Honors Colloquium: Foundations of Western Civilization Honors Colloquium: Elements of Human Culture and Expression Honors Colloquium: Ethics Honors Colloquium: Values and Traditi
Trang 1EXPLORING COMPLEXITY AND DIVERSITY COLLOQUIA
COURSE PROPOSAL
What is an Exploring Complexity and Diversity Colloquium course?
Honors colloquia are intimate seminar courses, typically with 15 or fewer students At the heart
of an Honors colloquium course is a focal question, some sort of thought-provoking inquiry
around which content and discussion should be based This question should be enduring and significant, the kind that has perplexed and engaged scholars through the ages, or has modern leaders grappling for solutions Is morality dependent on culture? What does it mean to be
“American”? How should the privacy of our information be maintained? The goal is to elicit
critical dialogue and encourage a rigorous approach to processing information Students should not only be introduced to foundational texts and sources that have shaped thinking on the focal question, but should also develop a capacity and propensity to approach new ideas and
information critically and creatively
Equally important is that the course be interdisciplinary in nature What does that mean, exactly? Interdisciplinarity requires an integration of ideas, a deliberate incorporation of sources,
methodologies, and insights from multiple disciplinary traditions It’s not enough to simply
broach a topic from multiple vantage points Knowledge from these various disciplines should be unpacked simultaneously, such that concepts and approaches mingle together in students’ minds as they address issues The thinking here is that the integration of multiple disciplinary perspectives will allow students to arrive at a deeper understanding of complex problems related
to the focal question of the course
For additional information, including characteristics and benefits of an Honors course and tips for putting together an interdisciplinary course, please visit our Honors HUB website
Which students will enroll in the course?
All Honors students must take at least two Exploring Complexity and Diversity Colloquia to fulfill their Honors requirements
Students typically take their colloquia courses sophomore year, though they can take them as early as second semester freshmen year It’s also entirely possible for juniors and seniors to enroll in the courses, as electives
Students are required to take one Foundation course as a prerequisite, which means they’ll have been exposed to certain foundational disciplinary methodology
Is a colloquium course the best fit?
If the course you’re envisioning is more foundational in nature, or if it’s more of a deep analysis into a particular subject matter rather than a broader interdisciplinary exploration, it may be better suited as a Foundations or Advanced Studies course On our website you’ll find a more detailed distinction between the types of Honors courses we offer, as well as the appropriate proposal form for each course
Submission Instructions
Submit electronically via email to Honors@cofc.edu and/or hardcopy via departmental mail to Honors College, 10 Green Way
Trang 2Honors Exploring Complexity and Diversity Colloquia Proposal Form
PROPOSAL INFORMATION
Name(s) and department(s) of faculty member(s) submitting proposal (more can be added as needed):
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Course Title:
Indicate preference for semester to be taught:
_ Fall (Year: ) Spring (Year: )
Indicate your top three preferred meetings times to teach this course (ex MWF 12:00-12:50) The Honors College will make every effort to schedule your course during a preferred
timeslot while still ensuring the course fits within the overall Honors schedule
1 2 3
If you are interested in teaching this course in subsequent years, please indicate frequency preference We encourage faculty to teach courses over multiple years, if possible
Every fall or spring
Every other fall or spring
Occasionally
Note: If you plan to apply for sabbatical or a similar opportunity during the upcoming academic
year, please consider carefully whether the timing is right to submit a proposal for an honors course Once we have selected courses, we rely on the availability of the submitting faculty member to teach the course
COLLOQUIA THEME
Trang 3Colloquia courses are meant to attract faculty from all disciplines across campus To ensure we’re offering a breadth of topics and asking diverse questions of our students, we categorize and track our colloquia courses using eight varied themes
Detailed descriptions of each theme can be found at the end of this application Thinking about
the focal question your course will explore, select one of the following categories for your
course In reality, most (if not all) interdisciplinary courses could fit into several of these
categories We’re looking for the best fit.
Honors Colloquium: Foundations of Western Civilization
Honors Colloquium: Elements of Human Culture and Expression
Honors Colloquium: Ethics
Honors Colloquium: Values and Traditions in the Nonwestern World
Honors Colloquium: History and Philosophy of Science
Honors Colloquium: Diversity and Sustainability
Honors Colloquium: Self, Other, and Society
Honors Colloquium: Inquiry, Discovery, and Innovation
COURSE DETAILS
Please type your answer(s) to each question in the corresponding space below.
Course Description: In order to evaluate proposed courses, please provide a short description
of the course that encapsulates the intent of the course and can be shared with department chairs and program directors to consider in their course of study **Since all colloquia courses are focused on a central and enduring question, please include your focal question(s) in your course description
Interdisciplinary Nature of Course: Please explain what makes this course interdisciplinary
(rather than cross-disciplinary) From what disciplines will the course material and/or teaching methodology draw? How will these be combined in the course?
Use of Primary Sources: All Honors colloquia courses draw on primary sources for foundational
information and core arguments Please include a list of potential primary or foundational
sources that will be used in the course
Written Assignments: Writing assignments should be a focus of the course and make up a
considerable part of the grade Please describe the types of writing assignments you plan to include in your course
Active Learning Approaches: All Honors colloquia courses are discussion-based and use a
variety of active learning approaches (e.g problem-based learning, group projects, student presentations, service learning and reflective writing) Please describe the potential types of active learning approaches you will use in the class
Trang 4Honors Nature of the Course: If there are any other characteristics of your course that
distinguish it as an honors course, please explain these briefly
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENT
The Honors College has three student learning outcomes that are required for colloquia courses These are included in the table below Please complete the table for each of these outcomes as appropriate for your course Additional course-specific or general education student learning outcomes should be detailed in section 4, as needed Additional information and resources on Honors SLOs can be found online at our Honors HUB
Student Learning Outcomes
What will students know and be able to do
when they complete the course?
Assessment Method and Performance Expected
How will each outcome be measured? Who will be assessed, when, and how often? What target for each outcome will be set?
It is possible that multiple SLO’s will be answered with the same or similar assignment
1 Demonstrate the ability to create and
communicate analytic arguments
supported by evidence
2 Evaluate complex issues using an
interdisciplinary perspective
3 Analyze and synthesize information
within
and/or across disciplines
4 Add any course specific or general
education
SLOs here
How does this course align with the student learning outcomes articulated for the major,
program, or general education? What program-level outcome or outcomes does it support? Is the content or skill introduced, reinforced, or demonstrated in this course?
SUSTAINABILITY-CENTERED COURSES (OPTIONAL)
If you think your course meets the requirements of a sustainability-centered course, please contact the College of Charleston’s Sustainability Literacy Institute for further information on course designations
Trang 5FACULTY SIGNATURE(S)
Please indicate your agreement to teach the course if selected by signing below
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STATEMENT FROM CHAIR
Each faculty member submitting this proposal should have his or her chairperson complete the Statement from Chair (template available below) verifying a workload plan to accommodate the faculty member’s release to teach the course and agreement that the course will be taught if selected
To: Department Chair
From: Trisha Folds-Bennett, Dean, Honors College
The faculty member indicated below has submitted a proposal to teach an Honors Engaging Complexity and Diversity Colloquia course In order to maintain the high level of active learning that is required of the students in these courses, they are capped at an enrollment of 19
students Before we consider the proposed course, we need to verify that you, as department chair, are willing to accommodate the request Please indicate below how you plan to handle any workload changes due to the faculty teaching an Honors course (e.g hiring an adjunct to cover the faculty member’s regular course; shifting faculty around to fulfill course needs) so that we are able to consider the institutional resources necessary to teach the course
Faculty member:
Department:
Course title:
Preferred Semester: Fall 20 _ Spring 20
Signature of Department Chair: Date: _
Thank you for providing a faculty member in your department the opportunity to teach in the Honors College
Trang 6APPENDIX: HONORS COLLOQUIA CATEGORIES
All Honors Colloquium courses are writing and reading intensive, discussion-based, and interdisciplinary in nature.
Please note that any of these colloquia may count towards general education credits
in humanities, social sciences or history
HONS 225 Honors Colloquium: Foundations of Western Civilization
Courses in this colloquium series relate the arts, literature, and philosophy of the Western world
to their political, social, and economic contexts By focusing on enduring questions or critical issues, students will engage in literature and perspectives from a cross-disciplinary perspective
to understand who we are
HONS 230 Honors Colloquium: Elements of Human Culture and Expression
Courses offered in this colloquium series will consider multidisciplinary approaches to enduring questions or critical issues in language, literacy, and cultural expression Creative fusions
between studies of fine arts, foreign languages, aesthetics, and composition will privilege
opportunities for experiential and applied learning Courses in this series may involve
collaborative work in peer and community contexts, and conversational, hands-on engagement with materials and techniques that help us to better understand cultural literacies and creative arts
HONS 235 Honors Colloquium: Ethics
Ethics is primarily concerned with questions about how humans ought to behave with respect to each other, non-human animals, and the environment This colloquium series will engage with enduring questions and critical issues in ethics, drawing on a number of fields within the
humanities and social sciences When possible, topics will include contemporary, emerging issues
HONS 240 Honors Colloquium: Values and Traditions in the Non-Western
Courses in this colloquium series explore the visions, values, and practices by which people of the non-Western world have shaped their life experiences By focusing on enduring questions or critical issues, students will engage in literature and perspectives from a diversity of disciplines
to understand the worldviews and traditions that are practiced in non-Western societies such as China, Japan, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa Students will explore the issues and themes central to the study of the non-Western world and its peoples
HONS 245 Honors Colloquium: History and Philosophy of Science
Science is deeply intertwined in both historical and philosophical thinking Many of the greatest scientific minds throughout the centuries were also philosophers In this colloquium series,
students will explore enduring questions as to how time, place, and context all impact scientific research, and how the role of philosophy has developed over time to delineate the boundary between science and pseudo-science
HONS 250 Honors Colloquium: Diversity and Sustainability
Courses in this colloquium series examine pressing 21st century problems related to the
intersection of social, economic, and environmental systems Given the complexity of 21st century problems, students will engage literature and perspectives from the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, public health, and other domains Students will make sense of and offer possible creative solutions to interlinked issues such as environmental institutional sexism and racism, climate change, biodiversity loss, the tragedy of the commons, inequitable
distribution of wealth, and queerphobia Students will discuss creative problem solving, systems
Trang 7thinking, analytical reasoning, and interdisciplinary thinking and how these may equip students
to advocate for resiliency and solutions to these problems
HONS 255 Honors Colloquium: Self, Other, and Society
Courses offered in this colloquium series will each address enduring questions or critical issues related to the role of the individual in society Drawing from diverse perspectives in the social sciences, humanities, and other disciplines, these courses address the range of factors –
genetics, physiology, neurology, personality, cognition, emotion, experience, context – that distinguish human beings and contribute to the unique beliefs, values, and behaviors that
characterize any given individual
HONS 260 Honors Colloquium: Inquiry, Discovery, and Innovation
Courses in this colloquium series will focus on the discovery of knowledge and its transformation into new insights and innovative ideas The current worldview of nature and reality is the result
of human curiosity, creativity, discovery and innovation A human drive for understanding the universe underlies the knowledge-generating, transformational process that is constantly at work
in our everyday lives These courses will encourage students to develop an interdisciplinary perspective on enduring questions or critical issues in math and science, work towards finding answers and innovations that allow for a greater understanding of the universe