University of St. Thomas

 

Honors Seminars J-Term and Spring Semester 2010

 

 

 

 

J-Term 2010

 

IDSC 480-01 (CRN 10198)       Film & Music

J-Term 2010 – M & W 9:00am-12:00 noon     BEC 110

This course explores the connection between film and its nearly constant partner, music. These two art forms interact in ways that are unique in the twin arts of movie image and music performance.

 

 

 

 

Spring 2010

 

IDSC 480-1 (CRN 22927)         Ethics.com

Spring 2010 – M 2:55-4:35pm    JRC 481

As many of us shift from downloading content from established, vetted web sites (say, reading an article in The New York Times online) to uploading content onto our own sites (say, adding photos to a Facebook page or putting comments on a site such as ratemyprofessors.com), ethical questions about responsibility for content also shift.  Well-established media organizations and information sources have long-tested codes of ethics and professional standards, but social networking sites on the internet do not.  They contain content that may invade privacy, harm reputation or spread untruths.  Who should be ethically responsible for content uploaded by web users?  The users themselves?  The internet service providers?  The audiences who encounter the content?  Are there limits to each of these parties’ ethical responsibilities for content?  This course will examine such questions in the context of applied ethical theory and professional ethics codes and standards of the media, communication and technology professions.

 

IDSC 480-2 (CRN 22928)         Media Constructions

Spring 2010 – R 8:00-9:40am     OEC 307

The HBO television show The Wire has been met with critical acclaim for its graphic portrayal of urban problems.  This seminar will use episodes of The Wire as a point of departure for an examination of urban issues related to drug markets, violence, race, and poverty as well as the institutions that deal with them.  It also will address the power of the media themselves to shape the public’s perceptions about the world and how to critically evaluate media imagery.  Prerequisite:  permission of the instructor.

 

 

IDSC 480-3 (CRN 22929)         Mindfulness

Spring 2010 – T 9:55-11:35am    OEC 319

This seminar will investigate Eastern and Western approaches to mindfulness.  In the East,
mindfulness or awareness refers to a state of mind associated with wisdom and insight and there
are various forms of meditational practices that help develop this state of mind.  In the West,
mindfulness is associated with the scientific study of the mind and consciousness and the
possible benefits of mindfulness for one’s physical and mental health.

 

 

IDSC 480-5 (CRN 22931)         World Music

Spring 2010 – M 2:55-4:35pm     OEC 311

This course will analyze how the histories and cultures of various societies in the world use music in their cultural contexts or as rituals, and contrast it with the Western perspective of music as a cultural product, or as entertainment.

 

 

IDSC 480-7 (CRN 22936)         Sustainability

Spring 2010 – W 2:55-4:35pm     MHC 160A

This course examines both theory and cases in Jared Diamond’s book Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. Eleven cases are studied, with an eye to whether or not those societies are sustainable: Montana, Easter Island, Pitcairn and Henderson Islands, the Anasazi, Maya, Vikings, New Guinea, Rwanda, Hispañola, China, and Australia.

 

IDSC 480-06 (CRN 20371)       Foreign Experience

Spring 2010 – R 5:15-6:45pm  MHC 160A

This seminar gives Aquinas Scholars who study abroad the opportunity to 1) examine ways of approaching, understanding, and articulating the impact of foreign experience; 2) practice the techniques of observation, exploration, and self-reflection exemplified in the materials studied; and 3) communicate the particular discoveries that resulted from their experience abroad.

Please note:  You must begin your work in the seminar before going abroad, and you must reserve the Thursday 5:15–6:45 class times both before and after your study abroad semester or year.  The spring meetings of the Foreign Experience Seminar will be on April 8, 15, 22, and 29.  However, you don’t register for The Foreign Experience seminar until you register for other courses to be taken the semester you return to St. Thomas.

 

 

IDSC 480-8 (CRN 22932)         Irish Catholic Experience

Spring 2010 – T 1:30-3:10pm     MHC 160A

This interdisciplinary course will examine the varied experiences of Irish and Irish-American Catholics using historical, literary, sociological, political and theological sources. Students will reflect on the defining characteristics and expressions of this experience.

 

 

IDSC 480-9 (CRN 22933)         Will & Grace

Spring 2010 – M 2:55-4:35pm     MHC 160A

What does it mean for human beings to have free will?  What does talk of God's grace, providence, and foreknowledge mean?  Is free will compatible with God's grace, providence, and foreknowledge?  Through reading, writing, and conversation, students will wrestle with these thorny questions as they arise in Scripture and in Theological and Philosophical discussions.

 

 

IDSC 480-10 (CRN 22934)       Nudging

Spring 2010 – T 3:25-5:00pm     OEC 212

People are constantly faced with decisions, ranging from trivial choices of what to eat for dinner to
more weighty ones like how to best save and invest for retirement.  Economists generally assume
that in the long run, people are rational, self-interested decision makers who will choose a way that
will maximize utility and serve their best interest.  Psychological research has cast serious doubt on
these simplifying assumptions, and revealed that people often make decisions that might be
characterized as “irrational.” What are the implications for public policy?  Might it be
possible to take advantage of people’s decision-making biases and errors to

manipulate people’s decisions for the better?  This seminar will provide an overview

of behavioral economics and visit some of its possible implications for public policy.

 

 

IDSC 480-11 (CRN 22935)       Energy

Spring 2010 – R 9:55-11:35am     OEC 319

This seminar will be divided into two parts, the first being a detailed examination of the nature and characteristics of the current energy system.  This will include an examination of the sources of both liquid fuels and electricity; various aspects of the physical processes of extraction, transportation, refining, and distribution; and the environmental and social consequences of a continued dependency on fossil fuels.  A number of case studies will be used to illustrate these features, including uranium mining in the Southwestern portion of the United States; tar sands oil development in Alberta and the American west; large-scale hydro development in Canada, India, and China; and mountaintop removal in Appalachia.

 

The second part of the seminar will examine the possibilities for a more sensible and sustainable energy future.  Discussion will focus on alternatives to the petroleum economy, including the development of a variety of biofuels; land-use planning and the redesign of urban areas; and alternative vehicle designs.  Students will also discuss alternatives to the central-station system of electrical generation, including wind, solar, and geothermal systems; the potential impact of conservation and energy-efficiency programs; and the social implications of  distributed or community energy systems.