2018-2019 Catalog and Handbook [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Course Descriptions
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Psychology |
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PSY 685 - Group Dynamics (3 Credits) Prerequisite(s): 9 credits of core courses
In this course, you will analyze human behavior in the context of the groups that are the most significant influences on people’s actions and emotions: families, friends, and work groups. The processes that characterize the formation of groups and differentiate effective groups from others also will be studied. Leadership strategies, a key element in group functioning, will be identified and leadership training options discussed. Finally, the role of groups in therapeutic and behavioral support programs will be examined, with an emphasis on successful models.
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PSY 690 - Special Topics in Psychology (3 Credits) Prerequisite(s): 9 credits of core courses
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an opportunity to explore a variety of contemporary topics in psychology. These will be in-depth investigations on subjects of special interest to the instructor.
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PSY 698 - Psychology Capstone Project Planning (3 Credits) Prerequisite(s): 12 credits and approval of the academic director
In this course, students will work with a mentor in defining a research question of interest within the area of specialization and consistent with the student’s future professional plans. Students will conduct a thorough literature review related to the focal question, then critically analyze and synthesize the results of past work. Based on this analysis, the research question will be revised and refined and a capstone project designed. If required, an application will be submitted to the Institutional Review Board in time for review and revision before the end of the semester.
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PSY 699 - Psychology Capstone (3 Credits) Prerequisite(s): PSY 698 and 24 additional credits in the program
Under the supervision of a research mentor, the student will conduct the research project planned in PSY 698 , Psychology Capstone Project Planning. There should be no more than one-semester between completion of PSY 698 and enrollment in this course. After the collection and analysis of data, students will prepare a detailed written report and a narrated presentation, suitable for in-person delivery or web viewing. A capstone defense session will be scheduled, with the research mentor and 1-2 other faculty as reviewers.
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Public Health |
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PHE 200 - Introduction to Public Health (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
This course introduces students to the basic tenets of public health. The course provides a history of public health, an introduction to the five core disciplines of public health (Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Environmental Health, Social and Behavioral Health, and Health Policy and Management), and an overview of the field’s primary functions such as assessment, policy development, and assurance. Students are introduced to the impact of information technology on the field.
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Quantitative Reasoning |
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QUAN 201 - Quantitative Reasoning and Society (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
An interdisciplinary introduction to the ways in which data can be used to enhance thinking and decision-making capacities, including using simple statistical techniques, creating visual representations of quantitative data, deriving accurate conclusions from quantitative data, and using data effectively in analyses and arguments. Assignments build capacity to evaluate and write clearly about quantitative evidence using methods for analyzing and communicating about data that do not require complex mathematics.
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Research Administration and Compliance |
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RAC 600 - Introduction to Financial Research Administration (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
This course will provide students with a historical perspective of research administration regulations and introduce them to the various elements of research administration including: pre- and post-award administration; proposal development, submission, review and award negotiation; administrative and fiscal regulations; accountability and risk management; and fiscal stewardship. The course will provide an understanding of how all of these elements come together within the research enterprise, and how to manage related non-compliance or fraud. The course will also examine how administration of research conducted solely within the United States may differ from the administration of global research collaborations.
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RAC 601 - Introduction to Research Compliance, Ethics and Integrity (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
This course will provide students with a historical perspective of research compliance regulations and ethical standards and introduce them to: regulations and ethics surrounding human and animal subject research; biosafety issues; export control requirements; conflicts of interest; responsible conduct of research; and research integrity. The course will provide an understanding of how all of these elements come together within the research enterprise, and how to manage related non-compliance. The course will also examine how regulatory and ethical oversight of research conducted solely within the United States may differ from similar oversight of global research collaborations.
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RAC 602 - Introduction to Clinical Research Administration and Compliance (3 Credits) Prerequisites: None
This course will introduce students to legal, regulatory and ethical issues surrounding clinical research. Students will also be introduced to the process of development of innovative clinical products and related regulations, ethics and standards that must be complied with from basic research to commercialization. Finally, students will explore how the practical aspects of clinical research administration and compliance differ from the application of administration and compliance requirements in other types of research.
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RAC 610 - Policy Development, Analysis and Implementation (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
This course will examine theories of policy development. Students will learn how to influence or develop new policies; analyze and evaluate existing policies; and implement policies in light of legal, ethical and practical requirements. Students will also be introduced to the concepts of agenda setting and problem solving. The course will equip students with the knowledge to analyze and identify policy issues and possible problems that can arise in policy formulation and implementation.
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RAC 612 - Intellectual Property, Technology Transfer and Commercialization (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
This course will introduce students to US intellectual property laws; methods for safeguarding institutional intellectual property, including various types of agreements; functions and management of a technology transfer office; and the process of commercializing innovative products.
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RAC 614 - Program Evaluation Methods (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
Students in this course will learn the concepts, methods and theories surrounding program evaluation. It will cover the fundamentals of program evaluation, including needs assessments, process evaluation and monitoring. Students will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to perform high quality program evaluations that will have significant impact.
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RAC 650 - Advanced Responsible Conduct of Research (3 Credits) Prerequisite: RAC 600
Students will conduct in-depth analysis of case studies pertaining to major topic areas in the responsible conduct of research. Students will learn how to distinguish responsible research conduct from questionable research practices through the application of relevant ethical guidelines and governmental policies. Students will also be familiarized with various types of research misconduct and the elements that lead to a finding of research misconduct.
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RAC 651 - Ethical Issues in Clinical Research (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
This course will provide a framework for understanding the central issues of ethics that arise in the conduct of clinical research.
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RAC 660 - Sponsored Research Management and Oversight (3 Credits) Prerequisite: RAC 600
This course will provide an in-depth understanding of internal controls and the audit process as applied to sponsored programs through regulation outlined in 2 CFR 200 and the government published guidelines on internal controls and financial audits. Students will be required to actively participate by choosing an area of research administration in which they will create policies, processes, and documented internal controls. After creating these documents, they will use sample data to perform a small audit of the area they have already studied, culminating in a mini audit report for that area.
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RAC 670 - Special Topics in Research Administration and Compliance (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
This course will offer the opportunity to study special topics within the scope of Research Administration and Compliance. Topics may vary and could include in-depth study of research conducted in an international setting, biobanking, use of big data in research or other topics relevant to the field.
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RAC 697 - Research Administration Practicum (3 Credits) Prerequisites: Permission of the Academic Director
This course will provide a practicum experience that will prepare students for leadership roles in research administration. The instructor will provide experiential learning options and/or simulation alternatives. The instructor and the student will develop a set of guidelines for the course, including the scope of reading and writing assignments. These guidelines will be submitted to the Academic Director in the form of a course proposal and plan.
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RAC 698 - Research Compliance Practicum (3 Credits) Prerequisites: Permission of the Academic Director
This course will provide a practicum experience that will prepare students for leadership roles in research compliance. The instructor will provide experiential learning options and/or simulation alternatives. The instructor and the student will develop a set of guidelines for the course, including the scope of reading and writing assignments. These guidelines will be submitted to the Academic Director in the form of a course proposal and plan.
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RAC 699 - Research Administration and Compliance Practicum (3 Credits) Prerequisites: Permission of the Academic Director
This course will provide a practicum experience that will prepare students for leadership roles in research administration and/or research compliance. The instructor will provide experiential learning options and/or simulation alternatives. The instructor and the student will develop a set of guidelines for the course, including the scope of reading and writing assignments. These guidelines will be submitted to the Academic Director in the form of a course proposal and plan.
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Research Methods |
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RM 201 - Introduction to Research Methods (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
This course provides an introduction to research approaches characteristic of the social and behavioral sciences. These involve observations of behavior and other strategies that result in descriptive accounts, including field studies, content analysis, and surveys. Statistical methods for analyzing descriptive data, including measures of central tendency and variability and graphing will be included, along with questions about validity and research ethics. The course engages students in the planning, conducting, reporting and evaluation of research.
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Sociology |
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SOC 101 - Introduction to Sociology (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
An introduction to the theoretical perspectives, concepts, methods, and core research areas in sociology. Active learning projects develop understanding of the discipline of sociology and demonstrate mastery of key concepts in the field.
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SOC 203 - Race, Class and Gender (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
Race and ethnicity often frame social relations in structures of inequality. Likewise, gender and class relations can also be shaped by unequal resources and differential access to the sources of power. In this course we explore the historic and social roots that have given rise to minority-dominant power relations both from a U.S. and an international perspective. Students will use their sociological imagination to envision how race, ethnicity, gender and other categories of experience – i.e., age, religion, sexual orientation, physical abilities, and geographic region – intersect with institutions in everyday society to create minority statuses.
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SOC 206 - Sociology of the Family (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
The course examines the family as a social institution, its origins, structure and process. Students will describe and analyze cross-cultural and historical variations in family patterns, social relationships and interaction patterns involved in courtship, mate selection and marriage. They will understand the nature of family organizations, family disorganization and the impact on the lives of men, women and children in America.
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SOC 207 - Introduction to Criminal Justice (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
This introductory course offers an overview of the history and trends of crime and justice within the United States. An examination of the different types of crime and the consequences will be discussed. Students will be introduced to the administration of police; court and correctional agencies; and the decision-making points from the initial investigation or arrest by police to the eventual release of the offender and his/her reentry into society. The role of the police, the prosecuting attorney, the defense attorney, judge, probation, corrections and parole will be examined individually and collectively.
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SOC 208 - Urban Sociology (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
The course emphasizes the study of cities and societies from a variety of perspectives, and examines a broad range of theoretical and practical public policy issues, including race and gender, immigration patterns, economic growth and decay, urban politics and elections and population distribution.
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SOC 216 - Social Problems (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
The course focuses on problems whose origins lie outside the individual and how these problems impact individual behavior and social adjustment. Students will analyze problems related to major social institutions with special focus on the impact of inequality: health care, education, criminal justice, culture, political, and economic.
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SOC 226 - Sociology of Religion (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
This course provides an introduction to the study of religion from a sociological viewpoint: basic definitions and concepts in the sociology of religion; methods of studying religious beliefs and practices; group processes, organizational forms and religious leadership; secularization, church-state issues, and contemporary fundamentalism; religiosity and conversion; and religious beliefs/practices as these interact with socio-economic status, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality.
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SOC 250 - Transformations of Work in America (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
Using historical and social science perspectives, this course provides an overview of and analyzes changes in the nature, organization, structure, and meaning of work in the U.S. since the dawn of the industrial revolution. What people do at work - using what materials, who works and who doesn’t, why people work, where they do it, and for how long are fundamental questions that provide a framework for exploring the transformations. Topics covered include: the impact of technology on work; social attitudes and differentiation of participation in the workforce based on gender, race, class, age, sexual orientation, ability, and religion; work-related rights and obligations, human relations and organizational culture in the workplace; the globalization of work; location and design of the workplace, and shifts in conceptual and practical understandings of job, occupation, profession, and career.
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SOC 302 - Social Statistics (3 Credits) Prerequisite: RM 201
Prerequisites as of Fall 2019: RM 201 and SOC 101
This course aims to enhance and develop competences acquired in introduction to research methods courses by focusing specifically on social statistics: the descriptive, inferential, bivariate, and multivariate statistical concepts and techniques used to address sociological research questions through social science data analysis. Students learn how to locate, generate, interpret, and report on quantitative data results produced by standard statistical computer programs, databases, and tools.
Note: For requirement purposes SOC 302 is the equivalent to CM 411 .
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SOC 304 - Global Culture and Diversity (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
The contemporary world features astonishing cultural diversity, easily accessed through communication networks and international trade. How do recent technological developments in communication and media affect culture throughout the globe? Do we live in an age in which ‘global culture’ dominates local cultures? This course examines these and other questions utilizing classical and contemporary theories and research pertaining to economic disparity, cultural diversity and sustainable development in modernizing post-colonial
Note: For requirement purposes SOC 304 is the equivalent to CM 304 .
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SOC 310 - Foundations of Sociological Theory (3 Credits) Prerequisite: SOC 101
This course examines the historical development and transformation of critical social thought and sociological theories from classical European to the contemporary global world. Students will focus on problems in sociological theory with special emphasis on contemporary approaches and the general processes of theory construction.
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SOC 313 - Stratification (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
This course provides an overview of classic and contemporary theories of social class and inequality within the United States and in a global context. Students will examine these as well as strategies for assessing and measuring the level of inequality within and across nations, mobility rates, and factors, i.e., religion, ethnicity, and gender that affect socio-economic status and impact life chances. Students will also evaluate the impact of social policies intended to mitigate the effects of inequality.
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SOC 319 - Self and Social Interaction (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
Prerequisite as of Fall 2019: SOC 101
Social psychology provides a framework for analyzing the emergence and construction of self, identity, cognition and personality in the context of groups, cultures, networks (including digital networks), organizations and communities. Students will examine and apply concepts and ideas from social learning theory, psychoanalysis and post-analytic theories, cognitive development theory, exchange theory, dramaturgy and symbolic interaction to understand the emergence and development of self, self identity and self-presentation.
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SOC 320 - Sociology of the Body (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
This course examines the body as social construction that is situated within a particular social and historical context. Students will understand how bodies become gendered, raced, classed, and sexualized in ways that create and reinforce social institutions and relations of power. They will analyze the reciprocal processes of structuration: how the body is shaped by social expectations and symbolic exchange, how meanings are attached to bodies and different body parts, and how these interpretations in turn shape social relations. Students will critically evaluate the experience of embodiment and the contribution of sociological theories and data to our understanding of the process. They will write two course papers on the sociology of the body.
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SOC 380 - Independent Study (3 Credits) Prerequisite: RM 201 and SOC 310 , plus permission of the Academic Director are required.
The Independent Study will be taken under the supervision of an instructor. The student will develop a proposal and rationale for the Independent Study, which must be approved in advance by the instructor. The instructor and the student will develop a set of guidelines for the course, including the scope of reading and writing assignments. These guidelines will be submitted to the Academic Director in the form of a course proposal and plan. Students will be limited to one independent study in fulfillment of the elective requirement.
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SOC 405 - Sociology of Culture (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
This course provides an overview of sociological approaches to the production, distribution, consumption, interpretation and preservation of culture and cultural artifacts. Students will analyze how patterns of cultural consumption define social groups, how these consumption patterns both reflect and shape social status and power and how these relate to the sustainability of a cultural heritage. Students will develop an understanding of how sociological approaches to culture differ from those of other disciplines, notably the humanities.
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SOC 406 - Sociology of Education (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
The course will provide an overview of the American Educational system as an institution. Students will learn and apply sociological theories of education, evaluate research on education, understand the role of education in social reproduction as well as social dynamics and change, and develop awareness of how education affects their own lives.
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SOC 407 - Sociology of Health and Medicine (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
This course examines current issues in health, healing, and medicine from a sociological perspective. Students will use the sociological imagination to develop a deeper understanding of patterned relationships among social, cultural, political, organizational and economic contexts and individual health/illness definitions and outcomes. Course assignments will engage students in empirical analysis and critical thinking about connections between demographic characteristics such as race, ethnicity, education and income, and health-related outcomes such as stress, health education, health maintenance, and chronic diseases. Student projects will evaluate the impact of social policies and/or of technologies on environmental factors, health education and health care delivery within broader institutional systems.
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SOC 408 - Political-Legal Sociology (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
This course provides an introduction and overview to international human rights organizations, laws, and practices. Students will develop an understanding of national and international human rights standards, constitutionalism, the nature of human rights violations, and human rights advocacy within the framework of national and international legal systems designed to protect human rights. Students will develop analytic skills and a knowledge base with which to assess human rights violations and to implement as well as evaluate various strategies for addressing them.
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SOC 418 - Social Movements and Collective Behavior (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
The goal of this course is to assist advanced students in thinking systematically about contentious politics - processes in which people make conflicting collective claims on each other or on third parties - as they participate in them, observe them, or learn about how they are happening elsewhere. Students will review and evaluate theories of political contention as well as methods for gathering and analyzing evidence. They will examine and analyze specific examples of forms of contention such as social movements, revolutions, nationalist mobilization, and ethnic conflict and how these have worked in different times and places. Students will apply systematic comparative methods to analyze parallels and differences among these, to assess the role of communication in propelling them, and to evaluate theories that explain them.
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SOC 419 - The Digital Revolution and the Information Society (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
This course provides an overview of the information revolution over the last fifty years. Students will develop a critical perspective regarding narratives and theories that explain this phenomenon as a variant of “technological determinism.” They will examine and evaluate alternative theoretical perspectives and explanations, e.g., the social constructivist understanding of science and technology as objects and systems that derive significance and definitions from their embeddedness in social, political, and economic contexts. Students will engage in research projects related to “information work”; the “digital divide” and technological access; virtual communities; digital communities, and popular culture to assess and evaluate various information technologies and their impact on human communities.
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SOC 420 - Sociology of Mental Illness 3 Credits Prerequisite: None
Psychology and psychiatry identify the causes of sadness, madness, anxiety and trouble, AKA “mental illness,” as originating within the “mind” or, increasingly, the brain. The sociology of mental illness, by contrast, focuses on processes in the social and cultural context, and how the very concepts of mental illness, abnormal or crazy are constructed in the first place, then applied by both “mental health” professionals and persons in their everyday lives. In one way or another, social structure, relationships and culture are significant factors in the genesis of “mental illness”. We will examine major social models of “mental illness,” aiming to understand and evaluate their basic concepts and assumptions, as well as the response to “mental illness,” including how family, friends, troubled persons and professionals interpret, define and respond to “mental illness” and the processes shaping the policies and practices of the mental health enterprise.
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SOC 470 - Special Topics in Sociology (3 Credits) Prerequisite: A minimum of 60 undergraduate credits plus an introduction to research methods in the social and behavioral sciences.
This course provides students with the opportunity to study new and/or other specialized topics in Sociology not covered in existing courses. Topics may vary from term to term to reflect the interests of faculty and students. Course descriptions for a given semester in which the course is offered may be obtained by going to the college website and/or e-mailing the instructor before registration. Students may take this course more than once for credit but may not repeat topics.
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SOC 490 - Ethnography (3 Credits) Prerequisite: SOC 101 , PSY 101 or equivalent
Prerequisites as of Fall 2019: RM 201 and SOC 101
This course is designed to provide an overview of ethnographic research methods. Students will gain understanding of the process, tools, rewards and challenges of observing and describing symbolic interaction within cultural fields. They will evaluate the contributions of ethnographic research to anthropological and sociological theory and knowledge and compare its utility relative to other social science research methods such as quantitative and historical analysis. Students will study and evaluate specific ethnographic studies and conduct their own ethnographic research project.
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SOC 491 - Comparative Methods (3 Credits) Prerequisite: SOC 101 , PSY 101 or equivalent
This course aims to enhance research methodological competencies that bridge quantitative and qualitative methodologies by focusing on the development and application of Boolean analysis to a small number of cases. Students will evaluate research studies that use ideal types, analytic elements and Boolean logic, fuzzy set theory, event analysis, set theory contrasts of empirical configurations, and/or path analysis in causal explanations of macro-socio-historical phenomena. They will apply appropriate comparative methods to a research project of their own design.
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SOC 497 - Sociology Internship (3 Credits) Prerequisite: Advanced status and permission of the Academic Director
The Internship will be taken under the supervision of an instructor in coordination with a supervisor at the Internship site. The student will develop a proposal and rationale for the Internship, which must be approved in advance by the Academic Director and Internship instructor. The instructor and the student will develop a set of guidelines for the course, including the scope of reading, writing and work task assignments. These guidelines will be submitted to the Academic Director in the form of a course proposal and plan. Students may submit Internship proposals for capstone ePortfolio projects or for advanced sociology elective credits.
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SOC 499 - Senior Capstone (3 Credits) Prerequisite: SOC 302 and Department Permission
Prerequisites as of Fall 2019: SOC 203 , SOC 302 , SOC 310 , SOC 319 and Department permission
All students are expected to complete a senior research project under the direction of a faculty mentor. This capstone project will expand upon and integrate work completed in previous courses and provide students with an opportunity to apply methods of scholarly and/or action research to issues and problems of their own choosing. The final results of this study will be shared through ePortfolios on a virtual “commons” used for publication/presentation and critique open to all.
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Spanish |
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SPAN 101 - Beginning Spanish I (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
This course in conjunction with SPAN 102 provides a thorough grounding in Spanish grammar and vocabulary, including intensive practice in speaking and listening through the use of audio-video resources. A microphone and speakers (or a headset) and a web camera to interact online with the instructor and to record individual, pair, and group work are required.
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SPAN 102 - Beginning Spanish II (3 Credits) Prerequisite: SPAN 101
Reviews and builds upon material learned in Spanish I through assignments and activities designed to increase mastery in listening, speaking, reading and writing. SPAN II presents more complex linguistic structures that build upon those learned in SPAN I and increase awareness of Spanish-American cultures. Individual and group reading, oral and written assignments increase exposure to and linguistic creation in the target language.
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SPAN 110 - Spanish for Health Professions (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
Intended for students who have no background in the Spanish language, this course facilitates effective communication between patients and their healthcare providers (nurses, doctors, medical staff), through emphasis on basic, practical language needed to communicate with Spanish-speaking patients and their families in various settings. Building basic language fluency at the same time as medical terminology with cultural competency woven throughout, students will learn to gather and share basic information like greetings, goodbyes, patient intake, discussion of symptoms, location of pain and injuries, body parts, numbers, time, doses, and units of measure. Focus is on learning and becoming comfortable with basic medical Spanish phrases and medical Spanish vocabulary.
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Youth Studies |
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YS 600 - Historical Perspectives on Adolescence (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
This course traces the cultural history of youth and the development of the modern concept of adolescence at the turn of the twentieth century. It uses a multidisciplinary approach to highlight aspects of adolescence in contemporary society. The course begins with the portrayal of youth in Greek literature and philosophy and in “ages of man” iconography. The modern concept of adolescence is introduced through: a review of images of youth in the popular literature, painting and poetry of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century; the influences of John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau on the concept of adolescent development in the fields of medicine and education; the work of G. Stanley Hall and the new psychology of adolescence as a distinct “stage of life”; the creation of the juvenile justice system and the social construction of a legal concept of adolescence; the proliferation of delinquency theories and gang research in the social sciences; and the emergence of a cultural concept of adolescence in anthropology. The course covers the evolution of cultures of youth during the decades of the twentieth century. Social, economic and public policy issues related to youth are discussed.
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YS 601 - Adolescent Psychology and Community Programs (3 Credits) Prerequisite: YS 600 and YS 610
This course is an introduction to the field of adolescent psychology with a particular emphasis on theories and research that support the development of community programs that promote youth development. The course begins with the founding of the field of adolescent psychology in the work G. Stanley Hall. The influence of his concept of “storm and stress” is discussed. The importance of Erik Erikson’s concept of “identity formation” in the history of adolescent psychology is also covered. The course encompasses major aspects of adolescent psychology including: cognitive development, moral reasoning, the impact of schools, adolescent health and sexuality, risk and resilience, relationships with peers, parents and other adults, issues related to violence, the impact of globalization and the concept of “emerging adulthood.” These topics are discussed in the context of the development of best practices in community-based youth serving agencies.
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YS 602 - Youth Action and Agency (3 Credits) Prerequisite/Co-Requiste: YS 600 and YS 610
Consistent with a youth development philosophy that posits that young people are assets to any endeavor, this course will help youth-workers explore the conditions that support productive partnerships between adults and young people. Course readings will include literature in the following content areas: youth development, critical youth development, community-youth development, youth participatory action research, youth participatory evaluation, youth advocacy, youth civic engagement, adult-youth partnerships, and youth activism. Students will also explore how to measure outcomes on the individual, programmatic and community level. An integral component of this course is conducting a mini-participatory project with young people. This combination of theory and practice is designed to deepen knowledge acquisition in the course by engaging students in experiential learning and reflection in addition to reading and class discussion. The in-class work is designed to model promising practices in youth development such as an attention to social group work, an awareness of learning styles, and student-centered engagement strategies
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YS 603 - Group Work with Youth (3 Credits) Prerequisite/Co-Requiste: YS 600 and YS 610
This course introduces students to social group work (a core methodology of the social work profession) as a practice model for promoting youth development. Students gain an understanding of the stages of group development as an overarching framework and learn basic group theory and skills needed for group work with children and adolescents in a variety of social, educational, and recreational settings. They explore key concepts such as planning, purposeful use of activity, norms, mutual aid, shared decision-making, group roles, problem-solving, and managing group conflict. Students apply the central theories and practice principles of social group work as they develop basic skills in ethical and effective intervention and evaluation of their group work practice with youth.
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YS 604 - Adolescent Sexual Health (3 Credits) Prerequisite: YS 600 and YS 610
This course aims to understand individual, cultural, and social factors that influence young people’s healthy sexual development.
The course is organized around a number of factors that both support and impede the sexual health and development of young people and permits study of a wide range of issues that affect young people and their sexuality. The course covers biological and hormonal development, how peers and partners can affect adolescent sexual health, how the media and popular culture influence sexual development, the role of families and schools, and explores social policies and laws that create the political infrastructure in which adolescents develop. Particular attention is paid to specific characteristics that affect sexual health, including gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status and how these affect what adolescents learn about themselves, their bodies, and the potential for being a healthy sexual adult. The structure of this course encourages students to develop a set of critical skills that will allow them to understand how young people are affected by both public and private issues and decisions. The ability to understand how sexual health is both an individual and a social phenomenon is an important skill for students to learn.
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YS 605 - Transition Experience with Youth with Disabilities (3 Credits) Prerequisite/Co-Requisite: YS 600 and YS 610
This course provides an overview of the transition experience of youth with disabilities. It reviews the current state of transition services for youth with disabilities in New York City and nationally. It focuses on “self-determination” as a basic principle in transition planning and in accessing and integrating community resources within a fragmented service delivery system. Special attention is given to the role and experience of the family in the transition process and to the importance of “inclusion,” especially in school settings. The experiences of youth with disabilities in the foster care and juvenile justice systems, and strategies that support employment and postsecondary education opportunities are covered. Applications of transition planning to youth with intellectual disabilities, traumatic brain injury, autism spectrum disorders, emotional and behavioral disorders, learning disabilities and physical disabilities are discussed and practiced.
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YS 606 - Youth Identity: Virtual Environments (3 Credits) Prerequisite: YS 600 and YS 610
This course is designed to prepare youth practitioners to respond to the needs and interests of young people as expressed through virtual environments. It provides opportunities to explore how young people use virtual environments to construct their identities and navigate social space. Students will explore current social networking technologies, understand how young people navigate these systems for relational purposes, and critically examine the risks as well as developmental benefits of virtual environments.
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YS 610 - Youth Development (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
This course focuses on the history of the field of Youth Development, current frameworks, the latest findings in neuroscience related to youth development, as well as promising practices related to: STEAM, media literacy, the tech/maker movement, global competencies, LGBT/racially informed youth development, parent engagement and connected learning. Students will learn the basics of facilitation steeped in youth development principles and practices. Students will become familiar with tools used to measure socio-emotional development as well as various quality assessment tools. Lastly, students will visit high quality youth development programs around New York City to witness youth development practice in action and learn promising practices
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YS 611 - Youth Policy (3 Credits) Prerequisite/Co-Requisite: YS 600 and YS 610
This course critically analyzes various public policies at the local, state, federal and international level. Students will develop a variety of skills that inform the understanding and analysis of social policy, including: critically analyzing data, both what is there and what is not there, making connections between federal policy and children’s lives, assessing coverage of children’s issues in the media and popular press, understanding how to create a policy agenda and increasing knowledge about current social issues and policy debates. Topics covered include: juvenile justice, education, out-of-school time, opportunity youth, child protection, health, and advocacy.
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YS 612 - Effective Supervision of Youth Workers (3 Credits) Prerequisite/Co-Requisite: YS 600 and YS 610
Supervision has been shown to have an impact on quality at the point of service (between a frontline staff and a young person). In this course, students will learn theory and skills related to supervising youth workers. Topics covered include: supervision models/theory, competencies, one-on-one supervision, running effective learning communities, quality assessments, staffing, in-house trainings, self-care and professionalizing the field.
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YS 620 - Practicum: Designing and Running Quality Youth Programs (3 Credits) Prerequisite/Co-Requisite: YS 600 and YS 610
This course is a practicum where students learn theory, skills and knowledge related to designing and running quality youth programs, field test these ideas/competencies and debrief the process with their peers. Students can use their existing work places or receive a placement from CUNY SPS in a high quality youth program in New York City to serve as their learning lab. Topics covered in this course include: leadership styles, program evaluation and assessment, budgeting, grant writing, fundraising, strategic planning, external oversight, ethics, program marketing, program design and implementation. Students are asked to test out new skills in the program context and/or bring in exemplars from their organizations that illuminate the given topic each week. Weekly debriefs about successes and challenges related to implementing the ideas or skills are incorporated into the class structure as are occasional visits to high quality youth programs across New York City.
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YS 639 - Youth Studies Research Methods (3 Credits) Prerequisite/Co-Requisite: YS 600 and YS 610
This course will provide an overview of research methods, including ethnography, in-depth interviewing, the use of personal narratives and other documents, and participatory action research. The course will focus on both the theoretical approaches and practical techniques of qualitative research methodology. Students will be introduced to data analysis in youth research. The application of these research methodologies to the youth field will be illustrated.
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YS 649 - Youth Studies Independent Study (3 Credits) Prerequisite/Co-Requisite: YS 600 and YS 610
The Independent Study will be taken under the supervision of an instructor. The student will develop a proposal and rationale for the Independent Study, which must be approved in advance by the instructor. The instructor and the student will develop a set of guidelines for the course, including the scope of reading and writing assignments. These guidelines will be submitted to the Academic Director in the form of a course proposal and plan. Students will be limited to one independent study in fulfillment of the elective requirement.
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YS 659 - Special Topics in Youth Studies (3 Credits) Prerequisite/Co-Requisite: YS 600 and YS 610 , additional pre-requisites may vary depending on topic
This seminar style course supports students to stay on top of the current trends in the field of youth development. Special topics could include: socio-emotional development, STEM, STEAM, media literacy, the tech/maker movement, global competencies, 21st century skills, opportunity youth, connected learning, trauma informed practice and restorative justice models.
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YS 699 - Youth Studies Capstone Course (3 Credits) Prerequisite/Co-Requisite: YS 600 and YS 610 , and permission of the Academic Director
This course, which should be taken in the student’s final semester, is an opportunity for the student to integrate and synthesize the body of knowledge acquired in courses leading to completion of the M.A. in Youth Studies. Students will work with the instructor to develop a multi-disciplinary capstone project that demonstrates the student’s command of subject matter and literature covered in the courses. The capstone may take various forms, including an independent or group research project; an annotated literature review; e-portfolio or a media presentation. All capstones must include an extensive bibliography and a 20-25 page analytic essay. Classroom sessions will alternate with independent supervised research and project development.
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Music |
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MUS 101 - Music Appreciation Prerequisite: None
Introduces the study of music’s fundamental elements, forms, styles, and genres. Analyzes the historical development of music – its social impacts and influences on various cultural aspects. Considers how musicians use art to portray, criticize, and transform their societies. Requires the recognition of selected works, styles, and musical forms though perceptive, active listening.
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Scientific Inquiry |
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GBIO 615 - Ecology (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
This course will introduce students to ecology and ecosystem dynamics using a systems thinking lens. Each week participants will draw on essays, media resources, textbook readings and online discussion forums to explore how scientists study various ecosystems around the world - from Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park, to the Hudson River in New York, to Caribbean coral reefs - and investigate the complex array of factors that inform eco management efforts.
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SCI 200 - Science Forward: A Framework for Scientific Inquiry (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
A survey of life and physical sciences focusing on the common skills that all scientists use when they do science. Includes life and physical science contexts for these skills. Begins with an introduction to concepts in philosophy of science that help frame the interdisciplinarity and skills-focus of the course. Fields of science are then covered in roughly scale order, from large (Astronomy) to small (Medicine and Drug Design). Additional topics such as climate change, the water cycle, urban ecology, and neuroscience/artificial intelligence.
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