2026 Spring Courses

Credits: 3
Instructor: Ann Stebner Steele
Modality: Asynchronous Online
Honors College Attributes: Honors Global Perspectives, Upper-Division Elective
USP attributes: (H) Human Culture
A&S attributes: none
Concurrent Major Honors Interdisciplinary Inquiry Concentration Designations(s):
Environment, Ethics, and Humankind
Creativity, Justice, and our World
Course Description:
The stories we hear matter – they shape our understanding of history, the world, and ourselves. By listening carefully to the stories of others, we can begin to broaden our perspectives, redefine and expand our thinking, and deepen our empathy for diverse experiences. Too often in America, we hear a single story about Native American people, one that reduces and marginalizes their experiences. The stories we have been given are incomplete, tidied up, simplified. Even as we learn the limitations of the history we’ve been taught, representations of Native people are frequently reduced to stereotypes of dying cultures. Thus, the stories we have are inadequate for representing the history and present-day experiences and knowledge of Native American people. But many Native authors have revised the shape of stories to create containers capable of conveying the complexity and richness of those experiences and that knowledge.

Credits: 3
Instructor: Dewey Gallegos
Modality:Asynchronous Online
Honors College Attributes: Upper-division elective
USP attributes: none
A&S attributes: none

Concurrent Major Honors Interdisciplinary Inquiry Concentration Designations(s):
Creativity, Justice, and our World
Course Description:
Film is such an important part of American culture that we invite movies into our homes to spend time with our families by entertaining and educating us. Movies are such an American tradition that they are imbedded in our national identity and a significant number of people have come to consider them a quality family time activity. We watch them and let our guard down while Hollywood thinks for us, and these images become part of us, part of who we are as a community. We watch them when we go out on dates. We watch them while we eat dinner, we laugh and cry with them. They are an important part of our collective consciousness and they are a significant influence on how we view subjects we have little to no personal experience with.
In this class we will work to increase our understanding of how some of the most prolific films in American history have shaped the way the modern movie industry presents ideas about culture, race, and racism. We will unpack the historical significance of these films and have the opportunity to review research to better understand these concepts and discuss their place in American society. We will examine the historical context and the social impact of the overall relationship between films produced in the United States and the populations that consume them.

Credits: 3
Instructor: Tom Grant
Modality: Online Asynchronous
Honors College Attributes: Upper-division elective
USP attributes: PN (Physical and Natural World)
A&S attributes: none
Concurrent Major Honors Interdisciplinary Inquiry Concentration Designations(s):
Environment, Ethics, and Humankind
Technology, Society, and the Future
Course Description: 
Wyoming is the least populated state in the nation yet has the 10th greatest area. Wyoming developed from a past focused on land-based livelihoods (ranching) and the extraction of natural resources, yet the population demographics and economic drivers of the state are changing rapidly. How can a rural state with a fierce independence streak rise to the challenges of the 21st century?
This course will take an interdisciplinary science-based approach to explore the relationships between humans, wildlife, and the economic drivers of Wyoming. From the lens of sustainable and resilient ecosystems and economies, we’ll learn about 1) the current challenges of land-based livelihoods like ranching, 2) the future of communities reliant on oil, gas, and coal extraction, and 3) the management of natural and functioning ecosystems that support healthy wildlife populations, ecosystems, and economies.

Credits: 1
Instructor:  Karagh Brummond
Modality:  Traditional
Honors College Attributes: Concurrent Major Core
USP attributes: none
A&S attributes: none
Concurrent Major Honors Interdisciplinary Inquiry Concentration Designations(s): Major Core (HP 2150 is part of a series which also includes HP 2150)
Course Description:
Producing Knowledge: Interviews, Surveys, & Experiments is an activity-based course introducing approaches to producing, refining, analyzing, and evaluating knowledge. Course topics are investigated through a combination of readings, lectures, research, and individual and collaborative activities. This course is part of the Producing Knowledge series, along with Analysis, Creativity, and Expression (ACE); the two courses can be taken in any order.
Through this course you will gain exposure to the terminology, theory, and practice necessary for generating knowledge and insight that impacts academic, professional, and wider public audiences. You will have opportunity to practice the skills necessary for clear communication. You will be encouraged to develop your own personal awareness of and appreciation for different imaginative approaches to research and knowledge production. A culminating application challenge will be undertaken through exploration, experimentation, and refinement.

Credits: 3
Instructors: Ashleigh Pilkerton 
Modality:  Traditional
Honors College Attributes: Concurrent Major Core
USP attributes: none
A&S attributes: none
Concurrent Major Honors Interdisciplinary Inquiry Concentration Designations(s): Major Core 
Course Description:
This capstone seminar provides a collaborative, interdisciplinary environment where students engage in peer support, brainstorming, and mentorship to develop meaningful capstone projects. You will build critical project management skills such as planning, research synthesis, and effective communication that are essential for any professional path. Through guided reflection, interdisciplinary inquiry, and close mentorship, you will identify and refine a significant problem or issue to explore. The course emphasizes iterative project design, peer feedback, and diverse presentation methods to help you communicate your work with impact.
This seminar ensures your capstone is not only a culminating academic experience but also a launchpad for your ongoing intellectual and professional journey.

Credits: 1
Instructor:  Chris Rothfuss
Modality:  Online Asynchronous
Honors College Attributes: Concurrent Major Core
USP attributes: none
A&S attributes: none
Concurrent Major Honors Interdisciplinary Inquiry Concentration Designations(s): Major Core 
Course Description:
This individualized course supports your professional development and academic reflection through structured activities centered on your internship experience. With guidance from the instructor, you'll explore topics such as goal setting, organizational analysis, workplace dynamics, project management, relationship building, and career preparation, including a mock interview. Whether you're currently in an internship or reflecting on a recent one, the course provides a scaffolded framework to help you grow personally and professionally.

Credits: 3
Instructor: Ahmad Nadalizadeh
Modality: Traditional
Honors College Attributes: Global Perspectives, Upper-Division Elective
USP attributes: none
A&S attributes: none

Concurrent Major Honors Interdisciplinary Inquiry Concentration Designations(s):

Technology, Society, and the Future
Creativity, Social Justice, and our World
Course Description: If the Middle East has been historically represented as an exotic and mysterious land where sexual taboos are frequently violated and where women fall victim to an exceptionally patriarchal and misogynist culture, the medium of cinema has proven instrumental in drawing the contours of that Orientalist image and in rendering the mysteries of the Middle East, to evoke Edward Said, “plain to and for the West.” Taking seriously the role of the film medium in rendering plain the mysteries of the Middle East, we turn to the cinema cultures of this region to examine the ways in which its films represent or reconfigure hegemonic and heteronormative subjectivities. Alternatively, we consider how these movies help generate, consolidate, and disperse queer desires and subjectivities, thereby subverting the oversimplified image of the Middle East held up to and for the West. We will investigate how the domestic film traditions of the region challenge the predominant gender stereotypes of women through a recognition of multiple feminisms and by representing alternate gender relations bolstered by the various cultural, national, and religious values. Additionally, connecting the local to the global, this course considers how the gendered agencies of the Middle East problematize the hegemony of the Western secular gender politics. Lastly, it will focus on the representations of gendered public and private spaces in films, investigating the complex nexus between form and politics. Drawing on an inclusive selection of films from various traditions in the Middle East, our course discusses movies from Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraqi Kurdistan.

Credits: 3
Instructor: Chris Dewey
Modality: Traditional
Honors College Attributes: Global Perspectives, Upper-Division Elective
USP attributes: none
A&S attributes: none
Concurrent Major Honors Interdisciplinary Inquiry Concentration Designations(s):
Health, Policy, and the Body
Course Description:
This course offers a didactic and practical (hands-on) exploration of the Traditional Asian Martial Arts. The course would explore Chinese arts such as Taiji and Qigong, Korean arts such as Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido, and Japanese arts including Aikijujutsu, Judo, Ju Jutsu and Karate. Students would be given the opportunity to investigate the historical, philosophical, cultural, political and religious influences that affected the development and evolution of the various martial arts that have been an integral part of Chinese, Korean and Japanese society for more than two millennia. The didactic component of the course would, therefore, take an evolutionary and historical perspective of the martial arts in an effort to demonstrate how the various cultures influenced each other and how the development of the martial arts have progressed to become the world-wide phenomenon that they are today. Additionally, students would be given an opportunity to gain practical experience of the similarities and differences between the various art forms. Students would learn and practice techniques from a variety of martial disciplines as a necessary and integral part of the course structure.

Credits: 3
Instructor: Joslyn Cassady
Modality: Synchronous Online 
Honors College Attributes: Global Perspectives, Upper-Division Elective
USP attributes: none
A&S attributes: none
Concurrent Major Honors Interdisciplinary Inquiry Concentration Designations(s):
Health, Policy, and the Body
Creativity, Justice, and our World
Course Description:
Extreme poverty cripples the lives of over 700 million people in the world today. Despite the prosperity that has emerged with the rise of global capitalism, there is a widening gap between the rich and the poor. How are people supporting themselves and their families in this shifting global economy? What role does love, in romance, friendship, and kinship, play in people’s decision-making and survival strategies?  What makes people and communities especially vulnerable to coercion, exploitation, and human trafficking? This course highlights the lived experiences of people, in the context of global interconnectedness, with a closer look at sex trafficking in America, organ trafficking in Bangladesh, the surrogacy industry in Ukraine, and transnational mothering in the Philippines. We will be trained to identify potential vulnerabilities in our own communities and learn how to effectively strengthen our community’s response. In the end, I hope you will agree that this course offers a vital look at love and intimacy in our globalized world and invites us to work creatively and collaboratively to make a difference.

Credits: 3
Instructor: Noah Miles
Modality: Asynchronous Online
Honors College Attributes: Global Perspectives, Upper-Division Elective
USP attributes: (H) Human Culture
A&S attributes: (G) Global

Concurrent Major Honors Interdisciplinary Inquiry Concentration Designations(s):
Creativity, Justice, and our World
Course Description:

This course is designed to introduce Japanese society and culture.  The class will take a thematic approach to the study of Japan.  We will integrate history and literature from the Jomon to the Edo periods, covering a diverse range of topics including: language development, the introduction of Buddhism, poetry, classical and modern literature, traditional arts and holidays concluding with the development of popular culture.

Credits: 3
Instructor: Adrian Molina
Modality: Asynchronous Online
Honors College Attributes: Upper-division elective
USP attributes: none
A&S attributes: none
Concurrent Major Honors Interdisciplinary Inquiry Concentration Designations(s):
Environment, Ethics, and Humankind
Creativity, Social Justice, and our World
Course Description:
Southwest Studies is a regional studies field. This course is not about the future of Southwest Studies. This course is about placing the Southwest region of the United States in the future, rather than in the past. Thus, you are in Future Southwest Studies. With a wide lens on culture, arts, ecology, music, literature, film, food, social trends and creative movements, this course opens a broad and inviting door to students interested in the future of the Southwest, one of the United States most dynamic and ever-changing regions. 
Course content will go beyond any one particular race or culture. We will begin with historical reflections of the Southwest, and we will move quickly into contemporary social, cultural, artistic and concerned voices of the Southwest. Our explorations will include scholarly and news texts, documentaries, archival footage, podcasts, visual art, music, poetry, and multimedia. Given recent political events, we will also watch developments along the southwest American/Mexican border. We will not do so through an ideological lens, but rather from a perspective of current events and being well-informed citizens. Finally, we will conclude with a fun and festive final, which will give you an opportunity to engage your community in real space, in real time.

Credits: 3
Instructor: Hosanna Krienke
Modality: Traditional
Honors College Attributes: Upper Division Elective
USP attributes: H (Human Culture
A&S attributes: none

Concurrent Major Honors Interdisciplinary Inquiry Concentration Designations(s):
Health, Policy, and the Body
Course Description:

Just the word “cancer” strikes fear into the hearts of many of us. In ways big and small, we all have been told that cancer is the worst thing that could ever happen. Cancer is the boogeyman of horror movies; it is the tear-jerker moment of dramas. In the early twentieth century, “cancer” was even a forbidden word in polite circles and many patients were not told the precise disease they carried. Yet despite such cultural baggage, cancer is common. Experts estimate that in the 21st century, up to 1 in 2 people will develop cancer in their lifetimes. This class takes on the history of cancer—drawing on films, advertisements, personal autobiographies, and medical archives—in order to make sense of this paradoxically dire, yet pervasive diagnosis.

Credits: 3
Instructor: Chris Rothfuss
Modality: Traditional
Honors College Attributes: Upper-division elective
USP attributes: H (Human Culture)
A&S attributes: none
Concurrent Major Honors Interdisciplinary Inquiry Concentration Designations(s):
TBA
Course Description:
Coming soon!

Credits: 3
Instructor: Samantha L. Vandermeade
Modality: Traditional
Honors College Attributes: Upper-division elective
USP attributes: H (Human Culture)
A&S attributes: none
Concurrent Major Honors Interdisciplinary Inquiry Concentration Designations(s):
TBA
Course Description:

“Coal Stories" takes a critical, interdisciplinary look at the ways in the coal mining industry shapes the everyday lives and experiences of people living in two regionally distinct places—Wyoming and Appalachia—and investigates how the stories we tell about coal shape the cultural identity/identities of people living in these regions. Students will gain critical understanding of the history of coal mining as an extractive industry in both Appalachia and Wyoming, coal's role in the construction of community and cultural identity in these regions, and historical and contemporary activist movements involving everyday citizens whose lives and livelihoods are affected by the coal mining industry (including labor activism, environmental activism, and efforts toward regional revitalization in the wake of coal-related disasters). The course will also delve into a broad diversity of cultural productions created by those same everyday Wyomingites and Appalachians about coal and its impact on their lives, such as novels, short stories, poetry, film, oral histories, and art.

By approaching coal through place-based, interdisciplinary, and social justice-oriented frameworks and pairing cultural texts with more traditional scholarship, the course asks students to consider questions such as: How do people understand their labor, their land, and their livelihoods in relationship to coal production? How does coal production shape communities in ways beyond its economic impact? What happens when we ask people to choose between financial security and environmental safety? What stories do the people most affected by coal tell about it? By taking a comparative approach and digging deep into the histories and landscapes of two distinct places, the course asks students to think critically about the many different factors that shape place and our relationship to it, while also recognizing the shared struggles of working-class people in two much mythologized places: Appalachia and the West.

Credits: 3
Instructor: Camellia Okpodu, Honors College Clay Fellow Distinction
Modality: Traditional
Honors College Attributes: Upper-division elective
USP attributes: PN (Physical and Natural World)
A&S attributes: none
Concurrent Major Honors Interdisciplinary Inquiry Concentration Designations(s):
TBA
Course Description:
Plants, People, and the Environment explores the intersection of botanical studies, environmental education, and social and environmental perspectives. Centered on the theme of “rooted resilience,” the course examines how plants and people interact with and impact the environment. Open to all students, it fosters a learning environment that values a wide range of perspectives and experiences.

Credits: 3
Instructors: Lori Howe, Ashleigh Pilkerton
Modality: Traditional
Honors College Attributes: Upper-division elective
USP attributes: PN (Physical and Natural World)
A&S attributes: none
Concurrent Major Honors Interdisciplinary Inquiry Concentration Designations(s):
TBA
Course Description:
Join Honors faculty Ashleigh Pilkerton and Lori Howe for this experiential learning course and work with teammates from many disciplines to close the circle around real-world problems requiring creative, multifaceted solutions. Together, we'll consider issues of imminent importance, bringing together the knowledge, practices, and research of many disciplines, from art to engineering and dance to ENR. We’ll design shovel-ready plans, and in the second half, we'll take those plans out into the community and bring them to life with help from volunteers and funding from the Honors College. If you've ever worked on a project and wished it could move beyond the classroom to make a difference in the real world, this is the course for you. Join us as we innovate and create!

Credits: 3
Instructor: Adrian Molina
Modality: Asynchronous Online
Honors College attributes: Upper-Division Elective
USP attributes: H (Human Culture)
A&S attributes: D (Diversity)

Concurrent Major Honors Interdisciplinary Inquiry Concentration Designations(s):
Environment, Ethics, and Humankind
Creativity, Social Justice, and our World
Course Description:

This course is an inter- and multi-disciplinary course inspired by human culture.  This course explores a culture and form of music that hundreds of millions of people throughout the world identify with.  Hip-Hop was born in the South Bronx, NY in the early 1970s, where African-American, Latino, and immigrant populations were essentially cast off as a result of the construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway, white flight into the suburbs, and the politics of abandonment.  Hip-Hop music and culture has now spread throughout the world, and regardless of whether the discussion is about mainstream gangster rap or socially and political conscious Hip-Hop, this emerging field of study has broad, cultural, social, political, and economic implications.  Students will research, explore, discuss and write about American historical music influences, the history and development of hip-hop, the various artistic elements of hip-hop, hip-hop as a culture,  hip-hop journalism, and hip-hop’s influence on American society.  Using hip-hop as an academic tool, students will also explore the following issues: race relations, racism, sexism and misogyny, class struggle, urbanization, pan-ethnicity and ethnic/cultural diasporas, civil rights era activism, post-civil rights Black and Latina/o community leadership, activism through art, globalization, the commodification of art and culture in corporate America, the perpetuation of racism and sexism through mass media, alternative forms of cultural media, the poetics of hip-hop, and communication through musical form.