Honors Colloquia - Spring 2023

Click on a course name to read a description.

All course materials can be purchased at Shakespeare & Co. Booksellers, located at 939 Lexington Avenue.

Course Descriptions

The Art & Science of Anatomy

Professor Roger Persell (Biological Science)

HONS 2011G
Fridays; 11:30-2:20 p.m.
Room: 412HW
3 hours, 3 credits

Within Leonardo’s boundless world of 500 years ago, he believed his anatomical drawings would yield insight into the human mind and that his paintings would explain human emotions. We revere Leonardo’s peerless art, but he saw himself foremost as an investigator of human feelings. By the 19th century, art and science diverged into “two cultures”, an intellectual chasm identified by C.P. Snow in 1959. In this century, however, neuroscientists are rethinking that separation. Science and art together help reveal how humans have evolved to make sense of what we see, to find meaning from our perceptions. What better way to explore the wondrous overlap between art and science than by discovering how our brains respond to art?

Going beyond simple “body language”, our course will focus on how the anatomy of art – and the visual world in general – leads to perception, comprehension and emotion. More important, we’ll explore how they work together to generate what we call “meaning”. Art can evoke powerful emotions and deep meaning: from fear and disgust to beauty and arousal; from sex to gender and back; from identity to mystery; from anger and strife to spiritual calm; from an Instagram selfie to religious awe.

Course texts and short projects will expand an appreciation of how we generate meaning from what we see whether from our evolutionary ancestry or universal human experiences, helping us discern significance among visual noise. Cognitive neuroscientists like Eric Kandel [Columbia University] to philosophers like Denis Dutton [Canterbury University, New Zealand] point to an understanding of the visual world and aesthetics out of the biological approach our course is grounded upon.

The course has no special pre- or co-requisites except a willingness to unleash your own creativity and to discuss potentially challenging texts. Please be aware that this course includes explicit images that some may find provocative or disturbing. On-time assignments and intensive class participation are expected and will contribute to your grade along with a major term project. An art or science background is not necessary. One meeting is currently planned via Zoom from an active sculpture studio in London where we can directly talk with the artist. At least one visit to a nearby museum will also be planned.

Beginning week 2, student pairs will lead the discussion of each week’s assignments (15%). Three short projects/essays will be assigned (15% each). Finally, you will choose your own (pre-approved) term project (30%) and present it in class (10%) for a more in-depth understanding of how art and science come together to illuminate a subject, for example the spiritual impact of Dürer’s hands, the clinical impact of an MRI, or the uncanny eyes of “Alita, Battle Angel”. Multi-media works are acceptable.

REQUIRED TEXT: Kandel, E. Reductionism in Art and Brain Science. (2016) Columbia Univ. Press Other required weekly readings will be posted on Blackboard. Blackboard should be checked daily.

Suggested Readings/viewings:

• Ammer, R., How drawing helps you think (2019). https://youtu.be/ZqlTSCvP-Z0
• Kandel, E. The Age of Insight, The Quest to Understand the Unconscious in Art, Mind, and Brain from Vienna 1900 to the Present (2012) Random House.
• Snow, C.P. The Two Cultures (1959) with new Introduction (1998) Cambridge University Press
  
• Chatterjee, A. The Aesthetic Brain: how we evolved to desire beauty and enjoy art (2014) Oxford University Press
  
• Rampley, M. The Seductions of Darwin: Art, evolution and neuroscience (2017) Penn State Press
  
• Pessoa, L. The Entangled Brain, How Perception, Cognition, and Emotion Are Woven Together (2022)
  
• The MIT Press Dutton, D. The Art Instinct, Beauty, Pleasure & Human Evolution (2009) Bloomsbury Press, NYC.

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The Search for Knowledge & the Problem of Certainty

Professor Spiro Alexandratos (Chemistry)

HONS 2011H
Mondays and Thursdays; 1:00-2:15 p.m.
Room: 412HW
3 hours, 3 credits

Reality is a concept that has been the focus of philosophers and scientists. What is reality? Is what we observe exactly as we see it? The problem of defining Reality is tied to the search for knowledge. From the earliest times, we asked “Ti esti?” (What exists?), then “How do you know?” followed by “Are you certain?”

This course explores philosophical and scientific views of reality and how we approach the question of knowledge in the Western tradition from antiquity to the present.

We begin at the beginning, with the pre-Socratic philosophers, then, in a seamless arc, proceed to the search from the perspective of scientists in modern times.

Course Objective: to understand what it means to know; to know Reality; and whether we can be certain of what we know.

Assigned Texts:

Plato – the Theaetetus
Rene Descartes - Meditations on First Philosophy
George Berkely - A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge (chapters 1 - 24)

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-evolution-of-the-periodic-system
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/periodic-table-history-chemical-elements-150-anniversary)

Requirements: biweekly essays (1000 words), one mid-term, one final exam

This course is self-contained; it does not have prerequisites in either philosophy or science. Brilliant lectures and intense discussions provide all that can be known.

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Empire & Print Culture

Professor Tanya Agathocleous (English)

HONS 2011R
Mondays and Thursdays; 11:30-12:45 a.m.
Room: 412HW
3 hours, 3 credits

This course looks at the relationship between empire and the transnational circulations of texts in the nineteenth century, with a particular focus on the British empire between 1857 and 1945. The British empire relied on military power to maintain control of its territories, but also on the power of print. Bibles, textbooks, literature, maps, periodicals, photographs, and political pamphlets were all important to the way imperial power was justified and administered, as well as to the way it was contested by colonial subjects. While Thomas Macaulay argued that “a single shelf of a good European library [is] worth the whole native literature of India and Arabia” in his attempt to influence educational policy in India, Mohandas Gandhi ran a printing press in South Africa from which he published a protest newspaper Indian Opinion and eventually the pamphlet Hind Swaraj (Indian Home Rule), one of the key texts of Indian nationalism. The course will examine ideas about empire within texts (such as Jane Eyre) as well as the role that various kinds of texts and archives played in the governance of empire. It will draw on the disciplines of literature, history, art history and anthropology. Readings will include novels such as Jane Eyre and King Solomon’s Mines; poetry and periodicals by both British and Indian authors; and secondary texts drawn from postcolonial and empire studies, as well as nineteenth-century studies. Alongside literary texts, we will look at sociological and political writings, maps, photographs, and paintings that helped both to shape and contest empire.

Requirements:
One short paper in the first part of the semester (5-7 pages) and a long research paper (12-15 pages, submitted in draft and then final form), as well as an annotated bibliography and an abstract of the paper, submitted beforehand, and weekly contributions to the class website.

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South Africa & Southern Africa During & After Apartheid

Professor Larry Shore (Film and Media Studies)

HONS 2012C
Mondays and Thursday; 2:30-3:45 p.m.
412HW
3 hours, 3 credits

This course will examine, from an interdisciplinary perspective, the events and forces that have shaped the history of South Africa and Southern Africa and America's special relationship with South Africa.

Black-white relations have been central to the historical narratives of both countries. We will compare and contrast the history of white supremacy- and the anti-racist struggles- in the United States and South Africa. One vehicle for doing this will be the documentary film RFK in the Land of Apartheid: A Ripple of Hope.

The course will consider the history of the expansion of Dutch and British colonialism and eventual Afrikaner rule in South Africa culminating in the system of Apartheid and the opposition that it spawned. This will lead to an analysis of the dramatic transformation that took place in South Africa from February 1990 to April 1994- ¬the negotiated end of Apartheid and the first democratic elections. We will also analyze the 28 years of South African democracy, the current situation, and possible future scenarios in South Africa and the region.

In general, South Africa, and its recent history, provides a useful comparative case study for other countries that have made the transition from authoritarian rule to democracy. The course will also study developments in other countries in Southern Africa and past and present United States policy towards South Africa, the region and Africa in general. We will also consider South Africa's post-Apartheid role as a continental power and how it compares to other post-colonial African countries.

The course will culminate in The Southern Africa Simulation Game. This exciting simulation game has been run every time this course has been taught. With faculty guidance, students select and research team and individual roles based on the important players in the South African and regional situation. The simulation game is conducted on a weekend at the end of the semester. It has very carefully constructed rules and controls and begins with an interesting scenario projected some time into the near future. More details will be provided in class.

Grading for the class is based primarily on a midterm, a research paper and preparation for and participation in the simulation game.

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Topics in the History of the Book

Professor Marlene Hennessey(English)

Guest Speakers

HONS 3011M
Tuesdays; 11:30-2:25 p.m.
Room: 412HW
3 hours, 3 credits

Books have been a symbolic and mythic force central to the history of human culture and society. This colloquium will be an intensive introduction to the history of the book and will consider the role and function of the book as material object, artifact, and social force. Beginning with books and libraries in Mesopotamia and Antiquity and early writing materials including cuneiform, cylinder seals, papyrus, and wax tablets, we will examine how scrolls and copying texts functioned in the ancient world. We will then delve into the rise of the codex with a special focus on the evolution of the medieval book and the transition to print culture. We will broadly consider related topics such as authorship, readership, libraries and censorship. The scope of the course will also encompass other global histories of the book through topics such as Incan cord writing and Mayan codices; the central role of the book in the history of Islam; the invention of paper in China; and books in Ethiopia and sub-Saharan Africa. We will also briefly explore more recent iterations of the book, including 20^th-century artists' books, graphic novels, comics, and fanzines. Students will develop individual research projects on some aspect of book history related to the course and will be encouraged to write about books and other archival materials that we encounter on our site visits in class.

Please note: Site visits to special collections in the New York City area will be an essential part of the work of the course, as we will take a hands-on approach to book history that allows students to work with original materials. You must be willing to take subways around the city together with the class or on your own; for all outings, we will do our best to make sure that you are able to be back on campus by 2:20 pm. We will hold class meetings at the NYPL Treasures exhibition; New York Academy of Medicine Rare Book Room; Fales Library and Special Collections at NYU; Pierpont Morgan Library; Met Museum/Watson Library; and other sites TBA. The class will also host various guest speakers on a variety of book-related topics.

Requirements: short essay and presentation (3 pp; 5-7 mins); Midterm (5 pp); Research Paper (12-16 pp).

Selected Readings: All readings will be on Blackboard

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The Art & Science of Making Predictions

Professor Jason Young

Guest Speakers

HONS 3011U
Wednesdays; 4-6:50 p.m.
Room: 412HW
3 hours, 3 credits

The presentation of, and reliance upon, prediction is ubiquitous. We anticipate what others around us (including social friends, significant others, family members, politicians, that scary neighbor next door, etc.) are going to say, to feel, to do. Often, such concerns seem incidental; other times, they become obsessions. We rely on predictions to feel safe, to gain friends and favors, to render our world around us more tolerable. And yet, while we can convince ourselves in the short-term that we are, and that others should be, "pretty good" at making predictions, the further we pull back the lens on our track record, one over-riding conclusion repeatedly presents itself: at some point or another, we all suck at prediction.

The basic premises of this course will focus on 3 key features of peoples' tendencies to make predictions:

1)    We strongly value predictions and perceive them to be useful. (We will discuss why.)

2)    We all make predictions in the course of our daily lives. (We will discuss how.)

3)    We too often overestimate or ignore the degree of accuracy of many of our predictions. (We will discuss who, what, and when.)

We will begin the semester focusing on basic foundational processes of human cognition and emotion to understand the mechanisms and filters used to interpret and anticipate the world around us. Most centrally, the concept of "attitude" has been used for decades to help identify our feelings about the world and to predict behavior. Other psychology-based areas of research in social cognition will be explored to understand several other thinking patterns that people often fall into that serve to make them feel "as if" their worlds are predictable, sometimes more so than they really are. Additionally, we will explore some of the forms of social influence that may lead us to behave more-or, in some cases, less-predictably than expected (e.g., psychological reactance theory).

We will then examine how these mechanisms play a role in a variety of different disciplines. A critical part of this course will include a series of discussions with specialists in other fields, including epidemiology, humor, music, physics, and business, to examine what techniques (often empirically-based) have been used to address making predictions in different disciplines, as well as the consequences of prediction errors.

Students are expected to contribute heavily to class discussions, including an assignment in which each student will help lead the discussion of selected readings at least once during the semester.

Course Evaluation will be based on:

• Two short papers (3-5 pages each): 40%
• One longer research paper (15-20 pages): 30%
• Discussion and class participation: 15%
• Contribution to the discussion questions: 5%
• Oral presentation of research paper topic: 10%

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Interdisciplinary Independent Study

HONS 30199
3 hours, 3 credits
Hours to be arranged

Students wishing to take this course will need two readers, from different disciplines, one of whom generally should be a member of the Council on Honors. In principle, the Council must approve the subject matter of such a paper before the student can register for the course. This course may be taken only once.

HONS 30199 cannot replace any of the three required Honors Colloquia.

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Advanced Interdisciplinary Study

HONS 49151
6 hours, 6 credits
Hours to be arranged

Upon completion of 90 credits, certified Honors Program students may be admitted by the Council on Honors to Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, with the opportunity of engaging in advanced independent study under the Council's supervision. A project for a thesis or other appropriate report of the results of the student's research is presented to the Council, which must approve it the semester previous to registration. Three sponsors, from at least two departments, one of whom must be a member of the Council on Honors, will supervise the work. The final product must be approved by all three sponsors and the Council.

HONS 49151 cannot replace any of the three required Honors Colloquia.

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