Fredonia Foundations Honors-Only Sections
The following courses are restricted to students admitted to the Fredonia Honors Program.
ENGL 275: Black Women Writers (Section HR)
- Fredonia Foundations: 23FFC: DEISJ; 23FFT: Creativity & Innovation
- Dr. Saundra Liggins
- 100% asynchronous (CRN: 17141); 23 seats
Course description: In this course, we will read works by Black women in a variety of genres, spanning the 18th century through the present day, exploring how they interpreted their own worlds and how their voices still shape the way we see our world today.
Class materials:
Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower
Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God
Melba Pattillo Beals, Warriors Don’t Cry
Supplemental readings on FREDLearn (no additional cost)
Assignments: reading quizzes; reflection, analytical, and creative writing assignments; multimedia presentation.
HIST 170: American Pasts: The Ancients and the American Founders (Section HR)
- Fredonia Foundations: 23FFC: U.S. History & Civic Engagement; 23FFT: Critical Thinking & Reason
- FFC: American History; FFT: Critical Thinking & Analysis
- Dr. Mary Beth Sievens
- Face-to-face: MWF 11:00 a.m.–11:50 a.m. (CRN: 17163); 26 seats
- Thompson Hall E327
Course description: American Pasts: The Ancients and the American Founders will explore the multifaceted connections between the political ideas of the ancient Greeks and Romans and those of the American Founders (the political leaders who created the Constitution and led the early U.S. government). The Founders were avid students of Greek and Roman history and political thought, from which they took basic concepts regarding democracy, republican government, civic virtue, the dangers of tyranny, the pursuit of happiness, and the very structure of the United States government. We will study ancient authors such as Thucydides, Aristotle, and Sallust, focusing on the ideas they contributed to the thinking of James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, and other American Founders. We also will examine how the Founders put these ideas into practice as they crafted the U.S. Constitution and led the government it created.
Class materials:
Carl J. Richard, Greeks and Romans Bearing Gifts: How the Ancients Inspired the Founding Fathers (Rowman & Littlefield, 2008)
Jeffrey Rosen, The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America (Simon & Schuster, 2024)
Assignments: weekly discussions and primary source analyses; reflection and/or analytical papers; final course project
MUED 251: Psychology and Sociology in Music Education (Section HR)
- Fredonia Foundations: 23FFC: Social Sciences; 23FFT: Critical Thinking & Reasoning
- FFC: Social Sciences; FFT: Critical Thinking & Analysis
- Dr. Rick Webb
- Face-to-Face: MWF 12:00–12:50 p.m. (CRN: 12827); 20 seats
- Mason Hall 1022
- NOTE: This course is open only to Honors students majoring in Music Education.
Course description: Study basic principles of educational psychology and sociology with regard to adolescent learning, including processes, motivation, communication, and classroom management. Study the special education process and state and federal special education laws and regulations. Introduction to research-validated instructional strategies for teaching students within the full range of abilities in music. Study the rights and responsibilities of teachers, staff, students, parents, community members, school administrators, and others regarding education, and the importance of productive relationships and interactions among the school, home, and community for enhancing student learning. Learning experiences will provide students with opportunities to locate information effectively using tools appropriate to their needs and discipline, and to evaluate information with an awareness of reliability, validity, and bias.
Class materials: TBD
Assignments: small group presentations; weekly notes; in-class assessments; reflections; final group projects; in-class small group activities
PSY 129: Foundations of Psychology (Section HR)
- Fredonia Foundations: 23FFC: Social Sciences; 23FFT: Critical Thinking & Reason
- FFC: Social Sciences; FFT: Critical Thinking & Analysis
- Thuy B. Karafa
- Face-to-Face: MWF 1:00–1:50 p.m. (CRN: 14350); 26 seats
- Thompson Hall E347 (subject to change)
Course description: Introductory psychology is an overview of the major areas in psychology such as learning, personality, social behavior, biological psychology, and sociocultural psychology. It highlights the history of psychology, scientific methods applied in the laboratory and in the field, and theories that guide much of psychological research. To understand, explain, and explore individual behaviors in self and others, this course will examine the main areas that influence behaviors such as brain development, drugs, environment, culture, and peer groups. This course will help students to critically analyze psychological topics that are relevant and affect their lives and others.
Class materials: TBD
Assignments: weekly notes; weekly online quizzes; three critical analysis essays (1–2 pages in length); in-class small group activities; out-of-class semester group project; self-improvement; and class presentation
SPAN 110: Essential Spanish (Section HR)
- Fredonia Foundations 23FFC: World Languages; 23FFT: Global Perspectives
- FFC: Foreign Language; FFT: Global Perspectives & Diversity
- Dr. Juan De Urda
- Face-to-Face: TR 9:30–10:50 a.m. [This is a Tuesday/Thursday class that meets twice a week] (CRN: 14714); 22 seats
- Thompson Hall E316
Prerequisites:
Undergraduate level SPAN 100 Minimum Grade of D- or
Spanish Lang Placement Score 2 or
Spanish Lang Placement Score 3 or
Undergraduate level SPAN 115 Minimum Grade of D-
Course description: Students develop essential communicative skills and cultural awareness necessary in order to interact with people from that culture, whether it is in their home country or in the United States. In order to take this course, students must have scored a level 2 or 3 in the approved placement test or have taken the introductory course, SPAN 100, at Fredonia.
Class materials: Alma D. Mejía Bonilla, et al., Introductory Spanish (I). Lumen. This is an OER textbook, which you can use at no cost. The book is embedded on FredLearn and will be available to you once you join the class. For more information, see this link to textbooks details: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-spanish1-2/.
Assignments: regular online homework and quizzes; cultural assignments; conversations; attendance; and participation
Scroll down for upper-level Honors seminars.
Upper-Level Honors Seminars, Internships, and Learning Contracts
The following courses are restricted to students admitted to the Fredonia Honors Program. There may be additional restrictions placed on each course.
HONR 301: Romantic Anti-Hero in Literature and Music (Section 01)
- Upper-Level Honors Seminar: The Arts
- Dr. Michael Markham
- Face-to-Face: TR 12:30–1:50 p.m. (CRN: 17393); 26 seats
- Mason 2140 (subject to change)
Course description: The course focuses on iconic literary antiheroes that have worked their way into music from roughly 1789 to 1945. From the literary side, we will address changing attitudes toward the antihero/charismatic villain across the Romantic and Modern eras. We will discuss the literary prototypes of the antihero from Milton’s Satan in Paradise Lost, Goethe’s “Prometheus,” Byron’s Manfred, and the Faust figure, to later figures such as Shelley’s Frankenstein and Wilde’s Salome, and contemporary versions of those same character types in film and other modern media today. The second component of the course is musical. By comparing literary and musical versions of this character type, we will develop a vocabulary for hearing and analyzing the dramatic features of musical masterworks from Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony, Liszt’s Faust Symphony, Chopin’s First Ballade, Mahler’s orchestral songs, Berg’s Wozzeck, and Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes.
Class materials: There is no textbook or other materials to purchase. All materials, including music and opera productions, will be made available online.
Assignments: weekly graded discussions of either literary or musical works or of both. Readings will provide some historical context, but the assigned work is very much interpretive and will include situating Romantic literary characters in their historical context, in the modern context, and parsing the music through close listening and non-music-theory–based observations.
HONR 302: Icelandic Noir: Crime, Fiction, and Film (Section 01)
- Upper-Level Honors Seminar: The Human Experience
- Dr. Ici Vanwesenbeeck
- Face-to-Face: TR 11:00 a.m.-12:20 p.m. (CRN: 16747); 26 seats
- Fenton Hall 166
Course description: The course offers an in-depth study of Icelandic Noir and offers two broad thematic approaches. The first is "Setting and Landscape" and the second is "Conflict between Modernity and Tradition." Among other themes, we will examine representations in Icelandic crime fiction and films of angst about globalism and foreign-funded energy industry; human rights and immigration laws; and ancestry and genetic research.
Class materials: selection of Icelandic crime series, films, and fiction (various titles available through library databases); articles, book chapters, interviews (distributed by the professor), and supplemental media
Assignments: six response papers (500–750 words each); discussion lead; poster project; traditional research project (creative or scholarly)
HONR 303: AI and Society (Section 01)
- Upper-Level Honors Seminar: Social Science
- Dr. Reneta Barneva
- Face-to-Face: Thursday 3:30-5:50 p.m.; (CRN: 17172); 26 seats
- Thompson Hall E347
Course description: The course explores the transformative impact of artificial intelligence across cultural, economic, ethical, and political domains. Students will examine how AI shapes human behavior, transforms the way people work, and challenges existing norms. Through interdisciplinary perspectives, the course encourages critical reflection on both the promises and perils of intelligent systems. It prepares students to engage thoughtfully with AI’s evolving role in society. No preliminary technical knowledge is necessary for this course.
Class materials: No textbooks or materials are required for purchase for this course.
Assignments: weekly reflections; three presentations; an AI online certification; a final paper
HONR 305: Conflict in Hispanic Cinema (Section 01)
- Upper-Level Honors Seminar: The Human Past
- Dr. Juan De Urda
- Face-to-face: TR 2:00-3:20 p.m. (CRN: 17173); 26 seats
- Thompson Hall E359
Course description: The course will focus on different conflicts in which Hispanic countries were involved—mostly but not only political or military conflicts. We will watch movies depicting these power relationships and use them as a springboard to learn more about the society and history of the relevant countries. In that way, we will go through an overview of the history and cultures of Hispanic countries. Films will also be discussed as cultural products reflecting the society of their time and all the complexity of sociopolitical, cultural, and political issues in those regions and countries. Films will be watched in the original language with subtitles in English to make the cultural experience more complete.
Class materials: No textbook will be used in this class. We will primarily rely on class discussions about the movies and student presentations. Students will have some materials posted on FREDLearn.
Assignments: movie journals; two reflective essays; presentations; attendance; and participation
HONR 490: Honors Internship (Section 01)
- Applied-Learning Experience (may substitute for an Honors course with an Honors Program Learning contract)
- Dr. Natalie Gerber
- Modality and credits variable (2-3); (CRN: 16751); 5 seats
Course description: Upper-level experiential learning opportunity through on- or off-campus placements. Nature of work will vary from placement to placement. This course is generally reserved for Honors Program members and students are responsible for finding and negotiating their own placement. Enrollment requires students to consult with the Honors Program Director and the Career Development Office to complete a Learning Contract in accordance with college guidelines before the start of the internship.
Class materials: n/a
Assignments: TBD via a CDO learning contract and an Honors learning contract
- Honors Community & Event Planning Intern - https://fredonia.joinhandshake.com/jobs/5548781/share_preview
- Photo/Video & Website Content Development Intern - https://fredonia.joinhandshake.com/jobs/5548772/share_preview
- Social Media Intern - https://fredonia.joinhandshake.com/jobs/5548765/share_preview
- Honors Music Community Building Intern (description to come)
Students may opt to pursue an applied-learning project (minimum 2 credits) in place of any one course that is part of the program requirements. This applied-learning project could be a directed study, field experience, learning assistantship, internship, service-learning project, study-abroad experience and/or volunteer project. Students must consult with the program director prior to the experience both to set up an Honors Program Learning Contract and to arrange to receive credit. See this presentation for further information.