Spring 2024 Honors Explorations

Can You Dig It? Exploring Race, Representation, and Culture in Blaxploitation Films

• January 25
• February 1
• February 8 (Moulton 210)
• February 15
• February 22

Blaxploitation films, a film genre that originated in the 1970s, featured Black characters fighting racist systems on their own terms. These films influenced U.S. culture by showcasing Black music and fashion. These films embraced politics, revenge, sex, and violence to tell stories about Black people while providing opportunities for Black people in front of and behind the camera. These films provoked controversy for their content and have also influenced Black films in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and beyond! This Exploration provides a space for students to consider perspectives of leading scholars who specialize in topics related to Blaxploitation films, American culture, race, and identity. 

Criminalization of American Women’s Reproductive Rights

• January 25

• February 1

• February 8

• February 15

• February 22

This Honors Exploration will thoroughly examine the reproductive injustices placed upon American women, historically and modern day. Topics will include (but are not limited to) forced sterilization, the right to obtain contraceptives, abortion, and application of personhood laws. Students will further examine the systemic biases of women based on race, socioeconomic status, and/or being incarcerated. We will look at state and federal law - past and present - and address reproductive autonomy needs for the future.

Five Great Experiments that Changed the World

• January 23
• January 30
• February 6
• February 13
• February 20

The Exploration will consider important scientific discoveries in physics, chemistry, and biology that altered human lives throughout history, placing them in historical context.

Music as Propaganda and Protest

Dr. Anne Dervin, Instructional Assistant Professor, School of Music
Tuesdays, 4 - 6 pm; Stevenson 210

• January 23
• January 30
• February 6
• February 13
• February 20

Music has long been used as both a propagandist tool, while also a powerful means of protest against totalitarian rule. From government control of the arts and media to the use of folk song as a way to preserve identity in the face of cultural genocide, we will examine case studies from across the globe to observe the complex relationship between music and government control. We will explore music from propagandist wing of the Nazi regime and the Rwandan controlled radio to that of the Chilean Nueva Canción movement and songs from Syria we will look deeper into the sounds of some of the most oppressive periods of government control.

Restorative Justice: Ancient Ideas Put into Modern Practice

Dane Myers, Assistant Director, Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development
Wednesdays, 3 - 5 pm; Williams 123

• January 24
• January 31
• February 7
• February 14
• February 21

This Exploration will teach students the history of restorative justice as well as modern applications of restorative justice in a variety of sectors and situations. Students will explore the 5 Rs of restorative justice: Relationships, Respect, Responsibility, Repair, and Reintegration. Students will contrast restorative practices with punitive-based practices and evaluate the effectiveness of each. Students will also learn a variety of restorative practices including using affective language and facilitating a formal restorative justice conference.

Seeing Critically: Examining Visual Culture

Rebecca Fitzsimmons, Special Collections Librarian, Milner Library  
Lindsey Skaggs, Discovery Services Librarian, Milner Library
Wednesdays, 5 - 7 pm; Milner Library 213C

• January 24
• January 31
• February 7
• February 14
• February 21

Today’s world is saturated by images, and the messages they convey both shape – and are shaped by—our experiences. Visual materials can provoke or document points of transition or radical change, become iconic symbols that capture the feeling of a particular moment, or evoke personal meaning unknown to others. When viewed together, images record—or exclude—information about the societies in which they circulate and shape the narrative for future generations. In this Exploration, we’ll view visual materials such as posters, graphics, and photographs through both historical and contemporary lenses, examining concepts of authenticity, truth, power, ownership, and authorship, and discuss how meaning is constructed, altered, and often repurposed into something new.

The Eras of Taylor Swift

Heidi Bowman, Instructional Assistant Professor, Department of English
Mondays, 5:30 - 7:30 pm; Stevenson 120

• January 22 (cancelled due to weather)
• January 29
• February 5
• February 12
• February 19
• February 26

Calling all Swifties! In this Honors Exploration we will look at and analyze the different eras of Taylor Swift's extensive music career. We will explore different literary references and allusions within her lyrics and discuss the impact of social media and cancel culture. We will gain an understanding of her challenges as a woman in the music industry and study how Swift has used her words and music over the years to create change. This Exploration is the brainchild of undergraduate student Gracyn Cordes, who designed a Taylor Swift course for her final project in her Honors English 101 class.