190’s and 290’s are considered Introductory-Level.
390’s and 490’s are considered Advanced-Level.
BIO 490, The Science and The Story
Professor C. Coenen
TTH 3:00 PM 4:15 PM
Credits: 4
An examination of science journalism, essay writing, and other venues of science writing for a general audience. Students will gain experience in using story as a ‘hook’ in writing about science for non-expert readers. We will consider purpose and forms of science writing, the power of story in conveying scientific information, audience awareness, accessible language, scientific accuracy, and writerly tools for engaging readers.
Prerequisites FSBIO 201, FSCHE 201, or any upper-level science course
EDUC 390, Higher Education in the Americas
Professor K. Stephens
TTH 9:30 AM 10:45 AM
Credits: 4
An investigation of theories, themes, and guiding concepts that frame scholarship and discussions on Higher Education in North America. Discussions focus on the history, economics, purpose, and current- day structure(s) of different types of colleges and universities. This course is useful for students who are interested in social justice issues in education, careers in teaching, and those who are considering graduate school in the field of education.
Prerequisites: COMJ 160 OR EDUC 100
ENGL 290, Women, Literature, and the Art of Voice
Abbreviated Title: women, Literature, Voice
Professor S. Caballero
TTH 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Credits: 4
A study of contemporary women’s writing with a focus on the craft of a writing voice. Students explore women’s poetry, novels, and memoirs to investigate women writers’ approaches to crafting a writing voice. Through the lenses of intersectional feminist-queer writers and practitioners and genre, students engage the writing approaches and strategies women writers use and experiment with to magnify women’s voices and stories in writing.
ENVSC 390, Human-Carnivore Coexistence in a Changing World
Professor K. Pearce
MW 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Credits: 4
A study of human-carnivore coexistence in both a historical context and modern-day conservation. Students investigate if growing human populations and expanding anthropogenic activities can co-adapt with wildlife in a sustainable manner. Students explore social constructions of wildlife and identify trends in human attitudes and societal organization that influence human-wildlife relationships and affect conservation. Students review potential strategies to mitigate human-wildlife conflict.
Prerequisites: ENVSC 110 or BIO 220
ENVSC 390, Water Resources Management and Sustainability
Abbreviated Title: Water Resources
Professor L. Demi
Credits: 4
An overview of the current state of water resources and issues related to their sustainable management., Topics include access to safe drinking water, water for irrigation and other economic activities and the intersection of these objectives with issues of social and environmental justice. Students investigate the threats to water resources and challenges faced by resource managers across multiple scales ranging from local issues to global threats such as anthropogenic climate change.
ENVSC 490, Political Ecologies
Professor J. Swann-Quinn
TTH 9:30 AM 10:45 AM
Credits: 4
An exploration of intersections between power and our environments. Political ecology applies social and political theory, culturally-informed methods, and social justice commitments to better understand complex nature-society entanglements. Students apply multiple social science lenses, including political economy, geography, anthropology, and history, to better understand how our relations with the material world shape broader systems and networks of power. Together we read, discuss, and engage in project-based learning to explore challenging cases both international and domestic Topics include the political dimensions of resource management, food systems, post-colonial environments, industrial and chemical ecologies, wildlife conservation, and international development, among others.
EXL 390, There and Back Again
Professor B. Doyle
Credits: 1
A structured reflection of study away experience. We explore the process of reintegrating into life back home after a profound experience in another culture and reflect on ways in which the experience may have reshaped or redefined values, beliefs, and goals. Students identify transferable skills gained from studying away and learn how to showcase those skills to future employers, in job or graduate school applications and in an interview setting. Required of all students in the semester following their time studying away. This will be taught as a 7-week course.
Must be taken Credit/No Credit.
Prerequisite: Study away in previous term.
EXL 390, Not All Who Wander Are Lost
Professor B. Doyle
Credits: 1
A forum for students to prepare for their upcoming semester of study off campus. Practical information such as accessing money, obtaining a student visa, and health & safety advice is covered as well as more nuanced topics like cross cultural adjustment and communication, navigating foreign academic systems, and setting achievable goals for the period abroad. Required of all students prior to a semester of study away. This will be taught as a 7-week course.
Must be taken Credit/No Credit.
Prerequisites: Must be approved to study away in an upcoming semester.
GHS 190, Creating Healthy Communities: Foundations of Public Health Policy and Practice
Abbreviated Title: Creating Healthy Communities
Professor B. Dawson
Credits: 4
An introduction to the fields of public health policy and practice and their application to the study of human health. This course traces definitions of being healthy and makes connections between community health and individual health. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the social determinants of health and how public policy, governmental actions, and community engagement are necessary to create healthy communities. Students explore the role of public health policy and administration in a wide array of efforts to improve health, ranging from health regulations and best practices, to what disease mitigation requirements are necessary at schools and businesses.
NEURO 390, Origins of Neuroscience
Professor J. Hollerman
Credits: 4
A review of salient individuals and discoveries that contributed to the development and expansion of neuroscience as a discipline. Students read about and discuss works on origins of our understanding of fundamentals of neuroanatomy, chemical messengers, and electrical signaling. Students will also investigate the early application of these fundamentals in areas of learning and memory, drug actions, and cognitive function and dysfunction.
Prerequisites: NEURO 110, PSYCH 150, PSYCH 152, or PSYCH 154
NEURO 390, Behavioral Endocrinology
Professor M. Bertholomey
MWF 1:30 PM 2:20 PM
Credits: 4
A study of how the endocrine system influences behavior. This course will combine aspects of Psychology, Biology, and Neuroscience to understand how hormones interact with neural systems to regulate sleep and circadian rhythms, sexual development and sexual activity, feeding, stress responses, social behavior, cognition, and psychopathology. An understanding of the chemistry and physiology of hormones, and their modulation of the nervous system to influence a variety of behavioral processes, will be gained through a combination of lectures, readings, and student-led presentations of the primary literature.
Must be taken on a letter-grade basis.
Prerequisites: One of the following: NEURO 110, PSYCH 152, PSYCH 154, PSYCH 172, or BIO 220; and one of the following: PSYCH 206, FSBIO, or another research methods course.
PHIL 190, Learning From Arguments
Professor I. Kurtsal
Credits: 4
A study of how we gain knowledge about a subject when we engage with arguments. Students learn the difference between disagreements and arguments, practice recognizing and critiquing the assumptions or premises of an argument, and experience entertaining a perspective different from their own. These skills are gained through engagement with controversies such as whether we have free will; whether taxation, abortion, or eating animals is ethical; how what’s ethical is determined;, whether death is something to be feared; and whether knowledge is possible.
PHIL 290, Object Lessons
Professor I. Kurtsal
Credits: 4
An exploration of the uses of ontology (the study of existence) through artworks. Students apply analytical reasoning to works of art broadly defined in order to understand physical, temporal, psychological, and social aspects of pieces of art. Exploration of the relationships between artists, audiences, critics and artworks is highlighted to give students concrete examples through which to consider how ontology may improve the world.
POLSC 390, Comparative Political Theory
Professor S. Wesoky
Credits: 4
An introduction to the emerging field of “comparative political theory,” with an emphasis on political subjectivity. We first consider the very notion of thinking “comparatively” in political philosophy, critically assessing how to incorporate “non-western” ways of thinking about politics and comparing various ways of expanding thinking about politics beyond European and North American thought traditions. We then examine examples of Chinese, Buddhist, indigenous, and other approaches to reflect on how diverse historical experiences and cultural traditions can offer new insights into how we consider the relationship between the individual, society, the state, and the ecosystem.
PSYCH 190, Drugs and Human Behavior
Professor N. Frambes
MWF 1:30 PM 2:20 PM
Credits: 4
A basic overview of physiological and neurochemical aspects of drug use. Students learn about the properties of specific psychoactive drugs, how these drugs work in the body, and how the body responds to and eliminates these drugs. Special topics will include the relationship between method of drug use and drug effect, the neurological bases of substance dependency, and treatment of addiction.
PSYCH 491, Sports Psychology
Professor S. Kolek
Credits: 4
A close examination of psychological research in the context of coach and athlete behavior and cognition, including mental health and physical health implications. Students will read and evaluate research on motivation, goal-setting, stress, decision-making, team-building, and physical performance, with a focus on individual differences and environmental factors.
Prerequisites: PSYCH 206 and any PSYCH 100-level course.
THTR 290, Theatre for Young Audiences
Professor R. Hoey
TTH 3:00 PM 4:15 PM
Credits: 4
An investigation of children’s theatre techniques for K-8 experiential learning through dramatic play, storytelling, and arts integration. Students engage in age appropriate literary text adaptations as well as curriculum building using performance and theatre exercises. Students hone skills in instruction, rehearsal techniques, redirecting behavior, and classroom engagement. Additionally, students practice ways of approaching teaching artistic work for neurodivergent youth and how different learning styles can be supported through accessible, kinesthetic activities.
Prerequisites: THTR 100 or THTR 150 or EDUC 100
WGSS 190, Prison Activism in American Society
Abbreviated Title: Prison Activism in the U.S.
Professor T. Ferguson
MWF 1:30 PM 2:20 PM
Credits: 4
A study of prison activism in the history of imprisonment in the United States. In this class, students will inquire into the history of U.S. prison activism as a social practice and political intervention into systems of domination. Cultural, spiritual, and political actions will be investigated as the tools of liberation for social change We will study different styles of activism – organized resistance, sabotage, protests, newsletters, letter-writing campaigns, legal actions, media campaigns and grassroots networks – that reflect the collective struggle for human rights, social justice, and political transformation. Through an intersectional and interdisciplinary lens, we will learn from a broad range of scholarly readings, case studies, public campaigns, and primary source materials from a diversity of fields, including cultural, communication studies, and feminist studies, sociology, carceral studies, and history.