OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
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As you plan or adjust your schedule, take a look at the interesting courses below (many of them being offered in the Honors College for the first time!).
See the Fall 2022 course descriptions for more details, or check out the Academic Year Schedule for all of the honors courses currently planned for 2022-23. And don’t forget the HC 409 options for cultural ambassadorship and civic engagement!
2 HC Credit(s) CRN: 20498 Section 022 SEM R 1600 - 1750
Instructor(s): Skip Rochefort
In one of the most memorable scenes from the 1967 movie classic "The Graduate", Ben (Dustin Hoffman) is given an invaluable piece of advice by Mr. McGuire, one of his father's oldest business friends:
Mr. McG: PLASTICS!
Ben: Exactly how do you mean?
Mr. McG: There's a great future in PLASTICS. Think about it. Will you think about it?
Ben: Yes, I will sir.
And indeed they were the future and still are a major part of the present....and the future (because they don't break down and will never go away!). This colloquium will expose students to their reliance on plastics in every aspect of their daily lives -- from soft drinks, shampoos, and baby diapers to automobiles. The material will be presented in such a way that it is accessible to students from all majors. There are no pre-requisites for the course -- other than a genuine interest in learning how and why many of the items we encounter each day are made from one of the BIG SIX plastics. After some introductory overview material, the course direction will be determined in large part by the interests of the participants. One topic that WILL be center stage is waste plastics in the environment. There will be a series of demonstrations and experiments on making plastics and plastics recycling; measuring the properties of plastics; plastics in food; biodegradable plastics ;and the best part of all -- plastic toys!
The class will include participation with OSU Earth Week activities and culminate with a group project focused on outreach the general population on both the benefits and problems with plastics. Satisfies: HC Colloquia
1 HC Credit(s) CRN: 20467 Section 003 SEM W 1200 – 1350 Meets weeks 1-5 only
Instructor(s): Kagan Tumer
These days, it's hard to go a week without some sensational AI story popping up in the news cycle. These stories range from warnings about big tech to the safety of autonomous vehicles to the ethics of in-home AI system, all the way to claims of sentient chatbots! But what's the truth behind these stories? This class provides a basic understanding of AI systems and the real issues raised by their use, which often differ from what the media focuses on. Meets weeks 1-5 only. Satisfies: HC Colloquia
1 HC Credit(s) CRN: 15049 Section 002 SEM R 1500 - 1550
Instructor(s): David Kovac
The Honors College wants you to be successful—not just in the classroom, but in the world. Learn about the benefits of “internationalizing” your OSU education and your Honors College experience. This colloquium will help you explore options such as faculty-led study abroad programs, international service experiences, the International Studies Undergraduate Major, and the Global Development Studies minor. Melding these opportunities into your Honors College experience will require some thought and planning, and this course is designed to help you discover which opportunities will best supplement your HC and OSU experience as we prepare for a more globally connected future. Satisfies: HC Colloquia
1 HC Credit(s) CRN: 19831 Section 004 SEM T 1500 - 1550
Instructor(s): Deann Garcia
To move societies toward a sustainable future, permanent behavior changes must happen at both the institutional and individual level. This course examines the leverage points that can be used to trigger desired changes in behavior, in order to design effective communication strategies to inspire action. Using design thinking, behavior-centered and persuasive design, the social sciences, and tactics for effective communication, this course examines strategies for identifying resistance and motivators to design systems and technologies that enable desired sustainable behaviors. Graded: P/N. Satisfies: HC Colloquia
2 HC Credit(s) CRN: 19833 Section 052 SEM
Instructor(s): Philip Mote
Meets in the pre-term extension period: first meeting 9/13, field trip 9/14-9/16, final meeting 9/19.
As recently as 10 years ago, most of the impacts of climate change were still ambiguous. Now, though, hardly a season passes without new extremes: heat waves, floods, droughts, coastal erosion, ecological impacts, and social disruption. This course combines academic understanding through reading, discussion, and analysis, with experiential learning in the form of a tour of western Oregon. Participants will synthesize data, visible evidence, and human experiences, as they visit locations affected by the devastating fires of September 2020, coastal communities coping with erosion and inundation, agricultural and urban communities affected by the deadly summer 2021 heat wave, a municipal water utility planning for changes in water supply and demand, and a tribal community coping with cultural dimensions of environmental change. Graded: P/N. Satisfies: HC Colloquia
2 HC Credit(s) Meets 9/9/22 - 9/11/22 only, all-day field trips each day
Instructor(s): Dan Arp
Over 200 agricultural commodities are produced in Oregon, more than almost any other state. Producers use a variety of farming approaches (e.g. organic, conventional) from small scale (a few acres) to large scale (thousands of acres). In this course, students will learn about these diverse farming systems in Oregon and finish each day with a meal based on Oregon produce. The format will consist of visits to local farms, processing plants and research centers. Students will participate in the preparation of evening meals that will be based on Oregon produce. Meets 9/9/22 - 9/11/22 only, all day field trips. Course Fee: $60. Satisfies: HC Colloquia
