Honors Credit

There are lots of different ways to earn academic credit through the University Honors Program. Each semester, the program offers specialized sections of university courses reserved for honors students. Honors credit can also be earned through independent options like contracting, independent study or a study abroad enhancement.

This page includes information on:

Types of honors credit
Semester course directory
Individual course descriptions
Honors professor biographies

Fall 2023 Course Directory

Opportunities to earn

Honors Credit

We value creativity and curiosity here in the University Honors Program. That's why we encourage each individual student to design their honors experience in a way that best compliments their academic goals and aspirations! Some will choose a more traditional pathway that combines honors general education, seminars, and the required thesis while others will opt to include personalized opportunities such as honors contracts, study abroad or independent study. The choice is yours!

Honors Course Directory

Honors General Education Sections (Fall 2023)

These offerings satisfy the respective UNIFI or LAC category in addition to counting toward your honors designation. They fulfill both university and honors requirements while emphasizing discussion and class participation. Class sizes are limited to approximately 20 honors students, allowing for a focus on active learning and engagement with peers and faculty.

ANTH 1001-01 Bones and Stones

Dr. Tyler O'Brien, 9:30-10:45am T/Th

Fulfills UNIFI Scientific Reasoning + LAC Category IVB

Course Description: The official title of this course is: Bones & Stones: the science of human origins. This course is an introduction to Biological Anthropology, a sub-discipline of the larger field called Anthropology. In this course, we will try to answer the following questions from an anthropological perspective: Where did we come from? What makes us human? This is not a philosophy or a religions course. The theories and concepts presented in this class are based on scientific evidence. We will cover issues related to: evolutionary theory, variation, adaptation, epidemiology, primatology, paleoanthropology, some archaeology, early human migrations, and early farming (animal and plant domestication).

Professor Biography: Dr. O’Brien is a broadly trained anthropologist whose focus is in the field of physical anthropology. His research interests lie within the areas of human skeletal biology, forensic anthropology and bioarchaeology. Currently he is conducting research on archaeological samples of human crania from Bolivia and Argentina that display signs of being intentionally and artificially deformed. His teaching style has been described as dynamic and energetic. Students have commented on how lectures are informative, engaging and how they enjoy his experiential anecdotes. As an honors course, O’Brien and discussions of the course material will make you think more critically of your role as another biological organism evolving in this world.

ANTH 1003-01 Bones and Stones LAB

Dr. Tyler O'Brien, 8:00-9:50am Wednesdays

Fulfills UNIFI Scientific Reasoning + LAC Category IVB

HIST 3210-05 Problems & Perspectives in Global History: Witchcraft FYO

Dr. Jennifer McNabb, 11:00am-12:15pm T/Th

Fulfills UNIFI Human Condition-Global

Course Description: The topic of this course, witchcraft, has long proven to be an irresistible draw for both academic and non-academic audiences seeking to understand history through the study of meaning and misfortune, the conflict between good and evil, and the intersection of the natural and the supernatural. During the period between 1400 and 1700, many areas of Europe, which will serve as our course case study, experienced a significant rise in accusations of witchcraft. These accusations resulted in the deaths of individuals identified by neighbors and authorities as practitioners of malefic (harmful) magic. What is less well known to non-specialists is the range of factors that caused what some scholars have identified as Europe’s “witch craze.” Allegations of witchcraft during Europe’s early modern period were the product of many factors, including social and economic tensions over resources in local communities, contestation and negotiation of gender ideals, religious dissension during a period of reform and conflict, new attempts to regulate behavior through law, and the development of the early modern state.

This course will provide students with an understanding of witchcraft through the examination of modern works by leading modern scholars in the field as well as excerpts from sixteenth- and seventeenth-century evidence of the phenomena of witchcraft through contemporary perspectives. Students will also engage in a “Virtual Village” project that will allow them to act as a character in an early modern village and to participate in mock witchcraft trials, applying knowledge gained throughout the first half of the semester. Finally, students will have the chance to compare and contrast early modern European beliefs with beliefs about witchcraft and magic in other historical eras and societies around the world. Student energy and enthusiasm will be vital to the course’s success, so enrolled students should be prepared to take an active role

Professor Biography: Dr. McNabb is the Head of the UNI Department of History. She teaches courses on medieval and early modern Europe as well as the history of Britain, witchcraft, and the Black Death. She earned her PhD in History from the University of Colorado at Boulder where she specialized in the history of early modern England, 1485-1714, the period of witch-hunting in Europe. She graduated from an honors program as an undergraduate, served as an Associate Director of an Honors College, and has supervised Honors theses and projects throughout her career.

HIST 3110-01 Conflict and Justice in History: Colonialism & Imperialism

Dr. Lou Fenech, 8:00-8:50am MWF

Fulfills UNIFI Responsibility

Course Description: At its most basic imperialism is the naked exercise of the power of one group over another without consent, to the point of extending dominion and sovereignty over the less-empowered group. It was both an economic arrangement and a system of rule (explicit and implicit) which evolved over time and operated differently in separate parts of the world. Colonialism is the occupation of an area with settlers and ruling it fully or partially also without the consent of those already residing there. This course will excavate the links and discourses engendered by imperialism, and situate them within their historical context, elaborating at the same time upon the economic climates these created, the type of historicism to which these gave rise, and to the strategies these employ(ed) in the construction of particular historiographies and nationalisms.

It is incumbent on us to note that we will engage a number of relevant thinkers and philosophers who have turned their insights toward justifying, condemning, and/or theorizing imperialism. The early sixteenth century onwards was a time when many European philosophers and thinkers and statesmen began to deliberate more vigorously upon the ‘nature of man,’ that is to say, conceptions of what it means to be human. The human they always here had in mind was exclusively white and European, men and (rarely) women like them. Not coincidentally this was the same period during which the West as a construct came into being and the time when white European men were in the process of securing capital, searching for raw materials, and establishing markets in relatively new areas of the world. In the pursuit of these ends these same thinkers created racial taxonomies and hierarchies, a graded humanity, at the top of the latter of which they and their civilizations were perched. These were mechanisms by which to expand and justify their control and domination over the brown and black non-European bodies who resided in these fields. These pseudo-scientific sleights of hand, eventually coupled with the banality of an overwhelming bureaucratic and administrative infrastructure, attempted to substantiate the trauma of imperialism, a distress which, to dramatically different degrees, was felt by all participants. This blatant European ethnocentrism (to put it somewhat mildly) was put into effect in the colonization of the Americas, the conquests of India and Africa, and that of Haiti to name a small number of such regions. This, in turn, saw the ultimate transformation of the European ethnocentrism of the late Renaissance period into scientific racism. This last intellectual maneuver provided the ideological rationalization for both the global slave trade and slavery.

Professor Biography: Lou Fenech likes India, Indians, and Indian cultures. He also really likes Indian food, a lot, especially Punjabi food. At heart Lou is a Sikhologist, a guy who studies the Sikhs and Sikh traditions and has written more than a couple of books on these amazing people (check him out on Amazon). Lou also likes to spend his summers in Southeast Asia and East Asia where he enjoys tracing the movement of Sikh communities to these countries that adjoin India. Luckily, he also really loves the food here, particularly sidewalk food. No surprise here as so much of this food originates in India. Lou lectures and shows images and tells stories and shares cooking tips.

PHIL 1560-03 Science, Technology, and Ethics

Dr. Robert Earle, 2:00-3:15pm T/Th

Fulfills UNIFI Responsibility

Course Description: What have been the most influential breakthroughs since the invention of the wheel? Can we know if we are in a simulated reality? Would life in Virtual Reality matter less? How have philosophers thought about and defined technology? What are the connections between technology, humans and nature? This course provides an introduction to ethical issues raised by recent developments in science and technology. Students will read a newly published philosophical text on virtual reality, as well as delve into historical and contemporary philosophers’ views on and definitions of technology. We will also explore the interrelationships between humans, nature and technology.

Professor Biography: Robert Earle is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the department of Philosophy and World Religions. Originally from Iowa, Robert studied in Saint Louis, MO before earning his PhD in philosophy from SUNY Buffalo in 2015. His areas of specialization are ethics, environmental ethics and ancient philosophy and he regularly teaches courses on each of those subjects at UNI.

POL AMER 1014-04 Power & Politics in U.S.

Dr. Justin Holmes, 2:00-3:15pm T/Th

Fulfills UNIFI Human Condition-Domestic + LAC Category VB

Course Description: The American Republic has lasted more than 200 years, despite radical changes in society, technology, and the world context it is situated in. While there is considerable consistency in the ideas behind American government, situational pressures have required constant adaptation. Developments and events of the last few years such as the internet, 9/11 and the ensuing war on terror, and increased polarization of both political elites and voters. In this class, we will look at both the historical origins and contemporary manifestations of American democracy, political institutions, and the public itself. Specific topics will include institutions of government, political participation, civil rights and civil liberties, the mass media and public opinion, elections and representation, and governance in the internet age. We will be focusing particular attention this semester on areas where the Constitution fails to give adequate instructions on what to do in unique situations, and a look at why young people, particularly young women, seem alienated from seeking political office.

Classes will be in the lecture discussion format, with considerable discussion. Each student will be responsible for leading class for a portion of one day. There will be two reflection papers, and 3 exams.

Professor Biography: Justin Holmes is an Associate Professor of Political Science and has taught at UNI since 2008. He earned his PhD from the University of Minnesota. Professor Holmes's research and teaching focuses on Public Opinion, Voting Behavior, Political Communication, and Political Psychology. Recent projects include studies of the psychology of the impact of negative information on presidential approval, a study of how citizens form opinions about intervening in foreign conflicts, an examination of how campaigns and interest group use new media to mobilize supporters, and a current study on the politics of policy for people with disabilities. He currently serves as the Chair of the American Democracy Project at UNI, which focuses on promoting civic literacy and political participation among college students.

RELS 1040-02 The Power of Myth: Creation Myths

Dr. John Burnight, 12:00-12:50pm MWF

Fulfills UNIFI Human Expression + LAC Category IIIB

Course Description: How did the world come to exist? How did we get here? Why are we here? Such questions reflect what seems to be a universal human impulse to understand our origins and purpose. A wide variety of ideas on the subject have been proposed by mystics, sages, and scholars under the broad categories of religion, philosophy, and science, from the very beginning of the historical period down to modern times. This course will examine and compare a selection of creation myths from a number of ancient sources, such as those of the ancient Near East (including the Bible), Vedic Hinduism, traditional Chinese religion, and Greco-Roman mythology and philosophy, as well as later traditions from Norse, African, and Native American cultures. We will finish with a brief survey of some modern scientific ideas about the nature of the cosmos (e.g., the “Big Bang” theory), emphasizing the effect such theories have had on humanity’s view of its place in the universe, and whether there might be elements of “faith” inherent in these ideas as well. By examining how various cultures have addressed the issue of our beginnings, we might better understand the foundational assumptions underlying our own notions of identity and what it means to be “human.”

Image: Creation

Professor Biography: John Burnight is an Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy and World Religions. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago’s Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations in 2011, with an emphasis on Hebrew language and literature. He has been a lecturer at a small private college in the Chicago suburbs and large public universities in Connecticut and North Carolina, teaching introductory and upper-level courses in Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, World Religions, and the History of Monotheism. In 2007-08 he was a Fulbright-Hays Visiting Research Fellow at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His research focuses on “subversive” or “protest” literature within the biblical texts: namely, works such as the Book of Job that speak “truth to power” and critique the dominant Israelite/Judahite theology of the biblical periods.

STAT 1772-07 Introduction to Statistical Methods

Dr. Mark Ecker, 11:00am-12:15pm T/Th

Fulfills UNIFI Quantitative Reasoning + LAC Category IC

Course Description: The Honors Introductory Statistics course covers the topics of: descriptive statistics, probability, random variables, sampling distributions, inferential statistics, confidence intervals and hypothesis tests. Students will be exposed to critical statistical thinking, along with the statistical software package, S-Plus. Emphasis will be on real world applications of pertinent statistical methods and ideas. Students will collect data on a topic of interest to them, analyze the data using the tools learned in the classroom and present their results to the class.

Professor Biography: I am Professor of Statistics in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Northern Iowa, where I specialize in spatial prediction and modeling using Bayesian and Geostatistical techniques. My research involves hands-on data analysis and developing methodology for spatial association often present in environmental and economic data. In my time here at UNI, I have worked as part of a multidisciplinary team of chemists, biologists, and environmental scientists analyzing water quality data in several of Iowa's lakes and wetlands. A recent research project involves developing new statistical techniques to measure the negative or positive financial impact on housing prices from living close to a point source, such as a hog lot, nuclear power plant or a highly desirable school. I currently work with Iowa Workforce Development and the Institute for Decision Making to forecast the potential available workers in labor sheds across Iowa. My most current research project involves assessing the accuracy and precision of Automated Valuation Models (“AVMs”), that are professional-grade statistical models that predict house value, for example, Zillow.com (which is a consumer-facing AVM that provides free estimates of house value to the public).

TECH 1015-02 Introduction to Sustainability

Dr. Brian Rumsey, 9:30-10:45am T/Th

Fulfills UNIFI Responsibility + LAC Category IVB

Course Description: What does it mean to live sustainably, and is it a worthwhile goal? In this course, students will engage with these questions at both personal and societal scales. Students will develop a general framework for thinking about sustainability, and will consider sustainability from a range of disciplinary and professional perspectives. Instruction will focus on balancing ecological, social, and economic objectives. Students will learn about systems thinking as an important component of understanding sustainability. This section will be more discussion-based than non-honors sections of Intro to Sustainability. Two major projects are central to the course: one in which students implement sustainable actions in their own lives, and one in which students research broader trends or innovations that enhance societal sustainability. We will hear from a variety of guest speakers from around campus and beyond, and will grapple with a wide range of perspectives on what sustainability means and how it is lived.

Professor Biography: Trained as an environmental historian, Brian Rumsey holds a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas. A native Iowan, he studied as an undergraduate at Iowa State and received an M.A. from Mississippi State. Dr. Rumsey is a former sports journalist, and has been teaching at UNI since 2019. His doctoral research focused on how people have lived with floods as the climate changes, and he also has a research interest in sustainable agriculture. He collaborates with the Land Institute, a research center dedicated to developing perennial field crops, and has worked extensively with local food systems in the Cedar Valley. He is an avid gardener, cook, and traveler.

WGS 1040-02 Women’s and Gender Studies

Dr. Elizabeth Sutton, 12:30-1:45pm T/Th

Fulfills UNIFI Human Condition-Global + LAC Category VA

Course Description: This course is designed to familiarize students with the academic field of women's and gender studies. Women's and gender studies uses interdisciplinary tools to analyze structural power and the ways that gender manifests itself in social, cultural, and political contexts. Through diverse readings, discussion, and activities, students will be asked to think critically about gender and its construction and reproduction in society and the effect on their own lives and families. Intersectionality with theories of race, class, and other social structures will be examined.

Professor Biography: Elizabeth Sutton is Professor of Art History and Head of the Department of Art at the University of Northern Iowa. She specializes in globalization and power in art as well as in active pedagogical research. She has edited Democratic Habits in the Art Classroom: Supporting Students’ Voice, Choice, and Community (Teachers College Press, 2023) and Women Artists and Patrons in the Netherlands, 1400-1700 (Amsterdam University Press, 2019). Monographs include Angel De Cora, Karen Thronson, and the Art of Place (University of Iowa Press, 2020), Art, Animals, and Experience: Relationships to Canines and the Natural World (Routledge, 2017), Capitalism and Cartography in the Dutch Golden Age (University of Chicago Press, 2015), and Early Modern Dutch Prints of Africa (Ashgate, 2012). Her current interests include various interdisciplinary projects that seek to amplify feminist research, methodology, and pedagogy.

Presidential Scholars Required Credit

Required and reserved for presidential scholars ONLY.

UNIV 1092-01 Pres Scholars Seminar: BS Detection

Dr. Evan Renfro, 9:30-10:20am T/Th

*2 credit hour seminar – 1st year Presidential Scholars ONLY

Course Description: This course, styled from Oxford University’s pedagogical methodology, provides an intensive reading and discussion overview of International Relations. We will read four books (not textbooks) and structure the course around discussion, close reading, and crisp writing.

Course Objectives:

1. Identify and explain the fundamental concepts and theories for studying international relations.

2. Apply these concepts and theories to real-world situations.

3. Use these concepts and theories to develop persuasive arguments and make reasoned judgments about the key debates in international politics.

Professor Biography: Evan “Doc” Renfro is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Northern Iowa. A former U.S. Air Force intelligence analyst, Dr. Renfro received his B.A. and M.A. from the University of Texas at Austin, and Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. While at UT, he was awarded the Churchill Scholarship. Before coming to Northern Iowa, Doc was a Fleet Professor at the United States Naval War College in Pearl Harbor, HI, where he taught the seminar on Strategy and War. With a research agenda focused on the nexus of international security and culture, Dr. Renfro has published in such outlets as the International Journal of Cultural Studies; Marine Corps Gazette; Joint Force Quarterly; Cultural Studies; Humanity & Society; and Theory & Event. His current book analyzes transnational human rights related graffiti and is under contract with Lexington. Doc also loves teaching and was awarded the University of Northern Iowa Outstanding Teaching Award.

UNIV 1092-02 Presidential Scholars Seminar: Sophomore Think Tank

Dr. Jessica Moon, 4:00-4:50pm Tuesdays + arranged meetings

*2 credit hour seminar – 2nd year Presidential Scholars ONLY

Course Description: Sophomore Think Tank provides the opportunity for scholars to identify and analytically approach a problem or issue affecting the campus or community. After researching and analyzing the selected issue, students will propose a solution, examine implementation options, and develop a plan to be executed during a service learning course in the spring. The intent of the course is to provide a structured way for Presidential Scholars to grow intellectually while combining their strengths and talents for the benefit of our campus and community.

Professor Biography: I serve as director of Honors & Scholars Programs, but was once in your shoes as a UNI student (BA in Family Services and MAE in Postsecondary Education: Student Affairs). I went on to earn my PhD in Education (Educational Leadership) from Iowa State University. My day to day roles include responsibilities like student recruitment and advising, oversight of curricular and extra-curricular offerings, and administration of program scholarships. I believe in the value of active learning that takes place in the honors classroom and I’m excited to participate in that process with you!

Honors Advanced Credit

Advanced credit includes honors seminars, independent study and the required honors thesis. Honors seminars are open to students with sophomore standing or above. Independent study is NOT required, but available as an option. Lastly, the honors thesis is a typically a two-semester sequence required of all students completing an honors designation.

UNIV 2196-01 Honors Seminar: The Science of Cooking

Dr. Marek Sliwinski, 2:00-3:15pm MW

**3 credit hour seminar – Requires sophomore standing

Course Description: The science of cooking explores the scientific principles that transform ingredients into the foods we love to eat. It involves the combination of disciplines such as anthropology, chemistry, math, physics, and biology. This seminar explores the connections between these subjects through assigned readings, student-led discussions, and hands-on experiments with ingredients in the kitchen. Students will have the opportunity to select which topics are presented during lectures and will be able to engage in active learning in the kitchen to explore topics such as: Recipes, Heat, pH, Enzymes, Diffusion, Viscosity, Elasticity, Emulsions, and Microbes in Cooking.

Professor Biography: Marek Sliwinski is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology with a research program focused on microbiology and genetics. As an undergraduate he attended UC San Diego, then earned his PhD from UW Madison in the Plant Pathology Department studying soil microbes living on plant roots. Before joining the faculty at UNI, he taught Cell Biology at Denison, a small liberal arts college in central Ohio. Throughout his career, he tends to get interested in everything and keeps adding hobbies. In addition to cooking, his current passion is gardening and maintaining a small urban prairie patch around his home filled with native species.

UNIV 2196-02 Honors Seminar: Child Forensic Interviewing

Dr. Kim MacLin, 9:30-10:45am Tuesdays + arranged meetings

**3 credit hour seminar – Requires sophomore standing

Course Description: Conversation is how we share and communicate with others in our day to day lives. However, sometimes conversations are formal and become the context within which memory evidence is collected. Interviewing children who have been victims of crime is a sensitive and interdisciplinary process. In this course, we will cover the policies and procedures for interviewing children in legal contexts, as well as the underpinning science of these approaches including developmental psychology and memory science.

Students will learn about the challenges of balancing the various perspectives and goals of the individuals involved (social workers, law enforcement, mandatory reporters, parents, the accused, and the child). Additionally, students will learn the basics of child forensic interviewing, be able to practice interviewing skills, review real forensic interviews, and learn how to detect and avoid problems in gathering this special form of memory evidence. TW: criminal behavior involving children (including sexual abuse) will be a central focus of this course.

Professor Biography: Kim MacLin, PhD is an active teacher, writer, and legal consultant. She has won several awards including the State of Iowa Board of Regents Awards for Faculty Excellence in Research, Teaching, and Service.

UNIV 4198-01 Honors Independent Study

Dr. Jessica Moon, arr

Course Description: The purpose of independent study is to provide students with an opportunity to participate in an educational experience beyond what is typically offered in the classroom. Students must be prepared to exercise a great deal of independent initiative in pursuing such studies. Honors students may receive independent study credit for research projects of their own or those shared with faculty members, certain internship opportunities, or some types of work or volunteer experiences.

Students wishing to register for Honors Independent Study must meet with Jessica to discuss course requirements and have their registration holds removed. Call Brenda at 3-3175 to make an appointment.

UNIV 4197-01 Honors Thesis

Dr. Jessica Moon, arr

Course Description: The Honors Thesis is the final step towards earning a University Honors designation from the University of Northern Iowa. The thesis gives Honors students the opportunity to explore a scholarly area of interest with the guidance of a faculty member. It is intended to serve as the culmination of the Honors experience.

The thesis provides you with experience in research as well as an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise. While the process may at times be challenging, it will also be rewarding. You will enhance your knowledge of the chosen topic and further develop your research or creative skills. The final product should leave you with a sense of pride and accomplishment for what you have attained.

Students wishing to register for Honors Thesis must meet with Jessica to discuss course requirements and have their registration holds removed. Call Brenda at 3-3175 to make an appointment.

*Honors Contract

Contracting provides students with the opportunity to earn honors credit in non-honors courses. Credit is based on the fulfillment of a written contract between student and professor that outlines an enhanced learning experience above and beyond normal course requirements. Contracting is approved on a case-by-case basis, and there are restrictions on the number of honors credits students can contract.

Honors Contract Guidelines

*Honors Study Abroad Credit

Students are strongly encouraged to make use of opportunities for international learning. There are many options for study abroad participation at UNI, from short summer study programs to semester or year-long exchange. Students participating in non-honors study abroad programs can apply up to 3 hours of credit toward their honors designations through the completion of a travel journal and reflection paper. The journal should be compiled throughout the study experience and can be used to prepare a reflection paper upon the student's return. A request for credit must be submitted prior to travel, including a description of the themes or questions the student anticipates addressing in the reflection paper. Honors students with majors in the College of Humanities, Arts and Sciences or the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences are eligible to apply for travel funding through the Nadyne Harris Scholarship for Honors Travel and should use that application to request study abroad credit. All others should email their request for credit to Jessica Moon.

Study Abroad

*You do NOT need to register for additional credit for these options, but application is required.