Two Exciting New Honors Seminars, Taught by Prominent Experts, and Open to Any Student with a GPA of 3.4 or Above

HONR299B Honors Seminar; Human Rights: Liberalism's Democratic Utopia

W 1:30pm - 4:00pm TLF 1126 (Taliaferro Library and Conference Room)
Miguel Gonzalez-Marcos, School of Public Policy
This course will show how human rights – linked to a pragmatic method and a modest ‘piecemeal social engineering’ – is necessary to avoid dystopian outcomes while pursuing societal improvements. Briefly, it will demonstrate why human rights are (and should be) the guiding discourse of policymaking suitable for a liberal, democratic society.

HONR378Q Advanced Honors Seminar; Radicalization within Islam: 21st Century Drivers, Challenges and Policy Choices
 Th 5:30pm - 8:00pm TWS 1313
Omar Samad, former Afghan Ambassador to Canada and France
History has recorded different models of radicalism, in different contexts and in different time periods, but recently, attention has been focused on what is termed by some as “radicalism within Islam”. This course will examine the scope and breadth of this phenomenon, the root causes and drivers, as well as the challenges it poses to policy-makers in today’s interconnected world. By looking at specific case-studies, students will not only engage in research and basic analysis, but will also look at practical policy recommendations suited to different settings to deal and cope with consequences and results.