2021-2022 Catalog and Handbook [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Course Descriptions
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Psychology |
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PSY 327 - Clinical Methods: Theories and Process (3 Credits) Prerequisite: PSY 101
This course will survey the theoretical and practical issues involved in helping people with behavioral and emotional problems, and will study of interventions used in response to specific diagnostic psychological disorders. Psychodynamic, cognitive, person-centered and behavioral approaches, including theoretical foundations as well as diagnostic and therapeutic strategies will be compared. The importance of culture, ethnicity, and gender in the psychotherapeutic process will be studied, both from the perspectives of client and therapist.
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PSY 337 - Risk and Resilience in Development (3 Credits) Prerequisite: PSY 101
This course will analyze patterns of human development that contribute to psychological difficulties and, in contrast, to optimal psychological functioning. Research studies of the biological, emotional, cognitive, social, and institutional factors that influence developmental progress across the lifespan are analyzed. Case studies illustrate factors that serve protective or preventative functions, effective coping mechanisms and successful intervention strategies.
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PSY 340 - Contemporary Issues in Adulthood and Aging (3 Credits) Prerequisite: PSY 101
Study of current theories and research on physical, intellectual and social-emotional growth and change across the adult years will be the central focus of this course. Key roles of family and friendship, work and retirement, as well as broader social, economic and legal factors are examined, along with race, culture, class, and gender differences. Implications of research findings for optimizing adaptation to normal development change and crises are considered.
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PSY 348 - Small Group Processes (3 Credits) Prerequisite: PSY 101
This course will examine the key role of small groups in the workplace and in a variety of social contexts, both from the perspective of psychological theory and research and experientially. Students will participate in, chronicle, reflect upon, and analyze their experiences as part of a small group. In addition, they will critique case studies from different theoretical and research-based perspectives. Topics will include: leader-member relations, group development, communication, conflict, decision-making, and self-managed teams.
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PSY 360 - Abnormal Psychology (3 Credits) Prerequisite: PSY 101
Analysis of the characteristics of various psychological disorders, along with their origins and diagnoses, including anxiety disorders, dissociative and personal disorders, mood disorders and schizophrenia will be the focus of this course. Different theoretical perspectives on psychological disorders and their implications for treatment will be compared.
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PSY 370 - Special Topics in Psychology (3 Credits) Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.
A course offering qualified students the opportunity to study special topics within fields that may vary from semester to semester.
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PSY 380 - Independent Study in Psychology (3 Credits) Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.
Independent research or project conducted under faculty guidance. Written contract and report required.
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PSY 390 - Psychological Tests and Measurement (3 Credits) Prerequisite: PSY 101 and PSY 301
This course will introduce theoretical and practical approaches to the assessment of individuals, including intelligence testing and other assessments of cognitive functioning, achievement and aptitude testing, and personality testing. Factors that influence test-taking, the interpretation of test scores, and other variables will be examined, with special attention to the influence of cultural and gender differences and ethical issues associated with psychological tests and measurement.
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PSY 499 - Senior Project (3 Credits) Prerequisite: Completion of all required courses at Levels 2 and 3, and permission of Senior Project mentor.
All students will complete a senior research project under the direction of a faculty mentor, with a topic within the track in which the student has completed at least three courses. This capstone project will build upon work done in previous courses, allowing students to apply methods of scholarly and/or action research to specific psychological issues. Projects may be completed in small research groups or individually.
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PSY 600 - Cognitive Psychology and Learning (3 Credits) Prerequisite(s): None
This course deals with how we process information, think and learn. Topics include memory, problem solving, perception and attention. Students will be expected to engage with the material at an advanced level and we will therefore be evaluating, comparing and contrasting various assumptions (behaviorist, information-processing, cultural-historical) that inform theories of learning and cognition.
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PSY 605 - Biological Foundations of Behavior (3 Credits) Prerequisite(s): None
The course will familiarize students with the biological principles and theories related to human behavior and introduce various approaches within the field of biopsychology. Topics including genetic influences on behavior, the relationship between brain function and behavior, anatomy and the nervous system, motor systems, neurons and brain plasticity. Reflecting recent advances in the field regarding the age-old nature-nurture question, the course takes a dynamic-systems approach to understanding how biology and environment contribute to human behavior and development.
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PSY 610 - Social Behavior (3 Credits) Prerequisite(s): None
Social psychology is the scientific attempt to understand and explain how the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of other human beings. A primary goal of this course is to introduce the theories, research methods, and empirical findings of social psychology. Throughout the course, we will be placing emphasis on developing critical and integrative ways of thinking about theory and research in social psychology.
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PSY 615 - Theories of Personality (3 Credits) Prerequisite(s): None
This course aims to provide students with an in-depth introduction to the field of personality psychology. Students will learn about the various theories related to conceptualizing personality (traits, context-specific, narrative) as well as the influences that shape personality. The course also will address assessments and research methods used within this field and students will be engaged in applying the theories to real-life contexts. Knowledge of personality psychology can aid one in thinking usefully and critically about human behavior patterns, relevant not only in psychology and human services professions, but in other areas of life.
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PSY 620 - Psychopathology (3 Credits) Prerequisite(s): None
This course will provide students with an in-depth review of the various psychopathological conditions, their etiology, symptoms and criteria for differential diagnosis. Students will become familiar with the DSM-V and will apply it as they work through case studies. Some of the questions that we will be engaging in this course are: 1) What makes behavior abnormal? 2) What are the major psychological disorders? 3) How do we arrive at the diagnoses? 4) What causes the disorders? At the end of the course, students are expected to be familiar with the various theoretical perspectives in the general field of psychopathology as well as the empirical support for these theories.
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PSY 625 - Advanced Statistics (3 Credits) Prerequisite(s): None
This course is designed to prepare students to conduct advanced statistical analyses in the social sciences. Students will become familiar with the major ideas of probability and statistics, including procedures related to hypothesis testing. Topics include, among others, descriptive statistics, normal distribution, t-tests, correlation and regression, probability distribution and linear regression. At the end of the course students are expected to master both the conceptual as well as practical approaches to statistics. Students will apply and practice their knowledge of statistics through assignments that require use of statistical software.
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PSY 630 - Advanced Research Methods in Psychology (3 Credits) Prerequisite(s): PSY 625
The course will introduce the major concepts, issues and techniques of social science research, including the epistemological and ontological principles behind the different methods employed in the field of psychology. We will be reviewing quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods approaches. Students will be engaged in evaluating the pros and cons of the different approaches and in exploring various data-collection methods available in the field. Students will become skilled consumers and critics of empirical social science research across a wide range of methodologies and substantive fields; develop research questions and relevant research designs; and gain experience in the collection and analysis of data.
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PSY 635 - Introduction to Industrial/Organizational Psychology (3 Credits) Prerequisite(s): None
This course will introduce students to the key concepts, theories and research methods in industrial and organizational psychology (I/O). The course will take an applied approach to explore how the field of psychology influences and informs the workplace, including how to facilitate both individual and organizational development. Industrial/Organizational Psychology deals with the psychological dynamics of people in the workplace and focuses on topics such as motivation, stress and worker well-being.
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PSY 640 - Organizational Development and Effectiveness (3 Credits) Prerequisite(s): 9 credits of core courses
Organizational Development is the planned process of developing an organization to insure the optimum level of performance as measured by effectiveness, productivity and health. Organizational Development (OD) is achieved by facilitating change for individual employees, groups and teams, and the organization at large. Starting with an initial historical perspective of the field, we will explore the core organizational model of entry/contracting, diagnosis, feedback, implementation and evaluation. Working from this core model, we will examine the range of OD interventions used in the past and present. At the end of the course students are expected to be knowledgeable about the various paradigms within the field of OD as well as well prepared to apply the various approaches to assess organizations.
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PSY 645 - Performance Management and Motivation (3 Credits) Prerequisite(s): 9 credits of core courses
This course is designed to introduce students to the various approaches in the field of performance management and motivation. Specifically, the course allows students to become familiar with how to assess an organization’s performance relative to its goals and, based on thorough analysis, how to develop strategies for organizations to improve both performance and motivation. Students are expected to use their analytical skills to critically evaluate the research that informs practice in the field of performance management and to apply the knowledge acquired in the course to evaluate specific case studies.
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PSY 650 - Perspectives on Developmental Psychology (3 Credits) Prerequisite(s): None
The goal of this course is to familiarize students with the major theoretical perspectives and empirical studies in the field of developmental psychology. By the end of the course, students are expected to be able to both analyze (compare, contrast and synthesize) developmental theories as well as clearly distinguish the different paradigms within the field. The exploration of canonical works will include reading both works of and about theorists such as Erikson, Freud, Piaget and Vygotsky. Students will learn the defining features of the different approaches and there will be an emphasis on evaluating how these theories influence practice in various settings.
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PSY 655 - Child and Adolescent Development (3 Credits) Prerequisite(s): 9 credits of core courses
This course will familiarize students with the field of child and adolescent development. Students will be engaged in reviewing, summarizing, discussing and interpreting research from the developmental field. During the second part of the course, students will be encouraged to draw parallels and identify the similar and different principles of development that apply to childhood and adolescence. Drawing on Arnett’s notion of a dynamic approach, we will be approaching the field from a cultural-historical perspective. Students will be engaged in various activities to apply the knowledge of the developmental field to real-life settings, such as family contexts, educational and other institutional settings, including the use of psychometric tools in assessing children and adolescents.
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PSY 660 - Adult Development (3 Credits) Prerequisite(s): 9 credits of core courses
In this course we will be investigating the theories and related practices in the field of adult development and aging. While the scope of developmental psychology for many years was narrowly restricted to investigating development in children and youth, the developmental field now encompasses the later stages of development, which will be the focus of this course. We will explore how biological, physical, cultural and social influences structure learning, memory, emotions, personality and intelligence in adult life. In addition to reading the canonical works of adult development, we will also be applying the theories to real life contexts and case studies.
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PSY 665 - Practicum in Advanced Research Methods (3 Credits) Prerequisite(s): PSY 625 , PSY 630 & 6 additional credits
This mentored research practicum is intended to develop students’ knowledge of and competency in using specialized research techniques related to their focal area and professional objectives. Students will work with a mentor in specific areas in industrial/organizational or developmental psychology and will identify advanced research techniques, read reports based on their implementation, and gain skill in their use.
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PSY 670 - Cognitive Development (3 Credits) Prerequisite(s): 9 credits of core courses; Developmental Psychology subplan (track)
This course will examine two related issues: theories of cognitive development and development in core domains (e.g., language, space, time, and social cognition). Our focus will be primarily on the development of children’s thinking, although we will also discuss cognitive development in other periods of the lifespan. Students will be evaluating, comparing and contrasting the various assumptions (behaviorist, information-processing, cultural-historical) that lie behind the various theories of cognitive development.
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PSY 675 - Atypical Development (3 Credits) Prerequisite(s): 9 credits of core courses; Developmental Psychology subplan (track)
This course will introduce the study of atypical development in childhood and adolescence. There will be a brief historical review of society’s progress in the understanding and treatment of children with atypical behavior. We will explore the interaction of emotional, cognitive, biological, behavioral, and environmental components that factor into the development of chronic dysfunctional behavior and mental illness in children and adolescents. We will also examine the various theories of the development of childhood and adolescent disorders, as well as the efficacy of the many current treatment interventions. We will maintain a developmental focus and continue to refer back to typical developmental processes throughout the course.
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PSY 680 - Personnel Selection (3 Credits) Prerequisite(s): 9 credits of core courses; Industrial/Organizational subplan (track)
This course addresses the skills and knowledge that underlie effective personnel selection processes: (1) the professional and legal requirements for personnel selection systems, including equal opportunity employment laws; (2) strategies for conducting job analyses that provide a strong foundation for recruitment and hiring; (3) options for evaluating candidate skills and credentials, and (4) approaches to assessing on the job performance.
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PSY 685 - Group Dynamics (3 Credits) Prerequisite(s): 9 credits of core courses; Industrial/Organizational subplan (track)
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, including PSY 625 and PSY 630 , 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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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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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, class and gender often frame social relations in structures of inequality marked by differential access to power, resources, and opportunity. In this course we explore the historic and social roots that have given rise to minority-dominant power relations in society. Students will use their “sociological imagination” and real-life experiences to envision how race, ethnicity, gender and other categories of difference - i.e., age, religion, sexual orientation, physical abilities, and geographic region-intersect with institutions to create and reinforce minority statuses. Special emphasis will be given to inequality and work.
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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 215 - Sociology of Work and Organizations (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
By some estimates, adults spend over a third of their lives working. Most of us are aware of how we’ve arrived at the personal decisions we’ve made regarding work, yet are less familiar with the ways that society structures these choices. This course will examine how societal forces shape work opportunities and experiences by providing students with a broad base of theoretical and applied knowledge regarding the nature of work and organizations. In order to achieve this, the course will progress through several general topic areas: 1) the foundations of the study of work and organizations including fundamental concepts, issues, and theories on work and organizations; 2) the structures and dynamics of work organizations and the impact of their operation on our lives (e.g., the culture of the workplace, socialization into a working life, power hierarchies and organizational control processes, work/family policies, technological promise and challenge) and; 3) critical perspectives on contemporary trends in the work world (e.g., changing nature of careers, the “gig” economy, the globalization on work, sexual and racial politics in the workplace, etc.).
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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 230 - Sociology of Emotions 3 Credits Prerequisite: None
Are feelings innate and universal or are they socially created and historically and culturally determined? Emotions are generally seen as individually and privately experienced, but are actually deeply social. They are embedded in, constitutive of, and created by social interactions, social structures and institutions. This course will examine the relatively new field of the Sociology of Emotions from a constructionist and interactionist perspective. Our explorations will focus on contemporary American society, but will use several examples from other times and cultures to illustrate the socially constructed, experienced, and expressed nature of emotions.
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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 270 - Environmental Sociology (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
This course provides an overview of the central debates in environmental sociology with a focus on environmental justice. We will examine the relationship between human societies and the natural environment as well as current environmental issues and relevant events from a sociological perspective. Some of the key questions that we will address are: “How are pollution levels, waste management and resource depletion unequally distributed among racial and ethnic groups, classes, genders, regions and nations?”, “How do societies respond to environmental risks and disasters, and how can we achieve more effective and equitable policies?”, “What kind of environmental problems can be resolved at the individual level and which ones require community solutions?”, and “How does power these structures these relationships and the possibilities for organizing them differently?”.
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SOC 302 - Social Statistics (3 Credits) Prerequisite: 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
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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 319 - Self and Social Interaction (3 Credits) Prerequisite: 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: SOC 101
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 350 - Sociology of Deviance 3 Credits Prerequisite: None
This course will introduce students to the major ideas and issues in a sociological approach to deviance, including how deviance is defined, the roles of power and social order, the process of deviant identity construction and management, the social implications of deviance, and a critical explanation of theoretical approaches to social deviance.
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SOC 380 - Independent Study (3 Credits) Prerequisite: RM 201 , SOC 203 , SOC 310 , SOC 319 and department permission 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 390 - Contemporary Perspectives for Immigrants and Refugees (3 Credits)
The U.S. has more immigrants than any other country in the world. And while everyone has heard the refrain, “America is a nation of immigrants,” this is a highly contentious issue. Indeed, immigrants and refugees have been at the center of intense cultural and political backlash in recent years. This course examines the context of contemporary immigration to the U.S., featuring its challenges and controversies. Students will gain foundational knowledge of global migration and immigration trends to better understand the current so-called “crisis.” Topics include: Refugees & Asylum Seekers, Issues at the Border, Detention & Deportation, Undocumented Migrants & DREAMers, Humanitarian Assistance, Gender & Migration, Race & Religion, and the Economic Impact of Immigrants.
Migration is the issue of our time. With climate change making many regions uninhabitable, global conflicts continuing unabated, and international economic inequality widening, the need for people to move across borders will only increase in our lifetime. This course will provide student with tools to understand this global phenomenon and the impact it has on people’s lives.
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SOC 405 - Sociology of Culture (3 Credits) Prerequisite: SOC 101
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: SOC 101
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: SOC 101
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 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 490 - Ethnography (3 Credits) Prerequisite: 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 499 - Senior Capstone (3 Credits) Prerequisite: SOC 203 , SOC 302 , SOC 310 , SOC 319 and Department permission
All students are expected to complete a senior research project. This capstone project will expand upon and integrate work completed in previous courses and provide students with an opportunity to apply methods of scholarly research to issues and problems of their own choosing. The final results of this study will be shared through ePortfolios.
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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 - The Construction of Adolescence in the U.S. (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
This course traces the cultural history of youth in the U.S. and the development of the modern concept of adolescence at the turn of the twentieth century. It uses a multidisciplinary approach to explore aspects of adolescence in contemporary society. As a class, we will critically investigate how modern and contemporary notions of adolescence have been shaped by societal forces and institutions. The modern concept of adolescence is introduced through: a review of images and discourses of youth in the popular culture of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century; 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 in the social sciences; and the emergence of a cultural concept of adolescence in cultural studies. The course addresses the formation of “youth cultures” during the last half of the 20th century. Connections from these historical contexts will be made to 21st century social, economic, and public policy issues related to youth as well as portrayals of youth in popular culture.
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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. 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 - Reframing Dis/Ability (3 Credits) Prerequisite/Co-Requisite: YS 600
This course will examine how the concept and construct of dis/ability can affect youth’s perceptions of themselves, school, adults, and society and how youth workers can support the success of students with dis/abilities in various settings. With a focus on how dis/ability intersects with race, socio-economic status, gender, sexuality, drop-out rates and juvenile justice, this course seeks to reframe the traditional deficit based narrative of dis/abilities. Using Critical Dis/ability (DisCrit) as a theoretical framework, this course aims to dismantle and reconstruct commonly held beliefs about those who have been labeled to foster a strength-based mindset in youth workers and youth programs. While students will be steeped in theory, they will also explore best practices for how to incorporate universal design into youth programs as well as learn from organizations that are doing exemplary work with students with dis/abilities.
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YS 606 - Youth Identity and Digital Environments (3 Credits) Prerequisite: YS 600 and YS 610
This course explores the numerous considerations for youth practitioners about the practical affordances and drawbacks of “virtual” life. As the lines between what is virtual and what is real blur, digital life must inform youth practitioners’ decision-making. Topics covered will include: What is the digital ecosystem that youth traverse and how might that ecosystem change the reality of their experience? How does the digital world influence the cultivation of identity? How do learning and youth development organizations respond to virtual environments through relevant programming?
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YS 610 - Youth Development (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
This course focuses on the history of the Youth Development field, current frameworks, the latest related findings in neuroscience, as well as promising practices in youth development. 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 a variety of program quality assessment tools. Students will explore youth development at the intersections of race, class, gender and sexuality and learn to aply these lenses in theory and practice.
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YS 611 - Youth Policy (3 Credits) Prerequisite/Co-Requisite: YS 600 and YS 610
This course provides an overview of how to develop policies, define problems, set agendas, and critically analyze 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: analyzing data, 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 but not limited to: juvenile justice, education, out-of-school time, opportunity youth, child protection, health, immigration, 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 613 - Criminalization and Youth Development (3 Credits) Prerequisite: None
This course examines the intersection of youth and criminalization in the age of mass incarceration and how race, socio-economic status, gender and other factors influence this topic. Course readings will include literature in the following areas: mass incarceration, the school-to-prison pipeline, undocumented youth and their families, and constructions of youth of color. Seeking to acknowledge those with lived experience as the experts on these topics, the course readings, assignments and lectures incorporate as much first person testimonials as possible. This course emphasizes knowledge of and involvement in organizations that work with youth impacted by the justice system. Students are required to personally connect with such organizations and youth and collaborate with them to learn about the most pressing issues in their communities.
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YS 614 - Behavioral Health and Youth Development (3 Credits) Prerequisites: None
This 3-credit Masters level course will cover common behavioral health challenges for youth (e.g. depression, psychosis, anxiety, oppositional defiant behavior, substance abuse, etc.). Students will learn about assessment tools, interviewing protocols and motivational interviewing. During the course of the term, students will explore the intersection of race, SES, gender, and sexuality and their impact on mental and behavioral health challenges. Furthermore, students will incorporate cultural competencies in analyzing hypothetical case study scenarios. Students will also explore their own attitudes about behavioral health issues and potential biases. The course will be designed to enable students to better recognize behavioral health challenges, increase students’ confidence in their ability to provide help and refer youth to needed services, and promote supports and inclusion.
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YS 615 - Community and Youth Organizing 3 Credits Prerequisite: None
This course gives a historic and contemporary analysis of community and youth organizing models in social change movements. Students will gain an understanding of what community and youth organizing is; articulate its value and purpose; roles of an organizer at different phases of a project; explore strategies, introduction of skills (consensus building, listening sessions, needs and asset mapping, etc.), activities and tactics of organizing; identify their own strengths and challenges; and think about evaluation and social justice marketing. This course will incorporate case studies of contemporary activist movements (both local and national), talks from prominent activist-scholars, skill-building workshops, and online engagement. Students will be asked to think deeply about the intersections of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion and (dis)ability as it impacts organizing as well as consider how the current socio-political context is influencing youth and community organizing efforts.
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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 through which students learn theory and skills related to implementing quality youth programs through an examination of organizational conditions (e.g., management, strategy, finances and fundraising). This course is designed to critically analyze how organizational systems and practices help and/or hinder positive youth development. Students will test ideas and practices with their peers through group discussion, program and organizational observations, guest speakers, case studies, and a final project, and a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) lens will be used throughout the course. Students will use their existing workplace or another one of their choosing as a case study. If students do not have a work site, the YS program will help arrange a placement. While this class does not meet weekly, there is weekly work assigned, and students will direct their own learning as they assess their organizations using both theoretical and practical lenses.
Topics covered in this course include:
- The intersection of Positive Youth Development and organizational management
- Leadership and strategy in youth-serving organizations
- Management and administration as enabling and constricting factors to program success (e.g. human resources, fiscal management, marketing)
- Sustaining programs through fundraising, collaboration, and advocacy
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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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