have shaped, and continue to shape, how one views the world today. The story begins in the High Middle Ages in Europe. HON-103 The Age of Revolutions-Sp 5 hours Studies those political, artistic, scientific, and philosophical revolutions that have shaped the modern mind. The story begins in the late 18th century fh America and France. Honors Seminars (Seminar. offerings vary from year to year.) HON-304 Women in America 3 hours Study of the places American women have found themselves in since 1860, the expectations made upon them, an.d the influences they have had upon American society. HON-305 Communication in the Information Age 3 hours Survey of the "new media" in electronic communication with an emphasis on the structures of the new media, their use in such areas as politics, education, business, and health care, the resulting changes in communication patterns in society and the social and ethical issues raised by their use. HON-306 Leadership 3 hourn Leadership as a societal role is addressed through analysis of theory and observation of practitioners. A chronology of methodological approaches to the study of leadership is presented. Assigned reading and class processing of ideas and the theories prepare the student for observation and evaluation of leaders in a variety of disciplines. HON-308 Creativity: The Birth of a Notion 3 hourn Stimulates the participant to conscious creativity in every facet of life as an act of Christian stewardship. Creativity will be examined as one of the distinguishing marks of the image of God in man and as the essential ingredient in all artistic expression. HON-310 Two Philosophies of Teaching and Leaming 3 hours Workshop in integrative thinking, exploring comparisons and contrasts between the. philosophies of education implicit in Proverbs 1-9 and explicit in the writings of John Dewey. HON-313 Perspectives on Friendship, Love, and Romance 3 hours Explores friendship, love, and romance from historical, theological, and philosophical perspectives. HON-314 A Philosophical View of Mathematics 3 hours Study and discussion of chance and chaos, the concept of math– ematical truth, the issue of incompleteness, doubt and uncertainty, the conflicting viewpoints of discovering and creating mathematical trnths, the use of mathematics in modeling the "real world", and the concept of infinity. HON-318 Aesthetics 3 hours Introduction to the study of aesthetics through an exploration of classical writings and the accounts of contemporary theorists, critics, and artists. HON-491 Honors Senior Seminar 1 hour Multicultural approach to great books of the Western tradition. HON-492 Honors Senior Seminar 1 hour Stresses the development of a Christian worldview in the midst of a pluralistic, secular society. HON-493 Honors Senior Seminar 1 hour The gospel and American popular culture. HON-495 Honors Senior Research Project 1-3 hours Resear-ch project in the student's major conducted under the direction of a department mentor.