Honors Program

Art is everywhere; so are the particles and forces that make art trigger our senses. In this course we will strive to understand how artists use material and light energy. We ill discuss the properties on light and color, both of which affect how we experience our environment, and are in turn used by artists to influence how we perceive their work. We will investigate the atomic composition of matter and the properties of elements and compounds. We will study reactions between elements and compounds that provide artists with materials such as pigments, binders, and polymers. We will occasionally work in the lab to produce paint, ink, and dye. Finally, we will discuss artwork analysis, performed to establish authorship and carry out restoration and preservation.

How do we experience illness and pain? How do healthcare providers interpret the stories their patients tell them? And how do these narratives shape our larger cultural understanding of embodiment, health, ability, and suffering? This introductory course in Health Humanities invites students to explore the connections between healthcare, culture (literature, film, and art), and ethics. We will consider how medicine, illness, and disability have been portrayed in a variety of genres, especially fiction, drama, poetry, and film. In addition to discussing representations of patients, healers, and diseases in popular culture, we will consider the role of the humanities in building empathy, observation, and self-reflection in medical training. Students will gain insight into how medical practices are shaped by cultural norms and social contexts, while also exploring how storytelling and the humanities can transform the way we understand health and healthcare.

Despacito is more than a “song of the summer” or the award-winning chart-topper covered by everyone from Justin Bieber to a group called 2Cellos. (There’s even a Sesame Street parody video!) This song by Luis Fonsi, featuring rapper Daddy Yankee, represents just one recent example of Latin America’s influence on music in the United States. In this seminar, learn more about Latin music styles, including reggaeton (the music genre that influenced Despacito), salsa, pop, and rock as well as the music and musicians from Latin America and the United States who have influenced or been influenced by these styles. In our study, we will consider the common history and cultures of the United States and countries in Latin America: from the traditions and history of indigenous peoples through European colonization and the slave trade to the digital age. You will also learn how to get more out of listening to music by acquiring an understanding of basic musical concepts.