Courses

Principles of Accounting II

AIS: An Anatomy of Loneliness

This interdisciplinary course explores the complex phenomenon of loneliness through biological, cultural, social, and emotional lenses. Students will examine how loneliness manifests in the brain and body, how cultural norms shape experiences of solitude and connection, and how societal structures influence isolation across different populations, with a particular focus on college students. We will also investigate the emotional landscape of loneliness, including its relationship to mental health, identity, and belonging. Additionally, students will analyze the role of friendship in human development, resilience, and well-being, and consider how meaningful relationships can mitigate the effects of isolation. And last, as an AIS course, this class will support students in navigating college life, connecting with UTSA resources, designing their future, and adapting to the academic rigor of higher education.

Exploring Knorean Pop Culture

"Exploring Korean Pop Culture" is an honors-level course designed to immerse students in Korean pop culture. Through various themes including music, culinary, language, film, television dramas, fashion, and digital media, this course delves into the intricate layers of Korean cultural phenomena that have captivated global audiences. Students will engage in in-depth analyses of iconic K-pop groups, seminal Korean films, influential dramas, and the social, historical, and technological contexts that have shaped the evolution of Korean pop culture.

Germany Daily Culture II

In this course, we will explore these German daily culture topics using authentic materials: • seasons • travel • transportation • technology and media Authentic materials include curated articles, videos with subtitles / auto translation, comedy, reels on social media, film, television, etc. This course is cross-listed with GER 2023, an intermediate German language course. Assignments will generally be due Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays by 11:59pm. Presentations will be due before class time on the day that you present. Learning Goals By the end of the course, you will be able to: • gain insight into how people in other cultures live their daily lives. • reflect on stereotypes and how unspoken misunderstandings can occur. • reflect on your own positionality and widen your perspectives to accommodate other ways of thinking and living. This can include critical reflection on the way you live your own life. • deepen your understanding in each culture topic through an oral presentation and written report.

French & Italian Theater

How Internet is changing Lang.

Introductory Macroeconomics

Lega/Soc/Ethic Issues in Bus

Honors 101

A series of weekly, one-hour classes and peer coaching on how to excel in the Honors College. Taught by Honors College Dean and Academic Counselors. Each section has the same curriculum and instructors. Classes in the A section are offered during the first 8 weeks of the semester while B section classes are offered in the second 8 weeks. This is a 0 SCH course. Honors 101 is required and at no cost. Sign up on ASAP just as you would for any other course.

Honors 101

A series of weekly, one-hour classes and peer coaching on how to excel in the Honors College. Taught by Honors College Dean and Academic Counselors. Each section has the same curriculum and instructors. Classes in the A section are offered during the first 8 weeks of the semester while B section classes are offered in the second 8 weeks. This is a 0 SCH course. Honors 101 is required and at no cost. Sign up on ASAP just as you would for any other course.

Special Scholars Program

Civic Ethos

A weekly, one-hour course that covers different approaches, philosophies and ethics to civic engagement. This course introduces the primary ethos of the UTSA Honors College curriculum. Classes in the A section are offered during the first 8 weeks of the semester while B section classes are offered in the second 8 weeks. This is a 1 SCH course. This course counts as the Civic Ethos requirement in the Honors College curriculum.

Civic Ethos

A weekly, one-hour course that covers different approaches, philosophies and ethics to civic engagement. This course introduces the primary ethos of the UTSA Honors College curriculum. Classes in the A section are offered during the first 8 weeks of the semester while B section classes are offered in the second 8 weeks. This is a 1 SCH course. This course counts as the Civic Ethos requirement in the Honors College curriculum.

Freshman Composition II(HON)

Freshman Composition II(HON)

Principles of Business Finance

Bus Service Learning Practicum

This course utilizes techniques from the world’s leading management consulting firms to complete a project for a community partner.  Students will have an opportunity develop their critical thinking, teamwork, and communication skills by developing recommendations and presenting them to the community partner.

SrSem:Pol Trust&PublicKnowledg

We will focus on a variety of topics, from media consumption to nationalization of conspiracy theories. Working with faculty at the UTSA Center for Public Opinion Research, students will design their own survey that measures knowledge and trust among local residents, which we will field and analyze. This course is only open to students enrolled in the COLFA Honors Program.

Civic Leadership

This class focuses on building community leadership skills to solve challenging local problems. Students will actively engage in the San Antonio community through service-learning experiences. Students interview community leaders and invite them to attend a Living Library that we host for UTSA and local middle school students. This service project allows students practice leadership skills while empowering other students to become more civically engaged.

How Art Culture Drives Change

This course considers the role of local artists and cultural institutions in shaping San Antonio's civic identity. Students will explore how San Antonio's arts and culture scene has changed over time, engaging with concepts of placemaking, urban revitalization, and gentrification.

Race in Latin America

In this course students will learn how issues of race and ethnicity have shaped historic and contemporary Mexico. The course will cover the topics of colonialism and indigenous presence, Mexico’s post-revolutionary national ideology, ethnoracial identification and inequality, and ethnoracial politics. We will address questions such as: Why have the U.S. and Latin American racial systems developed so differently? What is the role of race and ethnicity during the colonial period and in various stages of Mexico’s history? How does ethnoracial inequality manifest in contemporary Mexican society? How do Mexicans think about their ethnic and racial identities and how have these dynamics affected ethnoracial politics in Latin America? Students in this class will partake in a study abroad experience over spring break (with only a nominal student fee, scholarships are available). We will travel to both Mexico City and Oaxaca and tour sites such as the Museo de Antropología, the Mexica Templo Mayor, and the Frida Kahlo museum.

Migration and Human Development

This course will examine the relationship between international migration and human development. With a foreign-born population of almost 50 million, the United States is the country with the largest immigrant population in the world. Recent political events have brought a great deal of anti-immigrant rhetoric and attention to the negative impacts of immigration on the quality of life in this country. At the end of this course, the student will be knowledgeable of the historical context of U.S. immigration, understand the importance of human development as a concept and policy tool, and critically review empirical studies on the impact of immigration on the welfare of U.S. society. Students will learn from readings, lectures, documentaries, and class discussions.

Vygotsky Language Learning Social Mind

Lev Vygotsky’s theories and studies, emerging in Kyiv and Moscow, have influenced studies of Language Development and Learning including the Arts throughout the world. He is probably the most cited educational theorist across the globe and the source of extensive child research. We will read from his scholarly work and applications and examine the influence of his work on Basic and Applied Research. The goal is to teach, with speakers, videos and historical references, ideas that can be applied to a range of psychological fields, humanities, and medical pursuits (given our collaboration with the UT Health Science Center). Experiential learning will include applying Vygotsky’s ideas about childhood to social-contexts and cultures. You will have an opportunity to conduct research that allows you to observe children at play, in family contexts, children interacting with peers in and after school. What did he propose and can his ideas be witnessed in today’s children in real-life contexts? This is a course that will enlarge your understanding of human development and ways of educating and nurturing today’s students.

The USA has about 4% of the world’s population but almost 24% of the world’s prison population. This course will examine the ways in which the US prison system provokes our personal and collective moral imaginations. What moral problems are posed by our current system of incarceration? What has punishment to do with accountability? How do rhetorics of incarceration shape our moral imaginations and limit effective responses to harms? How have systemic processes of criminalization and incapacitation affected our understanding of the humanity of those impacted by it? We will grapple with these questions by reading texts from a wide range of disciplines and look for creative ways to address and redress social harms. Course includes travel and time on Thursday evenings, students will join incarcerated scholars in class at the Dominguez State Jail as part of The Philosophy and Literature Circle program. Permission of instructor required; email Dr. Webb at mel.webb@utsa.edu. Note this course is cross-listed; only one of the courses will count toward your degree.

Monstrous Medicine

How did the “cause of science,” particularly medical science, become a rationale for monstrous behavior in the United States? How did race, gender, and economic status mark those susceptible to “progress?” Is this history far behind us? In this course we will use African concept of Sankofa (Ghana), the practice of going back to get what is lost in order to move toward the future. Through this journey, students will have a broader understanding of the sacrifice of the unheard and use that awareness to govern their own understanding moving forward, connecting the past to current research practices and headline news. Reading Intensive.

Planet of the Apes

This course will explore the Planet of the Apes franchise as a rich cultural text spanning literature, cinema, and graphic narratives. From Pierre Boulle's 1963 novel to the original films, reboots, and expanded universe fiction, we will examine shifting representations of race, empire, species, and apocalypse. Scholarly readings from postcolonial theory, animal studies, and film criticism will frame discussions of power, civilization, and the human/nonhuman binary. Through critical analysis and comparative research, students will uncover how each adaptation reflects its historial moment and enduring anxieties about the future of humainty. Join us at the dawn of a new age for apes!

Biomedical Ethics

This course explores the theoretical commitments that underwrite contemporary biomedical ethics and considers how these theoretical commitments play out in the context of specific debates about the permissibility of various medical interventions.

Tejano Cultural Legacy

Writing the Supernatural

Making of the Atomic Bomb

The Manhattan Project: The making of the atomic bomb On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, followed three days later by a second bomb on the city of Nagasaki. These events were the culmination of four intense, highly secretive years of technological development led by the world’s most preeminent physicists gathered from around the globe. To accomplish this multinational, collaborative feat an entire town was built from the ground up, turning an isolated mountainous region of New Mexico into a bustling town of ad hoc lodgings and laboratories dedicated to the singular mission of ‘the gadget.’ The ultimate success of this clandestine operation, codenamed The Manhattan Project, has been both celebrated and condemned. For many, it remains a testament to man’s ingenuity, representing the height of scientific achievement that can be realized through collaboration. For others, it marks the beginning of a new age defined by man’s hubris that threatens the very future of humankind. Regardless of perspective, the making of the first atomic bomb did usher in the nuclear age and, consequently, stands as one of the most important developments in human history. This class explores the reasons and motivation behind the development of the atomic bomb and covers the general science behind the technology that made it possible. We will look at the lives of the men and women involved in the Manhattan Project and what it was like for them and their families to live in total isolation from the outside world during its years. We will examine the aftermath of the first atomic bomb and the nuclear arms race that ensued. Finally, we will uncover several episodes and accidents that have occurred since the first detonation at the Trinity test site. Although some of these near-catastrophic events brought us to the brink of all-out thermonuclear war, they remain outside of public awareness. The course will make heavy use of primary historical sources, including writings and personal interviews with those directly involved, as well as secondary source materials and documentary films.

Adv Clinical Med & Pathology

Mankind has experienced human diseases for millennia. However, the past 100 years have brought on an explosion in our understanding of the mechanisms of human diseases fostered by revolutionary techniques such as molecular biology, clinical imaging, and gene therapy, and we have found many new ways to treat them. This honors course builds on the previous course Introduction to Clinical Medicine and Pathology (MMI 3013) and provides students interested in human health an opportunity to gain a better understanding of medical concepts and human diseases in a group-based learning environment focused on medical case studies. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about basic pathological mechanisms of human diseases at the level of the cells, organs, and organ systems, and how to recognize these diseases and current treatments. Requirements for this course are a sharp mind, compassion, and willingness for active participation. It may just happen that after this course you may want to become a health care worker or a clinical researcher. Required prerequisite is MMI3013 or cross-listed courses HON3253 or MMI6613.

Chemistry of Cooking 

Not every student is a fan of chemistry, but everyone loves food. Why does the recipe call for baking powder instead of baking soda? What does the yeast actually do to the dough when making bread? What happens if you use only one egg instead of two? Baking and cooking are essentially scientific experiments based on combining ingredients, carrying out chemical reactions, and observing biochemical processes. This course will use food to subtly teach chemistry in a unique and enjoyable environment. We will examine baking and cooking from a scientific basis and explore the chemistry associated with the creation, composition, transformation, and consumption of food. Many different dishes will be explored, and edible investigations will be carried out to discover the chemistry behind the food.

The Essence of Time

What is time? We all feel that we have an intrinsic understanding of the passage of time, but how can we develop a definition for it and what are its essential features? Does everyone agree on the same definition? The quest for a deeper understanding of time has spanned many generations and touched many areas of the human experience from philosophy and religion, to social structures and societies, to the adaption of living things to an environment that supports periodic changes (days, seasons, years), to the physical nature of the universe itself. Is time inherently cyclical, as believed in ancient times, or linear, as perceived within many religious systems? What features of time are more important to humans than to other living things, and why? Is time absolute, or simply a sequence of change-events that depend on the context of the change? We examine these questions in an effort to achieve a broad perspective of time, and a deeper understanding of our world, human societies, and our own approaches to marking its passage.

DNA in Society

This course will examine the science of DNA and genetics alongside literature, art, and media that have explored the meaning of DNA for how we see ourselves, our ancestral past, and our future.

Leading Through Crisis

What does it mean to be a leader during a crisis - what kind of leader would you be? We use the case study of San Antonio’s Mayor and Bexar County’s Judge leading our city through COVID, and guest speakers who are leaders from across our university and city talk about their own leadership through crisis and other massive change in their industries. With feedback from these leaders, students develop their own leadership philosophies about leading during crisis and change.

Anatomy of a Doctor

The future of medicine and dentistry requires an innovative and bold approach to dissect the ever-changing application process. This professional development course will focus on strategies to become a more competitive applicant to gain admission to medical and dental schools.

Making the Leap: College to Career

You made it to college, you chose a major…but life after college feels like another big leap. This course offers students an opportunity to explore their work values and preferences, map out career plans, and practice the skills that you need to be successful in searching for internships and jobs. Students create a career portfolio, participate in a Group Mock Interview, attend career events and complete informational interviews with professionals in their field. The second half of the course focuses on building the skills that you need to be successful once you’ve been hired: influencing decision-makers, communications and conflict resolution.

Mental Health & Resilience

What is mental health and resilience? What does it look like in today’s world? How has it changed? What resources are offered and how are they being utilized? These are just a few of the questions this course will explore. The global pandemic has changed our environment on multiple landscapes and how we both perceive and interact with those spaces. Those changes continue to manifest but in different ways. This course will delve into a number of psychological topics as they relate to mental health, resilience and well-being. Students will have the opportunity to research models of well-being and resiliency, through the use of generative AI. They will utilize critical thinking and generative AI to evaluate and analyze case studies, media and literature, and available resources to produce (simulations on needs, access, usage, and evolving applications).

Storytelling For Life

We are utterly shaped by the stories we hear, and the stories we tell. It has been said that while there have been great societies that did not use the wheel, there have been no societies that did not tell stories. During the semester we will explore stories at UTSA from students, faculty and staff as way to study the human experience, cultivate empathy, actualize identity, preserve history, provide social testimony, encourage social responsibility, and generate knowledge through engaging and sharing narrative. Special emphasis will be given to cultivating the skills of interviewing, transcription, script writing/creative writing, editing, and storytelling in the oral tradition. The final project for this course will be live performances of the students’ original creative work, engaging with a local elementary school. No prior experience necessary.

Global Issues in Conservation

This class will introduce students to current topics in conservation around the world relevant to different majors. We will find professors, researchers, and local organizations engaged in conservation work. This class is recommended for Juniors and Seniors who would like to explore graduate school and research, either in the United States or abroad. Students will produce a research proposal that can be used for national awards or research.

Statistical Methods

Curious about how data shapes the decisions we make every day from sports and health to business and science? HON 3313 is your chance to explore the power of data and learn how to make sense of the numbers that describe our world. In this course, you will uncover the core ideas behind statistics and data science, including probability, sampling, correlation, hypothesis testing, regression, and ANOVA. This is not just about crunching numbers. It is about learning to think critically and ask smart questions. You will work with real-world examples and datasets, learning how to spot patterns, summarize information, and draw reliable conclusions. Whether you are interested in social sciences, business, healthcare, or technology, understanding data is a valuable skill that will help you stand out. By the end of the semester, you will be able to analyze data confidently and communicate your findings clearly - skills that are critical in almost any field. If you have ever wondered "What do these numbers really mean?," this course will give you the tools and confidence to find out.

Math Without Borders

This honors course invites students to explore how mathematics and culture communicate with one another. From the rhythms of dance and music to the symmetry of art, food, and architecture, students will engage with everyday activities as shared spaces where mathematical ideas and cultural meaning intersect. Rather than treating math and culture as separate, the course emphasizes their dialogue: students explore how math illuminates culture and how culture expresses math. Through hands-on exploration, discussion, and analysis, the course emphasizes mathematics as a language that shapes and is shaped by human creativity and tradition.

Outdoor Experiences & Well-Being

When was the last time you played in the dirt or saw the Milky Way? We may have fond childhood outdoor memories but now spend most time inside. Dust off those hiking boots and take stock in your well-being! We need nature – physically, mentally, socially – and it needs us. There is clear research in returning to nature to understand its influence in our daily lives. Reconnect to something greater than ourselves to experience positive emotions and a shift in world perspective. We’ll dive into the relationship between nature and our well-being and find ways to reconnect with it in our everyday lives. Each course module will have its own Call to Action to get outdoors for some experiential learning. This will include class time, some Saturday outings, and 1-2 weekend camping trip(s). Journals, confluences, presentation, and video (final). Students might be responsible for some (not all) transportation, food, and camping gear (UTSA free rental). Come rediscover nature and learn how we can best serve each other!

Fermentation Chemistry: From Wine to Pizza

Explore the science—and magic—of fermentation! Learn how microbes transform simple ingredients into bread, cheese, yogurt, pizza, and other fermented foods. Get hands-on in the kitchen making vinegar, yogurt, and pizza, and in the lab tracking fermentation and analyzing flavors. Go behind the scenes on potential field trips to local breweries, wineries, and food producers to see fermentation in action. Bring your curiosity and a love of food! Connect science, culture, and creativity while building teamwork and problem-solving skills, with a glimpse at careers in food, health, and biotechnology. (Alcoholic beverages will not be made or consumed in this course.)

Fundraising for Nonprofit Organizations

Why spend time watching cooking shows when you can create your own cooking experiences? "Cook. Eat. Write. Repeat." (WRC 4123) provides the setting for you and your fellow chefs (read: classmates) to plan the menu, kitchen-test the recipes in the UTSA Rec Center Demo Kitchen, and then write, design, and produce a customized cookbook. And then there's the 15 minutes of fame as you star in your own cooking segment hosted by The Paisano's YouTube channel. You may not be able to create culinary masterpieces, but you'll create a semester of memorable cooking and writing experiences. Bon appetit! This course counts as a Skill Development Experience.

Effective Messaging in Public Health

Reviews the basic concepts of publich health- specific communication, including technical and professional writing and how to leverage the use of mass media and other emerging technologies. Students in this course will define public health, analye messaging failures, explore branding, engage in social media messaging, present and defend public health messages, and learn from media experts. Students will leverage tools like ChatGPT for message refinement, R Studio for data visualization, and Notebook LM for AI-driven content creation.

Latina/x/o Prod. Industry

Business Com & Prof. Development

Mgt. Science and Operations Tech

This honors course invites students to explore how mathematics and culture communicate with one another. From the rhythms of dance and music to the symmetry of art, food, and architecture, students will engage with everyday activities as shared spaces where mathematical ideas and cultural meaning intersect. Rather than treating math and culture as separate, the course emphasizes their dialogue: students explore how math illuminates culture and how culture expresses math. Through hands-on exploration, discussion, and analysis, the course emphasizes mathematics as a language that shapes and is shaped by human creativity and tradition.

SrSem:Pol Trust&PublicKnowledg

We will focus on a variety of topics, from media consumption to nationalization of conspiracy theories. Working with faculty at the UTSA Center for Public Opinion Research, students will design their own survey that measures knowledge and trust among local residents, which we will field and analyze. This course is only open to students enrolled in the COLFA Honors Program.

SrSem:Pol Trust&PublicKnowledg

We will focus on a variety of topics, from media consumption to nationalization of conspiracy theories. Working with faculty at the UTSA Center for Public Opinion Research, students will design their own survey that measures knowledge and trust among local residents, which we will field and analyze. This course is only open to students enrolled in the COLFA Honors Program.

Applied Survival Analysis

Ever wondered how scientists figure out how long patients live after a treatment, how quickly a product might fail, or when an event is most likely to happen? That is exactly what survival analysis helps answer and it is one of the most fascinating areas of modern statistics and data science. In this course, you will dive into the world of time-to-event data, learning the tools that statisticians, medical researchers, and data scientists use to make sense of timing and risk. You will explore important ideas like survival and hazard functions, common failure distributions, and how to choose the best model for real-world data, especially in biostatistics, epidemiology, public health, and medical science applications. You will also get hands-on experience using R, applying the Cox's proportional hazards model to real datasets and learning how to interpret and communicate your findings effectively. The focus is not just on the math. It is about developing your practical intuition and problem-solving skills for analyzing data that changes over time. By the end of the course, you will be ready to tackle real research or industry problems where understanding when things happen is just as important as why they happen.