Honors Courses

HONR 130 Scholars Colloquium

1 hour

This is a discussion-based course that provides small-group discussions of readings, local or national current events or issues, and cultural and intellectual events available on campus. These events may include lectures (by Luther faculty members and visiting scholars and dignitaries), concerts (ranging from classical to jazz to contemporary), theatre and dance performances, films, poetry readings, and art shows.

HONR 210 The Ancient World

4 hours

This course examines major intellectual movements of antiquity. It investigates key ideas and texts, including literary and artistic expression, in areas such as the flowering Greco-Roman philosophy; mathematics and astronomy in ancient Greece, Rome, and Africa; the contemporary blossoming of Buddhist, Confucian, and classical Hindu thought; and the cosmologies of ancient civilizations of the Americas. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (HEPT)

HONR 220 From Ancient to Modern: Transitions and Encounters

4 hours

This course examines intellectual developments between antiquity and the beginnings of the modern period. It explores such developments as the attempt to reconcile Christianity with ancient Greco-Roman philosophy, the rise of Islamic thought, new intellectual movements in South and East Asia, theological debates of the European Reformation, and encounters among peoples and cultures as a result of global exploration and migration. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (HE, Hist)

HONR 310 Modernity: Social Thought

4 hours

This course examines key turning points in the development of social thought from the Enlightenment to the present. It focuses on modern theories concerning issues such as toleration, the nation-state, colonialism, class struggle, and psychoanalysis, as well as postmodern developments in intercultural relations and theories of culture, gender, and power. Prerequisite: HONR 210 or 220. (HB)

HONR 320 Modernity: Natural Sciences

4 hours

This course examines major developments in the natural sciences from the scientific revolution onward. It investigates key issues on subjects such as cosmology, the growth of biological sciences and evolutionary theory, relativity and quantum mechanics, and computational science, with attention to social and cultural context and the social and ethical implications of these developments. Prerequisite: HONR 210 or 220. (NWNL)

HONR 420 The Senior Symposium

no credit

The Senior Symposium is an opportunity for select seniors to discuss intellectual ideas with the President and Dean of the college. Students with a Cum GPA of 3.70 or higher will typically be invited to participate in the spring of the senior year. Applications will be evaluated by the Director of College Honors in consultation with the instructor(s). The students selected will meet once per month with the President/Dean to discuss an article, or book, or some issue of scholarly interest. (No academic credit awarded.).

HONR 493 Senior Honors Project

4 hours

Consult specific departmental guidelines. Senior honors projects must be presented publicly and will be evaluated by a committee of three faculty members (one of whom is the project advisor, one who is from outside the department). Successful completion of a senior honors project (A or A-) earns a student honors in their major and is reflected in the transcript, for example, Major: English with honors.