Each academic year, the Honors College welcomes a new cohort of faculty fellows to help its students to seek out new knowledge and connections, explore diverse ideas and apply what they learn to real-world problems.
The special topics courses are open to all Honors College students, including first-time freshmen.
The 2025-26 Honors College Faculty Fellows and their courses are:
Meridith Balas, service assistant professor in the Hardy Family Hospitality and Tourism Program and director of the Nemacolin Hospitality Lab, John Chambers College of Business and Economics.
Discover how world heritage sites like Machu Picchu, Yellowstone National Park and the Acropolis of Athens connect history, culture and tourism during “Heritage Tourism.” Explore how these iconic landmarks drive the global tourism industry while promoting sustainability, diversity and inclusion. Through real-world case studies, discussions and creative projects, students will gain a global perspective on the business strategies behind heritage tourism and its impact on communities. This course offers valuable insights and practical skills for careers in tourism, business or DEI-focused organizations.
Lara Farina, professor of English, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
What’s it like to be a plant? Humans have asked this question for a long time. “Green Worlds: Plants and the Cultural Imaginary” will offer a history of ideas about vegetal life as found in natural philosophy, literature, art, medicine and built environments. Students will consider how plants have been used to define the human and yet have profoundly challenged human ways of perceiving and knowing. Subtopics include human/nonhuman relations, botanic fantasies, responses to ecological crises, plant horror and human vegetality, the social life of green space and speculative ecologies.
Kelli George, teaching assistant professor of human nutrition and foods and director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics, Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
George is offering an Honors add-on to “Introduction to Human Nutrition.” The course lecture covers an introduction to the basics of human nutrition including carbohydrates, fats, protein, vitamins and minerals. The add-on will allow for more personal weekly interactions outside the regular lecture, including a deeper look at real-life applications of nutrition “hot topics” like sports supplements, alternative sweeteners, seed oils, alcohol and IV nutrient infusions. Students will also have the opportunity to practice assessing the validity of common food and nutrient claims promoted on social media.
Ryan Hansen, teaching assistant professor of statistics and data science, Eberly College.
Ever wonder what math and data science concepts look like to mathematicians? “Visual Math and Data Sci” will explore hands-on visualization methods for understanding and demonstrating mathematical and data science concepts. Students will also interpret, design and create physical visualizations of concepts. Some topics include sports streaks and slumps, predicting the future, understanding AI and machine learning, fractals, the fourth dimension and knots.
Ron Reaser, teaching instructor in the Lane Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.
As part of “Social Deduction Games,” students will play and spectate games with hidden roles or team allegiances, discuss their rules and themes, and then create and publish their own game.
Jayme Scally, teaching assistant professor of multidisciplinary studies, Eberly College.
Appalachia is a region often misunderstood by outsiders and insiders alike. It is home to unique cultures and traditions yet is often perceived to be a backward society with few prospects for the future. If we were to ask AI to create a picture of an Appalachian, it would be a straight, white, middle-aged, Christian man. “The Appalachian Other” will focus on the human element of Appalachia that is often neglected — those who are bothered by the traditional stereotypes of Appalachia. Students will explore disciplines including sociology, cultural studies, political science and psychology to understand power, difference and otherness in diverse Appalachian communities and how they interact and impact each other.