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Honors Course Archive: Winter 2006

    • ENVIR 202 AE: Environmental Case Studies: Population and Health
      SLN 9707

        Charles Treser (Environmental Health)
        Office: E-179 Health Sciences, Box 357234
        Phone: (206) 543-4207
        ctreser@u.washington.edu
      MWF
      T
      1230-120
      12:30-2:20
      FSH 102
      ARC 025
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 20 students

      Students must obtain add code from POE advising - email to poeadv@u.washington.edu or in MGH 274

      Students must also register for ENVIR 202 A (lecture: SLN 4103)

      Population and Health is organized around two major themes. The first theme is that health is best viewed as a state, influenced by the economic, social, and cultural environment as well as the physical environment. The World Health Organization's definition of health is an example of this “big picture” view of health. They define health as a "state of complete mental, physical and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" (WHO, 1970). The second theme is that the health of populations should be understood in the context of geo-graphical patterns of production and consumption – that is, how the goods necessary for life are made, distributed and consumed.

      This course is taught by a team of faculty and TAs from several different disciplines. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays will be deveoted to lectures and general class discussion as we move from considering health to the various environmental influences on human health (including the social, political and cultural environments). The class has four sections. Each section will meet for two hours one day each week (either on Tuesdays or Thursdays) to further explore the topics coverd by the textbooks and class lectures. Section AB has been designated as a Service Learning section, providing student the opportunity to expand theri learning into community organizations.

      Recommended preparation: There are no prerequisites for this course, however, we do expect each student to keep with the reading assignments and come to each class prepared not only to discuss what they have read, but to bring their own experiences and perpsective to bear on the subject.

      Class Assignments and Grading: There will be weekly reading assignments taken from the textbook and assigned articles, and a variety of exercises and assignments within the section. These will be supplemented by the research necessary to fully prepare a case study that will be assigned to each sectiom.

      25% -- Mid-Term Exam 20% -- Sections (participation, involvement, exercises) 30% -- Case study (Group Presentation = 10%; Indiviudal Paper = 20%) 25% -- Final Examination

    • ESRM 301 AC: Maintaining Nature in an Urban and Urbanizing World
      SLN 4714

        Sarah Reichard (Forest Resources)
        Phone: 616-5020
        reichard@u.washington.edu
      TTh
      TBA
      1230-150
      TBA
      MGH 231
      TBA
      Credits: 5

      Students will also have to register for lecture, SLN 4172. / Contact Michelle Trudeau for an add code: michtru@u.washington.edu

      The conservation, restoration, and management of nature in highly human impacted environments present unique challenges. Teams of students work on real Pacific Northwest problems, with stakeholders and experts to understand patterns, processes, and drivers of these systems. Prerequisite: either BIOL 162 or BIOL 200.

    • FISH 350: Marine Ecology of Coastal Systems
      SLN 4398

        Terrie Klinger (School of Marine Affairs)
        Office: 3707 Brooklyn Ave NE, Box 355685
        Phone: (206) 685-2499
        tklinger@u.washington.edu
      MWF
      930-1020
      FSH 109
      Credits: 3
      Limit: 12 students

      Students need to contact instructor for entry code.

      Explores the ecological relationships of marine organisms in coastal systems, including kelp forests and coral reefs, the physical forces that shape these systems, and the impacts of environmental change. Lectures, reading, critical writing, final paper, optional field trip. Recommended: BIOL/FISH/OCEAN 250. Offered: jointly with SMA 350.

      This course is open to all UW students, but honors students are encouraged to make it an honors course through the "ad hoc" process. An "ad hoc" contract may be printed out at: http://depts.washington.edu/uwhonors/faculty/adhoc.pdf

    • H A&S 221 A: Natural Science for an Informed Citizen
      SLN 4676

        Vladimir Chaloupka (Physics)
        Office: B309 Physics-Astronomy Bldg, Box 351560
        Phone: 543-8965
        vladi@u.washington.edu
      MW
      F
      10:30-12:20
      10:30-11:20
      PAA 214
      PAA 214
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 35 students

      Modern science is an awesome, exciting adventure. Quite inexplicably, we seem able to investigate Nature, from detailed aspects of the Big Bang, through the machinery of our own genome, all the way to the Quantum Mechanics of quarks and neutrinos. At the same time, many thinkers have pointed out the ever-increasing gap between the cumulative, exponential progress in science and technology on the one hand, and on the other hand, the lack of comparable progress in our ability to use our new technological tools thoughtfully and responsibly. This gap cannot keep increasing forever. Some people think that we might be in the process of acquiring powers that we should not have, and that catastrophic consequences are not only possible, but probable or even inevitable.

      An informed, educated citizen should know enough about science to be able to appreciate the potential benefits as well as the possible dangers which Science represents. In this course, we will explore the current status and developments in Physics, Nanotechnology and Biotechnology. We will learn how NASA plans to listen to the gravitational symphony of the Universe, how astrophysicists know what happened fifteen billions years ago (and exactly what happened in the first three minutes after that), we will learn about Schrodinger's cat and Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, and we will contemplate the marvelous interplay of DNA, RNA and proteins. We will spend equal time discussing methods of risk assessment: we will try to find out if the Brookhaven National Laboratory could accidentally produce a black hole which will eat the Planet, or if a biological accident could wipe out Civilization. There will be both exuberance as well as humility in our treatment of the issues, and both feelings will often be illustrated using the playground of Music.

    • H A&S 221 B: Evolution and Human Behavior
      SLN 4677

        Jon Herron (Biology)
        Office: 205D Burke Museum, Box 351800
        Phone: (206) 547-6330
        herronjc@u.washington.edu
      T TH
      12:30-2:20
      MGH 295
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 35 students

      Evolution and genetics are the cornerstones of modern biology. DNA & Evolution will explore these fields in the context of contemporary issues that are important to individuals and to society. The primary emphasis will be on human examples and problems. Among the questions we will consider are these: Where did modern humans come from? Why are women and men different? Why do children resemble their parents? Do genes influence personality, intelligence, and sexual orientation? What can genetic analyses reveal about evolutionary history and the relationships among species? Can genetic analyses allow us to predict the evolutionary future? Given what our society knows about evolution and genetics, should we take responsibility for guiding the evolutionary future of human populations?

      Throughout the course the goal will be to help students develop sufficient biological sophistication to understand new discoveries in genetics and evolution, talk to their doctors, and make rational personal and political choices about biological issues. Students will read secondary and primary literature, ask questions, design experiments, analyze and interpret data, and draw their own conclusions.

      Assignments will include essays, problem sets, and computer labs.

    • H A&S 396 A: Special Topics Natural Science: Current Topics in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (BIO 220)
      SLN 4686

        Mary Pat Wenderoth (Biology)
        Office: Hitchcock 430A, Box 351800
        Phone: (206) 685-8022
        mpw@u.washington.edu
      W
      2:00-3:50
      MGH 287
      Credits: 2, c/nc
      Limit: 30 students

      Students must be concurrently enrolled in BIO 220

      We will discuss general models that are fundamental to understanding physiology in animals and plants and apply these models to topics discussed in class, reveiw literature on muscle physiology, visit a respiratory physiology lab discuss current topic in plant physiology.

    • H A&S 396 B: Special Topics Natural Science: Current Topics in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (BIO 200)
      SLN 4687

        Christine Tachibana (Biochemistry)
        Phone: (206) 543-1054
        cxt@u.washington.edu
      F
      9:30 - 11:20
      MGH 206
      Credits: 2, c/nc
      Limit: 30 students

      Students must be concurrently enrolled in BIO 200

      BIOL200 covers topics in molecular biology and biochemistry that are integral to our understanding of how we develop, our metabolism and how infectious and inherited diseases progress. In this honors section, we will explore the topics of BIOL200 in depth, discussing current research, controversies and applications. We will not review class or lab material, but will use the week's topics as a starting point for discussions. Topics covered in previous quarters include prion protein diseases (like mad cow disease), protein and fat metabolism during the Atkins diet, cloning and stem cell techniques, how gender affects human development.

      Weekly readings will be posted on a website or handed out in section, and must be read before class. In class, we will do hands-on activities, discussions in small groups, and short presentations. Credit will be awarded based on advance preparation, including reading the weekly assignment; writing assignments, which may include reports on the topic or on learning experiences; and attendance and participation at all sessions.

    • SMA 350: Marine Ecology of Coastal Systems
      SLN 6919

        Terrie Klinger (School of Marine Affairs)
        Office: 3707 Brooklyn Ave NE, Box 355685
        Phone: (206) 685-2499
        tklinger@u.washington.edu
      MWF
      930-1020
      FSH 109
      Credits: 3
      Limit: 12 students

      Students need to contact instructor for entry code.

      Explores the ecological relationships of marine organisms in coastal systems, including kelp forests and coral reefs, the physical forces that shape these systems, and the impacts of environmental change. Lectures, reading, critical writing, final paper, optional field trip. Recommended: BIOL/FISH/OCEAN 250. Offered: jointly with FISH 350.

      This course is open to all UW students, but honors students are encouraged to make it an honors course through the "ad hoc" process. An "ad hoc" contract may be printed out at: http://depts.washington.edu/uwhonors/faculty/adhoc.pdf

    • ENVR 439 AD: Sustainable Society
      SLN 4129

        Jim Karr (Aquatic and Fishery Sciences)
        Office: 214 Fishery Sciences, Public Affairs, Box 355020
        Phone: (206) 685-4784
        jrkarr@u.washington.edu
      T
      W
      11:30-1:20
      3:30-4:50
      MGH 389
      MGH 284
      Credits: 3
      Limit: 7 students

      Students must also register for SLN 4125 (ENVR 439 A - the lecture)

      This course is cross listed with FISH 439 AD

      http://fish.washington.edu/classes/fish439/

      This course is based on a series of lectureres from diverse disciplines reacting to the following
      premise:
      Building a sustainable future depends on restructuring the global economy, major shifts in human
      reproductive behavior, and dramatic changes in values and lifestyles. If we do not accomplish this
      restructuring within the next three decades, environmental deterioration and economic growth are
      likely to feed on each other, pulling us into a downward spiral of social disintegration.
      Each lecturer's perspective on the premise is colored by the disciplinary lens through which
      she/he sees the world and by the expertise they have accumulated during her/his scholarly career.
      Lecturers may agree or disagree with the premise; I don't know in advance how they will react. I
      only ask that they outline the reasons for their positions or judgments. In this series, we stand at
      the present and look to the future through those different disciplinary lenses.
      Each lecture period will include a 20-minute mini-lecture on the eight transitions that I believe
      are required to attain a sustainable society (e.g., economic, social, educational, technological,
      political, and so on). Each student in the lecture will be expected to write a maximum 3-page essay
      exploring and integrating the material presented during lectures throughout the quarter.
      Additionally, students enrolled for 3 credits will begin with a discussion of the 2004 book by
      historical philosopher Ronald Wright, A Short History of Progress. We will also review the lessons
      from Jared Diamond's Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. Four weeks will be spent on
      deeper exploration and discussion of the eight transitions introduced in lecture. Finally, all
      students registered for three credits will read a second book selected from a list of about 20
      recent books. Students will make oral presentations of their book review in the last two discussion
      periods. The "final exam" will be a written book review of the same book (length limited to 6
      pages).

    • FISH 439 AD: Sustainable Society
      SLN 4404

        Jim Karr (Aquatic and Fishery Sciences)
        Office: 214 Fishery Sciences, Public Affairs, Box 355020
        Phone: (206) 685-4784
        jrkarr@u.washington.edu
      T
      W
      11:30-1:20
      3:30-4:50
      MGH 389
      MGH 284
      Credits: 3
      Limit: 8 students

      Students must also register for SLN 4400 (FISH439 A - the lecture)

      This course is cross listed with ENVR 439 AD

      http://fish.washington.edu/classes/fish439/

      This course is based on a series of lectureres from diverse disciplines reacting to the following
      premise:
      Building a sustainable future depends on restructuring the global economy, major shifts in human
      reproductive behavior, and dramatic changes in values and lifestyles. If we do not accomplish this
      restructuring within the next three decades, environmental deterioration and economic growth are
      likely to feed on each other, pulling us into a downward spiral of social disintegration.
      Each lecturer's perspective on the premise is colored by the disciplinary lens through which
      she/he sees the world and by the expertise they have accumulated during her/his scholarly career.
      Lecturers may agree or disagree with the premise; I don't know in advance how they will react. I
      only ask that they outline the reasons for their positions or judgments. In this series, we stand at
      the present and look to the future through those different disciplinary lenses.
      Each lecture period will include a 20-minute mini-lecture on the eight transitions that I believe
      are required to attain a sustainable society (e.g., economic, social, educational, technological,
      political, and so on). Each student in the lecture will be expected to write a maximum 3-page essay
      exploring and integrating the material presented during lectures throughout the quarter.
      Additionally, students enrolled for 3 credits will begin with a discussion of the 2004 book by
      historical philosopher Ronald Wright, A Short History of Progress. We will also review the lessons
      from Jared Diamond's Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. Four weeks will be spent on
      deeper exploration and discussion of the eight transitions introduced in lecture. Finally, all
      students registered for three credits will read a second book selected from a list of about 20
      recent books. Students will make oral presentations of their book review in the last two discussion
      periods. The "final exam" will be a written book review of the same book (length limited to 6
      pages).

    • H A&S 350 A: Public Problems: Who is Responsible and How Should They Be Solved?
      SLN 4683

        Eugene Edgar (Education, Honors Faculty Scholar 2006-2007)
        Office: MGH 211 B (Office hours: Tuesdays 2:00-3:30), Box 352800
        Phone: 221-3431
        ebedgar@u.washington.edu
        Frances McCue (Writer in Residence, UW Honors Program)
        frances@francesmccue.com
      T
      3:30-5:20
      MGH 206
      Credits: 2, c/nc
      Limit: 20 students

      Myriad problems confront us daily; violence on the Ave, the earthquake in Pakistan, homelessness in Seattle, Sweatshops in developing countries, binge drinking on campus, the AIDS epidemic in Africa, adolescent suicide. The list is endless.

      Who is responsible for addressing these problems? Some would respond that “government” should step up and deal with these problems, others advocate for a free market approach, Neoconservatives advocate for individual responsibility and local charitable organizations, neomarxists point to the class struggle and the structures of society. So who is responsible for stepping up and doing something? And how should “they” proceed?

      In this seminar we will try to confront these questions through readings, discussions, research, developing proposals and defending these proposals in a public forum with community leaders.

      We will read and critically deconstruct a proposal of John Graham and the Giraffe project. In teams of three or four, we will develop a short paper (2 page maximum) explaining Graham's proposal and the criticisms of this proposal.

      Then these teams will research alternative proposals and develop a two-page paper explaining the alternative to Graham and critically deconstructing that proposal.

      Each team will then chose a proposal they believe has the most merit for action (maximum one page paper).

      These papers will be distributed to the entire class and three community leaders. On March 7 the class will meet with these three community leaders, in a forum open to the public, and the teams will orally present their proposals for action and defend their choice to the panel of community leaders.

    • H A&S 350 C: Early Christian Texts and Texts about Early Christians
      SLN 4685

        Philip Ballinger (Admissions)
        Office: 320 Schmitz Hall, Box 355852
        Phone: (206) 543-0852
        philipba@u.washington.edu
      T TH
      1:30-2:20
      MGH 211B
      Credits: 2, c/nc
      Limit: 15 students

      Together we will wander amidst texts from the earliest centuries of Christianity -- some well known, others hardly known. We will also assess the remnants of Roman writings about the early Christians. Our wanderings will take us into areas such as the formation of the New Testament canon, textual criticism, proto-orthodoxy and heterodoxy, and the important influence of Gnosticism upon early Christianity, its beliefs and its organizational structures.

      You will need the following books-- Harry Gamble's 'The New Testament Canon: Its Making and Meaning', Elaine Pagels' 'The Gnostic Gospels', Bart Ehrman's 'Lost Scriptures: Books that Did Not Make It into the New Testament', R.L. Wilken's 'The Christians as the Romans Saw Them', and a modern, critical translation of the New Testament (e.g., the NRSV, the New English, the Jerusalem, the International, etc.)

    • H A&S 252 A: The Social History of African Americans
      SLN 4678

        Al Black (Sociology)
        Office: 117 C Savery, Box 353340
        Phone: (206) 685-7284
      T TH
      1:30-3:20
      MGH 254
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 35 students

      In this course, we will investigate four key topics connected to the sociological and historical issues of the African American Expereince: (1)the denial of equal access to the labor market and its affect on African American families and communities; (2) the history and evolution of the black middle class; (3) the denial of equal access to educational opportunity in America and its effects; (4) given the history of denial the solution to social problems in the African American community including a critique of the proposed solutions by normative and policy theorists such as Steele, Massey & Denton, Wilson, McWhorter, Steinhorn and Diggs-Brown, Sowell, Ryan, the White American Public according to survey research's like Schuman etc.

      Students will be examined on the basis of this material and a major term paper will be required that focuses on one or the other of the five issues.

    • H A&S 252 B: Law and Community
      SLN 4679

        Edward Gross (Sociology)
        Office: 113 Savery, Box 353340
        Phone: 543-2051
      T TH
      10:30-12:20
      SAV 243
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 35 students

      The course uses law as a way of looking at society. In particular, we examine actual cases, how they came up, and how they were argued in court. The course is comparative--comparing law in the United States on the one hand, with law in Europe on the other. Each is based on very different traditions and ethical assumptions. Out of class work is organized by study groups. Two exams--one midterm and a final, plus a paper.

    • H A&S 252 C: Hidden History
      SLN 4680

        Roger Morris (National Security, Political Science)
        RPMBook@aol.com
      T TH
      1:30-3:20
      MGH 287
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 35 students

      In his small masterwork, Hidden History, the eminent scholar and Librarian of Congress Daniel Boorstin warned us about what we had not yet confronted about the forces shaping our society and world. "How much still remains to be discovered about our past," he wrote in 1988 in a passage all the more relevant today, "and how uncertain is our grip on the future." This course will explore through various examples and case studies the intellectual, cultural and political implications of the kind of history Boorstin found hidden by evasion, ignorance, preference. A few of the many topics to be considered-- Cracking the Code: a DNA of money and power in 21st century America; Filling the Tank: the under-the-hood history of oil; Whodunnit: the assassination of John Kennedy; An Affair to Remember: the half-century intimacy of the United States and Iraq; Shadow Capital: a non-tourist tour of Las Vegas; Coming Home: the underside of Seattle. Beyond national of international subjects, we will also consider how and why and with what consequences histories are hidden in more narrow contexts, from institutions to families to individuals. In addition, the class will be encouraged to raise their own subjects of interest and curiosity to discuss in the framework of an open (prevailing) vs. hidden history. No exams or conventional term paper, but rather a final project in which students will portray creatively through a literary or other artistic medium an instance of hidden history, including an analysis of the reasons for its concealment.

    • H A&S 262 A: How to Read Write and Speak
      SLN 4681

        Eric Liu (Education)
        epliu@msn.com
      T TH
      1:30-3:20
      MGH 206
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 35 students

      This course will be a fun, relevant reinvention of civics. Students will spend intensive time learning three core skills of engaged citizenship: how to read the newspaper (by dissecting articles in the paper to determine the agendas of the protagonists and of the journalists, to detect bias, to see how issues have been framed); how to write an argument (by composing essays and op-eds on social and political issues and by assessing models of effective written advocacy); and how to deliver a speech (by practicing and getting critiqued on short persuasive speeches). Students will tie all three skills together by working collaboratively on projects that involve them in current civic life and the political process.

    • H A&S 262 C: African Christianity: Tales of Faith, Power and Consequence
      SLN 4682

        Clarke Speed (Anthropology)
        landogo@u.washington.edu
      MW
      12:30-2:20
      MGH 228
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 35 students

      This course interrogates African forms of Christianity and the technologies of its savior in the context of cultural, linquistic and historical difference. While we follow a theological point of departure, our work over the quarter is a philosophical and anthropological investigation of the alterity of an african-christ; essentially, an otherness moving from the European center to the African margin, a violent epistemological conflict, a new synthesis, and finally an African recapture into a new theological center. Texts include work from Achebe, Isichei, Boulaga, and Oduyoye. As a Socratic dialogue, there are no right answers, merely well argued positions. There are student presentations and three analytical papers.

    • HIST 112 AC: The Medieval World
      SLN 4712

        Robert Stacey (History)
        Office: 218B Smith, Box 353765
        Phone: 543-9190
        bstacey@u.washington.edu
      MTWTH
      F
      10:30-11:20
      9:30-10:20
      GUG 224
      ARC 133
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 25 students

      This course is an introductory survey of European history during the middle ages, covering the period from roughly 250 C.E. to 1650 C.E. It emphasizes three distinctive features of European civilization that developed during this period: the gradual emergence of a distinction between religion and politics; the development of a concept of limited government; and the changing positions women occupied in European society. In addition to acquiring an understanding of the historical development of western European civilization during the middle ages, students will also learn to analyze primary sources for the historical evidence they can provide; to construct historical arguments based upon this primary source evidence; to evaluate competing historical arguments using primary source evidence; and to appreciate the distance between historical evidence and historical interpretations of that evidence.

      Daily preparatory reading in assigned textbook; weekly readings of primary sources written during the middle ages will be discussed in sections on Fridays. Two short papers (one 2-3 pages, with mandatory rewrite; the other 5-7 pages, optional rewrite); midterm exam; final exam. This class is a "W" class. You should expect that this class will require you to spend between 10 and 15 hours per week on it. Some students will spend more time than this on it. Very few who do well in the class will spend less than 10 hours per week on it.

      15% for the first paper (2-3 pages); 10% for in-class midterm; 10% for take-home midterm essay (2-3 pages); 25% for the second paper (5-7 pages); 25% for the final exam; 15% for contributions to discussion sections.

      You must turn in all graded assignments in order to pass this class.

    • RUSS 322 AB: Russian Literature and Culture 1700-1900
      SLN 8277

        Barbara Henry (Slavic Languages and Literatures)
        Office: M258 Smith Hall, Box 353580
        Phone: 543-7462
        bjhenry@u.washington.edu
      MWF
      TTh
      1030-1120
      1030-1120
      SAV 249
      DEN 211
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 25 students

      Literature as an element in Russian culture. Art, architecture, music, and philosophy also treated. Periods covered include the age of Peter the Great, romanticism, realism, and impressionism.

    • SIS 201 AI: Introduction to International Political Economy
      SLN 8337

        Mary Callahan (International Studies)
        Office: 436 Thomson, Box 353650
        Phone: (206) 616-6206
        mpc@u.washington.edu
      MWF
      T TH
      1130-1220
      1:30 - 2:20
      ARC 147
      THO 215
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 15 students

      Students must also register for the corresponding lecture (SLN 8328)

      This course focuses on how the interplay between two global struc­tures, the world market and the hierarchy of states, has generated rules governing in­ternational life, “winners” who have gained from these rules, and “losers” who have felt the rules slighted them. The course addresses the following fundamental questions: Does the "war on terror" represent a decisive break in the history of human relations around the globe? Have the world's economic and political systems undergone a seismic shift (that resulted either in or from September 11th)? Building on the themes laid out in SIS200, this course will present the view that the events on September 11th were undoubtedly momentous, but they neither came out of nowhere nor did they represent a historical rupture that set world history on a previously unthinkable new trajectory. In fact, the class is organized around a basic theme that many of the most important phenomena and conflicts in global politics and economics today are still shaped by the fallout of the two "great" wars (World War I and World War II) and the deep and abiding structural changes wrought by the Cold War.

      The course will consist of three lectures a week, which will be frequently interrupted by student questions for the lecturer and vice versa. Twice a week, students will meet in small sections for discussion of readings, lectures, and current events related to the course material.

      The reading assignments will average approximately 150 pages per week, with emphasis on how to read critically. Writing will include two drafts of a small research paper, plus short weekly papers that analyze the readings

    • SIS 201 AJ: Introduction to International Political Economy
      SLN 8338

        Mary Callahan (International Studies)
        Office: 436 Thomson, Box 353650
        Phone: (206) 616-6206
        mpc@u.washington.edu
      MWF
      T TH
      11:30-12:20
      11:30-12:20
      ARC 147
      SAV 144
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 15 students

      Students must also register for the corresponding lecture (SLN 8328)

      This course focuses on how the interplay between two global struc­tures, the world market and the hierarchy of states, has generated rules governing in­ternational life, “winners” who have gained from these rules, and “losers” who have felt the rules slighted them. The course addresses the following fundamental questions: Does the "war on terror" represent a decisive break in the history of human relations around the globe? Have the world's economic and political systems undergone a seismic shift (that resulted either in or from September 11th)? Building on the themes laid out in SIS200, this course will present the view that the events on September 11th were undoubtedly momentous, but they neither came out of nowhere nor did they represent a historical rupture that set world history on a previously unthinkable new trajectory. In fact, the class is organized around a basic theme that many of the most important phenomena and conflicts in global politics and economics today are still shaped by the fallout of the two "great" wars (World War I and World War II) and the deep and abiding structural changes wrought by the Cold War.

      The course will consist of three lectures a week, which will be frequently interrupted by student questions for the lecturer and vice versa. Twice a week, students will meet in small sections for discussion of readings, lectures, and current events related to the course material.

      The reading assignments will average approximately 150 pages per week, with emphasis on how to read critically. Writing will include two drafts of a small research paper, plus short weekly papers that analyze the readings

    • H A&S 397 A: Mathematical Models in Behavioral Science
      SLN 4688

        Earl Hunt (Psychology)
        Office: 214 Johnson Annex, Box 351525
        Phone: (206) 543-8995
        ehunt@u.washington.edu
      MW
      1:30-3:20
      MGH 206
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 15 students

      This course will count as 5 credits of Civilization Honors Core credit

      This course is about the use of mathematics in the behavioral and social sciences. I will begin by introducing the idea of a mathematical model. We will then look at how mathematical models have been developed to help understand problems in psychology, economics, sociology, behavioral ecology, and an emerging field called “the study of complex systems.” There will be a hands-on aspect to the course, you will be asked to develop mathematical models of your own. Typically this will be done in groups, but there will be one point, the term paper, where you do modeling on your own.

      Attitudes!

      I have taught this course in and out of the Honors program several times before, and my experience is that (a) students who like this course seem to really like it…they completed papers that were very good and apparently a lot of fun to do but (b) that students who don't like this course really don't like it! If playing with mathematics in relatively unusual settings is the sort of thing you like to do, I think you'll like it. But let's face it, developing a mathematical argument is usually more work than thinking of catchy phrases in a verbal argument. (Maybe that's why there are more politicians than mathematicians.) So it's a good idea to know what you're getting into.

      No slur on anyone's intelligence is intended! I just want you to be aware that a mathematically based course does take up your time, and only you can decide whether or not that effort fits into your scheme of life!

    • H A&S 397 B: Military Strategy of the Second World War
      SLN 4689

        Bob Dumas
        dumas@u.washington.edu
      M W F
      11:30 - 12:20
      MGH 206
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 25 students

      This course will count as 5 credits of Civilization Honors Core credit / Priority to Juniors and Seniors

      The general objective of this course is to assess the strategic performance of the major combatants from the point of view of the works and ideas of B. H. Liddell Hart. We will discuss the strategic options available to the major combatants of the second world war, the decisions of the leadership of those combatants and the outcomes of their decisions for all theatres and all major campaigns of the conflict. The first meetings of the course will concentrate on the history of warfare with attention to the relationships between mobility, firepower and vulnerability. We will be particularly interested in the evolution of the battlefield between the two world wars, especially the re-emergence of battlefield mobility and fluidity, and the strategic consequences of that development. We will then pass to a discussion of two strategic principles discussed at length in Hart's classic book, Strategy - the method of indirect approach, and the principles of tactical and psychological dislocation. The remainder of the discussions will chronologically trace the strategic development of the war and the major campaigns from the point of view of the six major combatants (France, Great Britain, U.S.S.R, U.S., Germany and Japan). We hope to more fully develop the thesis of the relationship between indirect approach and dislocation through a thorough but informal review of all of the major campaigns of the war. There are examples of classical dislocation in the war – most notably the fall of France and the surrender of Singapore. However there are other instances in which compelling military successes based on indirect approach did not result in classical dislocation. We will consider modifications or enhancements of arms, tactics and principles that might account for the apparently conditional relationship between them.

      Participants in the course will be requested to write an insightful paper of approximately 10 pages on a strategic aspect of the conflict. The topic will be selected by the student subject to instructor approval. The students will have the option of presenting their work to the class in place of a final exam. If time and energy permit, we might conduct an elementary simulation of a portion of the conflict. The student will be asked to undertake an independent reading project of his or her choice (subject to instructor approval), and write a review of the reading materials.

      STUDENTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO ATTEND TWO MANDATORY SATURDAY SESSIONS FOR ALL DAY SIMULATIONS. DATES WILL BE DETERMINED ONCE CLASSES BEGIN.

    • H A&S 397 C: Fundamentals of Video Games
      SLN 9561

        Wanda Gregory (Software Systems-Bothell)
        wanda.gregory@gmail.com
      T TH
      1:30 - 2:50
      MGH 241
      Credits: 3, c/nc
      Limit: 15 students

      Priority to Juniors and Seniors

      The ten billion dollar video game industry is now the second largest segment of the entertainment industry in the United States, outperforming film and book publishing. The launch of Halo2 brought in $125 million dollars in a single day. The massively multiplayer game (MMO) World of Warcraft sold 250,000 copies in November of 2004, resulting in the most successful PC game launch in history. Games have become a major part of our culture today and a key component of ever growing digital entertainment industry.

      Drawing on a wide variety of examples and disciplines, this series of seminars will provide students with theories, tools and techniques to help them in the analysis of existing games and the creation of new ones. In addition to exploring game mechanics and design elements, these seminars will delve into the sociological and psychological dimensions of game as well as the business and marketing aspects. The seminars will be a combination of lecture, guest lectures, case studies, readings, and game play. Since this is a course about games, students will be expected to play, discuss and analyze a variety of games.

      This seminar will provide an overview of the game industry and offer students the chance to develop a game concept for presentation and review by individuals from the game industry. Topics will include the economics of gaming, the legal aspects affecting games, exploration of game genres (strategy, role-playing, sports, shooters-1st and 3rd person) including new genres such as advergaming, newsgaming, political games, simulations and edutainment. We will also delve into the actual elements which go into the design of games. These will include such topics as psychological dimensions, player objectives, rule systems, social game interaction, competitive and cooperative play, narrative and character developments, interface design and game mechanics. In addition this course will look at some of the practical challenges involved in the creation of games such as project management and team dynamics, conceiving and writing of a game concept proposal, business assessment and analysis, development of marketing and promotional plan, development of game prototypes, and the integration of visual, audio and textual elements into the total game experience.