2019-2020 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Course Descriptions
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At the end of each course description, information is provided to indicate when the course will be scheduled.
Please note: Schedules are subject to change; check the PeopleSoft online schedule prior to each term’s registration.
Courses designated NLA (non-liberal arts) cannot be applied toward the minimum liberal arts credit requirements. Course prerequisites are included in this listing. Unless otherwise specified, a course does not have a prerequisite.
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Psychology |
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PSY 338 - History and Systems: Psychology of Learning
An examination of contemporary empirical investigations and theoretical positions of human and animal learning, placing each position in its historical context within psychology.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Prerequisite: PSY 201 or PSY 202 or approval department chair. Not open to freshmen.
Oral Intensive. Offered in the Fall Semester
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PSY 339 - Personality Theory
An examination of the historical and current scientific efforts to bring insight to the analysis of human personality. The theoretical contributions, research approaches, and clinical impact of major theories are analyzed. The theories reviewed include psychoanalytic, psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral, trait, humanistic, and biopsychosocial contributions.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Not Open To Freshmen
Offered in the Fall Semester
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PSY 341 - Brain, Mind, and Behavior
This course introduces students to the study of how the brain and the rest of the nervous system produce many common behaviors. Drawing from both human and animal literatures, this course focuses on the fundamental principles of neural structure, function, communication, organization, and development, as well as examines the neural mechanisms that underlie a host of behaviors, including sensation and perception, movement, sleep, sex, emotion, eating/drinking, learning and memory, and language. This course also explores the effects of psychoactive drugs on brain and behavior, and how certain neural processes may be disrupted in specific neurological and psychological disorders.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): PSY 201 or permission of instructor; Not Open to Freshmen
Offered in the Spring Semester
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PSY 342 - Violence toward the Self
This course includes an in depth study of suicide and self-harm behaviors. The initial portion of the course defines the continuum of self-harm and is multidisciplinary in nature examining sociological, religious, and philosophical perspectives of self-directed violence. The latter portion delves into the psychological literature including theories and empirical research addressing clinical description, assessment, etiology, and prevention and treatment techniques for self-harm and suicidal behaviors.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Not Open To Freshmen
Oral Intensive. Offered in the Fall Semester
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PSY 390 - Experimental Psychology 1
This course will provide an introduction to experimental methods in psychology. Emphasis will be placed on ethical conduct of research, research techniques, statement of research problems, methodology, statistical analysis, interpretation of results, preparation of reports in APA style, and presentation of findings.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Prerequisite: PSY 323 or approval of department chair; Not Open to Freshmen
Written Intensive. Offered in the Spring Semester
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PSY 412 - Social Psychology
This course offers a broad introduction to social psychology exploring the various ways people think about, influence, and relate to one another. Topics include but are not limited to social cognition, self-concept, social judgment, attitudes, persuasion, group processes, conformity, aggression, helping behavior, prejudice, and interpersonal relationships.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Not Open To Freshmen
Offered in the Fall Semester. Written Intensive
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PSY 441 - Developmental Psychology
A study of the theories of psychological development from birth to old age. Emphasis on the cognitive, motivational, physiological and social changes during infancy, childhood, adolescence, maturity and old age.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Not Open To Freshmen
Written Intensive. Offered in the Spring Semester
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PSY 445 - Hormones and Behavior
To what extent do hormones control who we are and how we behave? Why does the body use hormones to regulate behavior, and can our behavior influence our hormonal state? This course will examine these issues by introducing students to the field of behavioral neuroendocrinology, which is the scientific study of the bidirectional interactions among hormones, the nervous system, and behavior. This course will explore the role of hormones in sexual differentiation, sex/mating behavior, parental behavior, aggression, stress and emotions, depression, brain plasticity, learning and memory, biological rhythms, feeding, and effects of endocrine disruptors. Students will critically evaluate both human and animal research in these areas, as well as discuss the clinical and social implications of the findings.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): PSY 201 or BIO 101 or permission of instructor; Not Open to Freshmen
Oral Intensive. Offered in the Fall Semester
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PSY 461 - Abnormal Psychology
A study of the principal forms of disordered personal reactions to life and its circumstances; focus on the explanations of psychopathology with reference to psychodynamic, social, learning, and biological dimensions. Insight into the developmental aspects of abnormal and maladjusted behavior broaden the student’s understanding of various approaches to evidence-based psychotherapy and prevention.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Not Open To Freshmen
Offered in the Spring Semester
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PSY 490 - Special Topics in Psychology
Special Topics in Psychology
Lecture
Credits: 3
Not Open To Freshmen
Department Consent Required
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PSY 491 - Experimental Psychology 2
A continuing laboratory course in which the student originates his or her own experiments in areas such as emotion, auditory and visual perception, social processes, etc. Lectures primarily in the areas of emotion, the senses and perception.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Prerequisite: PSY 390 and PSY 324 or approval of department chair. Not Open to Freshmen
Capstone Course. Oral Intensive. Offered in the Fall Semester. Written Intensive.
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PSY 492 - Special Topics in Psychology
Intensive study opportunities in areas of specialization not covered in depth by existing courses. Course instruction may include lectures, readings, and immersive study. Students may take more than one special topcs courses. Specific student topic to be indicated when offered. Not open to freshmen. Permission of department chair required.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Not Open To Freshmen
Department Consent Required
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PSY 493 - Individual Experimental Research
A field or laboratory and seminar course for senior psychology majors within which each student will complete a research project of his or her own design under supervision of one of the members of the Psychology Department; class meetings devoted to analysis of project designs and to the study of periodical literature. Integration and coordination of previous coursework. Weekly progress reports; laboratory hours at the convenience of the student.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Prerequisite: PSY 390 or approval of department chair
Capstone Course Open to Seniors Only Offered in the Fall Semester
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PSY 496 - Senior Seminar
A coordinating seminar and internship experience for senior psychology majors aimed at effecting a synthesis of previous learning and various orientations; applications of ethics in psychology; career explorations; and special topics in areas of interest to student and faculty are examined.
Seminar
Credits: 3
Prerequisite: PSY 390 or approval of department chair. Not Open to Freshmen
Capstone Course. Oral Intensive. Open to Seniors Only. Offered in the Spring Semester.
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PSY 497 - Independent Study
The psychology of a student’s chosen topic is explored in-depth utilizing a variety of current methodologies and directed by a particular faculty member. Prerequisite: Approval of Department Chair or Advisor. Not for major credit. 1, 2, 3 credits respectively.
Lecture
Credits: 1
Not for Major Credit
Department Consent Required
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PSY 499 - Independent Study
The psychology of a student’s chosen topic is explored in-depth utilizing a variety of current methodologies and directed by a particular faculty member. Prerequisite: Approval of Department Chair or Advisor. Not for major credit. 1, 2, 3 credits respectively.
Independent Study
Credits: 3
Offered When Needed
Department Consent Required
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PSY 3001 - Introduction to Drug and Alcohol Abuse Studies
A study of the biological psychological and sociological aspects of drug and alcohol abuse and addiction. An emphasis on the psycho-pharmacology of commonly abused substances, the disease concept of chemical dependency and an overview of substance abuse problems in the family, school and industry.
Lecture
Credits: 4
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PSY 3011 - Assessment Referral and Treatment Methods
A study of the process of appraisal and evaluation of the chemical abuser and his/her family in order to determine the patient’s needs. Emphasis will be placed on understanding behavioral and medical symptoms of drug and alcohol abuse and addiction and the tools needed to make the appropriate treatment referral. Treatment resources will be explored.
Lecture
Credits: 4
Prerequisite/Corequisite: PSY 3001 , DAA 3001 or permission of instructor. Not Open to Freshmen
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PSY 3023 - Drug/Alcohol Abuse Counseling with the Family
An investigation of the alcoholic and drug abusing family system, and the cumulative crisis in the family resulting from addiction. Emphasis will be placed on co-dependency, the characteristics of Children and Adult Children of Alcoholics (COA/ACOA) and other chemical abusers, prevalent treatment approaches and the role of self-help programs.
Lecture
Credits: 4
Prerequisite/Corequisite: PSY 3001 , DAA 3001 or permission of instructor. Not Open to Freshmen.
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PSY 3031 - Drug and Alcohol Counseling
Application of counseling approaches, including treatment planning, setting goals and objectives, the therapuetic interview, the process of recovery and relapse counseling, to the drug and alcohol abuse situation. Same course as DAA 3031 .
Lecture
Credits: 4
Prerequisite/Corequisite: PSY 3001 , DAA 3001 or permission of the instructor. Not Open to Freshmen.
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PSY 3101 - Health Counseling
This course provides an overview of the health counseling field including the role of psychological factors in the etiology and treatment of physical illness. Basic counseling theories are reviewed and related to health counseling interventions. Emphasis is placed on cognitive-behavorial treatment strategies pertaining to health maintenance, primary prevention and risk factor reduction.
Lecture
Credits: 4
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PSY 3220 - Psychology of Drug Habituation and Addiction
Behavioral effects of sedative hypnotic compounds, stimulants, convulsants, anti-psychotic agents, psychedelics, hallucinogens, alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, and other drugs of psychological influence will be examined. Consideration will be given to attitudes toward drugs, theories of drug addiction and treatment. Methods of therapy will be discussed. Comparisons will be made with use of other methods for behavioral change.
Lecture
Credits: 4
Prerequisite: DAA 3001 /PSY 3001
Offered in the Fall Semester
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PSY 3400 - Employee Assistance Programs
This course explores the history and changing models of employee assistance programs focusing on clinical issues of drugs, alcohol, and psycho-pathologies as they relate to the workplace. Students learn about practitioner professionalization, supervisory and union representative training and the use of community resources to address personal and health problems.
Lecture
Credits: 4
Prerequisite: DAA 3001 /PSY 3001
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Religious Studies |
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RST 204 - Christian Scriptures
This course will familiarize students with the Scriptural bases - both Old and New Testaments of Catholicism. Special attention will be paid to the original context and meaning of the Scriptures, as well as their relevance and application in contemporary settings.
Lecture
Credits: 3
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RST 205 - Buddhist Wisdom
Grounded in the Second Vatican Council’s “Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religion,” the course will introduce the heart of the Buddhist tradition by reflecting on the experience, life and teachings of Siddhartha Gotama, The Buddha. Examining the religious and cultural context within which he lived and taught, the course will explore the insight and wisdom of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. Attention will be given to the development of Mahayana Buddhism though a consideration of primary texts from within that tradition.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Diversity, Cross-Cultural, and Global Perspectives
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RST 206 - Spirituality
An exploration of contemporary Christian spirituality as the lived experience of faith - the on-going life-project of person integration and self-transcendence - offering theological, historical, cultural, psychological and interfaith contexts for understanding its manifold expressions. The course will survey select trends and issues in contemporary Catholic spirituality signaled by Vatican Council II such as the post-modern quest for meaning; the impact on personal self-understanding of contemporary psychology and cosmology; the challenge of social and ecological commitment; the variety of contemplative resources available for the development of the inner self; the way of Gospel conversion and sacramentality; and the relevance of the Catholic vocation - its vision, values, and practice virtues - for the life of the self and of the world.
Lecture
Credits: 3
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RST 207 - Theological Renewals
The Second Vatican Council (1962-65) revolutionized the relationship of the Roman Catholic Church to the modern world. Within a few short years, a church that had been characterized as clerical, juridical, and triumphal assumed a different, more humble posture characterized by dialogical engagement with contemporary society. The Council renewed the Church’s self-understanding and consequently all areas of Catholic theology experienced radical rethinking. The sixteen documents of the Council will frame a study of the renewed meaning and practice of Catholicism in a post-conciliar age. The renewal of theological categories such as revelation and scripture, God, Christ, ecclesiology, and Christian praxis will be examined.
Lecture
Credits: 3
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RST 208 - Ethics and Morality
An exploration of the history of Christian ethics - its language, norms, sources - with particular consideration given to Roman Catholic teaching on morality. Contemporary issues such as war, sexuality, poverty, biomedicine and ecology will be examined to determine how a Christian ethical perspective informs a particular response to the questions raised within these areas.
Lecture
Credits: 3
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RST 210 - Religious Pluralism Series
This series provides a context to explore the opportunities and challenges presented by twenty-first century religious pluralism. According to Harvard Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies Dr. Diana Eck, “Pluralism” and “diversity” are sometimes used as if they were synonyms, but diversity is just plurality … [p]luralism is the engagement that creates a common society from all that plurality. It is the energetic engagement with diversity.” Cross-cultural religious literacy and engagement with the religious Other is essential in the contemporary global context as cross-currents of secularism, new religious movements, and resurgent fundamentalist articulations of all the major world religions collide and mingle with each other. One discrete field of focused study will be chosen for each semester the course runs. A non-exhaustive list of possible topics that can be rotated in the series are: Islam, Jainism, Afro-Caribbean religions, Hinduism, Indigenous Religiosity, Atheism/Humanism, and hybrid interfaith religious expressions.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered When Needed
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RST 213 - Religion and the Natural World
This class will explore the relationship between religion and the natural world, investigating how religious worldviews have traditionally conceived of nature and have shaped human attitudes and behaviors toward it. Adopting a broad, religiously diverse perspective, the course will explore the convergences and distinctions among global religious traditions in their identification and celebration of nature as a sacred reality and their capacity to creatively respond to contemporary challenges and threats to the viability and integrity of nature in its planetary expanse.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered in Fall & Spring
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RST 215 - Islam: History, Belief, and Practice
This course serves as an introduction to Islam. It is an exploration of Islam as a lived religion, which examines the diversity of Islamic practices, beliefs, and worldviews - in history and in the contemporary world. The course engages topics such as Islamic sacred texts, art and music, politics, and mysticism. The goals of this course are to introduce students to texts and tenets at the core of Islam and to foster an appreciation for the complexity and the diversity of Muslim practice historically and globally. This course takes a multifaceted approach to the study of Islam: course materials include primary Islamic texts, academic readings, memoirs, works of fiction, as well as audio-visual materials.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Diversity, Cross-Cultural and Global Perspectives
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RST 301 - Church History: Patterns and Paradigms of the Christian Tradition
The life and thought of the Christian church from the apostolic period to the present, providing an introduction and orientation to the Christian tradition in its various social, ethnic and period settings.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered When Needed
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RST 310 - The Religious Traditions of China
This course will examine the insights, contributions and development of the three major traditions that have largely defined Chinese religious culture: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Emphasis will focus on the study of those primary textual sources (available in English translation) that most effectively illustrate the seminal concepts and subsequent elaborations within each of those traditions and their overall significance to chinese religious sensibility.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Diversity, Cross-Cultural and Global Perspectives
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RST 311 - Christian Approaches to Morality
This course is an investigation of the fundamental themes of moral theology. The course will include a survey of the historical, methodological and philosophical approaches to Christian morality with reference to the ethical dilemmas that confront the modern world.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered When Needed
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RST 317 - The American Religious Experience
A study of the mutual interaction of religion and American culture, which has given rise to a unique variety of religious leaders and expressions. Topics to be considered include the Puritan ethos in American history and literature, the concerns and conflicts of various immigrant groups, civic religion; pluralism and American culture, church - state relations.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered When Needed
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RST 318 - Violence, Peace & Social Justice
A consideration of Catholic ethical thought, as an expression of Christian ethics in history, regarding non-violent movements for peace and social justice in the contemporary world, with a particular focus on the Christian foundations of economic, racial and political movements for justice. Not open to students who have taken RST 209.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered When Needed. Oral Intensive. Integrated Core Theme Centerpiece: Violence.
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RST 320 - Spiritual Masters Series
An exploration of the sacred wisdom of the great masters of the spiritual life drawn from a variety of traditions, cultures and periods of history. Each semester the spiritual path of one such Great Teacher will be selected as subject for inquiry and experimentation (e.g., Jesus, the Buddha, Julian of Norwich, Hildegard of Bingen, Thich Nhat Hanh, Therese of Lixieux, Thomas Merton, Rabbi Heschel, Mother Ann Lee and the American Shakers, Dorothy Day, Thomas Berry, Bernard of Clairvaux, Teresa of Avila, Bede Griffiths, John of the Cross, Rumi, Martin Luther King, Mohammad and Black Elk).
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered When Needed
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RST 324 - Christian Sexual Ethics
ENG 120 An exploration of the history of Roman Catholic and Protestant teaching on the meaning of human sexuality with particular attention to the sexual ethics that have developed in the Christian tradition.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or Honors Status.
Offered When Needed. Written Intensive.
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RST 326 - Theology of Christian Service
A critical exploration through academic analysis and community engagement into the theological meanings of Christian service, the particular interconnections of service and justice in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, contemporary understandings of service as informed by Christian theology, Catholic social teachings, and modern day icons of faith. Service Learning Course.
Service Learning
Credits: 3
Diversity, Cross-Cultural and Global Perspectives
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RST 327 - The Holocaust and the Churches
This course studies the Holocaust through the lens of Jewish-Christian relations. Students will study the relationship between Christianity and Judaism including the teaching of contempt and the teaching of respect. The question of Christian anti-Judaism and its significance for the Holocaust will be examined. The course is offered with a study abroad component. During spring break the class will embark on a journey to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Time will be spent in the cities of Oswiecim, Krakow, and Wadowice. Students will explore the effects of the Holocaust in those cities and experience contemporary Polish life. DCCG for core curriculum. Integrated core course for Violence ICT in the core curriculum.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Blackboard Core Assessable Diversity, Cross-Cultural and Global Perspectives Offered in the Spring Semester.
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RST 328 - The Religious Imagination
This course explores the myriad ways that human beings have encountered “the sacred” as an alluring yet perplexing horizon of existence. The course examines the rich variety of such encounters as they have been expressed across history and cultures. Students will also explore how our ideas of the self, society, and the cosmos are shaped by the religious imagination. Not open to students who have taken RST 101, RST 203 and RST 220.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Blackboard Core Assessable. Offered When Needed. Integrated Core Theme Centerpiece: Identity.
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RST 330 - Women, Gender, and Religion
This course is a study of the lives of women and gender identities from a variety of perspectives and in various religious traditions. It explores a wide range of issues and concerns, which have particular relevance to the religious experiences of women and persons of various gender identities.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Integrated Core Theme Centerpiece: Feminist Interventions. Offered When Needed
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RST 332 - The Spiritual Legacy of Thomas Merton
A study of the themes and issues that comprise the spiritual teaching of Thomas Merton, Ameican Monk, mystic and prophet. The desire for Christian contemplation, a passion for justice and an appetite for Buddhism marked Merton’s spirituality as uniquely contemporary and catholic. A modern spiritual master, Merton has sounded the keynotes for Christian life in the new millennium. By following Merton along his spiritual path, students may explore the legacy of this exceptional teacher and draw upon his wisdom and insight for their own lives.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered in the Spring Semester.
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RST 336 - The Church: Issues and Challenges
An exposition of the historical and theological foundations necessary for an examination of the nature and function of the church; an analysis of selected issues and challenges facing the contemporary church, with a view to the imaginative responses made by Christian churches.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered When Needed
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RST 338 - Gospels
A detailed examination of the four canonical gospels, the process by which they were formed, the form and function of their individual parts, and the final literary and theological effect they now have as complete works.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered in Fall & Spring
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RST 339 - Spirituality for an Ecological Age
An exploration of contemporary proposals for new modes of Christian praxis in response to the critical moment of 21st century Earth history, which calls for the activation of creative energies to meet the current planetary crises of climate disruption, species extinction, resource depletion, food scarcity and, in light of these, unprecedented levels of human distress and suffering. Since religious traditions perceive our environmental situation as a disorientation of human consciouness and spirit summoning moral conversion, this course asks what specifically Christian initiatives and resources are available to fund a disciplined, creative and celebratory ecological spirituality arising from the religious tradition, the new cosmology and in dialogue with other sacred and secular voices of wisdom.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered in the Fall Semester
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RST 340 - Creation Masters Series
It is urgent that the work of our age is to come into a new relationship with the natural world, so exhausted and abused by the demands of human kind. The ecological crisis, now at a critical stage, is essentially spiritual at root. Therefore, the task ahead of us will take tremendous religious awareness and spiritual commitment if we are to envision and then actualize a new sense of our human identity not against nature, but in communion with all the creatures and elements of the living Earth. This course will explore a variety of voices in the history of religions, with a special focus on Christian resources, who will guide us toward a vision of ecological wholeness. This course will take one or more masters or movements in religious cosmology under consideration each semester that it is taught. Examples include but are not limited to: Hildegard of Bingen, Celtic Creation Spirituality, the Benedictines, the Franciscans, Teilhard de Chardin, and Thomas Berry.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered in the Spring Semester
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RST 341 - Story of the Universe: Foundational Cosmology and Earth History
This class will explore the significance of the universe, the emergence of the earth, and the evolution of life as integral creative events; it will seek to identify a comprehensive narrative description of the cosmos from its primordial origin through the formation of galaxies, the birth of the solar system, the shaping of the earth, the diversity of life, and the role of human consciousness within its unfolding process.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered in Fall & Spring. Integrated Core Theme Centerpiece: Stewardship of the Earth
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RST 343 - Sufism: Traditions of Islamic Mysticism
This course serves as an introduction to Sufism. Often defined as Islamic mysticism, Sufism is perhaps one of the most widely practiced forms of Islam in the world. Sufi practice is especially prominent in South Asia, West Africa, and Eurasia. This course will delve into ideas and debates that are at the core of Sufi philosophy and cosmology. It will survey various modes of Sufi practice and belief among lay adherents and among those on the mystical path. It will also take a close and critical look at aspects of Sufi practice that have permeated popular culture in Europe and America over the past century. This course takes a multifaceted approach to the study of Sufism: course materials include primary Sufi texts, academic readings, as well as audio-visual materials
Lecture
Credits: 3
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or Honors Status.
Diversity, Cross-Cultural and Global Perspectives. Written Intensive.
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RST 370 - Creative Peacemaking
An exploration of critical issues of peace and justice through the faith and philosophies of several modern peacemakers, highlighting the causes of human violence and injustice and the conditions for social justice and peace.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or Honors Status.
Offered When Needed. Written Intensive. Integrated Core Theme Centerpiece: Innovation.
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RST 375 - Wisdom Literature
A study of the Wisdom books of the Old Testament in detail, their similarity to extra-biblical traditions, and their influence on the New Testament writings. Analysis will be primarily literary, though there will be some historical and comparative considerations.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered in the Spring Semester
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RST 400 - Internship in Religious Studies
Internships in Religious Studies with cooperating museum, NGO, church-related agency, or other related institution under the supervision of a designated faculty committee. Method and content in religious education, theological or biblical research, justice and peace advocacy, direct service, religious environmental education, and method and content in varieties of interreligious dialogue will be studied. Conferences with designated faculty members and research reports will supplement the student’s practical experiential learning.
Internship
Credits: 3
Offered When Needed
Department Consent Required
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RST 401 - Images of Jesus throughout History
A study of the mystery of Jesus as experienced and expressed by Christians throughout the tradition, including the biblical, patristic, medieval and contemporary periods.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered When Needed
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RST 402 - Christian Sacramental Theology
An analysis of the Christian sacramental worldview, the Church’s ritual activity, and the challenges that sacramental theology poses to, and receives from, the practice of Christianity.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered When Needed
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RST 404 - Catholic Creation Theology
This course traces the historical tradition of Catholic Christianity’s theology of creation, rooted in early biblical sources, particularly the Books of Genesis, Job and the Psalms; illuminated in new Testament texts, particularly Johannine and Pauline writings; explicated and refined by the Patristic teachers; metaphysically elaborated in the Scholastic masters; and flowering in a rich medieval Christian cosmology. It will also investigate the contraction and eclipse of this affirmative celebration of the mysteries of The Trinity and Incarnation in subsequent centuries, beginning with the Black Death; in response to the Protestant Reformation; the challenges of the Enlightenment; the emergence of a secular and scientific-technological global culture – all of which contributed to the disorientation and dislocation of Christian theology and practice. Finally, and in light of the crises of the natural world, the inquiry will engage the resurgence of renewed creation consciousness and ethic of care within the Catholic community, both “from below” in popular women’s and environmental spiritualities and movements, and “from above” in academic theological and magisterial developments.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered in the Spring Semester
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RST 406 - Biomedical Ethics and the Christian Tradition
An investigation of the Christian ethical tradition and its resources for an analysis of the ever-increasing challenges posed by developments in biomedicine and in the life sciences.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or Honors Status
Offered When Needed. Written Intensive. Integrated Core Theme Centerpiece: Scientific Reasoning
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RST 409 - Jesus and Judaism
This course examines the life of Jesus in its Jewish context in an effort to uncover more accurate trajectories of continuity and discontinuity between Judaism and Christianity. The period of 2nd temple Judaism will be explored. An examination of key texts in the development of Jewish-Catholic relations since 1965 porvides a contemporary perspective on the theological developments of the first century CE.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered When Needed
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RST 410 - Religion and the Constitution
An examination of the concept of religious freedom as protected and defined by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, considering the historical purpose and original intent of the First Amendment’s separation of church and state, the judicial construction of the religion clauses of the First Amendment, and contemporary controversies regarding religious freedom and practice in American society.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered When Needed
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RST 411 - Prayer: Theology and Practice
An exploration of the human quest to develop the spiritual life through a study of Christian religious sources and traditions in a variety of formats and experiments with some techniques for the cultivation of spirituality through meditation practice, art, writing, music, dance, attention to nature, and commitment to service.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered When Needed
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RST 412 - Environmental Ethics and Religion
Confronted by the mounting evidence of severe and unsustainable threats to the integrity and flourishing of planetary life, this course will examine principles of ethical behavior, drawn from a comprehensive survey of global cultural traditions which support authentic earth ethic in which human responsibility and care extends to the integral community of earth’s soils, waters, air and the multiple plant and animal species that inhabit them. This theoretic orientation will be complemented by consistent consideration of actual case studies that explore the tension between humans as members of the earth community and the appropriate limits of human intervention with it.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered in the Fall Semester
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RST 420 - Special Topics in Religious Studies
These courses are designed to offer an opportunity to explore selected topics in religious studies that are either not covered in the religious studies curriculum or that will be covered in greater depth.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Department Consent Required
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RST 422 - Special Topics in Religious Studies
These courses are designed to offer an opportunity to explore selected topics in religious studies which are either not covered in the religious studies curriculum or which will be covered in greater depth.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered When Needed
Department Consent Required
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RST 425 - Special Topics in Religious Studies
An exploration of the sacred wisdom of the great masters of the spiritual life drawn from a variety of traditions, cultures and periods of history. Each semester the spiritual path of one such Great Teacher will be selected as subject for inquiry and experimentation (ex. Jesus, the Buddha, Julian of Norwich, Hildegard of Bingen, Thich Nhat Hanh, Therese of Lixieux, Thomas Merton, Rabbi Abraham Heschel, Mother Ann Lee and the American Shakers, Dorothy Day, Thomas Berry, Bernard of Clairvaux, Teresa of Avila, Bede Griffiths, John of the Cross, Rumi, and Martin Luther King).
Lecture
Credits: 3
Department Consent Required
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RST 448 - Oxford University Theology
Lecture
Credits: 3
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RST 450 - Senior Seminar
Directed research, readings and discussions for all religious studies majors for the purpose of coordinating the various branches of religious studies and researching topics of special interest to majors.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or Honors Status.
Capstone Course. Offered When Needed. Written Intensive.
Department Consent Required
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WST 330 - Women, Gender, and Religion
This course is a study of the lives of women and gender identities from a variety of perspectives and in various religious traditions. It explores a wide range of issues and concerns, which have particular relevance to the religious experiences of women and persons of various gender identities.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Integrated Core Theme Centerpiece. Offered When Needed
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Social Work |
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SOW 201 - The Camp Viva Experience
This one-credit course offers an introduction to the impact of HIV/AIDS on families and individuals and includes a service-learning experience. The classroom component involves an overview of HIV, a focus on related social issues and services, readings, films, an integrative paper, etc. The service component includes preparing for and participating in a Camp Viva reunion for HIV-infected and -affected families who attended the camp. Open to all students.
Lecture
Credits: 1
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SOW 204 - Camp Viva Service Intensive Experience
This course offers an experiential exploration of the impact of HIV/AIDS on families and individuals. As camp counselors, students lead and participate in all daily activities of a residential camp for Westchester residents infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. Academic components include preparatory readings, extensive pre-service training, on-site individual and group supervision, reflective journals, on-site lectures, a debriefing process, an integrative paper, and several classroom meetings during the fall semester. Open to all students by application and interview.
Service Learning
Credits: 3
Offered in the Fall Semester
Department Consent Required
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SOW 210 - Introduction to Social Work
Social Work is a broad profession with common goals and purposes, practiced in a wide variety of settings. This course is designed to (a) introduce the student to the many roles and reponsibilities of the generalist social worker and (b) explore the various settings in which social work practices take place. The course emphasizes the impact of human diversity in addressing strengths, problems, and services. Open to all students for elective credit.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Open to all students Offered in Fall & Spring
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SOW 2200 - Sustainability and Community: An Environmental Justice Perspective
Sustainability is often depicted as intersecting circles representing its social, economic, physical (environmental), and spiritual/ethical components. Following an overview, this course focuses on social sustainability in theory and practice. Social sustainability includes the development of trust, reciprocity norms, equity, and other conditions that permit coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit. With environmental justice as a lens, many aspects of sustainability and community will be considered. Over thirty percent of the grade is earned through service-learning projects, which will include an immersive rural experience and a local urban experience. The service-learning component will feature hands-on activities out of the classroom, work with community partners, and reflection, all with the goal of applying critical thinking to integrate course concepts. This course is open to all students with no prerequisites. It can be applied as elective credit to the Environmental Studies major/minor as well as the Diversity and Social Welfare minor.
Lecture
Credits: 4
Offered in the Spring Semester
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SOW 2210 - Introduction to Social Work
Social work is a broad profession with common goals and purposes, practiced in a wide variety of settings. This course is designed to introduce the student to the many roles and responsibilities of the generalist social worker and explore the various settings in which social work practice takes place. The course emphasizes the impact on human diversity in addressing strengths, problems and services.
Lecture
Credits: 4
Diversity, Cross-Cultural and Global Perspectives. Open to all students. Offered in Fall & Spring
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SOW 2220 - Human Behavior and the Social Environment: Human Diversity
This course is designed to teach students the principles underlying multicultural assessment and intervention drawing on knowledge, awareness and tolerance of differences among people. Through a process of self-examination and cross-cultural participant/observation experiences, students will explore themselves and the society in which they live, develop an appreciation of the multifaceted meaning of diversity, and cultivate professional alternatives for combating discrimination, stereotyping, and oppression across age group, race, gender, class, religion, physical disability, and sexual orientation. Attention will be given to increasing students’ understanding and assessment of the impact of diversity on clients’ lives.
Lecture
Credits: 4
Open to all students Offered in Fall & Spring
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SOW 2230 - Social Welfare and Society
This course seeks to provide a basic foundation for understanding the place and function of social work in the context of the broader social welfare institution in the United States. It examines the meaning of social welfare in contemporary society. Social welfare is defined, and the history and current patterns of provision of services within social welfare systems are explored. Historical antecedents will be compared to recent approaches to the same issues. The role of values is examined, particularly as these values impact upon policy. One credit of this course is satisfied by independent work.
Lecture
Credits: 4
Open to all students Offered in the Fall Semester
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SOW 2240 - Emerging Issues in Aging
This course has been designed as an introduction to the multidisciplinary study of older adults. It will focus on the strengths and resiliency factors, as well as social justice issues associates with barriers to access and utilization of health and human services based on culture, health literacy, health disparities, race, ethnicity, gender, and socio-economic status of diverse elders.
Lecture
Credits: 4
Offered in Fall & Spring
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SOW 3120 - Human Behavior and the Social Environment: Life Course
Human Behavior and the Social Environment utilizes the bio-psychosocial perspective, which stresses a multi-dimensional view of human development and behavior. The multi-dimensional view of person in the context of the environment takes into consideration the challenges, stressors, and life tasks that occur during the life course. The individual and his/her environments are examined in their relationship to each other. The course stresses the importance of culture, race, ethnicity, gender, spirituality, and socioeconomic environment. One credit of this course is satisfied through a weekly lab in which students develop their cross-cultural group projects.
Lecture
Credits: 4
Prerequisites: PSY 201 , SOC 101
Open to all students. Oral Intensive. Offered in the Spring Semester
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SOW 3130 - Social Welfare Policy
The purpose of this course is to help entry-level social workers understand policy formulation, implementation and analysis, and to use them as interventive strategies for social work practice. Policies of concern to the general practitioner are studied with particular attention given to the impact of such policies on the lives of women, people of various ethnic, cultural, racial and religious groups, individuals of varying sexual orientation, those who are economically disadvantaged, and those with physical or mental disabilities. A weekly one-hour online “policy skills lab” accompanies this course.
Lecture
Credits: 4
Prerequisite: SOW 2230
Open to all students Offered in the Fall Semester
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SOW 3200 - Research for Social Work Practice
This course is designed to teach students basic research skills so they can develop an appreciation of the significance of research in generalist social work practice. The scientific method (as well as its alternatives) is explored with specific relevance to social work and social welfare issues. As such, quantitative and qualitative research strategies are addressed. Ethical behavior and the protection of research participants are examined. Varying approaches to practice evaluation are emphasized by means of a final assignment that requires students to apply their knowledge of research in formulating a comprehensive evaluation research proposal.
Lecture
Credits: 4
Prerequisite or Corequisite: CS 140 . Corequisite: SOW 3240
Written Intensive. Offered in the Fall Semester
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SOW 3220 - Social Work Processes I
This is the first in a sequence of three courses designed to prepare students for generalist social work practice with diverse client systems of all sizes, including the individual, the family, the small group, the organization and the community. Students are exposed to the broad theoretical base for generalist social work, to various fields of practice, and they explore a range of social work roles within the generalist framework. The planned change process is also introduced as the systematic intervention approach utilized by generalist social work practitioners and the requisite skills for its implementation are covered. A one credit skills lab is also attached to this course.
Lecture
Credits: 4
Offered in the Fall Semester
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SOW 3230 - Social Work Processes II
This course focuses on knowledge and skills related to interviewing, assessment, planning, contracting, goal -setting, ending and transitioning across client systems such as individuals, families, groups and communities. A multi-contextual (dimensional) framework is used to examine a wide range of factors (age, class, color, culture, diversity, ethnicity, family structure, gender, marital status, etc.) that not only differentially influence behavior, but also contribute to increased understanding of the unique ways in which people and communities respond to life crises. Appropriate research based knowledge is considered in relation to the content, process, and outcomes of practice. A one credit practicum allowing students to test out classroom learning in the context of a social agency accompanies this course.
Lecture
Credits: 4
Prerequisite: SOW 3220
Offered in the Spring Semester
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SOW 3240 - Social Work Processes III
This is the third in a sequence of three courses designed to introduce students to generalist practice skills and techniques that enable them to manage the planned change process with client systems of all sizes (individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities, etc.). This class focuses specifically on application of the Planned Change Process to macro-level systems. Macro-level approaches include work utilizing task groups and advocacy, as well as intervention on the organizational, community, societal, and global levels.
Lecture
Credits: 4
Prerequisite: SOW 3230 , Corequisite: SOW 3610
Offered in the Fall Semester
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SOW 3330 - Violence, Trauma and Resilience
This course will look at the risk factors and vulnerabilities as well as the coping strategies and protective factors found in populations of people who have experenced violence and/or trauma. The history of psychological trauma and the stages of recovery will be examined. Varoius theories from psychology, sociology, criminology and social work will be reviewed in regard to the causes, responses and historical context of violence, trauma and abuse. Several methods of helping people who have experienced violence, trauma, and/or abuse will be presented. Special policy and governmental responsed to the plights of victims will also be covered. Topics will include natral disasters, terroroism, child abuse, domestic violence, and elder absue. Factors such as racism, classism, ethnocentrism and homophobia that contribute to violence, trauma and/or abuse will also be explored. Students coming into this course will be eligible to apply for a Certificate of Completion for the NYS Coursework/Training in the Identification and Reporting of Child Abuse and Maltreatment.
Lecture
Credits: 4
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SOW 3610 - Field Instruction in Social Work I
This course is the first half of a year-long course in which the student will acquire supervised classroom instruction emphasizing development of generalist social work practice skills. The course content is directly tied to the 200-hour field practicum that students are required to complete during the semester. It will build upon, develop and further refine the principles, theories and methods of evaluation of generalist practice in the field setting. Particular attention is given to a review and deepening of the skills of effective communication and the differential use of these skills with people from diverse backgrounds.
Field Studies
Credits: 4
Prerequisite: SOW 3230 and Corequisite: SOW 3240
Offered in the Fall Semester
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SOW 3620 - Field Instruction in Social Work II
This is the second half of a year-long course in which the student will acquire supervised classroom instruction in the development of the skills of generalist social work practice. The course content is directly tied to the 200-hour field practicum the student is required to complete during the semester. It will continue to build upon, develop and further the understanding of principles, theories and evaluation of generalist practice as they arise for the student in the field setting. Students are also guided in the selection of a case for presentation at the “Senior Capstone Conference.”
Lecture
Credits: 4
Prerequisite: SOW 3610 and Corequisite: SOW 4910
Offered in the Spring Semester
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SOW 4910 - Senior Seminar
Senior Seminar serves as the social work capstone course, and has three purposes: 1. To help students understand and explore ethical issues and dilemmas that confront social workers in practice with clients, colleagues, supervisors, agencies and communities. A model for ethical decision-making is presented and applied. Students consider how gender, racial, and/or mental disability influence value systems and impact ethical decision making in practice. 2. To provide a locus for oversight and coordination of the Senior Capstone Conference, with the course instructor serving as mentor in the presentation preparation process. Individual meetings with the mentor constitute the fourth credit of this course. 3. Students of this course complete a professional electronic social work portfolio.
Seminar
Credits: 4
Corequisite: SOW 3620 . Students have generally completed all other courses in the major.
Oral Intensive. Offered in the Spring Semester
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SOW 4950 - Selected Topics in Social Work
Electives dealing with topics and issues of current interests to social workers as well as with emerging fields of practice may be developed in response to students’ needs and interests.
Lecture
Credits: 4
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Sociology |
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CDS 1105 - Parenting
An examination of the parental experience. Included for discussion will be historical and contemporary social trends; effective communication and discipline; and problem solving. The course will include both theoretical and practical approaches to issues of parenting.
Lecture
Credits: 1
Offered When Needed Weekend Intensive
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CDS 1109 - Careers: How, What, Why and When?
An overview of how to develop one’s career. Emphasis will be placed on the student’s values, interests and skills. Resumes, cover letters, interviewing skills and other tools of the job search will be discussed.
Lecture
Credits: 1
Offered When Needed Weekend Intensive
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CDS 1132 - Sports Sociology through Film
Sports films provide an interesting area for students to examine the relationship between sports and American society. By analyzing sports films students will see parallels between problems in sports, and problems in the larger society. (Weekend intensive)
Lecture
Credits: 1
Offered in the Fall Semester Weekend Intensive
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CDS 1154 - Intercultural Awareness: Practical Applications
This course is designed to make individuals more aware of intercultural differences and to provide strategies for adapting to living, working, and traveling abroad. The course will be conducted as an intercultural workshop in which concepts and issues will be explored through the use of simulations, role-playing, critical incidents and other experiential exercises.
Lecture
Credits: 1
Offered When Needed Weekend Intensive
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CDS 1158 - Aids and Society
This course will analyze many of the psycho-social issues that surround the issue of AIDS. These will be discussed in the context of moral and religious values, myths and phobias, and public policy. The impact of AIDS on both individuals and society will be explored.
Lecture
Credits: 1
Offered in the Fall Semester Weekend Intensive
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CDS 1179 - Sociology of Jazz
This course emphasizes listening as well as sociological skills. It is important to recognize the manner in which jazz musicians use sound to construct their symbols in order to explore the sociological aspects of jazz. This course offers examples from different eras in jazz history via audio and video tapes as well as the presentations of live musicians.
Lecture
Credits: 1
Offered in the Fall Semester Weekend Intensive
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SOC 101 - Introduction to Sociology
An introduction to the principles and methods of sociology. Topics include society and culture, socialiazation, family, social stratification, race and ethnicity, deviance and social control.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered in the Fall Semester
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SOC 102 - Social Problems
An examination of the social problems which confront present day American society, including the problems of urbanization, family instability, crime and delinquency, pollution of the environment, poverty and welfare, race and ethnic conflict, and the rapidity of social and industrial change.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered in the Spring Semester
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SOC 301 - Major Social Thinkers
A study of classic and modern social theories. Classical theorists such as Marx, Durkheim, Simmel and Weber will be studied along with the modern theoretical approaches of functionalism, symbolic interactionism, conflict theory and ethnomethodology. These theories will be tested against modern principles of the logic of theory construction.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Prerequisite: SOC 101 or SOC 102
Offered in the Fall Semester
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SOC 302 - Socialization
A study of the relationship between the individual and society as a lifelong process. The roles of group behavior and social organization in shaping personality; social factors and their impact on the development of the self; how individuals are socialized into playing various roles in society.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered in Alternate Years
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SOC 306 - Sociology of Deviant Behavior
A study of how society comes to define certain behavior as deviant; an analysis of those deviances which form social problems: drug and alcohol addiction, pornography and sexual deviance, acts of violence, and the relationship of deviant subcultures to social disorganization, social conflict and social change.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered in Alternate Years
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SOC 314 - Cultural Anthropology
An introduction to the principles and field work methods in cultural anthropology. A look at various traditional societies and American subcultures focusing on social organization, family and kinship, political and economic institutions, and myth and religion.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered in Alternate Years
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SOC 321 - Urban Society
Social factors contributing to the development of urban areas; major urban trends including suburbanization, and regional migration; urban problems; theories and methods of studying urban areas.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered in Alternate Years
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SOC 322 - Race and Ethnic Relations
Ethnic groups in American society, problems of prejudice and discrimination, myths and scientific research concerning group differences, contemporary issues and dilemmas of intergroup relations
Lecture
Credits: 3
Diversity, Cross-Cultural and Global Perspectives. Offered in the Fall Semester. Written Intensive
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SOC 323 - Social Class in America
A study of inequality in class, status and power, its consequences and the forces which tend to increase and decrease it; status seeking, social mobility and American socioeconomic class variations; influence of increasing demands of Third World countries for a larger share in the world’s resources and power.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered in Alternate Years
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