Honors Courses
Honors courses are offered in every fall and spring semester. Honors courses have section numbers containing the letter H. Honors courses are more challenging, involve more discussion and debate, and often (if not always) require longer and more in-depth research papers and oral presentations by students. Honors courses are most certainly more demanding, usually involving more reading and preparation.
Any student with at least a 3.5 grade point average may enroll in an Honors course. Students who do not meet this criterion may request permission of the instructor to enroll in an Honors course.
Below are Spring 2026 Honors Courses
ILC: Music and Resistance in WWII and the Holocaust: HI 291-HL Resistance in WWII and the Holocaust OR MU 291-HL Music of Austria and the Czech Republic
Honors one-unit ILC: Music and Resistance in WWII and the Holocaust: HI 291-HL Resistance in WWII and the Holocaust OR MU 291-HL Music of Austria and the Czech Republic – Profs. Weintrob (HI)1 and Juneau (MU) – Mondays and Wednesday at 11:20-12:50
Music played a pivotal role in World War II and the Holocaust. The Nazi regime harnessed the power of music as propaganda to promote nationalism and unity. Yet against this force – arose in opposition, music, theater and opera in cabarets and jazz clubs, ghettos and concentration camps. Music provided solace, hope, and pride among political opponents, artists and other defiant individuals. Through the study of films such as Triumph of the Will, The Sound of Music and The Pianist, students will gain a deeper appreciation of how music and the arts can be powerful tools in political and historical movements and in cultural remembrance.
These courses form a one-unit ILC.
Contact: lrweintr@wagner.edu or thomas.juneau@wagner.edu
AA 250-HO Introduction to Management and the Arts – Prof. Hope – Mondays and Wednesdays at 9:40-11:10
This honors course serves as both and introduction and an overview of management of arts organizations. Managers and organizations, the management process, profile of the arts manager, evolution of management thought, staffing process in the arts, modern management, fundamentals of leadership and group dynamics, technology and information systems management. This course is a prerequisite for all the advanced upper-level Arts Administration courses. Prerequisites: Sophomore standing.
This Honors course can be counted as an Art course (A) in the Knowledge Areas, and it provides the following Key Skill:
- practice/exposure Oral Communication (O)
Contact: alika.hope@wagner.edu
GOV 291-Politics of Gender – Prof. Moynagh – Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2:40-4:10
This Honors course analyzes gender as a political category. We will study the changing meanings of femininity, masculinity, LGBTQAI+, and transsexuality around the world. Classic texts in gender studies, as well as more recent investigations that shine a light on the politics of gender, will provide us with key terms and concepts. We will pay special attention to historical and current economic inequalities that are structured around definitions of work, both paid and unpaid. Our studies of gender will examine deeply embedded modes of institutionalized hierarchy and prevailing racial inequalities. Students will read key historical texts such as excerpts from Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex while also focusing on such contemporary issues as gendered disparities of wealth, violence, LGBTQAI+, trans politics, and climate change. Finally, we will discuss various social movements that call for concrete alternatives to inherited hierarchies that envision and demand a more just world by pointing to a politics “otherwise.”
This Honors course can be counted as a Social Science (S) in the Knowledge Areas.
Contact: patricia.moynagh@wagner.edu
GOV 375-HO Feminist Film – Prof. Moynagh – Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1:00-2:30
This Honors course analyzes Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (1949) in conjunction with film analysis.  The Second Sex is credited with inspiring women’s movements and feminist consciousness around the world. It is also a key foundation for understanding contemporary feminist theory. We will engage many of Beauvoir’s concepts as we interpret several films, deciding whether they are “feminist” (we will introduce and decipher conflicting definitions) or not. We will identify and subject the male gaze to critique, noting how it inhabits and permeates not only film and visual culture, but everyday life as well. At the same time, we will highlight feminist cultural production through film as a challenge to mainstream cinema. We will note how and when it questions interconnected oppressions based upon sexuality, race, class, age, and colonialism to name a few major ones.
This Honors course can be counted as Social Sciences course (S) in the Knowledge Areas, and it provides the following Key Skills:
- Intensive Critical Reading and Analysis (RR)
- Intensive Intercultural Understanding (UU)
- Practice/Exposure Written Communication (WC)
Contact: patricia.moynagh@wagner.edu
HI 120-HO Global History: Pandemics – Prof. Malak – Mondays and Wednesdays at 9:40-11:20
This Honors course traces the history of modern world beginning with the European expansions in Latin America, Asia and Africa. The main focus is to analyze the interdependence between the world regions and sustained contribution of the non-westerns world in making of the modern world. In conceptualizing global histories as interconnected the course also brings out the social, cultural, economic and ecological implications and diversities to understand the global imbalances in various aspects. Most importantly the course intends to give a comprehensive understanding of the present through the lens of the past.
This Honors course can be counted as a Humanities course (H) in the Knowledge Areas, and it provides the following Key Skills:
- Practice/Exposure Critical Read (R)
- Intensive Intercultural Understanding (UU)
- Practice/Exposure Written Communication (WC)
Contact: karim.malak@wagner.edu
HI 120-HO History and Politics of Gender – Prof. Malak – Mondays and Wednesdays at 1:00-2:30
This Honors course serves an introduction to the history of gender relations in America, including a discussion of feminist theories, gender in contemporary culture, and the politics of gender.
This Honors course can be counted as a Humanities course (H) in the Knowledge Areas, and it provides the following Key Skills:
- Practice/Exposure Information Literacy (L)
- Practice/Exposure Critical Read (R)
- Practice/Exposure Written Communication (WC)
Contact: karim.malak@wagner.edu
HI 264-HO Islam in the World: Islamicate Philosophy – Prof. Malak – Mondays and Wednesdays at 11:20-12:50 (cross-listed with PH 291 Islam in the World: Islamicate Philosophy)
This Honors course examines the theme of Islamic communities beyond the central Islamic lands. The course will familiarize students with some of the many Muslim communities that exist beyond the Arabian Peninsula, notably in East and West Africa, South Asia, China and Europe. By exploring the multiple processes of trade, migration, conversion, and political expansion that have led to the growth of the world’s fastest-growing religious community, this class introduces students to the concept of the “Islamic Diaspora.”
This Honors course can be counted as a Humanities course (H) in the Knowledge Areas, and it provides the following Key Skills:
- Intensive Information Literacy (LL)
- Practice/Exposure Critical Read (R)
- Intensive Intercultural Understanding (UU)
Contact: karim.malak@wagner.edu
HI 297-HO The Historian as Detective: Exploring the City – Prof. Weintrob – Mondays and Wednesdays at 9:40-11:10
This Honors course develops some of the skills important in the study of history and politics such as students’ critical analytical and writing abilities and increases their understanding of and ability to conduct historical and social science research. Topics may include evaluating primary sources, logical fallacies, Internet and library research, and citation methods. This is a required course for both history and political science majors. It should be taken in the sophomore year.
This Honors course can be counted as a Humanities course (H) in the Knowledge Areas, and it provides the following Key Skills:
- Intensive Information Literacy (LL)
- Practice/Exposure Technological Competence (T)
- Intensive Written Communication (WW)
Contact: lrweintr@wagner.edu
MA 108-HO Statistics for Business – Prof. Shahvar – Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11:20-12:50
The basic techniques of descriptive and sampling statistics including regression, normal and t-distributions, hypothesis testing, estimation, and trend analysis. Applications to economics and business.
Students who have taken MA 109 or plan to take MA 109 may not earn credit for both MA 108 and MA 109.
This Honors course can be counted as a Mathematics and Science course (M) in the Knowledge Areas, and it provides the following Key Skills:
- Intensive Quantitative Thinking (QQ)
Contact: zshahvar@wagner.edu
MU 102-HO Introduction to Music History – Prof. Juneau – Mondays and Wednesdays at 9:40-11:10
This honors course serves as an introduction to the history and appreciation of music within its cultural context, promoting understanding and enjoyment of music in a variety of styles and genres. Special emphasis on examples by important composers from the traditions of concert music, opera, and sacred music.
MU 102-HO can be counted as an Arts course (A) in the Knowledge Areas, and it provides the followings Key Skills:
- Practice/Exposure Creativity (C)
- Practice/Exposure Literacy (L)
- Practice/Exposure Critical Reading (R)
Contact: thomas.juneau@wagner.edu
PH 291-HO Islam in the World: Islamicate Philosophy – Prof. Malak – Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11:20-12:50 (cross-listed with 264-HO Islam in the World: Islamicate Philosophy)
This Honors course examines the theme of Islamic communities beyond the central Islamic lands. The course will familiarize students with some of the many Muslim communities that exist beyond the Arabian Peninsula, notably in East and West Africa, South Asia, China and Europe. By exploring the multiple processes of trade, migration, conversion, and political expansion that have led to the growth of the world’s fastest-growing religious community, this class introduces students to the concept of the “Islamic Diaspora.”
This Honors course can be counted as a Humanities course (H) in the Knowledge Areas, and it provides the following Key Skills:
- Intensive Information Literacy (LL)
- Practice/Exposure Critical Reading (R)
- Intensive Intercultural Understanding (UU)
Contact: karim.malak@wagner.edu
PS 101-HO Child Psychology – Prof. Taverner – Mondays and Wednesdays at 1:00-2:30
This honors course is an examination of the biological, emotional, social, cognitive, and familial factors that affect personality development and adjustment during the first decade of life.
This Honors course can be counted as a Social Sciences course (S) in the Knowledge Areas, and it provides the following Key Skills:
- Practice/exposure Creativity (C)
- Practice/Exposure Critical Read (R)
Contact: carolyn.taverner@wagner.edu
PS 209-HO Is Religion “Man-made”? – Prof. Kaelber – Tuesdays at 6:00–9:00 (cross-listed with RE 209-HO Is Religion “Man-made”?)
Are religious “truths” divinely given or are they created by humans under the impact of cultural considerations? We will unravel this issue by approaching the question from various perspectives. We will consider, for example, the psychological approach of Freud as well as the anthropological approach of Malinowski. We will also consider the manner in which Biblical scenarios are conditioned–if not determined–by historical and cultural circumstances. Also considered will be the psychology of Jung and his contention that religious symbols are the inevitable products of a “collective unconsciousness.” We will conclude the honors course with an investigation of how religious symbolism is self-consciously employed–even manipulated–in the arts. The creative use of symbolism will be illustrated through an examination of various novels and movies.
This Honors course can be counted as a Social Sciences course (S) in the Knowledge Areas, and it provides the following Key Skills:
- Practice/exposure Critical Reading and Analysis (R)
- Practice/exposure Creativity (C)
- Intensive Intercultural Understanding (UU)
Contact: wkaelber@wagner.edu
RE 209-HO Is Religion “Man-made”? – Prof. Kaelber – Tuesdays at 6:00–9:00 (cross-listed with PS 209-HO Is Religion “Man-made”?)
Are religious “truths” divinely given or are they created by humans under the impact of cultural considerations? We will unravel this issue by approaching the question from various perspectives. We will consider, for example, the psychological approach of Freud as well as the anthropological approach of Malinowski. We will also consider the manner in which Biblical scenarios are conditioned–if not determined–by historical and cultural circumstances. Also considered will be the psychology of Jung and his contention that religious symbols are the inevitable products of a “collective unconsciousness.” We will conclude the honors course with an investigation of how religious symbolism is self-consciously employed–even manipulated–in the arts. The creative use of symbolism will be illustrated through an examination of various novels and movies.
This Honors course can be counted as a Humanities course (H) in the Knowledge Areas, and it provides the following Key Skills:
- Practice/exposure Critical Reading and Analysis (R)
- Practice/exposure Creativity (C)
- Intensive Intercultural Understanding (UU)
Contact: wkaelber@wagner.edu
SPC 103-HO Public Speaking – Prof. Tennenbaum – Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2:40-4:10
Ideal for the liberal arts student, the basic Honors speech course studies the art of public speaking from a variety of informal and formal perspectives.
SP 103-HO can be counted as an Arts course (A) in the Knowledge Areas, and it provides the following Key Skills:
- Intensive Oral Communication (OO)
Contact: michael.tennenbaum@wagner.edu
Honors Courses Offered in Previous Semesters
Fall Semester 2026
If you have questions about honors courses, please feel welcome to contact the Director of the Honors Program, Dr. Dane Stalcup (Dane.Stalcup@wagner.edu).