Honors College 'Retro Readings' to Explore the Bible, Presidential Speeches and Fraternity

Peter Aaron

Honors College Retro Readings seminars focus on the classics viewed through a contemporary lens. Past and current offerings have invited close readings of Tolkien, Dante and Darwin, but the course isn't limited to great authors. Next spring, honors students will dig into the Bible, examine presidential speeches and study the inner workings of fraternity.  

The weekly 75-minute, seminar-style discussions were designed to fit into even the busiest schedules. 

Though these courses no longer require an application, interested students must register as early as possible to ensure they get a seat.

Bible: In many ways, the Bible is the ultimate "retro reading." The Bible is a text of great antiquity and authority, lending its historical weight to a number of contemporary world religions. Equally, the Bible is a book of great controversy, prompting endless academic debate over its origins and historical meaning. "Bible" centers on this magisterial — yet frequently misunderstood — corpus of sacred scripture. Students in this course led by Honors College Dean Lynda Coon will learn to analyze Biblical texts from multiple perspectives and with a variety of goals in mind, in addition to comparing key versions and adaptations of the scriptures and locating them within history and culture. 

Presidential Speeches: Honors College Associate Dean Noah Pittman will engage students in an in-depth analytical and context-based discussion of some of the most famous presidential speeches in our nation's history. Each week the class will study a different speech, focusing not just on the language used, but also the historical context surrounding the address. Throughout the semester, students will consider a number of different topics, including what determines a speech's lasting power, how to measure a speech's impact on public opinion and mood, and the evolution of speech rhetoric through the years.

Fraternity: Initiatory secret societies have been a prominent and often powerful element of Western societies since rumors of Rosicrucianism spread through 17th-century Europe.  From Freemasonry in the 18th century to modern college fraternities and sororities, these groups have inspired both powerful loyalties and violent denunciations. In this course led by John Treat, Honors College director of interdisciplinary and curricular learning, students will examine why initiatory societies have remained so popular and powerful for four centuries. Readings from primary sources, supplemented by the work of historians, anthropologists and neurobiologists will guide the class in its exploration of groups ranging from post-Civil-War African-American groups and the Ku Klux Klan to Freemasons and college Greeks.