Minor Programs

4.00 Credits
An introduction to the fundamental principles of management in profit, non-profit, and government settings. Special emphasis is placed on humanistic and sytems approaches, communication skills and theory, and national and global trends. Sample topics include planning, organizing, staffing, decision making, and leading. The case method is applied. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.

4.00 Credits
Analysis of readings in intercultural communication. The course focuses on verbal and nonverbal customs of various cultures as information from both a cultural and language perspective. Each semester focuses on specific topics or cultures, which will be compared to the different cultures of Europe as well. Background in other cultures helpful, but not essential. Course may be repeated once under a different topic. Fulfills the General Education Global Diversity requirement.

4.00 Credits
Study of conflict theory and principles and practices of dispute resolution. Includes everyday conflict, negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and alternative dispute resolution systems. Emphasis on interpersonal skills development.

4.00 Credits
Theory and practice of effective, ethical leadership in contemporary political and organizational settings. Includes theories for organizing and motivating people; cross-cultural applications and issues of diversity; and communication skills for leadership. Prerequisites: OP200 and OP263 or OP266 and Junior standing.

4.00 Credits
This course engages students in the methods of psychology as it has been applied to understanding human behavior in organizations. Students explore issues related to working behavior in traditional businesses and are encouraged to apply information to a variety of organizational settings. Topics may include employee selection and training, performance appraisal, leadership, group behavior, organizational culture, motivation, job satisfaction, working conditions, stress, organizational structure, and communication.

4.00 Credits
An introduction to the study of communication, power, and politics in contemporary life. Consideration of theory and research in communication that help us understand how power relationships are constituted, negotiated, and changed. (Fall semester)

4.00 Credits
Study of the art of advocacy. Students develop the logical, organizational and research skills that debate and other forms of oral and written advocacy require. Assignments include participation in debates about current political and legal controversies. Critical thinking skills are emphasized as tools both for advocates and audiences.

4.00 Credits
Study of conflict theory and principles and practices of dispute resolution. Includes everyday conflict, negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and alternative dispute resolution systems. Emphasis on interpersonal skills development.

4.00 Credits
Theory and practice of effective, ethical leadership in contemporary political and organizational settings. Includes theories for organizing and motivating people; cross-cultural applications and issues of diversity; and communication skills for leadership. Prerequisites: OP200 and OP263 or OP266 and Junior standing.

4.00 Credits
Critical examination of prominent rhetorical texts and events that have shaped political processes and relationships. Application of insights to contemporary contexts and issues. Fulfills the General Education U.S. Diversity requirement. Prerequisites: OP200 and OP263 or OP266.

4.00 Credits
This course looks at political comedy through the lens of performance studies. Students will survey the history of political commentary by American platform humorists (such as Artemus Ward and Mark Twain), stand-up comedians (Lenny Bruce, Kate Clinton), comedy monologue artists (Spalding Gray, Margaret Cho) and talk-show hosts (Bill Maher, Jay Leno). The course will examine the role of comedy in shaping social and political discourse. Emphasis on developing performance skills. Prerequisite: Junior standing.

4.00 Credits
Recent years have seen important changes in the economic realm, which resonate throughout our social, cultural and political realities. Processes of privatization, globalization, neo-liberalism and the expansion of consumer culture have produced new identities and collectivities which present important opportunities for activists and political communicators of various stripes. More precisely, the activity of consumption stands out as a powerful opening for social organizing. Through consumer boycotts, environmental protests, spontaneous performances in retail spaces, the lampooning of advertising and other strategies, new activist groups on both the left and the right seek to direct these global economic changes toward more socially beneficial ends. This course examines these changing conditions and the new movements they foster from a perspective that combines social theories of consumption and social change, historical studies of consumers and social movements, and direct case studies of current activists, agitators and leaders. Their strategies are assessed and their relevance to other traditions of activism, leadership and community mobilization is considered, always from a politically neutral, sociological standpoint.

4.00 Credits
Studies in political philosophy, especially debate between liberalism and communitarianism. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.

4.00 Credits
Theory and practice of effective, ethical communication on behalf of constituent groups. Needs assessment, resource identification, development (including grant writing), public advocacy, and program review. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.

4.00 Credits
This course introduces key sociological concepts and methodologies that provide pivotal tools for critical analysis of the world in which we live. Students practice critical analyses of structures and agents of power focusing on the roles we play in shaping relationships and institutions in our local and global communities. This course explores our historical biographies that shape our own world views. By bringing history to bear on the present  locating ourselves within historical processes  we identify what shapes our sociological imagination. Hands-on approaches extend learning beyond the classroom walls to ensure that theory is linked to practice. Students learn to do and to live sociology as an integral aspect of their individual and community identities.. Fulfills the Social and Psychological Perspective of the General Education requirements.

4.00 Credits
A study of the history and sociology of racial and ethnic groups in the United States, including a consideration of group tensions and aggressions. The course will provide an overview of the social experiences of major ethnic groups who entered the U.S. as well as of selected Native American societies. Modern issues of inter-group relations will also be examined. Fulfills the Social and Psychological Perspective and the General Education U.S. Diversity requirement.

4.00 Credits
An exploration of gender in a comparative and global context. Framed by interdisciplinary perspectives from sociology, anthropology, psychology, and cultural studies, this course examines the social construction of gender across cultures. Globalization is explored as a web of complex forces shaping our gender-construction activities and institutions. Students learn to analyze course readings and other media, apply these to their own gendered experiences, and compare their experiences with those in other cultures. Sites for analysis range from ordinary daily activities involving work, play and intimacy, to institutional structures such as religion, politics, military, media, and the economy. Fulfills the Social and Psychological Perspective and the General Education Global Diversity requirement.

4.00 Credits
A sociological examination of the role played by dance and ritual in creating and challenging societal order in diverse cultures throughout the United Sates and around the globe. Using interdisciplinary and cross-cultural perspectives primarily from sociology, anthropology, and psychology, this course provides an introduction to dance and ritual studies. Emphasis in placed on the impact of dance and ritual practices on both social structure and individual identity. Fulfills the Social and Psychological Perspective of the General Education requirements.

4.00 Credits
This course looks at the visual culture of contemporary societies from a variety of sociological standpoints. Social theories of economic and cultural change describe the increasing significance of visual images and the decline of texts, oral communication and face-to-face interactions as media of communication. As a macro-level process, the visualization of culture is considered in connection to economic globalization and a shift from production to consumption economies  a process that is examined in a variety of cases from television and web sites to billboards, clothing and window displays. In addition to sociological readings and discussions, students will undertake a series of visual-ethnographic studies, exploring the effects of visual culture (electronic and digital images, video, film, photography and magazine images) on such social processes as identity, race, sexuality, politics, opportunity, community and tradition. Fulfills the Social and Psychological Perspective of the General Education requirements.

4.00 Credits
Theory and practice of effective, ethical communication on behalf of constituent groups. Needs assessment, resource identification, development (including grant writing), public advocacy, and program review. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.

4.00 Credits
An exploration of the production of culture and meaning in everyday life employing perspectives from sociology of culture and cultural studies. Emphasis in given to subjectivity and agency and their relation to social structure. The course focuses on the formation and expression of individual and collective identities and the contestation of ideology in every life activities such as eating, dressing, dancing, watching television, and shopping. Students use ethnography to explore the everyday activities that define their sense of selves and power and give meaning to their world while organizing social institutions and processes. Fulfills the Social and Psychological Perspective of the General Education requirements.

4.00 Credits
This course is designed as an advanced introduction to the Sociology of Everyday Life. The aim is to familiarize students with sociological approaches to the study of language and social behavior in everyday settings, and to equip them with tools for looking at the world of everyday life in new and rather novel ways. In addition to completing assigned readings and attending lectures, every seminar participant will conduct a study of some specific social setting or familiar features of modern urban life. Here, a premium will be placed on gaining direct experience with the setting or phenomenon in question. Additionally, students will be encouraged to use audio, visual, and/or photographic recordings in their studies, and to present their work at various stages in its preparation. Fulfills the Social and Psychological Perspective of the General Education requirements.

4.00 Credits
A critical examination of various forms of social control and the use of power in constructing normative boundaries, which differentiate normal and deviant perspectives. Special focus on media roles within popular culture. Major areas covered: overviews of differing academic perspectives; specific grand theories evidenced through the sociological imagination; varieties of violent forms; sexual configurations; mental disorders; substance usages; white collar dysfunctions; and governmental-economic forms. Attention to ethical dimensions of choice and change will be accented in each featured subject area through personal self-critique or examination of career roles in chosen media specialties. Fulfills the Social and Psychological Perspective of the General Education requirements.

4.00 Credits
What is it we ask of literature when we recognize its philosophical meaning, its historical importance, and its aesthetic value? And what is it we ask of ourselves when we decide to read literature? The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the experience of reading literature by asking how literature can be used to reflect on human experiences and provoke our established ways of responding to the world. In addition to issues dealing with the interpretation of texts, the evaluation of aesthetic style, and the reconstruction of historical context, students will have the opportunity to develop the requisite skills enabling them to respond effectively to literature; writing about literature is essential for the effective reading of literature. Throughout this course students will continually be challenged by the truth of the remark that 'in literature there are no answers, only questions.' The course is organized around four themes that define the range of human experience in modern history as explored and represented by four major works of literature. The themes are 'life in truth', 'forbidden knowledge', 'absurdity', and 'guilt and insignificance.'

4.00 Credits
The purpose of this course is to explore the kinds of stories or narratives an individual needs to tell and 'live' about oneself in order to confront the truth of one's existence. How does my life take on the concrete form of a biography in search of the meaning or significance of my existence as a human being? What kind of narrative provides the space for a genuine confrontation with my place in the universe? Is finding the truth of my existence the basic 'plot' that gives my life drama - opening my life to the equal possibility of tragedy or comedy? The origin and history of both Western literature and philosophy stem from a common concern with the truth of human existence and the drama of such questioning that plays itself out in both word and deed. In this course, we will read and critically reflect on five books that have historically and conceptually influenced how the correlation between living in search of one's truth and the narrative of one's self-discovery has been understood in Western Civilization.