March 2012 - Ferris State University

Fall 2012 Honors Class Preview
By: Erika Derylo
Part of the unique Honors “experience” is taking Honors classes that not only help
fulfill general education requirements, but also give students the opportunity to
learn about subjects that are culturally enriching. Here is a snapshot of what Honors
classes are offered in the Fall of 2012.
Medical anthropology deals with illness and healing in crosscultural
perspective, and raises questions about the nature and
cause of illness, the effectiveness of various forms of therapy,
and the roles and attributes of different types of healers. Attention
will also be directed to the relationship between classical
medicine and the religious traditions of Hinduism Islam, Buddhism
and Taoism and to the modern revival of traditional
medicine and its role in the health-care delivery.
Honors exploration of Francophone literature in English translation
focuses primarily on the colonial era in the African
countries colonized by the French, French Acadian literature,
and the plantation society of the French Antilles, from 1690 to
1848.
Eastern Religions involves an introduction to the religions of
Eastern Culture with an emphasis on Hinduism, Buddhism and
Shinto.
Social Psychology is the study of influences of social situations
upon the individual's behaviors, feelings, and thoughts; it involves
a psychological investigation of the processes of causal
attribution, attitude formation and change, interpersonal attraction,
conformity and obedience, helping and hurting behaviors,
leadership and social facilitation, and environmental effects on
social behavior.
Intro to African Literature explores the most important voices
and talents in post-colonial Africa, both novelists and poets. It
includes the works of Armah, Ngugi, Soyinka, Achebe, Bessie
Head, Diop, Coetzee, Brutus, Bernard, and Lessing.
Into to World Short Fiction explores genre structure, narrative
techniques, and thematic traditions. It includes extensive reading
and discussion of works by European, British, American,
and Third World authors.
Psychology of Personality deals with Individual differences
and reviews basic theoretical orientations to the understanding
of personality and complex human behavior. There is an overview
of related techniques, procedures, and findings of personality
assessment and research and discussion of critical issues
in evaluation of personality theories.
Cultural Comp: Litr and Film
The purpose of this interdisciplinary course is to introduce
students to the concept of cultural competence within the
framework of an increasingly interconnected and interdependent
global society. This course fosters the notion of intercultural
tolerance towards people from dissimilar backgrounds,
whether those differences pertain to nationality, race, ethnicity,
gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age,
physical abilities, mental abilities identity by subsequently
juxtaposing it with other cultures, identities, and perspectives
through an analysis of aforementioned differences.