HONS 225-01 Heritage, Identity and Diplomacy
Instructor(s): Laura Tedesco
MW 5:30-6:45 p.m.

Using frameworks from the disciplines of Anthropology, Archaeology, and International Relations, this course will explore concepts related to cultural heritage and how we shape our social and cultural identities. We’ll look at how the tangible remains and intangible traditions of the past influence how we conceive of ourselves in the present within communities, as modern nations, and as a global humanity.  Through selected case studies, we’ll consider the role of heritage as an engine of peace and a tool of domination and destruction. We’ll examine the ethical considerations of museum collections and who claims rights of ownership of cultural property in our globalized world.  We’ll also interrogate connections between cultural heritage preservation, diplomacy, foreign policy, and political authority.

HONS 227-01/02 – Foundations of Western Civilization Modern History: Russia in the World
Instructor: Irina Gigova
Section 01: MWF 8:00 – 8:50 a.m.
Section 02: MWF 9:00 – 9:50 a.m.

This course investigates how Russia, since the 1500s, has engaged with, rivaled, influenced and threatened peoples and countries in Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Africa. We use Russia in its stages of existence (Tsardom, Empire, a Soviet Republic, and a post-Soviet state) as a gateway to broader historical developments. Using scholarly literature and primary sources, we will talk about geography and environment, early-modern statehood and modern imperial expansion, westernization and modernization, nationalism and political ideologies, arts and culture, war and revolution, the global Cold War, and our contemporary times. As we study geo-politics over time, we will also consider the existence of a “national character” (historical patterns of state and national conduct).

This course counts towards the College's history general education requirement for the graduating Classes of 2025, 2026 and 2027.

HONS 230-01  Forgery, Destruction, Theft and Repatriation: Famous Cases of the Unstainable Art Markets
Instructor: Brooke Permenter
MWF 10-10:50 am

This course examines the negotiation of cultural heritage and wealth resulting from art forgery, destruction, theft, and repatriation. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, we will examine some of the most famous cases of art crime as a means of understanding the intersection of identity and economics in the art world. Regardless of the circumstances, changing a work of art’s cultural context changes its meaning. Given the associated risks, why do humans steal and destroy works of art? What are the advantages and disadvantages of cultural appropriation? How do we determine the necessity and processes for the restoration of artistic and cultural heritage

This is an interdisciplinary course that draws upon Art History, Historic and Cultural Preservation, International Studies, Political Science, Economics, Journalism, and Film Studies.

HONS 230-02 Religion, Ethics and Healthcare
Instructor: Jeremy Fisher
MW 4-5:15

This course is designed to examine the ethical principles that commonly guide healthcare decisions in a liberal, pluralistic society. In our discussions, we will critically analyze a variety of theoretical frameworks offered by contemporary ethicists, and explore debates about the implications of these principles within Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and humanistic traditions. Topics and case studies include: terminating life-sustaining treatment; suicide and assisted suicide; abortions and maternal-fetal relations; reproductive technologies (including cloning, the use of embryos and Stem Cell Research, and applied human genetics/genomics); using human subjects in research; justice and access to health care; and public health.

HONS 245-02 - (Mad) Scientists: From Faust to Fauci
Instructor: Joe Kelly & Rich Bodek
MW 3:25-4:40

We’ve had mad scientists even before we had science. Popular culture uses these figures to examine questions of human nature, morality, and the real and imagined limits of human potential. Is there a god? Are we that god? What, if anything, is the difference between what we can create and what we ought to allow ourselves to create? Is science value neutral, or ought it be subject to strict moral and ethical scrutiny? From even before Victor Frankenstein’s creature opened his eyes until today’s debate about the origins of atomic energy, weaponry, and more, the madness of science has been a central issue in cultural and political debate in the west. 

HONS 250-01 – The Climate is Changing so Why Aren’t We?
Instructor:  Kate Mullaugh
TR 3:05-4:20 pm 

Our climate is changing–why aren’t we? Despite decades of research about the risks of climate change to humanity, the recommendations of researchers have largely been ignored. Students in this course will investigate the technical, societal, economic and ethical obstacles to tackling climate change. We will discuss how capitalism, racism, energy infrastructure, politics, and the media can hinder the broad systematic changes climate change demands. Students will critically evaluate policies for their effectiveness in terms of not only the mitigation of climate change, but also increasing economic and social equity. The challenges presented by climate change are daunting, but students will be encouraged to find hope in the opportunities to reshape a more just and sustainable world.

HONS 255-01 Constructive Selves and Building Relationships
Instructor: Jenna Abetz
R 5:30-8:15

How do we make sense of who we are? What do we want from the close relationships in our lives? This course explores the intersection of culture and interpersonal relationships to understand how this interplay constructs our individual and relational identities. We will examine taken for granted assumptions about the study of relationships and relationship forms (e.g., gender, structural issues such as socio-economic status, the cult of romance) as well as important theories and trends through the use of arts-based research and creative case studies. Because the study of relationships is multidisciplinary, we will study perspectives from various fields, including communication, sociology, and psychology.

This course will also have an optional spring break study abroad trip to Costa Rica.

HONS 255-02 The Self as Story: Autobiography at the Intersection of Science, Culture, Philosophy, and Art
Instructor: Anton VanderZee
TR 1:40 – 2:55 p.m.

What is the self, and how has it been defined historically? And how do we conceive of the self in the today, and as we look to the digital future? How is the self-written, pictured, mythologized, transformed, and virtualized? This course will address these enduring questions, using the practice of contemporary autobiography as our focus. We will begin with a section on “investigations and methods” where we will examine ideas of selfhood across time and from different disciplinary perspectives and explore methodologies unique to the interdisciplinary field of autobiography and life-writing studies. The course will then proceed to a section on “models” where we read and discuss and write about a set of autobiographies with these investigations and methods in mind. The course will conclude with a final section focusing on “making” in which students will engage in a major research project in relation to autobiography.

HONS 260-01 Race, Gender, and the Body: The Politics of “Natural” Physical Traits
Instructor: Kelly Jakes
TR 12:15-1:40

This course introduces students to the idea of the body as a cultural construction and site of power formation. In recent years, the body has become increasingly significant across various disciplines, including Sociology, History, and Communication. Scholars from across these fields have shown that identity is constituted and performed through the body, and that the meanings that are ascribed to traits like skin color, hair, beauty, fitness, fatness/thinness, disability, etc. have changed over time. Despite their constructed nature, these meanings appear to us as “natural” and become central to our own sense of who we are. During the semester, we will contextualize these bodily assumptions within American history and critically engage their recirculation in our contemporary culture. We will ask how various social institutions (the media, medicine, capitalism, religion, etc.) have used bodily norms to discipline us to behave as ideal men and women, citizens, and consumers. We will also consider the body’s capacity to serve as a tool of resistance against these pressures.

HONS 260-02 – Astronomy & Literature
Instructor: Sharonah Fredrick
MW 3:25 – 4:40 p.m.

Astronomy and Literature: A Global View Given their respective views on the interconnected nature of apparently differing disciplines, Copernicus, Mayan astronomers, the Andean architects of Peru's Chankillo (the most ancient astronomic observatory in the Americas), Carl Sagan, and the 5th century Hypatia (the first female astronomer recorded in Egypt) would hardly have been surprised to discover how their findings have shaped the written and oral literature, as well as the art of the world's peoples. How does contemplating the stars and planets find expression in prose, music and painting across cultures? This course aims to answer that question—and others.

HONS 265-01 – Storytelling in the Age of AI
Instructor: Lancie Affonso
TR 10:50-12:05 p.m.

How do we tell compelling stories with our data? For thousands of years, storytelling has been an integral part of our humanity. The human drive for understanding the universe underlies the knowledge-generating, transformational process that is constantly at work in our everyday lives. Even in our “big data” digital age, stories continue to appeal to us just as much as they did to our ancient ancestors. Data visualization and storytelling with data changes the way we interact with data, transforming it from a dry collection of statistics to something that can be entertaining, engaging, thought-provoking, and even inspirational. In this interdisciplinary course, students will be introduced to the theory and practice of designing effective visualizations of data from multiple sources. A broad overview to the data visualization field will be provided, covering principles, methods, and techniques that are foundational to both information and scientific visualization. Students will learn how to detect and articulate the stories behind data sets and communicate data findings in visual, oral, and written contexts for various audiences.

Prerequisite(s): HONS 205 and permission of Instructor – please reach out to Professor Lancie Affonso at affonsol@cofc.edu for registration into this course.

This course counts towards the College's REI US general education requirement.

HONS 265-02 Knowing Where We Live: The College of Charleston’s Racial History and Its Legacy
Instructor: Valerie Frazier
MWF 2:00-2:50 p.m.

In this course, we will explore the history of desegregation at the College of Charleston and the tradition of black excellence among our CofC alumni.  We will look at the lives and careers of early CofC trailblazers such as Eddie Ganaway, Linda Dingle Gadson, Carrie Nesbit Gibbs, Vince Clark, Angela Brown, Gene Washington, Remus Harper, Arlinda Locklear, and Otto German, who were among the first to break the color barrier at the College of Charleston. To provide context for the CofC’s desegregation journey, we will also explore the CofC's connection to the culturally-rich Harleston Village, the neighborhood surrounding the CofC,  bounded by Broad Street, King Street, Calhoun Street, and the Ashley River. 

We will also learn about the Charleston Movement, which, through civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance, led to integration and reform in the city of Charleston. Important events which we will discuss will include the 1944 Avery student letter writing campaign to try to desegregate the College of Charleston,  the Burke Kress sit ins, the MUSC Hospital Strike, the Progressive School voting literacy efforts, etc. In the class, students will create their own specialized tours of the CofC, centered on one location that tells an untold story of our history.

This course counts towards the College's REI US general education requirement.

HONS 265-03 – Museums, Memory and Commemoration in Charleston
Instructors: Julia Eichelberger and Joanna Gilmore
TR 12:15 – 1:30 p.m.

Who owns the past? Museums and public monuments create powerful representations of the past, shaping public memory, identity, and shared visions of the future.  How have Lost Cause narratives impacted the interpretation of our city and surrounding plantation landscapes? How are writers, historians, artists, and activists reshaping public memory in 21st - century Charleston? In Charleston, we are surrounded by structures and landscapes that interpret our Nation’s history, so much of which has transpired beneath our feet.  During this interdisciplinary course, students will examine some of the ways Charleston’s writers, museums, monuments, and events have remembered and commemorated the city’s past. Led by faculty with expertise in museum studies, archaeology, literature, and Southern studies, students will participate in thought-provoking discussions inspired by literary depictions of Charleston’s past as well as site visits, archival research, and students’ own writing. As a final project, students will propose new forms of interpretation that will add texture to Charleston’s historical tapestry.

This course counts towards the College's REI US general education requirement.