| Class Schedules Index | Course Catalogs Index | Class Search Page |
| Interdisciplinary Studies-Business | |
| ISBU 1070 | UVA Edge-High Impact Behaviors in the Workplace (3) |
| As part of the UVA Edge Program, introduces strategies and tools (like emotional intelligence) for collaboration, leadership, and team building, and for helping to create equitable workplaces. Gives students a chance to build insight into their own particular strengths and interests, and how those translate both to work and job search. Students will apply tools for interpersonal success in a diverse, technologically evolving and ethical workplace. | |
| ISBU 3270 | Investment Analysis (3) |
| Students learn to understand basic investment principles including the risks and rewards of securities, the power of compounding and the significance of global capital markets. Corporate finance, investments, and financial institutions will be covered in this course and several cases will be used to augment the theoretical material. | |
| ISBU 3281 | The Art of Public Speaking (3) |
| Examines the five canons of the art of public speaking allowing students to learn and practice the skills needed to speak persuasively, confidently, forcefully, and intelligibly to an audience. Course was offered Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Summer 2016, Spring 2015, Summer 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Summer 2012, Spring 2012 | |
| ISBU 3282 | Effective Business Writing and Speaking (3) |
| Develops communication possibilities through a number of writing and speaking activities. Emphasizes plain English style writing, essential for clear, concise messages. Examines how to create and deliver clear, persuasive, and professional short speeches and includes learning to write effective email, letters and memos. Explores online writing environments. Develops awareness of self and others. Course was offered Summer 2013, Summer 2012 | |
| ISBU 3410 | Commercial Law (3) |
| Offered Spring 2025 | Surveys the American legal system and principles of constitutional, criminal, and tort law, emphasizing legal issues related to contracts, agency, corporations, and partnerships. Course was offered Spring 2024, Summer 2023, Spring 2022, Summer 2020, Summer 2018, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Fall 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Spring 2013, Spring 2012, Fall 2011, Spring 2011, Spring 2010 |
| ISBU 3422 | Managing your Emotions in the Workplace (3) |
| Gives a fundamental overview of Emotional Intelligence and shows how understanding Emotional Intelligence leads to a beneficial working career and personal life. Presents an E.I. competence framework and reviews basic domains, such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management through various methods to promote learning by doing. Applies theoretical concepts to real world situations. Course was offered Summer 2024, Summer 2023, Summer 2022, Summer 2021, Summer 2018, Summer 2017, Spring 2017, Summer 2016, Spring 2016, Summer 2015, Spring 2015, Summer 2014, Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Fall 2012 | |
| ISBU 3451 | Fundamentals of Marketing (3) |
| Introduction to marketing principles and activities in both profit and non-profit enterprises, from the conception of goods and services to their consumption. Participants study consumer behavior as well as ethical, environmental, and international issues in marketing. Prerequisite: ECON 201 and 202 or equivalents, or instructor permission. Course was offered Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Summer 2022, Spring 2021, Summer 2019, Fall 2017, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Spring 2013, Spring 2012, Fall 2011, Spring 2011, Spring 2010, Fall 2009 | |
| ISBU 3602 | Risk in Society and Business (3) |
| Examines the risks experienced by individuals, society, and businesses. Explores the origins of concepts related to risk. Assesses attitudes toward risk and the impact of attitude on individual behavior. Examines the sources of risk to societies and businesses, and evaluates options for their mitigation. | |
| ISBU 3610 | Organizational Behavior (3) |
| Studies the basic theories and research related to the practices of contemporary organizational behavior. Emphasizes the interpersonal skills that promote individual, group, and organizational effectiveness. Class activities are interactive and include experiential exercises, case analyses, and collaborative learning. Course was offered Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Fall 2021, Spring 2020, Fall 2018, Spring 2017, Summer 2015, Fall 2014, Fall 2013, Spring 2012, Fall 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2009 | |
| ISBU 3700 | Financial Planning Strategies (3) |
| Covers income, money management, spending, credit, saving, and investing. Focuses on helping students organize their financial futures and expand their knowledge of various aspects of finance. Course was offered Spring 2022, Summer 2020 | |
| ISBU 3710 | Managerial Finance (3) |
| Offered Spring 2025 | Principles and practices of business finance focusing on managerial decision-making in financial policy. Topics include capital structure, types of securities and their use in raising funds, risk, valuation, and allocating resources for investment. Prerequisite: ISBU concentration prerequisites or instructor permission. Course was offered Summer 2024, Summer 2023, Summer 2022, Fall 2020, Spring 2019, Summer 2017, Spring 2016, Summer 2015, Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Fall 2012, Fall 2011, Fall 2010, Fall 2009 |
| ISBU 3760 | Issues in Leadership (3) |
| Offered Spring 2025 | Designed to serve as an overview and exploration in the ever-growing field of leadership studies, the purpose of this course is to learn about leadership- to be better at leadership, whether in an organization, community, family, or some other context. A wide-range of topics and issues will be examined through historical and modern conceptions, case studies, moral and ethical sides of leadership, and focused looks at crisis leadership. Course was offered Fall 2023, January 2023 |
| ISBU 3770 | The Challenge of Leadership (3) |
| In this course, students will reflect on the limits of the management versus leadership debate, consider the critical role self-knowledge plays in being an effective managerial leader and review the relevance of some basic system theory ideas to the understanding of organizational dynamics and managerial leadership. The course also will include an examination of the organizational basis of managerial leadership and seek an understanding of leadership as a systematic process as opposed to a set of discrete activities and appreciation of organizational change as the contemporary context of management. | |
| ISBU 3772 | Global Leadership Fundamentals for All Industries (3) |
| Investigates current leadership thinking and behavior in for-profit and non-profit work environments, as well as the role leadership has played in past decision making processes, and what we can learn from the decisions that were made by those leaders. Examines real world examples throughout this course, leveraging the theory and practical applications of leadership. Course was offered Spring 2018, Spring 2014 | |
| ISBU 3773 | Navigating Cultural Differences within Global Businesses (3) |
| Examines business management and leadership methods when working with cultural issues in today's international businesses. Addresses challenges and opportunities that different cultures create. Explores through classroom activities how to meet the challenges that may occur and addresses examples of diversity in a global setting. Course was offered January 2023, Spring 2022 | |
| ISBU 3810 | Ethical Issues (3) |
| Introduces the philosophical concept of the ethical discrimination of actions. Examines primary sources in some detail by presenting prevailing philosophical systems. Studies decision-making in the context of the contemporary world using examples such as business environment, faith and religion, and the political arena. Course was offered Spring 2023, Fall 2021, Fall 2020, Fall 2017, Spring 2011, Fall 2010, Spring 2010 | |
| ISBU 3840 | International Business (3) |
| An introduction to the practice and theory of international business. Consideration given to global trade and economic integration theory; the major instruments and procedures needed for management and operation of an international business; modes of international market entry and foreign direct investment; strategies appropriate to managing an international business; global environmental issues; and the importance of culture and ethics in international business. Prerequisite: ISBU concentration prerequisites or instructor permission. Course was offered Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Summer 2021, Fall 2019, Spring 2018, Summer 2016, Spring 2016, Summer 2015, Fall 2014, Spring 2014, Summer 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2012, Summer 2011, Fall 2010, Spring 2010 | |
| ISBU 3852 | Innovation in Reluctant Organizations: Profiling in the FBI (3) |
| Examines paradigm innovation (when an organization upends basic assumptions about core organizational purposes) with particular emphasis on the ways policing has been resistant to innovation. Focuses on the introduction of psychological profiling as a tool to capture a new class of antisocial criminals. Centers discussion on Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions to understand the success of profiling as an illuminating example. Course was offered January 2020 | |
| ISBU 3880 | Data Analytics and Decision Making (3) |
| Introduces the analytics process from question formulation to data gathering, processing, and decision making; highlights and explores differences among methods using large data sets, and case studies from various industries to illustrate and understand concepts. Utilizes statistical software; applies analytical methods through exercises, case study examination, and a final project. Prereq: foundational knowledge of statistics or instructor permission | |
| ISBU 3887 | Educational Technology in the Information Age (3) |
| Focuses on ongoing societal debates over educational technology while exploring local technology resources available at UVa and on the Web in general. Explores web-based tools, information websites, and interactive databases that support communication, research, and design skills, as well as creativity and knowledge presentation in online environments. | |
| ISBU 3888 | Survey of History and Philosophy of Technology (3) |
| Explores ways in which the history and philosophy of technology can inform today's liberal arts students about the role of technology in our society. Covers current and historical topics as well as explores and develops a personal philosophic approach to the application of technology. Course was offered Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Summer 2019, Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Summer 2012, Spring 2012 | |
| ISBU 3889 | Web-Database Integration for Beginners: A Quick Route to Content Production (3) |
| Trains students how to construct functional interactive websites and participate in the process of reading and writing about the evolution of the Internet, its impact on socitey, and its place in the history of technology in general. Encourages students to be producers as well as consumers of information on the Internet. | |
| ISBU 3890 | Technology Integration Through the Lens of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (3) |
| Focuses on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, particularly with students' experience with technology integration. Explores contemporary issues of DEI (including access, cultural perspectives, and racial inequality) that affect all levels of learning and areas where learning takes place (business, STEM, etc). Takes a critical look at the history of emerging technologies, and how access and integration have changed for underserved groups. Course was offered Spring 2023 | |
| ISBU 3899 | Case Studies in Technology Management and Policy (3) |
| Special topics course; topics vary but each explores how technology, management, and policy issues interact within a specific context. Possible contexts include a business organization; an industry; a governmental sector; specific legislation; a judicial ruling; a social issue; a historical era; or a combination of these. | |
| ISBU 4070 | Business Claims Exposure (3) |
| Examines the sources, nature, and legal framework of the most common claims encountered in the operation of business. Explores the most frequently encountered business claims that have the potential to interrupt business operations, disrupt personnel energies, divert resources, and upset financial stability. | |
| ISBU 4071 | International Law and Organizations (3) |
| Studies the fundamentals of international law. Analyzes relevant concepts, basic definitions, and main traditions of international law that will be fundamental to the more complex ideas of the course. Focuses on the nature and sources of international law, treaties, and international conflicts, as well as international economy, organizations, regimes, and municipal law. Course was offered Spring 2011 | |
| ISBU 4075 | Literature of Business: Insights on Management from Great Literature (3) |
| Examines values, biases, and preconceptions about the world through the study of business literature. Studies models on how to come to an understanding of basic needs such as the need for self-esteem, identity, power, acceptance, security, and recognition. Explores the realization that it is only through self-definition that we can begin to understand human motives. | |
| ISBU 4420 | Speaking with Numbers: The Effective Use of Statistics (3) |
| Provides a basis for evaluating the claims of others while also choosing the best analysis methods for supporting ideas. Examines how quantitative analysis can inform decisions, how to select the appropriate tools for the situation, how to interpret the results, and how to effectively communicate the results. | |
| ISBU 4421 | Consumer Demand and Behavior (3) |
| Examines the microeconomic foundations of consumer demand analysis. Examines the psychological factors influencing consumers purchase decisions. Reviews methods for forecasting, measuring, and testing consumer demand. | |
| ISBU 4641 | Advanced Public Speaking (3) |
| Utilizes several active learning activities when considering classical rhetorical elements, audience analysis, speech organization, and strategies for improvement in the structure and delivery of extemporaneous and impromptu speeches. Work with conceptual methods, observe exemplary models of good speech making, explore personal communication apprehension, and hone individual rhetorical style. Course was offered Summer 2012 | |
| ISBU 4670 | Organizational Change and Development (3) |
| Studies organizational change and development with an emphasis on corporate culture, ethics, diversity, decision making, and team building. Focuses attention on the impact COVID-19 has had on businesses and organizations and how the effects of the pandemic might direct future outcomes. Addresses the ways both individuals and corporations can manage and adapt to said changes. Course was offered Summer 2022, Spring 2021, Spring 2019, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2013, Fall 2011 | |
| ISBU 4680 | Entrepreneurship (3) |
| Explores the process of creating and managing new ventures. Studies how to evaluate new opportunities, the early growth of the enterprise, the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs, and venture capital investment. | |
| ISBU 4700 | Strategic Management Consulting (3) |
| This course develops the practical, strategic-thinking and behavioral skills required to operate in a double-hatted mode. It focuses on identifying, diagnosing, and resolving client issues; introduces students to the strategy, process, and technology of consulting; reviews change-management methodologies; considers the "psychological stance" required to succeed in the consultant role; and compares and contrasts the roles of external and internal consultants. | |
| ISBU 4750 | Intergroup Relations (3) |
| Examines the basic cognitive and motivational processes involved in intergroup relations, while also considering the roles of stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination in everyday life. | |
| ISBU 4850 | Strategic Management (3) |
| Examines the basic elements, processes, and techniques of strategic planning. Focuses on the development of the student's decision-making abilities as a manager and calls upon the student to synthesize material learned across the concentration. Case studies, interactive classes, and business simulations are used to develop student's managerial skills. Prerequisite: ISBU concentration prerequisites or instructor permission. | |
| ISBU 4851 | Strategy and Sustainability in Business Decisions (3) |
| Develops the concept of stakeholder analysis by exploring the open systems environment in which firms operate while focusing on assessing and prioritizing stakeholder interests. Develops strategic plans for businesses and stakeholder groups handling issues of sustainability. Course was offered Summer 2011, Summer 2010 | |
| ISBU 4993 | Independent Study (1 - 3) |
| In exceptional circumstances and with the endorsement of an approved faculty member and the B.I.S. director, a student may undertake a rigorous program of independent study in business. Such study would be designed to explore a subject not currently being taught and/or to expand upon regular offerings. Course was offered Summer 2010 | |
| Interdisiplinary Studies-Humanities | |
| ISHU 1600 | Academic and Professional Writing (3) |
| Supports and improves writing in various genres in professional and academic settings. Teaches students to ask relevant questions about writing situations and helps them develop writing strategies and processes. Students learn to communicate complex ideas, information, and suggested plans of action. | |
| ISHU 3030 | The Tragic and the Demonic (3) |
| Students address issues of evil in the more specific context of the tragic and the demonic. The tragic will be explored through the genre of tragedy, which reveals the intertwining of guilt, innocence, accountability, and divine malice. Emphasis will be placed on close readings of philosophical, theological, and literary texts. | |
| ISHU 3040 | Contemporary American Literature in the Digital Age (3) |
| Examines how American authors explored the issue of technology when the age of television gradually yielded to the digital age. Considers how new forms of technology have fundamentally changed the ways in which realism is depicted in literature. Pays particular attention to those texts that engage with technoculture around the turn of the 21st century. Considers writers such as Don DeLillo, Dave Eggers, and Karen Tei Yamashita. Course was offered Fall 2018 | |
| ISHU 3042 | Women's Photography and Feminist Aesthetics (3) |
| Introduces students to feminist criticism and especailly to feminist aesthetic theory. Examines feminist criticism and theory through women's photography. Course was offered Fall 2010 | |
| ISHU 3043 | Women Writing for Change (3) |
| Examines the rhetorical choices women have made from Medieval times to the present to create public arguments for social change in the face of cultural pressure to remain silent. Analyzes how women writers deliberately worked with cultural narratives of gender and used traditional and alternative texts. Explores how those decisions shape expectations of women in the public sphere today. Course was offered Spring 2013 | |
| ISHU 3044 | Remakes & Adaptions: Rewriting across the Genres (3) |
| Review creative works that arise from a long history of repetition and innovation. Respond to literary texts from different genres, which have been adapted for the movies and theater. Practice how to 'read' written and visual texts, and how to write about both. Course was offered Spring 2015 | |
| ISHU 3050 | Issues in Philosophy (3) |
| Students practice skills and methods of philosophical inquiry and analysis. Issues of free will and determinism, ethical decision-making, the mind-body problem, the nature and existence of God, and the relationship of the individual to society will be explored. Tensions among various conceptions of human existence are a central theme. Emphasis is placed upon writing critical responses to articles written by leading philosophers. | |
| ISHU 3060 | Religious Diversity and Assimilation in American Life (3) |
| This course explores the links (and sometimes conflicts) between American culture and religious life. The nature of religious diversity and pluralism in America and the specific challenges the major religious groups have experienced as they adapted to are examined. Students consider the cultural dilemmas faced by indigenous religious communities, especially the Mormons in the nineteenth century and 'new religious movements' or cults, in the twentieth century. | |
| ISHU 3061 | Sacred Paths: Introduction to World Religions (3) |
| Introduces six major religious traditions deeply rooted in different cultures including Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Examines the historical evolution, the doctrines, beliefs, practices, institutions, and cultural expressions of these religious traditions. | |
| ISHU 3070 | Prophets and Prophecy (3) |
| Examines the phenomenon of prophecy in anthropological and theological perspective. Focuses on the way prophecy operated in ancient Israel. Explores how prophecy is the area beyond prediction, with regard to social context, ethics, theology, gender, politics, literature, and psychology. Course was offered Fall 2012 | |
| ISHU 3071 | Jesus in History and Interpretation (3) |
| Examines the life of Jesus of Nazareth as it is analyzed by modern historians and how this life was interpreted by early believers in Jesus. Evaluates the main source of information that early Christian works called gospels, as they create their own images of Jesus of Nazareth, beginning a long tradition of interpretation. Course was offered Spring 2013 | |
| ISHU 3080 | Islam (3) |
| Provides students with refined knowledge which is relevant in both the professional and private spheres. Focusing on both the history of Islam, from its founding through the present day, and (more specifically) on the principles of Islam and how different Muslim theologians and statesmen have interpreted and applied those principles throughout Islam's history. The course is a purposeful mix of anthropology, history and political science. | |
| ISHU 3081 | Buddhism and Women (3) |
| Explores the role of women in Buddhism while drawing attention to women's changing status throughout Buddhism's history from its origin to the present day. Examines women's worldly and spiritual presence in various buddhist traditions and their contribution to the propagation of Buddhism. | |
| ISHU 3082 | Tibetan Buddhism (3) |
| Explores the multi-faceted world of Tibetan Buddhism through doctrinal, instructional, contemplative, social, and historical perspectives. Examines the religious lifestyles, ritual practives, and social practives of religious specialists and lay people. Exposes students to a variety of Tibetan literary genres as well as some methodological conerns of contemporary Tibetan studies. | |
| ISHU 3083 | Studies in Buddhist Meditation (3) |
| Explores meditation in various Buddhist texts as well as its interpretation by contemporary practitioners. Explores meditative practices in different countries such as Sri Lanka, Burma, Tibet, China, and Japan with a focus on each culture's unique techniques of Samata (awareness), Vipassana (insight), and Tantric meditation. Introduces meditation teachers and Western modes of teaching meditation. | |
| ISHU 3085 | Gender and Religion (3) |
| Explores historical, textual, and social questions relevant to the status of women in Eastern and Western Religions. Studies major religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Understand where these traditions place women within their sacred texts, beliefs, and ritual practices. | |
| ISHU 3086 | Asian Religions (3) |
| Provides a historical and thematic overview of some of the major religious traditions of Asia including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shinto, by focusing upon the forms they have taken in India, Sri Lanka, Tibet, China, and Japan. Explores how these traditions have attempted to understand the nature of the world, human society, and the individual person's place therein. | |
| ISHU 3090 | Religion in America (3) |
| Offered Spring 2025 | Examines the concept of America and to what extent it is a product of religious mindsets of particular times. Explores multi-media materials, including: Hollywood films, 20th Century folk music, literature of the west, 18th Century primary sources, 19th Century theses on American identity, and 20th Century journalism and criticism. |
| ISHU 3100 | Advanced Writing I (3) |
| Students read, study, and practice a variety of prose forms, including narration, short stories, and non-fiction and critical essays. | |
| ISHU 3110 | Aspects of Narrative I (3) |
| This course focuses on the writing and analysis of narrative prose, fiction or non-fiction. Full-group workshop discussion of works in progress are accompanied by discussion of short examples of published fiction and memoir and occasional writing exercises on aspects of narrative, including revision. Students write and revise at least two separate works, totaling at least 20 pages. | |
| ISHU 3120 | Aspects of Narrative II (3) |
| This course focuses on the writing and analysis of narrative prose, fiction or non-fiction. Full-group workshop discussion of works in progress will be accompanied by discussion of short examples of published fiction and memoir and by occasional writing exercises on aspects of narrative. Students will write and revise at least two separate works, totaling at least 20 pages. Readings, exercises, and topics focused on will be different from those in ISHU 3110. | |
| ISHU 3121 | Ancient Greek Culture Through Modern Eyes (3) |
| Examines ancient Greek myth, literature, and philosophy through the lens of modern psychology. | |
| ISHU 3130 | The Writing Side of Children's Literature (3) |
| In this course, students will immerse themselves in the best of children's literature while learning the basic tenet of effective writing for any age: easy to read, hard to write. Students will read within seven genres of children's literature, examine how nonfiction writers for children research, organize, and document information, examine how fiction writers create setting, plot, tone, voice, dialog, and characters. Students will also learn how published writers self-edit and revise. Children's literature will also serve as a model while completing short writing exercises. By the end of this course, students can expect to become masters of compression as they write and revise one piece of nonfiction and one piece of fiction. Course was offered Summer 2014 | |
| ISHU 3140 | Writing Descriptively (3) |
| Writing Descriptively | |
| ISHU 3150 | Reading Poetry Aloud (3) |
| Students will read a variety of poems out loud. By comparing what is written with what is read, students will arrive (maybe) at what is said. If a reader can hear a poem as a living voice, as vivid as a friend talking over the telephone, and can reproduce what the friend has said either as a mimic, or as a reporter, then the reader understands the poem. Further analysis is just that, a separate venture. Understanding poetry is much like understanding other people: No two poems are alike, and there are no right answers or this-is-it meanings. By the end of the course, students will develop an appetite for reading poetry, and confidence in hearing and responding to others' voices. | |
| ISHU 3160 | A Poetry Workshop: The Poet's Journey (3) |
| Focuses on the process of poetry as an ongoing creative journey. Explores the ways in which poets access the subconscious and the irrational and channel them into poems, via the elements of craft including image, metaphor, tone, sound, meter, rhythm and line. Students will keep a poetry journal and write poems in response to exercises designed to help them move beyond their initial "comfort zone." Course was offered Summer 2022 | |
| ISHU 3170 | The Writer as Cartographer: A Class in Poetry and Memoir (3) |
| Explores writing as a process of transforming imagination into reality. Guides students to understand the connection between writing and cartography using poetry and memoir. Course is designed to help the student become a more confident writer and editor. | |
| ISHU 3171 | Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (3) |
| Examines the human impetus for pilgrimage using Chaucer's Canterbury Tales as its principle text. Course was offered Spring 2010 | |
| ISHU 3172 | Victorian Characters (3) |
| Shows the centrality of "character" to Victorian literature. Analyzes different types of literary characters and investigates how they represent the core Victorian values of "self-improvement," "independence," and "steadfastness" in response to the pressures of modernity. | |
| ISHU 3180 | Roots and Stems of Effective Writing -- The Essay (3) |
| Writing begins with intuition, moves towards consciousness and strives for clarity. Such movement, such unfolding, calls for a steady eye and an enduring approach. Accordingly, this class will focus upon resurrecting the fading art of patience, a faculty required for writing. The focus of the class will be on creative essays and academic essays. To convey thoughts effectively one must be willing to take the time to observe one's subject, accurately. It is necessary to attend ardently to the language in order to articulate our explorations, to argue our viewpoints. One must keep the hand practiced in the actual activity of writing. This class will ask students to read widely, to respond to assigned readings through weekly essays and to share work openly in a workshop setting with a focus on revision. | |
| ISHU 3181 | Writing with Meaning: Using Creativity and Style to Write Powerful Essays (3) |
| Explores the methodology behind writing academic essays, professional exposition, and personal nonfiction with honesty, depth, and flair. Examines the work of essayists and looks at how they use diverse techniques to write engaging essays. | |
| ISHU 3182 | Creative Writing Fiction Workshop and Analysis: A Dialogue Between Writers (3) |
| Analyzes the elements of fiction; structural elements such as character, plot, point of view, and conflict will be discussed in addition to stylistic elements, such as dialogue, setting, and sensory details. Includes readings of essays and short stories by published authors and class critiques of fiction written by the students. | |
| ISHU 3183 | Writing the Story of Your Life: Creative Nonfiction (3) |
| Student learns how to bring together the imaginative strategies of fictional story telling with new ways of narrating true, real-life events. Explores how Creative Nonfiction writing allows you to share your stories in compelling ways, helps you write effectively in professional and personal situations, and provides new ways for you to document real-life experiences as they occurred. Course was offered January 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Summer 2020, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Summer 2015, Summer 2013 | |
| ISHU 3184 | Writers in Conversation: A Workshop (3) |
| Approaches the study and practice of writing through seminar and workshop. Read examples of nonfiction, fiction, and poetry and join in the conversation with their own creative writing for workshop. Write, read, and peer-critique each other's writing and produce a portfolio of work. | |
| ISHU 3185 | Literature About the Body (3) |
| Explores the relationship between the physical body and human identity through such topics as body image, eating disorders, sexuality, aging, disease and its affects on the body by reading and discussion of short stories, poems, and novels. Engages students in frequent formal and informal writing, beginning with personal narratives and journal responses. Course was offered Summer 2024, Summer 2015 | |
| ISHU 3190 | Writing for Your Life (3) |
| This course gives students a general overview of prose writing and teaches them strategies of rhetoric and composition for their own work. The course has four components, given approximately equal portions of the semester: (1) the personal essay and fiction, (2) professional writing, (3) research and journalism, and (4) opinion/analysis. Each reading assignment has a companion writing assignment, which will be critiqued and edited by peer students and by the instructor. Course was offered Summer 2011 | |
| ISHU 3192 | From Short Story to Film: The Art of Adaptation (3) |
| Teaches students how to develop and write short stories that make good adaptations into film. Studies successful screenplay writing methods and the reading and viewing of certain films that have been adapted from short stories. Explores the process of adaptation. Emphasizes the beat-by-beat journey from idea to rewrite of an original story. Learn how to mold the story into step outline for a full length screenplay. | |
| ISHU 3193 | Writing About the Environment (3) |
| Focuses on classic, contemporary, and non-traditional literature about the environment. The course is divided into three sections: nature writing, place-based writing, and environmental writing. Readings focus on issues beyond landscape as gender, race, politics, ethics, and culture all play a part in environmental writing. | |
| ISHU 3201 | Happy Wars and Sad Love Songs: A History of Ireland (3) |
| Examines Ireland's contributions to the wider history of the British Isles and Europe, as well as the consequences of the Irish diaspora in the modern era. Utilizes a broad range of primary sources, including imaginative literature and music. Addresses the major trends in the history of Ireland from earliest times to the present day. | |
| ISHU 3210 | American Literary Naturalism (3) |
| American Literary Naturalism | |
| ISHU 3220 | American Autobiography (3) |
| In this course, students explore through reading and writing the ethics and mores of autobiography, and consider how memoir-making plays a part in American reinvention of self. Students focus on critical writing and reading skills. | |
| ISHU 3230 | Poetry and the African-American Experience (3) |
| Students will explore the diverse history of African-American poetry, focusing on intersections between religion, history, and literature, and exploring how interdisciplinary approaches can enhance our understanding of American culture. Beginning with the work of eighteenth-century writers like Jupiter Hammon and Phillis Wheatley, students will consider the 'vernacular traditions' of spirituals and secular music, and later writers including Paul Laurence Dunbar, Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes, as well as contemporary poets. | |
| ISHU 3240 | 20th Century American Literature (3) |
| Students explore fiction and poetry of U.S. writers ranging from early modernists to contemporary writers, including such prose writers as Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Faulkner, Ellison, and Morrison and poets such as Frost, Eliot, Stevens, Bishop, and Williams. | |
| ISHU 3251 | Creative Writing: Poetry Workshop (3) |
| Explores the process, form, and voice of writing poetry. Offers the chance to read widely in contemporary American poetry and develop reflective prose essays on poetry, poetics, and the philosophy of poetry. | |
| ISHU 3252 | Contemporary American Poetry (3) |
| Studies the work of poets in America from the 1920s to the 21st century, examining form, prosody, and movements within the art of poetry. Writes on these topics. Discusses poems from Gwendolyn Brooks to Billy Collins. | |
| ISHU 3253 | Lyric Love: Poetic Devices and Emotional Effects (3) |
| Uses the theme of love to present poetic forms and techniques in English. Draws on poetry from a wide range of time periods to analyze how poetic devices such as rhyme, meter, and metaphor, convey the experience of loving. Compares different representations of love within the tradition. | |
| ISHU 3254 | Great Modern Poetry and Poetics (3) |
| Surveys chronologically the major shapers of contemporary poetry from Walt Whitman and Emily Dickenson to Rita Dove and Billy Collins. Course was offered Summer 2014, Summer 2012 | |
| ISHU 3255 | The Short of It: Poetry's Briefer Forms (3) |
| Approaches the study and practice of poetry's short forms through seminar and workshop. Studies short forms such as sonnets, haiku, pantoums, limericks, epigrams, and couplet verse. Explores short forms in a topical sense: pastorals, elegies, love poems, dramatic monologues, etc. Engage in reading, writing, and peer-critiquing poems in a variety of traditions. Course was offered Summer 2012 | |
| ISHU 3260 | Contemporary American Fiction (3) |
| Examines American novels and short stories since the 1960s in social, historical, and aesthetic contexts. Considers writers such as Anaya, Silko, and Morrison and attends to how previously marginalized identities have altered the canon. Asks the following questions: What is postmodernism? How do American narratives negotiate between "fact" and "fiction"? How is the production and reception of literature affected by social issues? Course was offered Fall 2016 | |
| ISHU 3261 | Books Behind Bars: Life, Literature, and Community Leadership: 21st Ce (3) |
| Offers an integrated academic-community engagement curriculum, and provides an opportunity for service learning, leadership, and teaching by facilitating discussions about course readings with residents at a local juvenile treatment center. Provides a first-hand appreciation of cultural diversity and an appreciation of how the study of literature can contribute to positive social change. | |
| ISHU 3280 | Great Historical Speeches (3) |
| Familiarizes students with some of the most notable speakers and speeches in world history. Increases appreciation of the impact of public address in world history and culture. Deepens the understanding of public address as a rhetorical art. Familiarizes students with standards and approaches to the criticism of speeches, enhancing the ability to analyze and evaluate discourse. Course was offered Summer 2013, Summer 2011 | |
| ISHU 3281 | The Art of Public Speaking (3) |
| Examines the five canons of the art of public speaking allowing students to learn and practice the skills needed to speak persuasively, confidently, forcefully, and intelligibly to an audience. Course was offered Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Summer 2016, Spring 2015, Summer 2014, Spring 2014, Summer 2012, Spring 2012 | |
| ISHU 3282 | Effective Business Writing and Speaking (3) |
| Develops communication possibilities through a number of writing and speaking activities. Emphasizes plain English style writing, essential for clear, concise messages. Examines how to create and deliver clear, persuasive, and professional short speeches and includes learning to write effective email, letters and memos. Explores online writing environments. Develops awareness of self and others. | |
| ISHU 3290 | Core Writing: The Basics of Analytical Writing (3) |
| Develops analytical writing skills needed to efficiently and effectively produce university research papers. Hones abilities in developing a thesis, handling contradictory evidence, organizing material, outlining, anticipating gaps in logic, and writing effectively and powerfully. Teaches grammar, usage, punctuation, avoiding plagiarism, and using MLA style book. Masters capabilities needed for the Capstone | |
| ISHU 3300 | Socrates at the Cinema (3) |
| Students will examine major topics in Philosophy through the discussion of the issues raised in contemporary cinema. Students will view films, whether in whole or in part, both individually and in class, with a focus on the critical issues raised by those films. Films will include: The Matrix, Being John Malkovich, Citizen Ruth, Bruce Almighty, and Lord of the Flies. Course was offered Summer 2012, Fall 2010 | |
| ISHU 3301 | Introduction to Film (3) |
| Examines the cultural and commercial contexts of film production, including the directors, the intended audience, and the audience's response. Investigates film structure, how meaning is created, and how this structure can be read and understood. Examines genres, stories, and the ways in which films and their audiences are a part of the larger structure of the culture in which they exist. | |
| ISHU 3302 | Hollywood's America: How Movies Portray and Influence American Life (3) |
| Examines Hollywood films and encourages students to learn about the people and organizations that produced these influential productions. | |
| ISHU 3303 | Shakespeare on Film (3) |
| Examines Shakespeare's plays as well film adaptations, with particular interest in how each film's cultural context influenced how it interpreted the original text. | |
| ISHU 3304 | The Films of Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock (3) |
| Studies the films of Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock, two very different but equally creative filmmakers who explored their medium with an intensive imagination. Analyzes such films as Citizen Kane, Touch of Evil, Vertigo, and Psycho, examining what makes them work and looking at the cultural and historical context of the films. | |
| ISHU 3305 | The Impact of Media on the Development of Popular Culture (3) |
| Examines the media;s role in conveying cultural meaning through popular culture. Analyzes the histories and theories underlying media and popular culture. Focuses on print, film, radio, television, the Internet and social media. Critiques contemporary popular culture through music, movies, tv programming, advertising, sports, fashion, celebrity culture, language and, collective public expression. | |
| ISHU 3306 | American Film and Culture in the 1950s (3) |
| Explores the way film echoes and influences the culture that contains it. Examines a number of film genres that were particularly sensitive to cultural and political currents including melodrama, the gangster film, the Western, science fiction, and others. Determines how Post-World War II America saw itself in films. | |
| ISHU 3310 | Film, History, Politics, and Controversy (3) |
| Offered Spring 2025 | Examines movie case studies that aroused controversy. Analyzes the messages these movies communicated on the screen. Considers what the filmmakers intended to communicate, and how audiences and media critics responded to the portrayals. Course was offered Fall 2017 |
| ISHU 3322 | Literature of the Fantastic: Myth, Fantasy, and Science Fiction (3) |
| Studies critical thinking using literature of the fantastic written in Europe and the U.S. since the late 1800's. Discusses the idea of the fantastic and the development of rational thought in western culture as compared to medieval notions of an animate world and storytelling that depicts heroes as gods rather than as common individuals or antiheroes. | |
| ISHU 3330 | Write Where You Are (3) |
| Develops the skills to inspire and cultivate writing and creativity. | |
| ISHU 3331 | Advanced Expository Writing: On-the-job and for college (3) |
| Studies writing as a process and the conventions shared by writing communities in various academic disciplines, business, and the professions. Course topics vary depending on students' major fields. Focuses on revision techniques, with students writing and revising several papers. | |
| ISHU 3350 | Close Encounters with American Culture: Alien Imagery in Contemporary Popular Discourse (3) |
| 'The truth is out there' - and the truth is that in many ways UFOs and concepts of the alien (and the extraterrestrial) have come to constitute a quintessential part of contemporary grassroots American mythos. This course explores the dynamics of UFO-based cultural discourse in contemporary American life. Students will ask profound and probing questions about the construction of cultural discourse in both twenty-first century American society and throughout the evolution of American history. | |
| ISHU 3383 | The Dark Side of the Twentieth Century (3) |
| Enables students to reflect on what was perhaps the greatest downfall into barbarity, genocide and mass oppression. Examines first-hand accounts of both the Holocaust and crimes of the Communist regimes in the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, China, and Cambodia. Explores historical, intellectual, cultural, and psychological roots of Nazism and Communism. | |
| ISHU 3421 | The Psychology of Music (3) |
| Examines research, illusions, popular texts, and case studies (e.g., musical savants) to learn about the fundamentals of sound, music perception, and the influence of developmental and cultural experiences. | |
| ISHU 3422 | Appalachian Musical Traditions via the Appalachian Dulcimer. (3) |
| Examines Appalachian music, history, and folklore. Assembles dulcimers from kits and learns to play traditional Applachian tunes in group and solo settings. Conducts guided research on aspects of Applalachian music. Course was offered Summer 2013 | |
| ISHU 3423 | Country Music as Literature (3) |
| Examines Country music as it was first recorded nearly a century ago and how the genre has evolved from merely a southern form listened to by southern people into a vibrant form of American popular culture. Through the exploration of language within and of the genre, we'll probe social, historical, psychological, racial, sexual, and economic concerns. | |
| ISHU 3450 | Cultural History of the Depression: Art & Society in 1930s America (3) |
| Examines some of the most powerful, interesting, and influential music, painting, film, and literature produced during the period of the Great Depression. Exploring these various artistic developments in the context of the Great Depression will facilitate a deeper understanding of American Culture and art not only in the 1930s, but also today. Course was offered Spring 2012, Fall 2010 | |
| ISHU 3453 | Food for Thought: An Exploration of the Way We Eat (3) |
| Looks at ways food has influenced western culture, and its significance in our lives from the invention of agriculture to the contemporary debate about health foods; examines films and texts to find woman's role in food production, how religious beliefs, economic factors, and ideas about health influence why and what we eat. Should we live to eat or eat to live? Where do we eat? What forces shape our choice of foods? That's plenty to chew on! | |
| ISHU 3455 | Sources and Development of Modern Architecture and Design (3) |
| Examines some of the major themes and movements of modern architecture and design from the late 19th century to the 20th century in Europe and the United States. Explores major artistic ideas and movements of the period, including French rationalism, Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Streamline Modern, Bauhaus, Scandinavian National Romanticism, and American Modernism. | |
| ISHU 3456 | History of Western Architecture from Antiquity to the Present (3) |
| Examines the tradition of Western architure from its inception in Greece and Rome to the present. Focuses on aesthetic, cultural, and political ideas framing the design, uses, and meanings of these celebrated buildings. Provides tools for visual analysis using a variety of methods from text anaylsis to visits of buildings. | |
| ISHU 3470 | Late Bloomers in the Arts (3) |
| Focuses upon the phenomenon of creative bursts within the final years of long artistic lives by examining artists such as: Sophocles, Leonardo de Vinci, Monet, Matisse, and Georgia O'Keefe. Emphasizes this phenomenon using literary texts with parallel examples from the artistic worlds of painting and music. | |
| ISHU 3485 | Childhood, Memory, and Society (3) |
| Explores changing concepts of the child from medieval times to the present by examining personal memoirs, competing social theories, and literary visions of the child. Focuses on medieval childhood, the romantic child, the Victorian child, slave children, pioneer childhood, immigrant childhood, childhood and the Great Depression, and childhood in today's family. | |
| ISHU 3500 | Photography as Art (3) |
| Examines the tense but fruitful relationship between photography and art. Draws upon aesthetics, history, and criticism to explore controversies about photography as art, examine the impact of photography on artistic ideas and practices, and evaluate the importance of photography and art in modern culture. | |
| ISHU 3501 | Explorations: Themes in the Social Sciences and Humanities (1) |
| Offered Spring 2025 | Explores one significant theme in the social sciences and/or humanities such as liberation, power, equality, diversity, rights, justice, war, happiness, love, and beauty, through the study of one significant and influential classic or contemporary book or work of art. Students engage with the subject and enhance their critical reading, writing, thinking, and discussion skills. |
| ISHU 3615 | Leonardo and Michelangelo (3) |
| Examines the notion of artistic genius in relation to these artists through a study of the context from which they emerged, looking closely at the Florentine workshops in which they trained and questioning long-held beliefs regarding the myth of the artist. Develops a deeper understanding of the relationship between Leonardo and Michelangelo through a comparison of their other extant works. Course was offered Spring 2012 | |
| ISHU 3616 | What is Art? (3) |
| Introduces the study of the visual arts by way of ideas from current artistic practices and institutional culture, history, aesthetics, and anthropology. Examines art objects from a wide range of epochs and cultures, prehistoric to contemporary, that respond to and help illuminate questions of original purpose, commodity status, beauty, and historical significance. Course was offered Spring 2013 | |
| ISHU 3621 | The Biological Basis for Art (3) |
| Investigates the idea of approaching art as a form of human evolution. Examines the art of several past and present cultures. Blends art and science to connect aesthetics to an understanding of human nature from the cognitive and biological sciences. Examines existing personal and cultural theories of art and art criticism. Course was offered Summer 2024, Summer 2023, Summer 2022, Spring 2019, Spring 2018, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Summer 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2012, Summer 2012, Summer 2010 | |
| ISHU 3622 | Art as Protest: The Situationist International and the Contemporary World (3) |
| Examines art as protest in the contemporary world. Traces the history and influence of the Situationist International on contemporary art and culture as a culmination of other Avant-garde movements of the 20th century. Requires students to create artworks, or write proposals for artworks, in dialogue with Avant-garde movements such as DaDa, the Surrealists, CoBrA, Art Informal, and Abstract Expressionism to determine their impact on the present. | |
| ISHU 3623 | Studio Art Seminar: Painting (3) |
| Introduces painting techniques and concepts, with emphasis on the understanding of its formal language and the fundamentals of artistic expression. Explores color theory, linear perspective, pictorial composition , figure/ground relationships, visual perception, spatial concepts, and critical thinking skills. Course was offered Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2021, Summer 2018, Summer 2017, Summer 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2014, Summer 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Summer 2013, Fall 2011, Summer 2011, Spring 2011 | |
| ISHU 3624 | Visual Culture and Aesthetics: The Practice of Seeing (3) |
| Examines the cultural elements involved in the interactive process of defining and interpreting the meaning of visual images with regard to how art images are produced, consumed, and made meaningful. Explores images in art history and digital media to investigate the philosophical, social, and cultural influences which affect how we interpret and define the art experience. | |
| ISHU 3625 | Bruno Schulz: The Age of Genius (3) |
| Explores Bruno Schulz's two collections of short stories, as well as his letters and essays. Examines reproductions of his drawings and paintings. Engages student opinions and critical discourse with regard to his writings and paintings. | |
| ISHU 3626 | Studio Art Seminar: Sculpture (3) |
| Immerses students immediately into the medium of sculptue through discussion and creation. Examines the history of sculpture from antiquity to the present through emphasis on contemporary sculpture. Observes the sculptural works of several artists including Duchamp, Brancusi, Judd, Smithson, Beuys, Hess, Nuaman, Goldsworthy, and many others the exploration of a wide variety of materials and techniques. | |
| ISHU 3630 | The American Presidency in Film and Television (3) |
| Examines representations of government, specifically the presidency by analyzing fictional depictions of the presidency in film and tv. Allows students to grasp the language of political film and television, by its necessary manipulations, guided and misguided intentions, and its tangible results on society. Course was offered Fall 2009 | |
| ISHU 3700 | The Romans (3) |
| Incorporates important Roman works, including art and architecture. Reviews the major interpretations of modern scholarship. | |
| ISHU 3720 | Victor Hugo's Paris (3) |
| Explores literary, historical, artistic, biographical and cultural Paris through the lens of author and activist Victor Hugo and offers students opportunities to analyze the impact Hugo and Paris had on each other. Encourages students to consider Hugo's ideas about freedom, architecture and nature; learn from French Hugo experts; and analyze how both Paris and Hugo affect them and expand their understanding. | |
| ISHU 3800 | Important Issues in Art Since 1945 (3) |
| This course covers the development of high modernism, beginning with Abstract Expressionism, and continue through postmodern practices of conceptual art, feminism, performance art, and site-specific installation art. Course was offered Fall 2013 | |
| ISHU 3810 | Ethical Issues (3) |
| Introduces the philosophical concept of the ethical discrimination of actions. Examines primary sources in some detail by presenting prevailing philosophical systems. Studies decision-making in the context of the contemporary world using examples such as business environment, faith and religion, and the political arena. Course was offered Spring 2023, Fall 2021, Fall 2020, Fall 2017, Spring 2014, Spring 2011, Fall 2010, Spring 2010 | |
| ISHU 3820 | American National Identity (3) |
| Examines how to reconcile national unity and cultural diversity; the responsibilities of democratic citizenship with the cultural values of a consumer society; and being a patriotic American citizen with the contemporary imperative to become citizens of the world. Explores important writings by comparing American figures and ideas of 1968 to some of the key figures and ideas of 2008. Course was offered Fall 2010 | |
| ISHU 3840 | The Ethical & Philosophical Primate: Evolution, Ethics and Human Altruism (3) |
| Examines evolutionary explanations for the origins of morality, philosophy and religion, and their ramifications for ethics and culture. Recognizes the views of Darwinism, Social Darwinism, and Natural Selection and identifies the cultural and ethical implications of living with each view in today's world. Course was offered Spring 2010 | |
| ISHU 3850 | Virtues and Vices (3) |
| Evaluates the conceptions of the virtues and the vices that are articulated by the Epicureans, the Stoics, Plato, Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, Friedrich Nietzsche and others. Explores ethical theories concerned with the relation between morality and human happiness/human flourishing. | |
| ISHU 3851 | Screening Terrorism (3) |
| Examines cimematic and televisual representations of terrorism. Promotes critical awareness of the ways in which terrorism is depicted on screen and explores the complex ways in which real acts of terror involve performance and theatrics. | |
| ISHU 3860 | Faith and Doubt (3) |
| Explores the relationship between religious faith, forms of reasoning, and scientific explanation. Examines such questions as: What is the nature of religious faith? Is religious faith a rational, irrational, or non-rational belief? Does reasoning undermine faith or strengthen it? Are scientific and religious perspectives compatible? | |
| ISHU 3900 | Identity and Culture in Contemporary Dance (3) |
| This course examines the ways in which dance creates and expresses ideas of personal and cultural significance in ritual, theatrical, and social contexts. By observing dance on film and reading ethnographic, historical and theoretical texts, students explore the emergent meaning of dance from the perspective of both performers and spectators. Course was offered Fall 2016 | |
| ISHU 3901 | Dance: Anthropological Origins of Dance and Music in World Cultures (3) |
| Examines the anthropological origins of dance history in world cultures. Discusses the importance of dance to define and preserve the historic traditions within a culture. Explores the inherent relationship between dance and music within both the socio-cultural and folk aspects, as well as the ceremonial, religious, and ritual aspects of a culture. Course was offered Summer 2024, January 2021, Summer 2019, Spring 2017, Fall 2015, Summer 2014, Summer 2012 | |
| ISHU 3902 | Dance: Origins, Ethnology, and Evolution (3) |
| Examines how dance is the human expression of communication through movement. Explores how dance is used as a universal language to express such things as emotion, entertainment, storytelling, or representation of religious or ritualistic ceremony. Follows the history of dance, its origins, ethnology, and the evolution of dance to present day. Course was offered Spring 2015, Fall 2013 | |
| ISHU 3950 | Acting (3) |
| This course will introduce students to the craft of acting. Students will learn fundamental techniques for the actor, including defining the character through text analysis, creation of subtext, analysis of the structure of the text (beats) and of the character motivations (objectives and obstacles). | |
| ISHU 3951 | Discovering the Art of Acting (3) |
| Studies the fundamentals of acting. Focuses on textual analysis, personalization, objectives, and characterization. Uses some of the basic techniques of pivotal acting teachers, Constantine Stanislavski, Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, and Sanford Meisner, in scene work and in performing short plays. | |
| ISHU 3952 | Exploration of Theatre as an Art Form (3) |
| Studies the people of the theatre: actors, directors, designers, and backstage personnel and topics that include the core and characteristics of a script; theatrical forms and styles; acting and theatre history. Gain a deeper appreciation for the various tools, techniques and collaborative styles required when producing theatre in a team setting. | |
| ISHU 3953 | African-American Theater, Music and Dance from the 19th - 20th Century (3) |
| Explores the historic perspective of the influence of African-American culture on theater, music and dance of 19th-20th Century U.S. Examines the socio-cultural aspects of the integration of West African slaves into America. Probes the evolution of early American theater beginning with minstrels, for example, and continues with the development of both music and dance of the Jazz Age. | |
| ISHU 3960 | The Elements of Action (3) |
| This course explores the concept of Action, the basic fundamental tool of all theatrical art, and how it informs the creation of performance for the stage. Through games, improvisations and scene work, ranging from Shakespeare to Sam Shepard, students experience and develop the idea of what it takes to be fully Alive in the Present Moment, and connect that with the imaginative craft of acting. | |
| ISHU 4000 | Writing the Unwritten (3) |
| Since the Romantic era, writing has often been motivated by the desire to say what has not been said, whether through neglect or through social censorship. Reading works by American and British novelists from the 19th century to the present, students will explore changing definitions of the unwritten during this period as well as write their own personal narratives, analytic essays and prose fiction as a means to discover and bring forth the unwritten in their own experience. | |
| ISHU 4010 | The Performing Arts: Myth, Mysticism, and Merriment (3) |
| Examines the history of western culture through the history of the performing arts, beginning with plays of ancient Greece and ending with musicals of twentieth-century Broadway and Hollywood. Examines different works of art in order to discover what they can tell about the aspirations, fears, and basic conflicts of the societies from which they emerged. | |
| ISHU 4011 | That Devil Music: A Cultural History of Blues Music in the U.S. (3) |
| Examines why many scholars claim that Blues formed the basis for Rock n' Roll, Classic Rock, and even some of today's music. Analyzes the sophisticated art form known simply as the Blues. Formulate your own questions, or investigate topics within the scope of the course that are of particular interest to you. Course was offered Spring 2014, Spring 2013 | |
| ISHU 4012 | Popular Music and Media (3) |
| Examines how media technologies have impacted the production, dissemination, and consumption of popular music. Considers the economic and legal issues that intersect this ongoing history. | |
| ISHU 4013 | The Documentary Impulse: A Multi-Media Exploration of Journalism (3) |
| Develops effective communication with fluency in several media including writing, audio, video & photography. Instruction is project-based & technologically immersive. Trained in the basics of a medium, students undertake rigorous assignment. Builds ability to organize information and craft arguments while exploring narrative, rhetorical, and aesthetic tools. | |
| ISHU 4030 | Religion and the Quest for Meaning (3) |
| This course examines the religions of the world as ways of finding patterns of meaning and value for our personal and social existence. Students will survey the major religions of the world, using both primary and secondary sources. | |
| ISHU 4031 | Critical Matter: Questions of Materiality in Our Age (3) |
| Uses a selection of critical literature to ask relevant questions with regards to the presence of materiality in human life, its contingency and obstinacy as things surround and affect us until it becomes unclear to what extent who 'we' are is separated from 'what' we have, and 'where' we are. | |
| ISHU 4032 | Writing the Self: The Art of Personal Discovery (3) |
| Focuses on the 'voice' of the Self in literature and visual representations. Explores the meaning of using 'first person' in a narrative, life account, or other forms of representation and who is the 'self' that is being represented? Includes readings from both creative fiction and creative non-fiction. | |
| ISHU 4040 | Authenticity: American Literature and Culture (3) |
| This course scrutinizes several theoretical, dramatic and fictional responses to this crisis. We'll read from Walter Benjamin who examines what happens to art in an age of mechanical reproduction. We'll see how Oscar Wilde not only accepts but embraces in authenticity as a way to mock repressive late Victorian sexual and social norms. We'll examine Jean Hegland's scathing novelistic attack on modernity while pondering her radical solution: a return to primitivism. This class will take place in seminar form and will have a substantial writing workshop component. | |
| ISHU 4041 | Crime, Misery and Vice: The Victorian Underworld (3) |
| Explores in their original contexts the social, cultural, economic and political themes of works such as The Return of Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Time Machine, and Dracula, through a combination of class discussion and written assignments. Examines the attitudes, ideals and values associated with the Victorian era. | |
| ISHU 4050 | Knowledge, Truth, and Objectivity (3) |
| This course examines some of our most basic beliefs about the world we think we know and the nature of our knowledge about that world. The goals of the course are to understand what these philosophers took to be the important questions concerning the nature of knowledge and then see to what degree these insights are relevant in our own everyday dealings with the world. | |
| ISHU 4060 | Knowing and Being: The Work of Michael Polanyi (3) |
| Explores the interdisciplinary philosophical contributions of Michael Polanyi, The Father of tacit knowledge. Performs a close reading of the philosophical system of Michael Polanyi through focusing on the primary source "Personal Knowledge". | |
| ISHU 4061 | Kipling's Raj: The Cutting Criticism of British Ex-Patriot Society (3) |
| Explores the marvelous world depicted in Kipling's Indian Tales from the perspective of the commentary they provide on British Ex-Patriot society. Discusses how Kipling has often been viewed as a critic of Indian society, when in fact he is as critical of the British. Examines the work of Clifford Geerts and other anthropologists to provide a rounded picture of Kipling as an analyst of cultural systems. | |
| ISHU 4063 | Hell's Angel: How Hunter Thompson Kept America Honest (3) |
| Examines the work of Hunter Thompson in a study of how 'Gonzo' changed greater American journalism as a whole. Demonstrates how Thompson's role as a public intellectual spread into wider journalism, such as Doonesbury. Portrays Thompson as a premier political critic of each administration who exerted near unparalleled social influence. | |
| ISHU 4070 | Principles of Criminal Law (3) |
| Examines basic principles of Anglo-American criminal law. Evaluates ethical and philosophical questions that emerge from legal issues such as the justification of punishment, the nature and extent of criminal liability, strict liability statutes, victimless crimes, the insanity defense, legally mandated hospitalization for mental illness, and capital punishment. Course was offered Spring 2010 | |
| ISHU 4075 | Literature of Business: Insights on Management from Great Literature (3) |
| Examines values, biases, and preconceptions about the world through the study of business literature. Studies models on how to come to an understanding of basic needs such as the need for self-esteem, identity, power, acceptance, security, and recognition. The student will see that it is only through self-definition that we can begin to understand human motives. | |
| ISHU 4080 | Religion and Politics (3) |
| Explores the relationship between religion and politics. Examines how the relationship has changed over time and place, what the relationship should be, and how prior religious and/or political commitments affect how answers to these questions are structured. Course was offered Fall 2024 | |
| ISHU 4090 | Writing: Comfortable as a Hearth Rug (3) |
| Writing begins with intuition, moves towards consciousness and strives for clarity. Such movement calls for a steady eye and an enduring approach. Accordingly, this course focuses upon resurrecting the fading art of patience, a faculty required for writing. Students will read widely, respond to assigned readings through weekly essays and share work in a workshop setting with an emphasis on revision. Writing intensive. | |
| ISHU 4100 | Writing Narrative (3) |
| This course focuses on developing the techniques of prose narrative. Students work on a short story, novel, memoir, or any combination of these. The course is structured as a workshop: each week, four or five works by students are discussed in full-class workshop led by the instructor. Issues to be addressed include characterization, voice, creating and sustaining tension, plotting in long and in short narratives, and the skills of critical response. Course was offered Fall 2014 | |
| ISHU 4105 | Creative Writing and the Literature of Nature (3) |
| Explores the process, form, and voice of creative writing in three genres: fiction, poetry, and essay. Includes site visits to several natural areas in and around Charlottesville. Focuses on student work with in-class group critiques, but also offers students the chance to read widely in contemporary literature. Culminates with a portfolio of student work and a reading. Course was offered Spring 2012 | |
| ISHU 4110 | Fiction Writing (3) |
| Provides total immersion in the fiction writer's experience. Explores the ability to connect to creative sources, to overcome the inner critic, to read as a writer, to respond constructively to others' work (and to one's own), to discover the possibilities of different fictional genres, and to master the basics of writing a story. Course was offered Spring 2013, Spring 2011 | |
| ISHU 4120 | The American Short Story: The Writer and Tradition (3) |
| This course examines the American short story from the perspective of the both reader and writer. Defining recurrent themes and conventions of the genre by reading major stories spanning the last 200 years of American literature, students explore the importance of tradition to the writer analytically in critical essays and experientially in their own short stories. | |
| ISHU 4121 | How to Write a Screenplay: From Short Story to the Big Screen (3) |
| Teaches students how to develop and write screenplays from idea through story and script, to notes for rewrite. Studies screenplay writing methods. Produce an original feature length script adaptation of his or her short story. | |
| ISHU 4130 | Film Noir (3) |
| Focuses on the genre of film noir, styles noir has brought into mainsteam cinema, themes, and characters throughout the genre. Includes class, gender, and the historical context of noir. | |
| ISHU 4140 | Novel Movements: Modernism, Post-Modernism, and the New Media (3) |
| Examines two great movements in 20th century Western literary thought and practice: Modernism and Postmodernism. Explores texts that began to rewrite literary and philosophical beliefs and progress through the decades. Examines how both movements pave the way for ongoing literary revolution; a new media enabled by the explosion of digital technologies. | |
| ISHU 4141 | Multi-Genre Writing (3) |
| Explores, analyzes and practices the genres of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and screenwriting. Strengthens reading and writing skills and explores the relationship between content and form. Examines and analyzes writer's skills at all levels. Applies literary theory and critical analysis for a more in depth understanding of the connection between form and content. | |
| ISHU 4142 | Marriage and Maturity (3) |
| Presents the two dominant narrative forms in the nineteenth century, domestic fiction and the novel of development. Analyzes how these two genres shape the protagonist in Emma, David Copperfield, Great Expectations, and Portrait of a Lady. | |
| ISHU 4150 | Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman (3) |
| This course compares the work of America's two 19th-century poetic giants. Reading substantial selections from the work of each poet, students will examine their visions of the nature of consciousness and the individual's changing relationship to God, death, nature, society, love, and art. The course also examines the influence of the Enlightenment, Puritanism, Romanticism, and Transcendentalism, and considers each poet's work in the context of an America transformed by the Civil War, increasing commercialism, the influx of immigrants, the decline of Calvinism, and ascendancy of science. | |
| ISHU 4160 | American Film Studies: Early Horror (3) |
| Explores the roots of early American horror films to answer such questions as: Why do we fear desire? What does it mean to be male or female, or are the two interchangeable? Is there something a little monstrous in all of us? What role does shame play in our lives? Analyzes essays to guide responses and fine-tune academic writing through argument, style, and clarity. Course was offered Summer 2010, Spring 2010 | |
| ISHU 4161 | Art Historical Fictions: Historical Art in Recent Film and Fiction (3) |
| Explores recent movies and novels with art historical themes and references. Questions the boundaries between history, criticism, and fiction. Examines the necessity of narrative frameworks for understanding visual art and attempts to gain new perspective on today's culture by characterizing its distinctive attitude toward historical art. Course was offered Summer 2014 | |
| ISHU 4162 | The Hero's Journey: Batman and Spider-Man, A Closer Look at Current-Day Ci (3) |
| Studies films which feature heroic myths to see how they all tell the same story. Explores the Hero's Journey through films like Batman and Spiderman. Examines Joseph Campbell's and Carl Jung's views on archetypes, the constantly repeating characters or energies which occur in the dreams of people, and the myths of all cultures, i.e., the "collective unconscious." | |
| ISHU 4165 | American Directors (3) |
| Offered Spring 2025 | Investigates the work of contemporary filmmakers, each with a unique style and an approach to film that combines stylistic innovation with a particular cultural vision. |
| ISHU 4170 | African-American Novels (3) |
| Focuses on African American novels from 19th century through the present. Examines topics such as literary realism and naturalism, protest fiction, and magical realism. Considers race and gender relations, communal and individual identity, and the modern legacy of slavery. Course was offered Fall 2024, Spring 2021 | |
| ISHU 4171 | African-American Literature: 1845-Present (3) |
| Explores African American Literature beginning with Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845) and concluding with Edward P. Jones' Lost in the City (2004). Surveys works of fiction, poetry, and plays by well-know authors. Examines portrayals of race and gender relations, families and communities, and individual quests for justice and acceptance. Course was offered Fall 2014 | |
| ISHU 4175 | Great Works of Appalachian Literature (3) |
| Examines 20th Century Appalachian literature and attempt to define this culturally diverse mountainous region. Readings will serve as links to the past and help us comprehend the continued evolution of a people and a place. Explores how oral storytelling, folklore, displacement, and isolation have been and are still portrayed in writing from, and outside of, Appalachia. | |
| ISHU 4176 | The Civil War Novel (3) |
| Studies how 150 years later, the American Civil War remains ingrained in the American psyche. Examines novels and explores how and why writers portrayed the causes, characters, and consequences of a war that carried America toward modernity, created and remodeled national myths, and redefined the idea of freedom. Seeks to define the roles and obligation of historical fiction. Course was offered Summer 2013 | |
| ISHU 4180 | The Nature of the Hero and How to Create One (3) |
| Offered Spring 2025 | Focuses on plot, point of view, discovery of theme, recognition and reversal, and writing in scene, for writers of fiction, nonfiction, screenplays and memoir. Creates an understanding of how stories are shaped and told. Explores Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey, which distills the stories told in every culture into a framework for one's own story. |
| ISHU 4190 | Writing Strategies (3) |
| Explores non-fiction writing. Develops and hones skills needed to write stories and essays that readers are compelled to read. Learn the power of personal narrative and begin to grasp how that power affects a reader by understanding the difference between 'telling' and 'showing'. Course was offered Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2021, Fall 2020, Summer 2019, Spring 2018, Summer 2017, Fall 2012, Fall 2011, Summer 2010 | |
| ISHU 4200 | Homer and the Old Testament (3) |
| This course covers all of Homer's two epic poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey, and generous selections from the 5 Books of Moses and the historical books of the Old Testament (the Hebrew Bible). These works can be read in many ways: as history, as legend, as entertainment, as links to the unknown, unremembered and invisible, as models for imitation in art and/or life, as maps of reality. The goals of the class are: to understand the difference between the Classical and the Hebraic accounts of human origins, motives, actions, authority and meaning; to practice steering by the text, rather than by pre-conception; and to articulate thought, aloud and in writing. | |
| ISHU 4210 | Shakespeare (3) |
| In this course explores the plays of Shakespeare and his non-dramatic poetry. The course considers key philosophical, religious, political, and literary milieus. Course was offered Summer 2013, Summer 2011 | |
| ISHU 4220 | Blake and Milton (3) |
| Students will read most of the poetry and some of the prose written by the two great, impolite, English poet-prophets, beginning with Blake. William Blake has many sides. Poet, painter, printer, seer, Blake regarded Isaiah, Ezekiel and company as the first poets. He also waged mental war upon the Classical tradition, from Homer on down. John Milton, the subject of one of Blake's visionary poems, was a hero of the imagination and an opponent of tyranny. The most learned man of his age, Milton wrote as a Hebrew prophet in the guise of an English poet. Poetry has roots in song as well as prophecy, so students will read many of these musical works aloud. | |
| ISHU 4230 | Masterpieces of Russian Short Fiction (3) |
| Explores the shorter translated works of Russian literary giants of the nineteenth century whose writings firmly established Russia in the first ranks of world. Examines the works of twentieth century writers who articulated the existential dilemmas of the "new Soviet man." Provides a broad philosophical and cultural perspective on Russian short stories. Course was offered Summer 2013, Spring 2012 | |
| ISHU 4240 | The Romantics - Poets of the Late 18th and Early 19th Centuries (3) |
| The Romantics - Poets of the Late 18th and Early 19th Centuries | |
| ISHU 4245 | The Meditative Lyric (3) |
| Explores the tradition of the meditative lyric with an emphasis on contemporary poetry. Includes central critical essays and readings from contemporary poets such as Charles Wright, Lisa Russ Spaar, and Mary Ann Samyn, as well as poets in the tradition such as Gerard Manley Hopkins and George Herbert. Examines the intersections between spirituality and the lyric poem through both creative and critical lenses. | |
| ISHU 4250 | Script Analysis (3) |
| Students will survey classical to contemporary plays with a focus on developing the ability to read dramatic texts intended for performance. Students will investigate structure, plot, character and imagery, and scrutinize playwrights' methods of making meaning as distinct from other forms of literature. This analysis will enrich the student's appreciation of the play text as a blueprint for production. | |
| ISHU 4270 | Imagining the City: An Interdisciplinary Approach (3) |
| Explores the idea of the city from an interdisciplinary perspective that begins with Plato's influential rendering of an imaginary city ruled by philosopher-kings and continues through the urban core of modern Charlottesville. Allows students to examine the physical world by sharing ideas, observing, writing, and thinking critically. | |
| ISHU 4280 | The Other Elizabethans: Shakespeare's Contemporaries (3) |
| Presents selected works of Shakespeare along with those of his peers and rivals to enable students to grasp the English Renaissance theater as well as Shakespeare's remarkable contributions. | |
| ISHU 4300 | Framing Modern America (3) |
| This course studies the evolution of American society in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries by exploring the creation and reception of art. Students analyze selected paintings, sculptures, photographs, films, architecture, and music to understand how these art works and the artists who created them shaped and reflected some of the central political, social, cultural and intellectual developments in modern America. This course helps students deepen their awareness of key artistic developments and improve their ability to analyze various art forms critically and creatively. | |
| ISHU 4311 | History of Art Controversies in the United States (3) |
| Explores the most significant art controversies in the history of the United States and places them in their appropriate cultural and historical contexts. Prerequisites: Restricted to BIS Students. | |
| ISHU 4312 | The Judgment of Paris (Impressionism) (3) |
| Focuses on the revolutionary decade that gave the world Impressionism. Examines the contrasting careers of Ernest Meissonier and Edouard Manet against the backdrop of the Franco Prussian War and the Paris Commune and how their success was measured differently in time. Explores the works of several other artists including Monet, Degas, and Cezanne. | |
| ISHU 4313 | Varying Contexts of Love and Relationships (3) |
| Utilizes philosophical, religious, literary, and historical texts to examines the relationship between romantic love, both heterosexual and non-heterosexual, and the love of family, country, and God. | |
| ISHU 4314 | The World of Theodore Roosevelt (3) |
| Explores Theodore Roosevelt's life. Investigates key political, economic, social, and cultural developments of the late 19th and early 20th centuries that Roosevelt experienced and, in some cases, influenced. Course was offered Summer 2014, Fall 2011 | |
| ISHU 4315 | The World of Jane Austen: Exploring the Novels in Historical Context (3) |
| Analyzes the major works of Jane Austen. Explores the social, cultural, economic, and political themes of the novels in their original contexts through a combination of class discussion and written assignments. Considers the resurgence in popularity of Austen's works in recent years, especially film and television portrayals of her novels. | |
| ISHU 4320 | Italian Renaissance Drawing (3) |
| Examines the role of drawing in 15th & 16th century Florence, with an emphasis on the works of Leonardo, Michelangelo, and the artistic milieu from which they emerged. Considers when drawings ceased to be practical and attain a level of autonomy from painting and sculpture; what these works say about imagination and the creative process; and how conceptions of drawing change. Course was offered Fall 2009 | |
| ISHU 4325 | Florentine Painting of the 1470s & 1480s (3) |
| Examines the works of Pollaiuolo, Verrocchio, Ghirlandaio, Botticelli, Leonardo, and others with an emphasis on relationships between these artists' works. Looks at their respective creative processes and the circulation of ideas among works. | |
| ISHU 4350 | The Films of Stanley Kubrick (3) |
| Explores the films of Stanley Kubrick and the times in which they were made. Investigates Kubrick as a means to understanding film. Examines how films are to be read, how they tell their stories, how they fit into their historical and cultural moment. | |
| ISHU 4351 | Seminar in Medieval Studies (3) |
| Examines the political history, economic structures and conditions, religion, philosophy, literature, art, and music of the Medieval period. Course was offered Spring 2010 | |
| ISHU 4641 | Advanced Public Speaking (3) |
| Utilizes several active learning activities when considering classical rhetorical elements, audience analysis, speech organization, and strategies for improvement in the structure and delivery of extemporaneous and impromptu speeches. Work with conceptual methods, observe exemplary models of good speech making, explore personal communication apprehension, and hone individual rhetorical style. Course was offered Summer 2012 | |
| ISHU 4651 | Bioethics in Healthcare (3) |
| Introduces the applied ethical subspecialty of bioethics, particularly as related to healthcare and human services. Each day brings advancements in healthcare: multi-organ transplants, "Octo Moms" and expanded viability on both ends of the life continuum. Society applauds these miraculous manipulations of the human essence, yet opposes healthcare agents 'playing God'. Examines the complexity of society's response to bioethical dilemmas. Course was offered Summer 2013 | |
| ISHU 4810 | Religion and Technology (3) |
| This course examines how technology and religion encounter each other, clash with each other, enable each other, and co-create each other. Students will take a broad view to discuss some topics: historical perspectives on religion and technology, how they function as interpretive structures, virtual communities, etc., but will also take a narrower view, examining particular issues such as genetic manipulation, or global warming and Christianity. | |
| ISHU 4820 | Readings in Religion and American Culture (3) |
| Examines the ways in which the distinctively American context has shaped religious life, and also considers how religion has shaped American culture. Explores both historical and current approaches to the topic. Considers the relationship between religion and politics, religion and family life, and religion and science. Course was offered Fall 2009 | |
| ISHU 4830 | A Philosophic History of American Environmentalism (3) |
| The course gives a philosophic history of American environmentalism by examining some of the 'classic' works within this tradition which have had world-wide influence, such as Henry David Thoreau's Walden, Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac, and Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. It will also look at how some contemporary American environmental thinkers have critically appropriated the ideas defended in these 'classics'. Finally, we shall see how these 'classic' ideas connect to current American cultural values and to such current social issues as consumerism, global warming, preserving endangered species, animal liberation and achieving sustainable food production. | |
| ISHU 4831 | Four Women Activists for Sustaining Food, Water and Biodiversity in India (3) |
| Examines the ethical values and interpretations of political engagement of three Indian and one American female activist (Vandana Shiva, Arundhati Roy, Medha Patkar, and Martha Nussbaum). | |
| ISHU 4840 | God and Darwin: Friends or Foes? (3) |
| Studies scientists and philosophers rigorous arguments that God and Darwin are logically irreconcilable, that the idea of a world-creating monotheistic god is mutually exclusive with the idea of evolution by natural selection. Discusses the fact that other scientists and philosophers have argued God and Darwin are complementary, that they in no real sense conflict at all. Course was offered Spring 2012, Summer 2010 | |
| ISHU 4850 | Principles of Sustainability (3) |
| Provides an introduction to sustainability concepts within the framework of environment, economics, and equity. Covers foundational principles of sustainability and emerging topics, including population, energy, food, water and technology. Emphasizes the interrelationship between humans and the environment, and includes discussion of ecosystems, human behavior, ethics, and policy. | |
| ISHU 4860 | Jefferson, Lincoln, Darwin, God, and the Idea of a Human Right (3) |
| Examines the idea of a human right by reading central historical documents about where the idea of a right came from and what such people as Jefferson, Lincoln, Darwin, and God thought a right to be. | |
| ISHU 4870 | Modern American Culture War (3) |
| Examines the phenomenon of American culture wars, those clashes of viewpoints that occur in several areas including education, politics, morality, religion, gender, race, science and society. Studies how these wars arose, who are involved, and how they affect American life both historically and in the present. Involves high-level thinking and discussion about social movements and upheavals, revolts and societal evolution. Course was offered Fall 2016 | |
| ISHU 4890 | America and the Ethics of Food and Energy in the 21st Century (3) |
| Examines deep and complex ethical issues within the United States regarding the production of food and energy, corporate social responsibility, duties to future generations, and national interest versus obligations to other peoples. | |
| ISHU 4993 | Independent Study (1 - 3) |
| Independent Study for students working on Capstone Proposals and Proseminar work. | |
| Interdisciplinary Studies-Individualized Other | |
| ISIN 4510 | Special Topics in Conduct of Inquiry: Social Sciences (3) |
| Offered Spring 2025 | Conduct of Inquiry courses introduce students to major methodologies, content areas and contributions in various social science disciplines. Course was offered Fall 2024, Summer 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Summer 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Summer 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Summer 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Summer 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Summer 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2018, Summer 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Summer 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Summer 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Summer 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2014 |
| ISIN 4520 | Special Topics in Conduct of Inquiry: Humanities (3) |
| Offered Spring 2025 | Conduct of Inquiry courses introduce students to major methodologies, content areas and contributions in the humanistic traditions of various world cultures. Course was offered Fall 2024, Summer 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Summer 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Summer 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Summer 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Summer 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Summer 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2018, Summer 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Summer 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Summer 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2014 |
| Interdisciplinary Studies-Liberal Studies Seminar | |
| ISLS 3000 | Transformations: Reading, Thinking, and Communicating in the Liberal Arts (3) |
| Offered Spring 2025 | Develops reading, writing, critical thinking, technology and research proficiencies necessary for success at college level and beyond; orients students to the culture of the University and the community of the BIS program. Introduces the breadth of campus resources and addresses academic advising; utilizes the theme of transformation as subject matter for reading, writing and discussion to provide opportunities for multi-disciplinary exploration. Course was offered Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Spring 2020 |
| ISLS 3010 | Nationalism and National Identity (3) |
| Focuses on theories about the origins of nations; examines the historical and cultural substance of nations; and explores related questions about national identity, nationalism, ethnic violence, and citizenship. Considers contemporary alternatives to national identity, such as supranational movements and multinational organizations. Course was offered Spring 2024, Spring 2022, Spring 2019, Spring 2017, Spring 2016, Fall 2012, Spring 2011 | |
| ISLS 3020 | Critical Thinking: Why Do We Believe the Things We Do? (3) |
| This course focuses on a central question: 'Why do we believe the things we do?' This question will drive all of the individual writing and reading assignments. In this context students consider, from a multi-disciplinary perspective, topics such as: mental models, hidden assumptions and the place of implicit beliefs in reasoning; 'thin slicing' and the role of the 'adaptive unconscious' in decision making; propaganda, public relations and the role of the media in belief formation; the identification and evaluation of arguments and the difference between persuasive and cogent reasoning. | |
| ISLS 3030 | Critical Thinking and Creativity II (3) |
| This seminar develops the ability to critically and creatively evaluate complex issues and to increase ones sensitivity to the pervasive character of deceptive reasoning in our culture. The focus is on evaluating the reasoning of others, and manufacturing consent. | |
| ISLS 3035 | Forms of Reasoning (3) |
| How do we distinguish good from merely persuasive reasoning? This question will drive all of the individual writing assignments and open discussions. Offers a practical introduction to identifying and evaluating arguments. Considers and develops the ability to recognize the difference between cogent versus merely persuasive arguments by focusing on techniques frequently used to mislead and deceive. | |
| ISLS 3040 | Decision Making in Public Organizations (3) |
| Examines the question of how public organizations make decisions and the techniques organizations use to arrive at the chosen options; considers major initiatives to day-to-day activities; examines public agencies at various levels of government, and the need to make far-reaching decisions which address a complex array of competing goals; presents theories of decision making and discusses recent decisions at various levels of government. Course was offered Spring 2018 | |
| ISLS 3070 | Honor, Honor Codes, and Civil Society (3) |
| Explores the meaning of honor and why it is both a morally necessary and a potentially dangerous concept; the Christian west and the Knight's Code of Chivalry, and the Japanese Samurai; and whether Americans can fashion a society with a renewed sense of honor. | |
| ISLS 3090 | The Enlightenment Era (3) |
| Explores the Enlightenment Era from different perspectives, including the morality, politics, music, and education of this period. Examines the consequences of this movement during the American Revolution and the French Revolution. | |
| ISLS 3100 | Age of Discovery: Europe and the Wider World, 1500-1700 (3) |
| Examines intellectual and social/political upheavals of the early modern period in Europe including the opening of the wider world to European explorers and traders. Considers the mutual impact of Western and non-Western civilizations through the analysis of primary sources including literature, maps, and works of art. | |
| ISLS 3130 | Issues in Foundations of Education (3) |
| The purpose of this course is to identify and discuss some of education's defining issues. We will consider teaching and learning from multiple perspectives, analyze and discuss key issues in education based on professional and personal knowledge, and speculate about possible consequences of educational policy decisions. | |
| ISLS 3150 | Genocide: Origins, Prevention, and Punishment (3) |
| Students address serious questions about mass violence; human rights; psychological, sociological, cultural and economic sources of human cruelty; and the responsibility of bystanders. Students also consider what genocide is, why it happens, where it has happened, how best to prevent it, and how to deal with perpetrators. Course was offered Summer 2019, Summer 2018 | |
| ISLS 3160 | Research Problems in Social Science (10) |
| Research Problems in Social Science | |
| ISLS 3170 | Development, Dynamics, and Diagnosis (3) |
| This course will consider what makes groups effective, using theory, practice, and reflection to explore how they develop, how they operate on both conscious and unconscious levels, and how their members can get them back on track when they stray into ineffectiveness and non-productivity. | |
| ISLS 3180 | Possessing the Past (3) |
| This course explores various ways in which we seek to experience the past as if firsthand: through the treasuring of its relics, both private and public (souvenirs, heirlooms, exhibited artifacts); through the restoration and replication of structures and environments from the past (as at Williamsburg, Disneyland--or the U. Va. grounds); and through the fictional experiences offered by stories, novels, and movies set in the past. Students will explore historical, psychological, and cultural contexts for these efforts, studying their similarities and differences, attempting to determine the sources and implications of this desire to re-live the past, and engaging some of the complex issues raised by that endeavor. Throughout, the course will focus on sharpening the skills of analytical thinking and writing. Course was offered Fall 2017, Fall 2015, Fall 2014, Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Spring 2012, Spring 2011 | |
| ISLS 3190 | Good Cop/Bad Cop (3) |
| This course examines the current use of the police power in a variety of situations, informed by the past and motivated by the future. Particular emphasis is on contemporary real-life examples to inform the discussion on the proper use of the police power. Those examples are subjected to a variety of perspectives, societal and individual, to gain a fuller understanding of the delicate balance of competing values. Course was offered Summer 2024, Summer 2023, Summer 2022, Summer 2021, Summer 2020, Fall 2018, Summer 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Summer 2013, Fall 2012, Fall 2011, Fall 2010, Fall 2009 | |
| ISLS 3200 | Rhetorical Theory, Criticism, and Speaking (3) |
| This course focuses on classical rhetorical theory, the analysis of modern public discourse, and public speaking. Rhetorical proofs and foundational works of classic rhetoricians, such as Corax, Plato, Isocrates, Aristotle, and Cicero, will be covered. Modern theorists and critics, such as Kenneth Burke, Jacques Derrida, Lloyd Bitzer, Michael McGee, and Richard Lanham are explored. The course also challenges more recent constructs of human communication. Finally, theory and criticism extends to practice through public speaking. | |
| ISLS 3210 | The Frost is Hard-Edged and Quick: Metaphor - Making a Final Unity (3) |
| What is a metaphor? What role does it play in the way we see the world, ourselves and others? What metaphors guide our own thinking - as a society and a culture about politics, crime, illness, ourselves, love and life? If we take metaphor seriously, is it possible to draw a hard line between fact and fiction, between arts and sciences, between the objective and subjective? Does metaphor refute reason? In this course students investigate these and related questions using a variety of media. Texts will be drawn from a spectrum of disciplines including poetry, cognitive psychology, linguistics, philosophy, literature and literary criticism. Course was offered Summer 2024, Fall 2022, Spring 2020, Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Summer 2015, Fall 2014, Fall 2013, Fall 2012, Summer 2012, Summer 2010, Fall 2009 | |
| ISLS 3211 | Russian Politics (3) |
| Explores Russia's political themes of the 20th century, especially events since the fall of the Soviet Union. Includes Russia's tentative steps towards capitalism and democracy in the last two decades. Employs different analytical tools to craft an interdisciplinary portrait of Russia. Provides an opportunity to substantially improve critical thinking and basic academic writing. Course was offered Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023, Summer 2022, Fall 2020, Fall 2018, Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2012, Spring 2011 | |
| ISLS 3212 | From Beowulf to the Incredibles: Changing Heroes, Changing Cultures (3) |
| Explores heroic figures who play a critical part of understanding Western culture, literature, and wisdom. Analyzes literature and film to examine how heroic individuality has shaped western society, why we need heroes, and how our heroes are changing. Studies heroic tales compared to European and American history with an emphasis on critical thinking and analytical writing. | |
| ISLS 3220 | Thinking About Cosmic Questions (3) |
| Thinking About Cosmic Questions | |
| ISLS 3221 | Exploring the Arrows of Time (3) |
| Explores some of the different ideologies behind the arrow of time at a non-scientist level, including the idea that time flows from the past, to the present, and into the future. Examines debates between philosophers and scientists that the impression of time is an illusion. | |
| ISLS 3222 | Visions of the Future Through the Lens of Science Fiction (3) |
| Explores the possibility of what life will be like in the future as seen through the eyes of six classic science fiction writers. Develops writing and crtical thinking skills by studying and analyzing the structure and impact of sociological and technological innovations. | |
| ISLS 3240 | In Their Own Words: America (3) |
| Culture is made of the shared beliefs and experience of individuals, and the stories of the lives of those individuals both describe the culture and prescribe the direction in which it must move. The United States of America has a long series of disparate cultural histories; the purpose of this course is to use first-person narratives to unravel them. | |
| ISLS 3250 | The Notion and the Heft of Home (3) |
| Explores the myriad meanings of home through such questions as: is home a preposterous notion? Considers and analyzes personal definitions of home. Explores readings from sermons of Puritan New England to personal narrative of Native Americans to testimonials of the homeless. Course was offered Fall 2024, Summer 2023, Summer 2022, Spring 2021, Summer 2018, Summer 2016, Summer 2015, Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Summer 2011, Spring 2010, Fall 2009 | |
| ISLS 3260 | Reconstructing our Early Years: Childhood in Memoir, Literature and Society (3) |
| The childhood memoir has become one of the most popular genres, outdistancing fictional accounts as the place readers come to for an understanding of their own formative years and those of others. This course explores classic memoirs of growing up in the U.S. in the 20th century by Russell Baker, Maya Angelou, Gregory Orr, Mary Karr, and Jeanette Walls. Students will write childhood memoirs of their own. Course was offered Summer 2015 | |
| ISLS 3270 | Cultural and Religious Diversity and Assimilation in American Life (3) |
| Explores the links and conflicts between American culture and religious life. Examines the nature of religious diversity and pluralism in America and the specific challenges the major religious groups have experienced. | |
| ISLS 3280 | Science as a Cultural System: Challenging Our Presuppositions (3) |
| Focuses on the production of the scientific method from its eighteenth-century roots in natural philosophy, which demonstrates that the methodology which produces science is the same which produces natural philosophy. Course was offered Summer 2021, Summer 2017, Spring 2015, Spring 2013, Summer 2012, Fall 2011, Spring 2011 | |
| ISLS 3290 | The Bill of Rights in the 21st Century (3) |
| Examines the origins of the Bill of Rights and the specific rights listed, as well as the contours of those rights as they have been interpreted by the Supreme Court. Discusses the issue of what prominence should be accorded to the original intent of the Framers. | |
| ISLS 3291 | A Seminar for Discussion of Current Issues in Public Policy (3) |
| Explores current issues involving public policy at the Federal, state, and local levels. Following a preliminary discussion of an issue, the class will identify information needed for a deeper discussion, assign responsibilities for acquiring the needed information by the next class period, disseminate the new information, and discuss the issue and sub-issues. Course was offered Spring 2015, Spring 2013 | |
| ISLS 3300 | The Poet in Society (3) |
| Explores the complex, historically-conditioned role of the poet in society as it has played out within two very different cultural traditions: the Western democratic tradition of free expression, as practiced in the U.S. and Western Europe, and the Russian/Soviet/East European tradition of the past century, in which censorship and repression of free speech has been the rule. Course was offered Spring 2023, Fall 2018, Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Summer 2012, Spring 2011, Fall 2010, Spring 2010 | |
| ISLS 3310 | Archaeology in Today's Society (3) |
| Examines the interpretation and presentation of archaeological data with attention to the interaction between the practitioner of anthropological archaeology and today's society. Examines the public presentation of archaeological research, the science of archaeology in public writing, and the selection of writer's voice in the presentation of archaeological interpretations. Course was offered Spring 2010 | |
| ISLS 3320 | Based on a True Story (3) |
| Examines a number of films "based on a true story". Researches the real story behind the films and discussing them in the context of traditional theories of epistemology, mass media, and social change. | |
| ISLS 3330 | The Function of Memory (3) |
| Includes types of memory systems, the reliability of memory, the relation of memory to narrative, and the relation of memory to knowledge and justification. | |
| ISLS 3340 | Writing About the Road (3) |
| Examines the literature of the road and what it tells us about maturation, mobility and the modes and models of a changing American family that, however defined, seems to be increasingly in crisis. Course was offered Summer 2014, Summer 2010 | |
| ISLS 3350 | Heroes and Anti-Heroes in Literature (3) |
| Examines the hero and anti-hero in major works such as Catcher in the Rye, Othello, Doctor Faustus, and Huckleberry Finn. Provides an understanding of character development in literature of various cultures and genres. Course was offered Spring 2016 | |
| ISLS 3360 | The Role of Memory and The Human Condition (3) |
| Offered Spring 2025 | Focuses on the the human condition and uses literature to examine the role of memory. |
| ISLS 3370 | An Analysis of Mental Illness in American Society (3) |
| Examines and studies mental illness in society. Analyzes the connection and relationship of mental illness with societal issues such as substance abuse, criminal behavior, homelessness, unemployment, violence, family problems, education, and suicide. | |
| ISLS 3620 | Ritual and Becoming in the Arts of Africa (3) |
| Examines the traditional arts produced on the African continent such as painting, sculpture, textiles, ceramics, metalwork, architecture, and body modification as they are incorporated into age-grade initiation, fertility ceremonies and curative rituals. | |
| ISLS 3780 | An Examination of the Criminal Justice System (3) |
| Offered Spring 2025 | Provides students with an overview and understanding of the criminal justice system as a social institution inside of the American institution. Enables students to gain an understanding of the various components of the criminal justice system and its responsibilities to include courts, corrections, and law enforcements. Course was offered Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Summer 2017, Summer 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2014, Spring 2013, Spring 2012, Summer 2011, Spring 2011, Spring 2010 |
| ISLS 4030 | Religion and the Quest for Meaning (3) |
| This course examines the religions of the world as ways of finding patterns of meaning and value for our personal and social existence. Students will survey the major religions of the world, using both primary and secondary sources. As a Liberal Studies Seminar the course will focus on developing the skills of writing, analytical thinking, and presenting arguments. | |
| ISLS 4120 | Determining Community Needs in an Individualistic Society (3) |
| Focuses on the tension evident today between the dynamism of a consumer-driven individualistic society and the necessity in the modern interrelated world for good definitions of community needs. Encourages and enables students to think both critically and analytically about social and political issues while building upon communication skills, especially writing. | |
| ISLS 4130 | Foundations of Education: Issues and Challenges (3) |
| This course focuses on further developing writing and critical and analytical thinking skills, as well as fundamentals of research. Regarding content, the purpose of this course is to identify and discuss some of education's defining issues and challenges. Students will consider teaching and learning from multiple perspectives, analyze and discuss key issues in education based on professional and personal knowledge, and speculate about possible consequences of educational policy decisions. Topics will include: definitions of curriculum, philosophies of educational practice, separation of church & state, school attendance, character education, multicultural education, role of the federal government in education, high-stakes assessment & education, the role of public schools in society, vouchers, charter schools, inclusion of students with disabilities, school size, bilingual education, school violence, technology, teacher retention, and alternative certification programs. Students will demonstrate skill in research by completing a longer research essay. | |
| ISLS 4140 | Foundations in American Education (3) |
| Examines selected issues and trends related to the education of K-16 students and the educational profession. Learn and demonstrate research skills to investigate current educational policies and practices. Course was offered Summer 2010 | |
| ISLS 4170 | Research Problems in Social Science (3) |
| This course provides an introduction to the fundamental concepts one needs to understand the basic process of social research: designing a study, qualitative and quantitative research methods, analyzing and reporting results. Using monographs from social science and history, students will explore the various ways scholars use research tools. Course was offered Fall 2013, Spring 2011 | |
| ISLS 4180 | Experiences of the Great War: Life and Literature (3) |
| This course begins with an overview of the history of the Great War (World War I) and an exploration of some of the vast literature it generated. Students will consider the political, social, economic, and cultural aspects of the war as it was experienced by soldiers and civilians. Emphasis is placed on development of critical reading and writing skills, as well as the elements of research, and students will pursue a research project pertaining to some aspect of the Great War. Course was offered Fall 2013 | |
| ISLS 4200 | Ideas of Travel: Pilgrim, Explorer, Tourist (3) |
| Examining accounts of travel whose motives include religious pilgrimage, scientific discovery, and adventure, students will explore the extent to which these motives overlap, the extent to which journeys follow patterns that are universal or unique to their cultural moment, and the relationship of who we are to what we see. Primary readings will be drawn from Homer and the Bible, medieval pilgrimage accounts, early American captivity and slave narratives, and travel accounts and ethnographies from the 18th through 20th centuries by writers such as Defoe, Wollstonecraft, Melville, Darwin, Robert Louis Stevenson, Margaret Mead, Levi-Strauss. The focus throughout will be on developing the skills of analysis and research. | |
| ISLS 4251 | Exploring Modern United States History: A Research Methods Course (3) |
| Investigates late nineteenth and twentieth century United States history. Teaches students how to do research using a variety of library resouces, how to interpret primary and secondary sources, and how to present their findings. | |
| ISLS 4260 | The World Turned Upside-Down: English Society in the 17th Century (3) |
| Examines the history and historiography of 17th century England under the Stuart Monarchs and the Cromwellian Protectorates. Teaches skills in research, composition of an in-depth research project, analytical thinking, and research methodology. | |
| ISLS 4270 | Concepts and Constructions of the Self (3) |
| Develops a context for understanding some of the more vexing questions surrounding the concept of self in contemporary society. Provides an opportunity to substantially improve some basic academic writing and research skills. | |
| ISLS 4280 | Archaeological Research (3) |
| Introduces students to the skills and knowledge that are the basis of inquiry in the discipline of archaeology. Emphasizes the development of research questions from an established body of literature. Conducts archaeological fieldwork throughout the semester. Builds research skills that are broadly applicable across the social sciences. Course was offered Spring 2012 | |
| Interdisciplinary Studies-Social Sciences | |
| ISSS 3020 | Women's Studies: Theories and Practices (3) |
| Explores critical methods and vocabulary used to analyze gender while focusing on American women's movements as well as contemporary notions of global feminism. Examines commonalities and differences among women, gender norms, sexual mores, the representation of women in the media, gender gaps in education and employment, and changing notions of family. | |
| ISSS 3030 | Sociology of Morality (3) |
| Explores how forms of morality emerge or decline under different social conditions. Students examine historical and contemporary forms of morality directly and through institutions which often express moral understandings and perceptions, such as religion and politics. | |
| ISSS 3040 | American Religious Behavior (3) |
| Perhaps no subject is subject to more debate and discussion than the nature of religion in American life. This class will be an interdisciplinary exploration of current themes in the sociology of American religion: the ongoing interplay between secularization and religious vitality, the connection between religion and politics, new religious movements, and research strategies for studying religious behavior. Beginning with a look at classical theories of religious life and organization (Weber, Durkheim, and others), the course will incorporate readings that illustrate interesting aspects of American religious behavior, drawn from scholarly work in theology, sociology, and history. | |
| ISSS 3042 | Women's Photography and Feminist Aesthetics (3) |
| Introduces students to feminist criticism and especailly to feminist aesthetic theory. Examines feminist criticism and theory through women's photography. Course was offered Fall 2010 | |
| ISSS 3043 | Women Writing for Change (3) |
| Examines the rhetorical choices women have made from Medieval times to the present to create public arguments for social change in the face of cultural pressure to remain silent. Analyzes how women writers deliberately worked with cultural narratives of gender and used traditional and alternative texts. Explores how those decisions shape expectations of women in the public sphere today. Course was offered Spring 2013 | |
| ISSS 3045 | Science and Practice of Mindfulness (3) |
| Considers the latest scientific findings about the mind-body connection, offers students the opportunity to experience them through direct mindfulness meditative practices. Explores formal and informal mindfulness practices, the contextual background of mindfulness, and applies them to a variety of professions and settings. Covers a range of contemplative exercises that cultivate emotional balance and the ability to cope with stress. | |
| ISSS 3050 | Evolution of International Relations (3) |
| Provides a broad conceptual introduction to the study of international relations. Traces and debates philosophical, ethical, and political interpretations of world politics from ancient times to the present. Examines applied issues of international relations, such as the use of force; collective security; human rights and development; and environmental, globalization and technological influences in the context of these philosophical traditions. Course was offered Spring 2024, Fall 2019 | |
| ISSS 3051 | International Political Economy of the Middle East (3) |
| Provides essential background information on the Middle East's culture and history, geopolitics, politics of religion, colonialism, and the rise of nationalism. Analyzes political economic development and ther resuergence of religious extremism. Analyzes the recent revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt and their ramifications for the Middle East. | |
| ISSS 3060 | Military Force in International Relations (3) |
| Examines the threat and use of military force in international relations. Topics include deterrence theory and recent critiques, ethical and international legal considerations, domestic constraints, and the postwar U.S. and Soviet experiences with the use of force. | |
| ISSS 3061 | World Military History: Thermopylae to Sedan (3) |
| Examines the doctrinal, technological, and cultural influences upon the art and science of war from ancient times to the mid-late nineteeth century. Includes readings from Sun Tzu, Vegetius, Mao Zedong, Clausewitz, Jomini and other primary sources. Examines war from the perspective of politics, economics, and society. | |
| ISSS 3070 | Perspectives on International Studies (3) |
| Examines issues that arise as one studies individual and societal activities from an international perspective. Provides tools that will assist students in more individualized explorations of international studies. | |
| ISSS 3080 | Islam (3) |
| Provides students with refined knowledge which is relevant in both the professional and private spheres. Focusing on both the history of Islam, from its founding through the present day, and (more specifically) on the principles of Islam and how different Muslim theologians and statesmen have interpreted and applied those principles throughout Islam's history. The course is a purposeful mix of anthropology, history and political science. | |
| ISSS 3090 | Religion in America (3) |
| Examines the concept of America and to what extent it is a product of religious mindsets of particular times. Explores multi-media materials, including: Hollywood films, 20th Century folk music, literature of the west, 18th Century primary sources, 19th Century theses on American identity, and 20th Century journalism and criticism. | |
| ISSS 3110 | Meeting the New Shamans (3) |
| Examines the major autobiographical works of the new shamans and some of the commentary arguing about their veracity in Native American and scholarly circles. Develops an interactive map of theories, methods, and background of the major writers in the movement to lesser-known writers and the outer fringes of what is sometimes called the New Age. | |
| ISSS 3121 | Ancient Greek Culture Through Modern Eyes (3) |
| Examines ancient Greek myth, literature, and philosophy through the lens of modern psychology. | |
| ISSS 3150 | Constitutional Law (3) |
| Introduces students to the study of constitutional law and provides a good grounding in the methods the U.S. Supreme Court uses to interpret our Constitution. Examines the generally accepted methods of constitutional analysis through in-depth studies of landmark cases both historical and contemporary. Lays an initial foundation in an overview of federal judicial, legislative and executive powers. | |
| ISSS 3151 | Law and Society (3) |
| Introduces students to the interaction between law and society. Surveys various theoretical approaches to the study of law before moving on to empirical studies focused on the U.S. legal system. Examines how the sociology of law can be used by those wishing to reform or find alternatives to the current legal system. | |
| ISSS 3160 | Democracy in America (3) |
| Offered Spring 2025 | Examines democracy, free speech, elections and the press; considers the role of a free press in a time of civil discord, challenges to free speech in America at large and on college campuses; evaluates threats to democracy and the electoral process by analyzing Russian hacking and the role of PACs and Super PACs; examines mainstream and social media, "fake news" and posits if democracy can survive in a culture of 24/7 news coverage and "tweets." |
| ISSS 3170 | The Bill of Rights in the 21st Century (3) |
| This course examines the origins of the Bill of Rights and the specific rights listed, as well as the contours of those rights as they have been interpreted by the Supreme Court. The course addresses contemporary issues, including the right to bear arms, the relation between religion and government, and use of high-tech criminal investigative tools. Course was offered Spring 2019 | |
| ISSS 3180 | Critical Issues in Democracy (3) |
| Explores several critical issues in democracy, relating to both the United States and countries abroad, such as: the examination of ancient and modern theories of democracy, political parties, the Presidency, voting, foreign policy, and the development of international relations. | |
| ISSS 3190 | American Political Development (3) |
| Examines the history of American politics since the 1960's. Key areas of study include political factors that influence the way U.S. presidents design their domestic and foreign policy agenda, the role of opposing views from special interest groups and political parties in decision making, and critical decisions made by presidents from civil rights legislation to the Iraq and Afghanistan War and Obamacare and how they affect our daily lives. | |
| ISSS 3191 | Twentieth-Century America (3) |
| Studies US political, social and cultural history from 1900 to 2000 through historical documents, images, and film. Examines not only history but how to be a historian. Investigates a historical problem of choice in a research paper. Course was offered Summer 2015, Summer 2012 | |
| ISSS 3200 | Britain and Its Empire: Art, Media, and other Cultural Forms (3) |
| Introduces major events and themes in the history of Britain and the British Empire, and places these developments in wider context of world history. Prioritizes non-traditional approaches and sources (paintings, engravings, film and television) to explore the past. Challenges national and ethnic stereotypes, and pursues a definition of British "character". Course was offered Spring 2017 | |
| ISSS 3201 | Happy Wars and Sad Love Songs: A History of Ireland (3) |
| Examines Ireland's contributions to the wider history of the British Isles and Europe, as well as the consequences of the Irish diaspora in the modern era. Utilizes a broad range of primary sources, including imaginative literature and music. Addresses the major trends in the history of Ireland from earliest times to the present day. | |
| ISSS 3260 | The Emergence of Modern America, 1877-1920 (3) |
| In the four decades following the period of Reconstruction, the extent to which the United States changed was remarkable. A reform impulse swept the nation in the first 2 decades of the twentieth century as America attempted to come to terms with its modernity. Americans living in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era saw political, social, economic, cultural, artistic, and intellectual life metamorphose. The nation on the eve of World War I in many ways barely resembled the nation of the Reconstruction Era. The developments of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century laid the foundation for the nation in which we live today. This course will attempt to study this most complex and important period of American history as thoroughly as possible. | |
| ISSS 3261 | Books Behind Bars: Life, Literature, and Community Leadership: 21st Ce (3) |
| Offers an integrated academic-community engagement curriculum, and provides an opportunity for service learning, leadership, and teaching by facilitating discussions about course readings with residents at a local juvenile treatment center. Provides a first-hand appreciation of cultural diversity and an appreciation of how the study of literature can contribute to positive social change. | |
| ISSS 3262 | Globalization, Liberalism, and Reform in the 19th Century (3) |
| Surveys major trends in 19 century world history. Explores a representative sample of peoples and cultures of the period. Considers how societies in Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia coped with similar problems and innovations. Introduces students to theoretical frameworks for world and comparative history. Explores the processes of cultural interaction and globalization. Introduces students to a broad range of sources. | |
| ISSS 3280 | The American Built Environment: "Place" in America (3) |
| Examines the various architectures and landscapes that Americans have inhabited, from colonial times to the present. Focuses on homes, businesses and institutions, cities, sites of transport, and places of public assembly. Considers technological developments, such as those in communications and surveillance, that remake the experience and understanding of place. Course was offered Fall 2014, Summer 2011 | |
| ISSS 3281 | The Art of Public Speaking (3) |
| Examines the five canons of the art of public speaking allowing students to learn and practice the skills needed to speak persuasively, confidently, forcefully, and intelligibly to an audience. Course was offered Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Summer 2016, Spring 2015, Summer 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Summer 2012, Spring 2012 | |
| ISSS 3282 | Effective Business Writing and Speaking (3) |
| Develops communication possibilities through a number of writing and speaking activities. Emphasizes plain English style writing, essential for clear, concise messages. Examines how to create and deliver clear, persuasive, and professional short speeches and includes learning to write effective email, letters and memos. Explores online writing environments. Develops awareness of self and others. | |
| ISSS 3290 | History of Virtual Worlds (3) |
| Examines the historical, technological, and literary roots of today's virtual worlds, beginning with Plato's "allegory of the cave" and ending with recent research into social relations within Second Life. | |
| ISSS 3291 | Revolutionary Ideas (3) |
| Investigates ideas inherited from the past that are shaping the world of tomorrow. Explores recognized ideas such as evolution and socialism, as well as some that are not often described as ideas, including happiness through consumption, germs, and disease. Examines historical documents and goes beyond the individuals who introduced them by examining how these ideas changed lives. | |
| ISSS 3300 | Issues in Cultural Anthropology (3) |
| The course includes a general review of key concepts and problems in anthropology, including the concept and nature of culture, its relationship to language, economics, politics, kinship and religion as documented among different societies around the globe. The course focuses on ethnographies and on contemporary anthropological research (the study of identity, race and ethnicity). Course was offered Fall 2024 | |
| ISSS 3301 | Human Origins (3) |
| Provides an overview and assessment of the theory, methods and data used by anthropologists to reconstruct human physical and cultural evolution. Examines the time from the initial appearance of hominins to the period when modern humans first began to conduct agriculture. Reviews Darwin and evolutionary theory as well as the controversy surrounding that theory. | |
| ISSS 3302 | Ritual and Peace Building (3) |
| Explores the anthropological literature on ritual and its application in contemporary peace building and community healing. | |
| ISSS 3303 | Meditation in Action: The Contemplative Sciences (3) |
| Examines the history, goals, and impact of a new academic discipline called the contemplative sciences in which meditation and non-western healing practices are brought to bear on a variety of 21st century problems from violence to the environment. Studies meditation and contemplative methods from the world's religions and will research their use in secular settings. Course was offered Spring 2014, Spring 2013 | |
| ISSS 3305 | The Impact of Media on the Development of Popular Culture (3) |
| Examines the media's role in conveying cultural meaning through popular culture. Analyzes the histories and theories underlying media and popular culture; focusing on print, film, radio, television, the internet, and social media. Critiques contemporary popular culture through music, movies, tv programming, advertising, sports, fashion, celebrity culture, language, and collective public expression. | |
| ISSS 3310 | Popular Music's Vision of America (3) |
| Examines American popular music using Michael Billig's work Banal Nationalism. Helps students understand the day-to-day cultural scaffolding of their lives, and the larger narrative and ideological project of America. Contextualizes popular music's vision using sociological and literary contributions of the same era. Places American popular music within a wider parallel examination of America's post-Vietnam search for purpose and meaning. Course was offered Summer 2020 | |
| ISSS 3350 | The Nature of Oral Narratives: How and Why We Tell Stories (3) |
| The course will focus on the nature of oral poetry and on the culturally specific ways of generating verbal art (ethnopoetics). Poetry (and oral poetry) has usually excluded narratives, which have been considered as 'prose'. Recent studies have found that orally transmitted stories, tales and legends may be organized in ways that make them also a kind of poetry. The course will examine a variety of stories, the form they take, and their meanings to the people who tell and hear them. General questions about such narratives will be taken up (orality in relation to literacy, oral-formulaic composition and performance, parallelism as the main feature of poetry, and notions of the structure of narrative). | |
| ISSS 3360 | Making Sense of the News (3) |
| Develops thoughtful and informed perspectives on some of the most intriguing news stories of our times. Examines aspects of current event topics. Students will have opportunities to share their discoveries and report their findings and judgments and discuss the relevant issues. | |
| ISSS 3370 | Introduction to Archeological Research (3) |
| Explores the principles required in the design, implementation, analysis, and interpretation of archaeological research. Considers archaeological fieldwork conceptualized at multiple scales. Introduces students to archaeological survey and excavation by conducting field research at Monticello. Course was offered Spring 2014 | |
| ISSS 3380 | Sociology and Self-Narrative (3) |
| Explores how a person's biography is a product of history and society. Discusses the sociological importance of self-narratives and what philosophers and other scholars have said about the significance of rewriting one's biography. Course was offered Fall 2009 | |
| ISSS 3381 | The Sociology of Violence (3) |
| Explores the causes and consequences of violence. Emphasizes the role of culture, beginning with the social processes of violence, and then covers the individual psychology. Examines how people cope with violence, moving from the individual mind to popular culture and politics. Discusses topics such as violence and honor, the Holocaust, rape, terrorism, and posttraumatic stress disorder. | |
| ISSS 3382 | History of Genocide (3) |
| Explores the history of genocide and other forms of one-sided, state-sponsored mass killing in the twentieth century. Includes such case studies as the Armenian genocide, the Holocaust, the Rwandan genocide, and the mass killings that have taken place under Communist regimes (e.g., Stalin's USSR, Mao's China, Pol Pot's Cambodia). Course was offered Spring 2016, Fall 2012 | |
| ISSS 3383 | The Dark Side of the Twentieth Century (3) |
| Explores the history of genocide and other forms of one-sided, state-sponsored mass killing in the twentieth century. Includes such case studies as Native Americans, the Holocaust, and the Rwandan and Bosnian genocides. Examines motivations for participation, justice, and prevention. Course was offered Spring 2013, Spring 2011 | |
| ISSS 3390 | Language Acquisition and Development (3) |
| Addresses how children acquire language and how their language learning abilities change over the course of development. Explores what infants and children know about language at various points in development, how researchers test children's understanding and use of language, how psychological theories explain children's language development, and how language acquisition varies throughout life. | |
| ISSS 3400 | Psychology and Human Behavioral Processes (3) |
| This is course is an introduction to the scientific study of psychology and human behavior. The course will cover the basic disciplines of psychological research, developmental psychology, social psychology, and clinical psychology. Included in this will be areas of more advanced study. | |
| ISSS 3401 | Smart Cities Enabling Sustainability (3) |
| Introduces smart cities within the context of sustainability: economic, environmental, and equity. Provides a multidisciplinary look at innovative smart city approaches to solve complex problems on the local level with global impact; includes topics from environmental studies, information technology, data science, engineering, and social science. | |
| ISSS 3410 | Topics in Abnormal Psychology (3) |
| Examines biological and genetic predispositions for major mental illness diagnoses, including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar, and personality disorders. Explores current treatment models, including medication and therapy interventions. Engages students in analyzing recent scholarly articles and clinical case studies; and conducting independent research. Course was offered Summer 2024, Summer 2023, Fall 2021, Summer 2014, Summer 2012, Spring 2012, Summer 2011 | |
| ISSS 3411 | Topics in Personality Psychology (3) |
| Explores major theoretical approaches to understanding the development, structure, and dynamics of personality. Analyzes recent scholarship and various research methods, with projects for students to apply leading theories in real-world social and professional settings. | |
| ISSS 3412 | Developmental and Psychological Models of Self-Awareness (3) |
| Introduces students to the concept of self-awareness. Explores in depth, various psychological models of self-awareness including a centuries old psychological system, and a modern personality inventory in order for students to gain historical perspective, and personal insight, greater awareness, and understanding on the study of the self on a historical as well as a personal level. Course was offered Fall 2014 | |
| ISSS 3413 | Learning from Others (3) |
| Examines the underlying social learning theories and mechanisms which determine how people function in groups; considers topics related to group formation and functioning such as normal and pathological group behavior, mob mentality, neuroscience and learning, social bias, personality theory as well as reward and punishment at the group level. Course was offered Summer 2012 | |
| ISSS 3414 | Culture and Psychology (3) |
| Reviews definitions of culture and cultural studies. Focuses on the impact culture, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and community context has on children and families. Covers mental health, human development, and social behavior. Course was offered Summer 2012, Spring 2012 | |
| ISSS 3416 | Social Psychology in The Modern World (3) |
| Offered Spring 2025 | Examines major theories of social influence and human relations, with a focus on research methodologies and recent findings. Covers topics such as social cognition, self-concept, attitudes, persuasion, conformity, aggression, helping behavior, prejudice, and interpersonal relationships. Provides opportunities for students to critically examine the scientific literature and undertake research assignments to apply theory to modern societal issues. |
| ISSS 3420 | Human Thought and Behavior (3) |
| Students will explore a variety of psychological topics in depth, from these major disciplines within psychology: Developmental, Social, Clinical, and Cognitive, and discuss their impact on the field of psychology and how they apply to behavior and life experience. Learning will be assessed by essay responses to questions posed from journal articles, book chapters, and class discussions and demonstrations. | |
| ISSS 3421 | The Psychology of Music (3) |
| Examines research, illusions, popular texts, and case studies (e.g., musical savants) to learn about the fundamentals of sound, music perception, and the influence of developmental and cultural experiences. | |
| ISSS 3422 | Managing Your Emotions in the Workplace (3) |
| Gives a fundamental overview of Emotional Intelligence and shows how understanding Emotional Intelligence leads to a beneficial working career and personal life. Presents an E.I. competence framework and reviews basic domains, such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management through various methods to promote learning by doing. Applies theoretical concepts to real world situations. Course was offered Summer 2024, Summer 2023, Summer 2022, Summer 2021, Summer 2018, Summer 2017, Spring 2017, Summer 2016, Spring 2016, Summer 2015, Spring 2015, Summer 2014, Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Fall 2012 | |
| ISSS 3430 | Women and Global Change (3) |
| Studies women's activism from a global perspective, and its relationship with feminism. | |
| ISSS 3431 | Feminist Theory in the United States (3) |
| Examines the major trends of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Waves of feminist theory in the United States, particularly as impinged on questions of social identity and the ways we culturally value knowledge, skills, and experience for men and women. Explores the interrelationship between gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and class both as described in theory and lived in personal experience. | |
| ISSS 3432 | Science and Society: How Social Paradigms Inform Science (3) |
| Explores how society informs science through the lens of social foundations, societal movements, causes, politics, feminism and science; covers some real science content such as theoretical physics and string theory. Focuses on a combination of feminism, social foundations, history, and science and will require new ways of thinking about what it means to be scientifically literate in the modern world. | |
| ISSS 3440 | Gender and Society (3) |
| Focuses on the social and cultural construction of gender differences and the ways in which gender norms and stereotypes are prescribed and reinforced for a societys members, depending on their sex. Explores the history of feminist thought and practice, while also attending to contemporary issues at the intersections of gender and race, nation, class, age and sexuality. | |
| ISSS 3450 | Sociology of the Family (3) |
| This course offers comparisons of family organizations in relation to other social institutions in various societies and an introduction to the theory of kinship and marriage systems. | |
| ISSS 3452 | The History of American Foreign Relations in the 20th Century (3) |
| The History of American Foreign Relations in the 20th Century | |
| ISSS 3453 | Food for Thought: An Exploration of the Way We Eat (3) |
| Looks at ways food has influenced western culture, and its significance in our lives from the invention of agriculture to the contemporary debate about health foods; examines films and texts to find womans role in food production, how religious beliefs, economic factors, and ideas about health influence why and what we eat. Should we live to eat or eat to live? Where do we eat? What forces shape our choice of foods? That's plenty to chew on! | |
| ISSS 3454 | Body Image, Media & Eating: A Socio-Psychological Perspective (3) |
| Understand that body image and eating attitudes develop through a complex interplay of biological, psychological, and socio-cultural factors. Specifically explores cultural influences reflected in the media including print, film, and television. Particular attention will be given to the interaction of gender and culture, through discussion of viewed media content and relevant research. | |
| ISSS 3455 | Demystifying Diversity (3) |
| This course acknowledges the myriad overtones, undertones, complexities, shadows, and "politicizations" with which the topic of diversity is fraught and which--for many of us--make the issue hard, maybe even a little scary, to approach and difficult to understand. At bottom, however, the course will argue that diversity basically means "difference" and how we react and relate to it. The course will use a variety of social science perspectives, tools, concepts, and models (historical, sociological, political, organizational, and psychological) to explore the American experience with difference (ethnicity, race, religion, gender, etc.) from Revolutionary times through the present. It will provide the student with a robust framework for understanding and "doing" her/himself as a person of difference in an increasingly diverse society. | |
| ISSS 3460 | Lifespan Development (3) |
| Offered Spring 2025 | Explores an individual's psychological development in today's world. Investigates communication and relationships among individuals, families, and societies. Examines cognitive, social and emotional developmental changes that affect one's self and environment. Considers how technology influences many aspects of development including research in genetics, involvement with computers and apps, application of new medical research, and aging. Course was offered Summer 2017, Summer 2016, Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Summer 2014, Spring 2014, Summer 2013, Spring 2013 |
| ISSS 3461 | Adult Development and Aging (3) |
| Explores adulthood through the individuals' ways of making sense of their inner and outer experience; and how the way a person makes meaning can change/develop over time. Examines a person's meaning system as interpretive lens through which all experience is understood. Course was offered Summer 2011 | |
| ISSS 3470 | Russian Culture and Society (3) |
| This course explores patterns in Russian literature, music, and art from 1900 to the present. Topics include the decline of the Old Regime, impact of revolution on the arts of Russia, modernism of the 1920s in literature, music, art, and film and the arts today. | |
| ISSS 3480 | The Search for Self in Russian Classics (3) |
| From copy clerks to kings, outcasts to aristocrats, demons to dandies, the characters that populate the pages of the nineteenth-century Russian classics represent a wide range of both Russian and universal human types. Throughout this course students will explore the recurrent question: To what extent are the issues raised in the nineteenth-century Russian classics applicable to the challenges of contemporary America and to our own personal lives? Students will sample classic works from a variety of genres (short story, novel, poetry, 'novel in verse,' drama) and authors (Pushkin, Lermontov, Turgenev, Gogol, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Chekhov). | |
| ISSS 3485 | Childhood, Memory, and Society (3) |
| Explores changing concepts of the child from medieval times to the present by examining personal memoirs, competing social theories, and literary visions of the child. Focuses on medieval childhood, the romantic child, the Victorian child, slave children, pioneer childhood, immigrant childhood, childhood and the Great Depression, and childhood in today's family. | |
| ISSS 3501 | Explorations: Themes in the Social Sciences and Humanities (1) |
| Offered Spring 2025 | Explores one significant theme in the social sciences and/or humanities such as liberation, power, equality, diversity, rights, justice, war, happiness, love, and beauty, through the study of one significant and influential classic or contemporary book or work of art. Students engage with the subject and enhance their critical reading, writing, thinking, and discussion skills. |
| ISSS 3600 | Economics and the Environment (3) |
| Establishes a framework for analyzing conflicts between economic growth and efficiency and a sustainable environment in an interdisciplinary context emphasizing the complex interrelationships among social, political, and economic goals. | |
| ISSS 3602 | Risk in Society and Business (3) |
| Examines the risks experienced by individuals, society, and businesses. Explores the origins of concepts related to risk. Assesses attitudes toward risk and the impact of attitude on individual behavior. Examines the sources of risk to societies and businesses, and evaluates options for their mitigation. | |
| ISSS 3610 | Contemporary Problems in Econ (3) |
| Offered Spring 2025 | Provides students with the conceptual framework and methods of economic science necessary for analyzing a variety of contemporary economic problems. The usefulness of these economic concepts will be taught as applications to specific public policy issues. |
| ISSS 3611 | Cheap Eats: The Economics of the American Food Industry (3) |
| Examines the economic costs of food, including subsidies, production practices, ecological sustainability and health impacts; analyzes institutional factors contributing to potential market distortions in the food market system; evaluates the factors that characterize the current system such as the reliance on chemical pesticides and organic alternatives. | |
| ISSS 3630 | The American Presidency in Film and Television (3) |
| Examines the representations of government, specifically by asking many questions and analyzing fictional depictions of the presidency. Examines the language of political film and television by its necessary manipulations, guided and misguided intentions, and its tangible results in society. | |
| ISSS 3660 | The Sea and Society: Producing Maritime Space 1400-2000 (3) |
| Explores changes and developments in maritime history. Introduces the sea as a space apart from those spaces inhibited on land. Explores the social, cultural, economic, environmental and political characteristics of the sea. | |
| ISSS 3670 | Ethnic and Race Relations (3) |
| Introduces the study of race and ethnic relations, including the social and economic conditions promoting prejudice, racism, discrimination, and segregation. Examines contemporary American conditions, and historical and international materials. | |
| ISSS 3671 | Cultural Identity in the 21st Century (3) |
| Examines current cultural events and explores what individual and cultural identity will look like as the 21st century evolves. Focuses on the themes of race, gender, and religion. | |
| ISSS 3675 | The End of Heroism (3) |
| Explores how contemporary Westerns conceptualize and relate to suffering. Addresses the current attention given to victims and victimhood and the claim that Westerners no longer value heroism or stoicism. Surveys topics as diverse as common fears of death, the increased use of therapy, soldier life, and breast cancer awareness. | |
| ISSS 3700 | The Romans (3) |
| Incorporates important Roman works, including art and architecture. Reviews the major interpretations of modern scholarship. | |
| ISSS 3720 | Witchcraft (3) |
| Surveys Western attitudes toward magic and witchcraft from ancient times to the present, with emphasis on the European age of witch hunting, 1450-1750. | |
| ISSS 3730 | Miracles in Everyday Life (3) |
| Explores one's belief in miracles, as well as related phenomena such as saints, pilgrimages, and vision. Analyzes multi-culturalism in the purest sense of the word. Examines one's deepest beliefs in all of their variety, and richness. | |
| ISSS 3760 | Issues in Leadership (3) |
| Offered Spring 2025 | Designed to serve as an overview and exploration in the ever-growing field of leadership studies, the purpose of this course is to learn about leadership- to be better at leadership, whether in an organization, community, family, or some other context. A wide-range of topics and issues will be examined through historical and modern conceptions, case studies, moral and ethical sides of leadership, and focused looks at crisis leadership. Course was offered Fall 2023, January 2023, Summer 2021, Summer 2019, Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Summer 2015, Spring 2013, Spring 2010 |
| ISSS 3770 | Challenges of Leadership: Balancing Competing Values & Contradictory Logics (3) |
| Considers the limits of the management versus leadership debate. Examines the organizational basis of managerial leadership. Seeks an understanding of leadership as a systematic process. | |
| ISSS 3771 | Historical Perspective of Leadership (3) |
| Analyzes leadership through the centuries by examining well-known leaders throughout history. Discusses the evolution of leadership throughout the ages. Examines the role of long-term social, political, and economic forces. Emphasizes the application to actual leaders within their respective contexts. | |
| ISSS 3772 | Global Leadership Fundamentals for All Industries (3) |
| Investigates current leadership thinking and behavior in for-profit and non-profit work environments, as well as the role leadership has played in past decision making processes, and what we can learn from the decisions that were made by those leaders. Examines real world examples throughout this course, leveraging the theory and practical applications of leadership. Course was offered Spring 2018, Spring 2014 | |
| ISSS 3773 | Navigating Cultural Differences within Global Businesses (3) |
| Examines business management and leadership methods when working with cultural issues in today's international businesses. Addresses challenges and opportunities that different cultures create. Explores through classroom activities how to meet the challenges that may occur and addresses examples of diversity in a global setting. Course was offered January 2023, Spring 2022 | |
| ISSS 3810 | The American Presidency (3) |
| This course addresses the constitutional role and historical development of the American Presidency. We will also examine the theoretical explanations of the institution's relationship to democratic government, the separation of powers, and the expansion of national administrative power. This broad understanding of the historical and theoretical presidency will inform our consideration of current events and upcoming presidential elections. Course was offered Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Summer 2020, Spring 2019, Summer 2017, Fall 2016, Summer 2016 | |
| ISSS 3820 | American National Identity (3) |
| Examines the character, origins, and evolution of American national identity. Positions the discussion in a wider theoretical landscape, designed to understand the nature of nations and nationalism. Explores the ways in which concepts of America and American have evolved over time, across space, and within social, cultural, and political contexts. | |
| ISSS 3830 | Critical Issues in American Foreign Policy (3) |
| Examines the critical foreign policy challenges facing the United States in the 21st century. Explores the principal challenges and opportunities for American policymakers, such as: the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, environmental issues, and human rights and democratization. Course was offered Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Fall 2015, Fall 2014, Fall 2012 | |
| ISSS 3840 | The Ethical & Philosophical Primate: Evolution, Ethics and Human Altruism (3) |
| Examines evolutionary explanations for the origins of morality, philosophy and religion, and their ramifications for ethics and culture. Recognizes the views of Darwinism, Social Darwinism, and Natural Selection and identifies the cultural and ethical implications of living with each view in today's world. Course was offered Spring 2010 | |
| ISSS 3850 | Media and Politics (3) |
| This course will examine the role of mass media in the political process focusing on the presidency and includes such topics as print and broadcast news, social media and election campaigns, political advertising, fundraising, and media effects on public opinion and political participation. Course was offered Summer 2023, Spring 2021, Spring 2017, Fall 2015, Summer 2014, Spring 2014, Summer 2013 | |
| ISSS 3851 | Screening Terrorism (3) |
| Examines cimematic and televisual representations of terrorism. Promotes critical awareness of the ways in which terrorism is depicted on screen and explores the complex ways in which real acts of terror involve performance and theatrics. | |
| ISSS 3852 | Innovation in Reluctant Organizations: Profiling in the FBI (3) |
| Examines paradigm innovation (when an organization upends basic assumptions about core organizational purposes) with particular emphasis on the ways policing has been resistant to innovation. Focuses on the introduction of psychological profiling as a tool to capture a new class of antisocial criminals. Centers discussion on Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions to understand the success of profiling as an illuminating example. Course was offered January 2020 | |
| ISSS 3860 | Faith, Reason, and Science (3) |
| Explores the relationship between religious faith, forms of reasoning and scientific explanation. Utilizes the arguments of philosophers, theologians, scientists, and sociologists to examine the nature of religious faith, religious faith as a rational, irrational, or non-rational belief, reasoning's impact on faith, and the compatibility of scientific and religious perspectives. | |
| ISSS 3870 | Eportfolios in Undergraduate Education (3) |
| Engages students in inventorying their interdisciplinary and extracurricular experiences, and assembling a digital narrative and collection of artifacts (eportfolio). Presents foundational learning experience for students to develop writing, graphic composition, integrative, and self-reflective and -authorship skills. Guides students in developing autonomy and agency, as they produce digital representations of themselves and their achievements. | |
| ISSS 3887 | Educational Technology in the Information Age (3) |
| Focuses on ongoing societal debates over educational technology while exploring local technology resources available at UVa and on the Web in general. Explores web-based tools, information websites, and interactive databases that support communication, research, and design skills, as well as creativity and knowledge presentation in online environments. | |
| ISSS 3888 | Survey of History and Philosophy of Technology (3) |
| Explores ways in which the history and philosophy of technology can inform today's liberal arts students about the role of technology in our society. Covers current and historical topics as well as explores and develops a personal philosophic approach to the application of technology. Course was offered Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Summer 2019, Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Summer 2012, Spring 2012 | |
| ISSS 3890 | Technology Integration Through the Lens of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (3) |
| Focuses on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, particularly with students' experience with technology integration. Explores contemporary issues of DEI (including access, cultural perspectives, and racial inequality) that affect all levels of learning and areas where learning takes place (business, STEM, etc). Takes a critical look at the history of emerging technologies, and how access and integration have changed for underserved groups. Course was offered Spring 2023 | |
| ISSS 4000 | The Experience of the Great War: Life and Literature (3) |
| Drawing on histories and literature, including autobiographies, poetry, and novels, this course focuses on the experiences and mentalities of those who fought in World War I, as well as those who remained on the home front. The realities and myths of the Great War are explored. An emphasis is placed on British, French, and German writings about the Western Front as well as some consideration of the fighting on the Eastern Front and in Turkey. | |
| ISSS 4005 | Irregular Warfare: Terrorists, Insurgents, and Transnational Criminals (3) |
| Analyzes how non-state actors such as terrorists, insurgents, and transnational criminals conduct irregular warfare to subvert or overthrow the State and control populations. Examines strategies to stop them by exploring recent and historical case studies, with a special focus on modern conflicts and movements | |
| ISSS 4010 | The Second World War: Experience of Total War (3) |
| Covers military, political, social and economic aspects of history's most devastating conflict. Explores the experiences of military personnel and civilians in Europe and Asia. | |
| ISSS 4020 | Europe After 1945 (3) |
| Europe After 1945 | |
| ISSS 4030 | Media and Children's Development (3) |
| Media and Children's Development | |
| ISSS 4040 | The Rise and Fall of Public Controversies (3) |
| The Rise and Fall of Public Controversies | |
| ISSS 4050 | American Society and War from Vietnam to the War in Iraq (3) |
| Focuses on policymakers and public reaction to the War in Vietnam, the 1st and 2nd Gulf Wars and our ongoing War in Afghanistan. Discusses how student demonstrations against the Vietnam War changed our society leading to new laws. Compares and contrasts the various causes of these wars, how America responded, the role of the military and the media during these wars. Examines the role of the President and Congress in conducting these wars. Course was offered Fall 2021, Spring 2020 | |
| ISSS 4060 | War and World Politics (3) |
| Offered Spring 2025 | Explores the causes of war, evolution and advances in military strategy, historical case studies, and contemporary issues of nuclear weapons, humanitarian war, and war against terrorism through major scholarly works, primary documents, films, class discussions, papers, and lectures. Course was offered Spring 2019, Summer 2017, Summer 2016, Spring 2015, Fall 2013, Summer 2013, Summer 2012, Summer 2010 |
| ISSS 4061 | Kipling's Raj: The Cutting Criticism of British Ex-Patriot Society (3) |
| Explores the marvelous world depicted in Kipling's Indian Tales from the perspective of the commentary they provide on British Ex-Patriot society. Discusses how Kipling has often been viewed as a critic of Indian society, when in fact he is a critical of the British. Examines the work of Clifford Geerts and other anthropologists to provide a rounded picture of Kipling as an analyst of cultural systems. | |
| ISSS 4062 | Introduction to International Politics (3) |
| Develops methods, examines issues, and discusses the roles of various actors in world politics. Examines the international system and analyzes the crisis of the Westphalian State System. Provides understanding of conflicts, foreign policy, power, security, alliances, deterrence, bargaining, cooperation, globalization, institutions, and law in international politics. Course was offered Summer 2022, Fall 2019 | |
| ISSS 4063 | Hell's Angel: How Hunter Thompson Kept America Honest (3) |
| Examines the work of Hunter Thompson in a study of how 'Gonzo' changed greater American journalism as a whole. Demonstrates how Thompson's role as a public intellectual spread into wider journalism, such as Doonesbury. Portrays Thompson as a premier political critic of each administration who exerted near unparalleled social influence. | |
| ISSS 4064 | Remembering the Future: How Historical Vision has Shaped Modern Politics (3) |
| Analyzes how history has shaped decisions about war, peace, and political order in the modern era. Includes close examination of the French Revolution, the World Wars, the Cuban Missile Crisis and, Vietnam. Combines policy analysis and historical study to understand the past's paradoxical role in designing the modern world. | |
| ISSS 4070 | Principles of Criminal Law (3) |
| Examines basic principles of Anglo-American criminal law. Evaluates ethical and philosophical questions that emerge from legal issues such as the justification of punishment, the nature and extent of criminal liability, strict liability statutes, victimless crimes, the insanity defense, legally mandated hospitalization for mental illness, and capital punishment. Course was offered Spring 2010 | |
| ISSS 4071 | International Law and Organizations (3) |
| Studies the fundamentals of international law. Analyzes relevant concepts, basic definitions, and main traditions of international law that will be fundamental to the more complex ideas of the course. Focuses on the nature and sources of international law, treaties, and international conflicts, as well as international economy, organizations, regimes, and municipal law. Course was offered Spring 2011 | |
| ISSS 4080 | Religion and Politics (3) |
| Religion and Politics | |
| ISSS 4100 | Exploring Theory Through American Culture (3) |
| This course will use the lens of contemporary American culture to explore the work of some major social and cultural theorists of the past two centuries, including Marx, Durkheim, Debord, Foucault, Baudrillard, and the thinkers of the Frankfurt School. Particular areas of focus will include technology and its impact on society and culture, the socio-economic transitions involved in the globalization of contemporary capitalism, and the idea of the 'postmodern.' | |
| ISSS 4130 | Developmental Psychology and Public Policy (3) |
| Developmental Psychology and Public Policy | |
| ISSS 4131 | Community Perspectives in Mental Health Disorder (3) |
| Introduces students to psychological disorders and mental health concerns prevalent in today's society. Examines the symptoms of each disorder and various treatments. Explores the impact of mental health disorders on individuals and communities. Helps students develop an awareness of mental health disorders and provides strategies for assisting others. Course was offered Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2019, Fall 2016, Spring 2015, Fall 2013, Fall 2012, Summer 2011 | |
| ISSS 4132 | Psychological Testing: Measuring Minds and Behavior (3) |
| Explores the history and major forms of psychological testing. Studies the definition and measurement of intelligence. Learn the history of attempts to measure intelligence and other human qualities. Understand behaviors, and current uses of formal assessment measures, and testing ethics. Prior coursework in psychology and/or statistics is helpful but not required for taking this course. Course was offered Summer 2013 | |
| ISSS 4140 | The Self in History and Society (3) |
| Explores the relationship among self-identity, society, and history. Addresses the ways that scholars have explored the relationships between self and society in a philosophical fashion and major historical and theoretical developments that help explain contemporary self-identity. | |
| ISSS 4150 | The Psychology of Freedom, Independence and Conformity (3) |
| This course explores the nature of human freedom and the degree to which the discipline of psychology has addressed this concept. Specifically, students will investigate the empirical evidence for and against the proposition of human freedom through the lens of Solomon E. Asch's classic studies on independence and conformity. Using both published and unpublished accounts, students will engage in a process of discovery to determine the current status of several relevant issues and the implications of such empirical research for the concept of human freedom. | |
| ISSS 4200 | Creative Power: The History of Modern Technology (3) |
| In this course students will investigate the history of technology, especially since the eighteenth century, when humans first learned to harness the sources of power that have set modern times apart from all past ages. The conflict between technology's creative and destructive power will be emphasized. Students will study historical technologies, and also their relations to society, culture and religion. Course was offered Summer 2014, Summer 2011 | |
| ISSS 4210 | Contemporary Issues in Technology (3) |
| Explores significant questions, challenges, and controversies in technology over time. Examines key debates and provides an understanding related to the role of technology in a healthy and prosperous society. | |
| ISSS 4220 | Sociology of the Internet (3) |
| Examines the social aspects and issues of humanity, including what people do in politics, economics, culture, and scientific studies as a consequence of this 'electronic highway.' Increases skills by using the Internet to do sociological research and cross-cultural analysis, and also to explore the emerging field of sociology of cyberspace. | |
| ISSS 4270 | Imagining the City: An Interdisciplinary Approach (3) |
| Explores the idea of the city from an interdisciplinary perspective that begins with Plato's influential rendering of an imaginary city ruled by philosopher-kings and continues through the urban core of modern Charlottesville. Allows students to examine the physical world by sharing ideas, observing, writing, and thinking critically. | |
| ISSS 4271 | Emergence of Cities and States (3) |
| Focuses on the emergence and collapse of complex societies in both the Old (Mesopotamia and Egypt) and New (Valley of Mexico and Maya Lowlands) Worlds. Combines archaeological, textual and ethnographic evidence to understand the establishment of villages at the end of the Ice Age, and the origin of the first cities and their abandonment. | |
| ISSS 4272 | The Collapse of Ancient States and Civilizations (3) |
| Explores the questions of why and how societies collapse and whether or not they can, instead, choose to succeed. Focuses on understanding the development of complex societies and the sociopolitical, economic and ecological processes surrounding their collapse. | |
| ISSS 4273 | Modern France: Republic or Empire? (3) |
| Examines the competition in French politics between between creating an ideal republic and defending national interests starting with the 1789 Revolution which led to Napoleon's rule in Europe, moving on to the Third Republic's renewed drive for empire in Africa and Asia, and closes with postcolonial France's efforts to reconcile the welfare state with the demands of globalization. Course was offered Spring 2013 | |
| ISSS 4280 | U.S. Military History (3) |
| This course will examine the foundation and growth of the United States military establishment and the exercise of and changes in military strategy and policies as shaped by political, social, and economic factors. While focusing on the period "book-ended" by the Civil War and Vietnam, the course goes beyond the study of the usual generals, government leaders, and battles and discusses subjects like technology, professionalism, administration, and military policy. | |
| ISSS 4281 | The US Navy in Social and Global Contexts 1776-2000 (3) |
| Examines the development of the American Navy, its strategies, vessels, institutions and bureaucracies, and their political contexts and social dimensions, such as those of gender and race. Considers technological aspects such as weapons and communications systems, manufacturing, and construction that remade the experience and development of ships and social arrangements on land and at sea. Course was offered Fall 2011 | |
| ISSS 4285 | US Strategic Intelligence (3) |
| Explores the current structure, function, capabilities, and contributions of individual US national intelligence organizations. Examines the intelligence cycle including planning, collection, exploitation, analysis, production, and dissemination phases, as well as intelligence oversight/restrictions. | |
| ISSS 4290 | An Alternative History of Early America (3) |
| Examine America's colonial period (to the eve of the American Revolution) as that of a foreign country. Investigates the people, cultures, institutions, and events of the period on their own terms rather than through the lens of modern America. Uncovers the origins of many later American issues and debates;freedom and slavery; warfare; religion and revival; sectionalism; race; class; and commercialism. Course was offered Summer 2023, Summer 2021, Fall 2018, Summer 2016, Spring 2014, Fall 2012, Fall 2009 | |
| ISSS 4291 | Virginia Elections: 1619-2009 (3) |
| Explores elections in Virginia from 1619 to 2009. Examines the electoral and political history of Virginia, as well as stereotypes associated with voting. Analyzes key aspects of many elections so that one can determine whether present-day electoral conditions are significantly different than past electoral conditions. Course was offered Spring 2010 | |
| ISSS 4292 | Liberalism and Conservatism in Modern America (3) |
| Examines the fundamental clashes between liberals and conservatives, including how this split in perspectives developed our modern culture. Focuses on a tolerant, open-minded, and balanced investigation that seeks a broader understanding and appreciation of these diverse perspectives. Course was offered Spring 2022, Spring 2018 | |
| ISSS 4300 | America in the 1960's: A Decade of Turbulence (3) |
| Examines the issues of ideology, race, gender, faith, war, the youth movement, as well as the politics of the Great Society social programs and voting rights. Explores music, the draft, and the counter culture, including a new conservatism also present amidst the violence at home and abroad. Course was offered Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Spring 2021, Summer 2018, Fall 2015, Fall 2014, Fall 2013, Fall 2011, Fall 2009 | |
| ISSS 4301 | History of Social Protest Movements Through Music (3) |
| Examines the history of American protest movements by looking at music from the 1900s to 2000. Analyzes readings and analyzes music from that period. Explores movements such as the populist movement, labor movements, anti-war protests, the civil rights movement, the women's movement, peace movements, and environmental movements. Course was offered Summer 2024 | |
| ISSS 4310 | History of Love, Marriage and Other Western Delusions (3) |
| Examines the relationship between romantic love, both heterosexual and non-heterosexual, as well as other forms of love; family, country, and God. Explores the understanding of love in our popular culture and involves the close study of philosophical, religious, literary, and historical texts together with a careful viewing of several films. | |
| ISSS 4311 | History of Art Controversies in the United States (3) |
| Explores the most significant art controversies in the history of the United States and places them in their appropriate cultural and historical contexts. | |
| ISSS 4313 | Varying Contexts of Love and Relationships (3) |
| Utilizes philosophical, religious, literary, and historical texts to examines the relationship between romantic love, both heterosexual and non-heterosexual, and the love of family, country, and God. | |
| ISSS 4314 | The World of Theodore Roosevelt (3) |
| Explores Theodore Roosevelt's life. Investigates key political, economic, social, and cultural developments of the late 19th and early 20th centuries that Roosevelt experienced and, in some cases, influenced. | |
| ISSS 4315 | The World of Jane Austen: Exploring the Novels in Historical Context (3) |
| Analyzes the major works of Jane Austen. Explores the social, cultural, economic, and political themes of the novels in their original contexts through a combination of class discussion and written assignments. Considers the resurgence in popularity of Austen's works in recent years, especially film and television portrayals of her novels. | |
| ISSS 4320 | Colonial America (3) |
| Offered Spring 2025 | Examines America's colonial period to the eve of the American Revolution. Investigates people, cultures, institutions, and events of the period. Explores later American issues and debates, such as freedom and slavery, warfare, religion and revival, race, class, and how they influenced commercialism. |
| ISSS 4330 | Readings in History of Women in America (3) |
| Explores the changing roles and often negelected contributions of women in America as "founding mothers," participants in the workforce, and leaders in civil and political life. Discusses the diversity of women's experiences, including those of Native-American and African-American women. Course was offered Spring 2014, Spring 2011 | |
| ISSS 4351 | Seminar in Medieval Studies (3) |
| Examines the political history, economic structures and conditions, religion, philosophy, literature, art, and music of the Medieval period. Course was offered Spring 2010 | |
| ISSS 4361 | Historiography (3) |
| Investigates a variety of approaches to the historical discipline, focusing on schools of thought, methodological approaches, and analytical perspectives. Provides a sweeping overview of historians' conceptual tools and methods, while also supplying a sense of the way the field has changed over the past two centuries. | |
| ISSS 4370 | Visual Representations of Space through Time: A History of Maps (3) |
| Surveys a wide variety of maps from different societies and periods of history, considering them as social, philosophical and political documents as well as technical achievements in the representation of space. Course was offered Spring 2011 | |
| ISSS 4400 | Quantitative Analysis and Methods for Problem Solving (3) |
| This course is designed to teach students the basic concepts of quantitative research methods and data analysis in research crossing a broad range of types within the social sciences. By the end of this term, students should be able to) apply the principles of quantitative analysis in their own research and in evaluating the research of others, b) perform and interpret inferential statistical analyses using SPSS, and c) communicate research findings to a broad audience. | |
| ISSS 4410 | Qualitative Inquiry and Methodology (3) |
| This field-based course guides the students through the complete qualitative process and teaches them to understand and apply methods of qualitative research through a field-based project; to call into question taken-for-granted assumptions about the purpose of research, uses of methods, nature of social science knowledge and personal biases in the understanding of social processes; to develop an ability to examine social situations from multiple perspectives through classroom discussions of research experiences; and to develop a personal philosophy of inquiry and successfully apply knowledge of various methods of qualitative data collection, data analysis, and report presentation to complete a field-based qualitative research project. | |
| ISSS 4420 | Speaking with Numbers: The Effective Use of Statistics (3) |
| Provides a basis for evaluating the claims of others while also choosing the best analysis methods for supporting ideas. Examines how quantitative analysis can inform decisions, how to select the appropriate tools for the situation, how to interpret the results, and how to effectively communicate the results. | |
| ISSS 4421 | Consumer Demand and Behavior (3) |
| Examines the microeconomic foundations of consumer demand analysis. Examines the psychological factors influencing consumer's purchase decisions. Reviews methods for forecasting, measuring, and testing consumer demand. | |
| ISSS 4429 | Competing Economic Theories (3) |
| Examines competing schools of thought through seminal works by economic writers such as Smith, Marx, Ricardo, and Keynes. Compares and contrasts competing theories' systems, institutions, and performance based on their goals and objectives. Considers the fundamental social and political issues central to economic thought. | |
| ISSS 4430 | Topics in Developmental Psychology (3) |
| Analyzes major theoretical approaches to understanding the development of perception, cognition, language, personality, and social interaction. Challenges students to critically analyze assumptions and methods that underlie developmental research findings. Provides opportunities for students to conduct independent research on course-related topics. | |
| ISSS 4431 | Topics in Cognitive Psychology (3) |
| Examines the theoretical bases for the study of thinking, consciousness, and the mind, with a focus on current research findings. Topics include learning and memory, language, reasoning, decision-making and cognitive neuropsychology. Challenges students to design a small-scale experiment and connect their findings to applications in professional, personal, or education contexts. | |
| ISSS 4432 | Theories of Interpersonal Communication (3) |
| Examines latest research findings in interpersonal communication theories, with a focus on listening, verbal and non-verbal expression, interpersonal conflict, intimate relationships, and workplace communication. Engages students in independent research to apply theoretical constructs to a range of scenarios encountered in professional, social, and relationship settings. | |
| ISSS 4440 | An Introduction to Jungian Psychology (3) |
| Contextualizes Jung's ideas by comparing and contrasting them to Freud's, and setting them broadly in the framework of academic psychology as a whole. Analyzes Jung's ideas by describing and discussing the elements of Jung's model of the psyche, the dynamics of Jung's model in the moment, and the dynamics of the model over the life-span of an individual. Course was offered Summer 2014, Spring 2010 | |
| ISSS 4450 | Sociology of the American Family (3) |
| Explores the sociology of the American family, including: family change through American history; poverty and family life; alternative families (including single-by-choice parenting and gay marriage), and the effects of marriage and divorce on the lives of adults and children. | |
| ISSS 4451 | Business, Government and Society (3) |
| Examines the complex interrelationships of business with the external environments that involve political, economical, social, technological factors, and nature to understand the conflicts, resolutions, opportunities and threats that arise from these intersections. | |
| ISSS 4454 | Emotion, Emotional Intelligence, and Meditation (3) |
| Examines the neurological basis of emotion and the content of emotional intelligence which includes social competence in relationships, impulse control, empathy and compassion, resilience, motivation, and optimism. Discusses the underlying neurological mechanisms through which mindfulness meditation exerts its impact on emotion regulation and emotional intelligence. Course was offered Summer 2019, Summer 2018, Fall 2016, Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Fall 2011, Fall 2010 | |
| ISSS 4455 | Social Inequality (3) |
| This course explores systems of social inequality: feudalism, caste and slavery, class, and status groups, primarily in American society, but with reference to Europe and the Indian sub-continent as well. Starting with the fundamental concepts of Karl Marx and Max Weber, students will discuss the theoretical constructs that define systems of inequality, consider some historical examples, and then examine "social stratification" in our own country. Does the United States have a class system? If so, what are its characteristics? Joining the scholarly debate on this issue, students will consider the meaning of equal opportunity and social mobility for achieving the "American dream." The course also explores the empirical consequences of social inequality for every day life: in health and wellness, housing, education, and family structure. Course was offered Spring 2020, Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015, Spring 2013, Fall 2011, Spring 2010 | |
| ISSS 4456 | Russian-American Relations (3) |
| Focuses on the post-1945 period and the evolution of Russian-American relations since the fall of the Soviet Union, through an interdisciplinary lens based on contributions from international relations scholars and practitioners as well as historians, economists, philosophers, and political psychologists in historical and contemporary perspectives. | |
| ISSS 4457 | Post-Soviet Political Challenges: Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict (3) |
| Focuses on the origins of nationalism, separatism, sessesions, and irredentist claims in the Russian Federation and other former Soviet republics. Course was offered Fall 2011, Summer 2011 | |
| ISSS 4458 | The Cold War (3) |
| This course examines both Russian and American foreign policy at several critical points during the conflict. Through major scholarly works, primary documents, films, class discussions, papers, and lectures students will work together to better understand the Cold War and gain a fuller understanding of its political, military, cultural, economic, and ideological impact at home and abroad. The following questions will be explored: 1) How did the Cold War start?; 2) What were some of the important decisions made during the conflict, and why?; 3) Why did the Cold War end the way it did? | |
| ISSS 4459 | The Unknown Europe: Understanding Eastern Europe (3) |
| Explores the rich cultural, political, religious, social, and historical diversity of Eastern Europe. Introduces East European films and short literary works by which students learn to better understand historic experiences and modern life of Russians, Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Croats, Serbs, Bosnians, Hungarians, Romanians, and other East Europeans. | |
| ISSS 4610 | Economics of Climate Change (3) |
| Examines all aspects of global warming, emphasizing appropriate government policies such as carbon taxes, cap and trade systems, and clean technologies to limit future carbon emissions. Provides students with economic background and tools to address the public policy issues related to climate change. Course was offered Fall 2024, Fall 2022, Spring 2021, Spring 2019, Fall 2016, Fall 2013, Spring 2011, Fall 2009 | |
| ISSS 4640 | The Economics of Medical Care (3) |
| Focuses on the trade-off between economic efficiency as reflected by the need to contain medical care costs, and equity considerations of increased access to the health care system. Explores the concepts of: moral hazards, asymmetric information, defensive medicine, allocate efficiency, tax subsidies, and managed care versus fee-for-service. | |
| ISSS 4641 | Advanced Public Speaking (3) |
| Utilizes several active learning activities when considering classical rhetorical elements, audience analysis, speech organization, and strategies for improvement in the structure and delivery of extemporaneous and impromptu speeches. Work with conceptual methods, observe exemplary models of good speech making, explore personal communication apprehension, and hone individual rhetorical style. Course was offered Summer 2012 | |
| ISSS 4651 | Bioethics in Healthcare (3) |
| Introduces the applied ethical subspecialty of bioethics, particularly as related to healthcare and human services. Each day brings advancements in healthcare: multi-organ transplants, "Octo Moms" and expanded viability on both ends of the life continuum. Society applauds these miraculous manipulations of the human essence, yet opposes healthcare agents 'playing God'. Examines the complexity of society's response to bioethical dilemmas. Course was offered Summer 2013 | |
| ISSS 4670 | Organizational Change and Development (3) |
| Explores system theories, organizational structure and design, organizational culture, organizational diagnosis, and several basic frames of reference for understanding change. | |
| ISSS 4710 | The Consultant's Stance: Getting Things Done When You're Not in Charge (3) |
| The Consultant's Stance: Getting Things Done When You're Not in Charge | |
| ISSS 4750 | Intergroup Relations (3) |
| In this course, students develop an understanding of the basic cognitive and motivational processes involved in inter-group relations. They are encouraged to consider the roles of stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination in everyday life. Topics include: variations in racist and sexist beliefs; the effect of stereotypes on how we perceive others and interact socially; and the psychological processes that may change stereotypes and reduce prejudice. | |
| ISSS 4760 | Organizations that Learn (3) |
| This seminar takes an interdisciplinary look at some of the characteristics which enable diverse sorts of organizations to learn, grow, thrive and innovatively adapt to their environment. Readings and discussion topics are drawn from a wide range of areas including psychology, philosophy, evolutionary biology, education, system dynamics, organizational behavior, anthropology, and more. The seminar is project driven and both group-intensive and group-reflexive. | |
| ISSS 4770 | Concepts in Leadership (3) |
| A study of the basic theory, knowledge, and skills of effective leadership in today's world. Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to use the four leadership frames of Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal (Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership, 2003) as the theoretical construct for both defining effective leadership in today's world and developing/refining their own skills as leaders. As such, they will also develop both a theoretical and practical understanding of the role of the leader in effecting and managing change. This course will be conducted as a hybrid of independent study, online learning, and live class interaction. More specifically, the course pedagogies will include lecture presentations, online and in-class discussion, case study projects, and interviews. Course was offered Fall 2013 | |
| ISSS 4790 | Personality Theory (3) |
| The study of personality deals with questions about what personality is and what it does, and what influences (internal and external, biological and learned) help determine our thoughts, emotions and behavior. This course, which focuses on both theory and personality as an empirical field, will provide the student with an introduction to the study of personality in current and historical context. | |
| ISSS 4800 | Shamanism in the New Age (3) |
| Explores how elements of wisdom are carried in the healing, shamanic traditions of the wounded. Explores how we can collectively respond to violence in constructive ways on community and global issues. Course was offered Spring 2014, Summer 2013, Spring 2012, Summer 2011, Spring 2011, Spring 2010, Fall 2009 | |
| ISSS 4810 | Exploring Mahatma Gandhi's Non-Violent Resistance (3) |
| Explores Gandhi's discussion of satyagraha through the actions, writings and speeches of the Nobel Peace Laureates. Delves into research in the emerging anthropology of violence and peace to find out how and why societies turn to peaceful, rather than violent responses to conflict. Explores the dynamics of violence in the world and the belief that violence is inevitable. | |
| ISSS 4811 | New Age, Ancient Roots: The Culture of the New Thought Movement in the U.S. (3) |
| Explores the roots and offshoots of the New Thought Movement in the U.S. from the 17th century into the present. Analyzes the psychic phenomena that catalyzed the formation of the New Age, the founding of Christian Scientism and the Mormon faith, the seeding of American Buddhism, Hinduism, and shamanism, and many progressive changes in U.S. law and policy. | |
| ISSS 4820 | American Political Thought and Institutions (3) |
| This course analyzes America's governing institutions (including the presidency, Congress, the courts, and political parties) through the political thought that informs American constitutionalism. This course, then, is about political ideas as they have appeared and developed in the United States and the manner in which they have influenced and shaped the development of governing institutions. Particular attention will be paid to how these institutions interact, overlap, and intersect. Course was offered Spring 2019 | |
| ISSS 4821 | Key Concepts in Cultural Analysis (3) |
| Examines the' human' not as a fixed and immutable category or essence, but as a result of specific historical conjunctures, differing intellectual frameworks and varying modes of social production and reproduction. Considers the transmission of ideas across cultures and historical periods and the traveling of texts-through the press, translations-as contributing to the production of the 'human'. Course was offered Spring 2012 | |
| ISSS 4831 | Four Women Activists for Sustaining Food, Water and Biodiversity in India (3) |
| Examines the ethical values and interpretations of political engagement of three Indian and one American female activist (Vandana Shiva, Arundhati Roy, Medha Patkar, and Martha Nussbaum). | |
| ISSS 4850 | Great Books in Globalization (3) |
| This course addresses major topics dealing with the phenomenon known as 'globalization' - the ever spreading reduction of barriers to the exchange of goods services, and ideas across national borders. The method of exploration will involve reading a combination of classical and contemporary works (some books, some articles) from leaders and thinkers grappling with globalization, and its various ripple effects and challenges. Revolving around core themes of responsibility and community, democracy and culture, and prosperity and poverty in the age of globalization, readings will include works from Plato, Thucydides, Milton Friedman, Peter Singer, Thomas Friedman, Moises Naim, Robert Kaplan, Bernard Lewis, Aung San Suu Kyi, Salman Rushdie, and Amartya Sen. Course was offered Spring 2014, Fall 2011 | |
| ISSS 4993 | Independent Study (1 - 3) |
| Independent Study for students working on Capstone Proposals and Proseminar work. Course was offered Fall 2010 | |