UMass Boston’s Honors College Fall 2015
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Summer Session 1
Women, Race, and HIV
Honors 290 (#2082)
MW 10:00am-1:00pm
Rosanna DeMarco, Department of Nursing, UMass Boston
This course fulfills a Social & Behavioral Sciences (SB) Gen Ed distribution requirement.
This course runs from May 27th – July 8th
This course focuses on the social determinants of risk and acquisition of HIV/AIDS in women nationally and internationally. The basic
landscape of the pandemic and the debates that have arisen about different intervention approaches in addressing HIV/AIDS will
be presented using religious, gender, economic, social, political factors. Particular attention will be paid to ethics and human rights
considerations and interventions using community participatory action research designs, community engagement and coalition building
as a solution. Evaluation/Assessment for this course includes Gender critique of an HIV/AIDS intervention, a Paper (Proposal Using
Community Based Participatory Research design), and a class presentation.
Exploring the Boston Harbor Islands: On the Ground and in the Archives
Honors 380 (#1571)
TuTh 1:30-4:30pm
Joanne Riley, University Archives, UMass Boston
This course can be taken after two 200-level Honors courses are completed.
This course does not fulfill a Gen Ed distribution requirement.
This course runs from May 26th – July 9th
The Boston Harbor Islands – several of which are visible from UMass Boston’s campus – constitute an extraordinary environment
in which to explore the perspectives of history, geology, ecology, public policy, archaeology, anthropology and other disciplines in
understanding a place over time. The Boston Harbor Islands are the historic location of agricultural sites, almshouses, cemeteries, hotels, forts, prisons and schools.
Many of the islands are geologically rare coastal drumlins, and they continue to host diverse wildlife and a range of human activities. In
the 21st century, the islands form a national recreation area and are part of a state park, and – through complex management
partnerships with governmental, private and volunteer entities – they offer a variety of recreational, environmental and cultural activities
throughout the year.
Through boat trips and island visits (guided by experts in relevant disciplines), and through readings and discussion, students will
explore what is known about the islands in order to develop a focused research question of personal interest. In the second part of
the course students will undertake original research in area archives to uncover little-known – or perhaps unknown until now – primary
source information to answer their research question about the Boston Harbor Islands.
Course assignments: 5 journal entries (300 words each), 5 quizzes, research question proposal (1,000 words) and presentation of
research findings (15 minute oral presentation and summary essay).
Grading: 30% class participation, 10% journal entries, 5% quizzes, 25% research proposal, 30% final presentation. 30% of students’
final grade will be determined by participation, which includes engaging in class discussions and with guest speakers and also, very
importantly, providing solid feedback and support to peers in the class’ collaborative research endeavor.
Please note: All boat trips and island visits are scheduled within the class time block, and attendance is required.
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Fall 2015
Visit www.umb.edu/honors or call 617.287.5520 for more information
Summer Session 2
The Art of the City: Public Art and Politics
Honors 290 (#2083)
MW 1:30-4:30pm
Sarah Kruse, Honors College, UMass Boston
This course fulfills an Arts (AR) Gen Ed distribution requirement.
This course runs from July 13 th – August 19th
This course is designed to provide an exploration and better understanding of public art and urban space in Boston, while engaging
with art history, the history of the city, politics and ideas about public space, the history of public art and projects like the WPA (Works
Project Administration), politics and controversies that surround public projects, underground and subversive public art, and ecology
and ecological awareness that may be brought into play. This course will combine critical texts from a variety of disciplines and multiple
excursions into Boston itself to look at how those texts can be used, applied, and examined in a public urban space. Students will
be asked to respond creatively each week to class excursions with a variety of assignments ranging from sound projects, to video
recordings, to photo essays, to creative writing. The course will culminate in a final reflective synthesis and a collaborative class art
project.
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UMass Boston’s Honors College Fall 2015
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