Cool Honors Courses
History Meets Science
History Meets Science combines Medieval and Renaissance history with scientific evidence and labs to understand these times periods. Students can explore feudalism by building a castle and a catapult, or they can better understand the Hundred Years' War by firing a replica long bow. Arts students nervous about scientific study and STEM students nervous about writing in the arts can find some common ground over Viking engineering, Gothic cathedrals, and Da Vinci's genius with two professors for the price of one!
Honors Liberal Arts/Humanities: Harry Potter
The Harry Potter course looks at the best-selling text of our time and engages it as both literature and a cultural phenomenon; it includes discussion of censorship, copyright law, fan culture, portrayals of race/gender/class, and perspectives on its literary qualities. It especially highlights the ways in which this one work of popular fiction has impacted literacy, youth activism, and communities around the world despite its relatively young age. Assignments in this class include a creative project with a fan fiction sample, an analysis of one of the books of literature, and an analysis of an aspect of the culture associated with Harry Potter.
Liberal Arts/Humanities: Disney
The Disney version of Liberal Arts/Humanities focuses on the history, culture, and influence of Disney; it includes discussion of Walt Disney's rise to success, cultural practices associated with Disney, the craft of film and theme parks, portrayals of race/gender/class, and the company's impact on the state of Florida. More importantly, it illustrates the reciprocal nature of society and art, as societal values have influenced creators at Disney and Disney has affected the world for nearly 100 years.
Science Behind the Magic of Theme Parks
This class examines the "hard" and "soft" sciences that go into making our theme parks the entertainment juggernauts they are. We bring in mechanical and electrical engineers to discuss how physics and other "hard" sciences make the rides work effectively and safely. Then we bring in local experts from the theme parks in food service, costume design, set design, and even a "scare"-actor or two to talk about the "soft" science approaches that make the parks aesthetically pleasing. A behind the scenes field trip with our education partners at Universal Studios Florida is part of the course as well.