The Honors Program
Washington College offers a variety of challenging courses designed to widen the intellectual perspectives of honors-caliber students. Lower-division courses are usually formulated as honors sections of existing courses; upper-division courses frequently are cross-disciplinary courses.
Entering first-year students need to have a high school GPA of at least 3.5, or the permission of the instructor, to enroll in honors courses. All other students must have a college GPA of at least 3.4, or permission of the instructor, to register for such courses.
The following Honors classes were offered in recent years. For Honors classes during academic year 2007-2008 please consult the course schedule.
ANT 105 90. Introduction to Anthropology
This course will focus on anthropological perspectives of the human condition and provide students with an introduction to the fundamental concepts, methods, and theories of the discipline of cultural anthropology. Readings by professional anthropologists will present students with a variety of viewpoints and an awareness of some of the controversial issues in the field. This course is centered on four research projects that will provide honors students with the opportunity to learn some of the elementary skills of qualitative research, a ritual analysis, analysis of a workplace, analysis of a family, and an oral history of an immigrant. For each of these projects students will interview informants, do participant observation, and interpret their data within a theoretical framework of cultural anthropology.
ART 405 90. Rembrandt
This course, which has as its subject the life and art of Rembrandt van Rijn (1606- 69), not only opens a window onto the culture of the Netherlands in the seventeenth century, but also serves as an introduction to the methodology of art history, from the scientific examination of paintings to theories of interpretation, for few artists raise so many fundamental issues as to what it is we do as art historians—indeed resist traditional methods of interpretation—as does Rembrandt.
The format of the course is that of a seminar, with students giving presentations, aimed at honing their ability not only to tackle tough art historical questions but also to articulate their ideas in both oral and written forms. McColl
BIO 111 90. General Biology
An introduction to living systems. Topics studied include biomolecules, cell structure and function, metabolism, genetics, and molecular biology. Lectures on selected topics will be supplemented with problembased learning opportunities as well as discussions of current events and selected papers from recent scientific literature.
The laboratory complements the lecture and provides an introduction to experimentation and communication of experimental results. Students also conduct an independent research project. Opportunities to attend research presentations and visit outside research facilities are provided.
This course will be limited to an enrollment of 16. BIO 111 is designed for students with a strong interest in the biological sciences and is a prerequisite for upper-level biology courses. Verville
BIO 112 90. General Biology
An introduction to living systems. Topics studied include diversity of life, physiology of plants and animals, evolution, and ecology. Lectures on selected topics will be supplemented with problem-based learning opportunities as well as discussions of current events and selected papers from recent scientific literature.
The laboratory complements the lecture and provides an introduction to experimentation and communication of experimental results. Students also conduct an independent research project. Opportunities to attend research presentations and visit outside research facilities are provided.
This course will be limited to an enrollment of 16. BIO 11 2 is designed for students with a strong interest in the biological sciences and is a prerequisite for upper-level biology courses. Prerequisite: Biology 111. Ford
BUS 302 90. Organizational Behavior
Multidisciplinary examination of research and theory in organizational behavior. A managerial perspective on individuals, groups, and organizations, and on topics like leadership, culture, communication, and change. In this honors course, students will read and discuss selected classic texts in organizational behavior theory. Writing intensive. Harvey
CHE 111 90. General Chemistry I Laboratory
Offered as a separate laboratory section of the first half of the introductory General Chemistry sequence for students majoring in physical and biological sciences. Laboratory work complements lecture and provides hands-on experience with modern analytical instrumentation, such as Ultraviolet- Visible Spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GCMS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Emphasis is placed on effective communication of experimental procedures and results. One three-hour laboratory per week. Marteel-Parrish
CHE 112 90. General Chemistry II Laboratory
Offered as separate lecture and laboratory sections of the second half of the introductory General Chemistry sequence, this course is for students majoring in physical and biological sciences. Topics include kinetics, chemical equilibria, solid state chemistry, coordination chemistry, nuclear chemistry, and an introduction to organic chemistry and biochemistry. Lectures will be supplemented with discussions from recent scientific literature, including materials from students' independent literature research projects. Laboratory work complements lecture and provides handson experience with modern analytical instrumentation, such as Ultra-violet-Visible Spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Emphasis is placed on effective communication of experimental procedures and results. Three hours of lecture and one three hour laboratory per week. Prerequisite: Chemistry 101. Marteel-Parrish
CHE 201 90. Organic Chemistry I Laboratory
The honors laboratory section will allow students to study the chemical reactivity and physical properties of organic substances through the extensive use of molecular modeling software (CAChe and Spartan), infrared, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and proton and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry. Throughout the laboratory sessions each student will have access to a laptop computer that is part of a wireless LAN.
CHE 202 90. Organic Chemistry II Laboratory
The honors laboratory section will involve the multi-step synthesis of a limited number of complex molecules and the characterization of these substances by infrared, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and proton and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry. Molecular modeling will be used to predict stereochemical parameters and mechanistic pathways for these reactions. Throughout the laboratory sessions each student will have access to a laptop computer that is part of a wireless LAN.
DRA 494 90/GEN 494 90. SpTp: American Women Playwrights
The course will involve reading and discussion of a selected group of plays by American women writers, with the goal of acquiring aesthetic and critical perspective on the individual and collective voice of this group and an appreciation for their place in American theatre and letters. In addition to the plays, students will read a variety of critical reviews on individual writers and on American drama. Students will be required to submit four pieces of original work for grading. These may be formed as an essay or creative project, both involving some form of in-class presentation. Each submission must explore, through independent research, a connection between the dramatic and the aesthetic, social, political, or philosophical milieu that informs and is informed by the dramatic. Maloney
HIS 418 90. Historical Film Genres
In this honors course, a selection of film genres will be presented for comparative analysis, including four or five genres such as gangster films, "film noir" detective films, westerns, musicals, or films that depict and characterize professions such as journalism or jurisprudence. Films will be selected within each genre that offer different commentaries on recurrent social themes in American history. This course will also incorporate a significant amount of reading and research in primary-source documents relating to the historical periods and themes represented in the films. It will also include new secondary-source and interpretive texts. The course will thus extend the student's repertoire of analytical skills in the field of history to more sophisticated intellectual challenges. Striner
PSY 320 90. Health Psychology
This honors course will take a close look at the human physiological response to cognition, emotion, and stress. Electromyographic, dermal temperature, and cardiac measures will be studied and the body's autonomic nervous system response to stress and relaxation will be examined. Topics such as sports psychology, headache, systemic pain, cardiac illnesses, blood pressure, psycho-neuroimmunological activity, alcohol abuse, smoking, and chronic illness will be explored. Students will be expected to team up to develop original research on a topic pertinent to the course, and be willing to present those results at a regional professional psychology conference. Prerequisite: Psychology 201, 202. Siemen