To find honors courses on LionPATH, you should do an advanced search by clicking “Additional Search Criteria,” choosing “Honors Course” from the course attribute drop-down menu, and unchecking "Show only open classes."

Honors classes are all section 098 or 099 courses; they may or may not carry an “H” in their titles.

As honors students, your records are coded so only you can enroll in honors sections; add/drop slips are no longer required. However, you must register for the 098 or 099 sections, or you will not receive honors credit. The correct—HONORS—course numbers are listed below.

Questions? Contact Dr. Emili at [email protected].

Review Penn State Altoona Honors Curriculum Policies

Fall 2025 Honors Courses

MWF 10:10-11:00 AM | Course Number: 18160
This course is an equivalent of ENGL 015 and 030; CAS 138T (the required spring course) is an equivalent of CAS 100. Incoming first-year honors students must take this course and CAS 138T in the spring.
What is rhetoric? How is it used in media—specifically writing and speech? What is the role of a citizen in twenty-first-century life? These are admittedly big questions. To get to some answers (perhaps) and more questions (definitely), we will take these macro questions and apply them to micro issues, namely the environment, sustainability, and food. You will read, watch, and listen to various media, both fiction and nonfiction, to study these topics and to begin engaging them through your own ideas, words, writing, and other critically-focused creations. In addition to the in-class work, we will begin preparing for and collaborating with community partners for community-based learning service and activities such as community gardens and food pantries. This class will challenge your preconceptions, expand your horizons, and demand active participation. Please email any questions to Dr. Stoyanoff at [email protected].

MWF 9:05–9:55 AM | Course Number: 28211
*Make sure to enroll in this 99 section*
This course is a study of natural disasters, their physical causes, effects on humans and societies, and solutions to reduce their occurrences. Natural disasters are a product of natural hazards: earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, heatwaves, near-earth objects, and blizzards, among others. Thus, we will focus on the scientific aspects of natural hazards and their role in disaster formation. Mitigation for disasters and responses to disasters will also be studied across economically developing nations and developed nations. The social characteristics of the population are equally important as the scientific aspects of natural hazards in understanding natural disasters. Case histories related to notable natural disasters events will also be discussed. These include the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, the 2004 Asian Tsunami, the 2011 Japanese earthquake, and tsunami, among others. The popular media will be used as a learning tool to understand the causes, consequences, and public perceptions of natural disasters. This will entail reviewing excerpted segments of “disaster films” as a starting point for analysis.

Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes

The goal of this course is to conduct a full-scale analysis of natural disasters in terms of their causes, consequences, response, mitigation strategy (future areas of research), and the role of the media in portraying natural disaster events. In the end, students will:

  • gain an understanding of the geographic distribution of natural hazards
  • gain an understanding of the geologic and atmospheric processes responsible for natural hazards
  • gain an understanding of the social characteristics related to natural disaster formation
  • gain an understanding of the areas susceptible to natural hazards and their frequency
  • gain an understanding of practical ways to mitigate the effects of natural hazards in areas where they are likely to occur

In the end, it is my hope that when students hear about natural disasters in the news they will understand what caused the natural disaster to occur (scientific aspects) and how the population of that area may be affected (social aspects). Questions? Contact Dr. Dolney at [email protected].

The below are not “official” honors courses but courses in which an honors option has already been designed. Students who enroll in these courses must fill out an online honors option form at the beginning of the semester.

MWF 1:25–2:15 PM | Course Number 15716
This course is an introduction to the history of "madness," examining and evaluating the ideas that have shaped perceptions of madness, insanity, and mental illness over the centuries. We’ll discuss how and why “mad people” throughout history have been at points venerated and at other points feared. We’ll read texts and watch videos, sometimes from those who live with mental illnesses, that attempt to explain the ways mental illnesses have been addressed by different social groups and throughout different time periods. And we’ll explore popular films that have shaped (for better and worse) how the world talks about mental illness. As a result, you’ll will become acquainted with the ways in which human biology, culture, society, and politics have reciprocally shaped one another in history. Questions? Contact Dr. Page at [email protected].

TR 10:35 – 11:50 AM | Course Number 18555
Ever wondered why some movies just stick with you? This course dives deep into the fascinating intersection of film and philosophy, exploring how movies shape our understanding of reality, culture, and even beauty itself. We'll watch thought-provoking films, unpack key philosophical ideas (no prior philosophy experience required!), and discover how movies reflect and influence our values and everyday lives. Get ready to see film—and the world—in a whole new light.

MWF 10:10 – 11:00 AM | Course Number 18001
Does free speech have any limits and, if so, what are they?
Why does a country as big as the United States only have two political parties?
Is the Electoral College democratic and why does the United States use it?

In this course, we will address questions such as these and more. It is designed as an introduction to the principal features of American political life. The breadth of the course is very wide, but we will focus throughout on the history and evolution of the American political system, the expansion of rights and liberties, and the role of political parties and elections.

The overall goals of the course are threefold: 1) offer students a basic understanding of the key institutions and processes of American political life; 2) present students with a foundation for future political science classes; and 3) provide students with the resources necessary to be active and informed citizens. Additionally, this course also serves as a first-year experience course, so it will include materials and discussion related to starting a college career.

TR 9:05 – 10:20 AM | Course Number 6431
The ability to learn effectively and efficiently is a critically important skill, during college but also beyond. Psych 263N will focus on the science behind learning – how learning actually happens, but also the many factors that affect our ability to learn (such as study strategies, personality, intelligence, motivation, and stress). Students can expect to gain insights into their own learning as well as a better understanding of how learning environments and educational practices can be improved. With the idea of application in mind, this class will include a series of hands-on laboratory exercises, where students will test concepts related to learning using the scientific method. Questions? Contact Dr. Lilenthal at [email protected].

Spring 2025 Honors Courses

Section 99: MWF 10:10–11:00 a.m. | Course Number: 18157
In ENGL 137H, you contextualized, analyzed, even TED-talk-erized. In CAS 138T—a REQUIREMENT FOR ALL 2022 INCOMING HONORS FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS—you get to argue and advocate for ideas and actions in which you believe. You get to further find and exercise your voice (or voices). You’ll tell others what you believe in. You’ll enter deliberations about pressing issues with your classmates, and you’ll take those deliberations public to share and advocate for worthwhile ideas. You’ll work to inspire actions in others and undertake some revisions of your work to evaluate and then showcase the accomplishments of your first year at Penn State Altoona. You have the ideas. This class is going to help you get those ideas out to the right audiences, the “right” way. (Prerequisite ENGL 137H). Questions contact Dr. Rotunno at [email protected].

TH 9:05–10:20 a.m. | Course Number: 28336
Make sure to enroll in this 99 section
This course is a study of natural disasters, their physical causes, effects on humans and societies, and solutions to reduce their occurrences. Natural disasters are a product of natural hazards: earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, heatwaves, near-earth objects, and blizzards, among others. Thus, we will focus on the scientific aspects of natural hazards and their role in disaster formation. Mitigation for disasters and responses to disasters will also be studied across economically developing nations and developed nations. The social characteristics of the population are equally important as the scientific aspects of natural hazards in understanding natural disasters. Case histories related to notable natural disasters events will also be discussed. These include the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, the 2004 Asian Tsunami, the 2011 Japanese earthquake, and tsunami, among others. The popular media will be used as a learning tool to understand the causes, consequences, and public perceptions of natural disasters. This will entail reviewing excerpted segments of “disaster films” as a starting point for analysis.

Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes

The goal of this course is to conduct a full-scale analysis of natural disasters in terms of their causes, consequences, response, mitigation strategy (future areas of research), and the role of the media in portraying natural disaster events. In the end, students will:

  • gain an understanding of the geographic distribution of natural hazards
  • gain an understanding of the geologic and atmospheric processes responsible for natural hazards
  • gain an understanding of the social characteristics related to natural disaster formation
  • gain an understanding of the areas susceptible to natural hazards and their frequency
  • gain an understanding of practical ways to mitigate the effects of natural hazards in areas where they are likely to occur

In the end, it is my hope that when students hear about natural disasters in the news they will understand what caused the natural disaster to occur (scientific aspects) and how the population of that area may be affected (social aspects). Questions? Contact Dr. Dolney at [email protected].

The below are not “official” honors courses but courses in which an honors option has already been designed. Students who enroll in these courses must fill out an online honors option form at the beginning of the semester.

MWF 1:25–2:15 p.m. ZOOM | Course Number: 28263
This course will ask students to reconsider existing perspectives on sustainability and the ecological crisis we currently find ourselves by reading both philosophical and literary texts – specifically in environmental/ecological philosophy and horror/weird literature. Weird literature with its effective use of the uncanny and horror illustrates the urgency of seeking sustainable alternatives to the current modus operandi of the industrialized world under late-stage capitalism. We believe that this course will help students find the wonder of the natural world through the horror it may evoke without our cooperation in sustaining it.

MWF 9:05–9:55 a.m. | Course Number: 18606 (ENGL) OR 18607 (WMNST)
Our world bombards us with images, and we contribute to that barrage each time we post a picture. This class will engage you in vital discussions about those images as well as those that came before us and continue to shape what we see and create today. At its core, this class will be driven by our discussion of visual presentations that use “sex” to “sell” us a story; that story might be about what family is or should be, about what political activism looks like, about how a society thinks about love, beauty, hate, even its future hopes or its present fears. To spur those discussions, we’ll offer you readings by and about artists and their subjects—both fictional and real—and a rich, diverse historical background in visual representations that reflect how Western society, from the mid-19th-century to today, has viewed itself through the lens of sexuality, which always intersects with race, gender, gender identity, and class. For example, the terms “feminist” and “homosexual” were invented by the Victorians and reflect profound shifts in conceptions of identity. Another 19th-century invention was the idea of the literary and artistic “avant-garde” as a minority contingent with politically and/or aesthetically advanced views. These ideas of minority culture were deeply enmeshed with one another and still have effects on our world today. Discussions of these ideas then, hopefully, can help us all navigate the flood of images that today’s media presents as well as the self-images we cast into the world. This course can be used as a prerequisite for a 1-credit study abroad (to LONDON!) opportunity that will occur—circumstances allowing—in late May 2023. Questions? Contact Dr. Rotunno at [email protected] or Dr. Page at [email protected].

MWF 11:15 a.m.–12:05 p.m. | Course Number: 19680
This course is an introduction to the history of "madness," examining and evaluating the ideas that have shaped perceptions of madness, insanity, and mental illness over the centuries. We’ll discuss how and why “mad people” throughout history have been at points venerated and at other points feared. We’ll read texts and watch videos, sometimes from those who live with mental illnesses, that attempt to explain the ways mental illnesses have been addressed by different social groups and throughout different time periods. And we’ll explore popular films that have shaped (for better and worse) how the world talks about mental illness. As a result, you’ll will become acquainted with the ways in which human biology, culture, society, and politics have reciprocally shaped one another in history. This course can be used as a prerequisite for a 1-credit study abroad (to LONDON!) opportunity that will occur—circumstances allowing—in late May 2025. Questions? Contact Dr. Page at [email protected].

TTH 1:35–2:50 p.m. | Course Number: 28121
This course uses movies as a window on East Asian history. We will watch Asian films from the 1920s to recent years as a visual introduction to Asian cultures and societies and for the light they can shed on problems of modern life and historical interpretation. How have modern Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans viewed and depicted their own histories? How have they dealt with war, revolution, and social and cultural change? Approaching film in its diverse uses as documentation, interpretation, commentary, propaganda, nostalgia, vision for the future, and reflection of social norms and problems, we will also consider films as products of specific historical environments: why did certain movies appear when they did? No prior knowledge of Asian history required. Just bring your eyes and curiosity.

MWF 10:10–11:00 a.m. | Course Number: 19662
Evolutionary psychology is an approach (or way of thinking) that can be applied to better understand almost any topic within psychology. In this course, we will demonstrate how psychologists use principles from evolutionary biology to generate and test new ideas about the “design” of the human mind. In doing so, we will explore how evolutionary psychologists identify adaptive problems faced by our human ancestors and conduct research on the psychological mechanisms shaped by selection to help solve these problems. These psychological mechanisms are involved in motivation and emotion; learning and memory; mate selection and sexual behavior; family relationships; altruism and competition; mental health; and more. Throughout this course, we’ll illustrate how evolutionary psychology has changed how psychologists approach familiar concepts while providing a framework that unites psychology's different subfields. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: PSYCH 100 and (ANTH 21 or BISC 2 or BIOL 133 or BIOL 222)