The Interdisciplinary Studies major allows students to build their own major using the coursework available at Graceland University. This major offers the student a dynamic opportunity to devise, in concert with the faculty advisor, a program of study designed by the student to prepare them for the innovative thinking necessary for success in today’s complex world and matched to the student’s particular needs and interests. Beyond the graduation requirements, the student’s program will consist of:
or
A guided capstone where students will write a research paper or create a project that demonstrates an appropriate level of mastery of the learning outcomes identified by student and faculty advisor at the time the application for the major was submitted. (Note: This is a graded course, does not count for essential education, and may not be repeated for credit.)
A guided capstone where students will write a research paper or create a project that demonstrates an appropriate level of mastery of the learning outcomes identified by student and faculty advisor at the time the application for the major was submitted. (Note: This is a graded course, does not count for essential education, and may not be repeated for credit.)
The Social Change major at Graceland University prepares students to be “difference makers” in their communities. Through an innovative, interdisciplinary curriculum, students learn about the history and context of their chosen concentration and are empowered with the practical tools that will best equip them to drive change in their careers and advocacy efforts. This major is intentionally designed to be partially completed through the General Education curriculum, making it very easy to add as a second, complimentary major.
In addition to the general education requirements, majors in social change must complete 36 semester hours as prescribed below:
Core Requirements 18 s.h.
Context (Choose 12 hours from the list of options; at least 6 hours must be upper division; no more than two courses can be from the same discipline):
Tools of Change Courses (6 hours from the following; at least 3 must be upper division; courses should not be from the same discipline):
Recommended for General Education:
A technical course exploring the digital tools used in the graphic design industry. Students are exposed to the function, theory, and use of industry-standard computer hardware, software, and basic digital design principles utilized in the production of graphic design.
This course aims to create social and political change through collaboration with individuals, communities, and institutions through the creation of participatory art. This discipline often values process over final product and become lifelong pursuits. Some examples include artistic activism, community-based art, creative placemaking, cultural organizing, performance, participatory art, social engagement, and social sculpture. No prior art experience necessary. ELO5 Arts - World Citizenship, ELO5 Arts - Equality and Peace
Theme-based art history course exploring topics such as innovation, power, politics, architecture, entertainment, sacred spaces, sustainability, and eco art throughout art history to the present. ELO5 Arts - Innovation, GE3A Liberal Learning-Arts.
Theme-based art history course that explores topics such as activism, empathy, justice, disability, mental illness, feminism, sexuality, queer art, social and civic engagement, labor, and race throughout art history to the present. ELO5 Arts - Equality, ELO5 Arts - Equality and Peace, GE3A Liberal Learning-Arts.
This introductory printmaking making course introduces students to non-toxic printmaking techniques including relief printing, monotype, silkscreen, and other contemporary processes. The course explores how these traditional methods have been used as a means for informing, gathering, protesting, and celebration. Studio Fee required. ELO5 Arts - Innovation
An exploration into visual story telling through digital photography, imaging, and editing. Course will focus on capturing high quality images to use in professional design work. Studio Fee required.
This course provides a comprehensive overview, with hands-on experience, of Social Media Marketing. The most basic objectives of the course are to provide students with a broad introduction to social media marketing concepts and techniques using the latest online tools combined with practical "real world" application. There will be an emphasis on strategic use of tools, effective design and contemporary marketing techniques. Students will build and maintain real world marketing campaigns.
An examination of concepts that have application to communication across cultural boundaries, with emphasis on relating them to effective intercultural communication skGE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities. ELO4 Global Learning - World Citizenship, ELO4 Global Learning - Equality and Peace, GE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities. +This course is only offered every other year.
An examination of rhetorical and political communication theories and practices that are fundamental to social change advocacy. Students will become familiar with basic tools of organizing and advocating for social change, with hands-on application of various communication theories and approaches. +This course is only offered every other year.
An examination of the various landmark theories, such as rhetorical, Marxist, and feminist to analyze popular culture, with an emphasis on the importance of communication in the production and consumption of culture. Students will study the development of culture by applying different theories or 'lenses' to cultural artifacts including music, movies, advertisements, clothing, etc. GE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities +This course is only offered every other year.
An examination of conflict theories and approaches, negotiation process, conflict ethics, and third party mediation. In this class, students will become familiar with the causes of conflict as well as ways strategies and tactics used in conflict management. Further, this class will explore the foundational theoretical concepts and models of dialogue in the context of conflict management. +This course is only offered every other year.
This course will extend scientific knowledge to understand how nature and the environment influence communication and society. Students will learn about significant environmental controversies, from toxic waste to climate change, to pro-environmental behaviors. Using a foundation of persuasion, the course focuses on social responsibility and the history of mediated communication within the context of environmental movements and human-made crises.
An exploration of the emergence of new communication practices as well as their social, political, cultural, and economic impact in personal, community, cultural, social, institutional, and international life. Specific attention will be given to the ways social media influence and shape matters of ethics and privacy, how we see ourselves and others, how we interact formally and informally, and how we do business. ELO4 Global Learning - Innovation +This course is only offered every other year.
Advanced study in specific topics in communication, to be announced the semester before they are offered. May be repeated for credit as topics change.
This course focuses on the challenges present in policing multicultural settings. Issues pertaining to understanding diverse cultures and effective communication across cultures from the standpoint of law enforcement are explored in detail. Recommended prerequisite: CRMJ1200.
Basics of how the World Wide Web works and web site construction using HTML and CSS. Related technology skills will be covered.
Students will learn theoretical and practical foundations related to geographic information systems and spatial analysis. Emphasis on teaching students to integrate and analyze spatial information from various sources. Includes a weekly laboratory section. Prerequisite: MATH1380.
Analysis of the fundamental principles of the American economic system, centering on price, production, market structures, and a survey of contemporary economic problems, e.g. sustainability. ELO5 Social Science - Sustainability
An examination of the taxation policies and expenditure programs of the public sector. Related topics include public goods, income distribution, and public choice theory. Prerequisite: ECON1320. ELO5 Social Science - Equality, ELO5 Social Science - Equality and Peace. Offered odd years Spring. +This course is only offered every other year.
Analysis of various societal subgroups and how such groups recognize and deal with dehumanizing biases. Students learn to relate effectively to various groups to foster understanding and respect for equity, diversity, and inclusion. Emphasis on self-awareness in human relations issues and how this awareness can be translated into positive relationships. Introduction to ethnographic analysis and pedagogical, curricular, and social considerations involved in working with and educating various societal subgroups. ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality, ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality and Peace, GE3E Liberal Learning-Social Sciences
A survey of multi-ethnic U.S. literature, including African American literature, Latino/a literature, Asian American literature, Native American literature, and American Jewish literature. As a complement to literary texts, students will also examine a range of introductory theoretical texts in the interdisciplinary field of ethnic studies. ELO5 Humanities - Equality, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace. ++ This course is on a four-year cycle.
Examines literary works by authors from a broad range of artistic and cultural traditions. Designed to offer students an introduction to literature as a point of access into global communities such as Western European, Middle Eastern, African, Asian, Indigenous, and Latinx. ELO5 Humanities - World Citizenship, ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability, GE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities. +This course is only offered every other year.
Survey of American Literature stretching from the advent of European colonization in the Western Hemisphere to the present. The course will pay special attention to the legacies of colonialism and slavery, the history of social movements for freedom and equality, the making (and unmaking) of U.S. national mythologies, the major formal transformations that have taken place in U.S. Literature, and the function of literature as an innovative and adaptive technology that expands human capacities.
The course employs visual and literary texts to examine the various social, cultural, political, artistic, and philosophical movements from modernity to the present. By critically engaging with both colonial and postcolonial texts, the course attempts to understand the ways in which the concepts like modernity, empire, coloniality, postcoloniality, and world-building intersect as well as shape our contemporary world. Considering the influence of modernity and the expanse of British empire, this course aims to enable students to understand their own lives as citizens of a world that has been shaped by these movements.
Study of poetry writing through the lens of sustainability. Investigates the maintenance of various systems that meet human needs (e.g. emotional, physical, social, environmental) through extensive poetry writing and class discussion. Emphasis on poetry as a means of self-discovery as well as an art form. ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability +This course is only offered every other year.
Study of fiction writing through the lens of sustainability. Investigates the maintenance of various systems that meet human needs (e.g. emotional, physical, social, environmental) through extensive fiction writing and class discussion. Emphasis on fiction as a means of self-discovery as well as an art form. ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability. +This course is only offered every other year.
A transnational survey of films that deal with environmental issues and, more broadly, with human relationships to the nonhuman world. An examination of the impact of urbanization on rural communities, the mysterious allure of wild and uncultivated landscapes, the threat of climate change to daily life around the world, and the cinematic representation of environmental apocalypse. Explores different genres and styles, including neo-realism, eco-horror, anime, and avant-garde cinema. ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability +This course is only offered every other year.
An exploration of issues of gender and sexuality in literature, with a focus on fiction, drama, and poetry by women and LGBT+ writers. As a complement to literary texts, students will also examine a range of introductory theoretical texts in the interdisciplinary field of gender and sexuality studies. ELO5 Humanities - Equality, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace ++ This course is on a four-year cycle.
Special studies in English designed primarily for the non-English major. Content may vary and will be announced at time of offering. When content changes, course may be repeated for credit.
Advanced study of literary, cultural, and moving image theory, and the application to written and filmic texts. +This course is only offered every other year.
An investigation of the role of literature as a vehicle for social change. With a focus on the literatures of emancipatory social movements, this global survey course includes a range of modern authors who merged the personal with the political. Students examine how literature and narrative forms of storytelling function as a means of engaging ethical and social concerns, and eliciting emotions in readers-from rage and defiance to observation and understanding-that might serve to promote social justice. ELO5 Humanities - Peace, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace +This course is only offered every other year.
What makes a work of literature "environmental"? How have humans thought about nature throughout history, and how does that intellectual and artistic history affect us today? Can works of literature help humans prevent environmental catastrophes like climate change and species extinction? We'll seek answers to these questions as we engage with fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry. We'll discuss the ways that literary and cultural forms can shape who we are, what we value, and what we imagine for the future. We'll also work to build your skills of critical reading, analytical thinking and persuasive writing, skills that will serve you in the future, in whatever environment you inhabit. ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability.
Study of nonfiction writing through the lens of sustainability. Investigates the maintenance of various systems that meet human needs (e.g. emotional, physical, social, environmental) through extensive nonfiction writing and class discussion. Emphasis on nonfiction as a means of self-discovery as well as an art form. ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability.
An introduction to languaging and grammatical structures of the English language. Emphasizes the history and development of English in different cultural communities as a means to understand, rather than prescribe, how English-speakers use language. Students will engage with cultural interpretations of linguistics as a field of study to better understand the relationship between the evolution of languages and how that evolution plays a part in social justice issues. ELO5 Humanities - Innovation.
Explores cultural systems of meaning and attendant issues of power, particularly in terms of class, gender, nation, race, nature, and sexuality. Emphasis on commercial and media culture. ELO5 Humanities - Equality, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace. +This course is only offered every other year.
A hands-on introduction to digital film production and editing. Introduces the technical knowledge need to investigate the creative possibilities of composition, light, motion, color and sound in shooting digital film. Examines the fundamentals of nonlinear editing, including continuity development, logging clips, audio tracks, and transitions. Additional fee required. Prerequisites: ENGL2510 or instructor consent. +This course is only offered every other year.
Explores the history, economics, and formal qualities of the “documentary tradition” in filmmaking, with a special focus on documentary films that engage issues of sustainability, broadly defined (environmental, social, and economic). ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability.
A history of the people of African descent in the Americas, including the United States, as well as the Caribbean, Central and South America. Issues of survival and resistance, the persistence of racism and white supremacy, and struggles for freedom, across countries and time periods, will be stressed. ELO5 Histories - Equality, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace, GE3B Liberal Learning-Histories.
This course examines the causes and consequences of social, political, and economic inequalities in modern United States history. Through the examination of primary sources, students will engage in discussion of the cultural impact that inequality has had in shaping modern US society.
Discussion of sexual biology, psychology, and sociocultural dimension of human sexual health and behavior. A grade of C or higher required to count toward the Allied Health major.
A foundational course designed for students to become informed about health as well as becoming responsible and active participants in the maintenance of their personal health and affecting the health of their community. The course is intended to provide coverage of health promotion, mental health, stress management, afflictions and diseases, aging, environmental health, consumerism and health care and promotion. A grade of C or higher required to count toward the Allied Health major. ELO4 Global Learning - Sustainability.
Capstone project designed to allow students to synthesize knowledge across their social change major through the production of an original work (research paper, creative project, etc.). Must be developed under the supervision of a social change advisor. Students who are completing more than one major may elect to complete this requirement by approaching another major's capstone project through a social change lens. A social change contract to be filled out by the student, the student's social change advisor, and the faculty teaching the capstone in the aforementioned major is required for this option.
A critical thinking approach to data analysis, measures of central tendency, dispersion, correlation, probability, estimation and hypothesis testing. ELO6 Math, GE2B Foundational Skills-Mathematics/Quantitative.
This course will focus on how music has historically been used for social justice, activism, and reform both within the United States and worldwide. Additionally, it will foster critical discussion and reflection on a wide range of artistic activism and applied research. What is musical activism? What kind of social responsibilities do music researchers have? Can music be used to bring about social justice? Music has long been used by movements seeking social change. People from around the world have used music as a platform to speak up and sing out about injustices. This course will focus discussion on the sounds and sentiments of social activism in the public sphere and the value and challenge of cultural advocacy in civil society. From protest songs of the Civil Rights Movement, to music concerts for charity causes, to freedom songs of the African Americans, to the Singing Revolution of the country of Estonia, to songs of the LGBTQ movement, to the Sigauque Project in Mozambique, to the protest songs of the American union movement… and so on. Through readings, discussion, and in-depth analysis of these different songs and movements, students would gain knowledge of efforts to bring about both cultural and social change throughout the world. ELO5 Arts - Equality and Peace, GE3A Liberal Learning-Arts.
An examination of different conceptions of ethical social relationships and ethical behavior. Considers varying accounts of theories of value and right action with critical analysis of systemic and social influences on individual and collective interactions. ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality, ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality and Peace.
Study of psychological theories and empirical findings relating to variations in cultures. Prerequisite: PSYC1300. ELO4 Global Learning - World Citizenship, ELO4 Global Learning - Equality and Peace.
Christian theology is a centuries-long conversation about the meaning of Jesus’ life and message. As theologians have interpreted their faith, they have often pondered questions of justice and peace. How can the nonviolent message of Jesus challenge cultures of oppression? Can war ever be ‘just’? What insights might theological traditions offer to help critique forces that perennialize poverty? What ethical resources can Christian traditions apply to environmental degradation or the search for gender justice? This course explores such questions by focusing them through the thought of key theologians from across the centuries: e.g., Augustine of Hippo, Julian of Norwich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Oscar Romero, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Letty Russell. We explore how these thinkers’ questions and proposals remain ethically meaningful in the contemporary World. ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Peace, ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality and Peace.
This course focuses on the challenges present in policing multicultural settings. Issues pertaining to understanding diverse cultures and effective communication across cultures from the standpoint of law enforcement are explored in detail. Recommended prerequisite: CRMJ1200.
Examines the intersection of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and other minority statuses and the relationships to personal identity and social structure. Helps to develop an awareness and understanding of diverse values, life-styles, beliefs, and attitudes of various racial, cultural, and ethnic minorities. Focuses on the social, legal, economic, and political aspects of prejudice and discrimination on socially disadvantaged groups. Prerequisite: SOCI1300 (with grade of C or better) and senior standing.
Students will learn theoretical and practical foundations related to geographic information systems and spatial analysis. Emphasis on teaching students to integrate and analyze spatial information from various sources. Includes a weekly laboratory section. Prerequisite: MATH1370.
A technical course exploring the digital tools used in the graphic design industry. Students are exposed to the function, theory, and use of industry-standard computer hardware, software, and basic digital design principles utilized in the production of graphic design.
This course aims to create social and political change through collaboration with individuals, communities, and institutions through the creation of participatory art. This discipline often values process over final product and become lifelong pursuits. Some examples include artistic activism, community-based art, creative placemaking, cultural organizing, performance, participatory art, social engagement, and social sculpture. No prior art experience necessary. ELO5 Arts - World Citizenship, ELO5 Arts - Equality and Peace
Theme-based art history course exploring topics such as innovation, power, politics, architecture, entertainment, sacred spaces, sustainability, and eco art throughout art history to the present. ELO5 Arts - Innovation, GE3A Liberal Learning-Arts.
Theme-based art history course that explores topics such as activism, empathy, justice, disability, mental illness, feminism, sexuality, queer art, social and civic engagement, labor, and race throughout art history to the present. ELO5 Arts - Equality, ELO5 Arts - Equality and Peace, GE3A Liberal Learning-Arts.
This introductory printmaking making course introduces students to non-toxic printmaking techniques including relief printing, monotype, silkscreen, and other contemporary processes. The course explores how these traditional methods have been used as a means for informing, gathering, protesting, and celebration. Studio Fee required. ELO5 Arts - Innovation
An exploration into visual story telling through digital photography, imaging, and editing. Course will focus on capturing high quality images to use in professional design work. Studio Fee required.
This course provides a comprehensive overview, with hands-on experience, of Social Media Marketing. The most basic objectives of the course are to provide students with a broad introduction to social media marketing concepts and techniques using the latest online tools combined with practical "real world" application. There will be an emphasis on strategic use of tools, effective design and contemporary marketing techniques. Students will build and maintain real world marketing campaigns.
An examination of concepts that have application to communication across cultural boundaries, with emphasis on relating them to effective intercultural communication skGE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities. ELO4 Global Learning - World Citizenship, ELO4 Global Learning - Equality and Peace, GE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities. +This course is only offered every other year.
An examination of rhetorical and political communication theories and practices that are fundamental to social change advocacy. Students will become familiar with basic tools of organizing and advocating for social change, with hands-on application of various communication theories and approaches. +This course is only offered every other year.
An examination of the various landmark theories, such as rhetorical, Marxist, and feminist to analyze popular culture, with an emphasis on the importance of communication in the production and consumption of culture. Students will study the development of culture by applying different theories or 'lenses' to cultural artifacts including music, movies, advertisements, clothing, etc. GE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities +This course is only offered every other year.
An examination of conflict theories and approaches, negotiation process, conflict ethics, and third party mediation. In this class, students will become familiar with the causes of conflict as well as ways strategies and tactics used in conflict management. Further, this class will explore the foundational theoretical concepts and models of dialogue in the context of conflict management. +This course is only offered every other year.
This course will extend scientific knowledge to understand how nature and the environment influence communication and society. Students will learn about significant environmental controversies, from toxic waste to climate change, to pro-environmental behaviors. Using a foundation of persuasion, the course focuses on social responsibility and the history of mediated communication within the context of environmental movements and human-made crises.
An exploration of the emergence of new communication practices as well as their social, political, cultural, and economic impact in personal, community, cultural, social, institutional, and international life. Specific attention will be given to the ways social media influence and shape matters of ethics and privacy, how we see ourselves and others, how we interact formally and informally, and how we do business. ELO4 Global Learning - Innovation +This course is only offered every other year.
Advanced study in specific topics in communication, to be announced the semester before they are offered. May be repeated for credit as topics change.
This course focuses on the challenges present in policing multicultural settings. Issues pertaining to understanding diverse cultures and effective communication across cultures from the standpoint of law enforcement are explored in detail. Recommended prerequisite: CRMJ1200.
Basics of how the World Wide Web works and web site construction using HTML and CSS. Related technology skills will be covered.
Students will learn theoretical and practical foundations related to geographic information systems and spatial analysis. Emphasis on teaching students to integrate and analyze spatial information from various sources. Includes a weekly laboratory section. Prerequisite: MATH1380.
Analysis of the fundamental principles of the American economic system, centering on price, production, market structures, and a survey of contemporary economic problems, e.g. sustainability. ELO5 Social Science - Sustainability
An examination of the taxation policies and expenditure programs of the public sector. Related topics include public goods, income distribution, and public choice theory. Prerequisite: ECON1320. ELO5 Social Science - Equality, ELO5 Social Science - Equality and Peace. Offered odd years Spring. +This course is only offered every other year.
Analysis of various societal subgroups and how such groups recognize and deal with dehumanizing biases. Students learn to relate effectively to various groups to foster understanding and respect for equity, diversity, and inclusion. Emphasis on self-awareness in human relations issues and how this awareness can be translated into positive relationships. Introduction to ethnographic analysis and pedagogical, curricular, and social considerations involved in working with and educating various societal subgroups. ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality, ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality and Peace, GE3E Liberal Learning-Social Sciences
A survey of multi-ethnic U.S. literature, including African American literature, Latino/a literature, Asian American literature, Native American literature, and American Jewish literature. As a complement to literary texts, students will also examine a range of introductory theoretical texts in the interdisciplinary field of ethnic studies. ELO5 Humanities - Equality, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace. ++ This course is on a four-year cycle.
Examines literary works by authors from a broad range of artistic and cultural traditions. Designed to offer students an introduction to literature as a point of access into global communities such as Western European, Middle Eastern, African, Asian, Indigenous, and Latinx. ELO5 Humanities - World Citizenship, ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability, GE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities. +This course is only offered every other year.
Survey of American Literature stretching from the advent of European colonization in the Western Hemisphere to the present. The course will pay special attention to the legacies of colonialism and slavery, the history of social movements for freedom and equality, the making (and unmaking) of U.S. national mythologies, the major formal transformations that have taken place in U.S. Literature, and the function of literature as an innovative and adaptive technology that expands human capacities.
The course employs visual and literary texts to examine the various social, cultural, political, artistic, and philosophical movements from modernity to the present. By critically engaging with both colonial and postcolonial texts, the course attempts to understand the ways in which the concepts like modernity, empire, coloniality, postcoloniality, and world-building intersect as well as shape our contemporary world. Considering the influence of modernity and the expanse of British empire, this course aims to enable students to understand their own lives as citizens of a world that has been shaped by these movements.
Study of poetry writing through the lens of sustainability. Investigates the maintenance of various systems that meet human needs (e.g. emotional, physical, social, environmental) through extensive poetry writing and class discussion. Emphasis on poetry as a means of self-discovery as well as an art form. ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability +This course is only offered every other year.
Study of fiction writing through the lens of sustainability. Investigates the maintenance of various systems that meet human needs (e.g. emotional, physical, social, environmental) through extensive fiction writing and class discussion. Emphasis on fiction as a means of self-discovery as well as an art form. ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability. +This course is only offered every other year.
A transnational survey of films that deal with environmental issues and, more broadly, with human relationships to the nonhuman world. An examination of the impact of urbanization on rural communities, the mysterious allure of wild and uncultivated landscapes, the threat of climate change to daily life around the world, and the cinematic representation of environmental apocalypse. Explores different genres and styles, including neo-realism, eco-horror, anime, and avant-garde cinema. ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability +This course is only offered every other year.
An exploration of issues of gender and sexuality in literature, with a focus on fiction, drama, and poetry by women and LGBT+ writers. As a complement to literary texts, students will also examine a range of introductory theoretical texts in the interdisciplinary field of gender and sexuality studies. ELO5 Humanities - Equality, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace ++ This course is on a four-year cycle.
Special studies in English designed primarily for the non-English major. Content may vary and will be announced at time of offering. When content changes, course may be repeated for credit.
Advanced study of literary, cultural, and moving image theory, and the application to written and filmic texts. +This course is only offered every other year.
An investigation of the role of literature as a vehicle for social change. With a focus on the literatures of emancipatory social movements, this global survey course includes a range of modern authors who merged the personal with the political. Students examine how literature and narrative forms of storytelling function as a means of engaging ethical and social concerns, and eliciting emotions in readers-from rage and defiance to observation and understanding-that might serve to promote social justice. ELO5 Humanities - Peace, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace +This course is only offered every other year.
What makes a work of literature "environmental"? How have humans thought about nature throughout history, and how does that intellectual and artistic history affect us today? Can works of literature help humans prevent environmental catastrophes like climate change and species extinction? We'll seek answers to these questions as we engage with fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry. We'll discuss the ways that literary and cultural forms can shape who we are, what we value, and what we imagine for the future. We'll also work to build your skills of critical reading, analytical thinking and persuasive writing, skills that will serve you in the future, in whatever environment you inhabit. ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability.
Study of nonfiction writing through the lens of sustainability. Investigates the maintenance of various systems that meet human needs (e.g. emotional, physical, social, environmental) through extensive nonfiction writing and class discussion. Emphasis on nonfiction as a means of self-discovery as well as an art form. ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability.
An introduction to languaging and grammatical structures of the English language. Emphasizes the history and development of English in different cultural communities as a means to understand, rather than prescribe, how English-speakers use language. Students will engage with cultural interpretations of linguistics as a field of study to better understand the relationship between the evolution of languages and how that evolution plays a part in social justice issues. ELO5 Humanities - Innovation.
Explores cultural systems of meaning and attendant issues of power, particularly in terms of class, gender, nation, race, nature, and sexuality. Emphasis on commercial and media culture. ELO5 Humanities - Equality, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace. +This course is only offered every other year.
A hands-on introduction to digital film production and editing. Introduces the technical knowledge need to investigate the creative possibilities of composition, light, motion, color and sound in shooting digital film. Examines the fundamentals of nonlinear editing, including continuity development, logging clips, audio tracks, and transitions. Additional fee required. Prerequisites: ENGL2510 or instructor consent. +This course is only offered every other year.
Explores the history, economics, and formal qualities of the “documentary tradition” in filmmaking, with a special focus on documentary films that engage issues of sustainability, broadly defined (environmental, social, and economic). ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability.
A history of the people of African descent in the Americas, including the United States, as well as the Caribbean, Central and South America. Issues of survival and resistance, the persistence of racism and white supremacy, and struggles for freedom, across countries and time periods, will be stressed. ELO5 Histories - Equality, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace, GE3B Liberal Learning-Histories.
This course examines the causes and consequences of social, political, and economic inequalities in modern United States history. Through the examination of primary sources, students will engage in discussion of the cultural impact that inequality has had in shaping modern US society.
Discussion of sexual biology, psychology, and sociocultural dimension of human sexual health and behavior. A grade of C or higher required to count toward the Allied Health major.
A foundational course designed for students to become informed about health as well as becoming responsible and active participants in the maintenance of their personal health and affecting the health of their community. The course is intended to provide coverage of health promotion, mental health, stress management, afflictions and diseases, aging, environmental health, consumerism and health care and promotion. A grade of C or higher required to count toward the Allied Health major. ELO4 Global Learning - Sustainability.
Capstone project designed to allow students to synthesize knowledge across their social change major through the production of an original work (research paper, creative project, etc.). Must be developed under the supervision of a social change advisor. Students who are completing more than one major may elect to complete this requirement by approaching another major's capstone project through a social change lens. A social change contract to be filled out by the student, the student's social change advisor, and the faculty teaching the capstone in the aforementioned major is required for this option.
A critical thinking approach to data analysis, measures of central tendency, dispersion, correlation, probability, estimation and hypothesis testing. ELO6 Math, GE2B Foundational Skills-Mathematics/Quantitative.
This course will focus on how music has historically been used for social justice, activism, and reform both within the United States and worldwide. Additionally, it will foster critical discussion and reflection on a wide range of artistic activism and applied research. What is musical activism? What kind of social responsibilities do music researchers have? Can music be used to bring about social justice? Music has long been used by movements seeking social change. People from around the world have used music as a platform to speak up and sing out about injustices. This course will focus discussion on the sounds and sentiments of social activism in the public sphere and the value and challenge of cultural advocacy in civil society. From protest songs of the Civil Rights Movement, to music concerts for charity causes, to freedom songs of the African Americans, to the Singing Revolution of the country of Estonia, to songs of the LGBTQ movement, to the Sigauque Project in Mozambique, to the protest songs of the American union movement… and so on. Through readings, discussion, and in-depth analysis of these different songs and movements, students would gain knowledge of efforts to bring about both cultural and social change throughout the world. ELO5 Arts - Equality and Peace, GE3A Liberal Learning-Arts.
An examination of different conceptions of ethical social relationships and ethical behavior. Considers varying accounts of theories of value and right action with critical analysis of systemic and social influences on individual and collective interactions. ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality, ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality and Peace.
Study of psychological theories and empirical findings relating to variations in cultures. Prerequisite: PSYC1300. ELO4 Global Learning - World Citizenship, ELO4 Global Learning - Equality and Peace.
Christian theology is a centuries-long conversation about the meaning of Jesus’ life and message. As theologians have interpreted their faith, they have often pondered questions of justice and peace. How can the nonviolent message of Jesus challenge cultures of oppression? Can war ever be ‘just’? What insights might theological traditions offer to help critique forces that perennialize poverty? What ethical resources can Christian traditions apply to environmental degradation or the search for gender justice? This course explores such questions by focusing them through the thought of key theologians from across the centuries: e.g., Augustine of Hippo, Julian of Norwich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Oscar Romero, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Letty Russell. We explore how these thinkers’ questions and proposals remain ethically meaningful in the contemporary World. ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Peace, ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality and Peace.
This course focuses on the challenges present in policing multicultural settings. Issues pertaining to understanding diverse cultures and effective communication across cultures from the standpoint of law enforcement are explored in detail. Recommended prerequisite: CRMJ1200.
Examines the intersection of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and other minority statuses and the relationships to personal identity and social structure. Helps to develop an awareness and understanding of diverse values, life-styles, beliefs, and attitudes of various racial, cultural, and ethnic minorities. Focuses on the social, legal, economic, and political aspects of prejudice and discrimination on socially disadvantaged groups. Prerequisite: SOCI1300 (with grade of C or better) and senior standing.
Students will learn theoretical and practical foundations related to geographic information systems and spatial analysis. Emphasis on teaching students to integrate and analyze spatial information from various sources. Includes a weekly laboratory section. Prerequisite: MATH1370.
The interdisciplinary minor in Critical Race and Ethnic Studies requires 18 s.h.:
Core Requirements 9 s.h.
3 s.h. of electives from each of the following lists (9 s.h. total)
Culture:
Theory:
History:
An examination of concepts that have application to communication across cultural boundaries, with emphasis on relating them to effective intercultural communication skGE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities. ELO4 Global Learning - World Citizenship, ELO4 Global Learning - Equality and Peace, GE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities. +This course is only offered every other year.
An examination of the various landmark theories, such as rhetorical, Marxist, and feminist to analyze popular culture, with an emphasis on the importance of communication in the production and consumption of culture. Students will study the development of culture by applying different theories or 'lenses' to cultural artifacts including music, movies, advertisements, clothing, etc. GE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities +This course is only offered every other year.
Analysis of various societal subgroups and how such groups recognize and deal with dehumanizing biases. Students learn to relate effectively to various groups to foster understanding and respect for equity, diversity, and inclusion. Emphasis on self-awareness in human relations issues and how this awareness can be translated into positive relationships. Introduction to ethnographic analysis and pedagogical, curricular, and social considerations involved in working with and educating various societal subgroups. ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality, ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality and Peace, GE3E Liberal Learning-Social Sciences
A survey of multi-ethnic U.S. literature, including African American literature, Latino/a literature, Asian American literature, Native American literature, and American Jewish literature. As a complement to literary texts, students will also examine a range of introductory theoretical texts in the interdisciplinary field of ethnic studies. ELO5 Humanities - Equality, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace. ++ This course is on a four-year cycle.
Advanced study of literary, cultural, and moving image theory, and the application to written and filmic texts. +This course is only offered every other year.
An investigation of the role of literature as a vehicle for social change. With a focus on the literatures of emancipatory social movements, this global survey course includes a range of modern authors who merged the personal with the political. Students examine how literature and narrative forms of storytelling function as a means of engaging ethical and social concerns, and eliciting emotions in readers-from rage and defiance to observation and understanding-that might serve to promote social justice. ELO5 Humanities - Peace, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace +This course is only offered every other year.
Explores cultural systems of meaning and attendant issues of power, particularly in terms of class, gender, nation, race, nature, and sexuality. Emphasis on commercial and media culture. ELO5 Humanities - Equality, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace. +This course is only offered every other year.
A history of the people of African descent in the Americas, including the United States, as well as the Caribbean, Central and South America. Issues of survival and resistance, the persistence of racism and white supremacy, and struggles for freedom, across countries and time periods, will be stressed. ELO5 Histories - Equality, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace, GE3B Liberal Learning-Histories.
A history of the peoples of the Americas, from their arrival in the western hemisphere through the 19th century. Topics to be addressed include Native American societies and states, the encounter with Europe, the long colonial period, and struggles for political and economic independence. ELO5 Histories - World Citizenship, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace
A history of the peoples of Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America, from the 19th century to the present. Topics to be addressed include struggles for political and economic independence, social movements, and the influence of North American and other outside powers. ELO5 Histories - World Citizenship, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace
A study of the history of the creation and evolving interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, with emphasis on important issues decided by the Supreme Court. ELO5 Histories - Equality, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace. +This course is only offered every other year.
Introduces the field of peace studies with a survey of the historical and philosophical bases for peacemaking, patterns of conflict resolution, nonviolence, history of peace movements, world order models, alternative futures, positive peace, and career options. ELO5 Histories - Peace, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace
An examination of different conceptions of ethical social relationships and ethical behavior. Considers varying accounts of theories of value and right action with critical analysis of systemic and social influences on individual and collective interactions. ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality, ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality and Peace.
Examines immigration in an interdisciplinary way, focusing on how politics affects, obscures or exacerbates inequalities of power, wealth and safety among immigrant populations worldwide. Explores motives for migration across or within states, the means by which people migrate, and the reception immigrants receive in their destination countries. ELO4 Global Learning - Equality, ELO4 Global Learning - Equality and Peace
The study of how people think, feel, and behave in social situations. Attention given to research and application to social perception, interaction, and influence. Prerequisite: PSYC1300 or SOCI1300.
Study of psychological theories and empirical findings relating to variations in cultures. Prerequisite: PSYC1300. ELO4 Global Learning - World Citizenship, ELO4 Global Learning - Equality and Peace.
Christian theology is a centuries-long conversation about the meaning of Jesus’ life and message. As theologians have interpreted their faith, they have often pondered questions of justice and peace. How can the nonviolent message of Jesus challenge cultures of oppression? Can war ever be ‘just’? What insights might theological traditions offer to help critique forces that perennialize poverty? What ethical resources can Christian traditions apply to environmental degradation or the search for gender justice? This course explores such questions by focusing them through the thought of key theologians from across the centuries: e.g., Augustine of Hippo, Julian of Norwich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Oscar Romero, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Letty Russell. We explore how these thinkers’ questions and proposals remain ethically meaningful in the contemporary World. ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Peace, ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality and Peace.
Examines the basic sociological concepts and theories of race and ethnicity. Particular focus will be given to the social construction of race, as well as the causes and consequences of racism, immigration, education and residential segregation, environmental inequality, and social justice movements.
Examines the origins, nature, and processes of social change movements. Prerequisite: SOCI1300 Introduction to Sociology or PEAC2200 Introduction to Peace Studies and sophomore standing.
Examines the intersection of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and other minority statuses and the relationships to personal identity and social structure. Helps to develop an awareness and understanding of diverse values, life-styles, beliefs, and attitudes of various racial, cultural, and ethnic minorities. Focuses on the social, legal, economic, and political aspects of prejudice and discrimination on socially disadvantaged groups. Prerequisite: SOCI1300 (with grade of C or better) and senior standing.
Explores contemporary literature, visual culture, and digital media in translation produced in the Hispanic Caribbean (Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic). Through the examination of literary, digital, and visual materials, including narrative prose, paintings, murals, films, and performances, students will be exposed to multiple interpretations (new and traditional) of concepts such as citizenship and gender, sexual, and racial identities in the Hispanic Caribbean and its diasporas, particularly in the United States. Taught in English. ELO4 Global Learning – Equality, ELO4 Global Learning - Equality and Peace
An examination of concepts that have application to communication across cultural boundaries, with emphasis on relating them to effective intercultural communication skGE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities. ELO4 Global Learning - World Citizenship, ELO4 Global Learning - Equality and Peace, GE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities. +This course is only offered every other year.
An examination of the various landmark theories, such as rhetorical, Marxist, and feminist to analyze popular culture, with an emphasis on the importance of communication in the production and consumption of culture. Students will study the development of culture by applying different theories or 'lenses' to cultural artifacts including music, movies, advertisements, clothing, etc. GE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities +This course is only offered every other year.
Analysis of various societal subgroups and how such groups recognize and deal with dehumanizing biases. Students learn to relate effectively to various groups to foster understanding and respect for equity, diversity, and inclusion. Emphasis on self-awareness in human relations issues and how this awareness can be translated into positive relationships. Introduction to ethnographic analysis and pedagogical, curricular, and social considerations involved in working with and educating various societal subgroups. ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality, ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality and Peace, GE3E Liberal Learning-Social Sciences
A survey of multi-ethnic U.S. literature, including African American literature, Latino/a literature, Asian American literature, Native American literature, and American Jewish literature. As a complement to literary texts, students will also examine a range of introductory theoretical texts in the interdisciplinary field of ethnic studies. ELO5 Humanities - Equality, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace. ++ This course is on a four-year cycle.
Advanced study of literary, cultural, and moving image theory, and the application to written and filmic texts. +This course is only offered every other year.
An investigation of the role of literature as a vehicle for social change. With a focus on the literatures of emancipatory social movements, this global survey course includes a range of modern authors who merged the personal with the political. Students examine how literature and narrative forms of storytelling function as a means of engaging ethical and social concerns, and eliciting emotions in readers-from rage and defiance to observation and understanding-that might serve to promote social justice. ELO5 Humanities - Peace, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace +This course is only offered every other year.
Explores cultural systems of meaning and attendant issues of power, particularly in terms of class, gender, nation, race, nature, and sexuality. Emphasis on commercial and media culture. ELO5 Humanities - Equality, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace. +This course is only offered every other year.
A history of the people of African descent in the Americas, including the United States, as well as the Caribbean, Central and South America. Issues of survival and resistance, the persistence of racism and white supremacy, and struggles for freedom, across countries and time periods, will be stressed. ELO5 Histories - Equality, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace, GE3B Liberal Learning-Histories.
A history of the peoples of the Americas, from their arrival in the western hemisphere through the 19th century. Topics to be addressed include Native American societies and states, the encounter with Europe, the long colonial period, and struggles for political and economic independence. ELO5 Histories - World Citizenship, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace
A history of the peoples of Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America, from the 19th century to the present. Topics to be addressed include struggles for political and economic independence, social movements, and the influence of North American and other outside powers. ELO5 Histories - World Citizenship, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace
A study of the history of the creation and evolving interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, with emphasis on important issues decided by the Supreme Court. ELO5 Histories - Equality, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace. +This course is only offered every other year.
Introduces the field of peace studies with a survey of the historical and philosophical bases for peacemaking, patterns of conflict resolution, nonviolence, history of peace movements, world order models, alternative futures, positive peace, and career options. ELO5 Histories - Peace, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace
An examination of different conceptions of ethical social relationships and ethical behavior. Considers varying accounts of theories of value and right action with critical analysis of systemic and social influences on individual and collective interactions. ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality, ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality and Peace.
Examines immigration in an interdisciplinary way, focusing on how politics affects, obscures or exacerbates inequalities of power, wealth and safety among immigrant populations worldwide. Explores motives for migration across or within states, the means by which people migrate, and the reception immigrants receive in their destination countries. ELO4 Global Learning - Equality, ELO4 Global Learning - Equality and Peace
The study of how people think, feel, and behave in social situations. Attention given to research and application to social perception, interaction, and influence. Prerequisite: PSYC1300 or SOCI1300.
Study of psychological theories and empirical findings relating to variations in cultures. Prerequisite: PSYC1300. ELO4 Global Learning - World Citizenship, ELO4 Global Learning - Equality and Peace.
Christian theology is a centuries-long conversation about the meaning of Jesus’ life and message. As theologians have interpreted their faith, they have often pondered questions of justice and peace. How can the nonviolent message of Jesus challenge cultures of oppression? Can war ever be ‘just’? What insights might theological traditions offer to help critique forces that perennialize poverty? What ethical resources can Christian traditions apply to environmental degradation or the search for gender justice? This course explores such questions by focusing them through the thought of key theologians from across the centuries: e.g., Augustine of Hippo, Julian of Norwich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Oscar Romero, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Letty Russell. We explore how these thinkers’ questions and proposals remain ethically meaningful in the contemporary World. ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Peace, ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality and Peace.
Examines the basic sociological concepts and theories of race and ethnicity. Particular focus will be given to the social construction of race, as well as the causes and consequences of racism, immigration, education and residential segregation, environmental inequality, and social justice movements.
Examines the origins, nature, and processes of social change movements. Prerequisite: SOCI1300 Introduction to Sociology or PEAC2200 Introduction to Peace Studies and sophomore standing.
Examines the intersection of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and other minority statuses and the relationships to personal identity and social structure. Helps to develop an awareness and understanding of diverse values, life-styles, beliefs, and attitudes of various racial, cultural, and ethnic minorities. Focuses on the social, legal, economic, and political aspects of prejudice and discrimination on socially disadvantaged groups. Prerequisite: SOCI1300 (with grade of C or better) and senior standing.
Explores contemporary literature, visual culture, and digital media in translation produced in the Hispanic Caribbean (Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic). Through the examination of literary, digital, and visual materials, including narrative prose, paintings, murals, films, and performances, students will be exposed to multiple interpretations (new and traditional) of concepts such as citizenship and gender, sexual, and racial identities in the Hispanic Caribbean and its diasporas, particularly in the United States. Taught in English. ELO4 Global Learning – Equality, ELO4 Global Learning - Equality and Peace
The interdisciplinary minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies requires 18 s.h.:
Core Requirements 9 s.h.
3 s.h. of electives from each of the following lists (9 s.h. total)
Theory and Law:
Society and Nature:
Language and Culture:
An examination of the various landmark theories, such as rhetorical, Marxist, and feminist to analyze popular culture, with an emphasis on the importance of communication in the production and consumption of culture. Students will study the development of culture by applying different theories or 'lenses' to cultural artifacts including music, movies, advertisements, clothing, etc. GE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities +This course is only offered every other year.
An exploration of sex, gender, and sexuality as they relate to the ways we communicate in personal, professional, and political contexts. Specific attention will be given to self-other relationships, how gendered identities affect interpersonal, cultural, and political interactions, where do individuals stand in terms of normative gender identities, and how those norms came to be. +This course is only offered every other year.
Analysis of various societal subgroups and how such groups recognize and deal with dehumanizing biases. Students learn to relate effectively to various groups to foster understanding and respect for equity, diversity, and inclusion. Emphasis on self-awareness in human relations issues and how this awareness can be translated into positive relationships. Introduction to ethnographic analysis and pedagogical, curricular, and social considerations involved in working with and educating various societal subgroups. ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality, ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality and Peace, GE3E Liberal Learning-Social Sciences
An exploration of issues of gender and sexuality in literature, with a focus on fiction, drama, and poetry by women and LGBT+ writers. As a complement to literary texts, students will also examine a range of introductory theoretical texts in the interdisciplinary field of gender and sexuality studies. ELO5 Humanities - Equality, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace ++ This course is on a four-year cycle.
Advanced study of literary, cultural, and moving image theory, and the application to written and filmic texts. +This course is only offered every other year.
An investigation of the role of literature as a vehicle for social change. With a focus on the literatures of emancipatory social movements, this global survey course includes a range of modern authors who merged the personal with the political. Students examine how literature and narrative forms of storytelling function as a means of engaging ethical and social concerns, and eliciting emotions in readers-from rage and defiance to observation and understanding-that might serve to promote social justice. ELO5 Humanities - Peace, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace +This course is only offered every other year.
Explores cultural systems of meaning and attendant issues of power, particularly in terms of class, gender, nation, race, nature, and sexuality. Emphasis on commercial and media culture. ELO5 Humanities - Equality, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace. +This course is only offered every other year.
A study of the history of the creation and evolving interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, with emphasis on important issues decided by the Supreme Court. ELO5 Histories - Equality, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace. +This course is only offered every other year.
Discussion of sexual biology, psychology, and sociocultural dimension of human sexual health and behavior. A grade of C or higher required to count toward the Allied Health major.
Introduces the field of peace studies with a survey of the historical and philosophical bases for peacemaking, patterns of conflict resolution, nonviolence, history of peace movements, world order models, alternative futures, positive peace, and career options. ELO5 Histories - Peace, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace
An examination of different conceptions of ethical social relationships and ethical behavior. Considers varying accounts of theories of value and right action with critical analysis of systemic and social influences on individual and collective interactions. ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality, ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality and Peace.
An introductory survey of psychological methods and thoughts as they relate to human experience and behavior. Topics include the role of the central nervous system in mediating behavior, learning and memory, states of awareness, motivation and emotion, personality, psychological disorders, and therapy. ELO5 Social Science – Innovation, GE3E Liberal Learning-Social Sciences.
A social science approach to relationships and attraction with a focus on marriage and the family unit. Topics include dating, marital roles, parenting, and interaction patterns. Explores disruptions such as divorce and domestic violence as well as clinical and community-level interventions from a systems perspective. +This course is only offered every other year.
The study of how people think, feel, and behave in social situations. Attention given to research and application to social perception, interaction, and influence. Prerequisite: PSYC1300 or SOCI1300.
Christian theology is a centuries-long conversation about the meaning of Jesus’ life and message. As theologians have interpreted their faith, they have often pondered questions of justice and peace. How can the nonviolent message of Jesus challenge cultures of oppression? Can war ever be ‘just’? What insights might theological traditions offer to help critique forces that perennialize poverty? What ethical resources can Christian traditions apply to environmental degradation or the search for gender justice? This course explores such questions by focusing them through the thought of key theologians from across the centuries: e.g., Augustine of Hippo, Julian of Norwich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Oscar Romero, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Letty Russell. We explore how these thinkers’ questions and proposals remain ethically meaningful in the contemporary World. ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Peace, ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality and Peace.
Introduction to the perspective of sociology, its basic concepts and principles and an overview of the field.Includes study of social classes, sex roles, crime and deviance, socialization, social movements and others. ELO5 Social Science - Equality, ELO5 Social Science - Equality and Peace
A social science approach to relationships and attraction with a focus on marriage and the family unit. Topics include dating, marital roles, parenting, and interaction patterns. Explores disruptions such as divorce and domestic violence as well as clinical and community-level interventions from a systems perspective.
Explores victimology, or the study of victimization. Topics include the history of victims’ rights, causes of victimization, its consequences, and how other institutions deal with crime victims. Also addresses how social scientists conduct research on victims of crimes and current issues and topics of interests to researchers who study victimization. Prerequisites: SOCI1300 or consent from instructor.
Examines the origins, nature, and processes of social change movements. Prerequisite: SOCI1300 Introduction to Sociology or PEAC2200 Introduction to Peace Studies and sophomore standing.
Examines gender as a major organizing principle of contemporary social life and explores the different explanations of gender, gendered interactions, and its effects on identities and social institutions. Prerequisite: SOCI1300 Introduction to Sociology or PSYC1300 Introduction to Psychology and sophomore standing.
Examines human sexuality through a sociological perspective, focusing on how sexuality reflects the society in which we live. We will consider the relationship between individual sexualities, (sub)cultures, institutions, and the nation-state. Prerequisite: SOCI1300 Introduction to Sociology and sophomore standing.
Examines the intersection of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and other minority statuses and the relationships to personal identity and social structure. Helps to develop an awareness and understanding of diverse values, life-styles, beliefs, and attitudes of various racial, cultural, and ethnic minorities. Focuses on the social, legal, economic, and political aspects of prejudice and discrimination on socially disadvantaged groups. Prerequisite: SOCI1300 (with grade of C or better) and senior standing.
An examination of the various landmark theories, such as rhetorical, Marxist, and feminist to analyze popular culture, with an emphasis on the importance of communication in the production and consumption of culture. Students will study the development of culture by applying different theories or 'lenses' to cultural artifacts including music, movies, advertisements, clothing, etc. GE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities +This course is only offered every other year.
An exploration of sex, gender, and sexuality as they relate to the ways we communicate in personal, professional, and political contexts. Specific attention will be given to self-other relationships, how gendered identities affect interpersonal, cultural, and political interactions, where do individuals stand in terms of normative gender identities, and how those norms came to be. +This course is only offered every other year.
Analysis of various societal subgroups and how such groups recognize and deal with dehumanizing biases. Students learn to relate effectively to various groups to foster understanding and respect for equity, diversity, and inclusion. Emphasis on self-awareness in human relations issues and how this awareness can be translated into positive relationships. Introduction to ethnographic analysis and pedagogical, curricular, and social considerations involved in working with and educating various societal subgroups. ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality, ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality and Peace, GE3E Liberal Learning-Social Sciences
An exploration of issues of gender and sexuality in literature, with a focus on fiction, drama, and poetry by women and LGBT+ writers. As a complement to literary texts, students will also examine a range of introductory theoretical texts in the interdisciplinary field of gender and sexuality studies. ELO5 Humanities - Equality, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace ++ This course is on a four-year cycle.
Advanced study of literary, cultural, and moving image theory, and the application to written and filmic texts. +This course is only offered every other year.
An investigation of the role of literature as a vehicle for social change. With a focus on the literatures of emancipatory social movements, this global survey course includes a range of modern authors who merged the personal with the political. Students examine how literature and narrative forms of storytelling function as a means of engaging ethical and social concerns, and eliciting emotions in readers-from rage and defiance to observation and understanding-that might serve to promote social justice. ELO5 Humanities - Peace, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace +This course is only offered every other year.
Explores cultural systems of meaning and attendant issues of power, particularly in terms of class, gender, nation, race, nature, and sexuality. Emphasis on commercial and media culture. ELO5 Humanities - Equality, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace. +This course is only offered every other year.
A study of the history of the creation and evolving interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, with emphasis on important issues decided by the Supreme Court. ELO5 Histories - Equality, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace. +This course is only offered every other year.
Discussion of sexual biology, psychology, and sociocultural dimension of human sexual health and behavior. A grade of C or higher required to count toward the Allied Health major.
Introduces the field of peace studies with a survey of the historical and philosophical bases for peacemaking, patterns of conflict resolution, nonviolence, history of peace movements, world order models, alternative futures, positive peace, and career options. ELO5 Histories - Peace, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace
An examination of different conceptions of ethical social relationships and ethical behavior. Considers varying accounts of theories of value and right action with critical analysis of systemic and social influences on individual and collective interactions. ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality, ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality and Peace.
An introductory survey of psychological methods and thoughts as they relate to human experience and behavior. Topics include the role of the central nervous system in mediating behavior, learning and memory, states of awareness, motivation and emotion, personality, psychological disorders, and therapy. ELO5 Social Science – Innovation, GE3E Liberal Learning-Social Sciences.
A social science approach to relationships and attraction with a focus on marriage and the family unit. Topics include dating, marital roles, parenting, and interaction patterns. Explores disruptions such as divorce and domestic violence as well as clinical and community-level interventions from a systems perspective. +This course is only offered every other year.
The study of how people think, feel, and behave in social situations. Attention given to research and application to social perception, interaction, and influence. Prerequisite: PSYC1300 or SOCI1300.
Christian theology is a centuries-long conversation about the meaning of Jesus’ life and message. As theologians have interpreted their faith, they have often pondered questions of justice and peace. How can the nonviolent message of Jesus challenge cultures of oppression? Can war ever be ‘just’? What insights might theological traditions offer to help critique forces that perennialize poverty? What ethical resources can Christian traditions apply to environmental degradation or the search for gender justice? This course explores such questions by focusing them through the thought of key theologians from across the centuries: e.g., Augustine of Hippo, Julian of Norwich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Oscar Romero, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Letty Russell. We explore how these thinkers’ questions and proposals remain ethically meaningful in the contemporary World. ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Peace, ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality and Peace.
Introduction to the perspective of sociology, its basic concepts and principles and an overview of the field.Includes study of social classes, sex roles, crime and deviance, socialization, social movements and others. ELO5 Social Science - Equality, ELO5 Social Science - Equality and Peace
A social science approach to relationships and attraction with a focus on marriage and the family unit. Topics include dating, marital roles, parenting, and interaction patterns. Explores disruptions such as divorce and domestic violence as well as clinical and community-level interventions from a systems perspective.
Explores victimology, or the study of victimization. Topics include the history of victims’ rights, causes of victimization, its consequences, and how other institutions deal with crime victims. Also addresses how social scientists conduct research on victims of crimes and current issues and topics of interests to researchers who study victimization. Prerequisites: SOCI1300 or consent from instructor.
Examines the origins, nature, and processes of social change movements. Prerequisite: SOCI1300 Introduction to Sociology or PEAC2200 Introduction to Peace Studies and sophomore standing.
Examines gender as a major organizing principle of contemporary social life and explores the different explanations of gender, gendered interactions, and its effects on identities and social institutions. Prerequisite: SOCI1300 Introduction to Sociology or PSYC1300 Introduction to Psychology and sophomore standing.
Examines human sexuality through a sociological perspective, focusing on how sexuality reflects the society in which we live. We will consider the relationship between individual sexualities, (sub)cultures, institutions, and the nation-state. Prerequisite: SOCI1300 Introduction to Sociology and sophomore standing.
Examines the intersection of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and other minority statuses and the relationships to personal identity and social structure. Helps to develop an awareness and understanding of diverse values, life-styles, beliefs, and attitudes of various racial, cultural, and ethnic minorities. Focuses on the social, legal, economic, and political aspects of prejudice and discrimination on socially disadvantaged groups. Prerequisite: SOCI1300 (with grade of C or better) and senior standing.
In addition to Graceland’s graduation requirements, our Interdisciplinary Studies program consists of a concentrated area of study and a general studies concentration.
A required course designed to provide additional support to non-native speakers of English and non-North American international students transitioning into university life during their first semester in the USA. This course serves as an extended orientation that will help students integrate into campus life and navigate through cultural adjustment while learning about the USA/State/Local/Graceland cultures and procedures. Course may be taken with instructor consent for students that are not required to take the course.
The course investigates the impact of economic class on individuals and communities, hidden rules and resources, college orientation, and theories of change. The course is designed to help students use conceptual frameworks to analyze abstract and ill-defined issues, as is expected for educational and work/life success.
The focus of this course is on the development and application of college-level reading and study skills necessary for college success, personal success strategies, and the use of campus resources that enhance individual student achievement. Because this is a graded course, a student’s efforts will directly impact his or her GPA.
Learning about and adjusting to GU. TRIO Scholars will develop the knowledge, skills, and support systems essential for academic, social, emotional, professional and financial success at the second-semester, freshman level. This is the first course in the series, and will be provided during the spring semester of the freshman year. If this course places a student above 18 semester hours, the overload fee will be waived.
Learning about and adjusting to GU. TRIO Scholars will develop the knowledge, skills, and support systems essential for academic, social, emotional, professional and financial success at the first-semester, sophomore level. This is the second course in the series, and will be provided during the fall semester of the sophomore year. If this course places a student above 18 semester hours, the overload fee will be waived.
Learning about and adjusting to GU. TRIO Scholars will develop the knowledge, skills, and support systems essential for academic, social, emotional, professional and financial success at the second-semester, sophomore level. This is the third course in the series, and will be provided during the spring semester of the sophomore year. If this course places a student above 18 semester hours, the overload fee will be waived.
Learning about and adjusting to GU. TRIO Scholars will develop the knowledge, skills, and support systems essential for academic, social, emotional, professional and financial success at the first-semester, junior level. This is the fourth course in the series, and will be provided during the fall semester of the junior year. If this course places a student above 18 semester hours, the overload fee will be waived.
Learning about and adjusting to GU. TRIO Scholars will develop the knowledge, skills, and support systems essential for academic, social, emotional, professional and financial success at the second-semester, junior level. This is the fifth course in the series and will be provided during the spring semester of the junior year. If this course places a student above 18 semester hours, the overload fee will be waived.
Learning about and adjusting to GU. TRIO Scholars will develop the knowledge, skills, and support systems essential for academic, social, emotional, professional and financial success at the first-semester, senior level. This is the sixth course in the series, and will be provided during the fall semester of the senior year. If this course places a student above 18 semester hours, the overload fee will be waived.
An overview of the major disciplines represented in the International Studies major. This course will also offer an introduction to contemporary global concerns through a study of current political, economic, and social issues. Discussion of important global issues will lead to a more critical analysis of news and an awareness of the responsibilities of national and international citizenship. ELO4 Global Learning - World Citizenship
Designed to expand students’ awareness of themselves as sexual beings and to examine such topics as anatomy, psychology, behavior, and ethics as they relate to human sexuality in a value-oriented environment.
Specific courses that may be approved by the division responsible for their implementation, subject to the approval of the Deans Council.
An interdisciplinary foundation course in the shared and unique approaches to human experience of the visual artist, musician, creative writer, and philosopher. Course content draws freely on major cultural landmarks from each discipline.
Focus will be on the political, socio-economic, geographical, health, and cultural determinants of life circumstances of people living in third world countries. Literature of specific cultures will be studied for insights into cultural beliefs and behaviors that are at variance with student’s culture. Resource persons with extensive experience in third world countries will be available for class interactions. Preparation requirements for travel abroad will be discussed. Offered in Independence, Missouri.
Specific courses that may be approved by the division responsible for their implementation, subject to the approval of the Deans Council.
An evaluation and analysis of intercultural experience and its implications within a framework of current theory, concepts, and methods in the field of intercultural communication. This course is designed to immediately follow the International Studies major's residence abroad and must be successfully completed no later than one year from the student's return from study abroad. (Graded on a Pass/Fail basis.) Prerequisite: COMM2110 and Instructor's consent.
A guided capstone where students will write a research paper or create a project that demonstrates an appropriate level of mastery of the learning outcomes identified by student and faculty advisor at the time the application for the major was submitted. (Note: This is a graded course, does not count for essential education, and may not be repeated for credit.)
Capstone project designed to allow students to synthesize knowledge across their social change major through the production of an original work (research paper, creative project, etc.). Must be developed under the supervision of a social change advisor. Students who are completing more than one major may elect to complete this requirement by approaching another major's capstone project through a social change lens. A social change contract to be filled out by the student, the student's social change advisor, and the faculty teaching the capstone in the aforementioned major is required for this option.
A required course designed to provide additional support to non-native speakers of English and non-North American international students transitioning into university life during their first semester in the USA. This course serves as an extended orientation that will help students integrate into campus life and navigate through cultural adjustment while learning about the USA/State/Local/Graceland cultures and procedures. Course may be taken with instructor consent for students that are not required to take the course.
The course investigates the impact of economic class on individuals and communities, hidden rules and resources, college orientation, and theories of change. The course is designed to help students use conceptual frameworks to analyze abstract and ill-defined issues, as is expected for educational and work/life success.
The focus of this course is on the development and application of college-level reading and study skills necessary for college success, personal success strategies, and the use of campus resources that enhance individual student achievement. Because this is a graded course, a student’s efforts will directly impact his or her GPA.
Learning about and adjusting to GU. TRIO Scholars will develop the knowledge, skills, and support systems essential for academic, social, emotional, professional and financial success at the second-semester, freshman level. This is the first course in the series, and will be provided during the spring semester of the freshman year. If this course places a student above 18 semester hours, the overload fee will be waived.
Learning about and adjusting to GU. TRIO Scholars will develop the knowledge, skills, and support systems essential for academic, social, emotional, professional and financial success at the first-semester, sophomore level. This is the second course in the series, and will be provided during the fall semester of the sophomore year. If this course places a student above 18 semester hours, the overload fee will be waived.
Learning about and adjusting to GU. TRIO Scholars will develop the knowledge, skills, and support systems essential for academic, social, emotional, professional and financial success at the second-semester, sophomore level. This is the third course in the series, and will be provided during the spring semester of the sophomore year. If this course places a student above 18 semester hours, the overload fee will be waived.
Learning about and adjusting to GU. TRIO Scholars will develop the knowledge, skills, and support systems essential for academic, social, emotional, professional and financial success at the first-semester, junior level. This is the fourth course in the series, and will be provided during the fall semester of the junior year. If this course places a student above 18 semester hours, the overload fee will be waived.
Learning about and adjusting to GU. TRIO Scholars will develop the knowledge, skills, and support systems essential for academic, social, emotional, professional and financial success at the second-semester, junior level. This is the fifth course in the series and will be provided during the spring semester of the junior year. If this course places a student above 18 semester hours, the overload fee will be waived.
Learning about and adjusting to GU. TRIO Scholars will develop the knowledge, skills, and support systems essential for academic, social, emotional, professional and financial success at the first-semester, senior level. This is the sixth course in the series, and will be provided during the fall semester of the senior year. If this course places a student above 18 semester hours, the overload fee will be waived.
An overview of the major disciplines represented in the International Studies major. This course will also offer an introduction to contemporary global concerns through a study of current political, economic, and social issues. Discussion of important global issues will lead to a more critical analysis of news and an awareness of the responsibilities of national and international citizenship. ELO4 Global Learning - World Citizenship
Designed to expand students’ awareness of themselves as sexual beings and to examine such topics as anatomy, psychology, behavior, and ethics as they relate to human sexuality in a value-oriented environment.
Specific courses that may be approved by the division responsible for their implementation, subject to the approval of the Deans Council.
An interdisciplinary foundation course in the shared and unique approaches to human experience of the visual artist, musician, creative writer, and philosopher. Course content draws freely on major cultural landmarks from each discipline.
Focus will be on the political, socio-economic, geographical, health, and cultural determinants of life circumstances of people living in third world countries. Literature of specific cultures will be studied for insights into cultural beliefs and behaviors that are at variance with student’s culture. Resource persons with extensive experience in third world countries will be available for class interactions. Preparation requirements for travel abroad will be discussed. Offered in Independence, Missouri.
Specific courses that may be approved by the division responsible for their implementation, subject to the approval of the Deans Council.
An evaluation and analysis of intercultural experience and its implications within a framework of current theory, concepts, and methods in the field of intercultural communication. This course is designed to immediately follow the International Studies major's residence abroad and must be successfully completed no later than one year from the student's return from study abroad. (Graded on a Pass/Fail basis.) Prerequisite: COMM2110 and Instructor's consent.
A guided capstone where students will write a research paper or create a project that demonstrates an appropriate level of mastery of the learning outcomes identified by student and faculty advisor at the time the application for the major was submitted. (Note: This is a graded course, does not count for essential education, and may not be repeated for credit.)
Capstone project designed to allow students to synthesize knowledge across their social change major through the production of an original work (research paper, creative project, etc.). Must be developed under the supervision of a social change advisor. Students who are completing more than one major may elect to complete this requirement by approaching another major's capstone project through a social change lens. A social change contract to be filled out by the student, the student's social change advisor, and the faculty teaching the capstone in the aforementioned major is required for this option.
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