Courses

As creative artists, students will be visiting, working, and living in cities. This course provides a sociological lens to view the interactive energy of cities' crowded streets and creative vibrancy. This class has a global perspective and draws upon student expertise of their own city as case-study material. Students examine the sociological interaction theories of Durkheim, Goffman, and Merton, and study Jacobs' theories on safety and vibrancy sustainability. They then apply theory to practice with independent research assignments conducted in the field. The goals of the course include a refined ability to use sociology in the city experience and a broadening of one's understanding of resilience within the complexities of fast-paced urban living.

In this course, students learn about the major principles of intercultural communication. Students explore similarities and differences in cultural patterns around the world: values, beliefs, customs, verbal and nonverbal messages, ways of perceiving reality, types of social organizations, and worldviews. Students also explore the process of intercultural conflict and interaction and the ways in which social and cultural forces influence people's lives. Emphasis is placed on obstacles to effective communication among people of different cultures and on ways to reduce these barriers. Students learn about the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for effective intercultural communication, and examine such issues as ethnocentricism, prejudice, cultural adjustment, gender roles, health care, education, family structures, music, and other art forms around the globe.

This interdisciplinary course examines concepts of identity through the perspectives offered by social psychology, biology, Western and Eastern psychology, gender studies, cross-cultural studies, race/ethnic studies, and body studies. The course focuses on developing an intellectual and experiential understanding of these concepts in relation to oneself and others, and exploring ways in which people's perceptions of their own and others' identities have personal and social consequences.

This course will explore psychopathology—the scientific study of mental disorders—using the classification system in the current edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as a guide. This exploration will involve examining the etiology of each disorder, its symptomatology, and different treatment approaches, both biological and psychological. Note: This course may be used to fulfill the social science requirement.

This developmental psychology course investigates how biological and psychological factors dynamically influence thoughts, emotions, and behaviors as they develop within an environmental context over the course of time. The course is organized chronologically, beginning with the foundations of developmental science (including genetic, biological, and environmental discussions of aging), followed by an exploration into emerging and young adulthood, middle adulthood, and late adulthood. Within each stage of adult development, students investigate how biological, cognitive, and socioemotional factors influence the typical developmental trajectory. The course concludes with a discussion of the ideas of life-satisfaction, successful aging, and creativity in late adulthood, as well as some of the more recent adjunctive therapies to treat problems in aging.