Undergraduate Catalog

AMCD 200, American Culture:Power/Identity: (This course was originally titled ACST 200: Introduction to American Culture and Difference; the name change has been submitted as an information item to the UCC). In AMCD 200, students learn about the historical and theoretical foundations of Cultural Studies as an academic discipline and use cultural theory to analyze a variety of cultural products and representations. In this course, students look specifically at dominant and subversive constructions of gender, race, ethnicity, national and sexual identities, and how these constructions are deployed through cultural practices and productions such as sports, film and television, folklore and popular culture, youth subcultures, music, and so on. For example, the course may contain units on "nation" and the creation of American mythologies; the process of hero-making in American history; stereotypes and the representation of race and ethnicity in television and film; representations of gender and sexuality in advertising; as well as a section on American music from jazz, blues, folk and roots music, to rock and roll, punk, and hip-hop.

Street art—including graffiti, murals, and other installations in public space—provides expressive avenues for marginalized voices, shapes urban space, and promotes competing visions of community development. In contrast to art that is created for museums or the commercial art market, street art is uniquely positioned to engage with social issues from a critical perspective. This class will involve an analysis of street art projects from the United States, situated in comparison with projects from around the world. Topics to explored include the history of street art over time (from its origins in graffiti to contemporary mural festivals); the impetus for street art in communities in the USA and globally; models for creating, preserving, and presenting street art; the institutionalization of street art; street art as it relates to diversity and inclusion; and, ultimately, the potential for street art to play a role in social change.

While discussions of gender and its social construction have become common in our culture, there is less discussion of whether there are actually binary “biological sexes” that impact those conversations. In addition, while we have made many inclusive efforts in understanding the LGBTQIA+ community, our larger society correlates sexual orientation to biology leaving us to ask: are queer folks born that way and does it stay fixed throughout our lives? This course explores the convergence of sociology and biology in how we define gender, sex, sexual orientation, and sexual behavior as continua instead of binaries as once previously believed. Topics are examined in developmental order from conception to adulthood and include current issues relevant to the LGBTQIA+ community and society at-large. The course also considers these topics in non-human animals to ask ‘what is normal?’ in nature. This will be a BIOL - SOCI crosslisted course.

This seminar, required for all senior Biology of Global Health majors, challenges students to examine the multiple aspects of global health in a unifying manner. In this seminar, students will integrate experiential learning with current research and broad applications of global health, and will complete a capstone project focusing on a global health issue. This senior capstone course allows students majoring in Biology of Global Health to analyze specific issues and problems using the knowledge and understanding gained by completing the other required courses in the program. This course does not fulfill the Biology B.A. or Biology B.S. requirement for a 400-level course. Prerequisite: Senior status as a declared Biology of Global Health major.

This course focuses on theories and research of the historical and contemporary correlation between gender, race, class, and communicative practices, including rhetorical practice and mass communication content. It includes the influence of gender and racial stereotypes on public speech and debate, political campaigns and communication, organizational leadership, news coverage and advertising. Topics include: gendered perceptions of credibility; who is allowed to communicate and who is silenced due to class and racial privilege; and the impact of gender, race and class stereotypes about human nature, expertise, and abilities on individuals and groups that want to participate in public culture and communication. Students analyze and evaluate their own communicative styles in light of course readings and activities.

This course focuses on theories and research of the historical and contemporary correlation between gender, race, class, and communicative practices, including rhetorical practice and mass communication content. It includes the influence of gender and racial stereotypes on public speech and debate, political campaigns and communication, organizational leadership, news coverage and advertising. Topics include: gendered perceptions of credibility; who is allowed to communicate and who is silenced due to class and racial privilege; and the impact of gender, race and class stereotypes about human nature, expertise, and abilities on individuals and groups that want to participate in public culture and communication. Students analyze and evaluate their own communicative styles in light of course readings and activities.

This course will provide students with the opportunity to understand television as a text situation in a cultural context. It will examine television from a critical perspective, review a wide variety of program genres and incorporate several theoretical orientations to the qualitative analysis of TV. Students, along with reading about and discussion of critical perspectives, watch programs such as comedies, dramas, news, advertisements, miniseries, etc., and write several critical analyses of the programs.

This course will provide students with the opportunity to understand television as a text situation in a cultural context. It will examine television from a critical perspective, review a wide variety of program genres and incorporate several theoretical orientations to the qualitative analysis of TV. Students, along with reading about and discussion of critical perspectives, watch programs such as comedies, dramas, news, advertisements, miniseries, etc., and write several critical analyses of the programs.

Economic Inequality focuses on two types of inequality often studied by economists: income and wealth inequality. The course will illustrate how inequality in the U.S. has evolved over time, and how it compares to other countries. It puts particular emphasis on using data and modeling to explain the origins of inequality and explore the impacts of policies aimed to address it. The course highlights how inequality relates to demographics such as race, gender, and education. Finally, it explores hard questions about whether inequality is unavoidable, whether it matters, and what can be done about it. Prerequisites: ECON 251 and ECON 252

This course is designed to equip students with the knowledge, practices, and dispositions to humanize those who are historically underserved. The course engages students with issues such as race, intersectionality, class, gender, exceptionality, oppression, and discrimination while examining the crucial role of educators in influencing positive, systematic change for social justice.

This course is designed to equip students with the knowledge, practices, and dispositions to humanize those who are historically underserved. The course engages students with issues such as race, intersectionality, class, gender, exceptionality, oppression, and discrimination while examining the crucial role of educators in influencing positive, systematic change for social justice.

Even in the land of Super Targets and Big Mac hamburgers, bigger is not always better--at least not in terms of literature. Short stories, because of their compression and intensity, offer lively plots and constant surprises. To the delight of readers everywhere, American authors provide a wellspring of tales that uncover our past, define our present, and speak to our future. In keeping with our diverse American heritage, stories have been chosen from a broad cross-section of literary and cultural traditions. Alongside canonical authors such as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Ernest Hemingway, we read the works of Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Louise Erdrich, Kate Chopin, and others, examining how these diverse voices diverge from, resist, and transform the traditional American short story canon. The writing load for this course is a minimum of 15 pages of formal revised writing. This course satisfies a WAC Writing Intensive requirement; an Integrations in the Humanities requirement; and the Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice requirement. Please note that ENGL 201 is non-repeatable; students wishing to take a second 200-level Texts in Conversation course will need to register for ENGL 202, 203, or 204. Prerequisite: ENGL 121 or 190.

Even in the land of Super Targets and Big Mac hamburgers, bigger is not always better--at least not in terms of literature. Short stories, because of their compression and intensity, offer lively plots and constant surprises. To the delight of readers everywhere, American authors provide a wellspring of tales that uncover our past, define our present, and speak to our future. In keeping with our diverse American heritage, stories have been chosen from a broad cross-section of literary and cultural traditions. Alongside canonical authors such as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Ernest Hemingway, we read the works of Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Louise Erdrich, Kate Chopin, and others, examining how these diverse voices diverge from, resist, and transform the traditional American short story canon. The writing load for this course is a minimum of 15 pages of formal revised writing. This course satisfies a WAC Writing Intensive requirement; an Integrations in the Humanities requirement; and the Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice requirement. Please note that ENGL 201 is non-repeatable; students wishing to take a second 200-level Texts in Conversation course will need to register for ENGL 202, 203, or 204. Prerequisite: ENGL 121 or 190.

This course will examine literary texts which feature the connection between the world of business and American culture. Work has always been an integral part of American society, and individuals often identify themselves with the work that they do. Students will closely read a handful of texts--Willa Cather's A LOST LADY, Solomon Northup’s 12 YEARS A SLAVE, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s THE GREAT GATSBY, Mario Puzo’s THE GODFATHER, Arthur Miller’s DEATH OF A SALESMAN, and Colson Whitehead’s APEX HIDES THE HURT--to explore how the dominant cultural narratives behind common perceptions of American business (such as the American Dream and the self-made person) shift from the pre-Civil War era through the early twenty-first century. The writing load for this course is a minimum of 15 pages of formal revised writing. This course satisfies the Writing Across the Curriculum Writing Intensive requirement; an Integrations in the Humanities requirement; and the Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice requirement. Please note that ENGL 202 is non-repeatable; students wishing to take a second 200-level Texts in Conversation course will need to register for ENGL 201, 203, or 204. Prerequisite: ENGL 121 or 190.

What is any sports event but a story--multiple stories--playing out before our eyes? Sports by definition involve drama: conflicts in decision making, in relationships, with nature, and, if we believe it possible, conflicts with the supernatural. It's not an accident that some of our greatest metaphors come from the arena of athletics. Through sports we have a way to look at human values--at the best we have to offer and sometimes the worst. We’ll use sports literature to investigate what is just… and what is unjust… and how we discern which is which. In this class, we will read fiction, non-fiction, drama, and poetry. Books may include CARRIE SOTO IS BACK, BIG SMOKE, TAKE ME OUT, and THE YEAR'S BEST SPORTS WRITING anthology. The writing load for this course is a minimum of 15 pages of formal revised writing. This course satisfies a WAC Writing Intensive requirement; an Integrations in the Humanities requirement; and the Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice requirement. Please note that ENGL 202 is non-repeatable; students wishing to take a second 200-level Texts in Conversation course will need to register for ENGL 201, 203, or 204. Prerequisite: ENGL 121 or 190.

What is any sports event but a story--multiple stories--playing out before our eyes? Sports by definition involve drama: conflicts in decision making, in relationships, with nature, and, if we believe it possible, conflicts with the supernatural. It's not an accident that some of our greatest metaphors come from the arena of athletics. Through sports we have a way to look at human values--at the best we have to offer and sometimes the worst. We’ll use sports literature to investigate what is just… and what is unjust… and how we discern which is which. In this class, we will read fiction, non-fiction, drama, and poetry. Books may include CARRIE SOTO IS BACK, BIG SMOKE, TAKE ME OUT, and THE YEAR'S BEST SPORTS WRITING anthology. The writing load for this course is a minimum of 15 pages of formal revised writing. This course satisfies a WAC Writing Intensive requirement; an Integrations in the Humanities requirement; and the Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice requirement. Please note that ENGL 202 is non-repeatable; students wishing to take a second 200-level Texts in Conversation course will need to register for ENGL 201, 203, or 204. Prerequisite: ENGL 121 or 190.

This course will primarily focus on LGBTQ+ literature from the Stonewall riots to the present-day. We will investigate whether this genre of literature has a particular aesthetic or shares common thematic elements. Special attention will be given to BIPOC writers and how LGBTQ+ writing disrupts common conventions of gender, sexuality, relationships, and identity, and the role that storytelling has played in the queer community. The writing load for this course is 15 pages of formal revised writing. This course satisfies a WAC Writing Intensive requirement, an Integrations in the Humanities requirement, and a Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice requirement. It also satisfies a requirement for the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies major and minor. Please note that ENGL 203 is non-repeatable; students wishing to take a second 200-level Texts in Conversation course will need to register for ENGL 201, 202, or 204. Prerequisite: ENGL 121 or 190.

Where does the popular perception of America as the “New World” come from? How could slavery flourish in a land idealizing freedom? Why were immigrants so feared and reviled? Why did expansionism push out some and make millionaires of others? Such questions will be explored in a chronological framework through extensive readings from the beginnings of the American literary tradition to the turn of the twentieth century. Threaded throughout the literature are themes such as religious identity, political reform, race, slavery, war, gender, and industrialization. This course fulfills the Historical Perspectives requirement in the English major, an Integration in the Humanities requirement, a Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice requirement, and a WAC Writing to Learn requirement. Prerequisite: ENGL 121 or 190. 

The wallpaper in The Yellow Wallpaper looks like mushrooms. Frederick Douglass repeatedly compares a specific despair he felt while enslaved to being trapped in the earth. The falling Usher mansion gets swallowed by a lake in Poe’s famous story. While none of these well-known texts have been considered "nature writing," ecocriticism has recently introduced a concept of the "ecogothic" to account for such moments where nature gets linked to fear and anxiety, violence and horror. It’s argued that the ecogothic dread is born not just of the desire to survive and to thrive in a hostile, outdoor environment, but of something far more sinister. That is, a desire to more than thrive, a desire for control over other things, other beings, and ultimately other human beings. With this in mind and some help from geography, history, and Black and queer ecocriticism, we will look at how an idea of "the natural world" as well as binaries like self/other, human/animal, and living/dead were forged not merely alongside but with those of race, gender, and sexuality. Our literary focus will be American and transnational literary texts of the long 19th century that wrestle with and resist these dark desires and may include narratives of captivity and enslavement like Mary Prince’s, short stories by the likes of Poe, Hawthorne, and Chesnutt, and even the work of authors seemingly enchanted by nature such as Dickinson and Thoreau. This course satisfies a Signature Work requirement, a Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice requirement, a WAC Writing in the Discipline requirement, and an early American Literature requirement for English majors. Prerequisite: Five English courses at or beyond ENGL 211, including ENGL 280, or instructor permission for all other majors/minors.

Humans are part of nature, and yet they have always changed and manipulated it. This course examines the entangled story of human/nature interactions, from the early history of our species up into the twenty-first century. Doing this draws on a range of methods, tools, and skills, including archaeology and anthropology, physical sciences like geology and biology, and the close reading of texts and objects as developed in humanistic disciplines like English, philosophy, and history. Key topics may include the co-evolution of people and other species; the ways that world religions have understood nature; the global mingling of people, plants, animals, and microbes after 1492; responses to pollution and toxicity in the modern world; and the development and politicization of climate science in the 20th-21st centuries.

These interdisciplinary seminars are intended to develop integrating insights through an analysis of topics chosen from different disciplines. Often they are taught by two faculty members or by a visiting lecturer who holds one of the endowed chairs at the university.

These interdisciplinary seminars are intended to develop integrating insights through an analysis of topics chosen from different disciplines. Often they are taught by two faculty members or by a visiting lecturer who holds one of the endowed chairs at the university.

Active nonviolence as a means for societal defense and social transformation analyzed through case studies of actual nonviolent movements, examining their political philosophy and how this philosophy is reflected in their methods and strategies. Examples of possible case studies include: Mahatma Gandhi's movement for a free India, Danish resistance to Nazi occupation, the struggle for interracial justice in the United State, an integrated Canada-to-Cuba peace-and-freedom walk, the campaign to close the U.S. Army School of the Americas (WHINSEC), fair trade movements, and the Honeywell Project. The course emphasizes the theory and active practice of nonviolence as well as oral histories of successful nonviolent movements. Usually offered every semester.

Active nonviolence as a means for societal defense and social transformation analyzed through case studies of actual nonviolent movements, examining their political philosophy and how this philosophy is reflected in their methods and strategies. Examples of possible case studies include: Mahatma Gandhi's movement for a free India, Danish resistance to Nazi occupation, the struggle for interracial justice in the United State, an integrated Canada-to-Cuba peace-and-freedom walk, the campaign to close the U.S. Army School of the Americas (WHINSEC), fair trade movements, and the Honeywell Project. The course emphasizes the theory and active practice of nonviolence as well as oral histories of successful nonviolent movements. Usually offered every semester.

Active nonviolence as a means for societal defense and social transformation analyzed through case studies of actual nonviolent movements, examining their political philosophy and how this philosophy is reflected in their methods and strategies. Examples of possible case studies include: Mahatma Gandhi's movement for a free India, Danish resistance to Nazi occupation, the struggle for interracial justice in the United State, an integrated Canada-to-Cuba peace-and-freedom walk, the campaign to close the U.S. Army School of the Americas (WHINSEC), fair trade movements, and the Honeywell Project. The course emphasizes the theory and active practice of nonviolence as well as oral histories of successful nonviolent movements. Usually offered every semester.

Students will explore the intersections of art and social justice with a focus on visual arts and social movements in the Twin Cities. Topics of study will include public art, protest art, expression and censorship, issues of art access and accessibility, social movement theory, aesthetic theory, and the Twin Cities as a unique space for social practice art. The class will collaborate with Nikki McComb who uses art to push for social change. In 2016, she launched her #Enough campaign — an artistic effort to end gun violence in Minneapolis and surrounding areas through #ArtIsMyWeapon exhibitions and projects.

This course is an introduction to the issues surrounding social conflict. It centers on equipping students with the theory and skills of conflict analysis and processes of engaging in conflict on the global, local and interpersonal levels. It contrasts a traditional conflict resolution model with conflict transformation, a paradigm that appreciates how conflict and violence are connected to underlying issues of justice. The course introduces students to a wide range of conflict transformation processes such as negotiation, mediation, dialogue, facilitation, restorative justice and conflict advocacy. It provides students with the opportunities to participate in these processes and explore potential vocational paths in the field of conflict transformation. As a component of the practice of the skills taught in this course, students organize and lead the annual World Cafe, a university-wide interdisciplinary dialogue. Throughout, the course engages students in a process of rigorous reflection of the ethics involved in engaging conflict. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing

This course presents the concepts, techniques, and behavioral skills needed for managing projects effectively. The course introduces students to a project's life cycle (from project definition and goals to completion of the project) and the behavioral dynamics that need to be managed to achieve success. Project leaders need to fulfill multiple roles on a project including managing the timeline, meeting project specifications, resource budgeting and creating a sustainable project culture. Prerequisites: MGMT 200 or MGMT 305; and OPMT 300 or OPMT 200; and Junior standing.

Leaders, both with and without formal management titles, need to appreciate the diverse people internal and external to their organizations and society at large. It is critical that leaders step up to design and deliver effective programs of inclusion in their organizations. Culturally competent leaders think critically about these programs and practice inclusion at individual, interpersonal, team, organization, and community levels. This requires foundational knowledge, skills, and attitudes applied in diverse domestic and global contexts. This course introduces a range of perspectives to explore topics including, but not limited to, human diversity; inclusive cultures; social identity and perception; power and privilege; and models and paradigms for interpersonal and organizational inclusion. Prerequisites: MGMT 200 or MGMT 305 and Junior standing. Note: Students who receive credit for MGMT 385 may not receive credit for MGMT 388

Leaders, both with and without formal management titles, need to appreciate the diverse people internal and external to their organizations and society at large. It is critical that leaders step up to design and deliver effective programs of inclusion in their organizations. Culturally competent leaders think critically about these programs and practice inclusion at individual, interpersonal, team, organization, and community levels. This requires foundational knowledge, skills, and attitudes applied in diverse domestic and global contexts. This course introduces a range of perspectives to explore topics including, but not limited to, human diversity; inclusive cultures; social identity and perception; power and privilege; and models and paradigms for interpersonal and organizational inclusion. Prerequisites: MGMT 200 or MGMT 305 and Junior standing. Note: Students who receive credit for MGMT 385 may not receive credit for MGMT 388

The purpose of this course will be to help students appreciate the presence and understand the nuisances and similarities of various subcultures within the United States. From targeting and segmenting customers to developing partnerships, the class will discuss how these may impact American marketing practices and trends. Realizing that a subculture is any group that shares a set of attitudes, values and goals, this course will consider not only ethnic subcultures but religious, sexual orientation & gender identity, ability, and generational subcultures. Students will be exposed to concepts such as cultural capital, intercultural penetration, intersectionality, historical context and other concepts of culture and identity as they learn how individuals and organizations can effectively and responsibly engage with multiple diverse stakeholders. Prerequisites: MKTG 200

This course focuses on the study of music in the United States within its historical, cultural, and sociological contexts. The course will develop skills in critical listening analysis using appropriate musical terminology, to describe both aural and written traditions of music. Repertoire to be explored include homeland traditions of cultures and population groups brought over through migration/immigration, blends of popular and concert traditions, and new and emerging styles unique to the United States. Historical, cultural, and social contexts will facilitate and understanding of how music reflects particular identities, ideas, values, and issues among population groups in the United States.

This course focuses on the study of music in the United States within its historical, cultural, and sociological contexts. The course will develop skills in critical listening analysis using appropriate musical terminology, to describe both aural and written traditions of music. Repertoire to be explored include homeland traditions of cultures and population groups brought over through migration/immigration, blends of popular and concert traditions, and new and emerging styles unique to the United States. Historical, cultural, and social contexts will facilitate and understanding of how music reflects particular identities, ideas, values, and issues among population groups in the United States.

This course is a comprehensive introduction to the most pressing issues and questions concerning disability. Students will encounter and critically evaluate longstanding stereotypes and biases about the disadvantages of disability. This course examines disability primarily from a philosophical perspective, yet readings from other disciplines will also be used throughout the course. Some of the central questions examined in the course include: What is disability? Is disability merely a medical condition? In what ways do societal barriers disable? How does economic class impact access to educational, medical and social resources? Does disability itself make a person worse off or is it only social stigmatization and lack of accommodation that makes the lives of those with disabilities worse? How have those with disabilities been disadvantaged in the US? What is the basis for human dignity? What conceptual frameworks allow us to uphold the dignity of those with severe disabilities? Which behaviors and assumptions threaten the equality and dignity of those with disabilities? Prerequisite: PHIL 110, PHIL 115, or PHIL 197.

This course is a comprehensive introduction to the most pressing issues and questions concerning disability.  Students will encounter and critically evaluate longstanding stereotypes and biases about the disadvantages of disability.  This course examines disability primarily from a philosophical perspective, yet readings from other disciplines will also be used throughout the course.   Some of the central questions examined in the course include:  What is disability?  Is disability merely a medical condition?  In what ways do societal barriers disable? How does economic class impact access to educational, medical and social resources?  Does disability itself make a person worse off or is it only social stigmatization and lack of accommodation that makes the lives of those with disabilities worse?  How have those with disabilities been disadvantaged in the US?  What is the basis for human dignity?  What conceptual frameworks allow us to uphold the dignity of those with severe disabilities?  Which behaviors and assumptions threaten the equality and dignity of those with disabilities? Prerequisite: PHIL 110

Action to achieve social justice depends, ultimately, on an understanding of what social justice is. What makes a society just? How is a just society ordered? What does social justice look like up close? If our society is not currently just, how may we justly make it so? This course considers competing (though sometimes overlapping) accounts of social justice that are of continuing relevance today, such as those found in the traditions of classical liberalism, socialism, Catholicism, and critical theory. One goal is to understand where such accounts agree, where they disagree, and why. Another goal is to appreciate how such traditions have animated and continue to animate the pursuit of justice, especially for marginalized persons in the United States. Prerequisite: PHIL 110, PHIL 115, or PHIL 197.

Action to achieve social justice depends, ultimately, on an understanding of what social justice is. What makes a society just? How is a just society ordered? What does social justice look like up close? If our society is not currently just, how may we justly make it so? This course considers competing (though sometimes overlapping) accounts of social justice that are of continuing relevance today, such as those found in the traditions of classical liberalism, socialism, Catholicism, and critical theory. One goal is to understand where such accounts agree, where they disagree, and why. Another goal is to appreciate how such traditions have animated and continue to animate the pursuit of justice, especially for marginalized persons in the United States. Prerequisite: PHIL 110, PHIL 115, or PHIL 197.

This Signature Work section of Disability and Human Dignity is a comprehensive introduction to the most pressing issues and questions concerning disability. Students will encounter and critically evaluate longstanding stereotypes and biases about the disadvantages of disability. This course examines disability primarily from a philosophical perspective, yet readings from other disciplines will also be used throughout the course. Some of the central questions examined in the course include: What is disability? Is disability merely a medical condition? In what ways do societal barriers disable? How does economic class impact access to educational, medical and social resources? Does disability itself make a person worse off or is it only social stigmatization and lack of accommodation that makes the lives of those with disabilities worse? How have those with disabilities been disadvantaged in the US? What is the basis for human dignity? What conceptual frameworks allow us to uphold the dignity of those with severe disabilities? Which behaviors and assumptions threaten the equality and dignity of those with disabilities? Prerequisites: PHIL 110 or PHIL 197; and at least 80 credits completed by the start of the course.

PHIL 301 is a signature work course in philosophy, open to all students.  Topics vary from section to section, but all sections focus on issues relevant to our university’s mission.  Various sections will, therefore, focus on questions concerning such things as the nature and dignity of human beings, what makes for a meaningful human life, the compatibility of faith and reason, what makes for a just society, or the application of ethical principles, to a variety of settings and professions, for the sake of the common good.  The course provides students the opportunity to reflect on and integrate knowledge acquired throughout their academic career, and to approach problems through multiple disciplinary lenses.  Prerequisites: PHIL 110 and at least 80 credits completed by the start of the course. Prerequisites: PHIL 110 and 80 credits completed

Action to achieve social justice depends, ultimately, on an understanding of what social justice is. What makes a society just? How is a just society ordered? What does social justice look like up close? If our society is not currently just, how may we justly make it so? This Signature Work section of Philosophies of Social Justice considers competing (though sometimes overlapping) accounts of social justice that are of continuing relevance today, such as those found in the traditions of classical liberalism, socialism, Catholicism, and critical theory. One goal is to understand where such accounts agree, where they disagree, and why. Another goal is to appreciate how such traditions have animated and continue to animate the pursuit of justice, especially for marginalized persons in the United States. Prerequisites: PHIL 110 or PHIL 197; and at least 80 credits completed by the start of the course.

Action to achieve social justice depends, ultimately, on an understanding of what social justice is. What makes a society just? How is a just society ordered? What does social justice look like up close? If our society is not currently just, how may we justly make it so? This course considers competing (though sometimes overlapping) accounts of social justice that are of continuing relevance today, such as those found in the traditions of classical liberalism, socialism, Catholicism, and critical theory. One goal is to understand where such accounts agree, where they disagree, and why. Another goal is to appreciate how such traditions have animated and continue to animate the pursuit of justice, especially for marginalized persons in the United States. Prerequisites: PHIL 110 or PHIL 197; and at least 80 credits completed by the start of the course.

The course surveys some basic facts and principles of administration, absorption, transport, action, deactivation and elimination of drugs. Various classes of drugs; their effects on mood, behavior, and consciousness; their use and misuse; and phenomena of chemical dependency and its treatment modalities are discussed. Lectures, readings, films, tapes and invited speakers are employed. Prerequisite: PSYC 111

This seminar class is designed to provide: a history of immigration to US, the current status & issues of US immigrants, social issues within the US immigrant groups, general & specific topics for particular immigrant groups including White, Asians, Latinx, Black, Arab immigrants, refugees, and undocumented immigrants, and the issues within the Native American/American Indian community.

While discussions of gender and its social construction have become common in our culture, there is less discussion of whether there are actually binary “biological sexes” that impact those conversations. In addition, while we have made many inclusive efforts in understanding the LGBTQIA+ community, our larger society correlates sexual orientation to biology leaving us to ask: are queer folks born that way and does it stay fixed throughout our lives? This course explores the convergence of sociology and biology in how we define gender, sex, sexual orientation, and sexual behavior as continua instead of binaries as once previously believed. Topics are examined in developmental order from conception to adulthood and include current issues relevant to the LGBTQIA+ community and society at-large. The course also considers these topics in non-human animals to ask ‘what is normal?’ in nature. This will be a BIOL - SOCI crosslisted course.

The transition between childhood and adulthood is examined using a general sociological framework and including life course, socioeconomic, and systems theories. Particular attention is given to the social construction of adolescence; institutional contexts (family, education, employment) of adolescent relationships with parents, peers, and others; gender and sexual socialization in society; cultures of achievement and risk; social diversity. This course meets a requirement in Family Studies and in Women's Studies. Prerequisite: SOCI 100 or permission of the instructor

This course identifies and investigates the following topics: general principles of stratification, theoretical explanations by which inequality emerges and is maintained, the relationship between social class and other forms of inequality in the United States including gender, race, and changes in social hierarchy over time. The course will explore issues such as poverty, welfare, occupational prestige, meritocracy, and class prestige. Although primary focus is on the United States, the course also examines global inequality. Prerequisites: SOCI 100 or SOCI 110 and must be Junior or Senior Standing.

This a theory-driven course focusing on metacognition- training students to think about the way we think. The course takes a multidisciplinary approach to theoretical knowledge, introducing students to many ways of understanding how humans behave in, impact, and are impacted by multiple environments. Students learn to apply theories to understand human behavior in regard to their social and natural environments as well as reciprocal impact of humans and their environments. Theories are examined through a multidimensional framework constituting biological, psychological, spiritual, socio-cultural, political, environmental, and economic factors. Emphasis is on these factors within and between multiple systems: individual, family, small group, organization, community, and society, including political, economic, and natural systems. The course consists of five modules: interpersonal relations and empowerment, social systems, political and economic systems, social and environmental justice, and multiculturalism. The course investigates the multiple dimensions and intersections of diversity including gender, race/ethnicity, age, religion, ability, sexual orientation, nationality, and global and international perspectives. Students leave the class with a holistic understanding of the human experience within the environments that surround them. Recommended prerequisite or concurrent registration: SOWK 181 (or 281 under the old course number); Required Prerequisites: PSYC 202, or consent of the program director. 

Intensive practice in written Spanish using selected materials to acquire a high level of competence in writing Spanish. This writing course aims to improve technique, expand syntactic depth, increase vocabulary and learn good writing through a process approach involving stages of idea development, thesis construction, structural development, bibliographic notation, evaluation of ideas and rewriting of the text. Lectures and class discussions are based on major topics that relate to the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. Written skills will be assessed. Prerequisite: Completion of SPAN 300 or its equivalent with a C- or better.

This course will introduce students to foundational concepts in science and its social impacts through discussion of the scientific method, boundaries of science, media construction of science, and the contribution of science in trust building and decision-making in various contexts. The course is designed to help students gain understanding and knowledge of contextual factors that shaped science and the uneven impacts on traditionally marginalized groups. Coursework will help students develop diverse and critical perspectives of communication about science concerning marginalized communities. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing 

In the last half century religious diversity in the West has rapidly increased, bringing people from different religious traditions into daily contact. This has resulted in new conflicts, sometimes in violence, but also in new collaborations and friendships. Drawing on several approaches to interreligious conflict and relations, this course will examine the dynamic encounters that take place between and among people of different religious identities and ask students to reflect on their own role in religiously complex situations. Students will consider this interreligious reality and their role in it against the backdrop of their own individual relationship to spirituality, faith, and theology. To foster interreligious understanding beyond the classroom, students in this course will spend significant time outside the classroom directly engaging religious diversity. 

If to work is to share in the creative activity of God, then what specific challenge does this pose for an attorney given the grinding realities of the legal profession? If to be a professional is to live out a tripartite relationship between self, client, and a higher standard, then how does an attorney determine, much less respond to such a standard? Through a close reading of a variety of theological texts, treaties, case studies and rules of professional conduct, this course will address these questions and, in so doing, attempt to fashion a paradigm for the Christian practice of law. Within this paradigm, emphasis will be placed on the meaning of justice, law, rights and responsibilities. An ethic of care that fosters the development of a compassionate world and a common life will be emphasized.

Open to all students, not only theology majors, the signature work in theology course is designed as a capstone experience to integrate a student’s entire college career, bringing fullness of expression to the University’s efforts through the liberal arts core to educate morally responsible leaders who, grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition, think critically, act wisely, and work skillfully to advance the common good. There are two types of signature work in theology: signature work that is focused on contemporary challenges, or signature work that is focused on faith and the professions. Signature work that is focused on contemporary challenges will invite students to conduct research and/or experiential learning around matters of pressing concern according to the instructor’s discretion, such as fostering understanding across lines of religious difference; cultivating interfaith leadership; searching for beauty; establishing justice and peace; or responding to contemporary challenges such as environmental sustainability, immigration, or mass incarceration. Signature work that is focused on vocation may explore the integration of theology with a profession of the instructor’s choosing, such as the management professions, the legal professions, the medical professions, the public health professions, the psychological professions, or the engineering professions. Prerequisites: THEO 100 and a student must have at least 80 credits completed.