The University of Florida Honors Program
.
..
...
....
.....
......
.............
Honors sections are versions of regular UF courses, but specifically designed for honors students. Quest 1 & 2 sections are typically available each semester, but are not required.
What is medical anthropology? How do anthropologists investigate pain, illness, healing, and wellness in global contexts? How do cultural processes that seem to be local or global interact and shape aspects of our bodies, such as illness or efforts to find healing? What methods and theories do anthropologists use to explore these issues and how do these differ from and work with public health or medicine? This course places health and healing in a cross-cultural and evolutionary perspective. It explores three major themes. First, how our experience of sickness and health is shaped by cultural context. Second, how biology and culture intersect to shape global and local inequalities in health and well-being. And third, how healing practices and policies are embedded in political, economic, and historical context. We will discuss everything from diabetes to HIV, Ebola to childbirth, and witchcraft to biotechnology and COVID-19. Applying an anthropological perspective to these questions deepens our understanding of the human condition and prepares us to address practical matters of life and death in the US and around the world. This course will be particularly of interest to pre-health professions students because it will bring to light new ways to think about healthcare, health and illness, interactions in healthcare settings, and broader social, cultural, state, and global forces influencing disease and wellbeing. We will also learn about and apply qualitative analysis methods through a semester long class research project.
Quest 1
Quest 2
These courses are discussion-oriented, one-credit seminars centered around an artistic performance or exhibit.
How do we understand the physical world around us? How can our environment influence every other part of our lives? These are big questions without easy answers. In this course we’ll approach these big questions by exploring how environmental science has been portrayed in recent popular film. We will watch, discuss, and dissect films from widely popular and award-winning filmmakers such as Christopher Nolan, Bong Joon-ho, Alexander Payne, and Alex Garland. During the course we will consider popcorn blockbusters, prestige dramas, low-brow comedies, and more to get the most robust and complete picture of how modern Hollywood portrays the environment. The course won’t have any substantial readings, but we will watch an assigned film every week. Class activities will include weekly Socratic discussions about the week’s film, occasional reflection essays, and a final project compiling your thoughts and conclusions at the end of the semester. In addition to the weekly class meeting, films will be screened each week on Tuesdays at 5:10pm. Attendance at this screening is not required, but if you do not attend the screening, you will need to watch the week’s film on your own.
The lectures, readings, and videos explore the origins of American music through the Mississippi Delta and its movement to Chicago and beyond. The course examines how Delta Blues and its offshoots not only constructed our current music scene but also the social fabric of our culture. Class instruction includes field trips to local blues shows.
Dr. Ed Kellerman has taught The Roots of American Music: Blues and Beyond for the past six years in the Honors College. He is a professional guitarist and ethnomusicologist on Delta and Deep South blues, folk, and country blues genres. In retirement, Dr. Kellerman continues to research the origins and spread of American roots music throughout the US and world.
The quintessential strong man of the ancient Greek and Roman world, the hero Hercules has remained a constant figure in media over the millennia. Who is Hercules? What’s his story? Did he really go “from zero to hero”? In this course, we’ll discover “the gospel truth” about Hercules as we “go the distance” and explore the changing media depictions of him across time and cultures, from the pottery, painting, and drama of the ancient world to modern television and film screens. The heroic Hercules used his strength, brains, and resolve to take on the twelve labors but also was involved in
many comic stories. With our primary focus on artistic depictions, we’ll also check out how Hercules appeared in ancient literature, especially drama. Modern media, on the other hand, tends to lean in more on Hercules’ heroic characteristics. We’ll explore three time periods of Hercules on screen: the mid-20th century, the turn of the millennium, and the 2010s. What can we learn from a fictional character who carries with him millennia of ‘baggage’? Why do stories about Hercules remain so popular across time and cultures?
These courses are discussion-oriented, one-credit seminars centered around books from a variety of genres.
History + Biography
What is Mass Incarceration? When did mass incarceration begin? What is the relationship between crime, racism, and politics? Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness examines the racial inequality in the American justice system. Her book provided an in depth analysis of the connection between African American criminalization and public policy. Mass incarceration expanded during the 1980s under Ronald Regan''s War on Drugs, but according to historian Elizabeth Hinton mass incarceration began during the late sixties under Lyndon Baines Johnson. Johnson is known for his Great Society Programs, but during the late sixties he began a War on Crime and created federal policies that provided local law enforcement resources to fight crime. During the 1960s, the crime rate increased, but the federal government did not view the increase due to Black underemployment and racism they interpreted it as Black inherent criminality.
Science (Non-Health) + Science Fiction
"The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you" – Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson. Astrophysics is a burgeoning field even amongst STEM disciplines in the modern age. New science from the discovery of gravitational wave events to images from the James Webb Space Telescope that are revealing new features about even our own solar system have revolutionized our understanding of the universe. Despite this, many regard the cosmos as impossibly complex and difficult to understand (similar to how Dr. Tyson describes it above). The field of astrophysics regularly observes new phenomena that are not sufficiently explained by our current physical theories, and many remain unaware of the gravity (pun intended) of these discoveries. In this course we will cover the book "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry" by Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson. This text is a short expose on some core concepts and problems in modern astrophysics. Some discussions within the text include the origin and structure of the Universe, how gravity
impacts the bodies in the sky, and phenomenological descriptions on things like light, dark matter, and dark energy. In this class, we will try to introduce students to the tremendously large field of astrophysics and push them to acquire scientific skills like the ability to reason through fundamental principles and how to read and digest peer-reviewed scientific literature.
The Hunger Games trilogy has become a classic in the short time it has been published. It has value because of its roots in cultural history. Cultural History is best characterized as a discussion of representation and the struggle over meaning within social constructs. The book has an interplay of class, politics, and ethics. Some of the discussion topics will include oppression, feminism, rebellion and government marketing. Although this universe is a fictional one, it offers students a chance to discuss pressing issues in another context. Panem has numerous problems aside from its rigid regime. This class will focus on cultural history by discussing the politics of The Hunger Games trilogy. We will tackle topics like whether Katniss is a feminist, disparities in wealth distribution, political philosophy, and the oppression of some of the districts.
Patricia Takacs joined the University of Florida Smathers Libraries in 2022 as the Political Science Librarian. In addition to the Political Science department she is the liaison to the Tourism and Hospitality department, the Bob Graham Center for Public Policy, the Election Science Group, and the Center for Global Islamic Studies. She earned her Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree from the University of Tennessee Knoxville, and her Bachelor's of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Southern Maine. She is currently a PhD student of languages and literacy in the Education department at the University of Florida. Patricia is a member of the Association of College & Research Libraries and American Library Association where she is a co-editor of the PPIRS (Politics, Policy and International Relations Section) newsletter. Patricia is known for her dedication to teaching and to enhancing students' information literacies. She assists students and faculty with research navigating law, policy, and political issues. She provides reference services, and information literacy/library instruction. Patricia’s research interests include civic literacies, agricultural policy issues and the influence of media on information literacy/behavior.
Insects and plants are intimately connected and have been so for 300 million years. During this time, the evolutionary arms-race between the two groups has produced examples of co-existence more fantastic than any science-fiction. During this course, we will use the textbook to stimulate more in- depth discussions of diverse topics linked to insect-plant interactions, including co-evolution, chemical ecology, predator-prey relationships, mimicry, natural selection, camouflage, host-mediated speciation and adaptive radiation. In addition to lectures and discussion sessions, students will have a chance to visit the collections of the Florida Museum of Natural History and of the Division of Plant Industry, in addition to the Natural Area Teaching Laboratory located behind the Florida Museum of Natural History, and the Chemical Ecology Laboratory of USDA. Students will gain an appreciation and understanding of the evolution of two of the most important groups of organisms on the planet, in addition to developing their ability to think critically about scientific research. This course is intended to stimulate interest in the natural world, in which insects and plants form the great majority of species, and there are no prerequisites beyond a fascination in the diversity of life.
This course is based on the book How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence by Michael Pollan, which presents a review of the use of psychedelic drugs throughout human history, including in religious practices in various cultures and the US countercultural movement of the 1960s. The course will require a mature perspective on drug use. Students can expect to participate in frank discussions around the effects of psychedelic drugs under a variety of conditions. The course does not in any way advocate the casual use of psychedelic or other drugs.
Honors students interested in subjects as far-ranging as spirituality, therapeutic treatments, the history of medicine, brain neurotransmitters, psychiatric illnesses, and consciousness should find something of interest in this course.
The class will be structured around weekly discussion of the book and students will be evaluated based on class participation and two 1200-word papers.
Regan Garner (rlgarner@ufl.edu) is an Associate Director in the Honors Program where she coordinates internal scholarship programs. Ms. Garner works closely with the UF International Center’s offices of International Student Services and Study Abroad and was named UF’s International Educator of the Year in 2016.
Dr. Lou Ritz (lritz@ufl.edu) is on the faculty of the Department of Neuroscience in the McKnight Brain Institute, a former director for Clinical Neuroscience which is taken by second year medical students, and the director of the UF Center for Spirituality and Health (www.spiritualityandhealth.ufl.edu). Dr. Ritz was selected by Honors students as the 2018 Honors Professor of the Year.
Madagascar is best known in the west for its unique flora and fauna, with over 80% of its wildlife found nowhere else. But this engaging country is also home to 23 million people, comprising 18 distinct ethnic groups, unified by a common language and Malagasy identity. Madagascar - The Eighth Continent: Life, Death and Discovery in a Lost World introduces the reader to the unique fauna, flora, and cultures of Madagascar through the authors’ travels with researchers in herpetology (the study of reptiles and amphibians), paleoecology, archaeology and primatology. Not only do readers learn about the biodiversity and cultures of this fascinating “eighth continent”, but they also get a sense for the joy of scholarly exploration and discovery in the natural world, what it is like to be a field-based (rather than laboratory-based) researcher, and the rationale for and continued importance of such work. While describing these discoveries, the author interweaves stories of Malagasy history, the mystery of the peopling of the island, and culture (language, music, religion, written and oratory arts) into the conversation, providing much fodder for discussion. Overall, this book is a celebration of the people, the wildlife, and the culture of Madagascar.
This (Un)Common Read course is perfect for students with an interest in/love for nature, exploration, discovery, and learning about distant lands and cultures. We will read the book Madagascar - The Eighth Continent in its entirety. Prior to some readings, the instructor (or students, if interested) will provide short introductions to the localities, wildlife, people, and customs described in the readings, augmented by photographs (unique species, environment, habitat loss, the local people and cultural activities) from recent trips to Madagascar. One of the unique strengths of the class will be the sharing of first hand experiences and impressions from multiple trips to the country, providing valuable context to the readings.
Although Madagascar is the focus of the course, this class will provide students with an overview of field research, and why it remains important in the modern world of science. Students will be able to view Madagascar as a model for research in areas such as conservation and sustainability, and the importance of culture and the buy-in of the local peoples. Students will be graded on class participation and a presentation on one auxiliary reading. Finally, students will complete a class project –academic paper or poster, or artistically creative work related to the course. The last class meeting (or two, depending on class size) will be used for students to present and discuss these final projects. This is an opportunity for students to get creative with class content and what they have learned.
Madagascar: The Eighth Continent stands alone as a great read, but this course makes an excellent primer for two other classes at UF: ZOO4956: Madagascar – Biodiversity & Conservation in a Developing Country (UF’s study abroad course in Madagascar) and BOT4935/ZOO4926: Global Biodiversity and Culture: Integrating Conservation and Human Well-being (part of UF’s International Scholars Program).
Michele R. Tennant, PhD, MLIS has a great love of the tropics, the desert, and coral reefs. Her favorite wildlife experiences have included hiking the trails of Madagascar to find lemurs and chameleons; walking the streams of Costa Rica searching for glass frogs; seeing her first anaconda in the Ecuadorian Amazon; experiencing the giant tortoises of the Galapagos; swimming with whale sharks off Nosy Sakatia; and snorkeling amongst the corals and sponges of Bonaire and Belize. Dr. Tennant is co-instructor for a number of courses related to Madagascar and other developing countries:
The study abroad course ZOO4956: Madagascar – Biodiversity & Conservation in a Developing Country;
the International Scholars Program course Global Biodiversity and Culture: Integrating Conservation and Human Well-being;
UnCommon Read Thank You, Madagascar: The Conservation Diaries of Alison Jolly;
UnCommon Read Madagascar: The Eighth Continent: Life, Death and Discovery in a Lost World;
UnCommon Read featuring two books by Patricia Wright: High Moon over the Amazon and For the Love of Lemurs.
Dr. Tennant is the interim Senior Director of the libraries’ Academic Research Consulting and Services department (ARCS), and can direct you to expertise for any of your information needs.
This is an 8 week course.
The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin is an award-winning science-fiction novel, originally written in Chinese, that dives deep into philosophical questions about civilization, communication, and ethical decision-making. In this course, students will attempt to answer such questions through collaborative group discussions, brief homework assignments, and a cumulative final project.
Kira is a fourth-year Honors student majoring in Chemistry and Marine Sciences. She is a sci-fi enthusiast, and has been taking UnCommon Reads courses since she was a freshman.
Sea turtles are among the most magnificent megafauna we encounter in the ocean. The story of these iconic creatures is one of survival and resilience, especially in today’s world. In this course we will cover the book 'The Voyage of the Turtle' by Carl Safina, which explores the plight of sea turtles and how human intervention has impacted both positively and negatively these animals and their ecosystems. During weekly discussions (from book readings and with invited speakers) students will learn not only about sea turtles but also about the scientific, political, and cultural challenges encountered while conducting marine conservation around the world. This will provide students with a better understanding of current issues faced in the marine environment and help them reflect on what the ocean means to them and what steps they can take to make a positive impact on the marine environment.
Health
The re-emergence of research into psychedelic therapy coincides with an expanded awareness of mental health issues in the United States and abroad. In this Uncommon Reads, students will have the opportunity to discuss the design and concepts of “set” and “setting” in therapeutic milieus, especially those created for emerging treatment models in expanded mental healthcare. The selected book was published in 2020 and offers a grounded depiction of the science and sociocultural depictions of “psychedelics” at work now in healthcare, government legislation, and popular culture.
Dr. Craig Smith is an artist and theorist working at the intersection of the arts and expanded mental healthcare. His 2024 book: RELATIONAL ART: A GUIDED TOUR was published by Bloomsbury. Smith is the Chief Culture Officer at Control-Z Health, LLC; a clinical and therapeutic healthcare business in Boston, Massachusetts specializing in treatment for PTSD and Depression.
This course is based on the book “The Emotional Life of Your Brain: How Its Unique Patterns Affect the Way You Think Feel, and Live – and How You Can Change Them” by Richard Davidson, Ph.D.
Dr. Davidson is a professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Dr. Davidson is one of world’s leading authorities of neuropsychology and of mindfulness-based meditation systems. The book explores the brain mechanisms of our six “Emotional Styles” – Resilience, Outlook, Social Intuition, Self-awareness, Sensitivity to Context, and Attention.
Honors students with interests in psychology, medicine, emotions, brain structures and functions, health, mind-brain-body connections, neuroplasticity and/or meditation experiences will find this course engrossing.
This course is a student-centered discussion class. The final grade will be based on two 1200-word essays and on class participation.
Dr. Lou Ritz (lritz@ufl.edu) is on the faculty of the Department of Neuroscience within the McKnight Brain Institute and the College of Medicine. Dr. Ritz is the former director of Clinical Neuroscience, a course taken by second year medical students. He is the director of the University of Florida Center for Spirituality and Health (www.spiritualityandhealth.ufl.edu) and was selected by Honors students as the 2018 Honors Professor of the Year.
Literature
Are you ready to dive into Infinite Jest? Whether this infamous novel has been gathering dust on your bookshelf for years or you've just heard it's a must-read without knowing why, this class is designed to inspire you to finally explore this modern American classic. We will read and discuss the novel's sprawling narrative, which takes us from tennis courts to rehabilitation centers and beyond. Along the way, you'll encounter a cast of unforgettable characters, including undercover agents in drag, French Canadian terrorists, and enigmatic radio hosts. At the heart of the story lies a mysterious film so captivating that viewers can't tear themselves away. This course is perfect for readers who enjoy stories about sports, addiction, complex family dynamics, and richly detailed world-building.
A.B. Yehoshua’s The Lover (1977) is a truly unique novel, constructed from a series of monologues by six characters spanning three generations and four nationalities. The novel features a successful garage owner who resents his family; his introverted wife, a high school history teacher, who may no longer love him; their rebellious teenage daughter who witnesses the collapse of her parents’ relationship; an Arab boy who works at the garage and recites Hebrew poetry; a deserter, an Israeli who moved to France and returns seeking his dying grandmother’s fortune—and the grandmother herself, demented yet wise, embodying the voice of ancient Jewish histories. In this course, we will unpack Yehoshua’s innovative and challenging novel. We will begin by situating ourselves in the contemporary Israeli context before delving into the book’s monologues, exploring the trials and tribulations of three generations, and the cultural divides both within and beyond it. Our discussions will engage with the history and fate of the Jewish people in exile, Jewish identity, the state of Israel, and the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We will also address how the conflict shapes the characters' lives and worldviews, and raise personal questions about the structure of identity: How do we define and present ourselves in relation to religion, race, ethnicity, nationality, and mainstream culture? How do external forces like community, family, and prescribed notions of destiny affect our lives and free will? This (Un)Common Reads course marks the two-year anniversary of Yehoshua’s passing. The celebrated novelist, essayist, and playwright was described by the New York Times as the “Israeli Faulkner.” Students will familiarize themselves with Yehoshua's literary inspirations and his philosophical reflections on Jewish and Israeli identity, the state of Israel, and the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict through supplemental readings and discussions.
The last of Jane Austen's novels, Persuasion—the story of a second chance at true love—is widely regarded as the most moving. While pursuing the captivating love story of Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth, the reader learns about some of the most pressing questions of the human condition: How ought we to live? What do we owe each other?
Madeline Miller's critically acclaimed debut novel The Song of Achilles explores the heartfelt, enchanting, and ultimately immortal relationship between the eponymous ancient Greek hero and the mortal—but equally divine—protagonist, Patroclus. Drawing upon her extensive academic background in ancient Greek, as well as her knowledge of and affinity for theatre, Miller offers a compelling, queered retelling of the (hi)story of the Trojan War in the style of ancient Greek tragedy, no climax, trough, character arc, or pivotal shift held back. By way of the detail-rich, carefully crafted relationship between Patroclus and Achilles, the authoress takes us back to circa 1200 BCE to explore timeless themes such as (queer) love, loss, complicated relationships, the beauty of nature, the tragedies of war, belonging, adolescent angst, personal development, and the struggles of parent-child fealty and divergence. Drawing upon an interdisciplinary framework including such fields as classics, English literature, anthropology, sociology, history, and linguistics, this course will foster critical analysis and discussion of the text and its context as a means to view and understand the human past, present, and future—and the unique propensity for feeling inherent therein. Indeed, though the discipline of archaeology reminds us of contemporaneous society's epistemic power to create chosen presentations of the past in the present, one must also recognize that queer love and its stories are as old and original to humanity as life itself. The Song of Achilles provides the perfect entrée into said recognition.
Homer's Iliad resonates with us today because the work explores what it means to be human, what we need to do for others, and what we ought to do when we are wronged. It reveals all the greatness of humanity and exposes all of its foibles. In his telling of the Trojan War, Homer invites his audience to ask what it means to be a hero, who is and who is not a hero, and how to judge what is right and what is wrong.
Society + Culture + Politics
This course delves into James McBride's The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, exploring its complex themes of race, religion, disability, and community. Set in mid-20th century Pennsylvania, the novel brings together Black, Jewish, and disabled characters navigating societal marginalization. Through close readings, class discussions, reflective writing, and creative expression, students will examine McBride’s portrayal of solidarity, survival, and justice in the face of oppression. The course will emphasize critical thinking about intersectionality and historical context while connecting the novel's themes to contemporary social issues.
What is justice? What is equity? Is it even possible to identify or measure these concepts? In this class we will address (though maybe not fully answer) these questions by reading and discussing the book Creating Capabilities by Martha Nussbaum, who is one of the most important and powerful contemporary philosophers still writing and thinking today. Nussbaum’s book introduces the concept of the “capabilities approach” which is a theory of justice she developed along with Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen. We’ll consider the role of dignity and pluralism within a framework of democracy, we’ll think about whether and how the state should be involved in ensuring fairness, and we’ll ask “who decides?” what is fair and just and good within a society. This seminar style, discussion-based course is ideal for students with an interest or background in the humanities, for STEM students looking to balance their curriculum, for pre-law and pre-health students interested in issues of justice and dignity, and for anyone who enjoys reading and discussing a good book.
“A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor”, by Hank Green, follows the characters from “An Absolutely Remarkable Thing”, in which April May made first contact with Carl and became instantly famous as a result. In this course, we will read “A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor” during the semester and explore questions of identity, power, technology, and the decisions that we collectively take and the future of humanity. Each week students will be expected to read the assigned section and supplementary material in order to participate in class discussion. Students will also have small in-class projects like drawing scenes from the book and making memes based on the characters’ experiences. Students will write 2 online discussion posts: an introduction and an analysis of themes. At the end of the semester, students will work with a partner to create a final project of their choosing.
The internet is not neutral; it is informed by the values of programmers, consumers, and society. This course will explore Saifya Noble's Algorithms of Oppression to understand how search engines like Google reaffirm bias and create identity.
While many aspects of societal life have been moving away from traditional forms of religion, it seems that humans just can't refrain from seeking meaning-making experiences. Through a close read of Tara Isabella Burton's book Strange Rites: New Religions in a Godless World, this class will seek to gain clarity on what we actually mean by the concept of religion, and to understand the various remixed forms of meaning-making that have emerged. Is religion making a comeback in a world that has mostly gone secular? Or are we remaking religion in new forms of spirituality? Is there room for the sacred in the midst of the profane? Turns out with the fading of traditional religion, space has been made for what might best be called the "remixing of religion".
Todd Best is a faculty member in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences where he works as an Academic Advisor and teaches. A long-time instructor of Uncommon Read courses, he has taught on issues ranging several areas of the humanities and social sciences, including on the topics of media literacy, higher education, ecological literature, the self, and the common good. He received a master’s degree in religious studies from the University of Florida, focusing on religious pluralism and educational philosophy.
This uncommon read course is based on the book “The Nonprofit World: Civil Society and the Rise of the Nonprofit Sector,” by John Casey (2016). This book traces the growth of nonprofit sector as a major part of the global civil society. Students will learn the roles, importance and impacts of the nonprofit sector (also known as the Third Sector) locally, nationally and internationally in providing a wide array of vital social, environmental and other services. Assignments will include student-led discussions on various sections of the book and case study presentations by students.
Business + Economics
Sustainable and responsible business practices are increasingly appreciated, if not expected, in all sectors of business in the 21st century, yet many firms of all sizes struggle to operate in just, green fashions. Concern about the causes and impacts of climate change, labor inequality, international exploitation, and pollution are arguably at an all-time high, but business solutions are often public relations strategies as much as actual operational changes aimed at minimizing the impacts of these global-scale problems. So, what is a business to do? Is it even possible to conduct business sustainably in the 21st century? Answering that question will be the central goal of this course. Based around the memoir of Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, we will explore the philosophies that can drive a business to operate in just and sustainable ways, what those decisions mean for a business’s positive and negative outcomes, and what this all means for us as customers and consumers as well. Coursework will include weekly Socratic discussions, occasional short reflection essays, and a presentation.
Other
Journal 29, by Dimitris Chassapakis, is a collection of original, escape-room-like puzzles centered around the mysterious disappearance of a team of excavators working on a confidential project. The book requires readers to submit solutions online in order to receive “keys” that they need to solve some subsequent puzzles. Students in this course will engage with the book through frequent collaborative puzzle-solving. They will also discuss elements of good puzzles, the importance of diversity on puzzle-solving teams, the role of a storyline in puzzle-based games, and the ways in which puzzle-solving and logic connect to careers in a wide range of disciplines. Additionally, students will use their experiences with the puzzles in Journal 29 to create their own themed puzzle book game as a class.
(Un)Common Writes courses are 1-credit themed writing workshops taught by University Writing Program faculty. These courses allow students the opportunity to work 1:1 with experienced instructors while stretching their writing muscles, inspiring their creative side, and releasing their inner writer.
This course challenges students to express their digital identities through multimodal writing techniques. We will explore the role of digital identity and how it is shaped by the platforms we use, analyzing platform-specific storytelling and considering the impact of our digital footprints and online legacies. Through a blend of personal essays, digital storytelling, and visual narratives, students will build a digital portfolio that critically and creatively engages with their online identities, culminating in a collaborative digital anthology that showcases their work.
Beyond the end of writing, our probes and transmissions will transit the stars. The symbolic rhetorics of our messages at once indicate the significance of priorities and serve to mark by absence what might have been different. By interpreting the messages, analyzing their formation and genre, and reading their history, we will come to fully appreciate the elements of scientific semiosis to prepare for the course project: crafting a message with AI.
Many types of media tell stories: novels, movies, and plays, of course, but also blogs, podcasts, advertisements, journals, newspapers, games, and music. In this course, we will examine stories that have been “remediated” from one genre into another, including dramatic plays remediated into Broadway musicals, albums remediated into movies, and even poems remediated into comic books. Then, you will remediate writing that we workshop as a class into other genres of your choosing. You don’t need a background in creative writing or any particular software, film, or other types of media production, but you will need to be open to trying out new ideas and pushing yourself out of what you might imagine to be your comfort zone. Possible “texts” include: Tommy, My Fair Lady, and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Assignments will include the production of your own writing in several traditional academic genres (think: essays, presentations, Canvas posts) that you will then adapt into the forms of your choosing.
The course focuses on producing short stories based on personal memories that will promote personal growth and also appeal to a broader audience. We will discuss components of a good story, including tone, diction, theme, structure, and imagery. The class will include a journal focusing on specific daily moments, extensive workshopping, and culminate in a longer memoir.
In this course we will explore the lavish history of language’s connection to the magical and mystical: From the drafting of spells, prayers, and mantras to experimenting playfully with the variety of ways words mediate the world, however visible its forms and figures. And whether we seek to enrich our communicatory capacity or quiet it in the service of nature’s veiled voice, our access to and agency with the mysterious requires above all, the measured cultivation of curiosity. Let us proceed!
Courses created specifically for honors students that cross and combine disciplines
This course will look at potential legal issues in certain literary texts–texts that are not ostensibly about the law but that nevertheless do involve legal issues. The focus of the course will entail analyzing these legal issues, researching positions on them, and writing persuasive legal briefs in support of these positions. Students will perform mock trials, evidentiary hearings, and depositions both during and at the end of each unit and present the arguments made in their legal briefs before a live jury. Texts for the class include: Miss Julie (August Strindberg), Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson), “A Mother” (from Dubliners, James Joyce), Ethan Frome (Edith Wharton), A Doll’s House (Henrik Ibsen), and Dirty Work (Larry Brown).
Courses focused on leadership, career development, and other professional development topics. IDH 1700: Introduction to Honors Professional Development is only available in fall and geared towards first-year honors students. Upperdivision professional development courses focus on specific topics such as graduate / professional school preparation, industry engagement, and other similar topics. Students should review any course pre-requisites or recommendations to ensure they take the course when it can create the maximum benefit.
Using various forums, technology provides a convenient method for people to communicate with each other locally and worldwide. This course will analyze the impact of digital tools and social networks on interpersonal communication, and present information to help students effectively communicate in a digital world, improve communication skills, and expand their professional network.
Advanced Pro Dev Topics
Navigating the Job Search Process with Confidence
This course is designed to assist students in developing a personal career plan. Career planning involves a thorough self-assessment and alignment of values, interests, and skills, as well as a thorough understanding of the key steps to implement a job search such as networking, interviewing, and negotiating job offers. The target audience is sophomore and junior non-business majors who do not plan to go straight to graduate school upon graduation.
Signature Seminars
This course is designed to assist students in developing the skills to engage in respectful and robust debate as well as effectively analyze controversial and divisive issues. Topics include cancel culture, self-censorship, free speech, respectful dissent, rigorously weighing alternatives, aligning on facts, reframing disagreement as a benefit, and breaking down barriers that impact mutual understanding.
The course introduces hands-on components relevant to the Insects and Plants UnCommon Reads course, where students gain appreciation for the evolutionary arms-race between interacting insects and plants.
Students will have a chance to spend time in the field collecting and photographing insects, will learn how to make a basic insect collection, how to identify insects and plants using publications and electronic resources, and how to contribute their observations online for broader use by the scientific community.
Course participants will also be introduced to basic taxonomic techniques, such as dissecting and drawing insect specimens, extracting DNA for DNA-barcoding, and “blasting” DNA barcodes against DNA sequence databases for identification purposes.
Students registering for 0-1 credits will be graded on attendance, participation and the final paper, which will be formatted for submitting to the Featured Creatures website (Featured Creatures (ufl.edu). The paper will represent as complete profile as possible of one of the insect species that occurs in Florida.
Students registering for 2 credits will need to have an additional research component which they will present during the last class.
Pre-requisite / co-requisite: IDH 2930: Insects and Plants. Apply here
Insects and Plants Lab - Syllabus
UnCommon Classrooms
UnCommon Classrooms are courses designed around unusual topics with cities, places, and natural landscapes serving as experimental classrooms.
These courses are application-based. Students selected to participate will be registered for a 1-credit course and are responsible for tuition (financial aid may apply). Details about additional fees associate with each course are provided in the description. Students are required to provide their own transportation to and from the location of the course.
Wentworth Travel Scholarships are available to support costs, up to $500. Students that provide proof of financial need as part of the application may be eligible for additional funding.
This Uncommon Classroom focuses on archaeological cultures of the midcontinental United States during the emergence of cities and complexity during Mississippian period (AD 900-1500). During the course, students will explore and conduct experiential investigations of archaeological sites documenting how the sites have been used in the past and the histories of past inhabitants of North America. The course includes trips to three archaeological sites: Cahokia Mounds State Historic site, the largest pre-columbian archaeological site north of Mexico outside of present-day St. Louis, MO; Dickson Mounds, a major archaeological site in Lewistown, IL, and Wickliffe Mounds State Historic Site, a smaller regional archaeological site overlooking the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Through comparing these archaeological sites, students will be able to see differences in community organization and lifestyles from the big city (Cahokia) when compared to how people’s lifeways are influenced and negotiated outside of the city center.
Cost for this course is estimated to be $870 including lodging, activities, transportation in Missouri, breakfast, and lunch. The course will begin late afternoon on March 16, 2025, and conclude on Thursday, March 19th. All backgrounds and disciplines are welcome.
To enroll, students must complete this application.
The history of Atlanta is the history of the modern Southern landscape. On land dispossessed from the Creeks and Cherokee indigenous peoples, Atlanta was founded 1837 as an important transportation corridor, which has forever defined its rapid growth. Following Reconstruction, Atlanta became a center of the burgeoning New South movement to modernize the southern landscape through manufacturing and commerce. Atlanta developed rapidly in the 20th century as the “City too busy to hate” to become a capital of the Southeast, today claiming the third largest concentration Fortune 500 companies in country and the world’s busiest airport. Critics claim that rapid development resulted in a vacuous culture and placeless identity, but Atlanta in-fact houses some of the region’s most important history and a rich multi-cultural heritage. In this Uncommon classroom, we will explore the history of the New South through Atlanta’s urban landscape. From 19th-century parks to contemporary urban greenways, from mid-century urban renewal to 21st century urban revitalization, we will walk along parts of the Civil Rights Trail, explore the streets of Southern hip-hop, and investigate how White Flight was a harbinger of conservative ideology in modern American politics, all as manifest through landscape.
Students must apply to enroll in the course; applications will be accepted until December 4th. Space is limited and only those who wish to enroll should apply. Cost in Atlanta is estimated to be $750 including hotel stay, transportation around Atlanta, tickets, and tours.
Location: Atlanta, GA
Dates: January 7-10, 2025
Instructor: Nicolas Serrao
.png){kind=icon}