Honors Program Guidelines

HN 101 A /B : Honors Washburn Experience (A: Kerry Wynn / B: Stephen Hageman)

This is the Honors version of WU 101. Incoming Honors Freshman should enroll in this course instead of WU 101. HN101 is a three credit hour course, designed for first year honors students (incoming honors freshman) providing students with a common first-semester experience. Course content will focus upon information literacy, technology, and the transition into the Washburn University Community of Learning in addition to exposure to co-curricular activities. Common themes such as the exploration of writing, study skills, research, wellness, technology, plagiarism, and others will be covered to introduce students to a series of best practices for success.

HN 201 A: Ethical Responsibilities of Leadership (TBA)

Survey of the fundamental ethical responsibilities of leadership; requires examination of obstacles to and opportunities for ethical leadership, an understanding of the cultural contexts of leadership and an articulation of a personal ethics statement as a foundation for applied ethics in the leadership process.

HN 201 B: Introduction to the Study of Religion (Chris Jones)

This course serves as an introduction to the academic discipline of religious studies. We will explore the human side of religion through the careful study of contextualized religious communities. Honors students will develop and implement a field observation project within a religious community of their choosing, and they will work with the instructor to develop a robust reading list in contemporary scholarly literature on religion that they will apply to their final field work write-up.

HN 201 C: Introduction to Women’s Studies (Courtney Sullivan)

Introduces the principal history, methods, issues, and debates in Women’s Studies using an interdisciplinary approach. Through a broad range of issues confronting women, the course examines both historical and contemporary ideas, institutions, and constraints that shape women’s lives.

TH 202 HNA and TH 202 HNB : Acting I (Theodore Shonka)

This class develops the tools used by actors. Improvisations present students with acting challenges, giving them opportunities to exercise and expand their emotional and expressive range. Each challenge provides a particular focus for what are essentially experiments in human behavior. For theatre students, improvisation greatly enhances an immediate and vital connection to scene work. It provides tools for communication of text and subtext, creation of character, physical activity and nonverbal communication. Non-theater students are given the opportunity, through these activities to re-engage their senses, revitalize their bodies, voices, and intuition and explore the complex maze of human personality, interaction, and communication in a safe environment.

HN 202 A/B: Exploring the Concept of Leadership (A: Madeline Lambing / B: Michaela Saunders)

This course provides a survey of leadership theories and introduction to the academic study of leadership using case studies and contexts of the leadership process; requires identifying personal leadership potential, articulation of a personalized leadership theory, and leadership concepts applied in a Campus Action Project.

HN 202 C: Mock Trial (Olivia Higdon)

Learn the basics of trial advocacy and how to polish these basic skills to attain competitive success; sharpen your oral communication skills; develop advanced research skills.; develop and sharpen your analytical ability.; learn through competition with your classmates and teams from other universities; be better prepared for law school.

HN 202 D: Introduction to Community Studies (Michaela Saunders)

This course introduces students to the interdisciplinary academic discipline of community studies. Topics include the importance of understanding self and place, theories of community change, basic community- based research methods, and the importance of civic engagement.

HN 301 A: History of the Garment (Janice Levi)

Every day, we reach for articles of clothing to express who we are. Whether it be a uniform, a favorite Washburn hoodie, or a graduation gown (goals!), our clothes speak to who we are and where we are (work, school, an important ceremony). From the cradle (swaddling) to the grave (burial shrouds/outfit), we have a daily relationship with our clothes. But what is the history behind these garments? How were they constructed, and by whom? How did the materials come into being, how did they get into your home? And once you outgrew or lost interest, where do these wardrobes go? What stories do they tell? Clothing is revolutionary, it is restrictive, it labels, it frees, it dreams of worlds not yet to come, and it reminisces to times past.

Over the course of this semester, we will think about garments (and select accessories) as a historic and global process, spanning backward in time and across the world. Our studies will consider the economic and labor impact (what is the economy and markets around the clothing and fashion industry, second-hand market, who makes our clothes), the environmental and ethical impacts (resources, water, transport, carbon footprint, plastic toxicity and animal cruelty), the intellectual impact (design, appropriation/theft), ritual impact (wedding, prom, funeral, graduation, i.e. ceremonial), cultural impact (identity, status, gender roles, and influencer culture), to name a few.

This course will utilize primary and secondary literature as well as material culture to explore this history. Students will also have the opportunity to examine an archive of garments in-class and from visiting experts. This is a reading intensive course, with a midterm exam to test students on the readings and key themes. The course will also require a final project at the end of the semester.

HN 301 B: Media Law, Ethics & Diversity (Kristen Grimmer)

This course takes an in-depth look at the First Amendment, ethics, and diversity from a media practitioner's standpoint. Students will think critically about the freedoms of speech in the United States, privacy in a digital age, and common legal protections in the workplace. The course will also include an examination of professional ethics in mass media and how those may be applied in case studies. Furthermore, students will also examine the societal representations of gender, race, and disability in media and how those images influence and reinforce cultural stereotypes.

HN 302 B: Sociology of Mental Health (Lindsey Ibañez)

This course approaches the topic of mental health from a sociological perspective. We will examine how inequality shapes mental health, how people make sense of their lived experiences of mental illness, and how institutional arrangements determine how mental health is defined, categorized, measured, and treated. We will read classic works from Goffman and Durkheim as well as contemporary research evidence and firstperson accounts. Students will complete a research paper on a topic of their choice.

HN 295 A: Post-Undergrad Prep (Kerry Wynn)

If you plan to apply to graduate school or secure a major scholarship after you graduate (such as the Fulbright or Marshall), this workshop may be for you. We will explore options for major scholarships, develop personalized plans for applying to post-graduation opportunities, and work together on personal statements and application materials. This is a zero-credit hour course, so you won’t be charged to participate.

HN 392 A: Directed Readings (Choose a mentor)

A special topics course designed to allow students and faculty the opportunity to explore and develop areas of study.

HN 399 A: Honors Capstone (Choose a mentor)

This course fulfills the capstone requirement to graduate from the Honors Program. Students undertake a project under the guidance of a faculty mentor. The project is intended as a culminating experience for a student’s academic career, and may take the form of scholarly or creative products. A capstone should engage the intellectual tools and knowledge a student has gained throughout their university Honors education, and it should demonstrate the exercise of intellectual practices developed in this program