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Course Descriptions and Information
for Social Sciences Courses

Fall Term 2024-2025


CRN: 14436
Section: ANTH 109 01
Title: Intro to Cultural Anthropology
Instructor: Scholnick, Jonathan B.
Searles, Edmund Q.
General Course Objectives: The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the study of human diversity through the lens of cultural anthropology.
Description of Subject Matter: Cultural anthropology explores how people shape and are shaped by the world around them. Cultural anthropologists study a wide range of topics, including birth and death, time and space, family dynamics, parenting, wellness and disease, economics and politics, and gender and sexuality. In this course we will examine these topics from an anthropological perspective and learn more about the methods and theories anthropologists use to make sense of the diversity of lifeways on our planet.
Method of Instruction and Study: The method of instruction will consist of lectures and discussions. Evaluation will be based on attendance and participation as well as one’s performance on exams, essays, and an anthropological field project.
Instructional Materials and Sources: The method of instruction will consist of lectures and discussions. Evaluation will be based on attendance and participation as well as one’s performance on exams, essays, and an anthropological field project.
Requirements: Engineering Social Sciences
Social Sciences

CRN: 15524
Section: ECON 101 01
Title: Economic Principles/Problems
Instructor: Kinnaman, Thomas C.
Lefebvre, Stephan G.
Wolaver, Amy M.
General Course Objectives: An introduction to the study of economics and to the kinds of issues that economists try to understand. Though there is an introduction to economic theory, the course does not emphasize that theory to the exclusion of historical and descriptive kinds of information.
Description of Subject Matter: A brief introduction to the following topics: economic history, the history of economic thought, economic theory, economic problems, both domestic and international, with special emphasis on current economic issues in the U.S. economy.
Method of Instruction and Study: Class meets 1 to 3 times a week plus required film/lecture series every Wednesday evening. Lab work in economic theory also available on voluntary basis. Classes are lecture, discussion, with moderate reading assignments. Varies somewhat between sections. The current plan for course delivery is in person, subject to adjustment at instructor's discretion
Instructional Materials and Sources: Basic textbook, supplemented by newspapers and paperback.
Requirements: Social Sciences

CRN: 10598
Section: EDUC 101 02
Title: Foundations of Education
Instructor: Feuerstein, Abe N.
Fruja, Ramona M.
Henry, Sue Ellen
Kim, Grace J.
General Course Objectives: The educational institutions of contemporary American society are analyzed from a sociological perspective. Various social, philosophical, historical and economic factors which have determined the growth and direction of American public education will be investigated. The course will also examine selected crucial issues concerning contemporary education in the United States such as the relationship between school and community, integration and equality of educational opportunity, and the problems involved in educational decision - making.
Description of Subject Matter: Topics typically include many of the following issues: the connection between education and democracy/ inequality in educational opportunity; social reproduction theory; the history of public education in U.S.; philosophies of education; inequality in education based on issues of race, class, and/or gender; English as a second language; the experiences of minoritized youth in public schools; the experiences of immigrant youth in public schools; the teaching profession, initiatives to produce more just educational experiences, etc.
Method of Instruction and Study: Informal lectures will be utilized to present the content of the course, but ample time will be reserved for discussions of the problems of contemporary education. All students are expected to actively participate in such discussions.
Instructional Materials and Sources: All required readings will be from various texts which the student is expected to purchase. Some additional readings will be included on the course site and may be placed on library reserve.
Requirements: Engineering Social Sciences
Social Sciences

CRN: 14654
Section: EDUC 102 01
Title: Educational Psychology
Instructor: Dira, Lori A.
Kim, Grace J.
Lockard, Allison J.
Murray, Joe L.
General Course Objectives: This course explores variables that affect human learning and their implications for teaching and learning in schools and many other settings.
Description of Subject Matter: Topics include typical human development in physical, intellectual, psychosocial, and moral realms. Theories regarding learning, cognition, and motivation are discussed. Implications of theory and research, including topics such as learner-centered instruction, lesson planning, classroom management, and considerations in supporting the learning of all students, are investigated.
Method of Instruction and Study: This course is run with a heavy emphasis on informed discussion, activity-based learning and application, with occasional lecture as needed.
Instructional Materials and Sources: Textbook and selected other scholarly resources.
Requirements: Social Sciences

CRN: 16614
Section: ENST 215 01
Title: Environmental Planning
Instructor: Wilshusen, Peter R.
General Course Objectives: Explores the main approaches to planning theory and their environmental applications. Considers how environmental planning can promote the socio-ecological health and sustainability of democratic communities. Crosslisted as GEOG 215.
Requirements: Engineering Social Sciences
Social Sciences

CRN: 16610
Section: ENST 241 01
Title: Environmental Health & Climate
Instructor: Adomako, Janet
General Course Objectives: This course explores the connection between human-induced climate change and environmental health vulnerabilities. We will explore everyday socio-political drivers of climate change and impacts on health by situating environmental health within social contexts.
Description of Subject Matter: By the end of the course, students will demonstrate how political, economic, and environmental factors interact to amplify environmental health indicators of climate change. Students will analyze the connection between climate change and environmental health from multidisciplinary perspectives. These perspectives will be used to examine how energy consumption, food production, resource extraction, and other human activities create environmental health conditions that affect climate change.
Method of Instruction and Study: This course will use personal experiences through climate/sustainability challenge project, small-group discussions, in- class activities, group project and others to explore the connection between climate change environmental health.
Instructional Materials and Sources: Instructional materials will include text books, newspaper articles, videos/documentaries and others.
Requirements: Social Sciences

CRN: 16056
Section: GEOG 101 01
Title: Globalization, People & Place
Instructor: Christian, Jenna M.
General Course Objectives: Students who take this course will learn to identify and explain political, cultural, social and economic spatial patterns. This will complement students’ development of a human geographical perspective and a deep understanding of globalization to interpret current world issues and events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Description of Subject Matter: Through readings, lectures, and active learning, this course will expose you to fundamental issues and concepts relating to the discipline of Human Geography. Simultaneously, you will also investigate the concept of globalization, utilizing a range of disciplinary tools of inquiry to further understand the interdependent nature of the global economic system and the consequences this interdependence has for political, economic, and social problems. More to the point, you will have digested the course’s central theme: differences between places in the world are created by the very forces that tie those places to one another.
Method of Instruction and Study: This course combines lectures with active learning activities and peer writing to teach students course content as well as processes for data literacy, writing and revision.
Requirements: Engineering Social Sciences
Global and Societal Perspectives
Social Sciences

CRN: 16061
Section: GEOG 201 01
Title: Violence,War&FeministGeography
Instructor: Christian, Jenna M.
Description of Subject Matter: This course examines violence and war from a feminist geographic perspective. Rather than understanding politics as only unfolding in the spaces of formal institutions and nation-states, feminist geography examines how violence takes multiple shapes as it is experienced, navigated, and resisted in people’s everyday lives. Students will learn to think about war and violence as gendered processes that unfolds intersectionally alongside race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, and other aspects of identity. Key topics include, but are not limited to: militarism and militarization, gender in militaries, femicide, institutional and structural violence, slow violence and environmental racism, policing and prisons, colonial violence, and intimate partner violence, as well as modes of peacemaking and resistance to violence.
Requirements: Social Sciences

CRN: 13096
Section: IREL 100 01
Title: Globalization&World (Dis)Order
Instructor: Jozwiak Jr., Joseph F.
General Course Objectives: At the end of the semester students will -Have an understanding of what globalization constitutes and how it affects their lives and influences actors around the globe. -Identify various social, political and cultural forces of globalization which impact human experience and the causes and consequences of such forces. -Articulate a definition of globalization and offer a critical analysis of its impacts in their own lives and the lives of people around the world -Offer an informed contribution to debates about how to address global issues in the 21st century and improve the quality of life in the US and around the world.
Method of Instruction and Study: Each day will have discussions and writing activities. Homework and assignments each week turned in through Moodle.
Instructional Materials and Sources: Globalization: A Basic Text, Second Edition George Ritzer and Paul Dean. Wiley Blackwell. 2015. Threads: Gender, Labor and Power in the Global Apparel Industry Jane Collins. University of Chicago Press. 2003. World War Z Max Brooks. Broadway Paperbacks. 2006 (text available free online) ***Additional readings will be available on Moodle***
Requirements: Social Sciences

CRN: 16782
Section: IREL 101 01
Title: War, Peace, Power & Prosperity
Description of Subject Matter: How can we understand and critically examine world affairs? This course provides tools from multiple disciplines by examining pressing issues such as global conflicts, economic inequality, environmental change and imagining constructive pathways into the future. It will also familiarize students with various regions of the world to consider how the global interacts with the regional and local.
Requirements: Social Sciences

CRN: 16628
Section: IREL 200 01
Title: Globalization ofTransportation
Instructor: Jozwiak Jr., Joseph F.
Requirements: Engineering Social Sciences
Social Sciences

CRN: 16657
Section: IREL 265 01
Title: Culture, Identity, and Power
Instructor: Smith, Ron J.
General Course Objectives: Students will learn a range of theories and concepts that explain how gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, class, nationality, religion, and other forms of difference shape and are shaped by international affairs.
Requirements: Social Sciences

CRN: 15724
Section: LAMS 160 01
Title: Latinx Peoples in the US
Instructor: Cort, Aisha Z.
General Course Objectives: To enhance students’ oral, writing, and comprehension skills through discussion of the historical/societal contexts of Latinx experience • Analyze how systemic conditions shape personal experiences.
Description of Subject Matter: This course is an interdisciplinary study of the Latinx population in the United States. We will approach the subject through literature, film, music, academic articles, and direct contact with Latinx peoples.
Method of Instruction and Study: Class time includes a mix of lecture, discussion, student presentations, and small group discussions. Students are expected to read assigned materials prior to each meeting as well as to complete scheduled assignments that are to be submitted online. These assignments will help students prepare for the classroom-based activities as well as for the quizzes, tests, and papers that they are expected to complete.
Instructional Materials and Sources: Course materials include films, short videos, documentaries, book chapters, journal articles, social media, and news media.
Requirements: Social Sciences

CRN: 16794
Section: LING 110 01
Title: Ling Analysis:Sentence/Dialect
Instructor: Lavine, Jim E.
General Course Objectives: This course (together with LING 105) is designed to introduce students to contemporary linguistic theory and methods of linguistics analysis. This course offers perspectives on language that are quite different from those usually found in English or foreign language courses. Students analyze the general laws and principles governing all human languages, including the form and function of such principles and their variety in the world's languages.
Description of Subject Matter: The major subfields studied this semester are syntax (the structure of sentences), semantics (the study of linguistically-encoded meaning), and topics in sociolinguistics, including language variation and language discrimination.
Method of Instruction and Study: Classroom time will be balanced between lectures and discussion, as well as problem-solving sessions. Group work in class will also help develop basic skills of linguistic analysis.
Instructional Materials and Sources: O'Grady, Archibald, Aronoff, and Rees-Miller. 2017. Contemporary Linguistics: An Introduction. Seventh Edition. New York: St. Martin's Press. Stewart and Vaillette, eds. 2016. Language Files: Materials for an Introduction to Language and Linguistics. Twelfth Edition. Columbus, OH: Department of Linguistics, Ohio State University. Pinker. 1994. The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language. New York: Harper Perennial.
Note: LING 105 and LING 110 are equal halves of a two-course introduction to linguistics. These two courses can be taken in either order since their contents do not overlap. Neither is a prerequisite for the other.
Requirements: Engineering Social Sciences
Social Sciences

CRN: 14804
Section: POLS 120 01
Title: Comparative Politics
Instructor: Hecock Jr., Douglas
Xydias, Christina V.
General Course Objectives: This course offers students and introduction to the study of Comparative Politics in the field of Political Science. Comparative Politics is among the most dynamic and complex fields in the discipline as scholars and researchers attempt to uncover political processes across multiple countries spanning numerous world regions.
Description of Subject Matter: We find ourselves now in a world in which more actors are taking part in regional and global governance. Once the purview of only powerful and wealthy states in the North Atlantic region, international political power is found in emerging centers of global influence such as those in India, China, Mexico, Nigeria, Iran, Brazil, and South Africa. It is all the more essential that students be prepared to engage a constantly shifting international environment in which actors from developing nations are playing a greater role.
Method of Instruction and Study: This course is divided into three parts. Part I offers students a conceptual and historical introduction to the study of comparative politics including theoretical debates on how comparative politics differs from other subfields in political science. Part II provides students with comparative theoretical and conceptual approaches to the informed comparison of national legislatures, political regimes, the use of executive authority, the role of judiciaries in national political systems as well as patterns of protest, representation, and repression central to the lived political experiences of individual across the globe. Part III offers students in-depth case studies on a wide variety of countries including wealthy, industrialized democracies such as Canada, Britain, Germany, and France as well as middle income developing nations such as Mexico, Kenya, Russia, and China.
Instructional Materials and Sources: Students will be evaluated through two topical, non-cumulative take-home exams in the format of an essay in addition to the completion of one completed book review.
Requirements: Social Sciences

CRN: 14779
Section: POLS 140 02
Title: American Politics
Instructor: Kim, Yongkwang
Meinke, Scott R.
General Course Objectives: This course provides a general survey of American government and politics, and it is focused on two main objectives: to understand basic principles, institutions, and processes of American national government, and to learn and apply frameworks for critical thinking, discussion, and writing about contemporary American politics. While the course provides a foundational understanding of American politics to prepare political science majors and minors for more in-depth American politics study, it is also designed to provide interested non-majors with a background that will enable them to be more informed and thoughtful participants in the political process.
Description of Subject Matter: Specific topics covered will include the American Constitution and its foundations; the legislative, executive, and judicial institutions and their policymaking activities; the electoral process; the role of public opinion, interest groups, and parties in national politics. The course will also examine theoretical approaches scholars use in answering major questions in American politics, and it will consider in some depth the political challenges and crises that America currently faces.
Method of Instruction and Study: Class sessions will involve a mix of lecture, class discussion, and small-group discussion, and projects. Evaluation will be based on two tests, a term paper, discussant duty, oral presentation, class participation/preparation, and additional assignments TBA.
Instructional Materials and Sources: TBA
Requirements: Engineering Social Sciences
Social Sciences

CRN: 14755
Section: POLS 170 01
Title: International Politics
Instructor: Doces, John A.
Stedem, Kelly A.
General Course Objectives: (1) Learn the vocabulary of international politics; (2) Identify the factors that influence the behavior of states and other global actors; (3) Show comprehension and application of the paradigms and theories used to deconstruct the international political system; (4) Enhance students’ understanding of contemporary issues facing the international political system.
Description of Subject Matter: International Politics introduces students to the fundamentals of international relations and traditional explanations for conflict and cooperation. We will also examine contemporary issues in international politics ranging from forms of violence and human rights to globalization and potential arenas for future conflict. The course will thus help students recognize important questions in IR, while also providing the conceptual framework to answer these questions theoretically and empirically. Upon successful completion of the course, students will be equipped with analytical tools essential for understanding the politics of war, peace, and international cooperation.
Method of Instruction and Study: The course will mix lecture, discussion, and a simulation game. Students are expected to complete all the readings before the day they are assigned to gain the most from lectures. Grades will be based upon attendance and participation, midterm and final exams, and a research paper.
Instructional Materials and Sources: Textbook and supplementary materials.
Requirements: Engineering Social Sciences
Global and Societal Perspectives
Social Sciences

CRN: 10108
Section: PSYC 100 01
Title: Introduction to Psychology
Instructor: Flack Jr., Bill F.
Grisel, Judy E.
Winter, Nicole
General Course Objectives: 1. You will learn about some of the major topic areas and controversies in Euroamerican Psychology. 2. You will learn how to think and write critically about the knowledge produced by psychologists. 3. You will learn to be “reflexive” (consider intersectional relationships among your identities and what you are learning) and to consider links between your experiences and current issues of social justice.
Description of Subject Matter: Class sessions will consist of brief lectures, video examples, writing-to-learn, and small and large group discussion. There will be no quizzes or exams, but you will do lots of writing and revising, and grading will be labor-based (credit for your coursework and my assessment of it will be kept separate). You will have the option of participating in research studies being conducted by Psychology Department faculty.
Method of Instruction and Study: Although lectures are the primary means of instruction, there will also be small assignments, demonstrations, and observation of different kinds of behaviors via videos or by observing people or animals.
Instructional Materials and Sources: The “textbook” for this course will consist of chapters taken from https://nobaproject.com, a free online resource in psychology. Chapters will be paired weekly with journal articles that focus in on some specific topic within the chapter. All chapters and articles will be available on Moodle.
Requirements: Engineering Social Sciences
Social Sciences
Writing Level 2

CRN: 14440
Section: SOCI 100 03
Title: Introduction to Sociology
Instructor: Bjerre, Mette Evelyn E.
General Course Objectives: To provide an introduction to the concepts and methods sociologists use to investigate social interaction and human groups. At the end of the course students should be familiar with how sociologists define culture and/or society, basic sociological principles, and be able to apply sociological concepts and/or principles to individual experiences and the social world.
Description of Subject Matter: This course focuses on how individuals interact with and within social groups, institutions, and social structures, and how these social constructions shape ideas of history, space, and culture. We apply various theoretical frameworks within sociology to help interpret behavior and social issues. As DUSC course, how particular identities and statuses, based on race, ethnicity, class, gender, age, etc., shape our individual experiences, group interactions, and the patterns of inequality in the United States are also examined.
Method of Instruction and Study: Varies by instructor and by section, but focus on the common course objectives.
Instructional Materials and Sources: Varies by instructor and by section.
Requirements: Engineering Social Sciences
Social Sciences

CRN: 10499
Section: WMST 150 01
Title: Intro Women's & Gender Studies
Instructor: Altendorf, Karen A.
McCabe, Katharine
Trusty, Rachel A.
General Course Objectives: This course is designed to present academic, social, political, and cultural perspectives in Women’s and Gender Studies, with an emphasis on women’s lives. Our aim is to understand the major concepts and vocabulary in the field, to situate and assess human experience within feminist frameworks, to interrogate assumptions about gender and intersecting categories of identity and social location, and to raise questions about diverse issues in women’s lives.
Description of Subject Matter: Our discussion will largely focus on three areas: 1) the history, scope, and context of feminism; 2) concepts, themes, and analytical tools often used in Women’s and Gender Studies; and 3) several key areas of life that feminists have attempted to understand and change for the better (including but not limited to family, work, bodies, and media).
Method of Instruction and Study: Lectures, discussions, papers, mid-term examination, web blog
Instructional Materials and Sources: Textbook, supplementary readings, internet, film, music
Requirements: Engineering Social Sciences
Social Sciences
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