Capstone
By the end of their senior year, students will take an Honors Capstone course. The Honors Capstone can be taken either semester and does not need to be taken at the same time as the Senior Thesis
The Honors Capstone is separate from the Honors Senior Thesis and is a 1-credit, pass/no pass course. It invites students to re-engage with core questions and issues related to the Honors Program curriculum, reflecting on their learning in relation to enduring questions and challenges of our world.
As the capstone only meets a few times, you must attend each meeting. Please check your availability on all meeting dates carefully prior to enrolling in a capstone, and be sure to keep each time reserved. If your availability changes, you will need to switch to a different capstone. If you have any questions, please speak with a Program Manager.
Fall 2024 Courses
Games
Professor Bethany Kung
HONR 4199:12 - 1 Credit
CRN: 83280
F 1:30PM - 3:30PM
This course will meet on September 6, 13, 20 & 27.
Course Description: Archaeological evidence demonstrates that humans have been playing board games and using dice for over 5,000 years. Today, card and tabletop gaming represents a $10 billion industry which is expected to continue growing in the coming years. Clearly - humans love to play games! Together in this capstone, we will consider the history of gaming and its purpose in culture and society. We will ponder why we love to play games and what lessons we can learn from these games. We will also play games! Course readings will include excerpts from books such as "It's All a Game: The History of Board Games from Monopoly to Settlers of Catan" by Tristan Donovan and "Your Move: What Board Games Teach Us About Life" by Joan Moriarity and Jonathan Kay. Each meeting will start with a discussion in which we will draw connections between board games and life and then we will challenge each other to the "game of the day" (including classics such as backgammon and modern tabletop games, too). For our final meeting, we will try our hand at an escape room! Please note that this capstone requires a $15 fee, payable to the Honors Program main office in September.
Nature Appreciation
Professor Thiago Moreira
HONR 4199:13 - 1 Credit
CRN: 84250
F 10:00AM - 1:00PM
This course will meet on September 6, 13, 20 & 27.
Course Description:
“Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. —Khalil Gibran”
To live in a modern city in the 21 st century is not easy. We are always busy with our schedules. Things to do, places to be… We are surrounded by all comforts and amenities a modern city has to offer. So much that we can be entirely consumed by modern technology and forget that there is a whole world out there…. In this course, I propose we step out of our busy modern urban life and stop to smell the flowers (literally, if you so wish…). We will visit some places where we can experience and experience some of the beauties nature has to offer to us. We will use our time to visit some places that hold some of the biodiversity of life, but also try to appreciate nature in our daily urban surroundings. This course has a great deal of moving around the city, so we have a more extended time band to cover the trip time.