Honors Seminars

The descriptions below indicate whether a seminar counts toward the International Perspective or US Diversity requirements.

There are no reference numbers this year due to the change to Workday. Should you try to enroll in a course that is full, you will be placed on a waitlist. If openings become available, you will be sent a message via Workday, allowing you 24 hours to enroll.

Make sure you plan ahead and take at least two Honors courses and two Honors seminars, or the number required by your college Honors committee. Don't wait until your last year to meet the requirements because you may find that you will have some scheduling conflicts. You cannot enroll in more than two seminars in a single semester.

Important: Attendance at Honors seminars is expected. Be sure to read the entire seminar description and requirements. Be courteous and notify your instructor in advance if you are unable to attend class.

Check back regularly for updates!

• HON 3210-1: Vixens, Victims, and Villains: The Representation of Women in Comic Books
• HON 3210-2: Current Issues in Native America
  HON 3210-3: Animals in Chinese Script and Culture
• HON 3210-4: The Game Shapes You: Objects & Objectives in Video Games
• HON 3210-5: Socrates Café
• HON 3210-6: Creating Compelling Characters for Fiction and Games
• HON 3210-7: Jack the Ripper
• HON 3210-8: Robots & elephants debate personhood
• HON 3210-9: Orchid Mania
• HON 3210-10: Pirates: Open-Minded Trailblazers or Deadly Opportunists?
• HON 3210-11: Cults in Fiction
• HON 3210-12: Star Trek and A.I. Ethics
• HON 3220-1: History in Your Hands
• HON 3220-2: Imagine, Design, Make!
• HON 3220-3: Entrepreneurship
• HON 3220-4: Creative Problem Solving
• HON 3220-5: Are you what you eat?
• HON 3220-6: The People Around Us
• HON 3220-7: Food is/as Medicine
• HON 3220-8: Conflicts of the Middle East
• HON 3220-9: Saving Ourselves: Rising to Meet Humanity’s Greatest Challenges
• HON 3220-10: Business Life Skills - things you need to know the day after graduation
• HON 3220-11: Innovation in Action: Solving Real Problems Through Creative Teamwork
• HON 3220-12: Human Trafficking 101

HON 3210-1, Vixens, Victims, and Villains: The Representation of Women in Comic Books

HON 3210-2,  Current Issues in Native America, W 1:10-2:50 p.m., TBA, 2 Credits, Full Semester, Enrollment Limit: 17

About the Course:  In this honors seminar, we will discuss current issues affecting American Indian and Alaska Native peoples. Instead of working from a reading list, we will discuss things of interest in the media - there is no a shortage of topics, ranging from land and sovereignty issues to citizenship, from education to healthcare, from art and media to hunting and fishing. You will, in part, be responsible for finding, researching, and presenting some of these topics, and I will discuss them with you and try to get guest speakers to chime in when possible. In the course of these discussions, you will gain a better understanding of the topics but also of the situations of Native peoples in the United States. This is a very open format, so you will have to be engaged and open to learning through discussion.
 

About the Instructor: Sebastian Braun is an anthropologist and political science professor but has worked in American Indian Studies for over twenty years. I deal with current issues and have been writing chapters on the United States for The Indigenous World, a yearly summary of world Indigenous issues, for IWGIA (the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs) since 2005. If you are interested in this seminar, you can check it out at https://iwgia.org/en/resources/indigenous-world.
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HON 3210-3, Animals in Chinese Script and Culture, F 12:05-12:55 p.m., TBA, 1 Credit,  Full Semester, Enrollment Limit: 17 

About the Course:  One of the earliest writing systems, the oracle bone script of the Shang Dynasty (1600 BC–1046 BC), contains many pictographs, approximately 30–40% of the characters. Among these, scripts representing animals serve as excellent examples of how ancient people used distinctive features of animals to create written symbols. Over the past 3,000 years of Chinese history, the roles of various animals have evolved, influencing people's attitudes toward them and shaping aspects of Chinese culture. In this seminar, we will explore the evolution of Chinese script from oracle bone inscriptions to modern writing by examining characters representing three categories of animals: wild animals, animals associated with divinity, and domestic animals(including companion animals). Additionally, we will learn common animal-related idioms—concise cultural expressions—while gaining insight into the complex relationships between Chinese society and these animals.

About the Instructor: Shenglan Zhang, Associate Professor of Chinese Studies. She has taught Chinese for over 13 years at ISU. She is a Fulbright Scholarship (Taiwan) recipient from September 2022 to June 2023. She was awarded the ISU J. H. Ellis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Introductory Teaching in 2021. Her current research focuses on Chinese script.

HON 3210-4, The Game Shapes You: Objects & Objectives in Video Games, F 2:15-3:55 p.m., TBA, 2 Credit,  Full Semester, Enrollment Limit: 17

About the Course: Whether we’re breaking boxes in search of treasure or running for our lives from a giant vacuum, objects we’d normally overlook offscreen earn our attention in video games. Can the way we interact with a cup of coffee in a game shape the way we view the mug on our office desks? How does interacting with digital space or augmented reality change the way we understand the material world? In this seminar, we’ll play games such as Florence, The Stanley Parable, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Katamari Damacy, and Donut County to understand the ways game designers have crafted everyday objects to mirror and expand the way we interact with our own worlds outside the screen.

About the Instructor: Emily Riley is a creative writer and artist with a passion for helping students grow. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing & Environment here at IowaState, where she's taught ENGL 1500: Critical Thinking & Communication; ENGL 2500: Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition; ENGL 2070:Intro to Creative Writing; ENGL 3040: Fiction Workshop; and WGS 2010: Intro to Women & Gender Studies. When she's not teaching writing courses orvideo games Honors seminars, she's up to one of her five million hobbies.
 

HON 3210-5, Socrates Café: It’s All about the Question, F 1:10-2:00 p.m., Jischke 1151,1 Credit, Full Semester, Enrollment Limit: 17

About the Course: The seminar is based on author Christopher Phillips’ book “The Socrates Café.”   The cafes are designed to get people talking about philosophical issues. Utilizing the Socratic method, students will be encouraged to develop their views by posing questions, being open to challenges, and considering alternative answers.  Through a series of weekly readings, students will turn current events into questions that will be discussed in class.  We will focus on the exchange of ideas and critical thinking. 

About the Instructor: Laurie Smith Law is the Administrative Director of the University Honors Program. Ms. Law has been working with high-ability students for the past 25 years and has taught several honors seminars. She has offered seminars on culture through celebrations, urban language, and social discussion. She has a background in student affairs and has worked with several learning community programs. Ms. Law is familiar with service-learning programs and has supervised students on alternative spring break. 

HON 3210-6, Creating Compelling Characters for Fiction and Games,R 11:00-11:50 a.m.,TBA, 1 Credit, Full Semester, Enrollment Limit: 17

About the Course: Want to learn how to create interesting, memorable characters for your fiction or tabletop role-playing games? This class will walk you through expert character creation, led by a professional author and game writer. We will analyze what makes a compelling character; cover strategies for building character backstories, timelines, and hooks; outline character arcs and relationships; and consider how characters combine with plot, setting, and conflict to create satisfying narratives. You will get a chance to analyze stories and games, interact with industry professionals, and complete a final project of writing your own compelling characters in a short story or game module. This class is appropriate for beginners through experienced writers. If you havean interest in character building, you will enjoy this class!
 

About the Instructor:  Kelli Fitzpatrick is Iowa State’s Coordinator of Nationally Competitive Awards, helping students apply for prestigious national scholarships such as Fulbright, Goldwater, Truman, Udall, Marshall, Soros, Gilman, and many others. She taught English for ten years and has a background in professional writing and editing. She holds degrees in Secondary English Education and Creative Writing.  

HON 3210-7, Jack the Ripper: 160 Year History, M 5:30-6:20 p.m., TBA, 1 Credit, Full Semester, Enrollment Limit: 17

About the Course: For over 135 years, we have been intrigued by the puzzle of the 1888 Whitechapel murders. What is it about this specific crime that continues to captivate the world? Who did it? During this seminar, we will take a historical look at the mysterious Jack the Ripper and the victims. Students will be encouraged to develop their own views by posing questions, being open to challenges, and considering alternative answers. Through a series of weekly reports and readings, students will engage in an exchange of ideas and critical thinking, focusing on the who and why of the mystery.
 

About the Instructor: Laurie Smith Law is the Administrative Director of the University Honors Program. Ms. Law has been working with high-ability students for the past 25 years and has taught several honors seminars. She has offered seminars on culture through celebrations, urban language, and social discussion. She has a background in student affairs and has worked with several learning community programs. Ms. Law is familiar with service-learning programs and has supervised students on alternative spring break programs in different areas of the country.
 

HON 3210-8,: Robots & elephants debate personhood, T 4:25-5:25 p.m., TBA, 1 Credit, Full Semester, Enrollment Limit: 17, 

About the Course: This dialogue class will explore central questions about what makes us human. You will survey the ethics of personhood through research, discussion, and in-class presentations and debates, where you will practice public speaking in a safe space. Some questions the class seeks to investigate: Is there any point at which AI should be given rights? What rights do intelligent animals deserve? What Bioethical frames and philosophies govern end-of-life care, and how can they inform conversations about the beginning of life?
 

About the Instructor: Nathan Vinehout Kane is a public speaking instructor, debate coach, community organizer, environmentalist, and writer who's spent his life exploring the intricacies of the human condition. He believes the secret to effective speaking instruction comes from creating a whimsical, relaxed environment where everyone can be their authentic selves. He has both competed in and judged national speech competitions, and he's worked professionally with candidates for public office on their speech-craft. His debate teams have won two national championships.
 

HON 3210-9, Orchid Mania, W 12:05-12:55 p.m., TBA, 1 Credit, Full Semester, Enrollment Limit: 17

About the Course: Orchids are among the most fascinating groups of plants on earth. Their beautiful and unique flowers have created an allure that is legendary. Whether it is flower hunters searching the tropics around the world for orchids, plant physiologists trying to understand how these unique plants function, or enthusiastic collectors trying to grow these plants, orchid mania is real! This seminar will focus on the world of orchids, introducing you to the physiology, history, lore, and culture of the world of orchids. This seminar is geared toward non-life science majors.

About the Instructor: Christopher Currey is an Associate Professor in the Department of Horticulture specializing in greenhouse crop production. He specializes in determining how mineral nutrition, light, and temperature affect the growth of ornamental and edible greenhouse crops. Before he was a faculty member, he was a commercial orchid grower and produced thousands of flowering plants. In addition to growing orchids in a greenhouse, he has pursued orchids in the wild and outdoors, ranging from the bogs of northern Minnesota to Ireland, to the forests of Tennessee to Costa Rica, and the mountains of Montana to Thailand and Australia!
 

HON 3210-10, Pirates: Open-Minded Trailblazers or Deadly Opportunists?, W 3:20-5:10 p.m., Location TBA, 2 Credits, Full Semester, Enrollment Limit: 17

About the Course: Pirates have always been a law unto themselves. But along with fearsome (and earned!) reputations, pirates contributed to local economies, formed nascent democracies on their ships, and spurred advancements in exploration, warfare, and law. Let's explore the amazing history of pirates--from the Mediterranean Sea Peoples of the late Bronze age to the Golden Age of Pirates in the early 1700s to modern piracy in all its forms. As we do, complete challenges worthy of Blackbeard himself to earn your own pirate certificate!

About the Instructor: Amanda Knief is the director of Iowa State University's Lectures Program and the university's parliamentarian. She received her B.S. in Journalism and Communication from Iowa State and her J.D. from Drake University Law School. She worked as legislative counsel for the Iowa Legislature before working in Washington, D.C. as a nonprofit lobbyist, nonprofit legal director, and analyst for the Library of Congress' Congressional Research Service. Amanda is mildly obsessed with pirates and spends every Sept. 19 talking like a pirate.

HON 3210-11, Cults in Fiction,  M 1:10-2:00 p.m., TBA, 1 Credit, Full Semester, Enrollment Limit: 17

About the Course: From "Midsommar" to "Rosemary's Baby" to the giant floating head episode of "Rick and Morty" cults and cult-like communities have long held the fascination of our favorite writers, directors, and artists. But what purposes do cults serve in work of art? What assumptions and myths do they perpetuate? And how do they mirror—or warp—their real-life equivalents? In this seminar we'll be taking a cultural and sociological deep dive at the world of fictional cults. After learning more about what makes a cult and its members, we'll bring in our favorite movies, shows, and books to help us investigate the peculiar prism of society that is cult media.

About the Instructor: Emma Krab is a writer, journalist, and MFA student of Creative Writing and Environment at Iowa State, where she also teaches as a graduate assistant. She earned her degrees in English and journalism from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and has written for Platte Basin Timelapse and Nebraska Public Media as a rural and environmental journalist. Her fiction has often been described as Midwest Gothic. She is currently writing a novel about a remote ranching community during the rise of the Satanic Panic.

HON 3210-12, Star Trek and A.I. Ethics, W 9:55-10:45 a.m.,TBA, 1 Credit, Full Semester, Enrollment Limit: 17

About the Course: What responsibility do creators of powerful technology have to future generations? Should artificial intelligences be held accountable for their actions? Whose worldview gets coded into machine learning programs and why does that matter? In this class, we will explore the ethics of artificial intelligence through the lens of the Star Trek universe, a famous sci-fi show known for its optimistic vision of humanity’s future. You will get to learn about philosophical and practical considerations in A.I. ethics, watch and discuss episodes of Star Trek, hear from guest speakers, try your hand at writing A.I.-themed fiction, and research related topics you are interested in. The goal is for you to leave the class better prepared to engage with issues of A.I. ethics in both fiction and the real world. No previous experience with Star Trek or A.I. needed. 

About the Instructor: Kelli Fitzpatrick is Iowa State’s Coordinator of Nationally Competitive Awards, helping students apply for prestigious national scholarships such as Fulbright, Goldwater, Truman, Udall, Marshall, Soros, Gilman, and many others. She taught English for ten years and has a background in professional writing and editing. She holds degrees in Secondary English Education and Creative Writing.  

Spring 2025 Innovation Pathway Seminars (These seminars are open to all Honors students)

HON 3220-1, History in Your Hands, TR 3:40-4:30 p.m., Location TBA, 1 Credit, Full Semester, Enrollment Limit: 17, (Innovation)

About the Course: Make history—literally. Who decides what stories get told? In this hands-on course, you will dig into Iowa State’s University Archives to uncover missing student voices, design creative outreach strategies, and collaborate with peers to preserve stories that deserve to be remembered. You'll gain valuable research, communication, and advocacy skills through real-world engagement across campus and critical thinking about what archives are, how they’ve evolved, and why they matter. Whether you're interested in history, storytelling, marketing, or community engagement, this course puts history in your hands—and gives you the power to help shape it.
 

About the Instructor: Rebecca Wells is the Student Life Archivist in Iowa State’s Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA). She leads SCUA’s efforts to document and preserve a more robust record of student life at ISU. She has worked in cultural heritage for over a decade. Understanding the importance of being able to connect with our past as an influence for our future, Rebecca works to ensure archives are a place where everyone feels welcome and can see themselves. She holds her MSIS, specializing in archival and preservation administration, from the University of Texas at Austin and a graduate certificate in library management from the University of North Texas. Her BA in English, Scandinavian Studies, and Creative Writing with a Music minor comes from Augustana College.rning community programs. She is familiar with service-learning programs and has previously supervised students on alternative spring break programs.

HON 3220-2, Imagine, Design, Make!  TBA, Location TBA, 2 Credit, Full Semester, Enrollment Limit: 17 (Innovation)

About the Course: Step into the world of making with Imagine, Design, Make!, where you will develop foundational skills to bring your ideas to life through hands-on design and fabrication. Using the cutting-edge resources of the Student Innovation Center, you will learn about shop safety and basic practice in wood and metalworking, 3D printing and scanning, and laser cutting and engraving. You will also select and learn about another specialized skill that interests you, such as digital media, digital modeling and visualization, textiles, painting and finishing, or how to incorporate physical computing into “smart” designs. By exploring the concept-to-completion cycle, you will build an individualized project and prototype that showcases your skills and creativity.

About the Instructor: Dr. Wickert serves as provost emeritus, president’s chair in engineering, and professor of mechanical engineering. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. During his dozen years as university provost, Dr. Wickert was responsible for Iowa State University’s eight academic colleges, student recruitment, and financial aid, the research and extension enterprises, and the Ames National Laboratory. Iowa State conferred 90,000 degrees during those years, increased sponsored research by 60%, hired half its faculty, and set records for graduation rate, time-to-degree, and multicultural and first-generation student enrollments. Prior to his service as provost, Dr. Wickert was dean of engineering and department chair of mechanical engineering at Iowa State University; an engineering professor for 17 years at Carnegie Mellon University; a visiting professor at the Helsinki University of Technology; and a visiting bye-fellow at the University of Cambridge’s Selwyn College.
 

HON 3220-3, Entrepreneurship, TR 4:10-6:00 p.m., Location TBA, 1 Credit, First Half Semester, Enrollment Limit: 17 (Innovation)

About the Course: This course is designed to help students acquire sound business acumen. The class would include a series of lectures on business models for different types of businesses. Students will have an opportunity to interact directly with business professionals and learn from their expertise in this field. The learning outcomes include helping students become familiar with the overall business environment, brainstorm start-up ideas, and understand the legal and capital needs of different types of business organizations. The class may include a field trip to Ames Ford Lincoln.
 

About the Instructor: Shoba Premkumar is a Teaching Professor of Finance and the coordinator for this class.

HON 3220-4, Creative Problem Solving, W 3:20-4:10 p.m., Location TBA, 1 Credit, Full Semester, Enrollment Limit: 17, (Innovation)

About the Course: Do you like puzzles, riddles, and games of strategy? Are you fascinated by optical illusions, mysteries, and brainteasers? Do you get a thrill from figuring out the answer to ordinary and extraordinary problems in unique, offbeat, and often elegant ways? Would you like to?

About the Instructor: Brian A. Rudolph holds a Master of Science Degree in Computer Science from Bowling Green State University and a Master of Science in Information Systems from Iowa State University. 

HON 3220-5: Are you what you eat?, T 1:10-2:00 p.m., Location TBA, 1 Credit, Full Semester, Enrollment Limit: 17, (Innovation)

About the Course: In this honors seminar, Savvy Plant Parenting, you'll explore the world of plant pathology with a special focus on diagnosing, preventing, and managing diseases in common houseplants. Designed for curious minds, this course blends the art of plant care with rigorous scientific inquiry. Through discussions, hands-on diagnostics, and in-depth case studies, you’ll investigate how pathogens affect indoor plants and develop innovative strategies to safeguard their health. We will discuss current trends in horticulture and professional insights into sustainable houseplant management. This seminar goes beyond the basics—whether you’re growing tropicals, succulents, or rare plants, you’ll gain a deep understanding of plant disease mechanisms and learn how to research and create effective, eco-friendly solutions to common disease problems. This seminar is for students looking to master the science behind successful plant parenting and contribute to the next wave of sustainable indoor plant care.

About the Instructor: Dr. Suzanne Slack is an Assistant Professor of Horticulture at Iowa State University with a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology. She loves the intersection of Horticulture and Plant Pathology and wants all plant parents to be able to curate their own happy, healthy houseplants and gardens. 

Dr. Xiaochen Yuan is a leading researcher specializing in molecular plant pathology, focusing on microbial pathogenesis and plant-microbe interactions. He is committed to integrated pest management and wants to help empower plant parents to grow happy, healthy plants through knowledge of common abiotic and biotic problems. 
 

HON 3220-6: The People Around Us, M 2:15 - 3:05 p.m., Location TBA, 1 Credit, Full Semester, Enrollment Limit: 17 (Innovation)

About the Course:  Have you ever been aware of the social needs in our Ames community?

What do you know about the social services offered in Ames?

Are you someone who cares and wants to help those who live in precarious conditions?

In this seminar, we will discuss the daily challenges faced by people who experience homelessness, struggle with food insecurity, lack support, or feel excluded.

-    What is their story? 
-    How did they end up in this situation? 
There are many in need here in Ames, but we often don’t see them. We get so busy in our daily lives! That is why, in addition to class discussions, we will spend time volunteering twice during the semester at one of the social services in Ames (For example, Romero House, or Food at First, or Martha’s House of Hope, or Youth and Shelter Services, etc.) to experience first-hand these needs and to build connections with the needy

About the Instructor: Jean-Pierre Taoutel, Teaching Professor of French and Arabic, has been teaching at ISU since 1999. He holds an M.A and a D.E.A in French literature from the Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris, France. He has taught several Honors seminars. Jean-Pierre enjoys traveling and he has been in 53 countries.

HON 3220-7: Food is/as Medicine, TR 1:10-2:00 p.m., 1 Credit, Full Semester, Enrollment Limit: 17 (Innovation)

About the Course:  This seminar will discuss the relation between whole foods, nutrition, and dietary bioactive compounds and health, primarily chronic diseases. This includes diabetes, cardiovascular disease, neurological disease, cancer, and autoimmune disease, to name a few examples. Focus will be on how intake of foods and supplements play a role in both promoting disease and preventing or treating adverse conditions. The seminar will also discuss how understanding nutrient metabolism can be exploited in the design of pharmacological approaches to treat diseases such as cancer. Food as/is medicine also touches on the concept of precision medicine, which involves both nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics. Epigenetics and the inheritance of predisposition to specific diseases will also be a focus of this seminar.

About the Instructor: Dr. Schalinske is a Morrill Professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. In addition to teaching within the nutritional sciencecurriculum, he conducts research using preclinical models to understand the relation between diet, nutrients, and chronic diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, cancer, and birth defects. The NIH, USDA, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, CancerPrevention Foundation, American Institute for Cancer Research, and various food-based commodity boards have funded his research. Dr. Schalinske currently serves as the director of Graduate Education for the Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Nutritional Sciences, has served as a Panel Manager for the USDA, and is currently the Past-President of the American Society for Nutrition, a professional society of more than 8,500 members in more than 100 countries.

HON 3220-8: Conflicts of the Middle East, W 2:15- 3:05 p.m., 1 Credit, Full Semester, Enrollment Limit: 17 (Innovation)

About the Course:  What are the current political conflicts in the Middle East? How to understand the wars in the Middle East? In this seminar, we will examine the current political conflicts and wars in the Middle East. We will discuss in depth the Arab-Israeli conflict, The Lebanese War, the Palestinian question, and other regional issues (Iraq, the Kurds, Iran, Syria, Afghanistan, etc). We will understand the “complicated Middle East” and how these conflicts have been impacting the war on terrorism.
 

About the Instructor:  Jean-Pierre Taoutel, Teaching Professor of French and Arabic, has been teaching at ISU since 1999. He holds an M.A and a D.E.A in French literature from the Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris, France. He has taught several Honors seminars. Jean-Pierre enjoys traveling and he has been in 53 countries. 

HON 3220-9: Saving Ourselves:  Rising to Meet Humanity’s Greatest Challenges, M 3:20-4:10 p.m., TBA, 1 Credit, Full Semester, Enrollment Limit: 17 (Innovation)

About the Course:  Time is running out. Our species stands on the precipice of a potentially disastrous future. The actions as well as inactions of many societies pose acontinuous threat to countless species of plants, animals, and even entire ecosystems. Can we rise to this challenge? How do we reduce our impact onthe planet and improve living conditions for all humans? The United Nations has outlined a comprehensive plan in the form of 17 SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs) as a roadmap to addressing many challenges that we face. These goals encompass crucial objectives such as curbingglobal warming, eradicating hunger and poverty, enhancing health, education, equality and equity, ensuring water sanitation, and promoting thedevelopment of clean energy, and education for all, to name just a few. By adopting the U.N.’s SDGs as a framework, we aim to guide you in achievingthree central learning outcomes: 1) attaining a deep understanding of key global issues, 2) familiarizing yourself with diverse initiatives aimed atmitigating these issues, 3) synthesizing how you can apply this knowledge to both your career and personal life.
 

About the Instructor: Dr. Kurt Rosentrater is a Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and the Department of Food Science and HumanNutrition. He is a teacher, researcher, scientist, engineer, and author. He works with grain, food, and agriculture in the U.S.A. and in many countriesaround the world – and is especially focused on eradication of poverty and hunger.
 

HON 3220-10: Business Life Skills - things you need to know the day after graduation, F 2:15-3:55 p.m., TBA, 2 Credits, First Half Semester, Enrollment Limit: 17 (Innovation)

About the Course:  This seminar will take a deep dive into the life skills necessary for young business professionals. These include growing one's professional network, understanding an apartment lease, buying your first vehicle, as well managing your professional persona. The seminar will also help you manage setbacks, including crisis management. This seminar is co-hosted by Valentina Salotti, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Ivy College of Business, and Doug Moore, President of Ames Seed Capital, Iowa’s oldest community-based venture fund. Doug is a serial entrepreneur, havingfounded several businesses, as well as mentoring startups.

About the Instructor(s): 

Valentina Salotti, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Ivy College of Business and associate professor of finance.

Doug Moore, President of AmesSeed Capital, Iowa’s oldest community-based venture fund. Doug is a serial entrepreneur, having founded several businesses, as well as mentoringstartups.
Embedded

HON 3220-11: Innovation in Action: Solving Real Problems Through Creative Teamwork , W 2:15-3:55 p.m., SICTR, Two Credits: Two class hours/week: Full semester, Enrollment Limit: 17 (Innovation)

About the Course:  In this honors seminar, Innovation in Action, you'll discover how effective teamwork and clear communication can transform complex challenges into real solutions. Designed for creative problem-solvers from all disciplines, this course blends practical innovation methods with hands-on project experience. Through guided activities, team challenges, and real-world projects, you'll learn how different perspectives and skills come together to create breakthrough solutions. We'll explore proven processes for understanding problems deeply, designing and testing solutions systematically, and telling compelling stories about your work. This seminar goes beyond theory—whether you're studying engineering, design, business, agriculture, human sciences, or liberal arts and sciences, you'll gain practical experience working across disciplines and learn how to turn good ideas into meaningful impact. This seminar is for students eager to develop essential innovation skills that will serve them in any career while tackling interesting challenges with interdisciplinary teams.


About the Instructor: Dr. Abram Anders believes that innovation happens when people with different skills and perspectives work together to solve interesting problems. As the Jonathan Wickert Professor of Innovation and Associate Director of the Student Innovation Center at Iowa State, he helps students discover how clear communication and creative collaboration can turn good ideas into real solutions. His work brings together hands-on innovation experience with research in communication and artificial intelligence. He leads the Student Innovation Center's Innovation Challenge competition and Innovation Incubator program, where student teams tackle real-world problems and develop solutions that make a difference. He also created of the nation's first courses on AI and writing, and he's leading the creation of the AI Innovation Studio—a space where students from all majors can explore how AI might help solve challenges they care about. He shares insights about AI and innovation through his newsletter and has received national awards for his research on how technology is changing the way we write and work together. Learn more at abramanders.com.
 

HON 3220-12: Human Trafficking 101, W 2:15-3:55 p.m., TBA, Two Credits: Two class hours/week: Full semester, Enrollment Limit: 17 (Innovation)

About the Course:  This seminar will explore the phenomenon of human trafficking within the United States and abroad. Students will learn about the history of and concepts that define trafficking; the intersectionalities of race, gender, nationality, etc. in trafficking; legal and political ramifications of trafficking; and how they can make a difference in their community by educating peers about this crime against humanity. Guest speakers include trafficking survivors, representatives from law enforcement, and other guest speakers.

About the Instructor: Dr. Alissa Stoehr is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Women’s and Gender Studies Program and the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice. She teaches a variety of courses, including Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies, Gender and Sexuality in American Popular Culture, Gender and Sexualities in Society, and Human Trafficking.