Spring 2026
Scroll down this page to take a look at the various HON course options.
Hon 3143. H02 Honors Interdisciplinary Seminar in Social Sciences
State Policymaking and Politics
MW 12:30-1:45
Taught by Dr. Brian Pugh, Executive Director of the Stennis Center for Public Service
This course provides an introduction to how public policy is made in the State of Mississippi and will look at the internal workings of the Mississippi Legislature. It examines the legislative relationship between the legislature and stakeholders including: voters, lobbyists, activists, interest groups, political parties, politicians, and the media. The course combines social science theory with practical application, and it will provide students with tools of proven usefulness for legislative analysis. In addition to learning about important legislation of the past, students will also discuss and analyze present legislation that is currently going through the process and interact with legislators that sponsored it.
HON 3163.H01 Honors Interdisciplinary Seminar in Natural Sciences
Surviving the Four Horsemen: Science and Cinema
TR 9:30-10:45
Taught by Dr. Todd Mlsna, Professor, Chemistry
From pandemics and famine to war, AI uprisings, genetic missteps, ecological collapse, resource depletion, and the occasional zombie or alien invasion, popular media wipes out civilization again and again. This course tests those doomsday scenarios against real science—and common sense—to clarify what could happen, what couldn’t, and why. We’ll examine prehistoric extinctions, historical near-misses, and plausible future risks, then translate the evidence into a personal and global, research-based survival guide.
HON 3173.H01 Honors Interdisciplinary Seminar in Fine Arts
Women Living on the Edge and Those who Loved Them: Through Films, Musicals, and Plays
TR 11-12:15
Taught by Dr. Donna Clevinger, Senior Faculty Fellow and Professor, Shackouls Honors College
Spanning cultures and centuries, we will examine, through reading selected plays, watching representative films, creating active research, presenting bold projects, and participating in engaging class discussions, how women’s legacies have been shaped, distorted, and celebrated. Often labelled as heroines, rebels, visionaries, artists, outcasts, survivors, and trailblazers, we will uncover the emotional truths behind their portrayals and those that stood with them during their journey and beyond. The enduring power of storytelling honors lives lived through their courage, struggles, and relationships to shape their legacies and inspire generations. Join us in discovering these women and perhaps find reflections of your own story in theirs.
HON 3183.H01 Seminar in Humanities
Fascism and the Threat to Democracy
MW 2:00-3:15
Taught by Dr. Matthew Peaple, Assistant Teaching Professor, Shackouls Honors College
Fascism (especially in the form of German Nazism) was a source of immense death, destruction and human misery in much of the world between 1914 and the end of the Second World War. Yet it is an essential subject to study, since it is impossible to understand the history or culture of the 20th Century - or of our own time - without understanding the roots, nature and consequences of fascism. The story of the rise and fall of fascism also raises disturbing questions about human nature. We will see examples of the human capacity for violence, racism and cruelty, or apathy and indifference in the face of suffering - but also human nature at its best, in the cases of some of those who resisted fascism. Over the course of the semester, we will examine numerous aspects of fascism - not just from the perspectives of historians and political scientists, but also through literature, art and popular culture. The course will be conducted as a seminar, which means that the emphasis will be on rigorous reading and lively discussion.
HON 3183.H02 Seminar in Humanities
Games of Thrones: Depictions of Monarchy in Film and Television
Tues 3:30-6:20
Taught by Dr. Christopher Snyder, Faculty Fellow, Shackouls Honors College, Professor of History
“Watch kings crowned and dethroned, queens rule and rage, and princes cry 'Havoc!' and let slip the dogs of war." This Honors course explores the depiction of monarchs and monarchy in film and television. The main objective is to examine why monarchs/monarchy has been such an important subject in film and television history, and how filmmakers have explored the styles of rule, political philosophy of monarchy, and social and cultural history. Likely films and series: Gladiator, Lion in Winter, Braveheart, Elizabeth, The Madness of King George, The Crown, and Game of Thrones
HON 3183.H03 Seminar in Humanities
The History of the Book from Clay Tablets to Kindles
TR 2:00-3:15
Taught by Dr. Scott J. DiGiulio, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Classics, Classical & Modern Languages and Literatures
What is a book? Can we consider a book without reflecting on its physical format? This seminar introduces you to the history of the book, exploring its evolution in a range of global contexts, from clay tablets in the ancient Near East to modern e-readers. We will reflect on the ways in which engagement with text has been shaped by the technologies of reading present in different times and places, making use of the Cobb Museum of Archaeology and Mississippi State Library’s Special Collections to get hands-on experience working with a range of different written materials. By the end of the semester, we will come away with a renewed appreciation for what books are: physical objects, vital sites of communication and social relationships, and ultimately a medium we use to construct our own sense of self.
HON 2091-H01 Honors Forum IV
National Fellowships
Th 9:30 - 10:20
Taught by Dr. David Hoffman, Director of Office of Prestigious External Scholarships and Professor of Anthropology
What is a national fellowship? Why should I care? I want to be a doctor, so the Rhodes Scholarship is not for me? There is no way I can win a national fellowship like the Gates Cambridge. I’m too busy to write yet another personal statement for a fellowship. All those fellowships go to Ivy League kids. They won’t respect MSU and Mississippi, so why bother? My advisor thinks I should just go on to graduate school. I’m a STEM student, and all of those fellowships go to English or history majors. This seminar course teaches students about many of the most prominent scholarships and fellowships for undergraduates as they plan for a future in graduate school, learning a second language, or creating change in the world around them. Students learn how to amplify their college experience and make themselves better applicants for not only scholarships but also graduate school, professional school, and employment. Students will learn the requirements of scholarships such as the Rhodes, Truman, Fulbright, Goldwater and many others. The class gives insight into what opportunities to seek out to make them better candidates for scholarships, engage with former MSU winners and finalists to learn from their stories, and workshop and develop professional materials for scholarship applications.
Quest Courses
Our “Quest” courses are offered every semester and are small discussion-based seminars (about 15 students) focused on Great Books, Big Questions, and Big Ideas. Students will read some of the most important texts from the history of literature, philosophy, political science, art, architecture, and music from around the world. Discussions will address questions such as: What is human nature? What is the nature of the divine? What is justice? What is truth? What is love? What is the purpose of art? and How do we know what we know? Students who complete Quest 1 and Quest 2 and earn a grade of C or higher will receive the following General Educations credits: 3 Humanities credits (Quest 1) 3 Social Sciences credits (Quest 2) “S” credit for Fine Arts. (Please note: Any additional 3-credit course must be completed in order to meet total degree hours for your major.)
HON 1163: The Quest Begins (3 credits)
This course examines core texts from Classical Antiquity through the Renaissance. In addition to several short interpretive papers, students will be expected to produce a substantial comparative essay.
HON 1173: The West and the Wider World (3 credits)
This course will examines core texts from the Renaissance to the present. In addition to short interpretive papers, students will be expected to produce a research paper and present their research to the class.