Spring 2021 Honors College Courses - Written and Oral Communication Core

Spring 2021 Honors College Courses
                             Written and Oral Communication Core
HNR 102-001: Rhetoric, Argument, and the Law (Law and Legal Studies Learning Community)
TR 10:50 a.m.-12:05 p.m. (Online Synchronous)
Dr. Steven Weiss
Rhetoric, as a subject matter, was codified to give ordinary citizens in Ancient Greece the ability to
present arguments in law courts. The Romans systematized law, and turned the rhetorical practice over
to trained practitioners. A new profession was born—attorney. From that time forward the successful
legal advocate knew the law, was trained in rhetoric, and knew how to argue. All three areas of
expertise were essential for legal advocacy.
In this course we will examine the intersection of these three great pillars of jurisprudence. We will
learn about rhetoric and its origins in Greece at the time of continuous upheaval (the result of war and
conquest). We will examine how Rome developed the concept of legal representation where cases (and
the orations delivered on behalf of clients or the state) became the templates for all future forensic
oratory. We will look at how the Ciceronian model of advocacy re-emerged during the Renaissance.
And finally, we’ll study cases (from the Enlightenment to the present day) demonstrating the enduring
tradition of rhetoric and argument in law. The course will showcase some of the mast famous legal
cases in history, underscoring what important impacts rhetoric and argument made.

HNR 102-002: The Meaning of Life (Humans project and Social Justice and Community Learning
Community)
MWF 10:00-10:50 a.m.
Dr. Tonya Krouse
The fifteenth-century poet and orator George Herbert famously declared, “Living well is the best
revenge.” In the twenty-first century, somebody on the internet created the hashtag #lifegoals, a
shorthand way to indicate our aspirations for a life well lived. Throughout history, people have been
fascinated by trying to understand what life is and trying to articulate what gives life meaning. What
does it mean to live well, or, even, what counts as “life”? From the Ancient Greeks to the present day,
scholars, philosophers, scientists, technologists, and artists have pondered these questions. Not only
have they considered life as it connects to humanity and ethics – such as in debates about abortion, gun
control, and war – but also they have investigated life in the physical world, from the life of cells, to the
smallest organisms, and to the life of our planet and the universe. In this section of HNR 102, we will
focus our consideration of “the meaning of life” through the lenses of social justice, social responsibility,
activism, and investment in local communities. In particular, students will get to explore the City of
Newport, learning about the people who live there and the city that they inhabit. The course will
conclude with a final independent research project of the student’s own design.

HNR 102-003: The Meaning of Life
MWF 1:00-1:50 p.m.
Dr. Tonya Krouse
The fifteenth-century poet and orator George Herbert famously declared, “Living well is the best
revenge.” In the twenty-first century, somebody on the internet created the hashtag #lifegoals, a
shorthand way to indicate our aspirations for a life well lived. Throughout history, people have been
fascinated by trying to understand what life is and trying to articulate what gives life meaning. What
does it mean to live well, or, even, what counts as “life”? From the Ancient Greeks to the present day,
scholars, philosophers, scientists, technologists, and artists have pondered these questions. Not only
have they considered life as it connects to humanity and ethics – such as in debates about abortion, gun
control, and war – but also they have investigated life in the physical world, from the life of cells, to the
smallest organisms, and to the life of our planet and the universe. In this section of HNR 102, we will
explore the meaning of life from a variety of different viewpoints. The course will conclude with a final
independent research project of the student’s own design.

HNR 102-004: The Body as Fiction (Pre-Med Learning Community)
MWF 11:00-11:50 a.m.
Dr. Rachel Zlatkin
This course contemplates the body as an unstable text imagined and re-membered through creative
experimentation, scientific inquiry, and cultural representation: The fluid body changes over time due to
the critical, scientific, creative, and cultural lenses employed in understanding (and creating) “the body.”
The course therefore considers the body’s representation throughout history, and considers medical,
fictional, and visual representations of the body.
Specifically, students are introduced to pieces of medical literature from classical Greek treatises,
anatomy coloring books, and various editions of Gray’s Anatomy, to name a few. As our conversation
develops, we may focus on particular health issues within this larger historical and cultural context.
Students complete an interdisciplinary research project by integrating class materials alongside their
own research before crafting a “body” (of knowledge, not quite fiction) of their own design.

HNR 102.005: The Body as Fiction (Pre-Health Learning Community)
MWF 10:00-10:50 a.m.
Dr. Rachel Zlatkin
This course contemplates the body as an unstable text imagined and re-membered through creative
experimentation, scientific inquiry, and cultural representation: The fluid body changes over time due to
the critical, scientific, creative, and cultural lenses employed in understanding (and creating) “the body.”
The course therefore considers the body’s representation throughout history, and considers medical,
fictional, and visual representations of the body.
Specifically, students are introduced to pieces of medical literature from classical Greek treatises,
anatomy coloring books, and various editions of Gray’s Anatomy, to name a few. As our conversation
develops, we may focus on particular health issues within this larger historical and cultural context.
Students complete an interdisciplinary research project by integrating class materials alongside their
own research before crafting a “body” (of knowledge, not quite fiction) of their own design.

HNR 102-006: The End of the World as We Know It
MWF 2:00-2:50 p.m.
Dr. Rachel Zlatkin
Why are we, as a culture, so drawn to a world-wide, fiery end? How does such a moment pose a hopeful

beginning? This section of Honors 102, “It’s the End of the World as We Know It,” explores a range of
apocalyptic literature and film. As a class, we will consider what drives this fascination with the Alpha
and the Omega. Together we consider a story's message and audience, the historical and political
context, as well as the possibilities and problems residing in the text's reception today. We consider the
text’s interpretation inside a variety of disciplines, while retaining this appreciation of a story’s rhetorical
situation.
The title of this course, however, is also a play on what we mean by “research.” We will make a
conscious effort to consider how we ourselves construct knowledge and how we respond when we
meet the end of that knowledge. For example, while it is clear that a thought or idea cannot, in and of
itself, commit murder or inflict “the end,” a revelation fosters a cognitive shift that can only be
understood as both a beginning and an ending in the scholar’s knowledge, a portal from one realm of
understanding to the next. How we integrate that experience into our research process will be an open
discussion throughout the semester. In so doing, the course is also meant to address the rupture that
apocalyptic literature assumes inevitable.

HNR 102-007: Culture and Health (Nursing Learning Community)
TR 3:05-4:30 p.m.
Dr. Gannon Tagher
In this course we will investigate how different cultures view health and healthcare systems. The course
will look at the different medicinal practices used not only across the globe but in our own country as
well and if these practices promote or hinder becoming and staying healthy. We will explore how
understanding health and healthcare in different cultures enhances caring for patients and their families
as part of the healthcare team. Students will continue to explore the effects of Social Determinants of
Health and health disparities in different cultures, while incorporating new knowledge of the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a way to improve health outcomes.

HNR 102-008: Music and Power (Arts and Entertainment Learning Community)
MWF 1:00-1:50 p.m.
Dr. Leanne Wood
Identifying “good” music might seem to be a matter of taste, but politicians, theologians, and
philosophers have long contended that music influences our minds and bodies in powerful and
sometimes imperceptible ways. Ancient Greeks believed that the wrong kinds of music warped men’s
character; totalitarian governments regulate music that they regard as subversive; and military
personnel have even deployed music as a weapon. In this section of Honors 102, we will examine how
music has been deemed dangerous to listeners as well as how music can serve as a positive force for
political change, healing, and community building. Using both written texts and audio excerpts, we will
explore case studies in art and popular music, with particular emphasis on American music of the past
century. No prior musical experience is necessary.

HNR 102-009: Community Engagement in Over-the-Rhine (Social Justice and Community Research
Learning Community)
TR 12:15-1:30 p.m. (Online Synchronous)
Dr. Christopher Wilkey
This course invites students to explore Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, online and in a digital
setting. The courses focuses on community literacy and public engagement. Viewing community literacy
as the domain for literacy work that exists outside of mainstream educational and work institutions,
students in this course will engage in a community writing project that is mutually empowering,
knowledge generating, and publicly oriented—designed to inspire social change. Through this course,

students will learn to identify genuine community needs, develop or contribute to a socially relevant
community writing project, and apply research to specific community interests.

HNR 102-010: Contemplative & Inclusive Leadership (Leadership Learning Community)
TR 1:40-2:55 p.m. (Online Synchronous)
Dr. Nicole Dillard
An ideal leader is authentic, has integrity, is self- and other-aware, and acts with this awareness firmly in
mind. To develop in this leadership, one needs to be both contemplative and inclusive. Contemplative
leadership is using inner strength to find meaning, purpose and understanding of yourself, those around
you and the world. Inclusive leadership uses humility, empathy, and cultural intelligence to effectively
empower others around you.
This course explores your own development as a contemplative and inclusive leader. Together, we will
consider concepts such as contemplation, reflexivity, inclusion, diversity, mindfulness, emotional
intelligence, identity, cultural competency, bias, meditation and leadership development. The readings
will draw from multiple perspectives to help us address the following topics: how can contemplation and
inclusion help me towards my leadership goals of (1) becoming the best version of myself, (2) fostering
diverse and inclusive relationships with others and (3) contributing to positive social and cultural change
at NKU, in my community and in the world around me? In exploring these areas students will complete a
research project that combines both scholarship and practice with the goal of increasing their
knowledge and action towards contemplative and inclusive leadership.

HNR 102-011: Servant Leadership and Civic Engagement (Leadership Learning Community)
TR 10:50 a.m.-12:05 p.m. (Online Synchronous)
Dr. Megan Downing
Servant leaders put people before power, enriching individuals and, in so doing, building better
communities and organizations. This course will explore the servant leadership philosophy in context
with personal leadership development and community stewardship. Our class will also partner with the
Scripps Howard Center for Civic Engagement to complete a Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project
(MSPP). MSPP enriches the classroom experience, engaging students in course learning objectives
through a “learning by giving” experiential philanthropy process.

                                        Natural World Cohort
HNR 310-001: Science and Nature in National Parks
TR 1:40-2:55 p.m. (Online Synchronous)
David Kime
This course will look at the role of science in the preservation of nature in National Parks. Shared
readings and discussions will include the creation of national parks and the National Park Service (NPS),
the Antiquities Act and Wilderness Act and how these help preserve and protect ecologic resources,
evolving views of nature in the National Parks, and export of “America’s Best Idea” to countries around
the world. Possible guest speakers include interpretive rangers, cultural and/or ecologic resources
specialists, park research directors, and museum curators from a variety of national park sites across the
region and nation. Students will be trained in the basic principles of parkland interpretation and the NPS
Interpretive Process Model for creating interpretive products related to park resources. Projects will
include researching a scientific or natural resource or issue from a national park site, identifying a
scientific question related to this resource or issue and method for gathering data related to this

question, preparing a sample NPS research application for such project, and also developing an
interpretive plan for your resource or issue at your park.

HNR 311-001: Environment, Ecology, and Human Health
MWF 10:00-10:50 a.m. (Online Synchronous)
Dr. Allison Parker
This course will cover a range of topics related to how the environment affects human health. Focus will
be on the ecology of infectious diseases, including what are the organisms that cause infectious diseases
in humans, what factors contribute to their emergence, and the complexity of ecological processes that
can influence infectious disease exposure. A range of other topics will be covered, including the impacts
of global change, including climate change, on human well-being, the impacts of infectious disease on
human history, and the ecological, political and social ramifications of pandemics, and how to work with
communities from different cultures to control infectious disease spread - Just to name a few. Whether
you are interested in anthropology, sociology, ecology, epidemiology, or human medicine, this course
will cover topics that will interest you and help you develop your worldview.

                                           Society Cohort
HNR 220-001: Mental Memoir: Perspectives on Brain Illness and Injury
TR 9:25-10:40 a.m. (Online/ In-Person Hybrid)
Dr. Lauren Williamson
The experience of brain illness or brain injury is deeply personal and idiosyncratic. Neuroscience and
neurology, however, have attempted to define, and even generalize, the biological and psychological
processes underlying various types of brain illness and injury. In this course, we will read several
memoirs by people who have experienced or treated brain illness or injury, including Brain on Fire by
Susannah Cahalan, My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor, and Head Cases: Stories of Brain Injury and
Its Aftermath by Michael Paul Mason. Alongside these memoirs and others, we will identify the ways in
which we have medicalized mental illness, reinterpreted brain injuries and defined “neurotypical” in the
late 20th and early 21st centuries. You will complete an interdisciplinary research project by integrating
class materials alongside your own research.

HNR 320-001/ SPB 394-002: The Reds, Bengals, and FCC: Professional Sports in the Queen City
Tuesday 6:00-7:00 p.m. (Online Synchronous)
Thursday 10:50 a.m.-12:05 p.m. (In-Person)
Jennifer Gardner
Have you ever thought about what it would be like working in the front office of a professional sports
team? What about handling media requests on behalf of the players? Perhaps you have wondered what
it would be like to put sponsorship packages together, sell tickets, or even be a part of the grand
opening of a new stadium! Today sports virtually dominate American culture. From fantasy leagues,
Esports teams, and 24-hour a day news shows to business decisions and off-the-field troubles to the
games themselves, sports entertain Americans at the same time as they define American culture and
social norms. This course will take you on a journey of professional sports in our own region, closely
examining the three professional franchises, including the Reds, Bengals and FCC. We will begin with a
brief history of each sport and franchise, and further explore all facets of both the player and business
side of the organization. This course will also include a unique Tuesday evening community seminar that
will feature expert speakers related to the topic of the week, including guests from NKU faculty, team

representatives and community experts. Topics include team development and marketing strategies,
corporate sponsorships, event management, the role of agents, sports and the media, player personnel,
sports economics and much more.

                           Humanities and Global Viewpoints Cohort
HNR 230-001: Book Technology and the Reading Brain
TR 9:25-10:40 a.m. (Online Synchronous)
Dr. Tamara O’Callaghan
The advent of digital communications has prompted questions about how change in the technology of
the book affects authors, readership, intellectual property, the business of publishing, and even the
reading process itself. This course introduces students to topics such as orality and writing systems;
book production from wax tablet to medieval manuscript to printed page to digital interface; the
development of printing; the concept of authorship; copyright; censorship; the economics of book
production and distribution; libraries and the organization of information; print in other formats
(comics/graphic novels, newspapers, magazines, advertisements, etc.); readership; and the
neuroscience of reading. Students will explore how “book” technologies influence, and are influenced
by, diverse cultures and how reading communities form, transform, and perpetuate themselves.

HNR 330-001/ ENG 380-001: Dickinson and the Arts
TR 12:15-1:30 p.m. (Online Synchronous)
Dr. Robert Wallace
Emily Dickinson is now recognized as one of the greatest poets in the English language. Her artistry
thrived in spite of social distancing. Her poems have inspired a remarkable body of work by visual artists
and composers, many of them alive today. Our primary literary text will be Dickinson’s Complete Poems,
supplemented by other resources in print and on the web. Our study of visual art will include Language
as Object: Emily Dickinson and Contemporary Art. Our study of music inspired by Dickinson will range
from songs composed by Aaron Copland in 1950 to those composed by Jake Heggie in 2015. Our third
text will be I Took My Power in My Hand: NKU Students Create Emily Dickinson Art, the catalog for the
2015 exhibition featuring artwork created by students in our own English and Honors classes between
1998 and 2014. For the individual projects at the end of the semester, students will have the option of
writing a research paper or creating your own artistic response to Dickinson in the medium of your
choice. Earlier assignments will include a mixture of discussion boards, papers, and online
presentations.

HNR 330-002: Affrilachian Literature
M 4:30-7:15 p.m. (Online Synchronous)
Dr. Kristine Yohe
In this course, we will read, discuss, and write about fiction and poetry by the most influential and
accomplished members of the Affrilachian Poets (AP), including founding members Frank X Walker,
Nikky Finney, Crystal Wilkinson, and Kelly Norman Ellis. We’ll also consider works by newer members of
the AP collective, Bianca Lynne Spriggs and Keith S. Wilson (Wilson is an NKU English B.A. alumnus).
Most or all of these writers will visit us via Zoom. We will investigate the layers in the term “Affrilachian”
from its origins almost 30 years ago, when Frank X Walker invented it—fusing “African” with
“Appalachian”—up to the present day when APs have expanded to include others in the wider region.
We will examine how their works of literature embrace the mantras of the APs: “making the invisible

visible” and “lending voice to the voiceless,” while they engage with seminal themes of family, cultural
history, social justice, rootedness in place, and more. Class members will write literary analyses and
make presentations, and they will create culminating final projects that embody a diverse range of
forms and approaches.

HNR 331-002: Myth and Music
MWF 10:00-10:50 a.m. (Online synchronous)
Dr. Leanne Wood
"A myth,” wrote psychologist Rollo May, “is a way of making sense in a senseless world. Myths are
narrative patterns that give significance to our existence.” Myths communicate universal themes and
values and have been a frequent resource for musical expression. Retellings of myths through songs,
instrumental music, dance, and musical theater cater to specific audiences and cultural frameworks;
they reveal both what music meant and how myths were used at particular moments. In this course we
will study musical adaptations of myths from an array of world cultures both past and present. We will
explore how music shapes myth, how people modify myths to suit their needs, and how retelling myths
through music can help us make sense of our own cultural moment.

                                       Special Topics Courses
HNR 307-001/ POP 394-001: Jazz in Film
Tuesday 1:40 (Online Synchronous)
Thursday (Online Asynchronous)
Dr. Steven Weiss
The histories of jazz and film have been intertwined ever since the rise of the two art forms (toward the
end of the nineteenth century). As technology advanced in the twentieth century film and jazz moved
forward (often together) as potent elements of the popular culture. This course examines the myriad
ways in which the jazz and film worlds collide. In particular the course will look at how film portrays jazz
(and jazz musicians), as well as the supporting (and sometimes central) role jazz plays in film. The
course will confront issues of race, gender, and lifestyle (including addiction). Focusing in on the discrete
ways that jazz and film connect will lead to:
     Documentaries about Jazz and Jazz Musicians
     Biopics of Famous Jazz Musicians
     Films in which the story is about jazz/jazz musicians
     Films in which jazz scores/soundtracks are essential
     Concert Films
We will also learn how film can misrepresent (and misinterpret) jazz, as well as how jazz as music may
not always lend itself to the medium of film.