Courses

A mini-course focused on a specific topic, usually a single book, that provides the basis for a critical exploration of emerging intellectual ideas in science, math, the humanities, or social sciences; global/local socio-economic challenges; historical issues; or trends in art and/or music.

Spring Semester information

200A: Honor Scholar Reading Course:Alain de Botton, The Consolations of Philosophy

This HONR 200 Reading Course will focus on Alain de Botton's The Consolations of Philosophy, a book that I love, partly because it reviews the central ideas of a handful of provocative Western philosophers, but also because it invites me to read philosophy -- and other sorts of art -- in a new way. Philosophy, de Botton argues, can give us advice about how to live. He turns to Socrates in chapter one to figure out how to cope with being unpopular; he consoles himself for being inadequate by reading what irreverent Michel de Montaigne has to say about social norms, bodily functions, and daily life. During our short seminar, we'll discuss the work of six philosophers as presented in de Botton's humorous and incisive essays. Along the way, each of us will consider the artists to whom we turn when we seek solace for life's hardships and anxieties. We'll have fun with this, moving beyond Western philosophy to consider, for example, children's books, seriously strange films, art exhibits, and novels we love.

200B: Honor Scholar Reading Course:Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn and Percival Everett, James: A Novel

Percival Everett's acclaimed 2024 novel James re-imagines the controversial classic Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In doing so, he not only revises Mark Twain's famous story about a journey through the heart of the country, but also re-visions the story of race and slavery and their legacy in American life. In discussing the two books together, we will test the power of fiction, new and old, as a tool for sorting through moral choices, questioning assumptions, and imagining alternative possibilities.

200C: Honor Scholar Reading Course:John Milton, Paradise Lost

The very first line of John Milton's celebrated epic _Paradise Lost_, which he wrote in 1667, includes the word "disobedience," and it ends (spoiler alert!) with Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden. Reading _all_ of _Paradise Lost_, not just the excerpts you might encounter in a survey course, earns you bragging rights and can be a highlight of your liberal arts education. More than that, though, _Paradise Lost_ has _everything_ that we are still talking about today, from the questions of what is evil (and why Satan may be the most interesting character) to the role of Eve in contemporary discourse about gender, to religious conflicts and even the nature of free will. We will read about two of the twelve "books" of _Paradise Lost_ per class session. Students will each give a presentation and will complete a final scholarly or creative project at the end of the course.

200D: Honor Scholar Reading Course:Alice Markham-Cantor, The Once and Future Witch Hunt

Over the centuries, the witchcraft trials at Salem MA in 1692 have inspired ongoing scholarly exploration as people struggle to understand how such deadly hysteria could pervade a supposedly rational society. This course considers a new approach by author Alice Markham-Cantor, whose ancestor Martha Carrier, was executed in Salem of 1692. The author examines the major figures involved in the witch hunt, considers various theories about the impetus of the hysteria, and considers "witch hunts"; that have occurred since Salem. Class session will include discussion, use of archival records, in-class readings, and student presentations.

200E: Honor Scholar Reading Course:Bethany Klein, Selling Out: Culture, Commerce and Popular Music

This HONR reading course introduces students to the boundaries between culture and commerce through the lens of music. The readings will prompt us to grapple with and ask questions about authenticity, success, and the commercialization of culture. This text and course will appeal to students interested in the creative arts and media.

200F: Honor Scholar Reading Course:Shannon Steen, The Creativity Complex: Art, Tech, and the Seduction of an Idea

This course marks the launch of DePauw's Creative School by exploring the ways in which our understandings and uses of the term "creativity" have changed up to the present moment. Taking Shannon Steen's THE CREATIVITY COMPLEX: ART, TECH, AND THE SEDUCTION OF AN IDEA as its text, the course will explore what "creativity" has meant and currently means in a variety of academic disciplines and professional fields, as well as in social, political, cultural, and economic contexts. We will discuss how the concept of creativity has been deployed in and beyond the arts in areas including health and wellness, technology, education, and more. We will also examine the impact of such deployments and how we might (or might not) rethink current and prevailing uses of the term.

Fall Semester information

200A: Honor Scholar Reading Course:The Art of Losing by Alice Zenite

This course explores memory, exile, and identity through Alice Zenite's The Art of Losing, a novel that follows a family's journey across generations from Algeria to France. Through the lens of Francophone literature and cultural narratives, students will examine how colonial legacies, migration, and historical silence shape personal and collective memory. Discussions will focus on how the novel engages with broader questions of belonging, loss, and the ways in which the past continues to shape the present.

200B: Honor Scholar Reading Course:Ours to Explore: Privilege, Power and the Paradox of Voluntourism by Pippa Biddle

Voluntourism, the practice of blending travel with volunteer work, often in low--or medium-income countries, has sparked considerable debate about whether it benefits or harms the communities receiving assistance. This course will explore the dangers and the advantages of voluntourism and volunteerism. We will clarify the differences between voluntourism and volunteerism, and investigate the ethics associated with voluntourism. To better understand the origins of voluntourism, we will examine the history of inequalities, particularly in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Following this, we will explore the growth of the volunteer industry and its objectives, and discuss the ethical concerns related to voluntourism. One crucial question we aim to answer is: How can we transform good intentions into actions that create meaningful change?

200C: Honor Scholar Reading Course:How Technologies of Connection Tear Us Apart by Nicholas Carr

In an era defined by unprecedented connectivity, we often assume that more information equates to greater understanding. Yet, Nicholas Carr's "Superbloom" challenges this prevailing narrative, arguing that the relentless surge of digital communication breeds confusion, erodes empathy, and amplifies our worst instincts. This honors course will engage in a critical exploration of Carr's thesis, examining the psychological and societal consequences of our hyper-connected world.

200D: Honor Scholar Reading Course:Seeing like a State by James Scott

Why do well-intentioned, well-funded, mega plans to improve the human condition go wrong? In this modern classic work in Political Science, James Scott draws on cases as varied as forestry, taxation, census and city planning to make an argument for the value of multiple perspectives. As we read and discuss the book, we will turn to contemporary debates and policies about improving 'government efficiency' and see how we can apply the book's insights to projects that aim to solve complex issues such as immigration, currency management, and corruption.