Honors Forums to Focus on BAD Student Organization, Obesity Epidemic and Presidential Election

University Relations

Gearhart Hall, home to the Honors College.

Next fall, honors students will have an opportunity to explore the history of race relations on the U of A campus, delve into a real-time analysis of the 2020 presidential election, and unknot the complexities of the systematically oversimplified obesity epidemic.

These 75-minute, one-credit-hour honors courses, designated HNRC 300VH in the University of Arkansas catalog, bring star faculty and top administrators together with honors students on a weekly basis to discuss key topics, from climate change to running a major museum. 

"The forums we have on offer for the fall will provide honors students with in-depth, high-level discussions on issues that are prominent in our society today," said Honors College Dean Lynda Coon. 

Honors students must apply to participate in Honors College Forum courses, and seats are limited. Interested students are encouraged to read more about the courses and professors on the Honors College Forums web page.

The final deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. Friday, April 3. 

The Fall 2020 Honors College Forums

Bad Times: This course, led by history professor Charles Robinson, invites students to re-navigate the familiar terrain of the U of A campus through the lived experience of the membership of the Black Americans for Democracy, a student-run campus organization in the late '60s and early '70s.

Founded to increase black awareness and to protest the lack of inclusion and empowerment on the campus, the organization aggressively pursued change, mirroring the intensity of the national Black Power movement. BAD produced a lengthy series of firsts, including the first black sororities and fraternities, the first black cheerleaders and the first black yearbook editor.

Discussions for the course will cover many essential topics, including what it was like to be one of 150 African American students in an undergraduate cohort of 9,000 in 1969, and where the university is now relative to the campus protect spectrum. Bad Times will feature guest appearances by original members of the organization as well as other prominent African American alumni, faculty and administrators.

Campaign 2020: This course, led by Honors College Associate Dean Noah Pittman, is for the student who obsessively follows political campaigns, and who keeps track of every poll or piece of campaign fundraising news they can get their hands on. Each week, students will track the various twists and turns of this year's presidential campaign.

The class will begin with a foundational study of the presidency, focusing on the nature of the office and the process through which we elect our presidents every four years. Considering this election cycle includes an incumbent president, the class will also analyze President Trump's first term in office along with what will be the major policy issues being debated in the campaign.

Each student will also be assigned a battleground state to track throughout the semester, periodically reporting to the class about the state of the race. All honors students, regardless of their place on the political spectrum, are invited to apply for Campaign 2020.

Obesity: Led by Erin Kay Howie Hickey, an associate professor in the College of Education and Health Professions, students in this course will explore the causes, consequences, treatments and prevention of obesity. Whether it's Aunt Mary telling you that extra piece of pie will go straight to your hips, or your roommate's Instagram post for the new eight-minute weight-loss workout, this course will challenge common myths about the obesity epidemic.

Discussions will tackle the likely culprits of nutrition and physical activity behaviors, physiological explanations of genetics and metabolism, and the often overlooked but most important influences: economic and societal factors. In this course, students will discuss the wide-ranging consequences of obesity, from physical health to the mental health implications of fat shaming in today's society.

This foundation will give you the tools and understanding to then explore both traditional and novel treatments for obesity, as well as prevention strategies. Students will play an active role in piecing together the obesity puzzle by surveying media trends on obesity, engaging with classic and current research, and participating in an experiment of their own design throughout the semester.