Honors Program in Consciousness, Creativity & Meaning

Program Description

We are a vibrant intellectual community that builds academic and personal relationships through collaborative learning, great conversations, exciting events, and social activities.

The program includes a first-year residential requirement with additional opportunities thereafter to live in our Honors residential community; a dynamic interdisciplinary minor in “Consciousness, Creativity, and Meaning” that explores contemporary research on the mysteries of human consciousness and their implications for leading a purposeful life; and a senior thesis completed in conjunction with your academic major.

ALUMNI

Emma Elder ’18

"The Honors Program at Puget Sound allows students an extra level of challenge and engagement in their education. They will be part of a cohort of students who are passionate about learning, and will be provided with fun extracurricular opportunities for learning outside of the classroom."

Sample Courses

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HON 211 Forbidden Knowledge

Honors 211 examines the biblical story of Adam and Eve, one of Western culture's key foundation myths, by following its preoccupation with forbidden knowledge in the works of authors ranging from the 17th-Century poet John Milton to contemporary women writers of the psychedelic movement, who like Eve, ingest forbidden wisdom-giving "fruit." In doing so, we enlist the help of philosophers, neuroscientists, and psychologists to explore such questions as: Should certain kinds of knowledge be forbidden or is knowledge an unqualified good? Who should decide? What does it mean to be in a state of innocence, or of experience? What aspects of the human psyche are involved in occupying these states and what kinds of knowledge are they capable of acquiring? These questions will in turn invite us to(re)assess what we understand to be the nature of reality and the deepest aspects of our human identity.

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Artistic and Humanistic Perspectives

Prerequisites

Admission to the Honors Program.

ARTH 370 Buddhist Art

This course is an introduction to the major monuments and movements of Buddhist art in Asia, including China, Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Tibet. Emphasis is placed on the interaction of different Buddhist concepts/schools and diverse visual forms that represented them. Issues of examination include the evolution of the Buddha's image from aniconic to iconic representation, the development of Buddhist iconography in relation to other religious iconography and secular imagery, the role of patronage, and the relationship of pilgrimage and art production. Each class combines lecture and discussion.

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Artistic and Humanistic Perspectives

CONN 365 The Science & Practice of Mindfulness

The goal of this course is to provide an in-depth, accurate understanding of mindfulness, from both an academic and experiential perspective. The history of mindfulness is examined, including its roots in Buddhism, along with the more recent integration of mindfulness practice in Western psychology. The course explores what mindfulness is, common misconceptions about mindfulness and mindfulness meditation, how mindfulness works, and also the qualities and virtues cultivated in mindfulness practice. Both through readings as well as applied practice, the course explores different forms of mindfulness meditation, from present-moment awareness in everyday life and activities, to formal sitting meditation, body awareness, walking meditation, loving-kindness meditation, and movement-based meditations including qi gong. Throughout, the course is grounded in an exploration into the science and neuroscience of mindfulness, including research evidence on the effects of mindfulness practice and mindfulness-based interventions on the brain, immune system, physiological stress reactivity, and overall physical and psychological health. Along the way, the course addresses important questions about the self and the mind, through the lenses of philosophy, psychology, and contemporary neuroscience. These questions include: Is there such a thing as a self? Is there such a thing as a mind, which is separate from the brain? And if so, how are the mind and brain related?

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Connections 200-400 Level

CONN 303 Art-Science: Inquiry into the Intersection of Art, Science, and Technology

This class explores how new trends and technologies in the fields of biological sciences and biotechnology influence emerging art and artists. The course looks at the world around us from differing perspectives, with the aid of technology, biological phenomena, and artistic eye. The class is designed for students of all disciplines, including the non-declared, with the goal to inspire students to think outside of the box, explore divergent and convergent thought, and seek out knowledge and inspiration from many different disciplines. Students are encouraged to collaborate with peers. Satisfies the Connections core requirement.

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Connections 200-400 Level

ENGL 232 Romanticism, Consciousness, and the Psychedelic Renaissance

Human consciousness is at once the most basic and most mysterious fact of our existence. It is difficult to describe because it cannot be compare the ground upon which the experience of living rests, including our ability to make comparisons. Moreover, its source remains elusive; no one knows, the brain, a material organ, creates perceptions, ideas, or emotions, all of which are immaterial. Poets, novelists, and philosophers of the Romantic 19th C.) were especially preoccupied with the mysterious nature of consciousness and sought both to describe and explain the puzzling relationship subjective experience and the exterior world that subjectivity negotiates. This course focuses on the ways in which literary art of the British Romantic questions that attend the study of consciousness: Is the mind created by nature, or does it create nature? What is the mind's relationship with the subjective experience of being a self governed by imagination? In what ways are the literary arts uniquely suited to explore the mystery of human also examines how Romantic era authors subsequently influenced poetry and music of the Beat Generation and the 1960s counterculture, as well with contemporary research in philosophy, neuroscience, psychology, physics, and the burgeoning field of psychedelic studies.

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Artistic and Humanistic Perspectives

ENVH 310 Global Eco-Cinema: Aesthetics and Practice

What role do films play in shaping our imagination of the environment? How has cinema influenced our actions in the past, and how might it alter our actions in the future? What effect do films have in understanding non-human systems, knowledge production, or storytelling? How can an eco-critical approach to film challenge and/or subvert those assertions? Can film in particular advocate for the planet's agency? These are some of the central questions we will explore as we screen and examine the intersections between films/film-making and ecological ways of knowing from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Through critical analysis of a variety of cinema traditions, genres, and practices, students gain exposure to films as expressions of environmental discourse and their potential as inspiration and instigators of environmental action. Students apply the tools of eco-critical cultural studies and ecologically informed approaches to cinematic practice, and to representations of the relationships that humans have with the non-human. Themes explored will vary and may include: the material ecologies of film production; cinematic ideology and affect; the eco-politics of Hollywood and its alternatives; representations of landscape, sense of place, and identity; the imperial and colonial gaze; ecological utopias and dystopias; tensions between human `dominance' and co-existence with other species; problematizing the eco-documentary; the ever-growing climate catastrophe genre and its reactions (e.g. eco-anxiety); foodways and human (over)consumption; and Indigenous and social justice activism.

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Artistic and Humanistic Perspectives

Ayse Hunt '19 presenting a research paper in Vienna, Austria. — Ayse Hunt ’19 presents a research paper at the January 2019 international Conference of Museologists, "The Art Museum in the Digital Age," in Vienna, Austria, on digital education, access, and engagement in art museums.

Aliah McCord '20 studying abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico. — Aliah McCord ’20, studying abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Eric Zeitz '19 presents his senior Honors thesis. — Eric Zeitz ’19 presents his Senior Honors Thesis, "Chinese Radicals and Recurrent Neural Networks: An Inquiry Into the Nuances of Human and Machine Language Translation of Mandarin Chinese to English."

Kyra Zapf '21 presenting her summer research. — Kyra Zapf ’21, presenting her summer research, "Succession Anxiety Through Clothing in the Court of Henry VIII," which she conducted in England.

The Honors Program has a variety of social events, such as the Langlow House Holiday Party.

Leslie Machabee '20 interning with Madrid Summers. — Leslie Machabee ’20, interning with Madrid Summers.

Lura Morton '19 interning in Qatar. — Lura Morton ’19 conducted a summer internship in Qatar.

Fall 2019 Honors Night at the Symphony — In fall 2019, the Honors Program had a social night out at the symphony.

Olivia Perotti '20 and Katie Grainger '20 presenting their summer research. — Olivia Perotti ’20 and Katie Grainger ’20 at the annual Summer Research Symposium.

Megan Sanders '19 speaks at Commencment 2019. — Megan Sanders ’19 speaks at Commencment 2019.

Jacob Shaffer '19 presenting his summer research. — Jacob Shaffer ’19, presenting his summer research, "Effects of Tun Formation on the Microbiome of the Tardigrade."

Spring 2019 Food Drive — Students in the Honors Program often take part in philanthropic events, such as this spring 2019 food drive.

Experiential Learning

Ways our students learn through experience:

Emily Wright ’22, summer 2019 internship with USGS
Amanda Melin ’20, summer 2019 NASA grant, wastewater analysis
Drew Benoit '25, summer 2024 research, "Endogenous Megalithic Art in Neolithic Ireland"
Lukas Karoly ’21, summer 2019 research on Vorticella
Kate Gladhart-Hayes ’20, summer 2019 research on nuclear waste on indigenous lands

STORIES

Kyra Zapf '21 presents her summer research on 16th-century fashions

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Students

Puget Sound Podcast: Kyra Zapf '21

Kyra does a deep dive into European history as she describes her summer research project on 16th-century clothing and portraits.

Raising the Roof

When it rains, it pours. And it poured most of the weekend while students from Puget Sound’s chapter of Habitat for Humanity raced to build a tiny house for the homeless in two days—but they didn’t let a little “liquid sunshine…

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Students

Puget Sound Podcast: Rachael Shelden

Rachael Shelden ‘12, MAT’13 describes her Puget Sound journey, from participating in the Honors Program, to completing her graduate studies in the School of Education, to working in the Center for Writing, Learning, and…

After Puget Sound

What some of our alumni are doing:

Samantha Lilly ’19, , "Understanding Suicidality Across Cultures"
Meadow Poplawsky ’19, Fulbright Teaching Assistantship, India
Nicholas Navin ’19, Fulbright Teaching Assistantship, Indonesia
Annie Lamar ’19, Stanford University (classics and computer science)
Megan Sanders ’19, U.S. State Department (foreign service officer)
Andrew Brandt ’18, University of Texas - Austin (architecture)
Helen Tschurr ’19, University of Wisconsin - Madison (law school)
Madeline Brown ’18, George Washington University (public policy and gender studies)
Megan Schowalter ’17, Teach for America
Ada Smith ’17, Japan Exchange and Teaching Program

Meet the Faculty

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Suzanne Holland

Professor, Religion, Spirituality, and Society, John B. Magee Professor of Science and Values, and Director, Bioethics

sholland@pugetsound.edu

Prof. Holland teaches courses in ethics and values, including topics in gender studies and bioethics. Her research interests include ethics in human genetics, biotechnology, religion, and culture.

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Kriszta Kotsis

Professor and Chair, Art and Art History

kkotsis@pugetsound.edu

Prof. Kotsis studies images of Late Antique and Byzantine women, and teaches courses on Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Western Medieval, and Islamic art, and art historical methodology.

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Alisa Kessel

Professor, Politics and Government

kessel@pugetsound.edu

Prof. Kessel's current research is about rape culture and sexual consent; her past research focused on democratic education. Her classes cover a range of topics in political theory, including race, democracy, freedom, intersectionality, and liberalism.

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George Erving

Professor, Humanities and English and Susan Resneck Pierce Professor of Humanities and Honors

gerving@pugetsound.edu

In order to examine how literary arts advance ideas about the self, Prof. Erving researches British Romantic period history and literature. His courses focus on European intellectual history and English literature.

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David Latimer

Professor, Physics

dlatimer@pugetsound.edu

Prof. Latimer's research interests primarily lie in nuclear and particle theory, with an emphasis on neutrino phenomenology, and in novel ways to assess the particle properties of dark matter.

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Alison Tracy Hale

Professor, English

ajtracy@pugetsound.edu

A widely published scholar and author, Prof. Hale focuses her research in early American literature, with emphasis on the American gothic, the early novel, pedagogical practices, and the early Republic.

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John Wesley

Professor and Chair, English

jwesley@pugetsound.edu

Early modern English literature is the primary focus of Prof. Wesley's research and teaching. He teaches courses on Shakespeare, Milton, the Bible as literature, and the history of the English language.

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Facilities

Langlow House

Built in 1908, Langlow House is an optional residence for sophomores in the Honors Program, including singles, doubles, and triples, as well as multiple common areas.

Thomas Hall Reading Room

This special reading room in Thomas Hall is available to students in the Honors Program and provides a dedicated area for our students to study and hang out.

Thomas Hall Honors Flats

Junior and senior honors students are eligible to live in the Thomas Hall Honors Flats, which feature singles, as well as a full kitchen, common areas, and access to the Reading Room.

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