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Academic Offerings

Minor in Human Rights

The new undergraduate Minor in Human Rights has been approved! The human rights minor is interdisciplinary in nature and draws from a number of social science and humanities fields, including political science, international studies, anthropology, psychology, sociology, history, criminal justice, public health, and social work. Review the requirements and curriculum in the Undergraduate Catalog. Please contact Dr. Tina Kempin Reuter at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with questions.

For students interested in human rights broadly, the IHR recommends the classes listed in each program. In addition, we encourage students to explore special topics, education abroad, service learning, and internship courses related to human rights on a semester-by-semester basis. 

Undergraduate Courses


  • African American Studies

    AAS 200. Introduction to African-American Studies. 3 Hours.
    Examination of seven core areas of African American Studies: History, Religion, Social Organization, Politics, Economics, Creative Production, and Psychology. Emphasizes major thematical theoretical and critical discourses of Black Studies, and its emergence as a political/social movement and discipline. Relates the latter to the complexity and diversity of contemporary movements such as Civil Rights, Free Speech, Black Power, and Afro-centricism. Majors and minors in African American Studies should complete this course before enrolling in any higher level AAS course. Ethics and Civic Responsibility are significant components of this course. This course meets the Core Curriculum requirements for Area II: Humanities.

    AAS 311. Race and Representation in Media. 3 Hours.
    The course critically assesses the depiction of race in various visual media presentations. It explores how race is projected in media and how these media structures can create, support stereotypes of race and perpetuate social inequalities.

  • Anthropology

    ANTH 299. Contemporary Global Issues. 3 Hours.
    This course explores anthropological perspectives, applications, and contributions to solving to contemporary world problems including: terrorism, warfare, genocide; global warming and sustainable development; global epidemic disease and new pandemics; torture and human rights abuses; global capitalism, sweatshops, and economic justice; poverty and hunger; illiteracy; child labor and child soldiers; and human population explosion.

    ANTH 330. Nationalism Ethnicity and Violence. 3 Hours.
    Social and cultural analysis of ethnicity and nationalist ideologies particularly where these have led to violent confrontations within modern nation-states. Primordialist versus constructionist theories of difference; varying weight to be attributed to political, historical, and cultural factors in study of nationalism; politics of culture versus culture of politics.

    ANTH 351. Anthropology of Human Rights. 3 Hours.
    Examination of conceptual, political, and legal aspects of human rights from an anthropological perspective. Topics considered may include: state violence; the history of human rights claims; the opposition of cultural rights and human rights claim; human rights as a form of political discourse; human rights practices in select contemporary settings.

    ANTH 408. Conflict Resolution in Cross-Cultural Perspective. 3 Hours.
    This course explores conflict and conflict management from an anthropological perspective. It includes ethnographic examples from around the globe. Do all societies engage in war? How are conflicts handled in other cultures? The course will challenge a Western view that humans are naturally violent and warlike and consider some interesting anthropological controversies. Specific topics considered include conflict models, origins of war, conflict resolution, socialization of conflict styles, third party mediation, and ways to reduce violence and prevent war.

    ANTH 409. Peace through Global Governance. 3 Hours.
    Global governance represents a new dimension in social organization. Anthropology has much to contribute to understanding it. Global governance has the potential to promote social progress and human development, the protection of human rights, peace, and human security. The course examines security—-military, collective, and human security—-and the evolution of international identity, norms, values, and laws and their contributions to the development of global civil society.

    ANTH 418. The Power of Nonviolence. 3 Hours.
    This course introduces students to the theory and practice of nonviolence as a manner of social change and as a philosophy. The course explores some of the classic writings on nonviolence such as those by Tolstoy, Gandhi, and King as well as current research findings on the efficacy of nonviolent social change, for instances, the work of Sharp, Nagler, Ackerman, and Chenoweth. Readings, films, small group and whole class discussions, guest lectures by activists will contribute to an understanding of the necessary skills for practicing and promoting nonviolent social change. Students will develop projects and presentations that utilize an online nonviolence database.

    ANTH 420. Cultural Transformation: Our History, Our Future. 3 Hours.
    The course will explore the significance of Eisler's Partnership-Domination Model and the socio-cultural systems informed by it. The course will focus on the practical application of the partnership approach for promoting peace and human rights across social levels from the family, schools, community, upward to the global level. Consideration will be given to how to transform values, institutions, economics, and politics from domination to partnership.

    ANTH 421. Technological Monitoring of Human Rights and Conflicts. 3 Hours.
    This class will give students an overview of how humanitarian work intersects with innovation and technological advances. The class will introduce students to how social media, remote sensing technologies/drones, cell phones, open source, crowd sourcing, Big Data, cloud computing, the Internet, and sensors are all changing how we collect data and interpret the world around us, and how that information is revolutionizing humanitarian and conflict monitoring.

    ANTH 432. Villains, Victims, & Vigilantes. 3 Hours.
    This course examines ways in which the concepts of “rights” and “justice” are understood and enacted in local communities, particularly in regions of the world experiencing high rates of violent criminality. Beginning with a review of formal law and legal principles underlying state systems of justice, the course surveys settings in which dissatisfaction with state efforts to protect rights have induced communities to develop alternate policing and judicial institutions.
     

  • Communication Studies

    CMST 356. Propaganda and Public Persuasion. 3 Hours.
    Theory and practice of propaganda with emphasis on mass media as tools of propagandist. Nazi, Soviet, and U.S. propaganda analyzed and critiqued in context of communication theory and ethics.

    CMST 402. Mass Communication Law. 3 Hours.
    Legal limitations and privileges affecting publishing and broadcasting. Major court decisions. Fair comment, libel, right of privacy, fairness doctrine, and license renewal.

    CMST 415. Intercultural & International Communication. 3 Hours.
    Communication problems in intercultural and multicultural contexts. Interpretations and otherness. Ethnocentricity and culture. Analysis of one culture interpreting another, with emphasis on modern societies.

    CMST 416. Issues in Global Communication. 3 Hours.
    Changes in technology and communication; from narrowcasting to networking. The global village is transformed, from Marshall McLahanto the internet. Narrowcasting and broadcasting. How did the internet change communication? Circuit switching and packet switching. Cultural changes in global communication.

    CMST 460. Communication and Social Movements in America. 3 Hours.
    Exploration of role of public communication in political, religious, social, and economic evolution of America. Movements include war and peace, revolution, slavery, feminist concerns, and industrial change.

  • Economics

    EC 405. Economic Development and Growth. 3 Hours.
    Problems of economic development; growth of less developed economies compared with those of advanced economies. Theories of economic development. Policy measures to promote development of growth, with emphasis on measures to accelerate development of countries.

    EC 407. International Economics. 3 Hours.
    Analysis of theoretical principles underlying international trade and investment, and international monetary relations. Study includes the effects on domestic and foreign economies of commercial, monetary and fiscal policies. (Also IB 407).

    EC 413. Urban Economics. 3 Hours.
    Economic issues and structure of metropolitan areas. Economic growth and decay of urban regions. Specific topics: housing, education, employment, political economy, and public safety.

    EC 450. Economics, Institutions & Law. 3 Hours.
    The course will study the microeconomic and macroeconomic consequences of different institutional environments and arrangements of designed incentives. This will include political, regulatory and legal structures and rules, both as pertain to actual institutions at the macro level (e.g., the Federal Reserve, the IMF, the World Bank) and regulated structures at the micro level (households and firms). The presumed conceptual frameworks will be based on intermediate microeconomics and introductory macroeconomics. Normative justification of institutional designs will be addressed. EC 320 is a recommended prerequisite.

  • English

    EH 444. Women's Literature and Theory. 3 Hours.
    Literary works and theoretical perspectives of Angelou, Chopin, Hong, Kingston, Hurston, Walker, Woolf, Plath, and others.

    EH 466. The Slave Narrative and Its Literary Expressions. 3 Hours.
    Genre of slave narrative, its critical theories, and its nineteenth- and twentieth-century literary expressions. Includes Equiano, Jacobs, Wilson, Douglass, DuBois, Wright, Angelou, and Morrison.

    EH 467. Black Women Writers. 3 Hours.
    Evolution of Afrocentric feminist consciousness through early and contemporary writings including works by Aiddo, Conde, Cooper, Chase- Riboud, Marshall, Morrison and Naylor.

  • World Languages

    FLL 333. Foreign Language Internship/SL. 1-6 Hour.
    Faculty-supervised opportunity for practical experience in tasks of international scope, may provide opportunities to use language(s) studied or applications of cultural knowledge.

    SPA 405. US Latino Writers. 3 Hours.
    Focus on the growing body of literature written by Latinos in the United States. Explores Latino issues and cultural identity through the analysis of their narrative works and experience. Conducted in Spanish.

    SPA 414. African Hispanophone Writers. 3 Hours.
    Cultural and literary forms of African-descended writers in Spanish- speaking world. Focus on African presence in Medieval and Golden Age Spain, Equatorial Guinea, Latin America, or the Caribbean. Conducted in Spanish.

    SPA 460. Globalization in the Hispanic World. 3 Hours.
    This course develops a constructivist framework for the study of contemporary globalization issues in the Hispanic world by engaging students in higher-level discussions and critical thinking. Through films, music and literature, and guided research, course explores history, politics, economics and sociocultural issues of the recent Spanish- speaking world. Conducted in Spanish.

  • History

    HY 239. The Holocaust. 3 Hours.
    On the basis of extensive reading, this course introduces students to the central problems surrounding the Nazi genocide of European Jewry as well as the postwar memory debates which have resulted from it. We will examine Jewish culture, contributions, and integration in pre-1932 Europe, as well as after the Holocaust, and conclude by exploring the contemporary influence of the Holocaust, such as in Israeli national identity. Students in this course compose six critical essays surrounding secondary and primary analyses of these conceptual areas and engage in regular course discussions.

    HY 259. Social History of Crime. 3 Hours.
    This course examines the various approaches historians have made to the social and cultural history of criminal violence. While the topic is one that applies to every human society, most of the material deals with Europe and the United States.

    HY 278. Untold Stories: Oral History. 3 Hours.
    This course teaches the techniques and theories of oral history as a primary way to uncover untold or "hidden" histories of ordinary people. Students will conduct interviews of persons who participated in an aspect of history or who witnessed an important era.

    HY 279. Women Rogues, Radicals and Reformers. 3 Hours.
    This course looks at women as agents of their own history in the United States and of American society as a whole. It concentrates on how women have defined and used sexual politics, political radicalism, and reform agendas from the 1600s to the 1960s.

    HY 303. Women in American History. 3 Hours.
    Changing economic, political, and social roles of women from colonial period to present.

    HY 304. U.S. Civil Rights Movement. 3 Hours.
    History of civil rights from late 19th century to present; significance of movement to those involved and to rest of American society.

    HY 327. Southern Labor History. 3 Hours.
    Unique conditions and people who formed Southern labor history. Changing contours of slave, industrial, and post-industrial labor force.

    HY 329. US Women's Labor History. 3 Hours.
    Role and influence of working women on American history as social and political force in creating work identity and culture.

    HY 339. The Holocaust. 3 Hours.
    On the basis of extensive reading, this course introduces students to the central problems surrounding the Nazi genocide of European Jewry as well as the postwar memory debates which have resulted from it. We will examine Jewish culture, contributions, and integration in pre-1932 Europe, as well as after the Holocaust, and conclude by exploring the contemporary influence of the Holocaust, such as in Israeli national identity. Students in this course compose six critical essays surrounding secondary and primary analyses of these conceptual areas and engage in regular course discussions.

    HY 342. Sex & Latin American Society. 3 Hours.
    A social history of Latin America that traces the evolution of relations between the sexes since the colonial period and focuses on the role of gender (socially-constructed rather than biological differences between men and women), along with race, class, and other factors, in shaping the experiences of women in particular.

    HY 359. Social History of Crime. 3 Hours.
    This course examines the various approaches historians have madeto the social and cultural history of criminal violence. While the topic is one that applies to every human society, most of the material deals with Europe and the United States.

    HY 422. Ethnic Cleansing & Genocide 1912-2012. 3 Hours.
    With strong attention to definitions and critical approaches to comparative history, this course examines the varied forms of forced population movements in recent European history, moving from precedents during and after World War I through the era of upheaval during and after World War II. A significant portion of the course examines the legacy of these movements after 1945 and then broadens discussion to examine global forced population movements in the postwar period (India/Pakistan, Palestine/Israel, Rwanda, etc.) and contemporary cases. Alongside intensive readings, it incorporates a critical research paper devoted to an instance or aspect of forced population movement.

    HY 446. Nations of the Andes. 3 Hours.
    A study of the vital Andean region of South America since the time of the Inca Empire, with special focus on the rise of the modern-day countries of Peru, Chile, Ecuador and Colombia. Explores their struggles, starting in the 19th century, to transform their ethnically diverse, highly stratified societies into modern and more inclusive nations. Major topics include the impact of 19th century liberal nation-building and agro-export economies as well as 20th century nationalism, “indigenismo”, social conflict, populism, revolutionary movements and contemporary ethnic rights movements; also, the rise of illicit drug-production and trafficking.

  • Justice Sciences

    JS 101. Crime and Criminality. 3 Hours.
    Examination of the causes and consequences in society of crime/ delinquency, including theoretical explanations, sources of data on crime/ delinquency, and efforts at controlling the behavior.

    JS 150. Foundations of Law. 3 Hours.
    Examination and analysis of the evolution, function, and sources of law and legal systems in Western culture.

    JS 220. Police in America: An Overview. 3 Hours.
    Introduction to the history and evolution of modern law enforcement in the United States, including the role and functions of police in the community.

    JS 305. Religion and Crime. 3 Hours.
    This course is designed to introduce students to research on the impact of religious institutions and values on multiple aspects of public policy and life. Students will explore the impact of religion on law creation, crime-control attitudes, criminal and deviant behaviors, provision of social services, politics, and race/ethnic relations.

    JS 307. Crime and Everyday Life. 3 Hours.
    Examines everyday aspects of crime, including different forms of crime, media involvement, crime patterns, and policy responses.

    JS 321. Police-Community Relations. 3 Hours.
    Overview and analysis of historical and contemporary relationship between police agencies and the public; legal issues; analysis of crime prevention programs, community participation, and police discretion.

    JS 362. Victimology. 3 Hours.
    Examination of the criminal-victim relationship and societal reaction to victims including victim services, restitution, and compensation.

    JS 390. The Death Penalty in America. 3 Hours.
    Overview of capital punishment in America including its history and justification, major Supreme Court rulings, current issues, and future directions.

    JS 403. Restorative Justice. 3 Hours.
    Introduction to, and analysis of, movement in criminal justice to institutionalize peaceful approaches to harm, problem-solving and violations of legal and human rights. Includes discussion of specific programs, critical evaluation of these programs, and analysis of future directions of the movement.

    JS 410. Criminal Justice Ethics. 3 Hours.
    Analysis of systems of ethics and their applicability to problems in the administration of the justice system including those facing police officials, lawyers, judges, and correctional professionals. Writing and Ethics and Civic Responsibility are significant components of this course.

    JS 442. Race, Crime, Gender and Social Policy. 3 Hours.
    Examination of how subordinate status of minority groups (African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and Women) affects interaction with the justice system as offenders, victims, and professionals.

    JS 443. Women and the Criminal Justice System. 3 Hours.
    Examination of women's experiences as offenders, victims, and professionals in the criminal and civil justice systems.

    JS 444. Law and Society. 3 Hours.
    Examination of relationship between law and society, including how law is used to facilitate or retard social change, social control, and social conflict.

  • Philosophy

    PHL 115. Contemporary Moral Issues. 3 Hours.
    Survey of contemporary moral problems and dilemmas; introduction to methods and concepts of moral philosophy. Topics may include abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, economic justice, homosexuality,animal rights, and respect for nature. Ethics and Civic Responsibility are significant components of this course. This course meets the Core Curriculum requirements for Area II: Humanities.

    PHL 125. Introduction to Ethics. 3 Hours.
    Elements of moral philosophy. Moral objectivity; connections among morality, rationality, and religion; nature and significance of moral value. This course meets the Core Curriculum requirements for Area II: Humanities.

    PHL 135. The Rule of Law. 3 Hours.
    Law and legal institutions and processes, with emphasis on civil law. Development of legal ideas in such areas as torts, contracts,and property law. Role and history of legal institutions within political framework. Covers many topics addressed in the first year of law school. Relations between courts and legislatures. Ethics and Civic Responsibility are significant components of this course.

    PHL 230. Social and Political Philosophy. 3 Hours.
    Survey of contemporary debates concerning fundamental principles of political life. Topics typically include justification of political authority, the proper role of government in society, economic justice, freedom and rights, and the free enterprise system. Ethics and Civic Responsibility are significant components of this course.

    PHL 314. Philosophy and Feminism. 3 Hours.
    Feminism; conceptual foundations, scope, and applications. Problems typically include, among others, feminist concepts of gender, reasoning, knowledge, and ethics. Prerequisite: One previous PHL course or permission of instructor.

    PHL 315. Ethics: Theories of Good and Evil. 3 Hours.
    Morality; its nature, principles, and scope. Normative and critical problems in moral philosophy; moral obligation. One previous PHL course or permission of instructor required.

    PHL 335/435. Philosophy of Law. 3 Hours.
    Theories of the nature of law (natural law, realism, positivism, critical legal theory); interpretation of precedents, statutes, and Constitution; Constitutional protections such as freedom of speech and religion and the right of privacy; selected issues in criminal and civil law. Ethics and Civic responsibility are significant components of this course.

  • Political Science

    PSC 240. Social and Political Philosophy. 3 Hours.
    Contemporary debate concerning fundamental principles of political life. Justification of political authority, proper role of government in society, economic justice, freedom and rights, and free enterprise system.

    PSC 260. American Foreign Policy. 3 Hours.
    Creation and conduct of U.S. foreign policy. Evolution of American role in world affairs; problems, trends, and developments since World War II.

    PSC 261. Law and Society. 3 Hours.
    This course takes a multidisciplinary approach to the study of law and examines how societal and cultural factors shape the law as well as how law affects society by looking at whether law can act as a form of social control, whether courts can bring about social change, and whether law creates societal inequality. These questions are answered in the context of current social and moral issues.

    PSC 266/466. The United Nations. 3 Hours.
    Organization framework, evolving experiences and continuing problems of United Nations system for maintenance of international peace and security and for international economic and social cooperation.

    PSC 316. Human Rights. 3 Hours.
    This course will focus on the intellectual traditions and transformational politics of global movements toward extending human rights across countries and cultures. United Nations efforts to promote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights will be examined in a comparative political and legal context.

    PSC 318/418. Politics and Race in America. 3 Hours.
    Black politics in the United States at the national, state, and local levels of government. Introduces students to the nature of black political behavior. Topics examined will include black political philosophy, blacks and the Supreme Court, congress and the president, black leadership, black organizations, black electoral behavior, black public opinion, and public policy. This course is taught with an emphasis on Blacks who are descendants of slaves.

    PSC 319. Civil Liberties and Civil Rights. 3 Hours.
    This course examines the role of the Supreme Court in defining the fundamental rights and liberties of citizens in the United States. We analyze the inherent tension in supporting individual rights when they conflict with the will of the democratic majority.

    PSC 320. Political Participation. 3 Hours.
    This course focuses on individual level public opinion, voting behavior, and all forms of participation in American national politics. It explores the causes and consequences of individual participation in campaigns and elections, parties and interest groups. Ethics and Civic Responsibility are significant components of this course.(AG/PT).

    PSC 322/422. Women and Politics. 3 Hours.
    This course analyzes the history, theory and public policy of women as U.S. citizens from the colonial era through suffrage toward a woman in the White House. We examine the struggle for political rights, educational opportunity and economic equality, and gender roles in the family. We evaluate poll date, public policy debates, electoral strategies and leadership styles for women candidates for local, state. and federal office.

    PSC 355. Politics of Development. 3 Hours.
    Analysis of social, economic and political problems confronting the world's poor countries. Topics examined include national responses to the following problems: child soldiers and child labor; government corruption and transparency; ethnic conflict; environment destruction; social inequality; globalization; and cultural preservation.

    PSC 357/457. Human Trafficking. 3 Hours.
    The goal of this course is to address issues regarding modern slavery and human trafficking. Specifically, we will investigate the types of slavery, such as bonded labor and forced prostitution, the political, legal, economic and social dimensions of global slavery and human trafficking,, and ways in which a broad variety of international and nongovernmental organizations respond to this crisis.

    PSC 362. Diplomacy. 3 Hours.
    Origins, institutions, functions and rules of modern diplomatic and consular practice and roles of diplomacy as instrument of national policy.

    PSC 363. Nationalism in World Politics. 3 Hours.
    The primary objective of this course is to examine the political basis and implications of nationalism, as an idea and a political movement, in world politics.

    PSC 381. The Bill of Rights. 3 Hours.
    Decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court as related to the development of important doctrines of constitutional law. Guarantees of Bill of Rights regarding both national and state governments; 14th Amendment.

  • Public Health

    PUH 202. Introduction to Global Health. 3 Hours.
    This course is designed to introduce students to the topic of global health and impart a basic understanding of its interdisciplinary nature, successes to date, and current challenges in the field. The first part of the course provides a basic framework for understanding global public health issues and improvement of health at a population level by exposing students to basic public health concepts of disease burden, standard indices for measuring population-based health, and highlighting global epidemiologic trends. Progress towards the Millennium Development Goals will be a focus of discussion. The second section of the course will discuss vulnerable populations and how their specific needs are prioritized and addressed. Third, the class will examine strategies for organization and delivery of health care services at a population level and examine health as a human right. Finally, the course will look at the key institutions and organizations working in tandem with health ministries to address global health and the need for major collaborative initiatives to address health disparities worldwide. This course meets the Core Curriculum requirements for Area IV: Social and Behavioral Sciences.

    PUH 322. Environmental Justice and Ethics. 3 Hours.
    In this course, students will investigate and analyze the disproportionate burdens of environmental contamination and the health disparities affecting communities of color across the U.S. and internationally. Using a broad range of examples we will look at the incidents that lead to this grass roots movement, many of which came from towns and peoples of the Deep South.

    PUH 441. Public Health Law and Policy. 3 Hours.
    PUH 441 will be an introductory course in public health law and policy designed for undergraduate students in public health. There are no prerequisites for this course. The purpose of the course is to introduce non-lawyers to the United States legal system and to the basic principles of law relevant to public health practitioners. It is intended to provide students with basic legal knowledge to assist them in communicating with attorneys about potential legal issues that may arise in formulating policy and exercising leadership in health care organizations. An overarching theme of the course is the tension between community interests and individual rights.

  • Psychology

    PY 240. Psychology of Social Inequality. 3 Hours.
    The gap in income between the rich and the poor has been growing steadily larger in the United States for over 30 years. Psychological science has produced some surprising insights about the causes and effects of this contentious trend. Among topics that will be tackled are how poverty affects decision making, wealth changes how people treat others, and racial discrimination affects responses to stress.

    PY 372. Social Psychology. 3 Hours.
    Major theories and research in social psychology. Social perception and attribution, behavior in interpersonal relationships, and group influences on individual behavior.

    PY 376. Psychology and Law. 3 Hours.
    Interaction between theories and applications of psychology and practice of civil and criminal law. Insanity, malpractice, competency, civil commitment, violence, jury selection, and expert-witness testimony.

  • Sociology

    SOC 100. Introduction to Sociology. 3 Hours.
    Human social life, its forms and consequences for everyday life. Social inequality and differentiation by race, ethnicity, class and gender. Assessment of the competency is through performance on course examinations, quizzes, and written assignments. This course meets the Core Curriculum requirements for Area IV: Social and Behavioral Sciences.

    SOC 200. Social Change. 3 Hours.
    Understanding social change helps us to better anticipate, prepare for, and shape the future. Examination of how and why human societies have changed so profoundly since prehistoric times; focus on information and technology as catalysts for change; patterns of change in contemporary societies from world system and comparative perspectives.

    SOC 245. Contemporary Social Problems. 3 Hours.
    How certain social conditions or behaviors come to be seen as social problems, why they persist and how they can be changed. Emphasis on understanding contemporary issues, and how diverse social groups are impacted by them. This course meets the Core Curriculum requirements for Area IV: Social and Behavioral Sciences.

    SOC 250. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity. 3 Hours.
    Various ethnic and racial groups, with emphasis on theory and research on intergroup relations; internal structure, culture, and experiences of ethnic groups, with emphasis on contemporary American society.

    SOC 278. Global and International Sociology. 3 Hours.
    Globalization is a pervasive feature of contemporary social life. A world economy, a world polity, and a world culture are rapidly expanding. This course examines globalization’s aspects and impacts to begin understanding its causes, effects, and implications for our own lives.

    SOC 282. Minority Health. 3 Hours.
    The relationship between race, ethnicity, health, social and behavioral factors, and health policy. Health related issues specific to various racial and ethnic groups will be discussed.

    SOC 417. Political Sociology. 3 Hours.
    Political sociology traces the relationships between political ideas, government structures, social life, and the never ending efforts of individuals and groups to modify these relationships to achieve their best notions of the good life.

    SOC 482. Gender and Health. 3 Hours.
    Sociological, psychological and biological explanations of gender differences in mental and physical health across the life course.

  • Social Work

    SW 207. Racism, Sexism and Other Isms. 3 Hours.
    Ethical dilemmas in relating to disadvantaged groups such as minorities, aged, women, gays and lesbians, and disabled persons.

    SW 322. Social Work Practice I. 4 Hours.
    Generalist model application of social work with concentration on the micro-level that provides the student with the opportunity to gain the knowledge, skills, understanding and competence needed for interventions at the beginning professional level. This course includes a service learning lab that allows students to practice a solution-focused relationship with emphasis on self-awareness, cultural-awareness, active listening, interviewing, and recording skills at all systems levels.(SL).

    SW 422. Social Work Practice II. 4 Hours.
    Generalist model application of social work practice at the mezzo and macro levels. Students will look at resource/case management, alliance creation, community change, and social activism and advocacy. This course includes a service learning lab that allows students to practice working with groups, communities and organizations, using ethical standards based on NASW Code of Ethics.(SL).

  • Women Studies

    WS 357. Anthropology of Gender. 3 Hours.
    Roles of women, men, and other genders from a cross-cultural perspective; includes bio-cultural approaches to sex and gender and changing gender roles over time. Course involves substantial writing component in essay examinations and research papers. Writing is a significant component of this course.


Graduate Programs

MA in Anthropology
MPA in Public Administration
MSc in Criminal Justice
MA in Sociology
MPH in Health Behavior
MPH in Health Policy