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Courses - Summer 2025
AASP
African American Studies Department Site
AASP100
Introduction to African American Studies
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP
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.
AASP101
Public Policy and the Black Community
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS
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
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP, SCIS
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.
AASP211
Get Out: The Sunken Place of Race Relations in the Post-Racial Era
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP, SCIS
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.
AASP230
Social (In)Justice and African-American Health and Well-Being
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP, SCIS
African Americans suffer worse outcomes than non-Hispanic whites on nearly every health measure and outcomes that link to overall well-being like depressive symptoms or homicides. Health disparities are experienced by other underrepresented minority groups, but because of the unique historic and current experiences of African Americans, the determinants and solutions to African American health disparities are unique. The premise of this course is that African American health disparities are due to social injustices perpetuated on the institutional level that have permeated the lived experiences of African Americans leading to racial disparities in health and well-being. As such, the solutions on the both policy, and community, level must have a social justice approach.
AMST
American Studies Department Site
AMST290
Constructing Cultural Mainstreams and Margins in the U.S.
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F
GenEd: DSHS or DSHU, DVUP, SCIS
Credit only granted for: AMST289A or AMST290.
Formerly: AMST289A.
Examines the construction, operation, and meaning of cultural mainstreams and margins in a range of contexts, spaces, and times in the U.S. Using a variety of primary sources, research methods, and interdisciplinary scholarship, we will explore how Americans make and assign meaning to cultural mainstreams and margins. We will examine how and why cultural margins and mainstreams shift over time and what their consequences have been for social policies, laws, power relations, and national identity.
ANTH
Anthropology Department Site
ANTH240
Introduction to Archaeology
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP
Exploration of the variety of past human societies and cultures through archaeology, from the emergence of anatomically modern humans to the more recent historical past.
ANTH263
Sexuality and Culture
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP
Credit only granted for: ANTH298K or ANTH263.
Formerly: ANTH298K.
An overview of sexuality from an anthropological perspective, looking at aspects of sexuality within our own culture and in cultures around the world. Course topics include the biology and culture of sex, gender, physical attraction, sexual orientation, marriage and mating taboos, fertility control, sexually transmitted diseases, and commercial aspects of sex.
ANTH265
Anthropology of Global Health
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP, SCIS
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.
ANTH266
Changing Climate, Changing Cultures
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVCC, SCIS
Explore past, present, and future interactions between humans and climate. Discussions, methods-oriented activities, and case study analyses provide students a foundation for appreciating the role of anthropology in understanding, responding to, and preparing for climate change.
ANTH323
Plagues, Pathogens and Public Policy
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, SCIS
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.
AREC
Agricultural and Resource Economics Department Site
AREC250
Elements of Agricultural and Resource Economics
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS
Credit only granted for: AREC240 or AREC250.
An introduction to economic principles of production, marketing, agricultural prices and incomes, farm labor, credit, agricultural policies, and government programs.
CCJS
Criminology and Criminal Justice Department Site
CCJS100
Introduction to Criminal Justice
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS
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
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS
Criminal behavior and the methods of its study; causation; typologies of criminal acts and offenders; punishment, correction and incapacitation; prevention of crime.
CCJS225
Responses to Violence
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS or DSSP, SCIS
What are the dimensions of violence in the United States and worldwide, and how has humanity responded to violence? Conflict is unfortunately resolved through violence in a number of settings. It ranges from interpersonal to international in its scope. This course investigates the strengths and weaknesses of a number of resolutions to reducing violence over the course of history using both state centered and informal control.
CCJS325
Slavery in the Twenty First Century: Combating Human Trafficking
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, SCIS
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
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP, SCIS
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
CLAS276
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS or DSHU, SCIS
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.
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.
ECON200
Principles of Microeconomics
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS
Prerequisite: MATH107 or MATH110; or must have math eligibility of MATH113 or higher.
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
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS
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.
EDHD
Education, Human Development Department Site
EDHD201
Learning How to Learn
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F
GenEd: DSHS
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.
EDHD230
Human Development and Societal Institutions
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP
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.
EDHD231
Inside 21st Century Creativity: How Creative Ideas, Concepts, and Products are Generated
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F
GenEd: DSHS, SCIS
Mechanisms of the creative mind. Psychological, social, sociological, developmental, cultural, educational, genetic and neural based roots of creativity.
EDHD310
Your Brain on Education: The Neuroscience of Learning and Development
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg
GenEd: DSHS, SCIS
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
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud
GenEd: DSHS
Central concepts related to parameters of human development, individual and social, which arise throughout the life span. Continuity and change within the developing individual.
EDHD400
Introduction to Gerontology
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud
GenEd: DSHS
Multidisciplinary survey of the processes of aging. Physiological changes, cultural forces, and self-processes that bear on quality of life in later years. Field study of programs, institutions for elderly, individual elders, their families and care providers.
EDHD411
Child Growth and Development
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS
Theoretical approaches to and empirical studies of physical, psychological and social development from conception to puberty. Implications for home, school and community.
ENES
Engineering Science
ENES275
How Do You Navigate Leadership in Times of Crisis?
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, SCIS
Credit only granted for: ENES275 or ENES475.
Students take part in immersive opportunities to learn from industry professionals about crisis prevention and response. The course introduces students to the study and practice of leadership with promising practices in disaster preparedness and data informed decision-making. Global communities need those who can lead during times of crisis and understand when and how to use data to inform decisions in times of crisis. This course will examine how leadership has been enacted to help local, national, and global communities navigate through pandemics, disasters, and other humanitarian crises. Students will develop capacities for informed leadership in times of crisis and develop an understanding for applying these skills in a variety of settings.
FMSC
Family Science Department Site
FMSC110
Families and Global Health
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F
GenEd: DSHS, DVCC
Students will explore, define, and study global health, social determinants of health, health inequalities, gender inequality, family violence, and maternal and child health using a global perspective.
FMSC170
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, SCIS
Credit only granted for: FMSC170 or FMSC298F.
Formerly: FMSC298F.
What is a Family? Engage in examination of the current trends and controversial issues in family life, including issues of marriage, reproductive technologies, adoption, child custody, remarriage, and marital violence.
FMSC190
Man Up! Where Are The Fathers?
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg
GenEd: DSHS, SCIS
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.
FMSC330
Family Health: Health Happens in Families
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP
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
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS
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
Violence in Families
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP
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.
GEOG
Geographical Sciences Department Site
GEOG110
The World Today: Global Perspectives
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP
The most critical issue facing the world today is the sustainability of both human and physical systems in the 21st century. This class uses the context of regions of the world to explore the 21st century issues of climate change, development, politics, economy, and demography. Each region will be used to highlight aspects of sustainability.
GEOG202
Introduction to Human Geography
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVCC
Introduction to what geographers do and how they do it. Systematic study of issues regarding social and cultural systems from a global to a local scale. Looks at the distribution of these variables and answers the question "Why here, and not there"?
GEOG330
As the World Turns: Society and Sustainability in a Time of Great Change
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP, SCIS
Credit only granted for: GEOG330, GEOG360, or GEOG362.
Formerly: GEOG362.
Cultural geography course on society and sustainability. Culture is the basic building block that is key to sustainability of societies. Course will cover sustainability of societies on different scales, examining local, regional, and worldwide issues. Sustainability will be examined as a key element of environmental sustainability. How societies adjust to rapid world change will be examined as a positive and/or negative factor in sustainability.
GVPT
Government and Politics Department Site
GVPT170
American Government
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS
A comprehensive study of national government in the United States.
GVPT200
International Political Relations
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP
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.
GVPT206
Appetite for Change: Politics and the Globalization of Food
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, SCIS
Credit only granted for: GVPT206 or GVPT289A.
Formerly: GVPT289A.
An overview of the major forces transforming the food system--political, economic, technological, environmental--and the political debates surrounding them.
GVPT282
The Politics of Global Development
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP
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.
HIST
History Department Site
HIST137
Pursuits of Happiness: Ordinary Lives in the American Revolution
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, SCIS
Credit only granted for: HIST137 or HNUH218A.
Investigates the search for personal fulfillment unleashed by the American Revolution; explores the many different meanings ascribed to the notion of the "pursuit of happiness" by Americans in the early national period.
HIST200
Interpreting American History: Beginnings to 1877
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS or DSHU
Credit only granted for: HIST156 or HIST200.
Formerly: HIST156.
The United States from colonial times to the end of the Civil War. Establishment and development of American institutions.
HIST201
Interpreting American History: From 1865 to the Present
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS or DSHU, DVUP
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.
HIST236
From Peacocks to Punks: Modern Britain from 1688 to Today
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS
British history from the Glorious Revolution of 1688 to the present. The revolution of 1688; the structure of 18th-century society and politics; economic and social change in the Industrial Revolution; 19th- and 20th-century political and social reform; imperialism; the impact of the First and Second World Wars on British society.
HLTH
HLTH230
Introduction to Health Behavior
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS
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.
HLTH234
Global Health Messages: Understanding Exposure & Impact
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVCC, SCIS
Restriction: Must not be in the Community Health program.
Using a global perspective, this course teaches students to be critical consumers of current and historical health communication interventions. It also provides students with the skills to develop media interventions that target specific and general populations. Students will discover the array of diverse media messages that influence the health and well-being of individuals and communities.
HLTH234H
(Perm Req)
Global Health Messages: Understanding Exposure & Impact
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVCC, SCIS
Restriction: Must not be in the Community Health program.
Using a global perspective, this course teaches students to be critical consumers of current and historical health communication interventions. It also provides students with the skills to develop media interventions that target specific and general populations. Students will discover the array of diverse media messages that influence the health and well-being of individuals and communities.
HLTH402
Disability is Not an Outcome: An Introduction to Understanding Disability
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP
With an intent to disrupt traditional understandings of disability as a health outcome to be prevented, this course will introduce students to disability as an identity, a community, a population of interest to public health professionals. To change this understanding students will explore historical representations of disability, ableism, and lived experiences of people with disabilities. Disability is a multi-layered concept that broadly describes a wide range of people. Although geared toward public health scholars, the mix of readings, discussions, and assignments will help students reflect and integrate learning into their own fields of study. The course examines factors that led to systemic oppression, and methods and strategies of moving toward a more inclusive society.
INST
Information Studies
INST201
Introduction to Information Science
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud
GenEd: DSHS
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
Designing Fair Systems
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, SCIS
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.
JOUR
Journalism Department Site
JOUR150
Introduction to Mass Communication
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS or DSSP
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.
KNES
Kinesiology Department Site
KNES287
Sport and American Society
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP
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.
KNES350
The Psychology of Sports & Exercise
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS
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.
LARC
Landscape Architecture Department Site
LARC162
Environmental Justice: Same World, Different Built Environment
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP, SCIS
Environmental Justice will be explored in the context of the built environment. What unequal public built environmental threats exist? How can these threats be prevented or eliminated? Public schools, public parks, access to clean water, air pollution, tree coverage are among the built environments examined in the course.
PHIL
Philosophy Department Site
PHIL202
Know Thyself: Wisdom Through Cognitive Science
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS or DSHU, SCIS
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.
PSYC
Psychology Department Site
The Department of Psychology enforces course prerequisites. Students who do not meet the course prerequisites will be administratively dropped from the course.
PSYC100
Introduction to Psychology
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS or DSNS
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.
PSYC221
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS or DSSP
Prerequisite: PSYC100.
The influence of social factors on the individual and on interpersonal behavior. Includes topics such as conformity, attitude change, personal perception, interpersonal attraction, and group behavior.
PSYC234
Living the Good Life: The Psychology of Happiness
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, SCIS
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.
PSYC237
Psychology of Evil
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS or DSSP, SCIS
Credit only granted for: PSYC237 or PSYC289E.
Formerly: PSYC289E.
Why is there evil in the world? Are some born evil, or do social, environmental and cultural forces create evil? What makes otherwise good people do evil things? The scientific study of evil epitomizes the fundamental challenge that psychology faces in dissecting the role of biology (nature) and the social context (nurture).
PSYC354
Multicultural Psychology in the U.S.
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS
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.
SOCY
Sociology Department Site
SOCY100
Introduction to Sociology
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS
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.
SOCY230
Sociological Social Psychology
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS
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.