Fall 2025 Honors Explorations
Honors Explorations are noncredit learning experiences that focus on unique topics and typically meet weekly for five total sessions. Successful completion of an Honors Exploration includes attending and actively participating in the entire duration of each session, as well as completing all readings and assignments. Students cannot have an overlapping class, work, or RSO conflicts during the time the Exploration meets.
The interest form will be available at 7 am on Tuesday, April 1.
Students who submit an interest form will be contacted by Sarah Roth in late April and told if they are on an Exploration roster, or if they are on the waitlist.
History, Spotify, and the “American Dream”
Dr. Richard Hughes, Professor and Director of History & Social Sciences Education Program, Department of History
Location: TBA
- Wednesday, September 3, 6 - 8 pm
- Wednesday, September 10, 6 - 8 pm
- Wednesday, September 17, 6 - 8 pm
- Wednesday, September 24, 6 - 8 pm
- Wednesday, October 1, 6 - 8 pm
How can popular music provide a window to better understand American society and the evolving and contested pursuit of the “American Dream?” Students will explore the connections between popular music and the experiences and perceptions of a diverse, pluralistic American society. They will reflect on the meaning of the “American Dream” for themselves and their peers. Students will curate and present, both orally and digitally, a personal playlist of American popular music to build and defend an argument about the nature and evolution of the “American Dream.”on.
Honors Service Exploration: ISU Horticulture Center
Doug McGraw, Academic Advisor, Honors Program
Jessica Chambers, Director, Horticulture Center- Department of Agriculture
- Wednesday, September 3: 5 - 7 pm, Honors Program Building
- Wednesday, September 10: 5 - 7 pm, Honors Program Building
- Wednesday, September 17: 5 - 7 pm, Honors Program Building
- Wednesday, September 24: 5 - 7 pm, Honors Program Building
- Saturday, September 27: Service at the ISU Horticulture Center, 9 am -12 pm. Transportation will be provided.
The Honors Program values the chance for students to participate in service learning, as well as the opportunity to build a stronger community. While you’re on campus, Bloomington-Normal is just as much your home as it is ours, and as such we should promote community and service throughout the whole town. This Exploration includes four sessions to discuss the importance and relevance of service learning and giving back to the community, while also focusing on self-reflection as a way to facilitate personal growth. Following that, we will spend a Saturday morning volunteering with a local organization. In the fall of 2025, we will partner with the Illinois State Horticulture Center to learn more about the local fauna and provide hands-on assistance maintaining the gardens.
Left Brain, Right Brain, My Brain, Your Brain
Dr. Julie Campbell, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology
Location: TBA
- Tuesday, September 2, 5 - 7 pm
- Tuesday, September 9, 5 - 7 pm
- Tuesday, September 16, 5 - 7 pm
- Tuesday, September 23, 5 - 7 pm
- Tuesday, September 30, 5 - 7 pm
Are you left or right brained? What does it mean to be left or right brained? In this Exploration we will explore theories about how the brain becomes lateralized: how do everyday cognitive functions, like language and math, become affiliated with the left or right hemisphere of the brain? We will also examine the development of physical movement as well. How does one become right or left-handed? Students will design a presentation which illustrates a lateralized behavior and an investigation of how the behavior became lateralized. The presentation can be about a human lateralized behavior (i.e., handedness or language), or other animal lateralized behavior (paw preference). These presentations will be a culmination of examples that we discuss across class sessions.
Social Entrepreneurship & Community Building
Dr. Amy Bardwell, Associate Professor, Department of Family & Consumer Sciences
Dr. Luke Russell, Associate Professor, Department of Family & Consumer Sciences
Location: TBA
- Thursday, September 4, 5 - 7 pm
- Thursday, September 11, 5 - 7 pm
- Thursday, September 18, 5 - 7 pm
- Thursday, September 25, 5 - 7 pm
- Thursday, October 2, 5 - 7 pm
Social entrepreneurs use business logic and practices to promote social justice, economic equity, and community resilience. This interdisciplinary Honors Exploration will focus on the intersection of social entrepreneurship and community building, examining how innovative business models can address social challenges while fostering sustainable, inclusive development. Emphasizing the importance of cultural sensitivity, collective action, and long-term sustainability, this Exploration will provide students with the opportunity to learn critical skills for developing effective, profitable, and meaningful social entrepreneurship business plans and ventures. Students will participate in a field trip to a nearby town to see some of the current entrepreneurial and community events taking place, and to identify/brainstorm any additional needs that could be met via novel social entrepreneurship initiatives.
WICKED: A Sociological Perspective
Dr. Adrienne Riegle, Instructional Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Location: TBA
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Tuesday, September 2, 3:30 - 5:30 pm
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Tuesday, September 9, 3:30 - 5:30 pm
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Tuesday, September 16, 3:30 - 5:30 pm
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Tuesday, September 23, 3:30 - 5:30 pm
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Tuesday, September 30, 3:30 - 5:30 pm
In this Honors Exploration on WICKED (the 2024 and 2025 film series), we’ll critically analyze the complex intersections of power, identity, and "good" versus "evil" as depicted through the lives of its two main characters, Elphaba and Galinda, as well as supporting cast members. Using a sociological lens, we’ll explore how the film speaks to themes such as social power dynamics, ableism, whiteness, colorism, and gender performance. Drawing from key sociological theories, students will explore how WICKED challenges dominant narratives about authority. This Exploration will encourage students to think critically about the sociopolitical forces shaping not only the fictional world of Oz but also our own society, inviting deep reflection on the complexities of social justice and the role of individuals within oppressive systems and pop culture more broadly.