Liberal Studies Human Values (Undergraduate) (BLHV)
BLHV 1000 BioTech and Global Health 3 Credits
Following abuses such as World War II Nazi medical experiments on prisoners, and four decades of not treating men of color for syphilis at Tuskegee (1932-1972), in the early 1970’s, a government commission established guidelines for human subject research (Belmont, 1974-1979). This “bedside model” emphasizing autonomous (self-directed) patient consent became a quest for public agreement about procedures of sound clinical decision-making in the face of discrete uses or withholding/withdrawals of technology. These helped decisions about organ donation and neonatal intensive care (exploring rules such as justice, benefice and nonmalficence or “do no harm”). This pursuit energized a new discipline of “Bioethics” for nearly half a century, pioneered by distinguished colleagues at Georgetown University’s Kennedy Center of Bioethics. Such guidelines are now being enhanced by bigger social issues in biotechnology and global health such as the role of social and environmental contexts in enhancing the negative effects of disease interactions (“syndemics” such as diabetes-depression and poverty). These are now under investigation by nationally renowned Georgetown scholars in Global Health (colleague Prof. Mendenhall). In addition, this course explores benefits in patient care and public health that come from information engineering applied to the field of health care (health informatics) that have helped promote a century of improvements in sanitation and wellness (e.g. reproductive, maternal and children’s health) and technological gains in diagnosis and treatment of diseases; sanitation halted typhoid, cholera, and dysentery. Vaccinations stopped smallpox and polio. Prevention and intervention have helped with diabetes, cancers, heart disease, neurogenerative diseases such as depression, HIV/AIDS and Opioid ependencies. Such knowledge reduces premature mortality (years of life lost), disability (YLD), summarized as disability adjusted life years (DALY, According to the World Health Organization, WHO).
This course surveys these issues and enables understanding intersections among “Biotechnology” and “Global Health”. Related resources for our course include materials from GU’s School of Nursing, Medical School and Science, Technology, and International Affairs (STIA) Program in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service.
This course surveys these issues and enables understanding intersections among “Biotechnology” and “Global Health”. Related resources for our course include materials from GU’s School of Nursing, Medical School and Science, Technology, and International Affairs (STIA) Program in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1001 Phil of Gender, Love, Sex 3 Credits
The poet and short story writer Raymond Carver once wrote: “It ought to make us feel ashamed when we talk like we know what we’re talking about when we talk about love.” This may seem like an odd admonition. After all, it is often said that love is one of the things that make life worthwhile. How can we really fail to understand something most of us assume to be so important and to which we devote so much time and effort? But a little reflection suggests that love is perplexing. Sexuality is a battleground in our culture. It is often seen as the terrain where love can become perverse or unethical. Do celibates sacrifice something important? Can one love multiple romantic partners simultaneously? Is it wrong to? Should marriage be restricted to opposite-sex couples? Should it be restricted to couples at all, rather than extended to groups of three or more people? In this course, we will explore such questions in order to clarify and deepen our engagement with contemporary problems surrounding love and sexuality. Some authors whose work we will examine include Thomas Aquinas, Judith Butler, Irving Singer, Martha Nussbaum and Audre Lorde. The goal of the course is to help us become more thoughtful about the problems and possibilities of love and sexuality in our lives and our society.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1002 The Human Condition 3 Credits
What makes us human? How much of this is a part of our “nature” (e.g., biological hardware, chemistry, and physiological changes) and how much of it is due to how we are nurtured (our socialization, cultures, and social interactions)? This course explores some of the most central aspects of
the human condition and asks, “What makes us tick?” The class explores competing paradigms derived from a combination of studies and research from biology, medicine, psychology, sociology, economics, anthropology, archaeology, and historical observation. The structure of the course is inspired by the concept of a “hierarchy of needs”—beginning with essential “lower order” aspects of the human condition moving up toward the problems and issues that are more often the focus of life once the essentials of life have been obtained. The course challenges the notion that 21st century human beings are all that different from those that existed in 100, 1,000, or even 10,000 years ago. It also seeks to understand how human behavior can vary so much across cultures now. Reading material for the course also includes a combination of original source excerpts from the world’s religious and legal texts, and philosophers and scientists such as John Locke, René Descartes, B.F. Skinner, John Watson, Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, Charles Darwin, Adam Smith, Sun Tzu, Niccolò Machiavelli, Edward O. Wilson. Lecture and the course readings are supplemented with suggested journal articles including current research as well as multimedia excerpts on each week’s topics.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA-O, BALS_LISA-O, NDUG-LISA-O or NDUG_LISA-O programs.
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1003 Religion and the Word 3 Credits
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1004 Ancient Mediter: Culturl Intra 3 Credits
This course will look at the ancient Mediterranean from the angle of literature that focuses on the interaction of various communities (including Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, and Persians) in that region. The course will provide a historical framework, but the primary goal of the course is to develop a nuanced way of analyzing and thinking about ways in which communities define the “other” and use other groups as a way to define themselves. Though the content of the class focuses on the ancient world, the methods and content of analysis will contribute to a deeper understanding of the modern world.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1005 Fndmntl Concepts of Modern Sci 3 Credits
This course will help students grasp fundamental scientific concepts developed over more than eight hundred years; these concepts are essential in the understanding of our contemporary world. The students will also have an opportunity to understand how and when the so-called “conflict between science and religion” originated and its evolution through the Galileo conflict until present. Through classroom lectures and discussions, reading assignments, student presentations and issues debates, we will address the complex evolution of arguments at every step of discoveries of scientific concepts about our world and Church’s interpretation of them and in the process we will review and gain appreciation of one of the most exciting intellectual endeavors ever.
This extraordinary display of substantive and original ideas which this debate generated for centuries continues today and allows us to enrich the understanding of our present universe from the smallest subatomic particle to the Big Bang expansion of the cosmos and challenges us to make our own judgment about the meaning of it all.
This extraordinary display of substantive and original ideas which this debate generated for centuries continues today and allows us to enrich the understanding of our present universe from the smallest subatomic particle to the Big Bang expansion of the cosmos and challenges us to make our own judgment about the meaning of it all.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1006 Math as Philosophy 3 Credits
Here is a stunning fact: the world can be understood mathematically. This fact underlies our success in science, computers, and even our private every-day reasoning processes. But how is this so? Why is mathematical thinking so astonishingly useful to help us understand the world around us? In this course, we examine the conceptual foundations of mathematics. No prior mathematical knowledge is required for this course. This is not a course about doing calculations. It is about abstract structures, and how we use such structure in our thinking. Throughout the course, we will ask the following questions. How do we organize things into collections, and networks? Does "+" (adding) mean what you think it means? Are there numbers that can't be enumerated (even by God), and if so, how do we even know about such spooky numbers? How do computers work, and how could it possibly all boil down to just ones and zeros? Are there math problems that can't be solved (even with an infinitely powerful computer)? And how do we even know how to figure out the answer to that? Finally, how do computer simulated neural networks "learn," and how much is it like human learning?
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA-O, BALS_LISA-O, NDUG-LISA-O or NDUG_LISA-O programs.
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1007 Social Psych of Econ Behavior 3 Credits
Economics has developed as a highly deductive social science. It begins with rather rigid assumptions about how human beings should behave to be “rational.” These were developed in the late-18th Century. Yet, inductive approaches, such as psychology and sociology understand human behavior with much a more inductive lens. How do people actually act economically and socially in feudal, capitalist, socialist, or communist economic systems? How do they react to the “rules of the game” and what are the consequences? This course examines and compares the economic systems humans have used historically to define the social psychology of economic behavior. It also addresses the future of economic systems given new technologies like automation and artificial intelligence and the rapid expansion of globalization and online commerce.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1008 Ethics of COVID-19 3 Credits
In this course the classical ethics virtues of wisdom, justice, courage, temperance, and piety will be applied to the vital ethical and health issues we (Georgetown, the United States, and the entire world) are grappling with as we cope with COVID-19. Professor Lewis looks at how government approaches health and policy issues and Professor Buckley gives the academic background and critical analysis of current and emerging COVID issues.
A signature piece of a Jesuit education is the study of ethics. Ethical issues have been debated and discussed throughout history and many of the issues which confronted society in classical times are still with us today. As society grows more complex, ethical issues also grow more complex. In this course, students are introduced to the classical issues in ethics and are required to read, write, and discuss critically the following major ethical theories: 1) virtue ethics, 2) stoicism, 3) religious ethics, 4) the social contract, 5) natural rights, 6) duty ethics, and 7) utilitarianism. We will also study modern and contemporary interpretations of these traditional theories. Finally, the traditional theories are applied to critical ethical issues confronting society today in COVID. Applied ethics topics include social justice, bioethics, national security, and the politics of COVID.
A signature piece of a Jesuit education is the study of ethics. Ethical issues have been debated and discussed throughout history and many of the issues which confronted society in classical times are still with us today. As society grows more complex, ethical issues also grow more complex. In this course, students are introduced to the classical issues in ethics and are required to read, write, and discuss critically the following major ethical theories: 1) virtue ethics, 2) stoicism, 3) religious ethics, 4) the social contract, 5) natural rights, 6) duty ethics, and 7) utilitarianism. We will also study modern and contemporary interpretations of these traditional theories. Finally, the traditional theories are applied to critical ethical issues confronting society today in COVID. Applied ethics topics include social justice, bioethics, national security, and the politics of COVID.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1009 Female Rulers - Antiq to Today 3 Credits
Female rulers have existed since antiquity, and many have left lasting legacies that have been kept alive through iconic television series and films. While at times they may have done little to advance female rights, they nevertheless pushed the boundaries of what was socially acceptable for women at their time, all while navigating complex power dynamics, obstacles, and salacious scandals. In this course, we will explore what female leadership looks like, what challenges these rulers faced, and how they navigated a social, political, and military landscape dominated by men. We will analyze why we remain fascinated by their reigns today, and how their legacies still impact our modern world.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1010 The Moral Craft of Life 3 Credits
Humans have made and created things for their subsistence, their use, their enjoyment, and their fulfillment for millennia. We build the things we need for life and we also create meaning and express value in and through that making and creating. How we think about our skills and creative capacities, and how we cultivate them and to what ends we deploy them, are primary ways in which we consider and shape how we ought to live. Human creativity is, fundamentally, a moral activity, involving choice, expression of earthly (and divine) goods, and pursues what we hold dear as our ultimate concerns.
This course explores philosophical and theological visions of craft, labor, and creativity, and their connections to moral and political life, as a way to think about how our laboring, crafting, and creating is a fundamental part of what constitutes the good life.
This course explores philosophical and theological visions of craft, labor, and creativity, and their connections to moral and political life, as a way to think about how our laboring, crafting, and creating is a fundamental part of what constitutes the good life.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1011 Let Them Eat Culture 3 Credits
Oddly this class is not really about food directly. Yet, it is about how human culture, politics, and well-being have been dramatically affected by our food—how we grow it, sell it, distribute it, and eat it. Homo sapiens have existed for 250,000 years, yet civilization (and written history) emerges only 10,000 years ago. Why? For 240,000 years human beings existed as hunter gatherers chasing their food. It wasn’t until they made a transition to agriculture and domestication of animals for food that they created permanent settlements leading to a division of labor and written language. Throughout history what we eat and how we produce and distribute it has been central to trade, warfare, and the development of social class. Food has spurred political revolutions and has transformed our biological existence—in some cases for the worst and in others for the better. In the 21st century it is easy to take food for granted. Yet we spend 10 percent of each day, on average, consuming food and drink (…even more time earning enough to buy it). We’ve become disconnected from food production in this is the age of the Happy Meal, reheating rather than cooking, and celebrity chefs on multiple TV networks. We’ve forgotten how much time and energy it once took to produce and prepare food. We’ve lost our knowledge of even what is in our food. In this class you will learn about the food we consume now and what we ate in the past and the very real and important consequences of these choices.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1012 Communication and Media Ethics 3 Credits
Ethical standards for valuable communications are needed more than ever. Internet ethics is for everyone, as we have become information generators and broadcasters too. Disinformation, propaganda, and ideology are disseminated by the people more effectively than any government. How can the value of free speech be preserved in our “post truth” world, without resorting to censorship? The media ethics of journalism upholds high standards of accuracy and honesty despite social and political pressures. Fake news and faked images are proliferating, requiring digital media ethics. A new global media ethics brings spotlights upon the causes of freedom, security, and justice for all peoples.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1013 Church and Science 3 Credits
The overwhelming majority of people today appreciate science and what it brought to mankind from both practical and intellectual points of view. The almost endless stream of amazing scientific discoveries during the last few centuries created the perception of an ongoing upward progression of scientific knowledge since the beginning of historical times. However, the science (as we know it today) is a recent development with historians pointing to the seventeenth century Scientific Revolution in Western Europe as the starting point. This raises a number of interesting questions: why did it happen at that time and place? What factors contributed to it? It turns out that theological and natural philosophy developments within the Catholic Church since the thirteen-century had a significant contribution. This course explores the history of sciences and the relationship with Church theology from the High Middle Ages through modern times. We will review historical developments, which are disproving the myth that Middle Ages were a period of stagnation and lack of scientific progress; quite the contrary it was a time of significant advances including the birth of the scientific methodology, which paved the way for the “Scientific Revolution” of the seventeenth century. Beginning with philosophical foundations and the development of new institutions like the universities and the scientific societies, we move on to study methods in practice across the different fields of mechanical philosophy, and the physical sciences. Students will be introduced first to the works of bishop Grossetese, Roger Bacon and Albertus Magnus who early on were the first ones to develop the basis of the scientific method, emphasizing experimental methods and the role of mathematics in natural philosophy thus starting the intellectual process which eventually lead to the remarkable achievements of Galileo Galilei, Kepler and Isaac Newton. Later on, in the successful march of science, we will analyse how key discoveries/developments of Albert Einstein (relativity theory and cosmology), Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg (Quantum Mechanics) will bring to question the limits of understanding, and how changing views of nature have delivered new perspectives on the relationship with church teachings and on what it means to be human.
This course will help students grasp fundamental scientific concepts developed over more than eight hundred years; these concepts are essential in the understanding of our contemporary world. The students will also have an opportunity to understand how and when the so-called “conflict between science and religion” originated and its evolution through the Galileo conflict until present times. We will address the complex evolution of arguments at every step of discoveries of scientific concepts about our world and Church’s interpretation of them and in the process we will review and gain appreciation of one of the most exciting intellectual endeavors ever.
This extraordinary display of substantive and original ideas which this debate generated for centuries continues today and allows us to enrich the understanding of our present universe from the smallest subatomic particle to the Big Bang expansion of the cosmos and challenges us to make our own judgment about the meaning of it all.
This course will help students grasp fundamental scientific concepts developed over more than eight hundred years; these concepts are essential in the understanding of our contemporary world. The students will also have an opportunity to understand how and when the so-called “conflict between science and religion” originated and its evolution through the Galileo conflict until present times. We will address the complex evolution of arguments at every step of discoveries of scientific concepts about our world and Church’s interpretation of them and in the process we will review and gain appreciation of one of the most exciting intellectual endeavors ever.
This extraordinary display of substantive and original ideas which this debate generated for centuries continues today and allows us to enrich the understanding of our present universe from the smallest subatomic particle to the Big Bang expansion of the cosmos and challenges us to make our own judgment about the meaning of it all.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1014 Int'l Terrorsm/Transntnl Crime 3 Credits
What is a hybrid? It is a course that is done partially online and partially in the face to face environment. In fact it is the best of both worlds. You can meet and greet your professor and classmates in person and also have the luxury of working on line and really get to do some in-depth research on a topic or discussion question. This means that every other weekly session will be held online and be discussed in the online discussion boards. During these weeks we will not meet in our regularly scheduled campus classroom. Instead, students will research a discussion topic and present it in the following week’s face to face session. The first class is face to face and the second class is online. We come back to the third class prepared to discuss the assigned discussion topics. We will follow this f2f/online formula until the end of the semester. The last face to face session will be the in-class final examination. The final will be a comprehensive exam and will be based on the required readings. If students have kept up with the weekly reading, they should not have any problem with the final. During on-line session weeks, students are expected to fully participate in the discussion boards and complete any required course research necessary and bring their answers with them to the following week f2f session. The advantage to a hybrid course is that students only have to be on campus in person for half the time as other traditional f2f courses, thus giving you more time for individual online research.
This course is designed to broaden individual understanding of the ever changing nature of international terrorism and transnational crime and its consequences on American society at large. Further, the course will also cover the present-day U.S. domestic and external responses to terrorism and crime and focus on the rise of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. We will begin by studying the definition and nature of terrorism, the U.S. national security policy response to this phenomenon, and the development of programs and policies by the federal government to prevent or thwart terrorist attacks in the future. We will focus on the rise of modern day terrorism and briefly cover terrorism in all its forms (political, ethno-nationalist, and religious). Finally, we will focus on trends in modern terrorism, especially the illegal proliferation of WMD and what the U.S. can do (or is doing) to counter such trends. This course will emphasize student understanding of the evolving issue of terrorism and make some projections as to its future direction and what the world can and must do about it. We will also investigate the modern phenomenon of transnational crime from identity theft and cigarette smuggling to human trafficking. We will invite in key law enforcement officials to speak to the class as guest lecturers during scheduled f2f sessions.
This course is designed to broaden individual understanding of the ever changing nature of international terrorism and transnational crime and its consequences on American society at large. Further, the course will also cover the present-day U.S. domestic and external responses to terrorism and crime and focus on the rise of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. We will begin by studying the definition and nature of terrorism, the U.S. national security policy response to this phenomenon, and the development of programs and policies by the federal government to prevent or thwart terrorist attacks in the future. We will focus on the rise of modern day terrorism and briefly cover terrorism in all its forms (political, ethno-nationalist, and religious). Finally, we will focus on trends in modern terrorism, especially the illegal proliferation of WMD and what the U.S. can do (or is doing) to counter such trends. This course will emphasize student understanding of the evolving issue of terrorism and make some projections as to its future direction and what the world can and must do about it. We will also investigate the modern phenomenon of transnational crime from identity theft and cigarette smuggling to human trafficking. We will invite in key law enforcement officials to speak to the class as guest lecturers during scheduled f2f sessions.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1015 Basic Logic/Crit Thinking 3 Credits
This course is about critical thinking. We will understand \critical thinking" as the activity of analyzing whether arguments are valid. An argument proposes that one or more statements follow from (or is a conclusion of) one or more other statements (premises or evidence statements). Do the alleged conclusions really follow from the premises or evidence? Why or why not? To answer these questions, we will learn rst order logic, and use that as our basic tool for analysis. In particular, we will learn how to formulate statements precisely so there is no ambiguity, we will learn how to build models of the situations we want to talk about, and we will learn a variety of proof systems that give us a fairly systematic way of deciding if arguments are valid.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1016 Introduction to Islam 3 Credits
This course offers an overview of one of the world’s largest and most profound religious traditions. The content includes the background, origins, and history and evolution of the Islamic Faith. The focus will include the scriptures of Islam, its doctrines and teachings, rituals, and varieties and structures as they developed from Muhammad’s time down to the ways this faith is practiced today in Islamic nations, and in other countries as well. Careful attention is given to readings from the Qur’an and the Hadith, as well as to controversies and misconceptions regarding Jihad, Shari’a, women and family, and relations with other faiths. No prior knowledge of Islam is presumed.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1017 Politics of Terrorism 3 Credits
How do bullets and ballots affect each other? This course explores the reality and interpretations of terrorism(s), Torture, Drones, and Humanitarian Interventions focusing on their role(s) in the forthcoming American national election by means of readings, lectures, media, research and focused discussions. Close examination of the political lessons learned from actual cases, yields different (and sometimes rival) interpretive frameworks. Weekly classroom practice in learning and applying these interpretive skills to our unfolding national elections enables students to gain new insights into the politics of terrorism, here and elsewhere.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1018 History of Medicine 3 Credits
A survey of the development of medical knowledge and practice from ancient time down through modern times. Special attention is given to understanding these developments and advances in the context of the cultures and the historical and societal circumstances in which they occurred. This course requires no previous knowledge of medicine.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1019 Exploration: Hist and Future 3 Credits
This course uses an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating the sciences and the humanities, to explore the history and future of human exploration and discovery. It begins with the most distant story we can tell of early Homo sapiens venturing out of Africa some 60,000 years ago and ends with our reach into space—speculating on the future of human discovery. What are the catalysts for human beings to leave one place for another into the unknown? Often this has come as a response to climate changes, disasters, disease, and/or changes in food sources. In other cases the movement is caused by human conflict, seeking out new wealth and trade, or the development of a new technology that reduces the risks of travel. On some occasions the impetus has been simple human curiosity. In most cases these movements have had lasting effects on human politics and culture. This course takes a global approach—in some cases literally out of this world—to study the causes and effects of these human journeys. It also looks to the future to all that has not yet been explored to answer where we might go next and what impacts this may have. Texts include scientific studies, historical narratives, and primary source documents.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1020 China's Rise to Global Power 3 Credits
Will the 21st century be China’s century? Are we headed for a Chinese-led global order? Conflicting opinions abound on what the future holds for China, but key elements of the present picture are not in doubt: one, China is the leading economy in Asia, the world’s most dynamic region, accounting for about 60% of global growth; two, China is following a clear strategy to promote innovative technologies at home and extend its business, trade, and investment interests abroad both regionally and globally; and, three, understanding China with its unique development path, rapid transformation, and expanding presence worldwide is essential for all Americans, particularly next-generation job seekers in a range of fields from cybersecurity to law, business, IT services and emerging technologies such as AI and robotics. “China’s Rise” helps explain China beyond the headlines: how its economy grew so big so fast, what is distinctive about its policies, practices, and institutions today, and whether China can sustain economic momentum in the face of increased pressure from the United States in the years ahead.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1021 A Post-Truth World 3 Credits
Manufactured skepticism towards academic knowledge and professional expertise allows spin, propaganda, and disinformation to disseminate widely, promoting a cacophony of ideological agendas. There is nothing new about this situation; since the mid-twentieth century, there have been warnings about “The Death of the Academy”; “The Disappearance of the Public Intellectual”; “The Decline of Professionalism”; and so forth. A tide of cynicism and surrender has enveloped public attitudes towards social media, civic institutions, and science, and many are dubious about sustaining a focus on truth. Blame has been placed on the relativism of the radical Left, the anti-objectivism of postmodernism, the dogmatism of conservatism, the degeneration of social media, the politicization of fake news, and the hyper-skepticism towards science. Where is truth still to be found? The further question comes to mind: did “the truth” ever really matter that much? Perhaps we need to adjust to life in our “post truth” world. Several disciplinary areas from the humanities are consulted in this course: history, culture criticism, literature, science studies, communication studies, media ethics, professional ethics, and political philosophy. This course will be writing intensive, requiring types of composition appropriate for a journalistic exposé, an opinionated blog, a policy brief, an analytical essay, and a research paper.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1022 Sci, Nature Human Nature 3 Credits
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1023 AI and Transhumanism 3 Credits
Transhumanism is the belief that technology can allow us to improve, enhance and overcome the limits of our biology. More specifically, transhumanists believe that by merging man and machine via biotechnology, molecular nanotechnologies and artificial super intelligence, one day science will yield humans that have increased cognitive abilities, are physically stronger, emotionally more stable and have indefinite life-spans. This path, they say, will eventually lead to "posthuman" intelligent (augmented) beings far superior to man - a near embodiment of god This course is intended to give students an overview of a number of hot topics at the intersection of technical, scientific, ethical and religious debates in our society. Specifically, by the end of this course, students should be able to understand the major facts about the accelerated development of scientific concepts and technologies:
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1025 State/Rel in Med Ren Worlds 3 Credits
In this course we will critically read and discuss significant documents and texts that reflect the persistent struggle between the church and the developing secular powers in Europe for dominance in political, economic, and cultural affairs, beginning with the rise of Christianity in the Late Roman Empire and extending through the Renaissance and early Reformation (roughly 400 – 1550 c.e.). Our directed readings will focus on the inter-relatedness of climatic and natural forces, of historical events and movements, of new and alternative political philosophies, and of dynamic cultural changes. Throughout attention will be given to how the readings relate to developing attitudes about religious tolerance, intolerance, violence, and persecution, and to changing understandings about the status of women and gender.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1026 Introduction to Public Policy 3 Credits
Public policy-- that is, all the laws, regulations, and guidelines, along with judicial decisions, executive actions, and funding priorities-- shape every aspect of our lives. This introductory course explores this mosaic of rules through the lens of real people trying to make real changes through public policy. Using personally relevant examples, students will analyze how public policy is created, modified, implemented, and evaluated. We will explore 1) the federal and state governments’ overlapping policy responsibilities, 2) the legal system’s checks and balances on the policymaking process, and 3) the role of advocacy, including grassroots activism and nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, in shaping public policy. This course also provides experiential learning of public policy. Students will learn about policymaking in their own communities, observe and analyze policy-making in their own communities and practice creating and communicating evidence-based policy recommendations. Students will also analyze existing advocacy organizations to learn best practices and evaluate real-world strategies for changing public policies. There are no prerequisites for this class; everyone is warmly welcome
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA-O program.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1027 Environment Climate Justice 3 Credits
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Students in the BALS-LISA-O program may not enroll.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1028 Cities on Celluloid 3 Credits
Cinema and cities both offer built environments of seductive experiential richness that allow the human subject to radically change. Additionally, as products of the same industrial transformation, there is a deep historical connection between them. The 21st century has seen the rise of networked megacities, fragmented migratory communities, and global digital mediascapes. In this course, we will learn about the ideas that sutured cities to the cinema, and how the 21st century is dissolving those bonds. This interdisciplinary course will begin with films a century old and run to the present. touching many cities, including Paris, London, New York, Los Angeles, Moscow, Hong Kong, Beijing, Mumbai, Algiers, and Rio.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1029 Intro to Pol Social Justice 3 Credits
Introduction to Politics and Social Justice explores the political, theoretical, and activist approaches to social justice while considering representations and the larger impact of social justice struggles in the United States and around the world. Through an analysis of colonialism, imperialism, globalization, and social privileges, to name a few, students will learn the importance of applying knowledge from a variety of theoretical and political standpoints. The approach to this course will pay particular attention to issues of power, privilege, and “freedom.”
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1030 Sex and Power in Mythology 3 Credits
Focusing primarily on Greco-Roman mythologies, this class explores the metamorphoses, societal transitions, and political upheavals found in mythology, which always depend on shifting relationships between sex and power. We will read Greco-Roman texts in conversation with other mythologies, pop culture, and contemporary discussions of how sex and power shape civilizations.
Note: Contains graphic sexual and violent material, please read syllabus prior to joining course
Note: Contains graphic sexual and violent material, please read syllabus prior to joining course
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Equivalent to BLHV 265
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1031 Calculus: Universal Language 3 Credits
Calculus is one of the greatest of human achievements. It ranks alongside the works of Shakespeare and Michelangelo. Without it, we would have no airplanes or cell phones, no microwaves or ultrasound machines, no GPS or self-driving cars. It underlies the hard sciences, the soft sciences, and much more. Its ability to describe the physical world is unparalleled (Nobel physicist Richard Feynman once remarked that calculus is the language God speaks). But how did we discover (or invent) it? And what are the basic ideas that underlie it? Although it may seem complicated, the calculus is designed to solve a very simple question, known as Zeno's paradox: if a turtle wants to cross the road, it must first traverse half of the distance, then half of the remaining distance, then again half of the remaining distance, and so on. But if that is true, it will never get to the other side, because there will always be half of the remaining distance in front of it. However, we know from experience that turtles do make it across the road. So, how? What exactly is the error in Zeno's thinking? It took almost 2000 years for humanity to figure out how to solve Zeno's question, and to do so, it required that we discover (or invent) the calculus. In this course, we will study the basic ideas of the calculus, and we will learn how humanity figured it all out, starting in ancient Greek times. You do not need any background in mathematics to take this course. This is a course about the history and "why and how" of the calculus, and although we will do various calculations throughout the course in order to understand how it all works, we will introduce everything needed as we go.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1032 Real Analysis 3 Credits
This course explores the "why" and "how" of calculus. This is not a course about calculations (you do not need any background in math to take this course). Rather, this is a course about concepts. The core idea that underlies it all is the idea of a space, full of points bunched together into neighborhoods. What precisely does it mean for one point to be "near" another point? And what if you stretch the space? In this course, we begin by studying the basic spatial properties of an infinitely dense line of points (the so-called "real number line"). Then we generalize what we learn to two, three, and more dimensions. Finally, we leave behind fixed spaces and study much more general (and stretchy) spaces, i.e., spaces of any shape. The ideas about "spaces of points" that we cover in this course form the conceptual bedrock that underlies modern data analysis, statistics, physics, and much more.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1033 Axial Age Philosophy Theo 3 Credits
The “Axial Age” from c.1100 BC to 400 BC witnessed the origins of most of the world’s great religions and philosophies from Europe and the Middle East to India and China. Monotheistic, transcendental, and nature religions arose and competed with idealistic, materialistic, and ethical philosophies. Reading their foundational texts of wisdom about God, creation, human nature, the good life, and the civic order will provide a comparative survey of philosophy and theology.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1034 Democracy and Secularism 3 Credits
Democracy’s global dominance once seemed inevitable and irreversible. Presently we observe democracy’s retreat, “illiberal” democracy, and a “post truth” world. Defining democracy, setting criteria for democratic constitutions and governance, and ranking countries from most to least democratic, are urgent academic agendas. We will explore human rights, civil liberties, social justice, religious freedom, and citizen participation to observe how they work in practice for established and newer democracies. Are religions promoting or eroding democracy today? Secularism in principle offers a third option besides the government controlling religion (tyranny) and a religion controlling government (theocracy). Different types of secular separation between church and state have developed in different socio-cultural contexts. The experiences of France, USA, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, India, and China, along with a selection of additional nations, are represented.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1035 Sex and Society 3 Credits
This course provides an introduction to the vibrant and interdisciplinary field of sexuality studies, and investigates the ways in which sex and sexuality are shaped by society, and the ways in which they are connected to power and inequality in our world. We will begin the course by exploring some key theories and concepts within the field, and situate them alongside the history of LGBTQ activism in the United States and elsewhere. We will then consider how these concepts can be applied to a variety of contemporary issues such as sexual identity and the state, same-sex marriage, representations of sexuality in popular culture and the media, transnational sexualities and sexual identities, and consumerism. Throughout the course, we will examine how sexuality intersects with other social categories such as gender, race, class, nationality, age and ability/disability.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA-O or NDUG-LISA-O programs.
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees may not enroll.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1036 Writing Self: Memoir/Nonfict 3 Credits
TBD
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1037 Introduction to Criminology 3 Credits
In this course, we will explore key areas of study within criminology including the nature and extent of crime, theories of criminal behavior, the social and economic roots of crime, and the effectiveness of various approaches to preventing and controlling crime. You will be introduced to the psychology of crime as well as the anomie, social control, social conflict, social disorganization, and routine activity theories. We will also examine contemporary issues related to hate, racism, Violent Extremism, mass violence, and cybercrime from the theoretical lens of criminology. Throughout the semester, you will have the opportunity to discuss the application of core criminology concepts to current social affairs.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA-O or NDUG-LISA-O programs.
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1038 Humanities Encounters 3 Credits
TBD
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1039 Real World Research Methods 3 Credits
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA-O or NDUG-LISA-O programs.
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1040 Losing God? Secularization 3 Credits
Are we losing God? This course provides a review of current understandings of the theory, history, and empirical evidence for what is widely known as secularization. This has generally been understood as the process by which organized religion is weakened as a political, social, and cultural force in a society. The degree to which religion loses this role appears to vary by place, time, and faith. Often depicted theoretically as an evolutionary process that develops in a response to the Enlightenment/science, economic development, and/or modernization, the real world development of secularization appears to be much more uneven. There are periodic religious revivals that create reversals and it is rare for the conversion to be anything near complete. Committed atheists (as compared to agnostics or “Nones”—those without a religious affiliation) are most often a minority throughout the world—even in places where states have sought to create a completely secular world. Predictions of the demise of religion are common in history. Why have these gone unfulfilled… so far? At the same time clearly religion has often moved from the core of society and the state into the realm of the individual and personal periphery. What can we say about the future of religion today? Is more secularization or religious revival ahead? This course will review the theory, history, and evidence and provide points of view on these questions.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA program.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1041 Ancient Rome the Big Screen 3 Credits
This class will explore representations of Rome in classical texts and their adaptations in cinema, focusing on shifts accompanying Rome’s changing political and cultural status vis-à-vis America’s. Rome is not a fixed and unchanging entity but rather a set of constantly shifting and adapting representations. As a primary text, we will use Monica Cyrino’s Big Screen Rome to get a sense of the film history and sociopolitical contexts of the films, as well as readings in ancient literature that correspond to the films under discussion, including Plutarch’s Lives, Suetonius’ Lives, Tacitus’ Histories, Plautus’ plays, and the poetry of Catullus and Horace. We will begin the class with Plautus and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, moving through films including Spartacus, Cleopatra, and Life of Brian, and end with the film The Eagle and episodes in HBO’s Rome with readings from Suetonius and Caesar. We will also read short scholarly articles about the production and reactions to the films of the course. In addition to written assignments, such as weekly musings and analysis of secondary sources, we will also complete creative assignments crafting our own reimaginings of Rome in varied formats. Through this course, we will gain a foundation in Roman history and Rome’s changing image in America that directly correlates with America’s own changing image.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1042 Childhood in America 3 Credits
Using an interdisciplinary approach, this course surveys foundational texts in the field of childhood studies. This course examines the ways that childhood has been conceptualized and understood as a social category. We consider the meaning of “the child” as it intersects with the dimensions of age, race, class, gender, and religion. As historian Corrine Field encourages, we will regard children as more than “consumers of culture and objects of socialization” but as “producers or even conduits of ideas.” This course combines social history with cultural studies to better understand the social construction of childhood across time and space. We consider what it means to come of age amid ever-changing social relations and cultural contexts. We will explore subjects such as labor, sexuality, gender, education, media, and popular culture.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA-O or NDUG-LISA-O programs.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1043 Religion and Film 3 Credits
Many film theorists value cinema’s realist abilities above all else. Many religious studies theorists contend that religion deals with our relationship to the transcendental, in other words: with the relationship to that which is beyond physical reality. Is it possible then to have religious cinema? What is religious cinema? This course explores religion beyond the abstract and private; it explores religion as it interacts with physical reality and human bodies, with human history and politics, with representation and narrative. Through our viewing of global cinema we will study questions of faith and the quest for meaning in different traditions, with a particular focus on gender and sexuality (queer cinema).
This course has both synchronous and asynchronous learning. Students will be responsible for 90 minutes of preparatory work weekly through online lectures, discussion boards. podcasts, group work, readings and more. Then the entire class will meet at the same time each week for 60 minutes of live Zoom structured discussion and learning to go deeper into the asynchronous elements.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Students in the BALS-LISA program may not enroll.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1044 Theology, Education Virtue 3 Credits
What does theology have to do with liberation? And, in turn, what does it mean for being a good person? This course explores these themes in three segments. First, we explore how St. Ignatius, founder of the Jesuit order, reflected and codified his religious experience to help people discern and move towards where God is active in their lives and in the world. His emphasis on reflection on experience, adaptability, and freedom led to an extensive commitment to education and “finding God in all things.” In the next course segment, we will look at how experience is fundamental to theology and education, for all people, and particularly for those who may not hold political or social power. We will read feminist, latino, and black theology to better appreciate the relationship between theology, education and liberation. Finally, we will consider how theology and liberation shape key virtues of justice and hope. While this course will have a focus on Christian ethics, all are warmly welcome.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA-O or NDUG-LISA-O programs.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1045 Islamic Religious Thought/Prac 3 Credits
This course explores the diversity and depth of the Islamic religious tradition, and how it is lived by 1.8 billion Muslims globally. We will look at the stories and significance of the Qur’an; the Prophet Muhammad’s life, character traits, and importance in Muslim spirituality; forms of prayer and pilgrimage; mysticism and morality; art and architecture; interfaith relations; and more. Through immersive learning, students will engage a wide range of materials including historical fiction, film and digital media, and centuries-old texts. Assignments will include reflection papers, collaborative discussions, original research and more. This course seeks to present the diverse voices, perspectives, and religious experiences of Muslims, to introduce students to the study of religion more broadly, and to equip students to address stereotypes in their daily lives and communities.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1046 Human Evolution and Variation 3 Credits
In this class, students will learn the process of scientific inquiry, the basic principles of evolution and human genetics, the evolution of the hominin lineage including other primates and vertebrates, and the influence of ecological and sociocultural factors on biological variation, diversity, and adaptation. In this course, you will be examining photographs of skeletal remains of modern humans, hominin ancestors and non-human animals of various species shown in your course textbook and lectures to illustrate the evolution of key features in the hominin lineage.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA or NDUG-LISA programs.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1047 Versatile Verse 3 Credits
This workshop-style, generative writing course explores how to express yourself creatively through poetry, fiction, short stories, creative nonfiction, and flash fiction. Acquire the essential tools and skills to harness your imagination, crafting polished creative pieces that authentically reflect your voice. We will journey through the works of literary legends such as Sappho, Catullus, Emily Dickinson, and Audre Lorde and modern poets like Mary Oliver, Faylita Hicks, and Chen Chen, alongside the vibrant voices of local DC poets including Regie Cabico, Sunu Chandy, and Kim B. Miller. Through our work, we will develop the tools and skills to use our imagination to create polished creative works, express ourselves in our authentic voices, and begin writing and work habits that will cross over to other areas of study. This course will provide in-class writing time and real-time feedback. By the semester's end, students will possess a collection of compelling pieces ready for submission or potential expansion into longer works.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA or NDUG-LISA programs.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1048 Law and Society 3 Credits
Law & Society focuses on detailed examination of some of contemporary society’s most salient legal issues. Students learn legal history, socio-political influences, and Supreme Court decisions on issues including abortion, affirmative action, discrimination against same-sex couples, federal elections, gun rights/regulations, and voting rights, among others. Students read primary sources and journal articles, watch documentaries, and keep up with current events. Of particular interest are cases before the Supreme Court currently whose decisions are announced every summer.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA or NDUG-LISA programs.
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 1049 Racial Env Justice in Africa 3 Credits
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA or BALS-LISA-O programs.
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies degree.
BLHV 1050 Museums and Social Change 3 Credits
Although museums are a commonplace institution in public life today, they have not always played such a significant role in our society. In this course, we will explore the history of public museums, and follow their establishment and rise to prominence over the past two centuries. In doing so, we’ll look at the vast diversity of museums, and learn about how the structure and mission of the public museum has been shaped by social, political, and economic forces. From art galleries to museums of natural history, we will ask how elements such as architecture, object acquisition, financing, and curatorial practice contribute to the impact that museums have today. We’ll consider the significant role that museums play in preserving and narrativizing our collective histories, and we’ll consider the impact that they can have on shaping our future.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA-O or NDUG-LISA-O programs.
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
BLHV 1998 Introduction to Sociology 3 Credits
Description: Sociology is the systematic study of human social behavior. Sociologists examine not only how social structures shape our daily interactions but also how society constructs social categories and social meanings. The purpose of this course is to offer an overview of the major concepts, theories, and methodologies of sociology, and enable you to think sociologically. Thinking sociologically allows us to make observations and offer insights about the social world that extend far beyond either common sense or explanations that rely on individual quirks and personalities, to develop an awareness of the connection between personal experience and the larger society. Throughout this course you will be introduced to “the sociological imagination” and be encouraged to develop this critical capacity to understand how the social world around you works.
Note: This course satisfies a natural science or social science core area
Note: This course satisfies a natural science or social science core area
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
BLHV 1999 Ethics of Leading Following 3 Credits
This course offers a selective introduction to the study of philosophy through the careful investigation of ethical issues arising in situations where being a responsible leader or follower is at stake. We will apply theoretical principles to selected case studies from the spheres of professional life and practical politics. Our aim is to study and practice critical analysis of rights and obligations in areas like finance, marketing and advertising, corporate governance, international human rights, data science, global business, distributive and social justice, environmental stewardship, and democratic citizenship.
Note: This course satisfies a philosophy or writing core area requirement
Note: This course satisfies a philosophy or writing core area requirement
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
BLHV 2000 Intro to Business 3 Credits
This course will provide a comprehensive introduction to business from a practical and “real-world” perspective, and explore the major areas of business to include product and service innovation and development; marketing and strategy; management and operations; and, finance. Importantly this course will explore the opportunities and challenges presenting by international business, technology, and the use of data and data analytics.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2001 Introduction to Marketing 3 Credits
This course will cover those activities for creating and communicating the message of an organization regarding the goods or services it wishes to offer to customers, clients or members, and will include the concepts of advertising and selling. The course will consider both theoretical and practical aspects of how businesses engage in marketing efforts. Required course for Entrepreneurship and Organizational Leadership concentrations.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA-O or NDUG-LISA-O programs.
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2002 Intro to Entrepreneurship 3 Credits
This course will examine the phenomenon of innovation in the business setting. How do business leaders get new ideas and implement them? What are the hurdles to innovation and how do successful entrepreneurs overcome them? Through case studies and discussion of the theory of entrepreneurship, students will assess and develop their own abilities to be entrepreneurs. Required course for Entrepreneurship concentration.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2003 Business Statistics 3 Credits
This course will introduce students to elementary statistics for business. Students will learn the foundational concepts of probability, descriptive statistics, and inferential statistics, and they will learn the standard techniques that are used to analyze statistical data in a business environment.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2004 Financial Management 3 Credits
This course introduces the theory and practice of corporate financial management and the application of financial management techniques to business decision-making. Topics include financial statement analysis, financial ratio analysis, the time value of money, risk and return, capital budgeting, cost of capital, sources and uses of financing, and international markets. Students will learn about data security standards, the importance of data anonymization and methods to identify and prevent insider threats.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2005 Ethical Leadership 3 Credits
This course offers a selective introduction to the study of philosophy through the critical examination of ethical issues arising within situations calling for responsible leadership. We will apply theoretical principles to selected case studies from professional life, carrying out careful analysis of problems concerning right and wrong surrounding finance, accounting, and investment, marketing and advertising, corporate governance, international human rights, data science, global business, distributive and social justice, environmental policy, and national and global democratic citizenship.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2006 Principles of Accounting 3 Credits
This course will introduce students to the fundamental concepts of accounting. Students will learn topics including generally accepted accounting principles, financial statements, the recording process, account adjustments, the accounting cycle, accounting for assets, liabilities and equity, and financial analysis. Additionally, topics on data integrity and ethical behavior are explored to address faithful communication of financial information. The course will provide students with a practical understanding of common practices to account for business transactions and the ability to produce a basic set of financial statements that include a balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement and a statement of stockholders’ equity. Students will apply the concepts learned to analyze financial data and relationships, from which they will construct its meaning, such as the financial health of a company.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2007 Strategy Strategic Mindset 3 Credits
This course is an introduction to strategy and the strategic mindset for business. We will learn the basics of strategic management, which provides tools to help a business answer the following two questions: Where should we compete? How should we compete? At the same time, we will focus on the fundamentals of game theory, which provides mathematical tools for analyzing strategic environments so as to determine the best strategies. In addition, students will consider strategy from a philosophical point of view, and investigate the epistemology and ethics of competing in strategic environments.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2008 Principles of Economics 3 Credits
This course is an introduction to economic concepts and basic economic theory. It will introduce you to the terminology and methodology of the economist. The course is split between the study of microeconomics, which focuses on the decision making of individual consumers and firms, and macroeconomics, which focuses on aggregate level economic questions such as interest rates, government spending, among others. In this course, you will use economic tools to analyze and evaluate consumer behavior, producer behavior as well as government behavior. Government behavior includes creating public policies and addressing poverty and welfare questions.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2009 New Venture Creation 3 Credits
The course is designed for the student and working professional who is interested in starting or expanding a business. The emphasis is on the knowledge and skills needed to conceive or capture an entrepreneurial opportunity and then successfully launch a business that adds value to society. The course topics include the place of entrepreneurship in today’s global economic climate, new models for starting a business, recent research on how successful entrepreneurs manage entrepreneurial opportunities, innovative thinking and creation of a new business idea, product or service, identifying the major opportunity a particular business creates or problem it solves, putting names on the customers who will buy the product or service, crafting a profitable and sustainable business model, and finding that unique technology or approach that will excite investor interest.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2100 Intro International Relations 3 Credits
This course provides students with a basic framework for understanding the nature of contemporary international relations. The first part covers the intellectual traditions and classical theories used for examining the international system (realism, liberalism, radicalism, behavioralism). The second part looks at enduring issues in global security; great power competition, globalization, the problem of war, terrorism, and the emerging crises of environmental change and natural resource depletion. Throughout the course, we will take time to discuss the ethical dilemmas we confront when theory meets real world developments. Upon completion, students should be able to identify key concepts, actors, and issues in the modern interstate system and be prepared for advanced coursework in the field of international relations.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2101 International Law 3 Credits
This course is designed to provide students with their first exposure to International Law. It will provide a comprehensive overview of the subject, focusing on history, theory, and the structure of international legal obligation and legal operation, as well as on specialized regimes and contemporary challenges. Where relevant and as much as possible, the course will draw on current events to offer and provoke critical analysis of complex international issues. This course will be of particular interest to those students interested in global affairs and international relations, and in pursuing further studies in law.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2102 Political Theory 3 Credits
For four thousand years, solutions for practical problems in communities (“polis”=cities) have prompted reflection (“theoria”) that accelerated after the pre-modern emergence of competing territorial central European “nation-states”. What is the history and future of political institutions for SCS students specially selected to be promising leaders in a national and global capital like DC, attending the world’s flagship Jesuit University which embodies social justice (among 500 globally and 27 nationally)? You encounter an evolving six trillion dollar worldwide war on terror, an emerging global pandemic of 8.5 million, 450k deaths, 118k in the USA, 270 million global migrants and mass mobilizations of protest in 2000 cities and towns in the USA and sixty nations, against racism, violence, police brutality and for justice and equity for peoples of color, especially “Black Lives Matter”. What common toolboxes of tools can help? This course covers key historical figures, political institutions and processes with main examples focusing on USA national and local government and examples from around the world. Students reflect on their actual or proposed professional experiences within the nation’s capital, nationally and globally. The course is designed to engage highly motivated and talented students who wish to move on to careers in the public or private sector, government consulting, electoral politics, lobbying, homeland security or further academic study. Weekly readings, videos, lectures, posts and class time cover the historic legacy of political philosophy, basic principles of the national government: structure, powers and operations of Congress; the presidency and the Supreme Court, the bureaucracy; citizenship, elections, public opinion, justice system, media studies, political parties, lobbying, civil rights movements and pressure groups—with their theoretical roots (Premoderns; Plato, Aristotle; Moderns; Hobbes, Rousseau, Locke, Hegel, Marx, Fascism; colonialism; Achebe, Baldwin; postcolonialism, Orientalism and representation; Fanon, Said; Postmodernity/consumerism; Jameson; gendering of citizenship in four feminist waves; critical race theory, Hooks; intersectionality-Crenshaw; LGBTQ, Black, Latinx, Chicanx, Asian, etc). Why does this matter? Today some 190 geographic, political entities called “states” and those sharing a cultural identity called “nations”, include some 87 democracies of different kinds for nearly half the world’s population, amidst global demands in industrializing and post-industrializing regions for “greater democracy” for all citizens “created equal,” whether or not they live in official democracies.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2103 Comparative Political Systems 3 Credits
This course offers a broad introduction to comparative politics, the subfield of political science concerned mainly with political ideas, institutions, and behavior within states. The course examines such themes as the origins and functions of states, formal institutions such as legislatures and executives, the variety and impact of electoral systems, the nature of democracy and autocracy, internal and external challenges to political order, and the impact of international and domestic factors on state performance. Discussions of theoretical and cross-regional issues will be accompanied by the treatment of individual countries and contexts. This course counts for the Comparative Government distribution requirement. The course is taught by Dr. Manuel, a research fellow at the Berkley Center and an affiliated professor in both the Department of Government and the McCourt School of Public Policy. Manuel has published twelve books and numerous peer reviewed articles. His scholarship has contributed to democratization literature in Portugal, with a focus on religion and politics.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2104 Hist of the International Syst 3 Credits
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2105 International Organizations 3 Credits
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA-O or NDUG-LISA-O programs.
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2106 China in Africa 3 Credits
What is the potential for productive partnerships between China, a powerful country of 1.4 billion aging, increasingly affluent consumers, and the countries of Africa, an entire continent whose billion-plus population is notably young, poor and expected to double by 2050? How can we make sense of China’s current record of infrastructure lending in Africa or the recent uptick in China-Africa trade or the fact that the top mobile phone seller in Africa is a Chinese company we’ve never heard of? To provide some answers, China in Africa (BLHS 403) will explore the on-the-ground realities of China’s increasingly complex engagement with African countries in aid, trade, investment, agribusiness, and technology transfer. It will look at China’s Africa policy as a work in progress, evolving over several decades as China’s economic success sparked Africans’ interest in China as a possible growth model and source of outside finance. It will use country-specific case studies to illustrate the diversity of the Africa response to China: how such factors as local African governance systems, socioeconomic conditions, and negotiating skills have affected the outcomes of Chinese-financed projects. While the China-Africa story is the main event, the course will also assess competing or complementary activities of U.S., European, and Japanese investors and the work of multilateral assistance agencies. Overall, “China in Africa” aims to encourage a data-based assessment at the past and future of China-Africa partnership, a key piece in the globally-connected puzzle that represents our future.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2107 The Pacific World 3 Credits
The Pacific Ocean has historically been regarded as a vast and prohibitive void rather than an avenue for integration. Yet over the past five centuries motions of people, commodities, and capital have created important relationships between the diverse societies in and around the "Pacific Rim". This course examines the history of trans-Pacific interactions from 1500 to the present. It draws together the histories of peoples in eight distinct cultural zones: Island Pacific, Southeast Asia, East Asia, Siberia, Australia & New Zealand, Europe, North America, and Central/South America. It takes the ocean itself as the principal framework of analysis in order to bring into focus large-scale historical processes that served to connect, and in some cases destroy, widely variant cultures in the region. These processes--mass migration, campaigns of imperial expansion, the destruction and reconfiguration of indigenous societies, cross-cultural trade, biological exchange, transfers of technology, cultural and religious exchange, and warfare and diplomacy--have deeply influenced both the experiences of individual societies and the world as a whole. Rather than trace these important transnational and global developments throughout all of modern world history, we will study the Pacific as a large but nonetheless delimited zone of interaction. This "oceans connect" approach to world history will bring these global processes into sharp relief while also allowing for continued attention to the extraordinary diversity and specificity of different cultures and societies located within and around the Pacific.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2200 Media Theory and Criticism 3 Credits
Media can be investigated through a variety of theories and methodologies. Our focus will be on several of the dominant critical perspectives that have contributed to our understanding of media texts. This course will provide students with the basic vocabulary and concepts used in the criticism of different types of media. Students will identify and describe basic concepts from different schools of media theory e.g. semiotics, ideological analysis, and gender criticism and apply these concepts to the analysis and interpretation of a range of media texts (e.g. print ads, TV commercials, films) in order to see how meanings are constructed within media texts. Students will also analyze the relation between the representations found in media texts and larger social structures such as class, gender and race. The course will also identify and describe significant concepts relating to media audiences and their role in the reception of media texts.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2202 History of Media in US 3 Credits
This course provides an historical overview of American mass media beginning with the advent of the colonial newspaper, and then surveying the rise of radio, television and film through the 20th century. There will be an emphasis on the social developments of communications systems and their impact on American culture. Students will also consider contemporary trends and conflicts in mass media such as ownership and control, privacy and surveillance, and the digitization of communication.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2203 Intro to Communications 3 Credits
This course provides an overview of the field of communications. Students will gain a solid foundation in the various levels of communicating through an examination of how models link theory with practice. Students will survey the research and strategies that relate to the interconnectedness of humanity and how we send and receive messages within the various levels of communicating. This introductory course will synthesize the communication environments as they relate to professional media and communication.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2204 Global Media 3 Credits
This course focuses on the ways in which the Internet and other digital technologies have transformed the global media landscape and therefore the way the world communicates and makes decisions over the last 20 years, with an emphasis on the intersection of media, technology, culture and geopolitics.
The student will engage with a variety of concepts and case studies in the form of news articles, scholarly articles, digital videos and podcast episodes to achieve a working knowledge of the global media landscape and how relationships develop between and among communities and their preferred media.
We will examine different ethical, strategic, and tactical approaches that media professionals and organizations take to structuring their businesses, engaging with power, shaping narratives, and distributing them to various audiences. Underpinning the course will be an interrogation of the rise of more sophisticated censorship and surveillance that threatens freedom of the press and freedom of expression.
The student will engage with a variety of concepts and case studies in the form of news articles, scholarly articles, digital videos and podcast episodes to achieve a working knowledge of the global media landscape and how relationships develop between and among communities and their preferred media.
We will examine different ethical, strategic, and tactical approaches that media professionals and organizations take to structuring their businesses, engaging with power, shaping narratives, and distributing them to various audiences. Underpinning the course will be an interrogation of the rise of more sophisticated censorship and surveillance that threatens freedom of the press and freedom of expression.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2205 Storytelling for Influence 3 Credits
History has shown that stories are inextricably linked to what it means to be human. Before we had formal communication, storytelling was the method through which we made sense of the world and that core function of the phenomenon has never changed. We dream in stories, buy products, and support charitable causes because of stories, understand who we are in part by thinking in the format of stories, and, yes, even close our office doors and gossip thanks to the help of stories!
This course will provide you with an opportunity to think critically about the endless ways in which storytelling is—and can be—utilized in our modern world. Specifically, you will focus on analyzing the process of storytelling as a tool for influence and to do so duly through ethical and strategic ways within the four categories of personal, professional, societal, and self-applications. This course will expand your mindset, appreciation, and practice of storytelling as a crucial component of the human tradition.
This course will provide you with an opportunity to think critically about the endless ways in which storytelling is—and can be—utilized in our modern world. Specifically, you will focus on analyzing the process of storytelling as a tool for influence and to do so duly through ethical and strategic ways within the four categories of personal, professional, societal, and self-applications. This course will expand your mindset, appreciation, and practice of storytelling as a crucial component of the human tradition.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2206 The Business of Media 3 Credits
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2207 Writing for the Corp Comm Prof 3 Credits
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2208 Writing for Social Media 3 Credits
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2209 Writing for the Web 3 Credits
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2210 Digital Theory 3 Credits
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2211 Theory Practice of PR 3 Credits
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees may not enroll.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2212 Multimedia Design for Comms 3 Credits
This course focuses on digital multimedia design for communication(s). We begin with
establishing a common understanding of terms and standards used in multimedia
communication(s). We address the theory and practice of how technology is accepted and then focus on how different communication formats and digital tools influence meaning-making. The course uses a learning by doing approach. This means that throughout the semester you will be creating various artifacts that you will then curate and showcase as a final course project. The online environment is designed to provide the guidance that you will need to have a successful final project. This guidance comes in the form of mini lectures, demonstrations, discussion, peer and instructor feedback
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA-O or NDUG-LISA-O programs.
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2300 Introduction to Applied Intell 3 Credits
This course explores the multifaceted world of intelligence. Students will examine the core principles, methodologies, and ethical considerations that underpin the intelligence community's role in safeguarding society. Through a blend of theory and case studies, students will gain a foundational understanding of intelligence's crucial function in strategic decision-making and operational applications across national security, homeland security, law enforcement, cyber intelligence, and business intelligence. The course features dynamic discussions focused on applied intelligence, knowledge checks for concept reinforcement, written assignments to develop students’ analytical skills, and presentations to refine their communication skills. Central to the course is a group project where students critically analyze an AI-generated intelligence report, offering hands-on experience in intelligence analysis.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA-O or NDUG-LISA-O programs.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2301 Geopolitics and Cyberspace 3 Credits
This multidisciplinary course explores the dynamics of international relations in the context of cyberspace, focusing on cyber power, sovereignty, and global cyber governance. Students will examine key aspects of cybersecurity, cyber warfare, as well as the economic and political impacts of the digital domain. The course also addresses ethical and societal implications such as privacy, surveillance, and the digital divide. Students will learn how digital technologies influence geopolitics and national security. The course also explores emerging trends and future scenarios in cyber conflicts and diplomacy. Students will learn through engaging case studies, short lectures, and practical activities.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA-O or NDUG-LISA-O programs.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2302 Global Competitive Intel 3 Credits
Course Description: In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, the ability to gather, analyze, and act upon competitive intelligence (CI) is crucial for maintaining a strategic edge. The "Global Competitive Intelligence" course is designed to equip students with the foundational knowledge, ethical considerations, research methodologies, analytical skills, and communication strategies necessary to conduct successful competitive intelligence. This course delves into the art and science of transforming information into actionable intelligence, enabling organizations to make informed strategic decisions.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA-O or NDUG-LISA-O programs.
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2303 Artificial Intelligence 3 Credits
Are you curious about artificial intelligence but unsure where to begin? Artificial Intelligence is the perfect starting point, and no technical or programming background is required. This course provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to AI and its growing impact on everyday life. From smart assistants and facial recognition to personalized recommendations and autonomous vehicles, AI is transforming industries—and this course will help you understand how, why, and what it means for the future. Designed for students from all academic and professional backgrounds, the course focuses on building conceptual understanding through thoughtfully curated readings, discussions, self-paced assignments, and collaborative team projects. Whether you're looking to understand AI's relevance in your industry, thinking about a future career in tech, or simply want to be a more informed citizen in a digital world, this course will give you the tools to engage with AI confidently and critically.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA-O or NDUG-LISA-O programs.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 2304 Cybersecurity Risk Management 3 Credits
This course will discuss Cybersecurity Risk Management.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA-O or NDUG-LISA-O programs.
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3000 Organizational Behavior 3 Credits
Effective organizations today demonstrate financial success and a strong understanding of the people within the organization. Likewise, effective project managers have the right skills to manage scope, schedule, and costs; while also bringing the right skills to manage the people within the team. The purpose of this course is to explore the human side of management and support skill development to help you become a better team member, team leader, and organizational leader.
Through a blend of psychology, economic, and business materials, the course will provide a base understanding of how organizations, and more importantly the people within them, behave. The course will start with an exploration of how individuals behave within organizations to include self-exploration of how you operate and have operated within your organizations. Next, the course will examine how group dynamics function with an understanding of the role of teams and leadership within organizations, Last, the course will identify how organizational design and culture impact an organization and the organization’s ability to change with the world.
The course will blend academic concepts with real-world case studies to create memorable analogies for students. The course will use a blend of readings, lectures, videos, exercises, individual assignments, and class discussions. Assessments will focus on the practical application of concepts for you to examine yourself, your own groups, and your own organizations.
Through a blend of psychology, economic, and business materials, the course will provide a base understanding of how organizations, and more importantly the people within them, behave. The course will start with an exploration of how individuals behave within organizations to include self-exploration of how you operate and have operated within your organizations. Next, the course will examine how group dynamics function with an understanding of the role of teams and leadership within organizations, Last, the course will identify how organizational design and culture impact an organization and the organization’s ability to change with the world.
The course will blend academic concepts with real-world case studies to create memorable analogies for students. The course will use a blend of readings, lectures, videos, exercises, individual assignments, and class discussions. Assessments will focus on the practical application of concepts for you to examine yourself, your own groups, and your own organizations.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3001 Operations Management 3 Credits
This course provides a general introduction to operations management. Operations management is the science and art of designing and controlling business processes to support an organization’s delivery of goods and services. It is a primary organization function along with marketing and finance. Operations encompass the entire organization including, design, productions, operations, marketing, sales, and customer support. This course seeks to (A) familiarize you with the primary operational challenges and issues that managers encounter, and (B) provide you with terminology, concepts, practices, and tools to address these challenges in order to gain competitive advantage through operations. This course will interest people seeking a career in managing and enhancing business processes. The course should also be of interest to people who manage interfaces between operations and other business functions such as finance, marketing, and human resources. A working knowledge of operations is critical for general managers and entrepreneurs. The course will examine how different business strategies necessitate different business processes, and vice versa, how different operational capabilities support different strategies to achieve competitive advantage. A process view of operations will be used to analyze different key operational dimensions such as quality management, resource management, and supply chain management.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3002 Negotiations 3 Credits
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3003 Project Management 3 Credits
This course provides an overview of the theory and practice of managing any project in any organization. The fundamental building blocks of project management are addressed, including project planning, organizing, team building, and effective control mechanisms. Students gain a solid understanding and foundation to successfully manage each phase of the project life cycle, work within organizational and cost constraints, set goals linked directly to stakeholder needs, and utilize proven project management tools to complete the project on time and within budget. Students apply the essential concepts, processes, and techniques that are used in the management of large scale governmental or commercial programs. The key management aspects and proven techniques that differentiate project management from other types of management are fully examined.
This course can be used to satisfy the education requirements needed to take the Project Management Professional (PMP) Exam or the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) Exam.
This course can be used to satisfy the education requirements needed to take the Project Management Professional (PMP) Exam or the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) Exam.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3004 Design Thinking for Entrepren 3 Credits
Students will experiment with design thinking tools and mindsets to gain new perspectives and problem-solving skills to use in careers as entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, or whatever path they choose. This course focuses on learning by doing in an interactive, team-based, and reflective way.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3005 Global Business Strategy 3 Credits
This course will provide a comprehensive and up-to-date presentation of global business strategy from a practical and “real-world” perspective of business competing in the global market. This course will examine how business strategy is developed to compete and win in the global market, the types of strategies that business use, and explore why a particular strategy is used. This course will examine global business strategy in the context of the global challenges and opportunities, and how major emerging markets, such as China and India, drive the development and execution of global business strategy. Importantly this course will explore the management structures, how these structures impact global business strategy, and how technology, and the use of data and data analytics, drive global business strategy decision making.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3006 Professional Communication 3 Credits
Professional communication is a critical skill in every professional setting, every job and in every industry, but it is also valuable in everyday life. If you learn to communicate more clearly and directly you are more likely to avoid conflict, advocate for what you want and save time. This course teaches you how to analyze, develop, and effectively communicate via writing in every channel – from social media and videos to emails and presentations. We will use a variety of methods including lectures, a variety of writing techniques to get started, reading and sharing class examples, a simulation, personal reflections and lots of practice. Communication is a practiced and learned skill so we will start your journey where you are and help you communicate more effectively and learn ways that work for you. Harness the power of this invaluable skill.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3007 Ethical Decision-Making in Bus 3 Credits
This course uses literature and film as case studies to explore the challenges and complexities of making ethical and moral decisions in our work and professional lives. The use of literature, non-fiction, and film allows students to examine the nature of moral dilemmas and moral decision-making in real-life situations that are most often ambiguous, involve trade-offs and sacrifices, and are influenced by a multitude of internal and external factors. The class will be open and interactive, including discussion, debate, student presentations, and student sharing of their own personal work experiences that they feel relate to the materials and issues raised. The particular literary works and films used in this course have been chosen so that they have clear application to the kinds of moral conflicts that arise in work settings such as personal values vs. institutional or enterprise values, loyalty vs. misplaced loyalty, workplace discrimination, whistleblowing, the morality of money, the morality of “selling,” women’s roles and sexual harassment, pressure to conform, and moral courage.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA-O or NDUG-LISA-O programs.
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3008 Abstract Algebra 3 Credits
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3009 Linear Algebra 3 Credits
We often think of a space as a collection of points. But strictly speaking, points are one dimensional, and they can't be added together. Points occupy a location, but they take up no space, so they can't be scaled bigger or smaller, and they can't be added together (putting two points in the same spot doesn't make a bigger point). But here's a thought experiment. What if the "points" of a space were things that could be scaled up and down, and added together? Amazingly, these strange sorts of spaces do exist, and they pop up incredibly often, in many different disciplines ranging from economics, to physics, to artificial intelligence. Mathematicians call these kinds of spaces "vector spaces," and linear algebra is the branch of mathematics that studies them.
In this course, we introduce ourselves to the basic concepts and techniques of modern linear algebra. No prior mathematical training is required. Our perspective will be that of the curious philosopher: we will aim to understand why these ideas work the way they do. To help make our quest more concrete, we will learn about game theory as we go, and we will utilize linear algebra to learn efficient ways to analyze strategies that would otherwise be too complex to understand.
In this course, we introduce ourselves to the basic concepts and techniques of modern linear algebra. No prior mathematical training is required. Our perspective will be that of the curious philosopher: we will aim to understand why these ideas work the way they do. To help make our quest more concrete, we will learn about game theory as we go, and we will utilize linear algebra to learn efficient ways to analyze strategies that would otherwise be too complex to understand.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a program in Computer Science, Computer Science, Computer Science, Computer Science, Liberal Studies, Liberal Studies, Liberal Studies or Liberal Studies.
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3010 Global Supply Chain Management 3 Credits
This course will discuss Global Supply Chain Managem
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA-O or NDUG-LISA-O programs.
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3017 China: Healthcare Education 3 Credits
This upper-level undergraduate course will build on essential foundational work in “China’s Digital Revolution” to explore in greater depth one of the following topics only briefly referenced in the course: 1) opportunities for foreign biopharma companies to invest in expansion of China’s digital healthcare delivery system, currently a top priority on the official agenda, or 2) current trends in China’s online education economy, including products designed for rural schools, foreign language tutoring online, and digital marketing of educational services. The Independent Study will proceed in four phases: topic selection and preliminary bibliography, research paper outline detailing thesis and subtopics, a draft paper submitted for review, and a final, 10,000-word paper (exclusive of bibliography) incorporating comments on the draft report. At all stages, the student will be guided by the instructor in meetings held once a week or more as needed. The result of the semester’s work is expected to be a professional level paper useful to the student as he applies to graduate school or for a job in a China-related field.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a program in Computer Science, Computer Science, Computer Science, Computer Science, Liberal Studies, Liberal Studies, Liberal Studies or Liberal Studies.
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3100 The Role of U.S. in the World 3 Credits
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA-O or NDUG-LISA-O programs.
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3102 Cities Inclusion 3 Credits
This course explores inclusion in cities. It does this in a broad and interdisciplinary manner, exploring various concepts, perspectives, and locations, and with a focus on the non-Western world. More specifically, the course asks students to explore the notion of sustainable development and the commitments around the UN Sustainable Development Goals as they pertain to the urban environment and challenges students to unpack both challenges and opportunities in this regard. The class canvasses issues related to housing, poverty, migration, and gentrification, and investigates the role and relevance of law, the private sector, and social movements.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3103 Mass Atrocities 3 Credits
This course seeks to help students develop an understanding of the major human rights atrocities of recent time and to consider means of deterring such atrocities in the future. Students will approach this learning from a historical and political perspective, and the course will draw upon literature and film to augment the student’s learning. This course asks students to understand and appreciate the prevalence of mass human rights violations in society and to critically evaluate the international community’s response to such violations. Students will examine the Holocaust, the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and Kosovo, the Rwanda genocide, and Darfur, among other mass atrocities, and through these examples understand the international crimes of genocide and crimes against humanity. Students will also examine the role of the International Criminal Court, and of the International Criminal Tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda. Students will consider the concept of Responsibility to Protect and analyze how this evolving principle of international law should be applied to humanitarian crises. Students will study the use of military intervention to end humanitarian atrocities and will gain an understanding of the political considerations raised by such atrocities. Finally, students will look forward to considering the role of social networks and social media in ending mass atrocities and will consider the pursuit of justice and reconciliation in the aftermath of mass atrocities as well as the possibilities and limits of forgiveness.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3104 International Human Rights Law 3 Credits
This course seeks to help students develop an understanding of the fundamentals of international human rights. It introduces students to the world of human rights generally, and provides students with a foundation upon which to understand the pressing human rights concerns of our time. It is an introduction to international human rights, and applicable hard and soft law instruments will be used to guide this overview. The course will provide a broad survey of the principles of human rights and the spectrum of international standards. It will examine the growth of international humanitarian concern, philosophical issues related to human rights, as well as mechanisms for the implementation of human rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights will serve as the primary instrument for the course, but various international conventions and mechanisms, such as the Genocide Convention and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women will also be studied. Issues relating to women’s rights, racial discrimination, and indigenous peoples, among others, will be discussed, and the ongoing debate between universalism and cultural relativism will run throughout the course. With respect to the universalism/relativism debate, this course asks students to think critically about whether the universality of human rights is necessary or even possible, and whether and to what extent cultural differences should be taken into account. Finally, this course will ask students to look at practical aspects of implementing human rights law on the ground, and to understand both the achievements and limitations of the human rights discourse to date and its prospects for the future. This will include some discussion of international humanitarian law and the law of armed conflict, with respect to the effects of international terrorism on human rights.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a Bachelor of Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3105 American Pres and Foreign Pol 3 Credits
This course will focus on the challenges and responsibilities that modern American presidents and their secretaries of state have faced with regard to the creation and execution of U.S. foreign policy. The course will provide an insider’s perspective on how major international events shape foreign policy, and explore the presidential decision-making process during crisis situations. The classes will examine the evolution of America’s leadership role in the world since the end of World War II. Students will also evaluate the effects that the Internet, the 24-hour news cycle, and instant communication between world leaders have on foreign policy. This course will cover current events, concentrate on unfolding international issues and conflicts, and engage in critical analysis of contemporary U.S. foreign policy. The course will also examine the impact of American domestic politics on presidents and their U.S. foreign policy decisions; the battle between isolationism and interventionism; and the struggle between global social justice concerns and political self-interests.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3106 China's Digital Revolution 3 Credits
With record-breaking speed, China has transformed itself over the past forty years from a backward economy into a high-performing industrial power, second only to the United States in the digital technologies driving current global growth. China leads the world in e-commerce, fintech, electronic surveillance, 5G, and social media super apps. It is neck and neck in the race for first place in quantum computing and AI applications, industrial, commercial, and defense-related. But China faces a huge challenge going forward: closing a serious gap in the production of advanced semiconductors, the core technology behind all future innovation.
Can China keep up the momentum in its pursuit of digital dominance? “China’s Digital Revolution” (BLHV 3106-01) helps explain how China achieved its present competitive ranking and points to possible outcomes in the digital race over the next few decades. The course provides students with basic knowledge and evidence-based material essential for informed discussion of alternative scenarios. Study units include the initial, Internet-building stage of the digital revolution, China’s Internet businesses as engines of connectivity and e-services, the rationale behind Chinese-style digital governance and surveillance, American versus Chinese cyber capabilities, and Beijing’s new initiatives to reduce dependence on foreign technology through concerted investments in domestic high-tech manufacturing.
Can China keep up the momentum in its pursuit of digital dominance? “China’s Digital Revolution” (BLHV 3106-01) helps explain how China achieved its present competitive ranking and points to possible outcomes in the digital race over the next few decades. The course provides students with basic knowledge and evidence-based material essential for informed discussion of alternative scenarios. Study units include the initial, Internet-building stage of the digital revolution, China’s Internet businesses as engines of connectivity and e-services, the rationale behind Chinese-style digital governance and surveillance, American versus Chinese cyber capabilities, and Beijing’s new initiatives to reduce dependence on foreign technology through concerted investments in domestic high-tech manufacturing.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a program in Liberal Studies, Liberal Studies, Liberal Studies or Liberal Studies.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3108 Leadership in Intl Relations 3 Credits
This course offers a broad introduction to leadership in international relations and wonders whether leaders make history, if history makes leaders, or if some third option is possible. Leadership in international relations is usually thought of in one of two ways. On the one hand, good leadership is thought of as the opposite of bad leadership (tyranny), in which case good leadership means something like providing subjects with freedom from tyrants. This course is designed to promote a full understanding of how leadership functions in international relations. It introduces the key paradigms and theories of “leadership” and examines a wide variety of portraits of leaders in international relations, and their consequential choices.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA-O or NDUG-LISA-O programs.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3110 Public Health in China 1-6 Credits
This Independent Study will build on essential foundational work in “China’s Digital Revolution” (BLHV 3106) to examine in depth China’s system of public health, the policies and agencies involved, and, in particular, the potential of digital and AI interventions to enhance equity in health delivery. Key subtopics to be addressed include: 1) the current public health structure, central, provincial, local, and responsibilities at each level; 2) health expenditure and financing, notably through government-sponsored insurance schemes; 3) health equity, namely, distribution of resources urban-rural and by region; 4) medical research, including disease control, cancer research, and the bioethics of gene and cell therapy; 5) medical education and training; 6) the potential of telehealth and telemedicine to improve health care access; 7) adoption of AI in health care technology; and 8) US-China collaborative medical research projects.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the BALS-LISA program.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3111 African Affairs: Hist Interf 4 Credits
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies, Lisans or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3112 China 2024: Tech, Soc State 3 Credits
Most Western analysts these days view China’s advanced technologies solely
through the lens of geopolitics, drawing attention to national security risks and tech
competition with the U.S. “China 2024” shifts focus to another dimension equally
important to understanding our shared digital future: the impact of these new and
rapidly evolving technologies on ordinary Chinese in their everyday lives of work
and leisure. In other words, the course emphasis is on China from the inside rather
than on topics that take geostrategic issues as their starting point. For example,
how wide is the digital divide in China between internet users young and old, rural
and urban? What is the current and potential role of tele-health and online
education in promoting health equity and access to tech sector jobs? How have
new technologies like e-commerce and super apps impacted consumer behavior
and use of social media? And, what is the likely way forward for digital
governance in China in this age of fast-tempo AI development? “China 2024” is
designed to lay the groundwork for answering these kinds of real-life questions; it
is meant to be an eye-opener. By the end of the course, students will have gained a
new understanding of Chinese society as it undergoes the digital revolution
changing all of our lives.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the NDUG-LISA-O program.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3200 Media and Public Opinion Lab 1 Credit
Today’s citizens are constantly peppered with information about public opinion, much of it from polls. To make sense of this information, and public opinion, this course will provide students with some of the empirical analysis skills necessary to function effectively in a democratic society. In this way, students will gain a better understanding of the world around them by making informed judgments about information and its sources.
There are many benefits to learning how to analyze and evaluate public opinion. For example, this course introduces students to some of the skill set elements necessary to conduct research or work in the following fields: a survey research organization, an interest group, a political campaign, government, or journalism. Students will learn a variety of research design and analysis concepts with a focus on public opinion and its impact on politics in the following areas: Political socialization, Mass media, Political knowledge, and Policymaking.
There are many benefits to learning how to analyze and evaluate public opinion. For example, this course introduces students to some of the skill set elements necessary to conduct research or work in the following fields: a survey research organization, an interest group, a political campaign, government, or journalism. Students will learn a variety of research design and analysis concepts with a focus on public opinion and its impact on politics in the following areas: Political socialization, Mass media, Political knowledge, and Policymaking.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3309 Linear Algebra 3 Credits
We often think of a space as a collection of points. But strictly speaking, points are one dimensional, and they can't be added together. Points occupy a location, but they take up no space, so they can't be scaled bigger or smaller, and they can't be added together (putting two points in the same spot doesn't make a bigger point). But here's a thought experiment. What if the "points" of a space were things that could be scaled up and down, and added together? Amazingly, these strange sorts of spaces do exist, and they pop up incredibly often, in many different disciplines ranging from economics, to physics, to artificial intelligence. Mathematicians call these kinds of spaces "vector spaces," and linear algebra is the branch of mathematics that studies them.
In this course, we introduce ourselves to the basic concepts and techniques of modern linear algebra. No prior mathematical training is required. Our perspective will be that of the curious philosopher: we will aim to understand why these ideas work the way they do. To help make our quest more concrete, we will learn about game theory as we go, and we will utilize linear algebra to learn efficient ways to analyze strategies that would otherwise be too complex to understand.
In this course, we introduce ourselves to the basic concepts and techniques of modern linear algebra. No prior mathematical training is required. Our perspective will be that of the curious philosopher: we will aim to understand why these ideas work the way they do. To help make our quest more concrete, we will learn about game theory as we go, and we will utilize linear algebra to learn efficient ways to analyze strategies that would otherwise be too complex to understand.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a program in Computer Science, Computer Science, Computer Science, Computer Science, Liberal Studies, Liberal Studies, Liberal Studies or Liberal Studies.
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 3499 Masks of Rome 3 Credits
This course explores concepts of identity through major literary works of Ancient Rome. Students will read Roman literature in translation—including historical, epic, rhetorical, theatrical, satirical, and poetic texts—to gain an understanding of Roman cultural identity and its influence on contemporary representations of identity. Students will also read secondary scholarship to support their interpretation and evaluation of ancient Roman literature. As a writing-focused course, students will be responsible for regular written reflections on class material, analyses of assigned texts, and a final research paper on a Roman text not assigned for the course.
Note: This course satisfies a humanities elective or humanities concentration requirement. This course satisfies a humanities or culture core area requirement.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
BLHV 4949 Tutorial: BLHV 1-5 Credits
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 4997 Thesis Proposal Workshop
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 4998 Thesis Research
Students who are approved for a BALS thesis will take this 0 credit course in preparation for thesis writing.
Level: Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
BLHV 4999 Thesis Writing 3 Credits
Students work with the thesis advisor to begin constructing the framework for the proposed thesis.
Level: Undergraduate
Prerequisites: (BLHV 347 or BLHV 4997)
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in a B.A. in Liberal Studies or Non-degree Undergrad. Program degrees.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.