Fall 2018

IDH 4036: Myth and Meaning in the Game of Thrones (CRN 82637)

Dr. Karen Evans

M 6:00 - 8:45 p.m. 

How do we play the game? Who has authority and how do they keep it? How do symbols and myths define us as people? Where do we see ourselves in the game of thrones? These are just a few of the questions we will explore as we investigate myth and meaning in the game of thrones. Through both the HBO series and the books we will use interactive, hands on activities to examine why the show is so popular and how it reflects life. We will use one or two chapters each week from the book "Game of Thrones and Philosophy: Logic Cuts Deeper than Swords" edited by Henry Jacoby to guide our weekly discussions. We will struggle with moral, political and social issues and how they impact our choices. We will also examine how symbols, writings and personalities impact our belief systems through the use of creative arts. By the end of the course, each student will create a "house" with their own sigil, motto, code of ethics, rituals and political platform. 

IDH 4038:  From Wastelands to Wetlands: Our Changing View of Coastal Wetlands (CRN 82635)

Dr. Jane Caffrey

R 6:00-8:45 p.m.

What are coastal marshes? Are they mosquito infested, disease ridden wastelands or a vast shimmering expanse of grass and sky? Coastal marshes are highly productive areas which serve as nursery areas for many species, including many commercially important fisheries. Should coastal marshes be protected or should private property rights be ascendant?  We will explore different perspectives of coastal wetlands, including the relationship between early civilizations and wetlands, literature, legal decisions, and the ecology of wetlands. Students will read original literature and discuss the readings in class.

IDH 4037: Non-Places (CRN 82636)

Ms. Valerie George

T 2:00 – 4:45 p.m.

This is a theory-based course that uses anthropologist Marc Augé’s ideas of Non-Place as a means of interpreting space and place in alternative ways. This course will use the ideas of ‘non-place’ as a springboard for imagining new social conventions for more individually responsive and inclusive devices for non-places. Non-places are a common feature of everyday life, so this course is relevant to wider questions of social inclusion, our sense of orientation, empowerment, and quality of life in the 21st century city.  Readings, film screenings, presentations, and field trips will provide a grounding and theoretical discourse from which we will develop research projects and practice social experiments.

Spring 2018 Honors Seminars

IDH 4030-The Art and Science of Brewing

Dr. Joseph Moss, Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation

Brewing is one of mankind’s most important discoveries spanning generations, socio-economic classes, and international borders. This course will directly expose the student to both the scientific and the creative aspects of brewing. Through discussion and active participation, students will discover brewing in its simplest form as well as the complex dynamics of this age-old craft and continually prospering industry. The course is a mixture of lecture and applied science with topics including: brewing fundamentals, chemical processes, yeast fermentation and enzymatic activities, advances in methodology, and socio-economic influences.  This class is limited to 15 students. Participants must be 21 years of age.

IDH 4031-Making Data Work for You:  Database Systems Across the Disciplines

Dr. Dallas Snider, Department of Computer Science and Department of Information Technology

Data pertaining to any discipline can be modeled and stored in a database.  Database architects rely on subject matter experts within a specific discipline to assist in the design of efficient data storage models.  Having knowledge of database systems will allow subject matter experts to better communicate and assist in the design process; thus allowing for an accurate and efficient model that meets their needs.  This course provides an introduction to database systems and database management system architectures. Various database models are discussed with an emphasis on the relational model and relational database design. Students will design and construct a relational database that models entities within their discipline, populate the database, and then select and manipulate their data using structured query language (SQL).

IDH 4032-Shipwrecked! An Interdisciplinary Honors Seminar

Dr. John Odin Jensen, Department of History

Shipwrecks have attracted people’s attention for thousands of years. Frightening and fascinating, shipwrecks have repeatedly determined the course of histories, shaped governments, altered ecosystems, inspired poets, playwrights and artists, and much more.  A fact of life in the past, shipwrecks still occur with alarming frequency.   Today shipwrecks are investigated from many scholarly and creative perspectives.  Shipwrecks are found in archaeology, anthropology, history, English and cultural studies, film, philosophy, marine ecology, engineering and materials science, leisure studies and tourism, art and design, theater, leadership studies, economics and government. Through lectures, hands-on activities, discussions, numerous guest speakers, readings, literature, film, art, and material culture, students in this seminar will use interdisciplinary tools to decode the many meanings of shipwreck.   Drawing on the University of West Florida’s world-renown expertise in the interdisciplinary study of shipwrecks, the seminar is designed to be meaningful and useful for honors students pursuing virtually any major.