The UNHL program was developed with the goal of creating academics with leadership skills to communicate their ideas and strong leaders with the ability to think critically, analyze issues from alternate perspectives and develop and communicate plausible solutions that take into consideration all points of view; the ideal end result of the program would be intelligent, ethical leaders and scholars in multiple fields of endeavor. The three areas around which the course will revolve are: a) Oil, b) Robots, c) Penicillin. Each of these topics allows multiple facets of a university education in the old sense to be explored from philosophy, history and art to chemistry, physics and engineering. There will be multiple means of exploration for each of these topics, from lectures and in-class discussions to field trips and engagement activities; there will be writing assignments in every phase that will focus on writing skills and writing for different audiences. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Repeatable. Term offered: fall, spring. Max hours: 4 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Repeatable. Max Credits: 4.

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Repeatable. Max hours: 12 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Repeatable. Max Credits: 12.

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

UNHL student research conducted under the supervision of UC Denver faculty. Prereq: Permission of sponsoring faculty mentor and UNHL Director. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Repeatable. Max hours: 6 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Repeatable. Max Credits: 6.

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

Experiences involving application of specific, relevant concepts and skills in supervised employment situations. Prereq: Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above and permission of UNHL Director/Associate Director. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Repeatable. Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Repeatable. Max Credits: 3.

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

This course will provide students with an opportunity to integrate historical and contemporary issues in the study of leadership behavior. The course is based on leadership research and writing that reveals the leader as facilitator, collaborator, servant, and follower. The course will provide students with an opportunity to reflect, discuss, and write on topics and questions related to leadership and followership behavior. Prereq: UNHL 1100. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

This one-semester ethics and leadership course will introduce students to the wide variety of some of the best leadership theories and their application to current ethical issues. Prereq: UNHL 1100. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

Leaders spend a significant amount of time managing conflict. This course is designed to explore the practical and theoretical basis of conflict and communication, and seeks to examine critical leadership processes that lead to the increased likelihood of organizational survival through successful conflict management. Prereq: UNHL 1100. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

This course integrates leadership theory and practice within a principled negotiation philosophy. Students will develop lifelong negotiation skills that reflect a principled negotiation framework for conflict management and strategic bargaining. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

Since 2020 transgender people in the United States have been experiencing unprecedented political efforts to restrict their rights and participation in public life. In 2022 alone, over 150 bills have been introduced across the country with the aim of restricting trans people’s – especially trans youth’s – ability to play sports, use bathrooms, and/or receive gender-affirming health care, as well as laws restricting discussion of gender and sexual identity in schools. At the same time, we are witnessing attacks on critical race theory, reproductive, voting, and immigration rights, as well as on the very institutions of U.S. democracy as evidenced by the January 6 Capitol riots. In this discussion-based course, we will investigate simple, yet pressing questions: Why has there been such an increase in anti-trans legislation in the past few years? What relationship might this new surge in anti-trans legislation have to attacks on the rights of other marginalized populations? How has this legislation been framed, responded to, and challenged? To examine these questions, we will engage with a range of interdisciplinary scholarship from critical media, cultural, queer, transgender, ethnic, and surveillance studies. Students will develop their own voice on these issues by creating a final public-facing multi-media project, for example, in the form of a podcast, zine, or video. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with cutting-edge knowledge in major scientific and technological fields, against the background of cultural and artistic creativity, and to establish habits of lifelong, self-guided learning. To enhance this process, relevant faculty will be invited to speak about innovation in their field, both in class and during the planned panel discussion. Prereq: UNHL 1100 and second- or third-year status in the UNHL program. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

This course introduces students to classical Greek literature, focusing on love and death in Homeric epic, lyric poetry, tragic drama, the history and social science of Thucydides, the comedies of Aristophanes, and Plato's philosophical dialogues. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

This course combines research and class discussions in such a way that theories, viewpoints, and practical proposals regarding ethics and its application to intellectual responsibility are understood in their own right as well as in relation to other human activities. One daunting task will be facing up to the challenge of how to use the increasingly powerful information tools provided by universities. In the last third of the semester, students will be asked to work in teams on projects dealing with current ethics controversies. Prereq: UNHL 1100; not open to students who have taken UNHL 3100. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

Popular culture is transformative, and the stories you read and see when young can profoundly impact a reader’s view of the world around them. At its best, Young Adult (YA) books and media challenge, enlighten, and inform the reader while simultaneously entertaining and engaging them. At its worst, YA literature and media reinforce stereotypes or ignore some groups entirely. This course will explore the transformation in how books and pop culture for young adults have been written and produced over the last 60 years. We will examine changing representations of characters, particularly around race, ethnicity, gender, class, and sexuality, how the problems these characters face have come to more realistically reflect the lived experiences of the readers, viewers, and consumers, and how changes in society have driven this transformation in YA books and media. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). \ Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.

Delve into how human societies have shaped the natural world. Interdisciplinary course asks how a distinctly modern environment was produced and discusses the origins of the contemporary environmental crisis. Analyzes historical contexts and scientific developments that have refashioned landscapes, altered human and ecological systems, and deeply affected ways of knowing and understanding environmental change. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

Digital information and communication technologies impact how societies govern themselves by structuring social interactions, communications, and decision-making. Ideally, in a democratic society, digital technologies should facilitate citizens’ participation in government and governments’ service to its citizens. This course explores questions about the compatibility of digital technology with democratic principles. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

Typically Offered: Fall.

There is an inherent conflict between the expectation that elite athletes will utilize every available resource to “be the best” and the underlying expectation that sport provide a “fair playing field” and that good sportsmanship should prevent “cheating."  This course explores the history of elite athletes’ use of performance enhancing substances, the science behind their use and the never-ending quest to identify athletes using them, the media’s portrayal of athletes accused of their use, the sociology and ethical drivers behind why we care if athletes use them, and how the politics and policy decisions governing their use are influenced by cultural perceptions of nationality, race, and gender. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

Military occupations are rarely about the mere control of territory; they often support sociopolitical projects such as colonialism, nation-building, and the extension of forms of governance (democracy, theocracy, communism, etc.). Using the tactics of occupation to accomplish these ends has been controversial, animating debates within multiple fields and within and between multiple societies. This course explores these debates, adopting an interdisciplinary and comparative approach to the theories and practices of military occupation. The course will examine several occupations from the early nineteenth century through the United States occupations of the twenty-first century. Through selected case studies, the course will engage a wide range of views, considering both occupier and occupied, and several disciplinary perspectives. Restriction: Current UNHL or UHLT students in good standing. Max Hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

What do scientists do all day? This seminar will turn the analytic lenses of science onto science itself. We’re going to see how scientists have studied scientists and the practice of science. This will help us to better understand why science works the way it does, is structured the way it is, and why those questions matter. We’ll engage with the history, philosophy, and sociology of science, and how those perspectives have been combined into modern approaches of “science and technology studies” (STS). We will address the theoretical bases and justifications for our current system, the pragmatic details of everyday practice, and several examples of how those have played out. Restriction: Current UNHL or UHLT students in good standing with the Honors Program. Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

An examination of the causes, consequences, difficulties, and enduring problems of migration in contemporary global society. Political, legal, and educational problems of modernity and mass migration are analyzed. Course work includes social scientific research into historical and contemporary migration flows. Prereq: UNHL 1100. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

The impact on societies across the globe of a record 214 million-plus migrants living outside of their countries of birth. An interdisciplinary overview of the historical roots, causes, and consequences in receiving and sending nations of contemporary international migration flows. Topics include brain gain and brain drain, gender differences, immigrant diasporas, remittances, acculturation, circular migration illegal immigrant flows, and transnational human trafficking. Focus on experiences in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Students will have the opportunity to compare and contrast immigrant communities in the Denver region. Prereq: UNHL 1100. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

This course provides students in UHL with an overview of concepts and practices core to critical and creative thinking, tools for effective written and oral communication, and an introduction to key themes across diverse topics and multiple disciplines. Restriction: Must be admitted to the University Honors and Leadership Program. Repeatable. Max hours: 2 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Repeatable. Max Credits: 2.

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

This course identifies a number of the emerging technologies across various industries and disciplines, and seeks to understand the technologies and its practical applications in the real world, as well as any additional potential utilizations. It then explores the potential ethical challenges for both the developer and the industry, as well as for the nation in which it is developed, the U.S. and the world. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

This is a strange time to be a college student. While you are studying to develop expertise around your chosen major, so-called intelligent machines are also being trained to do knowledge work in your field. AI technologies are quickly gaining a capacity to analyze data, recognize patterns, issue recommendations, make decisions, and take actions—and many organizations are now entrusting these systems to perform cognitive tasks alongside professionals in various domains. Such advancements often inspire worries about the fate of humanity. In this course, however, we will regard the rise of AI as an occasion to reassess (and celebrate) the unique qualities that distinguish human experiences from computational models. Guided by four books and four films, as well as current articles driving the AI debate, we will reflect deeply together on four big questions: (1) What exactly is “artificial intelligence” and where is it headed? (2) How does AI compare and contrast with different modes of human intelligence? (3) What are the inherent risks and potential dangers that AI technologies entail?, and (4) How might you best pursue your passions in a highly automated, AI-laden society? Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

Explores 20th-century American history, integrating a multiplicity of cultural perspectives, regional identities, and musical events and personalities. We will explore the relatively recent history of race relations in this country, as well as cultural policies and changemakers throughout the development of the modern music industry. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

This class will explore the influence of jazz music (and related forms like ragtime and the blues) on American culture more generally. Specific topics to be explored include the Post-Reconstruction Race Politics, the Delta and the Great Migration, New Orleans, and the Harlem renaissance. Important figures of African-American literature, and Jazz & the Blues music will also be presented. Students will examine a multitude of literary and musical experiences through novels, short works, biographies, and listening. Prereq: UNHL 1100. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

This writing intensive course examines several artistic genres that illustrate and interrogate notions of community. Communities may include family, utopias, military, or towns, and students will be required to identify and investigate a community of their choosing. Community In the classroom is crucial to the class, and students will assign homework to each other in addition to presenting their work in class. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

Activist athletes have worked for many decades to improve their sports, their countries, and their world. The risks they take are enormous and their personal rewards often minimal. This course will explore the history and culture of athlete activism as embodied in variety of struggles from access and labor conditions to health and safety within the sport to social justice in the world beyond. The course will consider the implications of the athletes’ actions and evaluate the consequences. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

This course draws on historical cases and contemporary movements to examine the ways human creativity - broadly situated across artistic, scientific, and social activities - can foster social change. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

Experiences involving application of specific, relevant concepts and skills in supervised employment situations. Prereq: Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above and permission of UNHL Director/Associate Director. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Repeatable. Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Repeatable. Max Credits: 3.

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

UNHL Academic Honors track and Leadership Studies track. Travel study, with location and topics to be selected by the instructor. Prereq: UNHL 1100, 2755, and permission of the UNHL Director. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Repeatable. Max hours: 12 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Repeatable. Max Credits: 12.

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

Special Topics in the University Honors and leadership Program. Restriction: Must be a current University Honors and Leadership Program student, in good standing with the program. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Max hours: 12 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Repeatable. Max Credits: 12.

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

This course is focused on policies that affect the provision of health care, the consumption of health care, and health behaviors. Students will be exposed to research from a variety of disciplines on health care markets, the role of government, and the causes and consequences of risky health behaviors. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

Intensive analysis of primary literature from across the sciences. Students will expand their understanding and appreciation of the scientific method and develop the ability to critically analyze and evaluate experimental design in both scientific and social contexts. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Repeatable. Max hours: 12 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Repeatable. Max Credits: 12.

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

UNHL student research conducted under the supervision of UC Denver faculty. Prereq: Permission of sponsoring faculty mentor and UNHL Director. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT). Repeatable. Max hours: 6 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Repeatable. Max Credits: 6.

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT).

Students will work collaboratively using multi-disciplinary approaches to explore social problems and identify solutions. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT) with Junior or Senior standing. Max hours: 3 Credits.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT) with Junior or Senior standing.

Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.

This seminar will allow students to work together to identify goals, skills, and accomplishments from their undergraduate educational experience. Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT) with Junior or Senior standing. Max hours: 1 Credit.

Grading Basis: Letter Grade

Restriction: Restricted to students in the University Honors and Leaders Program (UNHL or UHLT) with Junior or Senior standing.

Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.