English Communications (2 courses)
Writing Requirement (3 courses)
This component recognizes the central role communication plays in
learning and in life. Courses teach the principles of clear and
effective communication and provide opportunities to practice and refine
them throughout a student’s college career.
English Communications [EC]
Courses
provide instruction in the elements of English composition and provide a
wide range of opportunities for students to practice and sharpen their
writing abilities. Courses also teach the related skills of speaking,
reading, and critical thinking. ENG 112 provides a foundation in the
skills essential to information literacy, i.e., the ability to find,
evaluate, and make effective use of source material relevant to a
research topic.
Requirement:
One of:
ENG 111 English Communications I| This course will help the student develop his or her own voice while meeting the demands of academic and public expression. It will emphasize the development of clear, organized, and rhetorically effective written prose. Offered fall semester. |
and
ENG 112 English Communications II
| This course continues to help the student develop his or her own voice while meeting the demands of academic and public expression. In addition to emphasizing the development of clear, organized, and rhetorically effective written prose, this course also focuses on speaking, reading, and research skills. Offered spring semester. |
First-year students must fulfill the communications component of the
General Education Program by enrolling in either First-Year Seminar (FYS
100) or English Communications I (ENG 111). The primary goal of each
course is to help first-year students become college-level writers.
Students will be assigned the same amount of writing in both FYS 100 and
ENG 111. An important difference between the two courses is that each
FYS class is organized around a particular topic, and students will
write in response to various aspects of that topic, whereas ENG 111 is
not organized around a particular topic, so its students can expect to
write essays about a variety of different topics. Students in FYS should
expect to do more reading than students in ENG 111.
Writing Requirement [WP]
In addition to English Communications, students must complete three courses designated Writing Process,
preferably one each during the sophomore, junior and senior years.
Along with course content, faculty will also teach writing in these
courses and will make evaluation of writing quality an important factor
in the course grade.
Requirement: Three courses from the list below.
Writing Process Courses:
AMS 223 American Thought & Culture| A survey of American intellectual history and cultural criticism ranging from Puritanism and Enlightenment Rationalism to multiculturalism, feminism, and post-modernism. |
| An examination of the social, political, economic and cultural upheaval of the 1960s and 1970s in the historical context. |
| This course covers the history of photography with emphasis on the aesthetic elements of traditional and contemporary work. The significance of technical developments, photographic processes, and photographic criticism is discussed. It provides a contextual study of photography, not only as an art form but as a social commentary on culture. Content includes the history of the photography from the early 19th century to the present, including the introduction of color, photography as a form of social documentation, Modernist and Postmodernist approaches to the medium, photojournalism, and the use of photography within popular culture. |
| Focusing on the late thirteenth to the end of the sixteenth century, this course offers a comprehensive survey of the major monuments, themes, and developments of Renaissance art in Europe. Works by Giotto, Van Eyck, Brunelleschi, Botticelli, D rer, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian, among others, are examined. |
| This course is a pan-European survey of baroque art and architecture, focusing on artists working in Italy, France, Spain, England, Flanders, and the Dutch Republic. Artworks by Caravaggio, Bernini, Borromini, and Velßzquez in southern Europe, and Rubens, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Poussin, and Christopher Wren in Northern Europe, will be highlighted. Students explore such issues as patronage, stylistic difference, the interconnection of art and religion, and the changing political climate of Europe. |
| Covering the period from the American Revolution in 1776 to the controversial Salon des RefusTs of 1863, this course examines the art of Europe and the North America as it undergoes turbulent cultural change. Cataclysmic events such as the American and French Revolution, the economic and technological changes wrought by the Industrial Revolution, and the various revolutions in thought and politics, such as The Enlightenment and the rise of Marxism, emerge as key driving agents in the transformation of art and architecture during the period. Art movements under examination include Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, and Impressionism. |
| An overview of modern art and architecture from the 1890s to the rise of postmodernism in the 1970s, including important stylistic movements such as Symbolism, Art Nouveau, Cubism, Dada and Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, Pop Art, and Conceptual Art. The focus will be on the ideas, works, and critical reception of specific artists, widened to include issues of science and technology, race and gender, and related developments in politics and literature. |
| This course immerses students in a thematic investigation of color in human culture from ancient times to the present. Using case studies from the histories of art, literature, and philosophy, students examine the role color plays in our understanding of the world, particularly in relation to economic, moral, and spiritual value systems. |
| An organismal and molecular approach to the study of animal development using typical invertebrate and vertebrate organisms. The laboratory includes the study of slides as well as experiments on fertilization, regeneration and metamorphosis. |
| A study of the functioning of plants, with emphasis on vascular plants. |
| An examination of the basic concepts of ecology with extensive laboratory work and field experiences in freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems. |
| A study of the principles of vertebrate body function, with emphasis on the mechanisms by which cells and organs perform their functions and the interactions of the various organs in maintaining total body function. |
| A study of many of the invertebrate phyla, concentrating on the physiological mechanisms controlling movement, metabolism, information, and control and reproduction. |
| The development of writing, speaking, and listening skills for business management. |
| A capstone course to study administrative processes under conditions of uncertainty, integrating prior studies in management, accounting and economics. Uses case method and computer simulation. |
| Students will be exposed to a number of advanced synthetic methods including inert atmosphere manipulations, high vacuum and temperature dehydrations, mixed solvent crystallizations, and photochemical transformations . |
| Experimental study of the principles of physical chemistry. Work involves spectroscopy (IR, UV/VIS, fluorescence, Raman, and NMR), calorimetry, refractometry, conductivity, and viscometry applied to atomic and molecular structure, thermodynamics, phase and reaction equilibrium, and chemical kinetics |
| Second semester of an experimental study of the principles of physical chemistry. Work involves spectroscopy (IR, UV/VIS, fluorescence, Raman, and NMR), calorimetry, refractometry, conductivity, and viscometry applied to atomic and molecular structure, thermodynamics, phase and reaction equilibrium, and chemical kinetics. |
| This course will provide students with the skills, theories of design and experience to design viable digital media projects that meet specific goals and target specific audiences. Offered fall semester. |
| How do human beings experience the sacred? How is faith connected with doubt? What might "God" mean? What's the point of it all? Readings will include fiction, poetry, and essays drawn from a range of historical periods. This course examines what William James called "the varieties of religious experience" from the disciplinary perspectives of literature and religion. |
| Looks at the significance Greek and Roman myths hold for us today from the perspectives of literature, psychology, religion, sociology, and anthropology. |
| A course that will focus on the growth and continued development of the beginning reader as independent reading within the curriculum becomes necessary. The course foundation will be supported by both a balanced literacy approach and the PDE standards for reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Stressing the importance of comprehension, students will explore a variety of strategies, methods, and assessments to teach reading and writing across the content areas as supported by research. This includes but is not limited to writing short stories and informal pieces with an understanding of the stylistic aspects and conventions of composition. |
| This course will begin with an overview of national, state and local interests that continue to inspire educators, businesses, and government to become more involved in discussions and to offer solutions, including legislative solutions, to assure children's success across the nation. Students will be prepared to make informed, research-based professional decisions about each of their students on a daily basis, using ongoing observation and diagnosis to support their decisions. Delivery approach will include, but not be limited to, critiques of prototypical examples of effective practices according to research, modeling evidence-based strategies for the culturally and linguistically diverse learners, informational reading and writing. |
| This course extends the study of public economics to its application in the principles of taxation and public expenditures. Topics include the structure of the Federal Budget, the national debt and fiscal deficits, but also state and local financing and the division of responsibilities between the federal and local governments. |
| This course introduces the theory and practice of international economic relations. It includes, not only the history and purpose of trade and the traditional theory of the gains from trade, but also the more modern theory of trade with imperfect competition. The history and nature of the institutional structures of trade (World Trade Organization) are covered. |
| This small seminar course is a reading course in support of the research interests of the professor, the student, or both. The content and structure of the course will depend on the research interests of the professor, but will always require from each student a major paper related to this area. Reading and critiquing articles from refereed economic journals and the popular press are also included. |
| The course will examine the historic and philosophical contexts of middle level education and current issues affecting middle schools including the specific characteristics of young adolescents, developmentally appropriate curriculum, instruction and assessment, the guidance and teaching roles of middle school teachers, cultural diversity and communication with parents and the public. |
| Introduction to the basic skills of journalistic writing such as interviewing, gathering and reporting news and writing feature stories according to standard formats and styles. The course also covers ethical and legal considerations related to news reporting. |
| Introduction to the theory and practice of editing, with an emphasis on reading closely, revising, creating headlines, and other aspects of refining and preparing copy for publication or online distribution. Usually offered alternate spring semesters. |
| Seminar on the adolescent literature canon with which many teachers work, especially in middle school and some levels in high school. Usually offered alternate fall semesters. |
| Concentrated study of early Shakespearean drama, especially the comedies and the histories. Writing process. Usually offered alternate spring semesters. |
| Concentrated study of late Shakespearean drama, especially the tragedies and the romances. Usually offered alternate spring semesters. |
| Seminar on poetry drawing from English, American, and Commonwealth traditions from the Middle Ages to present. This seminar will introduce the student to a wide range of poems, critical vocabulary, and literary interpretations. Usually offered alternate fall semesters. |
| Historical view of the novel, drawing both on novels written originally in English and on those translated from other languages. Usually offered alternate fall semesters. |
| Seminar on literature in English in the period since 1800, concentrating on literature that grows out of the worldwide encounter between British and American literary traditions and other cultures. This course examines the remarkable syntheses that have emerged in the literature of other countries. Usually offered fall semester. |
| A study of French literature from the 9th to the 16th centuries. Works from the medieval epic and courtly romance through Renaissance philosophical essays. Development of advanced communicative skills through literature will be promoted. |
| A study of the spirit and principal authors of French Classicism (with a special emphasis on the theater of Corneille, Racine and Moliere) and the main ideological currents of the 18th century, with a special emphasis on the writers of the Enlightenment and their role in the transition from the old to the new regime (Voltaire, Montesquieu, Diderot, Rousseau, I'Abbe Prevost, Marivaux). |
| A study of the main ideological and literary currents of the 19th centuries; Romanticism, Realism and Naturalism. Emphasis on the works of Flaubert, Balzac, Zola, Maupassant, Baudelaire, and others. |
| A study of contemporary society as reflected in the literary evolution from Proust to the Nouveau Roman and le theatre de l'Absurde. Such writers as Giraudoux, Anouilh, Malraux, Sartre, Camus, Ionesco and Becket will be studied. |
| A study of theater and poetry of the 19th and 20th centuries. |
| Works of fiction and nonfiction selected to explore a particular topic or theme. |
| A study of German song from Minnesang to Kanaksprak. Involves both texts and music as appropriate. |
| The course will chart the ways in which the French Revolution and the industrial revolution in Europe shaped the political, economic, social, cultural, and intellectual development of Europe in the nineteenth century. The major themes of the course include the development of the political ideologies that emerged as a result of the French Revolution, industrialization, nationalism, the development of class societies, gradual democratization in parts of Europe, the beginning of the women's movement, challenges to liberalism, and finally, the causes of World War I. |
| An introduction to the main political, social, economic and intellectual developments in twentieth-century Europe. The major themes of the course include the experience of the two world wars; the development of fascist and communist regimes under Lenin and Stalin, Mussolini, and Hitler; the weakness of the western democracies after World War I; the Holocaust; the Cold War; the Communist Bloc; the end to colonialism; the European Union; the development of the welfare state, and the new nationalism. |
| This course uses key cases to study important doctrines established by the Supreme Court with respect to the structure and functions of the constitutional system (judicial, legislative and executive power and federalism). There is a particular emphasis on various forms of textual interpretation used by individual justices to apply the Constitution in deciding cases and writing opinions. |
| An exploration of the position of women in Modern Europe from 1750 to the present. The course focuses around the tensions between women's difference and demands for equal treatment as this theme has played out through history. The course will begin with a discussion of gender in history and then proceed to examination of women in pre- industrial Europe, the French Revolution, the industrial revolution, nineteenth-century reform movements, feminism and the suffrage movement. Twentieth century themes include the "new" woman, women in communist Russia and under the fascist regimes, the impact of two world wars on women's roles, the welfare state, and finally, contemporary feminism. |
| How the old republican ideal of a virtuous agrarian society struggled to confront the new age of economic modernization, social diversity and sectional tension. |
| An introduction to the basics of historical research and writing. The most important goal of the course is to help students produce a clearly written research paper, with footnotes and a bibliography. A primary source paper and other writing assignments will prepare the students for the achievement of this goal. Class discussion will revolve around analysis of various types of primary sources, secondary sources, journal articles, issues of interpretation, and research methods. The course will also include several research trips to libraries, archives, historical societies, or local history collections. |
| This course provides and in-depth study of World War I. The topics covered include the causes of the war; the military history of the war; the social, economic, and cultural changes that resulted; the terms and consequences of the peace; and ways in which the memories of the war were constructed. Although the course will focus on Europe where most of the war was fought, students will also examine the impact of the war on Russia and Europe's overseas colonies. |
| An in-depth study of why Americans declared their independence and how they won the Revolution and worked to build a republic in a hostile world of monarchies. Particular attention is paid to major issues on which historians of the period disagree. |
| A study of how sectional divisions over slavery led to a bloody war and reshaped American society. |
| Focus on a theme in history such as World War I, the industrial revolution, or the Enlightenment. These topics will be approached from a variety of perspectives (economic, political, or social for example) and from the viewpoint of many national histories. Class meetings will include discussion of course readings, research methods, and the historiography related to the theme of the course. Students will write a research paper on some aspect of the course topic utilizing a variety of primary and secondary sources and present their research to the class. |
| This seminar will expose international studies majors to readings on issues, events, and theories in International Studies as well as allowing them to pursue a research interest within a broad topic area prescribed for each semester the seminar is given. Each student is required to do independent library research and to make an oral presentation under the direction and guidance of the professor. Students are expected to produce a research paper (minimum of 3000 words) that could be presented at an undergraduate research conference. |
| This course examines how the music business operates, delving into a wide range of issues and areas, such as publishing, record labels, retail, distribution, market research, agents and managers, and current issues in the industry. |
| A study of literature, materials and approaches appropriate for choral and general music classes in grades 5-12. |
| One of the central concerns of this course is the ability of music to represent American identity. Of particular interest are the historic contributions of minority peoples, particularly African Americans, to the rich diversity of musical styles in the United States. This course considers the importance of geographic and ethnic origins of a particular musical style as well as the consequences of a market-driven music industry which historically has privileged some people groups over others. |
| An inquiry into the central problems of values applied to human conduct, with an examination of the responses of major ethical theories to those problems. |
| An examination of the social, political, economic and cultural upheaval of the 1960s and 1970s in the historical context. |
| A study of the issues raised for philosophy by contemporary religious thought. The course examines such topics as faith and reason; faith and culture; and interpretations of revelation, symbolism and religious language. |
| An examination of major periods in the history of philosophy, this requirement for the major will introduce students to both the figures and the methodology of each time period. The specific focus of the course will vary from semester to semester, rotating through the various historical periods. Seminars will include: Ancient Philosophy, Modern Philosophy, the Enlightenment, 19th Century, 20th Century. |
| Intensive studies of individual great philosophers or principal schools. Potential authors include Aristotle, Kant, Nietzsche, etc. |
| An intensive study of individual issues within the discipline of philosophy. Topics will vary from semester to semester. Potential issues include: "Nothing," "Women in Philosophy," "God," "Post-modern Philosophy and Theology," "Existentialism," etc. |
| Students in this course study the development of Western political thought from Classical Greece to modern times, examining the conceptual evolution of citizenship, civic obligation, and the nature of justice and exploring the connection between moral and positive law in the western tradition. |
| This course examines the moral responsibility of institutions in German society, 1939-1945, for acquiescing to and perpetrating the state- sanctioned killing of European Jews and others. |
| This capstone seminar examines the historical and philosophical development of constitutional law in the United States; the seminar emphasizes the dynamic relationship between the law and moral and political philosophy. |
| This is an advanced seminar course for senior philosophy majors. Students will complete a major paper, integrating their research, writing, and analytical skills. |
| Second semester of experimental work selected from the areas of mechanics, AC and DC electrical measurements, optics, atomic physics, and nuclear physics, with emphasis on experimental design, measuring techniques and analysis of data. |
| An introduction to the main political, social, economic and intellectual developments in twentieth-century Europe. The major themes of the course include the experience of the two world wars; the development of fascist and communist regimes under Lenin and Stalin, Mussolini, and Hitler; the weakness of the western democracies after World War I; the Holocaust; the Cold War; the Communist Bloc; the end to colonialism; the European Union; the development of the welfare state, and the new nationalism. |
| A survey of the developing nations of Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. This class explores why some countries are "developed" and others not. The course examines some of the major explanations for development, both economic and political. Following an overview of each of the developing regions, the class will analyze some of the major issues facing developing nations today. Topics include democratization, religion and politics, ethnic conflict, women and development, and revolution. |
| This course uses key cases to study important doctrines established by the Supreme Court with respect to the structure and functions of the constitutional system (judicial, legislative and executive power and federalism). There is a particular emphasis on various forms of textual interpretation used by individual justices to apply the Constitution in deciding cases and writing opinions. |
| This course describes the public policy process and analyzes various areas of substantive domestic policy at the national level. Topics covered include budgeting and taxation, education, health, welfare, and the environment. |
| This course examines key theories and contexts that shape American foreign policy strategy and important questions of foreign policy politics. It exposes students to foreign policy strategy as the means by which U.S. national interests and policies are formulated and to foreign policy politics as the roles played by institutions and actors within the foreign policymaking process. |
| This course will examine contemporary conflict and the use of force in world politics. It introduces two schools of thought (security studies and strategic studies) and examines theories and concepts used to understand contemporary global security. |
| This course uses key cases to study important doctrines established by the Supreme Court with regard to civil rights and civil liberties. Students will examine the Court's rulings concerning the establishment and free exercise of religion, protection of freedom of speech and of the press, privacy rights (abortion and sexual freedom), the rights of the accused in the criminal justice system, and the law governing racial or sexual discrimination. The course places particular emphasis on various forms of textual interpretation used by individual justices to apply the Constitution in deciding cases and writing opinions. |
| Governmental institutions, characteristics of state and local political systems and the major inter-governmental problems in state and local relations with federal government. |
| Students in this course study the development of Western political thought from Classical Greece to modern times, examining the conceptual evolution of citizenship, civic obligation, and the nature of justice and exploring the connection between moral and positive law in the western tradition. |
| This capstone seminar examines the historical and philosophical development of constitutional law in the United States; the seminar emphasizes the dynamic relationship between the law and moral and political philosophy. |
| This seminar allows junior and senior political science majors to pursue a research interest within a broad topic area prescribed for each semester the seminar is given. Students will present their work at an undergraduate research conference hosted by a regional university. |
| This foundational laboratory course introduces students to scientific methodology and experiment design as it applies to psychology. Students learn how to identify research questions through literature reviews, develop hypotheses, appropriately design and conduct research projects, and draw conclusions from the findings. The course engages students in data-collection laboratory experiences that culminate in the development, execution, analysis and APA-style presentation of an original experiment on a behavior-related topic of their own choosing. |
| A study of the major theories of personality, with emphasis on psychoanalysis, humanistic psychology, behaviorism, social learning, and trait theory. |
| A study of the history of psychology, including philosophical precursors to psychology, early and modern schools of thought within psychology, important trends, and famous psychologists. |
| A study of the issues raised for philosophy by contemporary religious thought. The course examines such topics as faith and reason; faith and culture; and interpretations of revelation, symbolism and religious language. |
| The aim of the class is to familiarize students with the methods and theories which are constitutive of the academic discipline of Religious Studies and to attune them to the historical context of the development of the study of religion as an academic discipline. |
| The course focuses on the issues surrounding one central topic in the study of religion. Topics include God, Postmodern Philosophy and Theology, Existentialism and Religion, Religion and Violence, Religious Fundamentalism, The Problem of Evil. |
| This course will examine ancient texts, contemporary commentaries, historical reconstructions, and artistic and literary depictions in its search for Jesus. |
| Students will complete a major paper, integrating their research, writing, and analytical skills. |
| Experiential-based course covering fundamental concepts and problems in social science research. Topics include ethics or research on human behavior, design, measurement, sampling, and interviewing and questionnaire construction. There is an emphasis on four research methods: available data, survey research, experiments, and field research. |
| An examination of the societal bases of health, illness and health care. The course will include an examination of the three components of medicine: the patient, the medical professional and the health care organization. Specific topics will include: the role of the patient; doctor-patient relationships; the socialization of medical professionals; the hospital as a complex organization, cross-cultural comparisons of health care and current topics of concern such as the AIDS epidemic, new technologies and social response to the terminally ill patient. |
| An examination of the causes of crime. The question of whether or not victimless crimes such as pornography, prostitution and drug use should be considered crimes is explored. This is primarily a theory course for criminal justice majors. |
| A critical analysis of selected themes and issues in contemporary sociology. Topics may vary. This course is conducted as a seminar requiring extensive student participation. |
| Discussion of more complex grammatical structures. Intensive practice in written Spanish. Development of advanced writing skills through composition assignments based on contemporary issues. |
| A study of the outstanding works of the period. |
| A study of the major works of the period. |
| Readings from the Enlightenment in Spain and an examination of the major works of romanticism and realism. |
| A study of the literary movement of the century, starting with the Generation '98 and modernism. |
| A study of significant writers of each century, with emphasis on recent developments. |
| An examination of native cultures before 1492, the arrival of Spanish explorers and their effect on these native populations. |
| This course is designed to introduce all categories of disability. Specific attention will be given to the potential cognitive, physical, social, behavioral, and language differences in children with disabilities. Delivery approach will include, but not be limited to: lecture, case study discussions, and student presentations. |