Honors Credit

Honors General Education Sections (Spring 2026)

These offerings satisfy the respective UNIFI 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.

BIOL 1012-02 Life: The Natural World

Dr. Wen, 12:30-1:45pm T/Th 

Fulfills UNIFI Scientific Reasoning or UNIFI Connect Elective

Course Description: The natural world is full of interactions: interactions between organisms and the environment, and interactions among organisms, including humans and the immense diversity of organisms living around and inside of us. In this course, students will explore these interactions from an anthropogenic angle, to understand how these complex relationships among the organisms shape up the dimensions close to us, and yet we had just recently started to move away from an “us v.s. them” viewpoint. Through reading of recently published book chapters and research papers, watching movies and participating in student-led discussions, as well as occasional lectures, students will develop an understanding on topics relevant in the current world, such as human parasites/pathogens/microbiome and how they shape our immune system and health, disease vectors and infectious diseases in a post-pandemic world, entomophagy and how to feed a world with 8 billion people. Through these discussions, students might embrace the idea that a deeper understanding of the natural world is crucial to the advancing of medical sciences and a hopeful future of the humanity..

Professor Biography: I am a trained ecologist with a wide range of past research experience, including monkeys, bears, birds, frogs, plants in old cranberry bogs, and tiny microbes in human bodies.  Currently, my main research focus is on wild bee pollinators and other insects in Iowa, but I have a side-hustle obsession with parasites and pathogens and how they shape the natural world and human societies. I also work with a lot of organic farmers in Iowa to advocate for organic farming and environmental health. I like to read, both serious books and junk novels, cook a good meal, go into nature and collect insects, and spend time with my family.

BIOL 1013-02 Life: The Natural World lab

Dr. Cline-Brown, 9:00-10:50 W

Fulfills UNIFI Scientific Reasoning or UNIFI Connect Elective

Course Description: Coming Soon!

Professor Biography: Coming Soon!

ENGLISH 1050-01 Law & Literature 

Dr. Zigarovich, 11:00-12:15pm T/Th

Fulfills UNIFI Responsibility or Connect Elective

Course Description: How do we decide what is right and fair? When, if ever, is it permissible to break the law? What role should mercy and revenge play in legal and moral judgment? How should we respond to historical wrongs and how can we rectify social and legal injustices today? Such questions have not only preoccupied jurists and philosophers but have also figured prominently in literature. In this Honors UNIFI course, we consider how imaginative writers from ancient Greece to the present day have examined the nature, problems, and possibilities of justice. Literary texts may include: Sophocles’ Antigone; Susan Glaspell’s “A Jury of Her Peers”; Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun; Franz Kafka’s “In the Penal Colony”; the film adaptation of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird; Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”; and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. We examine the laws depicted in these texts, as well issues such as literature on trial and law as narrative. Activities include mock trials of characters, case study and legal research, a creative-writing project, and class debates. At the same time that we examine the contributions of literature to pressing moral, ethical, and legal debates, we will work on developing close reading and writing skills. Through class discussions and workshops, as well as short written assignments and formal essays, students will learn how to trace patterns in texts; how to analyze devices such as language, imagery, and tone; how to gather textual evidence to support your claims; and how to craft clear, well-organized, and well-developed arguments. By the end of the course, students will have gained a deeper understanding of the nature and possibilities of justice; learn to articulate appropriate professional and personal judgments that are rooted in an ethical and moral foundation; and apply these tools in order to promote stronger communities and a just society. 

Professor Biography: Dr. Jolene Zigarovich is an Associate Professor of English in the Department of Languages & Literatures. Her teaching interests include the long eighteenth century, women writers, Romanticism, and Gothic literature. She is author of Writing Death and Absence in the Victorian Novel:  Engraved Narratives, and editor of Sex and Death in Eighteenth-Century Literature as well as TransGothic in Literature and Culture. Her monograph Death and the Body in the Eighteenth-Century Novel (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2023) had the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Currently, she is working on two new book projects that engage law and iterature, Victorian Necropolitics: Legislating the Dead Body and the Novel, 1847-1874 and Legal Bodies: Women, Economies, and the Law in the Eighteenth-Century Novel. 

CHEM 1012-03 Matter Matters

Dr. Flokstra, 12:00-12:50 MWF

Fulfills UNIFI Responsibility or UNIFI Connect Elective

Course Description: The goal of this class is to create a shared learning experience where science, through the lens of chemistry, is connected to the natural world, society, communities, and the environment and is also understood to be durable and ever changing. As part of the UNIFI Responsibility category, students will also receive a foundation in ethical theories and applied ethics, as they connect to topics in this course. Students will examine the role of science and ethics in shaping their personal values and views of the world, and how analyzing assumptions can lead to a more informed perspective. Course design includes some of each of the following: lectures, discussions, case studies, curated multimedia, and activities. Assessment includes written reflections, questions over readings, participation summaries, projects, and exams. Each of these categories, however, carries a similar overall weight for grading. 

Professor Biography: Dr. Brittany Flokstra teaches in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department. She received her PhD in Environmental Engineering from the University of Iowa. She has earned several teaching awards including the “Above and Beyond” teaching award from NISG and the “Outstanding Teaching Award” from the UNI Provost. She has been recognized as “Faculty Ally of the Year” by UNI Proud and earned recognition for her service to the UNI community through her Rod Con committee role. Outside of work she enjoys walks with her partner and their dog, gaming with her friends, and listening to podcasts about her favorite TV shows and heroines.

HIST 2011-01 Engaging Sources: Prop & Media

Dr. Calderón, 12:00-12:50pm MWF

Fulfills UNIFI Human Expression or UNIFI Connect Elective

Course Description: This seminar-style course examines the evolution and impact of mass propaganda in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Students will analyze how visual, textual, and performative media have been used to shape public perception, mobilize societies, and promote political ideologies. Through close study of key historical examples and the theories that informed them, students will gain insight into the intersection of art, persuasion, and power. The course culminates in a creative project in which students apply these theories to design their own original works of propagandist art.

Professor Biography: Dr. Fernando Herrera Calderón is a social historian and Associate Professor of History whose research focuses on twentieth-century Mexico, student politics, political violence, and the global Cold War. His work also explores the transnational circulation of radical ideologies and the interconnected histories of the Global South. Dr. Herrera Calderón brings a global and comparative perspective to the study of modern Latin America and its place within broader international movements for social and political change.

HIST 3110-04 Conflict & Justice in History: Mao’s Memory: Cultural Revolution & Its Legacies for Contemporary China

Dr. Holcombe, 9:30-10:45 TTh

Fulfills UNIFI Responsibility or UNIFI Connect Elective

Course Description: This section of Conflict and Justice in History will examine revolutionary violence in 1960s China, including how it was perceived as ethically and morally justified by participants at the time, what happened to its victims, and its continuing legacies today. As an honors section, special emphasis will be placed on discussion and analysis, although there will also be a limited number of lectures and some videos providing a description of events, explanatory background, and tracing subsequent developments in China as they relate to the Cultural Revolution. Students will be invited to compare the Chinese Cultural Revolution with other similar cult-like episodes in world history and attempt to explore it as an example of a type of human phenomenon.

Professor Biography: Charles Holcombe is a specialist in Chinese and East Asian history. He is the author of three books and many articles. The third edition of his Cambridge University Press textbook, A History of East Asia: From the Origins of Civilization to the Twenty-First Century, was just recently published in summer 2025. Holcombe is a University of Michigan Ph.D., and has also studied in Taiwan, Japan, and mainland China. He has been a member of the History Department at UNI since 1989. 

POL AMER 1014-03 Power & Politics in the U.S.

Dr. Holmes, 10:00-10:50 MWF

Fulfills UNIFI Human Condition-Domestic or UNIFI Connect Elective

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 1020-05 Religions of the World 

Dr. Burnight, 1:00-1:50 MWF

Fulfills UNIFI Human Condition-Global or UNIFI Connect Elective

Course Description: This course will provide a broad, chronologically organized survey of the

development of the western, monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) from the earliest written sources through the early Islamic conquests of the 7th century C.E., followed by a survey of two major religions originating in India: Hinduism and Buddhism. We will focus on reading (in translation) the primary texts of each tradition, describing their similarities and differences in worldview, beliefs about the nature of the divine, and ideas about the purpose of human existence. This section of the course will emphasize the acquisition and development of oral presentation and writing skills: small groups will collaborate to offer presentations to the class on specific areas within the various religious traditions, and students will select a topic for in-depth individual study and write a research paper. N.B.: We will be less concerned with the historicity of the ‘supernatural’ events described in some of the traditions than with how the stories affected the beliefs of each religion: we are tracing the development of religious thought, not trying to determine, for example, whether or not Noah did in fact build a really big boat.

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. 

Presidential Scholars Required Credit

Required and reserved for presidential scholars ONLY.

UNIV 1092-01 Presidential Scholars Seminar: Rethinking the Learning Society: Education & Future 

Dr. Bourassa, 1:00-2:50 M

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

Course Description: Rethinking the Learning Society: Education and Its Future(s) explores and challenges the educational logics that animate the present, inviting students to question prevailing ideas about learning and the learning society. In this interdisciplinary, discussion-based seminar, students will engage with readings from philosophy, history, political theory, and cultural studies to examine how contemporary educational logics and practices are bound up with broader economic and political forces. Together, we will consider alternative educational logics and imagine educational practices for a more just future.    

Professor Biography: Gregory Bourassa teaches in the College of Education and has recently taught the following social foundations of education courses: A Modern History of Education in the United States; Biopolitics and Education; Democracy and Education in the 21st Century; Schools and American Society.

UNIV 1092-02 Presidential Scholars Seminar: Sophomore Service Learning

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

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

Course Description: The intent of Sophomore Service Learning 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. The spring semester will be devoted to the execution of the implementation plan developed during the fall Think Tank.

Professor Biography: I have served as director of the University Honors Program at UNI since 2004, but I 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 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 experience that with all of 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 Civic Bargain 

Dr. Rank, 11:00am-12:15pm T/Th 

**3 credit hour seminar – Requires sophomore standing 

Course Description: The state of American politics is demoralizing for many of us regardless of personal political viewpoints. Conditions such as negative polarization, a confusing media environment, fears about social consequences of saying something ‘wrong’, and an increase in politically motivated violence leaves many Americans, particularly young people, questioning the validity of our current political system. A recent poll from CIRCLE focused on Gen Z’s views of democracy found 31% of young people display a “dismissive detachment” from American democracy while 7% of young people express “hostile dissatisfaction” with the current system.

To better understand the challenges of the current moment, this class will take a step back from day-to-day politics to think about the conditions in which political activity takes place - what we’ll refer to as civics. A metaphor can help explain the difference. Think about our democracy as a board game. Civics focuses largely on the rules of the game: What is the purpose of the game and what do individuals need to (1) know how to play, (2) accept the outcome, and (3) be interested in playing another round? Politics, on the other hand, refers to the strategy and tactics used to win a specific round of the game.

In this class, we’ll explore a range of texts to determine what the founders laid out as the purpose and rules of the game including their expectations for players (both the average citizen and elected officials) and how they sought to ensure both winners and losers would keep playing. We’ll use these findings alongside contemporary media from a range of perspectives to develop an interpretation of the challenges facing civic culture today at the campus, local/state, and national levels.

Professor Biography: Dr. Allison Rank is the inaugural director of UNI’s Center for Civic Education and a professor in the Political Science Department. Her research agenda focuses on the role of youth in politics, civic engagement, and pop culture & politics. Prior to moving to Cedar Falls, she served as the Chair of Politics at SUNY Oswego (near Syracuse, New York) where, in addition to teaching traditional American politics and political theory courses, she served as the campaign manager of the nonpartisan, campus-wide voter mobilization program and coordinator of the campus’ broader civic engagement efforts. When not at work, you can find her out on a run, practicing her patisserie making skills, or watching the newest shows from Mike Schur and Shonda Rhimes. 

UNIV 2196-02 Honors Seminar: Rebels, Reformers, and Revolutionaries: Women and the Reshaping of Modern Europe

Dr. Machen, 2:00-3:15 MW 

**3 credit hour seminar – Requires sophomore standing 

Course Description: Coming Soon!

Professor Biography: Emily Machen is a professor of history.  She is a specialist in modern Europe with an emphasis in French women’s history. She received an undergraduate degree from Southeast Missouri State University, where she studied history and French, and a Ph.D. from the University of Mississippi.  Professor Machen lived in France for two years while completing her dissertation. She teaches a variety of classes, including Modern France, European Society and the Great War, European Women’s History, and Humanities III.  She enjoys all of her classes and tries to engage students by incorporating news and documentary video clips, images, and artifacts related to various historical periods. 

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.  https://jessica-honors.youcanbook.me/

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. 

Completion of the thesis is a two semester process.  Most will register for 1 credit of 010:197 to begin the process in the fall and 2 credits of 010:197 to complete their work in the spring (talk with Jessica if your situation requires a different split of hours).  Those wishing to register for Honors Thesis must meet with Jessica to discuss course requirements and have their registration holds removed.  https://jessica-honors.youcanbook.me/

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 an application is required.