Phone: 616-331-3219
Frederik Meijer Honors College honors@gvsu.edu
Glenn A. Niemeyer Learning and Living Center
1 Campus Drive
Allendale, MI 49401
Social Science Courses:
Social science courses in Sociology and Psychology study human behavior and culture. They are concerned with the development of principles that explain individual thought, action, and experience; the interactions between people in the context of small groups, communities, institutions, states, and societies; and the functioning of social systems.
Honors students are required to take TWO of the following Honors Social Science courses:
SPRING/SUMMER 2009
Course: HNR 231 01: The Holocaust (Meets 6/22 - 8/04)
Schedule: TR 2:30-3:45
Requirements Fulfilled: Social Science
The fact that this enormous crime occurred in the modern world, in the heart of “civilized” Europe, deeply challenges Western perspectives on traditional institutions, values and thought.Since 1945, the Western World has struggled to come to terms with the significance of this event.Historian Yehuda Bauer argues that in order to address the philosophical, theological, and psychological implications of the Holocaust, one must first examine the Holocaust as an historical event.This is a central goal of the course.The Holocaust presents not only some of the most difficult intellectual and scholarly questions, but it also challenges us on fundamental psychological, moral, and spiritual levels.
Professor Dan Balfour, Professor of Public and Non-Profit Administration
FALL 2009
PLEASE NOTE: Because the Economic courses are from one discipline, only one Economics course fulfills one social science requirement. Students need to take one more Honors social science course.
Course: ECO 210 11: Introductory Macroeconomics
Schedule: MW 3:00-4:15
Requirements Fulfilled: Social Science
Introduction to the study of the national and global economies. Topics include the effects of government taxation and budget deficits on economic growth; ways to alleviate unemployment, inflation and international trade imbalances, and the importance of expectations and decision-making in an uncertain world.
Professor Daniel Giedeman, Associate Professor of Economics
Course: ECO 211 05: Introductory Microeconomics
Schedule: TR 11:30-12:45
Requirements Fulfilled: Social Science
Focuses on the interactions among households, producers, and governments in market economies. Applies fundamental methods of economic analysis to topics such as household spending and saving patterns; producer pricing, profits, and organization; wages and income distribution; investment decisions; health care and insurance; government taxes, spending, and regulation of markets.
Professor Aaron Lowen,Assistant Professor of Economics
Course: HNR 231 01: The Holocaust
Schedule: MWF 9:00-9:50
Requirements Fulfilled: Social Science
The fact that this enormous crime occurred in the modern world, in the heart of “civilized” Europe, deeply challenges Western perspectives on traditional institutions, values and thought. Since 1945, the Western World has struggled to come to terms with the significance of this event. Historian Yehuda Bauer argues that in order to address the philosophical, theological, and psychological implications of the Holocaust, one must first examine the Holocaust as an historical event. This is a central goal of the course. The Holocaust presents not only some of the most difficult intellectual and scholarly questions, but it also challenges us on fundamental psychological, moral, and spiritual levels.
Professor Jason Crouthamel, Assistant Professor of History
Requirements Fulfilled: Both Social Science requirements
(equivalent for PSY 101 & SOC 201) and fulfills U.S. Diversity.
These courses are team-taught and create dialogue between sociology and psychology to understand our humanity. Students learn the strengths and weaknesses of these disciplines as well as the tangled relationships among them. It is important to be able to recognize when someone has adopted a particular discipline perspective and to able oneself to move from one perspective to another. This pair of courses is designed to foster that kind of conscious knowledge. It is generally not recommended to take an Arts and Humanities sequence during the same semester as HNR 233/234.
Professor Richard Joanisse, Professor of Sociology
Professor David Bernstein, Professor of Psychology
*You must take both courses in the same semester and the same section.
Course: HNR 235 01: Democracy and Political Thinking
Schedule: MWF 12:00-12:50
Requirements Fulfilled: Social Science, US Diversity
This course is an introduction to normative political thinking – reasoning about what politics ought to be. The course stresses your participation in thinking deeply about some of the fundamental questions of public life, including who should rule, the nature and scope of our political obligations, and the demands of political justice. The argument of this course is that sound political reasoning is a precondition of good citizenship in a democracy.
Professor Kevin den Dulk, Associate Professor of Political Science
WINTER 2010
Course:ANT 204 05: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Schedule: TR 10:00-11:15
Requirements Fulfilled: Social Science and World Perspectives
Introduces the discipline of anthropology by examining the diversity of human cultures that have been described by anthropologists over the last 100 years. The principles of anthropology are explained with examples drawn from non-Western culture. Comparisons are drawn with our own.
Professor Cindy Hull, Professor of Anthropology
Course: HNR 231 01: The Holocaust
Schedule: TR 1:00-2:15
Requirements Fulfilled: Social Science
The fact that this enormous crime occurred in the modern world, in the heart of “civilized” Europe, deeply challenges Western perspectives on traditional institutions, values and thought.Since 1945, the Western World has struggled to come to terms with the significance of this event.Historian Yehuda Bauer argues that in order to address the philosophical, theological, and psychological implications of the Holocaust, one must first examine the Holocaust as an historical event.This is a central goal of the course.The Holocaust presents not only some of the most difficult intellectual and scholarly questions, but it also challenges us on fundamental psychological, moral, and spiritual levels.
Professor Jeremiah Cataldo, Visiting Assistant Professor of History
Course: HNR 231 02: The Holocaust
Schedule: TR 2:30-3:45
Requirements Fulfilled: Social Science
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the Holocaust and the profound questions it raises about our society and civilization. By asking, “What happened,” “How could it have happened?” and, “What does it mean for us today,” we will not only explore a significant historical event but will also challenge our most fundamental assumptions about the nature of civilization and our own identities as “civilized” people. We will also consider the meaning of the Holocaust for the social sciences, especially how it affects our understanding of human behavior, public policy, and bureaucratic organizations.
Professor Dan Balfour, Professor of Public and Non-Profit Administration
Course: HNR 232 01:Trauma, Culture, Memory
Schedule: TR 11:30-12:45
Requirements Fulfilled: Social Science
HNR 232 examines a wide range of traumatic events to understand their impact on culture and how culture, in turn, shapes the experience, meaning, resolution and remembrance of the events. This is an interdisciplinary Social Science course that integrates materials from the arts and sciences.
Professor Mary deYoung, Professor of Sociology
Course: HNR 280 11/12: Citizenship and Education *
Schedule: TR 10:00-12:45
Requirements Fulfilled: Both Social Science requirements, US Diversity
This course uses the perspectives of two disciplines – political science and education – to examine long-standing debates about democracy, politics, and the socialization of citizens in the United States and abroad. Students will explore both the theory and practice of citizen education, with special emphasis on educational policy. Professor Kevin den Dulk, Associate Professor of Political Science
Professor Jolanda Westerhof-Shultz, Associate Professor of Education
* You must take both courses in the same semester.
Course: PSY 101 19:Introduction to Psychology
Schedule: MWF 12:00-12:50
Requirements Fulfilled: Social Science
General survey of psychology, the scientific study of behavior and experience,including overt actions and mental activity. Covers how psychologists think and act as scientists and how the study of its subject matter may be integrated at the biological, psychological, and social levels of analysis. Professor Jennifer Gross, Associate Professor of Psychology
