Featured Course
2008 Fall Term (2091)
Seminar in the Social Sciences: The Social Scientist Looks at the World (HONORS 0022)
Instructor:
David Hornyak
Course description:
This seminar will explore how current thinking in what is broadly defined as the social sciences impacts our contemporary world view. The format of this seminar is relatively simple: we will discuss writings by researchers in the social sciences (there are no textbooks for this course; all readings will be online). The purpose of this seminar is for you to begin to engage with ideas of relevance in today’s society and to reflect on their impact in your life and your place in the world, as well as to consider their impact on larger society. Not only will this seminar be fun for inquisitive individuals, it will also serve a practical purpose by introducing you to new ideas which may influence your educational and career aspirations, especially if you plan to become a “thinker” in this area. Although this seminar will be of particular interest to students majoring in (or considering a major in) the social science disciplines, anyone with an interest in broad public policy issues is encouraged to enroll in it – diversity of viewpoints is essential for all participants to be able to begin to see interdisciplinary connections and to get the most out of their personal experience in this seminar. Some of the thinkers we may read include: Steven Johnson (Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter), Richard Florida (The Rise of the Creative Class), Ian Ayres (Super Crunchers: Why Thinking-by-Numbers is the New Way to be Smart), Dan Tapscott (Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything), and Andrew Keen (The Cult of the Amateur: How Today’s Internet is Killing Our Culture).
Students who may be interested in the course
This seminar should be of interest to anyone curious about public policy issues in contemporary society; all majors are welcome.
Course requirements and evaluation
This seminar is graded S/NC. Because this class only meets for one hour each week, attendance is essential to receive credit. Students will need to review the readings before each class meeting (an example of the length of a typical weekly reading for this class is an essay in The New Yorker). The readings are selected to generate questions from students, rather than provide you with answers. The questions you develop as you read, then, will form the basis of our discussions in class.
Prerequisites
This seminar is open to any honors-eligible student.
Class size
Approximately 20.
About the instructor
This seminar is taught by David Hornyak, UHC Director of Advising. A complete biography is available here.