Fall 2024 Course Offerings

Honors 1110: Honors Interdisciplinary Seminar
An Honorable Life

What does it mean to live a good life? What does it mean to be good, to do good, to embrace and interrogate the nature of goodness? In this class, which was tailor-made for students new to the Honors Program, we will consider happiness, virtue, ambition, wisdom, struggle, doubt, and dreams from philosophical, theological, literary, political, historical, and scientific perspectives. We will become an Honors community together as we interrogate these issues and questions.

Honors introduction to the fundamentals of speech communication including how to research, organize, prepare and deliver effective oral presentations in a one-to-many communication setting. Key Belmont goals are that students become excellent thinkers, writers and speakers. In HON 1130, students exercise these skills through both written and oral communication. Students will practice communicating for impact by crafting thoughtful messages that matter to the audience, by demonstrating mastery of subject matter and by delivering polished presentations designed to achieve a clearly stated purpose (e.g. to inform, to persuade, to entertain, to motivate or inspire, etc.).

Honors 1140: Honors Social Science Seminar

This course is dedicated to exploring the ways people imagined the American city from the dawn of last century (the late 19th century) to the present day, especially in books, long-form journalism, photographs, architecture, and film. We’ll do some occasional work with theory, developing a “conceptual toolbox” so that we might “see” cities in the U.S. differently from the commonplace, workaday, or routine ways we tend to experience them. As we do that, we'll consider the relationships between how cities were and are: 1) meeting spaces for diverse people and cultures across time; 2) social laboratories for the making of public policy good and bad; 3) places where dark, disturbing, or dystopian ideas of society have lived; or 4) hopeful imaginaries where people think about utopian futures. We’ll consider a few major American cities in historical context, and we'll do a bit of problem-solving, taking a close look at our own city of Nashville in a comparative way, considering what it is now, while thinking about what it might be in the future. 

Honors 1140: Honors Social Science Seminar
Whose American Dream?
Dr. Shelby Longard

This interdisciplinary social sciences course examines constructions of social significance and their structural implications. Who matters in American society and how do our shared cultural understandings limit social access for some while granting it in excess to others? We will examine historical examples of institutionalized mistreatment of aggrieved social classes and minority groups, as well as explore modern day social movements as they challenge this status quo.

Honors 1140: Honors Social Science Seminar
Stress, Trauma and Resilience
Dr. Mona Ivey-Soto

Shifting from “What’s wrong with you, to What Happened to You?”  

Have you ever wondered how stress and adversity impact our brains, bodies and behaviors? Have you questioned how toxic stress can impact neighborhoods, schools and broader society? These and other critical questions will be explored in this course as we bridge theory to practice and utilize multidisciplinary perspectives to find solutions. We will look at how racial and spatial inequality contribute to personal and contextual stress in communities of color and those impacted by poverty. Resilience and hope narratives will allow us to appreciate the plasticity of our brains and the power of nurturing relationships and supportive systems in creating positive social change. Examining case studies, narratives and other empirically significant literature, we will learn from the perspectives of physicians, psychiatrists, social workers, child advocacy/welfare professionals and those with lived experiences of trauma and healing.  We will explore our own stories and histories and develop insightful and responsive practices that are trauma informed and healing centered.  

The entrepreneurial journey shares a great deal in common with the journeys undertaken in great works of film and fiction, and those journeys often leave outside observers both captivated and inspired.  Yet beyond this shared attraction, there lay a deep connection that may not only illuminate many aspects of the entrepreneurial mindset, but also serve as a tool for aspiring entrepreneurs to succeed. 

This course will examine the entrepreneurial vocation through works of fiction and film with a focus upon two primary objectives: 1) understanding the commonality between a successful entrepreneur’s path and the key plot points of great film and fiction, and 2) utilizing a firm understanding of classical story arc to understand and enhance the entrepreneur’s path.  Specifically, this class will explore the quintessential heroic story arc  by examining Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey, and using that model to examine key works of film and literature.  In doing so, students will shed new light on the psyche of the entrepreneur, and develop a new tool for aspiring entrepreneurs. 

Honors 1140: Honors Social Science Seminar
Capitalism and Religion
Dr. Luke Petach

This course will explore the relationship between capitalism and religion. We will attempt to provide answers to questions such as: (1) What is capitalism? (2) What role did Christianity and other world religions play in the historical development of the capitalist system? (3) How do markets impact religious decision making? (4) What (if any) was the role of state-sponsored religion in the history of capitalism? (5) What do ethics and theology say about how we should act in markets? In each section of the course we will look for insights that can help us understand and respond to important contemporary economic, political, and religious issues. 

Honors 1140: Honors Social Science Seminar
Exploring Immigration and Refugee Experiences
Dr. Amanda Nelms

In this course, students will explore individuals' immigration stories and the impact on our community.  Students will engage as humble listeners and critical thinkers as we explore the immigration stories of many authors, community members, and Nashville community leaders advancing the work.  Students will explore their current attitudes and beliefs as well as the impact of this work on personal goals as well as future generations. 

Honors 1140: Honors Social Science Seminar
Leadership and Social Impact: Pop Culture as a Catalyst for Change
Dr. David Harkins

In this course, you'll dive deep into the world of pop culture (movies, music, TV shows, social media, influential cultural icons, etc.), exploring why our perspectives define its influence, how it shapes and reflects societal values, informs social movements, and can facilitate change.

You'll learn how pop culture can be a powerful tool for social change through engaging discussions, critical analysis, and hands-on creative projects. You will uncover new aspects of culture and society, how your lived experiences share your perceptions of culture, and how media representations of social issues influence public opinion and policy. You’ll also learn approaches to develop and strengthen your emotional intelligence, uncover new tools for effective narrative leadership, and develop vision-setting skills to craft compelling stories that captivate and inspire.

Through discussion, analysis, and creative projects, you will develop foundational leadership skills that will serve the creation of compelling stories that tackle social issues and inspire social innovation and cultural impact.

Honors 1150: Honors Wellness Seminar
Daily Practices: A Guide for Healthy and Holistic Living
Dr. Caitlyn Browning, Dr. Leigh Ann Bynum and Dr. Erin Feser

This course will focus on living in a way that integrates daily practices of well-being from multiple dimensions of wellness. We will learn to identify the interrelated dimensions of wellness in ourselves and our communities, recognize disparities among populations, modify environments to enhance behaviors, and evaluate local and global practices of well being. In addition, we will learn to lead others in a way that reflects daily healthy choices.

The twenty years between the 1917 end of World War I and 1938 World War II start changed the world fundamentally. This course explores that period by focusing on four cities (Paris, Tokyo, Munich, and Moscow) to look into global seismic economic, artistic, political, sociological and philosophical shifts. 

Across the semester, we will read/view texts (literary, artistic, philosophical, historical, etc.) and engage in individual/team exploration, that allow a global perspective, rather than the typical US/Europe focus, to reach a more nuanced understanding of this era's shifting is achieved.

Honors 2120: Honors Humanities Seminar
Culture on the Plate: Exploring Italian Culture through Food, Language, and History
Dr. Francesca Muccini

Italy's food is celebrated worldwide and holds deep significance for Italians, reflecting their society, cultural values, and history. Food acts as a language, conveying class distinctions, social norms, power dynamics, and aspirations. This course examines how Italian culinary traditions and eating habits mirror Italy's historical and economic changes. It also explores the adaptation of Italian and Italian American cuisine in American culture. Students will analyze literary works, art, music, film, family recipes, and cooking tools from ancient Rome to contemporary Italy.

Honors 2120: Honors Humanities Seminar
Storying the Creative Imagination
Dr. Andrea Stover

Martin Heidegger posed the question, “What are poets for in a destitute time?”  This course will broaden that question to ponder the role of the humanities in destitute times. Specifically, we will investigate the role of the imagination in navigating the world through art (stories, paintings, drawings, and poems). We will pose all kinds of questions: How can we re-see the world/word imaginatively? What is imagination, exactly? Where do ideas and images come from? How do we access or create them? What is the play between logic and imagination? How and why does imaginative art via pictures and words move people and change them? When addressing these questions, we open up possibilities for how the artistic imagination can transform our daily encounters with the world. 

Honors 2120: Honors Humanities Seminar
Developing Cultural Intelligence: Encountering Asian Cultures
Dr. Ronnie Littlejohn

A serious problem which faces global society is the extreme pluralism of viewpoints and opinions available on virtually every significant human concern and rooted in human produced cultural differences.   Since culture is a body of learned behaviors common to a given human society, which acts rather like a template, shaping behavior and consciousness from generation to generation, the fact of cultural pluralism may either pose a threat or hold the key to the promise of globalization and common understanding in a flourishing community.   A great deal depends on the means and application of cultural intelligence by the parties involved.  This course offers students the opportunity to have wide ranging experiences in the beliefs and practices of Asian and American cultures and develop their own cultural intelligence along well-established and proven dimensions of human interaction. As a ground-level assumption, the design of the course does not assume prior familiarity with Asian cultures.  Accordingly, ours is an urgently practical endeavor because it is designed to strengthen and enhance one of the most indispensable skills for creating flourishing communities.   

Honors 2130: Honors Fine Arts Seminar
Art and the Anthropocene
Dr. Christine Rogers

The “Anthropocene” is a term to mark a new geologic era that is marked by the impact of human activity on earth. This course will examine the role that art has in the age of climate change: how might artists be uniquely equipped to raise questions about climate crisis and subsequent global migration crises, the role of creativity, abstract thought, technology and imagination in the face of the unimaginable, and the importance of optimism are just a few topics that we will explore in this course.

Honors 2130: Honors Fine Arts Seminar
Religion and the Theatrical Stage
Dr. Carla Lahey

Theatre and religion share a long and tumultuous history. From the earliest days of Greek theatre to Broadway musicals like Godspell and The Book of Mormon, theatre artists across the globe have used the stage as a site of devotional worship, theological teaching, and religious critique. In this course, students will delve into the various ways global religions have impacted the development of theatre throughout history. Then, course participants will build on that knowledge by reading/watching theatrical work and engaging in research-based and creative projects to further examine the way theatre and religion continue to shape each other in a contemporary context.

MUH 1200.02G Intro to Music: History, Style and Culture
Lina Sheahan

This course is a special section of music history that is open to all honors students even if you aren’t a music major. This course will satisfy HON 2130 Fine Arts Seminar.

An introduction to music through an exploration of musical styles, genres, and practices in the West and around the world. Emphasis will be placed on introducing students to listening techniques, terminology, researching, writing, and critically thinking about music and its place in the web of culture. Topics may include Western art music, music before 1700, global music, film music, popular music, and other musical styles.