Courses - Spring 2024
AASP100
Significant aspects of the history of African Americans with particular emphasis on the evolution and development of black communities from slavery to the present. Interdisciplinary introduction to social, political, legal and economic roots of contemporary problems faced by blacks in the United States with applications to the lives of other racial and ethnic minorities in the Americas and in other societies.
AASP100H
Significant aspects of the history of African Americans with particular emphasis on the evolution and development of black communities from slavery to the present. Interdisciplinary introduction to social, political, legal and economic roots of contemporary problems faced by blacks in the United States with applications to the lives of other racial and ethnic minorities in the Americas and in other societies.
Restricted to HONR students only.
AASP101
Public Policy and the Black Community
Formerly: AASP300.
The impact of public policies on the black community and the role of the policy process in affecting the social, economic and political well-being of minorities. Particular attention given to the post-1960 to present era.
AASP187
The New Jim Crow: African-Americans, Mass Incarceration and the Prison Industrial Complex
Recommended: AASP100.
Students will examine the birth of the racial caste system following the abolition of slavery, the parallels between the racial hierarchy of the Jim Crow system and contemporary mass incarceration, and the rise of the prison industrial complex as a multi-billon business which thrives on the oppression of low-income populations and poor communities of color.
AASP202
The course examines important aspects of African American life and thought which are reflected in African American literature, drama, music and art. Beginning with the cultural heritage of slavery, the course surveys the changing modes of black creative expression from the 19th-century to the present.
AASP202H
The course examines important aspects of African American life and thought which are reflected in African American literature, drama, music and art. Beginning with the cultural heritage of slavery, the course surveys the changing modes of black creative expression from the 19th-century to the present.
AASP211
Get Out: The Sunken Place of Race Relations in the Post-Racial Era
Credit only granted for: AASP298G or AASP211.
Formerly: AASP298G.
Prevailing thought suggests that we live in an era that is post-racial, particularly after the election of Barack Obama. Media often serves to drive our assessment of where our nation stands on issues like race, gender and sexuality. This course uses the film Get Out to delve into the production, evolution and significance of race in present day America. The course will engage multiple forms of media to investigate life in "Post-Racial" America, including but not limited to the role of stereotypes, interracial relationships, police-community relations, etc.
AASP255
African-American History, 1865 - Present
Cross-listed with: HIST255.
Credit only granted for: HIST255, AASP255 or AASP298A.
An introductory course in the African-American experience in the United States from 1865 to the present. Topics include the aftermath of the Civil War on US race relations, the rise of segregation, northern migration, World War I and II, Civil Rights Movements, and the Black Power Movement.
AASP400
AASP400H
AAST
Asian American Studies
Department Site
AAST200
Cross-listed with: AMST298C.
Credit only granted for: AAST200 or AMST298C.
The aggregate experience of Asian Pacific Americans, from developments in the countries of origin to their contemporary issues. The histories of Asian Pacific American groups as well as culture, politics, the media, and stereotypes, viewed from an interdisciplinary perspective.
AAST201
Cross-listed with: HIST221.
Credit only granted for: AAST201 or HIST221.
Introduction to the history of Asian Americans and Asians in the United States and the Americas and to the field of Asian American Studies, from an interdisciplinary perspective. Topics include theories of race and ethnicity; Asian migration and diaspora to the Americas; Asian American work and labor issues; gender, family, and communities; nationalism and nativism, and anti-Asian movements; Asian Americans in World War II, the Cold War, and the issues in the civil rights & post-civil rights era.
AMST
American Studies
Department Site
AMST202
Cultures of Everyday Life in America
Examine the structures and patterns of everyday life in the U.S., utilizing methods such as ethnography, oral history, survey research, and textual, visual, and material cultural analysis.
AMST298C
Cross-listed with: AAST200.
Credit only granted for: AAST200 or AMST298C.
The aggregate experience of Asian Pacific Americans, from developments in the countries of origin to their contemporary issues. The histories of Asian Pacific American groups as well as culture, politics, the media, and stereotypes, viewed from an interdisciplinary perspective.
ANTH
Anthropology
Department Site
ANTH242
Fire, Farming and Climate Change: An Archaeology Take on the History of Human Impacts on our Planet
An examination of why climate changes, the methods for recording climate change, and case studies of the varied responses of past human societies to climate change in different geographic regions and time periods with varying socio-political and economic systems.
ANTH260
Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology and Linguistics
Culture and social relationships in a wide variety of settings from small-scale to complex societies. An overview of how anthropology analyzes human behavior. Particular attention to the relationship between language and culture.
ANTH264
Cross-listed with: IMMR219C.
Credit only granted for: ANTH264 or IMMR219C.
An examination of the phenomenon of international migration, or immigration. Students develop awareness of how immigration has been framed in the general public and examined by social science disciplines, most prominently anthropology. Examination of case studies of different immigrant groups in distinct geographic contexts will illuminate the varied incorporation experiences of immigrants into U.S. society.
ANTH265
An overview of the growing field of global health including health care systems, medical practices, ideas about illness in cross-cultural contexts, issues of health development, global health inequity, and human rights issues. The course will focus on the history of global health, the critique of major international health agencies and their development paradigms, and the political economy of social inequalities and health.
ANTH323
Credit only granted for: ANTH429A or ANTH323.
Formerly: ANTH429A.
The impact of diseases on populations from prehistoric times through the present will be examined, along with public perceptions of disease, scientific breakthroughs on treatment and prevention, and the ways that politics and public health policies can enhance or impede the advancement of disease treatment. The natural history of disease, population structure, and immunity will be discussed. The class will address emerging and re-emerging diseases and the ways that first responders, researchers, and policy makers may affect the outcome of an outbreak.
ARCH
Architecture
Department Site
ARCH420
History of American Architecture
Prerequisite: ARCH225 and ARCH226; or ARCH425 and ARCH426; or permission of the ARCH-Architecture program.
American architecture from the late 17th to the 21st century.
AREC
Agricultural and Resource Economics
Department Site
AREC210
The Food Chain: What Happens As Your Food Goes From Farm to Table
How can we feed a growing global population, reduce farming's environmental damage, and provide a healthier diet, all in the face of climate change? The course explores these global food system challenges in the context of the food supply chains that link farms, input providers, traders, food processors, retailers, consumers, and governments. We assess how supply chains are organized; how they use technologies; and how they can create organizations, develop new technologies, and adapt food production practices to meet these four major challenges facing the global food system.
AREC240
Introduction to Economics and the Environment
Credit only granted for: ECON200, AREC240, or AREC250 .
Costs and social impacts of pollution and human crowding in the modern environment. The economic, legal and institutional causes of these problems. Public policy approaches to solutions and the costs and benefits of alternative solutions.
AREC345
This interdisciplinary course explores social and economic development around the world. Topics include geography, democratization, political instability and conflict, health and education, agricultural development, micro-entrepreneurship, and an introduction to impact evaluation methods used to evaluate the efficacy of public policy aimed at alleviating poverty.
ARTT
Art Studio
Department Site
ARTT260
Combines a broad historical analysis of the relationship between art and authority with an examination of contemporary culture criticism and art practice. Explores the uses and abuses of art and culture in totalitarianand theocratic states as a prelude to a review of the role of official culture in the United States. Examines art and culture in the public arena and many related areas where the arts and policy interact.
CCJS
Criminology and Criminal Justice
Department Site
CCJS100
Introduction to Criminal Justice
Introduction to the administration of criminal justice in a democratic society, with emphasis on the theoretical and historical development of law enforcement. The principles of organization and administration for law enforcement; functions and specific activities; planning and research; public relations; personnel and training; inspection and control; direction; policy formulation.
CCJS105
Introduction to Criminology
Criminal behavior and the methods of its study; causation; typologies of criminal acts and offenders; punishment, correction and incapacitation; prevention of crime.
CCJS325
Slavery in the Twenty First Century: Combating Human Trafficking
What is human trafficking and how do we stop it? An introduction to the trafficking of human beings in its historical, legal, economic, political and social contexts. Scope of the global problem, different forms of human trafficking, and regional trends and practices. Roles of government, the international community and individual actors. Strategies to combat trafficking.
CHSE
Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education
CHSE205
Disability: From Stigma and Sideshow to Mainstream and Main Street
Credit only granted for: EDSP289I or CHSE205.
Formerly: EDSP289I.
Explores the cultural, historical, educational, and medical roots of difference among human beings and examines the impact of cultural and technological changes on individuals traditionally identified as disabled. The course is designed to develop a broad understanding of the concept of "disability" and the emerging technologies that shape contemporary understanding of this phenomenon and the lives of those considered disabled.
CLAS
Classics
Department Site
CLAS180
An exploration of the cultural traits and developments of ancient Greek civilization and its forerunners, from the Bronze Age Mycenaeans and Minoans, through the rise of the classical Greek city-states, to the expansion of Greek cultural influence in the wake of the conquests of Alexander the Great. Drawing upon the evidence of the archaeological remains as well as ancient historical and literary documents, students gain a basic familiarity with the principal monuments and artifacts of classical Greek civilization, the various institutions and values that characterized the Greeks, and the significant historical events that transformed the culture over the course of antiquity.
CLAS276
Credit only granted for: CLAS276 or CLAS289A.
Formerly: CLAS289A.
America, from its very origins as an independent nation, saw itself as the new Rome: its system of government is built on Roman precedents, its national buildings look as if they came from the Roman Forum, and its leisure activities take us to stadiums modeled on the Colosseum. America's relationship to Rome, however, raises its greatest anxiety: will America fall as Rome did? In 1776, the year of American independence, Edward Gibbon published his History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire; America has been thinking about the trajectory of its history alongside Rome's from the very beginning.
CLAS321
How did ancient Greek and Roman scientific practices differ from and resemble our own? How do we as historians recognize when someone is conducting scientific inquiry? What were the social and cultural contexts of scientific production in the ancient world? With a focus on the scientific practices and products of ancient Greeks and Romans from around the fifth century BCE to the second century CE, we investigate how several scientific disciplines -- including medicine, astronomy, and biology --developed under the influence of ancient social and cultural contexts, and how ancient literatures, in turn, were shaped by those working in scientific fields of inquiry. In addressing these questions special attention will be paid to the methods employed by the available sources of ancient scientists and the modes of demonstration, argumentation, and rhetoric employed in scientific texts. Readings of primary materials will be supplemented with selections of secondary scholarship.
CPSS
College Park Scholars-Science, Technology and Society
CPSS225
College Park Scholars Capstone: Science, Technology, and Society
Prerequisite: CPSS100.
Restriction: Must be in the College Park Scholars Science, Technology & Society (CPSS) program.
Formerly: CPSP227.
Exploration and understanding of ways science and technology shape and are shaped by society.
ECON
Economics
Department Site
The Department of Economics enforces course prerequisites. Students who do not meet the course prerequisites will be administratively dropped from the course.
ECON185
Will we face an energy crisis in the near future, or will technological breakthroughs solve problems? Will we destroy the environment by careless use of polluting energy, or we will find new and clean sources of energy that resolves the environmental issue once and for all? Will politicians and governments succeed in agreeing on a coherent strategy to deal with global issues related to energy, or do we expect individual countries to move in different directions and exacerbate the problems? Students will explore the demand and supply sides of the energy market and their relationships with government policies and environmental concerns. Students will also analyze empirical evidence to better understand the factors affecting energy production and consumption in the past and possible directions in the future. By examining past situations when technological change mitigated problems in energy markets, we can make informed predictions about what could happen next.
ECON200
Principles of Microeconomics
Prerequisite: MATH107 or MATH110; or must have math eligibility of MATH113 or higher.
Credit only granted for: ECON200, AREC240, or AREC250.
Additional information: It is recommended that students complete ECON200 before taking ECON201.
Introduces economic models used to analyze economic behavior by individuals and firms and consequent market outcomes. Applies conceptual analysis to several policy issues and surveys a variety of specific topics within the broad scope of microeconomics.
ECON201
Principles of Macroeconomics
Prerequisite: MATH107 or MATH110; or must have math eligibility of MATH113 or higher.
Recommended: ECON200.
Credit only granted for: ECON201 or ECON205.
An introduction to how market economies behave at the aggregate level. The determination of national income/output and the problems of unemployment inflation, will be examined, along with monetary and fiscal policy.
EDCP
Education Counseling and Personnel Services
Department Site
EDCP230
The Science and Practice of Happiness and Psychological Well-Being
An introduction to theory and research on positive psychology, subjective well-being, and the psychology of happiness. This will include examination of hedonic and eudaimonic models of well-being and sociocultural understandings of happiness, together with how it relates to health, relationships, money, religion, work, and social media. Students will also explore common misconceptions and myths about happiness and well-being and will engage in a variety of activities designed to deepen their understanding of happiness in their own lives and broader societal trends related to well-being.
EDHD
Education, Human Development
Department Site
EDHD201
Learning How to Learn
Immerses students in the theoretical and empirical study of learning by engaging them in orchestrated experiences and activities drawn directly from the disciplinary research. Students achieve deep understanding of their own learning, as well as the means of enhancing that learning both in school and out-of-school contexts.
EDHD210
Foundations of Early Childhood Education
Restriction: Permission of EDUC-Human Development and Quantitative Methodology department.
Students explore historical and current research in early childhood education, primary models of curriculum and pedagogy in the field, and the relationship between critical aspects of young children's development and the creation of inclusive learning opportunities for all children, including children at risk. The concept of developmentally appropriate practice and its application across different developmental levels and early childhood classrooms will be introduced and connected with discussion in EDHD220 and EDSP211. Students examine issues in developing and implementing high quality early childhood education experiences for young children with and without disabilities, including the influence of family, culture, and community, the needs of children at risk (e.g., poverty, immigrant status, English Language Learners), and the role of assessment in early learning.
EDHD230
Development of the individual in the context of relationships with the formal and informal institutions of society. An examination of various aspects of development from the broad perspective of the social sciences.
EDHD310
Your Brain on Education: The Neuroscience of Learning and Development
Prerequisite: PSYC100.
Investigation linking research in the brain science of learning and development, including the neural basis of academic skills, to achievement, disability, and broader applications to classroom learning. This course will focus on areas of education including language (spoken and written), conceptual change, numerical/quantitative processing, and social cognition as well as burgeoning areas of neuroscientific research in general cognitive processes such as attention, memory, and executive processing. These topics will be discussed with respect to typical and atypical development with some focus on developmental disabilities including autism, specific language impairment, reading and math impairment, and attention deficit disorders among others. This course will focus on both the theoretical perspectives and pragmatic issues of how evidence regarding brain development can or may be translated into useful or misleading information for educators, professionals, and parents/guardians of our children.
EDHD320
Human Development Through the Life Span
Central concepts related to parameters of human development, individual and social, which arise throughout the life span. Continuity and change within the developing individual.
EDHD411
Child Growth and Development
Theoretical approaches to and empirical studies of physical, psychological and social development from conception to puberty. Implications for home, school and community.
EDHD412
Infant Development
Infant development across domains, including perceptual, motor, cognitive, language, social and emotional functioning from pre-natal through third year of life.
EDHD413
Adolescent Development
Adolescent development, including special problems encountered in contemporary culture. Observational component and individual case study.
EDHD460
Educational Psychology
Prerequisite: PSYC100; or permission of EDUC-Human Development and Quantitative Methodology department.
Application of psychology to learning processes and theories. Individual differences, measurement, motivation, emotions, intelligence, attitudes, problem solving, thinking and communicating in educational settings.
ENSP
Environmental Science and Policy
Department Site
ENSP102
Introduction to Environmental Policy
Additional information: May be taken before or after ENSP101.
Second of two courses that introduce students to the topics studied and methods employed in environmental science and policy. Emphasis on the process of formulating, implementing, and evaluating policy responses to environmental problems, with particular attention to policy controversies related to scientific uncertainty, risk assessment, the valuation of nature, and distributional equity. May be taken before or after ENSP101.
FMSC
Family Science
Department Site
FMSC190
An examination of changing fatherhood roles, health, and inequality in diverse families. Focus will be on masculinities and disparities among men by race and class; provider role expectations; and trauma and violence faced by men in contemporary society.
FMSC260
Couples, Marriage, and Families: Intimate Relationship Across the Life Course
Covers the different aspects of couple relationships and family life. This includes common problems in couple relationships, and resources to strengthen couple and family relationships. You will also learn about stages of relationships, theories of love and family, policy related to couples and family formation, and how research is conducted with couples and families. Together, we will discuss and explore issues that couples and families face in modern times and will consider how many of these issues have changed due to policy, technology, attitudes, and a variety of other societal factors that impact relationships in the 21st century. You will also learn important methods of strengthening current and future relationships.
Restricted to majors or non-majors with less than or equal to 60 credits.
FMSC302
Prerequisite: Must have completed an introductory statistics course.
Restriction: Must be in a major within SPHL-Family Science department.
Credit only granted for: FMSC302 or FMST302.
Formerly: FMST302.
Introduction to the methods of the social and behavioral sciences employed in family science. The role of theory, the development of hypotheses, measurement, design, and data analysis.
FMSC330
Restriction: Junior standing or higher.
The objective of this gateway course is to help you understand and apply basic theories and empirical data on family health. The course is designed to provide you with skills to think critically about theories including: Life Course Theory, the Bio-Ecological and Social-Ecological Models, and Systems Theory. We will ask questions about the distinct qualities and intersections of contexts and characteristics that impact the functioning of families. We will apply theory and research to topical issues in family health that are impacted by social structures such as conflict, crisis, migration, incarceration and inequalities.
FMSC332
Children in Families
Prerequisite: PSYC100 or FMSC105.
Credit only granted for: FMSC332 or FMST332.
Formerly: FMST332.
A family life education approach to the study of children and families. Emphasis on the interaction of children with parents, siblings, extended kin, and the community.
FMSC460
Prerequisite: SOCY100, SOCY105, or PSYC100.
Credit only granted for: FMSC460 or FMST460.
Formerly: FMST460.
Theories of child, spouse, and elder abuse in the family setting. Emphasis on historical, psychological, sociological and legal trends relating to physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Introduction to methods for prevention and remediation.
GEMS
Gemstone
GEMS104
Topics in Science, Technology and Society (STS)
Prerequisite: GEMS100.
Restriction: Must be in the Gemstone program.
An examination of how cultural, economic, political and social forces shape scientific and technological systems and, conversely, how scientific and technological systems have affected the culture, economies, organization and politics of societies. Students in the course will form small teams to carry out semester-long research on socio/technical topics related to the course theme chosen for that specific semester.
GEMS104 discussions will be various times through the week beginning January 24 and running through spring break on March 18. Beginning with week 9, March 28 (the week after spring break), GEMS104 lectures will continue to be on Tuesdays from 5-6:15pm and discussions will move to Thursdays (March 31 is the first Thursday) from 5-6:15pm.
GVPT
Government and Politics
Department Site
GVPT170
American Government
A comprehensive study of national government in the United States.
GVPT200
A study of the major factors underlying international relations, the causes of conflict and cooperation among international actors, the role of international institutions, the interactions of domestic and foreign policies, and major issues in security, economy and the environment.
GVPT203
An introduction to the persistent challenge of authoritarianism. The course explores the nature of authoritarianism and its evolution from ancient through modern times. Students will study how authoritarian regimes vary, why citizens sometimes comply with them, and when and how citizens rebel. The course concludes with a review of contemporary authoritarianism, focusing on its resilience in the Middle East and East Asia and its potential for a resurgence in the US and Europe.
GVPT282
A study of the domestic governmental institutions; processes and problems such as conflict and economic development; and the socio-economic environments that are common to lower-income countries around the world.
This is a GVPT Global Learning offering. For more information click here.
GVPT289D
The problem with decisions is that we rarely, if ever, find out if our decisions were good or bad. Was choosing your major, for instance, a good decision or could you have made a better one? I don't think most of us would ever know the answer to this question. So, is it possible that we regularly make bad decisions but don't know that we do? And, if so, how can we fix something if we don't know it is broken? In fact, we do regularly make bad decisions. This has been shown in many experimental studies some of which will be covered in this class. What is more, for some types of decision problems we are hardwired to make mistakes. This means that we are bound to go wrong regardless of how much we know or how smart we are. So, what can we do to remedy this problem? Quite a bit, as it turns out.
HACS
ACES-Cybersecurity
HACS208A
Restriction: Must be a student in the ACES (Advanced Cybersecurity Experience for Students) Living-Learning Program.
In today's interconnected digital world, cybersecurity has become one of the most important issues confronting organizations in both the private and public sectors of an economy. Indeed, cybersecurity is a national and economic security priority in countries throughout the world. This is an interdisciplinary Honors Seminar offered as part of UMD's ACES program. The primary objective of this course is to discuss the relationships among accounting, economics and cybersecurity, with a focus on the important roles of accounting and economics in understanding the issues related to cybersecurity. A basic framework for assessing the interactions among accounting, economics, and cybersecurity will be developed and discussed. A secondary objective of the course is to assist ACES students in developing their ability to conduct original and applied research on topics related to "accounting and economic aspects of cybersecurity."
HESP
Hearing and Speech Sciences
Department Site
HESP120
Additional information: HESP120 is required for HESP majors. HESP majors may not substitute LING200.
An introduction to the scientific study of natural language with focus on the basic concepts of phonology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics, with subsequent attention to the applied aspects of linguistic principles.
HESP214
The Research Behind Headlines on Words, Thought, and Behavior
Cross-listed with: HNUH278A.
Credit only granted for: HNUH278A or HESP214.
How does the human mind use language? Type "Language Science News" into your Google search bar. Among the more than 3 billion hits, headlines like "What is love? It depends what language you speak" and "Science's English dominance hinders diversity" invite you to think about the impact of words on thought and behavior. These are stories about how humans acquire and use language, but they ultimately address big questions about how we experience knowledge itself. In a world of unprecedented access to science journalism, did you ever read a headline about human behavior and wonder: How do we know? This class takes up the elegant ways cognitive scientists design experiments to answer crucial questions about language and thought, brain and behavior, that have no intuitive answers. Students will dive deep into the media coverage of their favorite claims about what we know, debate the psychological science behind these claims, and develop transferable critical-thinking skills in the process.
HIST
History
Department Site
HIST113
The Making of Modern Europe
Evolution of modern nation states since late medieval times. Industrial-economic structure and demography. Emergence of modern secular society.
HIST131
Credit only granted for: HIST131 or HIST289J.
Formerly: HIST289J.
An introduction to the way Americans thought of themselves in the past, and their often conflicting visions of what constituted the American Dream. Central questions will include whether or not Americans have always envisioned their country as a land of equality, opportunity, democracy, and freedom and whether or not their ideas of what these values meant changed or remained the same over time.
HIST200
HIST201
Interpreting American History: From 1865 to the Present
Credit only granted for: HIST157 or HIST201.
Formerly: HIST157.
The United States from the end of the Civil War to the present. Economic, social, intellectual, and political developments. Rise of industry and emergence of the United States as a world power.
HIST205
An exploration of the way different societies have used, imagined, and managed nature. Includes examination of questions of land use, pollution, conservation, and the ideology of nature, especially but not exclusively in Europe and North America.
HIST211
Cross-listed with: WGSS211.
Credit only granted for: HIST211, WMST211 or WGSS211.
Formerly: WMST211.
An examination of women's changing roles in working class and middle class families, the effects of industrialization on women's economic activities and status, and women's involvement in political and social struggles, including those for women's rights, birth control, and civil rights.
HIST219X
Modern Iran
Cross-listed with: PERS251.
Credit only granted for: PERS251 or HIST219X.
General sociopolitical introduction to modern Iran from establishment of the Qajar dynasty in the late 18th century to the present day. Taught in English.
HIST221
Cross-listed with: AAST201.
Credit only granted for: AAST201 or HIST221.
Introduction to the history of Asian Americans and Asians in the United States and the Americas and to the field of Asian American Studies, from an interdisciplinary perspective. Topics include theories of race and ethnicity; Asian migration and diaspora to the Americas; Asian American work and labor issues; gender, family, and communities; nationalism and nativism, and anti-Asian movements; Asian Americans in World War II, the Cold War, and the issues in the civil rights & post-civil rights era.
HIST222
Credit only granted for: AAST222, HIST222, or SOCY222.
The history of immigration and the development of diverse populations i the United States are examined. Topics include related political controversies, the social experiences of immigrants, ethnicity, generations, migration, inter-group relations, race, and diversity in American culture.
HIST223
Cross-listed with: HNUH218C.
Credit only granted for: HNUH218C or HIST223.
How is the American Revolution a creation story in the making of our multi-cultural and interconnected modern world? Consider the Declaration of Independence. When first published on July 5, 1776, it was printed by an immigrant Irishman on Dutch paper that had been brought over from England. This was the first such declaration of independence ever issued, but its ideas and forms traveled far and wide. More than 100 other declarations of independence have been issued since then. The people that declaration mobilized are similarly diverse: the American Revolution is as much the story of Creek farmers, Spanish soldiers, French slaves, Canadian fugitives, Indian tea-growers, and African statesmen as it is of the Minutemen and Sons of Liberty. In this globe-trotting class, students will be positioned to debate how the familiar story of the American Revolution changes when we place it in transnational context.
HIST225
Modern Military History, 1815-Present
The military history of Europe through an examination of the economic, financial, strategic, tactical, and technological aspects of the development of military institutions and warfare from the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to the present.
HIST233
Empire! The British Imperial Experience 1558-1997
Credit only granted for: HIST219P or HIST233.
Formerly: HIST219P.
Britain's empire from the mid-sixteenth century to the late twentieth century, focusing on the encounter between Britain and indigenous peoples. Topics include the origins of British imperialism in Ireland and North America, the slave trade, the East India Company and India, women in empire, transportation and the making of Australia, sex in empire, missionaries, racial theories, and decolonization.
HIST235
Divorced, Beheaded, Deposed: England and Britain 1485-1689
British history from the War of the Roses to the Hanoverian succession; Yorkist and Tudor society and politics; the Renaissance and Reformation in England, Henry VIII through Elizabeth I; 17th-century crises and revolutions; intellectual and cultural changes; the beginnings of empire; the achievement of political and intellectual order.
HIST245
Reformers, Radicals, and Revolutionaries: The Middle East in the Twentieth Century
Cross-listed with: RELS219K.
Credit only granted for: RELS219K or HIST245.
The 20th century was a period of dramatic changes in the Middle East. Within the global context of the two World Wars and the Cold War, countries in the region struggled with the effects of colonialism and painful processes of decolonization. The course offers a thematic-comparative approach to issues such as social and political reform, nationalism, the colonial experience, independence struggles, models of governance, political violence, and Islamism. Course lectures and the analysis and discussion of primary sources will lead students to understand that the peoples of the Middle East found answers to the challenges posed by Western dominance based on their specific historical, cultural and socio-economic circumstances.
HIST251
Cross-listed with: LACS251.
Credit only granted for: HIST251, LASC251, or LACS251.
Formerly: HIST251 or LASC251.
Introductory survey of the history of Latin America from the era of independence (c. 1810-1825) through the early 1980s. Major themes include independence and sovereignty, postcolonialism and neocolonialism, nation- and state-building, liberalism, citizenship, economic development and modernization, social organization and stratification, race and ethnicity, gender relations, identity politics, reform and revolution, authoritarianism and democratization, and inter-American relations.
Cross-listed with LASC251. Credit granted for HIST251 or LASC251.
HIST255
African-American History, 1865 - Present
Cross-listed with: AASP255.
Credit only granted for: HIST255, AASP255 or AASP298A.
An introductory course in the African-American experience in the United States from 1865 to the present. Topics include the aftermath of the Civil War on US race relations, the rise of segregation, northern migration, World War I and II, Civil Rights Movements, and the Black Power Movement.
HIST285
East Asian Civilization II
A survey of the historical development of modern Asia since 1700. Primarily concerned with the efforts of East Asians to preserve their traditional cultures in the face of Western expansion in the 18th and 19th centuries, and their attempts to survive as nations in the 20th century.
HIST287
Why the Jews? Historical and Cultural Investigations
Restriction: Must not have completed HIST282, HIST283, JWST234, or JWST235.
Cross-listed with JWST233.
Credit only granted for: HIST287 or JWST233.
Examines the history and culture of the Jews from the thirteenth century BCE/BC to the present through an examination of significant themes or problems (such as "religion" or "diaspora") that shape our understanding of the Jewish people. A primary focus in the course will be on texts, artifacts, and other cultural products by Jews and others that illustrate the history of the Jews help understand their cultural heritage.
HIST289A
Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Medieval Spain: Tolerance, Oppression, and the Problematic Past
Cross-listed with: RELS289C.
Credit only granted for: HIST289A or RELS289C.
For 800 years, medieval Spain was home to one of the most religiously diverse societies in European history. Despite frequent hostilities, the interactions of Spanish Jews, Christians, and Muslims produced a flowering of science, theology, and literature in an often remarkably tolerant climate. Students will learn how medieval Spanish people themselves experienced interreligious contact and conflict. They will also discover the modern pressures, prejudices, and ideals that have shaped historians interpretations of medieval Spain.
HIST289N
The Politics of Sexuality in America: A Historical Approach
Cross-listed with: WGSS298N.
Credit only granted for: HIST289N or WGSS298N.
Why do particular issues about sexuality hold such an important place in American political debates? What animates these controversies and what can a historical perspective on these issues add to our understanding of modern sexual politics? This class explores the historical sexual politics that undergird contemporary debates concerning sexuality in America. It focuses on topics that garner significant public attention - Reproductive rights - LGBTQ rights - Sexting - and explores the histories that undergird Americans disagreements.
HIST376
History of Modern Israel
Cross-listed with ISRL342.
Credit only granted for: HIST376 or ISRL342.
History of modern Israel since the beginning of the Zionist settlement in 1882. Attention to different interpretations and narratives of Israel's history, including the historical and ideological roots of Zionism, the establishment of the State of Israel, ideological forces, wars, and the triumphs and crises of democracy.
HLTH
Health
Department Site
HLTH230
Introduction to Health Behavior
Psychological, social psychological, and sociological approaches to the following health areas: development of health attitudes and behavior, patient-provider interaction and the organization of health care.
Restricted to majors or non-majors with less than or equal to 45 credits.
HLTH285
Controlling Stress and Tension
Health problems related to stress and tension. Analysis of causative psychosocial stressors and intervening physiological mechanisms. Emphasis on prevention and control of stress through techniques such as biofeedback, meditation and neuromuscular relaxation.
HLTH285H
Controlling Stress and Tension
Health problems related to stress and tension. Analysis of causative psychosocial stressors and intervening physiological mechanisms. Emphasis on prevention and control of stress through techniques such as biofeedback, meditation and neuromuscular relaxation.
HNUH
University Honors
HNUH218B
Credit only granted for: HNUH218B or HIST227.
Formerly: HNUH218B.
What does it mean to be free in the United States? The concept of freedom was embedded in the nation's political culture in the Declaration of Independence, and it has remained a cherished and contested ideal. We can interrogate this concept through the life and times of Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), who dreamed eloquently of freedom, thought carefully about its limits, and worked ardently to build a firmer freedom for a broader population. With Douglass as our guide, we will examine the survival of slavery in a nation built on freedom, images of the expanding United States as a land of opportunity, and the complex meanings and tremendous costs of freedom struggles during the nineteenth century. This history will push you to think critically about the contested concepts that shape our lives, and to consider the values and the perils of a society that positions freedom as its highest ideal.
Restricted to UH students matriculating in Fall 2020 or later.
HNUH218B is the required I-Series course in the Freedom at Stake thematic cluster. Freedom at Stake courses will be offered through Spring 2024.
HNUH218B is the required I-Series course in the Freedom at Stake thematic cluster. Freedom at Stake courses will be offered through Spring 2024.
HNUH218W
Freedom and Captivity: Prisons, Punishment, and Citizenship
What does freedom mean if you're incarcerated? How is freedom, citizenship, and social membership mediated through the power of the state? What are the implications of punishment on how freedom is constructed, understood, and experienced? The United States purports to be a beacon of freedom while simultaneously incarcerating more people than any other country in the world. Throughout the course, we will discuss the writings of scholars, theorists, historians, and--most importantly--incarcerated people to interrogate the concept of "freedom" from the vantage point of the prison. Students will use these insights to analyze the complex tensions and relationships between social ideals and practice.
This course is part of the Freedom at Stake Thematic Cluster and pairs with HNUH218B to complete the cluster. Freedom at Stake courses will be offered through Spring 2024.
HNUH238B
If we believe that racism is bad, why do we still support racist policies? No matter how hard we work to end it, the challenge of racism seems here to stay. Though attitudes toward racial segregation in schools have changed, schools are more racially isolated than ever. There is a disconnect in American public life between support for the idea of equality and resistance to policies aimed at addressing racism, and a deep divide over how to eliminate inequality. This course focuses on public opinion and how these attitudes inform public policy. Can we address systemic inequality through public engagement and by changing the national narrative with the support of evidence? Does change come from shifting views or shifting policies? Students will explore these issues through a case study on racial equity in the Honors College. By developing skills in evidence-based op-ed writing and survey-based experiments, students will add their voices to these pressing public debates of our time.
Restricted to UH students matriculating in Fall 2020 or later.
HNUH238B is the required I-Series course in the Systemic Racism thematic cluster. Systemic Racism courses will be offered through Spring 2024.
HNUH238B is the required I-Series course in the Systemic Racism thematic cluster. Systemic Racism courses will be offered through Spring 2024.
HNUH238U
Unequal Opportunity? Race and the Future of American Education
America's schools are dynamic microcosms of society at large. They simultaneously reflect, reproduce, and shape what happens outside of the classroom, including the many ways that racism affects us all. The educational mechanisms that operate for the benefit of some and to the detriment of others are often hard to see, often because they are hidden in plain sight. For example, national tests are standardized. When racialized differences in test scores appear, they are called "achievement gaps" and the disparity is attributed to essential differences or cultural deficiency rather than inequitable access and opportunity. In this course students will learn methods to critically examine such commonplace notions as the achievement gap and to document their effects on society. They will also develop strategies for self-reflection that enable them to confront inequity in their own educational experience and work to create change.
Restricted to UH students matriculating in Fall 2020 or later.
This course is part of the Systemic Racism thematic cluster. Students who enroll in HNUH238U are required to complete HNUH238B to complete the cluster. Systemic Racism courses will be offered through spring 2024.
This course is part of the Systemic Racism thematic cluster. Students who enroll in HNUH238U are required to complete HNUH238B to complete the cluster. Systemic Racism courses will be offered through spring 2024.
HNUH248U
Credit only granted for: HNUH248U or HNUH269P.
Formerly: HNUH248U.
In 2017, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy deemed loneliness an "epidemic." While the rise of social media is meant to foster connection, over 23% of adults report being lonely and social networks have been shrinking for decades. Despite increasing rates of loneliness, it is still possible to overcome these trends and find connection. We tend to assume that we should know how to connect with others intuitively, but, as rising rates of loneliness indicate, this is not the case: connection is something we must learn and practice. In this applied course, students will learn the science of connection and engage in practical activities designed to help them make and keep friends. They will leave the course better able to foster meaningful connections. This course is self-contained but paired with HNUH269T in the Building Community track, where you will learn the social value of showing up, for the world and for yourself.
Restricted to UH students matriculating in Fall 2020 or later.
HNUH248U is part of the Global Crises, Sustainable Futures thematic cluster and pairs with HNUH248B to complete the cluster. Global Crises, Sustainable Futures courses will be offered through Spring 2024.
HNUH248U is part of the Global Crises, Sustainable Futures thematic cluster and pairs with HNUH248B to complete the cluster. Global Crises, Sustainable Futures courses will be offered through Spring 2024.
HNUH268B
What traction does the past have in society today? This course explores globally how the past gains traction in society today and becomes remade in the present. That inquiry will be guided by the idea of heritage, as it mobilizes the past within a broad spectrum of social, political, economic, and environmental issues. We will examine western relationships to the past as intimately tied to property and the drive to plunder, collect, and catalogue. Increasingly, conceptions of heritage include landscapes, as well as intangibles such as music, dance, and folklore. This broad definition honors the diversity of present-day relations to the past, even as it strains heritage management models that are organized around definitions and regulations, and bear the weight of historical injustice. Close examination of heritage at work within global crisis and struggle prompts questions on who owns the past, and who owns up to it. What do we owe the past, and will we be good ancestors to the future?
HNUH268B is the required I-Series course in the Heritage thematic cluster. Heritage courses will be offered through Spring 2025
HNUH278U
Indigenous Knowledge, Supernatural Remedy, and Collective Action: Lessons from Agrarian Societies
How were human communities sustained before the rise of capitalism, individualism, and secularism? Where can we look to imagine a world in which modern science, polity, and ethics are not the defining system of civil social? Through an exploration of stories from late medieval Europe, China, Southeast Asia, and other regional communities, with a particular focus on the East, this course aims at de-orientalizing the narratives of the Western world by recovering the collective practices of the global past and present. Interrogating the idea that human history has been a linear process of industrialization and secularization, this course encourages students to reflect on the limits and problems of modernization, and learn from cultures whose practices were displaced or silenced by colonial knowledge production. Students will be empowered to consider, and even envision, alternative versions of modernity and the future of our world.
HNUH288B
Can humanity thrive without ensuring reproductive freedom? The 2022 US Supreme Court decision that the right to an abortion is unconstitutional has generated impassioned debate about women's rights and access to reproductive health care in the US and globally. This debate opens space to think beyond "pro-choice or pro-life" polarization and create conditions that promote equity, respect for rights, and a healthy society. These conditions would need to address injustices such as the racism, gender inequalities, marginalization, and colonization that produce disparities in reproductive health care and jeopardize the well-being of individuals, families, communities, and countries. Who controls the bodies of marginalized women and men? What is the meaning of reproductive rights for people who have little power? This course challenges students to bring together multiple disciplines, become critical data consumers, and develop innovative ways to use this knowledge to influence policy.
INST
Information Studies
INST154
Examines Apollo mission, one of the greatest engineering accomplishments of all time, in which Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. Since the mission, people have asked: if we can land on the moon, why can't we eliminate poverty? Why can't we cure cancer? Why can't we prevent global warming? Asks what were the social, political, financial, scientific, engineering, operational, and human aspects of the Apollo program that came together to make the moon landings possible?
INST155
Credit only granted for: INFM289I or INST155.
Formerly: INFM289I.
Introduces methods for analyzing and understanding how people use social media - social networking websites, blogging and microblogging, and other forms of online interaction and content generation - and their societal implications. Introduces students to the science and social science of network analysis. Through real world examples, including analysis of their own social networks, students develop skills for describing and understanding the patterns and usage of services like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and others.
INST201
Introduction to Information Science
Credit only granted for: INST201 or INST301.
Formerly: INST301.
Examining the effects of new information technologies on how we conduct business, interact with friends, and go through our daily lives. Understanding how technical and social factors have influenced the evolution of information society. Evaluating the transformative power of information in education, policy, and entertainment, and the dark side of these changes.
INST204
Credit only granted for: INST208D or INST204.
Formerly: INST208D.
Reviews how specific values are built into different automated decision-making systems as an inevitable result of constructing mechanisms meant to produce specific outcomes. These values create differential outcomes for the different people enmeshed in these systems, but both these values and these systems can be changed to support different values and different outcomes. The class serves as an introduction to the emerging field of algorithmic bias that bridges the disciplines of information science, computer science, law, policy, philosophy, sociology, urban planning, and others.
ISRL
Israel Studies
ISRL342
History of Modern Israel
Cross-listed with HIST376.
Credit only granted for: HIST376 or ISRL342.
History of modern Israel since the beginning of the Zionist settlement in 1882. Attention to different interpretations and narratives of Israel's history, including the historical and ideological roots of Zionism, the establishment of the State of Israel, ideological forces, wars, and the triumphs and crises of democracy.
ISRL350
The End of the Israel-Arab Conflict??
Violence between Jews/Israelis and Arabs/Palestinians on both an inter-communal and inter-state level has been pervasive in the Holy Land for over a century. However, in the past few years, Israel has signed treaties with several Arab countries and more are likely in the near future. Is the larger Israel-Arab conflict ended, or nearly so? This course will examine the last 30 years to understand what has changed about these conflicts and what remains, and then explore different scenarios as to how peace may be possible and what it might look like.
Obviously, everything connected with relations between Israel and Arab countries has been thrown into the air by the October 7 attack on Israel and Israel's subsequent assault on Gaza. While this course will still focus on the recent history and possible scenarios for peace, it will of course take into account the course and effects of the current war. Students are invited to bring their opinions and be ready to discuss them.
JOUR
Journalism
Department Site
JOUR150
Additional information: Not applicable toward journalism major.
Survey of the functions and effects of the mass media in the United States. A consumer's introduction to newspapers, television, radio, film, sound recording, books, magazines, and new media technology.
JOUR284
Scandal: Exposing Corruption, Justice, and Vice in America
Credit only granted for: JOUR289P, JOUR284 or HONR239J.
Formerly: JOUR289P, HONR239J .
What are the ingredients of a juicy scandal? Money? Sex? Power? How are scandals uncovered? Why does society punish some scoundrels but not others? Come explore both serious and salacious scandals with a professor who's an expert in both--and who once exposed many scandals himself when he was an investigative reporter. This class examines scandals in politics, science, religion, social media, business, government, sports, and higher education; feeding frenzies, tabloid scandalmongering, undercover reporting, apologies, and cancel culture. Learn why even trivial scandals matter--and how scandals reflect what we value and ultimately who we are.
JOUR476
Researching Emerging Media in Journalism: Past, Present and Future
Prerequisite: Must have completed a university statistics course.
Students will examine developments billed as innovative in the current technology-laden news ecology -- such as social media, mobile reporting and virtual reality -- and the blurring of lines between hard news, informed opinion and advocacy. While questions about the future cannot be answered with any certainty, an exploration of the past allows us to see what happened when new technologies, information systems and practices appeared as possible tools for use by journalists and the communities they served. Students will learn to use resources for researching emerging media, including UMD library databases and open access sources. The course will include presentations by the instructor, discussions, field trips, in-class exercises and student presentations. Each student will engage in a research project to understand the experience of emerging media in a decade between 1820 and 1980. Students will also write an essay contemplating current trends and the future of emerging media.
JWST
Jewish Studies
Department Site
JWST233
Why the Jews? Historical and Cultural Investigations
Restriction: Must not have completed HIST282, HIST283, JWST234, or JWST235.
Cross-listed with HIST287.
Credit only granted for: JWST233 or HIST287.
Examines the history and culture of the Jews from the thirteenth century BCE/BC to the present through an examination of significant themes or problems (such as "religion" or "diaspora") that shape our understanding of the Jewish people. A primary focus in the course will be on texts, artifacts, and other cultural products by Jews and others that illustrate the history of the Jews help understand their cultural heritage.
KNES
Kinesiology
Department Site
KNES225
Credit only granted for: KNES289R OR KNES225.
Formerly: KNES289R.
Has sport disadvantaged African American males? This course critically examines sport as a site where notions of black masculinity are publicly debated, critiqued, challenged, celebrated, and also transformed. Utilizing an interdisciplinary approach, this course explores how sport has been invoked across the political and ideological spectrum to interrogate a number of issues impacting the life chances of young, African Americans males including educational attainment, poverty, social mobility, racism, cultural production, and notions of masculinity.
KNES287
Recommended: Minimum grade of C- in KNES285.
Sport will be related to such social problems as delinquency, segregation, collective behavior, and leisure; to social processes such as socialization, stratification, mobility, and social control; and to those familiar social institutions the family, the school, the church, the military, the economy, the polity, and the mass media.
Restricted to majors or non-majors with less than or equal to 45 credits.
KNES350
The Psychology of Sports & Exercise
Restriction: Must have earned a minimum of 45 credits.
An exploration of personality factors, including but not limited to motivation, aggression and emotion, as they affect sports participation and motor skill performance.
KNES350H
The Psychology of Sports & Exercise
Restriction: Must have earned a minimum of 45 credits.
An exploration of personality factors, including but not limited to motivation, aggression and emotion, as they affect sports participation and motor skill performance.
Prerequisite: permission of department. Restricted to students who have been admitted in the Kinesiology Honors program.
LACS
Latin American and Caribbean Studies
LACS235
Issues in Latin American and Caribbean Studies II
Cross-listed with: PORT235, SPAN235.
Credit only granted for: LASC235, PORT235, SPAN235, or LACS235.
Formerly: LASC235.
Major issues shaping Latin American and Caribbean societies including the changing constructions of race, ethnicity, gender and class as well as expressions of popular cultures and revolutionary practices. Taught in English.
LACS251
Cross-listed with: HIST251.
Credit only granted for: HIST251, LASC251, or LACS251.
Formerly: HIST251 or LASC251.
Introductory survey of the history of Latin America from the era of independence (c. 1810-1825) through the early 1980s. Major themes include independence and sovereignty, postcolonialism and neocolonialism, nation- and state-building, liberalism, citizenship, economic development and modernization, social organization and stratification, race and ethnicity, gender relations, identity politics, reform and revolution, authoritarianism and democratization, and inter-American relations.
LGBT
Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Studies
LGBT200
Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies
Credit only granted for: LGBT200.
An interdisciplinary study of the historical and social contexts of personal, cultural and political aspects of LGBT life. Sources from a variety of fields, such as anthropology, history, psychology, sociology, and women's studies, focusing on writings by and about LGBT people.
LING
Linguistics
Department Site
LING200
Introductory Linguistics
Credit only granted for: HESP120 or LING200.
Additional information: This course serves as the prerequisite for further courses in linguistics.
An exploration of the nature of human language. Introduction to the basic concepts and methodology of modern linguistic analysis (sound systems, word formation, sentence structure). Examination of the factors that contribute to dialect differences and the social implications of language variation. Additional topics may include: semantics, pragmatics, language change, writing systems, typology, language universals, comparison with other communication systems.
MLAW
MPower Undergraduate Law Programs
MLAW150
Restriction: Must be in the College Park Scholars - Justice and Legal Thought program.
An exploration of the theoretical questions relating to such fundamental questions of jurisprudence as "what is law?" and "how can law be deployed as both an enemy and ally of justice?
NAVY
Navy
NAVY101
Sea Power and Maritime Affairs
Introduces the student to the key themes of naval and maritime history. Curriculum presents an analysis through lectures, reading, and student discussion of the relationship of sea power to American history. Classical concepts and contemporary employment of sea power are examined by viewing historic and current naval and maritime developments.
PERS
Persian
Department Site
PERS251
Modern Iran
Cross-listed with: HIST219X.
Credit only granted for: PERS251 or HIST219X.
General sociopolitical introduction to modern Iran from establishment of the Qajar dynasty in the late 18th century to the present day. Taught in English.
PHIL
Philosophy
Department Site
PHIL202
Know Thyself: Wisdom Through Cognitive Science
Credit only granted for: PHIL209N or PHIL202.
Formerly: PHIL209N.
How do we improve our decision making? Cognitive science demonstrates that self-knowledge isn't as easy as we think, and that there are numerous biases and fallacies that impact our decision-making in ways that are hard for us to be aware of. In this course you will learn what some of these are and how they have been discovered, and you will explore potential strategies for avoiding these fallacies and for making wiser choices.
PLCY
Public Policy
PLCY100
Foundations of Public Policy
A survey course, focusing on public policy institutions and analytical issues as well as on overview of key public policy problems. Students will be introduced to public policy as a discipline, with a brief overview of the actors and institutions involved in the process, and familiarize themselves with the kinds of problems typically requiring public action. The course will examine these problems from a multijurisdictional and multisectoral perspective. Specific policy areas examined include education policy, health policy, economic and budgetary policy, criminal justice policy, environmental policy, and national and homeland security policy. The course should permit students to have broad foundational exposure to the field that will give them a solid base for more advanced courses.
PLCY101
Great ideas in public policy, such as equality, efficiency, sovereignty, liberty, bureaucracy, democracy and security are explored through the lens of great thinkers. An introduction to the intellectual foundations of public policy, from ancient theories on collective public action through the more contemporary development of public policy as a discipline. This may start as early as the ancient Greek philosophers and their views on public action through contemporary classics of public policy. At the conclusion of the course, students will have read classic works in the field and will master the key themes that have dominated the intellectual debates about public policy over its history. Emphasis will be on the interdisciplinary foundations of public policy, through examining core disciplinary contributions from economics, political science, management, philosophy, and other relevant disciplines.
PLCY201
Credit only granted for: PLCY201 or PUAF201.
Formerly: PUAF201.
Aims to inspire, teach and engage students in the theory and practice of public leadership from the local to the national to the global level. Students will learn and apply diverse approaches to leadership in a multicultural society while developing an understanding of key frameworks and practices necessary to foster collective action across private, public, and nonprofit sectors. This course will allow students to become informed citizens able to reason critically and persuasively about public matters Students will also explore and assess their own personal values, beliefs, and purpose as they develop their leadership potential.
PSYC
Psychology
Department Site
The following courses may involve the use of animals. Students who are concerned about the use of animals in teaching have the responsibility to contact the instructor, prior to course enrollment, to determine whether animals are to be used in the course, whether class exercises involving animals are optional or required and what alternatives, if any, are available.
The Department of Psychology enforces course prerequisites. Students who do not meet the course prerequisites will be administratively dropped from the course.
The Department of Psychology enforces course prerequisites. Students who do not meet the course prerequisites will be administratively dropped from the course.
PSYC100
A basic introductory course intended to bring the student into contact with the major problems confronting psychology and the more important attempts at their solution.
Discussion sections do not meet until after first lecture. Research requirement: may involve participation in research.
PSYC221
PSYC234
Living the Good Life: The Psychology of Happiness
Credit only granted for: PSYC234 or PSYC289D.
Formerly: PSYC289D.
What are the secrets to living a happy life? Can happiness be found within the context of war, a depressed economy, violence and other major stressors? Are some people born happier than others? This course will teach you the scientific process that psychologists use to study happiness (and related emotional variables) and give you the opportunity to practice applying that process in a number of ways. You will learn how we (a) gather and critically evaluate research findings in the existing literature, (b) integrate those findings into coherent and testable theories, (c) design and conduct valid scientific research that tests those theories and extends our knowledge, and (d) effectively communicate our theories and findings to a wide range of audiences. The result of the process is a more accurate and objective understanding of happiness, and that is what prepares you to apply your scientific understanding to explain and influence a wide range of outcomes.
PSYC336
Psychology of Women
Prerequisite: PSYC100.
Cross-listed with: WGSS336.
Credit only granted for: PSYC336, WMST336 or WGSS 336.
Formerly: WMST336.
A study of the biology, life span development, socialization, personality, mental health, and special issues of women.
Students will be expected to meet face-to-face during class time to complete small groupwork on 5-6 Fridays during the semester.
PSYC354
Multicultural Psychology in the U.S.
Prerequisite: PSYC100.
What are the psychological implications of racism, sexism, homophobia and other structures of inequality in the United States? How do socio-cultural privilege and oppression influence individual and group thoughts, feelings, and behaviors? This course will take a current events focus to understanding multicultural and social justice issues in psychology with an emphasis on self-reflection, mental health, cross-cultural communication, and strategies for social change.
RELS
Religious Studies
RELS219K
Reformers, Radicals, and Revolutionaries: The Middle East in the Twentieth Century
Cross-listed with: HIST245.
Credit only granted for: RELS219K or HIST245.
The 20th century was a period of dramatic changes in the Middle East. Within the global context of the two World Wars and the Cold War, countries in the region struggled with the effects of colonialism and painful processes of decolonization. The course offers a thematic-comparative approach to issues such as social and political reform, nationalism, the colonial experience, independence struggles, models of governance, political violence, and Islamism. Course lectures and the analysis and discussion of primary sources will lead students to understand that the peoples of the Middle East found answers to the challenges posed by Western dominance based on their specific historical, cultural and socio-economic circumstances.
For Spring 2021; Cross-listed with HIST245. Credit granted for HIST245, ARAB298K, or RELS219K.
RELS289C
Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Medieval Spain: Tolerance, Oppression, and the Problematic Past
Cross-listed with: HIST289A.
Credit only granted for: HIST289A or RELS289C.
For 800 years, medieval Spain was home to one of the most religiously diverse societies in European history. Despite frequent hostilities, the interactions of Spanish Jews, Christians, and Muslims produced a flowering of science, theology, and literature in an often remarkably tolerant climate. Students will learn how medieval Spanish people themselves experienced interreligious contact and conflict. They will also discover the modern pressures, prejudices, and ideals that have shaped historians interpretations of medieval Spain.
SOCY
Sociology
Department Site
SOCY100
Introduction to Sociology
Introduces fundamental concepts and theories of sociology. Guided by C. Wright Mills' "sociological imagination," the course promotes critical thinking; challenges conventional assumptions about culture politics, history, and psychology; and equips students with theoretical approaches and research methods to analyze various sociological topics, including family, work, education, religion, social movements, and issues related to class, gender, race, and ethnic inequalities.
SOCY105
Introduction to Contemporary Social Problems
Embark on an exploration of contemporary social issues and unravel the intricate ways in which these challenges are woven into the fabric of society. Develop a comprehensive understanding of societal organization and partake in a detailed study of selected social problems, with a specific emphasis on issues like social conflict and inequality. This course provides an insightful journey into the nuanced interplay between societal structure and prevalent challenges, fostering a heightened awareness of the dynamics shaping our social landscape.
SOCY200
We will explore the nature of human societies through comparative, historical, and interdisciplinary perspectives. Students will delve into the core of social structures, unravel the defining components of society, and examine their organization, evolution, and impact on collective existence. Students will also explore the socio-historical forces and geopolitical dynamics that drive social change to analyze the complex connections that illuminate our shared social experience across time.
SOCY224
Explore and discuss the major debates and assumptions that construct perceptions of race and how it matters. Sociological and social science theories will give students a historical and present day frame with which to view race and ethnic relations in the twenty-first century.
SOCY227
Introduction to the Study of Deviance
Credit only granted for: SOCY227 or SOCY327.
Formerly: SOCY327.
An introduction to the sociological study of deviant behavior, covering such topics as mental illness, sexual deviance, and the use of drugs.
SOCY230
Sociological Social Psychology
Why do people do that? Sitting at the nexus of sociology and psychology, this course surveys the various ways in which sociologists have answered this question. We investigate individuals-for example, how they develop and understand themselves in relation to others, how they choose to present themselves to the world, and how they form thoughts and opinions. And we study larger units of analyses, from small groups to the broader society. Topics covered include socialization, identity formation, social influence, group processes, how social processes shape individual behavior, and how human behavior shapes society.
SOCY241
Credit only granted for: SOCY241 or SOCY441.
A broad-based overview of inequality in contemporary U.S. society, focusing on measuring patterns and trends over time. A series of learning modules familiarizes students with how inequality unfolds in relation to social stratification processes along the lines of race, gender, education and social class, income and wealth, and health.
Credit granted for SOCY241 or SOCY441.
SPAN
Spanish
Department Site
SPAN235
Issues in Latin American and Caribbean Studies II
Cross-listed with: LACS235, PORT235.
Credit only granted for: LASC235, PORT235, SPAN235, or LACS235.
Formerly: LASC235.
Major issues shaping Latin American and Caribbean societies including the changing constructions of race, ethnicity, gender and class as well as expressions of popular cultures and revolutionary practices. Taught in English.
THET
Theatre
Department Site
THET287
Credit only granted for: THET289I or THET287.
Formerly: THET289I.
Every society has rebels - those who refuse to conform to the mainstream's rigid rules, aesthetics, and beliefs. From unruly skateboarders, punk rockers, bohemian poets, and radical theater performers, to national revolutionary movements and brick-throwing anarchists - such groups form niches that are defined by their exclusion from society. We will look at how their beliefs and actions fit into a particular historical context, and how their actions drive social change.
TLPL
Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership
Department Site
TLPL287
Inquiry Into Issues in US Public Schooling: Policies, Practice and Promise
Credit only granted for: TLPL288T or TLPL287.
Formerly: TLPL288T.
Students will inquire into enduring issues faced by US public education, focusing on the forces and stakeholders that have shaped current policy and practice. In addition, students will work to consider the real daily consequences of policy on the lives of students and teachers. Through crafting and researching a question of interest, employing a project based learning approach, students will take a deep dive into the most vexing issues faced by public education in the United States.
TLPL288K
Reinventing Childhood: Unschooling and Other School Alternatives
Credit only granted for: TLPL288K or TLPL210.
Formerly: TLPL288K.
Surveys innovative approaches to child education, including unschooling, homeschooling, blended instruction, place-based learning, Big Picture Learning, democratic schools, microschools, self-directed learning centers, and other alternatives to traditional schools.
TLPL360
Foundations of Education
Credit only granted for: EDPS301 or TLPL360.
Formerly: EDPS301.
Social context of education and conflicts over philosophies, values, an goals that are reflected in educational institutions in our pluralistic society. Helps teachers become reflective, critical thinkers about the social and philosophical issues they face and the choices they make.
TLPL414
Knowing and Learning in Mathematics and Science
Prerequisite: Must have completed or be concurrently enrolled in TLPL102.
Credit only granted for: TLPL488M or TLPL414.
Formerly: TLPL488M.
Special and intensive treatment of current topics and issues in mathematics and science teaching and learning, policy and leadership. The overall goal of the course is to orient future teachers to the discourses and theories that shape what we know about how students learn math and science.
TLPL453
Life in Two Languages: Understanding Bilingual Communities and Individuals
Overview of society and individual multilingualism. Topics include diglossia, language shift, codeswitching, bilingual first language acquisition, language attrition, dual language education policy and practice.
WGSS
Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
WGSS200
Introduction to WGSS: Gender, Power, and Society
Credit only granted for: WMST200 or WGSS200.
Formerly: WMST200.
Examines constructions of race, class, sexuality, ability, and gender relations from a social science multi-disciplinary perspective. The course interrogates the ways that systems of hierarchy and privilege are created, enforced, and intersect through the language of race, class, sexuality, and national belonging. The course will provide students with the skills to examine how systems of power manifest in areas such as poverty, division of labor, health disparities, policing, violence. In addition to examining the impact of systems of power, students will reflect on their own location within the exercise of racialized, and gendered power relations. This course encourages students to understand and critique these systems both personally and politically.
WGSS211
Cross-listed with: HIST211.
Credit only granted for: HIST211, WMST211 or WGSS211.
Formerly: WMST211.
An examination of women's changing roles in working class and middle class families, the effects of industrialization on women's economic activities and status, and women's involvement in political and social struggles, including those for women's rights, birth control, and civil rights.
WGSS290
Credit only granted for: WMST298D or WGSS290.
Formerly: WMST298D.
Explores the contributions of feminist scholarship in framing and resolving contemporary controversies concerning gendered bodies. It includes the ways in which knowledge about the human body has been shaped by cultural ideas of gender, race, sexuality and ability.
WGSS298N
The Politics of Sexuality in America: A Historical Approach
Cross-listed with: HIST289N.
Credit only granted for: HIST289N or WGSS298N.
Why do particular issues about sexuality hold such an important place in American political debates? What animates these controversies and what can a historical perspective on these issues add to our understanding of modern sexual politics? This class explores the historical sexual politics that undergird contemporary debates concerning sexuality in America. It focuses on topics that garner significant public attention - Reproductive rights - LGBTQ rights - Sexting - and explores the histories that undergird Americans disagreements.
Flagship Institution of the University System of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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