COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

General Electives

HIS 101 US History

This course is designed to present United States history in a manner blending themes and issues of each era of time.  Topics include, but are not limited to, subjects such as politics, culture, society, reform, the military, and economics.  Students learn how events, movements, and groups of people have served to shape history as well as how to make connections between themes and issues throughout history.

HIS 102 World History

The goal of this course is to introduce students to the major stages of world history through learning about the development of people and major societies.  The course includes social, cultural, political and economic history and examines key civilizations in world history.  The content of the course consists of human origins to agrarian communities, classical civilizations of the world, the post-classical era, expanding webs of interaction, revolutions and the age of empire, and the globalized world.

HIS 103 Modern Middle Eastern History

This course presents Middle Eastern history from the rise of Islam to the present time including the central and peripheral Middle East.  There is a thorough and balanced discussion of the political, religious, social, gender, economic, and cultural history of the region.  The course provides students with a general introduction of the chief elements in Middle Eastern history proceeding into more specialized topics and themes.  Additionally, the period from 1939 to the present with updated analyses of Iraq since 2003, the status of the Arab-Israeli peace process, and the administration of Mahmud Ahmadinejad in Iran will be included.

HIS 104 History of the Holocaust

This course studies prewar European Jewish life and the historical, political, and social circumstances that gave rise to a modern, extremist right-wing ideology and its avatar, Hitler and Nazism.  The course will explore Jewish responses, including spiritual resistance as well as armed rebellion, and non-Jewish acts of conscience on behalf of imperiled Jews. 

This course will explore the compelling role that art plays in evoking truth versus the academic's focus on conveying facts, restoring the human dimension of the Holocaust to the academic inquiry that by itself, however unintentionally, can reduce the humanity of victims to mere statistics and factoids. Participants will therefore engage with a select sampling of artistic representations – poems, memoirs, photos, music, and artwork – created by both victims and survivors representing both religious and non-religious segments of the communities. The course, time permitting, will also introduce participants to noted representations of the Holocaust during the postwar years, which could include dramatizations and documentaries, including Judgment at Nuremberg, The Sorrow and the Pity, and Weapons of the Spirit.  

GOV 101 American Politics

This course covers the foundations and features of American government with explanations regarding why and how important features of government have evolved, their impact on government and individuals, and features determined controversial.  The course provides students with an understanding of the development of American politics in a manner to apply the knowledge once the course is completed.   The course introduces the fundamentals of the American system, the link between the government and people, government branches, civil liberties, and public policies.

GOV 102 US Economics

This course engages students with business decisions of actual, headline-making companies and discusses the economic policies of today's world leaders.  The course content reflects the current economic condition in the US and the world.  The course includes a thorough discussion of supply and demand, consumers, firms, social issues, national and global economics, and how US politics affect the world.  Issues of international trade and globalization will be introduced.

GOV 103 US Government and Legal System

This course provides an overview of US government and the American legal system.  The course introduces such topics as law and ethics, institutional sources of American law, the judicial system, civil law, criminal law, family law, tort law, property law, administrative law, and alternative dispute resolution. 

SCI 101 Environmental Science

The Environmental Science course deals with the physical, chemical and biological components of the environment and their effects on organisms. Students gain knowledge of the relationship between organisms and their environment.

SOC 101 General Sociology

This introductory course assists students in the study of human behavior. The examination of humans in their collective aspect, sociology is concerned with all group activities—economic, social, political, and religious. The science of society will cover social relationships and specifically the systematic study of the development, structure, interaction, and collective behavior of organized human groups.

SPCH 101 General Speech

In this course students will learn how to prepare and deliver a variety of speeches.  Students will be guided through topic selection, audience analysis and adaptation, effective organization, language, and delivery.   The course is designed to help students develop and strengthen public speaking skills.

SPCH 102 Business Speaking

This course introduces students to effective communication in the business setting.  The course begins by defining effective communication and overcoming barriers to making a positive connection with the speaker's audience.  Students will learn about participating in meetings and preparing a presentation to grab the audience's attention.  Included will also be structuring written communications in a tone representing the meaning of the message. Additionally, the course will incorporate interviewing techniques.

SPCH 103 Public Speaking

This course introduces the foundations of public speaking, the role of ethics in public speaking, and building speaker confidence.  The course familiarizes students with effectively using technology in speech development and delivery.   A strong emphasis on speech preparation, delivery, and use of visual aids is presented.  Students learn the different types of speeches and when to use each.  The course also presents critical thinking and active listening skills.

PSY 201 Intermediate Psychology

The purpose of this course is to build student awareness and understanding of human psychology through recognizing everyday behavior before exploring less common, rare and abnormal actions.  The course will present students with the science of psychology and the research that helps connect the science of psychology to the world around them.  Topics in the course include the study of the science of psychology, the human brain and behavior, sensation and perception, the state of consciousness, learning, memory, thinking, intelligence, language, human development, motivation, personality, social psychology, psychological disorders, therapies, and health psychology.

PSY 202 Psychological Statistics

This course surveys the statistical techniques commonly used in the behavioral and social sciences, especially psychology and education.   The course emphasizes the importance of looking at the data before formulating a hypothesis, using plotting data, looking for outliers, and checking assumptions.  Additionally, the course underlines the importance of the relationship between the statistical test to be employed and the theoretical questions being posed by the experiment.  The course is designed to assist the student in understanding statistical data, the purpose of experimenting, and how predictions assist in creating a theory. 

PSY 203 Social Psychology

This course looks at a wide range of social topics, including social cognition, perception, and interaction including the effects of stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination.  Additionally, a study of self, relationships, and prosocial behavior will be studied.  The course consists of the consequences of belonging through comparing group versus individual feelings.  The course will integrate current topics such as self-esteem, plastic surgery, philanthropy, bullying, sororities, and age discrimination with social awareness, leadership, nonverbal behavior, and aggression.

SPAN  101 Spanish I

This course introduces the language and culture of the Hispanic world through personal perspectives to new opportunities for cross-cultural learning.  Students will interact with Spanish in a dynamic way gauging their progress with realistic, role-play situations.  Students will learn how Spanish can be applicable and useful in their lives.  A personal approach combined with clear grammar explanations and a multitude of practice activities will assist students in the learning process.

SPAN 102 Spanish II

This course builds on Spanish I bringing an understanding of intermediate Spanish to students.  This course focuses on the significance of culture and interpersonal communication in learning Spanish through relevant themes motivating students to use critical thinking.  The course concentrates on developing basic listening, speaking, reading and writing skills with an emphasis on fluency and accuracy. 

HEB 101 Hebrew I

This course introduces the student to Hebrew.  Designed for beginners, the course teaches the essentials of Hebrew, including the alphabet and simple words to assist the student in reading, writing and understanding basic Hebrew. 

HEB 102 Hebrew II

Designed at the intermediate level, this course expands the students' knowledge and use of Hebrew.  The course increases word usages and phrases necessary to communicate in Hebrew in written and spoken form.