Courses

Cross-Cultural Perspectives

This course will look at human universals and differences in family life, economics, politics and religion in societies around the world. Insights about American life and about how the world's peoples are interdependent. Emphasis on major controversies and issues about gender relations, economic development, inequality, violence and aggression, religion, healing and cultural identity. 4 hr.; 4 cr. (W)

Urban Anthropology

An introduction to anthropological views on the understanding of the city and urban experiences. We will look at the role of urban narratives, identities, flows and networks in historical and global perspective and the social forces that shape accessibility and participation in the right to the city. Topics will include the role of institutions, landscapes, ethnicity, race, class, poverty and culture in urban life. Emphasis on urban institutions, ethnicity, race and class in New York City. 4 hrs.; 4 crs. (W)(U)

Literacies, Culture and Power

We will examine some of the classic theories about the "impact" of literacy in light of recent research that interprets reading and writing and text making as practices that both enable and are shaped by particular historical and cultural settings. We will pay particular attention to current debates about basic literacy in urban education, and the ways that we (in urban settings) assign meaning to making and interpreting texts and narrative. A primary objective of this course is to convey that literacy is not a fixed “thing” but is a highly charged social and cultural representation. Looking at and thinking about literacies engages a number of cultural and social processes. Thus, contemporary debates about the importance of literacy should be viewed as windows into complex discourses about power, social and personal agency. 4 hr., 4 cr. (W)(U)

Urban Ethnography Monday

This class will focus on urban ethnography, examining the significance of place to daily practices, social relations, and broader social norms. Students will explore the processes of urban life, by reading contemporary ethnographies of New York City and conducting their own fieldwork projects. Focusing on the global moment, the readings will underscore the urban as a process that brings together - and redefines - diverse groups of people. The course will also emphasize knowledge production, how the ways we study the city inform its shape, categorizing its different populations and affecting how they relate to one another. Urban ethnography began in an attempt to understand the pathologies of city life, often honing in on marginalized and minority groups. These assumptions of pathology endured, influencing not just whom ethnographers studied, but the questions they asked, and in fact, their conclusions. Including an important fieldwork component, this course provides students firsthand experience in the process of knowledge production and underscores the importance of these processes to the ways we see and understand social life. 4 hr., 4 cr. (W)(U)

ECE I: Theories of Development Applied to Early Childhood Practice

This course will provide an overview of early childhood education theory and practice from historical and sociocultural viewpoints. Major areas of study will include child development, observation and recording techniques, developmentally appropriate practices, multicultural and inclusive classrooms, authentic assessment, family-child-teacher interactions and subject area methods. 15 hours fieldwork required. Offered in the Fall annually. 4 hr.; 4 cr. (W)

ECE II: Development, Assessment, Teaching and Learning in Inclusive Settings

Students construct a working understanding of theorists such as Dewey, Piaget and Vygotsky, as applied to young children and the curriculum and practices that support their growth. Students will explore typical and inclusive classroom practices in depth. These understandings are grounded in systematic observations culminating in a child study. 15 hours fieldwork required. Offered in the Spring annually. Pre-requisite: EDCE 20604. 4 hr.; 4 crs.

School, Family & Community

Students will gain understandings and skills for working with all kinds of families. This includes using the local community and cultures as resources and supports for the child and family, bringing the outside world into the school, and viewing the classrooms as a community. Emphasis on special needs, inclusion, and children whose second language is English. 5 hours fieldwork required. Open only to students formally accepted into the Early Childhood Education program. Offered in the fall annually and bi-annually in the Summer (odd years, e.g. 2023, 2025). This course can be taken with student teaching. 2 hr.; 2 cr.

Science Methods in E.C.E.

The Science Methods class will use readings, written reflection, field trips, individual projects, group presentations, class activities and discussion to help students develop an understanding of the role of the early childhood teacher in building a foundation for early childhood science education with young learners. The class will include methods and strategies that are compatible with authentic early childhood educational goals, enabling ECE students to grow as teachers who will be able to provide appropriate practices and guidance that will allow all young children the means to explore and appreciate science concepts. Open only to students formally or provisionally accepted into the Early Childhood Education Program. 5 hours fieldwork required. 2 hr.; 2 cr.

How Children Learn Math

Emphasis on growth and mathematical development of children from preschool to upper elementary grades through their action and exploration of mathematical concepts in a supportive classroom environment; course work, readings, workshop activities with children. Pre-req.: MATH 18500. Open only to students formally accepted into the Early Childhood Education Program. Offered in the Fall annually. 15 hours fieldwork required. 4 hrs.; 4 crs.

Language and Literacy I

Introduction to the teaching of reading as a language thinking process within a development sequence. Methods and materials of instruction applicable to an integrated curriculum. Open only to students formally accepted into the Early Childhood Education Program. Offered in the Fall annually. 15 hours fieldwork required. 4 hrs.; 4 crs.

Language Development and Emergent Literacy II

This course will examine the theory and practice that supports language and literacy development of children in grades K-2. The course will focus on children’s oral interactions, reading, and writing development and experiences throughout the early elementary years. Pre-Req.: EDCE 32304 and formal admission to the Early Childhood Education program. 10 hours fieldwork required. 2 hr.; 2 cr. (W)

Social Studies in ECE

Students will explore theories, methods, and materials to help the child understand his/her immediate environments and relations to them. Emphasis on family, classroom, school, and neighborhood. Pre-Req.: EDUC 32304 and formal admission to the Early Childhood Education program. 10 hours fieldwork required. 2 hr.; 2 cr. (W)

Facilitating Children's Artistic Development

Students explore the use of a range of art materials and activities for young children at various developmental stages and methods for supporting their total development. The natural sequences and stages of children's drawings and their link to emergent literacy and other developmental areas. Open only to students formally or provisionally accepted into the Early Childhood Education program. Offered in the Summer annually. 5 hours fieldwork required. Pre-Requisites: See Advisor. 2 hrs.; 2 crs.

Facilitating Children's Musical Development

A study of young children's interest and response to rhythms, dramatic play, and spontaneous imaginative experiences which the teacher can guide and incorporate into a program of developmental activities. This course will involve training in movement as well as music methods in early childhood education. Open only to students formally or provisionally accepted into the Early Childhood Education program. Offered in the Spring annually. 5 hours fieldwork required. Pre-Requisites: See Advisor. 2 hrs.; 2 crs.

Student Teaching and Integrative Seminar in ECE

Classroom structures, routines, teaching strategies and skills that build community and maintain discipline with a range of learners. Understandings and skills to plan a coherent and integrated curriculum. Assessment systems that inform teaching and support student learning. Respectful and effective home-school relations. The Student Teaching Seminar will be held at CWE unless otherwise noted. Students who have been approved for Supervised Student Teaching will be registered for this course by the Office of Field Student teaching. Offered in the Fall and Spring annually. Full time, 360 hours. Coreq.: See Advisor. 6 hr.; 6 cr.

Caribbean Spirits, Colonial Ghosts

Women writers from the Caribbean seek to engage the ghosts of the colonial past -- specters from the plantation and the "mad" colony - by writing about forgotten ancestors, erased histories, and marginalized cultural practices. In highlighting elided narratives and misunderstood beliefs and practices, these writers accept the challenge posed by Caribbean theorists such as Edouard Glissant, creating new literary forms and characters based on processes of cultural hybridity and Caribbean syncretism. 4 hrs.; 4 crs. (W)(U)

Reading and Writing Short Fiction

Popular today is a particular form of the short story known variously as the short short story, sudden fiction, or flash fiction. Each of these refers basically to the same form: fiction that is written in such a tight manner it squeaks. These stories condense all of the complex elements of the narrative; setting; time, place and mood; character development, plot, structure, color and point of view into complete and extremely dense fictions. Such classic story writers as Sandra Cisneros, Jamaica Kincaid, Raymond Carver, Julia Alvarez, Julio Cortazar have all practiced this especially demanding form. Both the reading and writing of this form takes a particular kind of very close attention on behalf of the student. Students will be expected to write their own very tightly written short shorts and to engage in close textual readings of stories from three collections of stories: Flash Fiction, edited by James Thomas, Denise Thomas and Tom Hazuka; Sudden Fiction International, edited by Robert Shapard, James Thomas; Short Shorts: An Anthology of the Shortest Short Stories, edited by Irving Howe, Ilana Howe. Pre-req.: IAS 10000 – 10100 or ENGL 11004. 4 hrs.; 4 crs. (W)

Fiction Workshop I

For students who wish to advance from Creative Writing to concentrate on writing short stories. This is an intensive course in learning how to use language to convey narrative, theme, emotion. We will work on development of character, structure and plot and all the energy of linguistic engagement that makes someone else want to read your work. You will be expected to write steadily throughout the term, to read and analyze short stories and to take part in class workshop readings of and commentary on student work. Be prepared to work hard. 4 hrs. ; 4 crs. (W)(U)

The Short Story

This class is designed as an ongoing discussion about the short story and how the form affects and is affected by broader stratifications in history and culture. We will begin by reading and analyzing a mix of classic and contemporary models of the short story, including Edgar Allan Poe, Nikolai Gogol, Alice Munro, Chinua Achebe, and Jorge Luis Borges. In the second half of the course, we will explore the short story cycle as a form of ethnic self-definition and transcultural reinvention. We will read multiple linked stories by writers such as Edwidge Danticat, Sherman Alexie, Tim O’Brien, Junot Diaz, Julia Alvarez, Robert Olen Butler, and Jhumpa Lahiri, looking at how these authors appropriate this literary form to maintain their cultural heritage while adapting to the form and practices of a new culture. We will expand the critical context for our readings of these stories by using secondary sources to widen the scope of our literary analyses.

Contemporary Women Writers

This course will present opportunities to analyze and interpret a diverse set of recent novels, short stories, poetry, and essays by women writers that contribute to our sense of the material realities of women's lives within the context of the personal and the political, the domestic and the global. We will consider the ways in which these writers portray issues such as intimacy, sexuality, home, place, empowerment, and self-invention, as well as how they chronicle migration, illness, care, loss, violence, division, connection, and success. By reading a diverse spectrum of writers, we'll enlarge our sense of what is possible and what is significant in women's writing today.

To provide you with the most flexibility, this course will be offered asynchronously, which means that you can complete your work on your own time using the online Blackboard system. Please note, however, that there are weekly deadlines that must be adhered to. Prof. McDonald will be available for Zoom office hours and discussion sessions as needed. 4 hr. 4 cr. (W)(U)

Education in Black and White

This course surveys the history of education in the United States. How did the system we have now evolve? How, why and when did disparities based on class, race, gender, and region develop? To understand these questions, we will look at education in the colonies, changes after the American Revolution, education for whites, free, and enslaved blacks before the Civil War and the impact of emancipation on national public education. Through an historical examination of class and race in educational philosophies, practices and opportunities, we will seek ultimately to understand current issues in American education. Students will work with both primary and secondary source materials, strengthen their academic reading and writing skills, and become competent in historical research. 4hrs.; 4crs. (W)(U)

History of Childhood in America

Children are our most precious creations; yet few people know much about their place in history. This course will offer a sweeping view of the history of childhood in the United States from the pre-colonial era to the present day. Readings, discussion, films and other materials will shed light on the experiences of all sorts of children--the rich, the middle class, the poor and the enslaved from a variety of backgrounds, including American Indian, European, African, Latin American, Caribbean and Asian. The course will also compare numerous ideologies about childhood, theories of childrearing, laws governing children's lives, and social actions taken to protect children throughout the nation's history. Students will read a combination of books, articles and historical documents. Writing exercises will provide practice in working with chronologies, analyzing historical documents and comparing and contrasting various historical moments. 4 hrs.;4 cr. (W)(U)

Writing for Interdisciplinary Studies I

This is an interdisciplinary, humanities-based writing course. Reading includes a wide range of essays, each proposing a ground-breaking theory pertinent to a particular discipline. These essays will be matched with short fiction and shorter essays providing a social context for the theories proposed by writers such as Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, Dr. Martin Luther King, Carl Jung, Alice Walker and Virginia Woolf. In response to these combinations, text-based student essays of at least 750 words will pair interdisciplinary theory with a social context. The course emphasizes critical reading, thinking, and writing skills as well as various rhetorical approaches to the composition of the academic essay. (Formerly Core Humanities I, Literature, Art and Human Experience) 4 hrs, 4 cr.

Nature and Human Beings I (Core Natural Science I)

Nature and Human Beings I introduces students to fundamental ideas in biological and physical sciences as well as the interaction of science with society. One of the important aims will be to develop an understanding of the scientific method with an emphasis on model building and the possibilities and limitations of science and technology. The course will explore the fundamental concepts of chemistry and biology, with special emphasis on genetic function. Pre-req.: IAS 10000, IAS 10100 or equivalent. 4 hrs.; 4 crs.

Nature and Human Beings II

Nature and Human Beings II introduces students to fundamental ideas in biological and physical sciences as well as the interaction of science with society. One of the important aims will be to develop an understanding of the scientific method with an emphasis on model building and the possibilities and limitations of science and technology. The course will examine the origin and evolution of the universe, the earth and life.  Pre-req.: IAS 10000, IAS 10100 or equivalent. 4 hr.; 4 cr.

Doing Social Research

This course will help develop needed research skills by focusing on a particular social problem each term. It will ask, where did the "problem" come from; how has it been analyzed; and how should we evaluate the answers? Using historical and contemporary examples, students will learn basic research techniques, from use of the library, to developing a bibliography, to finding and using quantitative evidence. Recommended Pre- or Co-requisite: IAS 10000, IAS 10100, or equivalent. 4 hrs.; 4 crs. (W)

Art On and Off The Wall

Art On and Off the Wall is a rapid-fire, immersive introduction to methods of art-making with a focus on 'design' as a metaphor for everything from where to put the line on a piece of paper to what it means to create a time, location and social context in your life to make and show art. In addition to an introduction to a variety of methods of art production (painting, sculpture, installation, with a particular emphasis on drawing as the basic tool of visual thinking), we will engage in some more free-style off-the-wall modes of thinking, including making art in and for a wide variety of spaces from a bedroom, to an exhibition, to a public space. Our class time will be divided between teacher and student presentations, studio work, and class discussions. Every week there will be a teacher-led presentation of art-historical precedents, ranging from painting to music. We will also explore how alternative exhibition tactics illuminate the possibilities of various creative enterprises. There will be weekly assignments with occasional outside reading. There is an expectation of high energy, willingness to experiment and improvise, and class participation. By the end of the class we will have produced a variety of projects, an artist book, and a class exhibition. 4 hrs,; 4 crs.

Intro to Urban Studies and Planning

This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of urbanization and urban life. To dissect and discuss how planning interventions and urban design have shaped cities and their regions, we will read some of the key urban theorists. Through the lenses of urban politics, sociology and anthropology as well as through the narratives of essayists, novelists and filmmakers, we will approach cities and urban spaces as texts to be deciphered. The course is a foundational course for the concentration in urban studies. 4 hrs, 4 cr. (W)(U)

The Essay

The essay often gets a bad rap these days. It’s frequently associated with the five-paragraph work of formal essay writing. But the essay, in its purest form, is the exploration of an idea, no matter how many paragraphs or diversions—stylistic or rhetorical—it takes. The word essay itself comes from the old French essai, which means, “to try,” and the Latin: rudimentum, which means “trial or attempt.” So, how do we define Creative NonFiction? It's not quite journalism. It's not quite “formal” essay writing but essay writing in its wholesome form. Creative Non-Fiction is a branch of writing that employs the literary techniques usually associated with actual people, places, or events. Creative Non-Fiction requires imagination—it evokes an image, draws on emotion, and it creates a lasting impression on the reader. In this class, we will “try” and write about our lives as we mirror, and read from a broad category of prose works such as personal essays and memoirs, narrative essays, observational and descriptive essays. Pre-requisites: Writing for Interdisciplinary Studies I and II or equivalent. (Formerly ENGL 31134) 4 hrs.; 4 crs. (W)(U)

Advanced Composition

This course will introduce students to cultural and literary theory. We will survey a number of important schools of critical theory, including formalism, structuralism, deconstruction, psychoanalytic, new historicism, postcolonial and cultural studies. Theorists studied will include Roland Barthes, Michel Foucault, Susan Sontag, and Sigmund Freud. Their theory will be studied alongside a variety of "texts", including the poetry of William Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge, Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, and Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio, as well as Jamaica Kincaid’s Annie John, the art of Edward Hopper, the Log of Christopher Columbus, The National Defense Education Act of 1954, and Why Johnny Can’t Read. The goal is to acquire a new critical vocabulary --"critique"--and, of course, to sharpen critical reading, thinking and writing skills. Students will be required to write a number of shorter essays on the above texts and a final ten-page critical essay on that perennial bestseller, written by none other than Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat. Formerly CWE 31308. 4 hrs.; 4 crs. (W)(U)

Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies

This course explores the establishment, growth, and transformation of academic knowledge in the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. It exposes students to the diversity of academic inquiry and the different traditions and vocabularies of humanistic, scientific, and social scientific inquiry, while exploring the potential and limits of interdisciplinary inquiry. (Formerly IAS 31334) 4hr., 4cr. (W)(U)

The Right to the City

This introductory course focuses on uncovering some of the root causes producing inequalities in urban life and across urban space and on conceptualizing what achieving a more “just city” or “the right to the city” might entail. It draws on range of disciplinary perspectives across the humanities and social sciences. 4hr, 4cr. (W)(U)

Writing the City

This introductory course prepares students to write for the Social Justice and Urban Life major. It pairs literary texts with select themes and readings from IAS 25000, Right to the City, such as mental health and urban living, education, displacement, racial and gender justice, climate change, disability, and transit. It will develop students’ critical writing, information literacy, and library research skills through shorter writing assignments and a final ten-page academic essay. 4 hr, 4cr. (W)(U)

Capitalism and Anti-Capitalism

Capitalism and Anti-Capitalism from Adam Smith to Slavoj Žižek. Wealth and poverty, booms and busts, individual opportunity and public responsibility—the history of capitalism is a history of tensions and oppositions. This interdisciplinary course explores some of the contradictions of capitalism since the 18th century, when philosophers, theologians, economists, politicians, and social reformers first began to argue about the merits of private property, free markets, and wage-labor production. We investigate what some of the most important thinkers and writers in the western tradition—including Adam Smith, Benjamin Franklin, Karl Marx, Rosa Luxemburg, Thorstein Veblen, John Maynard Keynes, Joseph Schumpeter, Georges Bataille, and Slavoj Žižek—have described as either the virtues or the vices of capitalism. Among the historical and contemporary topics discussed in the course are the relations between labor and finance, state regulation and free-market speculation, nationalism and globalization, individual self-interest and socially minded public participation, liberalism and communism, reform and revolution. We will explore how proponents of capitalism have viewed it as a progressive and liberating force (“greed is good”), which has promoted peaceful cooperation amongst the world’s peoples; while critics have seen it as doctrine founded upon enslavement and exploitation that has lead only to oppression, violence, and war. Students with interests in contemporary history, philosophy, politics, economics, sociology and/or activism are encouraged to participate. Course requirements include classroom participation, short essays, and a final paper. 4hr. 4cr. (U)

20th Century Revolutions in the Americas

The mid-to-late 20th century in Latin America and the Caribbean was no less turbulent than in the North. Throughout the Americas during this period, leftists were insisting upon the redress of a number of sociocultural ills. In response to their demands, the more conservative, or “right-wing” elements—the Church, the military, the upper classes—often supported military coups as a bulwark against the perceived threat of communism. The unrest was further fueled by the interference of two important Cold War combatants: the United States, and the Soviet Union, often represented in the region by Cuba. This course will closely examine “case studies” of several mid-to-late 20th century revolutions in the Americas, one in South America, one in Central America, one in the Caribbean, and one in North America. The history leading up to each will be closely examined. The revolution itself will be explored through the best sources for each, including but not limited to: Liberation Theology, art, Theatre of the Oppressed, novels, poetry, film, political theory, philosophy, and the law. Regular participation in the Discussion Board threads on the Blackboard course site, as well as a final project will be requirements of the course. 4 hr.; 4 cr. (W)(U)

Race and Beauty

The late great Hip-hop M.C., Notorious B.I.G. said, “black and ugly as ever, however”. B.I.G.’s “however”, represents a position of contention with contemporary popular standards, and for us an opportunity to explore how “attractiveness” is racialized. Race and beauty are very popular topics in the U.S., yet there are few attempts to understand how often they converge and inform our perceptions of each other, and our political and economic systems. Throughout the term, we will seriously examine the aesthetic values we attribute to common indicators of beauty and race, such as hair, complexion, and body types. This course will include various academic disciplines and methodologies, but will privilege the intellectual contributions of Black feminist scholars who more often engage these subjects because of how frequently they impact the lives of black women. This class will also specifically address such terms as “metro-sexual”, and where and how men enter discussions on race and beauty. 4 hr. 4cr. (W)(U)

American Indian Films

This course covers a history of American Indian films beginning with Indians as subjects, to the present day where they are now the accomplished film makers. Beginning with Edison's silent film projector that began the movie house industry with a single peephole projector called a Kinetoscope, we begin with silent anthropological studies of Indians, through the "Noble Savage" years of the early 1900s, to the "Blood Thirsty Savage" years of the post-depression and World Wars era, to the eighties where Indian films had to have a white savior POV, and finally to today's films created by American Indians about themselves, a truly revolutionized genre. Every Friday evening we screen films, students keep a journal reflecting on the impact of every film, and write two in depth reviews of at least two of the screened films. Important guest speakers frequent the class along with significant visits to the neighboring National Museum of the American Indian. 4 hr., 4cr. (W)(U)

The Global City on Film

At the dawn of the Machine Age in the late 1800s – right around the time that motion pictures were just being invented – less than 10% of the world’s population was urban. By the year 2009, humanity had reached an important tipping point: for the first time ever, more than half of the world’s people dwelled in cities. This has been a remarkably rapid and radical transformation of the way we live, perhaps unparalleled in history, and movies have been around to document this great migration while it happened. Films have often celebrated the rise of the city and its promise of opportunity, but they’ve also found much to criticize. This course will explore a wide range of issues – economic, social, cultural and environmental - relating to urbanization and urban design. Some films we are likely to look at, among others, are: Berlin: Symphony of a Great City; Man With a Movie Camera; Metropolis; “A Bronx Morning”; The City; Chronicle of a Summer; Calcutta; Blade Runner; La Ciudad; The Unforeseen; Manufactured Landscapes; Pruitt-Igoe; Detropia; Lost Rivers; Urbanized; and Surviving Progress. Students should expect required outside viewing on the internet every second or third week 4 hr. 4 cr. (W)(U)

Women's Rights as Human Rights

This course is a critical exploration of the history and discourse of women’s human rights from a global perspective. In readings, lectures, and class discussion, we will consider the theoretical reframing of women’s rights as human rights from an interdisciplinary perspective. A central part of the course will evaluate the efficacy of applications of human rights issues to particular gendered arenas of violence and agency. We will take into consideration how the history of colonialism, euro-centrism, patriarchalism, and neoliberalism contribute to the structures that shape women’s lives. Taking a non-normative, critical, and interdisciplinary approach, our goal is to rethink the assumptions, challenges, and potential of cross-cultural perspectives in negotiating gender as a human right. 4 hr. 4 cr. (W)(U)

Medical Aspects of Disability

This course will provide an overview of the Medical Aspects of Disabilities with a perspective on how it correlates with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. In addition to surveying the diagnosis and treatment, such as disabling conditions seen in AIDS/HIV, Traumatic Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury, it will reflect advancements in medical care for specific disabling conditions as well as changes in forces that impact the delivery of that care. This course will examine Social Work in Physical Medicine, Stroke, The Computer Revolution, Disability and Assistive Technology, and Chronic Pain among others. It will examine the many conditions and topics that affect people with physical, developmental, and cognitive disabilities. The students will learn the most useful and updated information on the vast array of disabling conditions afflicting millions of people and how they are best addressed and impacted by our current health care system. Lastly, we will examine how economic and political forces continually challenge the delivery of care to people with disabilities. Previous course work in Disabilities Studies is strongly recommended. 4 hr., 4 cr. (U)

Digital Media and Society

Digital media has become part and parcel of our daily lives, as well as an active agent of social and institutional change, altering the very nature of government, education, health, the news, and labor. This course will introduce students to the history of digital technologies, including the Internet, Web 2.0 platforms and social media, and the “smart” phone and will locate these histories within a sociological framework, asking and answering the question: What “social effects” did these technologies bring about? This class will explore both macro and micro issues, including issues of inequality, digital social movements and community formation, digital labor, surveillance, race and gender online, and digital social interactions. By conducting an ongoing ethnography of our own digital media behavior, such as our “likes” on Facebook, the prevalence of email at work, or the use of a Learning Management System in your classroom, this class will explore the social meaning, value, and agency of our digital lives. This course will be taught as a hybrid course, with some work done online, across various media platforms including Wordpress, Blackboard, Email, Twitter or Facebook, and Text Messaging. While our class will include tutorials to these platforms, which we will critically engage and analyze, it is recommended that students have basic computer skills and reliable access to the Internet to complete the class. 4 hr., 4 cr. (W)(U)

Contemporary Cinema of the Americas

This summer course will be almost entirely online *except for the week of The Americas Film Festival of New York (www.taffny.com, June 15-22, 2024), organized by the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Center of Worker Education in collaboration with various cultural organizations in New York. Students will be expected to be in New York during the Festival and will be required to attend at least 4 Festival films, as well as view other films as assigned by the instructor. The course will look at cinema released since the year 2000 from Argentina, Canada, Haiti, and Mexico, although students may write their final papers on another national cinema and/or examine an aspect of cinema more transnationally and/or interdisciplinarily. Course topics will include the social, political, and/or legal circumstances that contribute to cinematic production in these four countries; laws (or lack thereof), which protect cinematic production in these countries (the “Cultural Exception” at the United Nations, GATT, NAFTA, UNESCO); labor unions that work to protect laborers involved in cinema (ie. actors, cinematographers, screenwriters); “human rights” as a critical category to screen recent cinematographic production available to English-speaking audiences; and basic cinematographic vocabulary and methodologies for analyzing and writing about film. 4 hr. 4 cr. (W)(U)

Autism Spectrum Disorders in Young Children

This course will help participants understand the characteristics of young children with autism spectrum disorders, the effects of having a child with autism in the family, parental roles, and intervention approaches designed to meet the special needs of this population. 4hr.; 4cr. (W)(U) This class counts toward the Developmental Disabilities Certificate Program.

Women and Work

This course will examine the impact of women workers on contemporary U.S. society and the role of work in women’s lives. Women are most unlike male workers because they have two work sites: in the paid labor force and in the household. This course will focus on the intersection, conflicts and tensions within as well as between these work sites. The primary goal of the course is to provide students with the ability to understand the social, economic and historical contexts of their lives as workers. 4 hrs.; 4 crs. (W)(U)

Contemporary Issues in Family Health

Unhealthy food is available everywhere. Fast-food chains, and liquor stores, are on almost every block; and soda machines, vending machines, are claiming the lives of our children by promoting unhealthy eating. This is the first time in history when we have had to worry about the health of children under 12 years of age, and the development of high rates of diabetes, obesity and heart attacks. This course will take a look at how the food industry undermines our health and what we can do to fight back. 4 hr.; 4 cr. (W) (U)

Intro to Developmental Disabilities

This course will provide an overview of the field of developmental disabilities. The perspective is interdisciplinary, and in addition to surveying the nature, diagnosis and treatment of such disorders as intellectual disability, autism, epilepsy, learning disabilities, and cerebral palsy, related areas such as legal ramifications and advocacy will be studied. This introductory course is recommended for workers in the area of developmental disabilities, paraprofessionals in the public school system (especially in Special Education), and others interested in learning about developmental disabilities. 4 hr.; 4 cr. (W)(U) (Developmental Disabilities Certificate Program)

Drugs: Their History & Sociology

This course explores the epidemiology of illicit drug dependence and substance abuse treatments from a public health rather than a criminal justice perspective. Includes survey of scientific methods, and policy debates current in this field. Requires one or more site visits, and a research paper. Pre-req: IAS 24200 recommended. 4 hrs.; 4 crs. (W)(U)

Issues for Adults with Developmental Disabilities

This course will identify critical issues confronting developmentally disabled adults, and will survey strategies for coping with these challenges. Case methodology will be used to discuss problems and techniques that arise in work, family or community situations. Intended primarily for practitioners in the field. Pre-req.: IAS 31235 or permission. 4 hr.; 4 cr. (W)(U) This class counts toward the Developmental Disabilities Certificate Program.

Brooklyn

This course will survey the literature of one of New York City’s most diverse boroughs, Brooklyn. The course will begin with a selection of essays written by the philosopher Henri Lefebvre having to do with what he calls “the production of space,” and academic essays written by a number of geographers on issues such as landmarking, zoning, immigration, and gentrification. A selection from Jane Jacobs’ The Death and Life of Great American Cities will also be included. We will then begin the literary component of the course by reading Walt Whitman’s poem, “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” (the Brooklyn Bridge was not completed until 1883), and follow with novels encompassing as many neighborhoods in Brooklyn as possible within the timeframe, including Flatbush in Paule Marshall’s Brown Girl, Brownstones, Boerum Hill/Downtown Brooklyn in Jonathan Letham’s The Fortress of Solitude, Vinegar Hill and “South Brooklyn” in Colm Tóibín’s Brooklyn: A Novel, and Williamsburg in Betty Smith’s inimitable classic, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Historical research through the extensive on-line archive of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle will accompany most of the reading for the course, and a long walk through Brooklyn on an early spring Saturday is a distinct possibility. 4hr., 4cr. (W) (U)

Listening to The City

How do you experience the city? Do you "tune-out" with headphones, lose yourself in your smartphone, or simply put your head down, speed walk, and shut out the world with your own internal conversations? In this class students will learn to break through these habitual barriers to experience and reacquaint themselves with their city through their bodies, mainly through listening. There are many artistic, ecological and even political concerns that listening provides access to — specifically in urban environments — and students will engage their oft-neglected sense of hearing to experience the sounds and sonic contours of New York City. Students will read texts from the fields of cultural studies, acoustic ecology, economics, musicology, philosophy, art, and art criticism to develop a broad view of the various types of practices that engage our ear and our bodies. Students will actively listen to various locations throughout the city and work on projects that document their experiences through expository and creative writing, audio recording and through photography (and/or video) while engaging with critical texts that place their activities into historical, cultural, artistic and political contexts. 4 hrs., 4 crs.

Latin American Cinema

This course is a survey of the historical development of Latin American Cinema. This semester, we will specifically concentrate in the study of comedies that reflect on the immigrant experience. A discussion on laughter, humor, parody and irony will interlock with a deep analysis of the "structures of feeling" reflected in each film. What is funny? What is not funny? Does humor expire? Is it possible to export humor? Is there a level of truthfulness and social criticism in comedy? In this course we will discuss the real "Nacho Libre"-- and will be acquainted with Cantinflas, the "Mexican Chaplin". The Dominican character of "Valbuena" will be contrasted with "Carlos Benjumea", his Colombian counterpart. All the films will be dubbed or subtitled in English. 4 hrs.; 4 crs. (W)(U)

Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights movement is rightly viewed as a turning point in American history and politics. Yet to grasp its significance, we need to examine today’s “official” memory of the movement in the light of its real evolution, social and international context, internal debates and controversies. The course will begin by examining present-day representations of the movement, the construction of American racial ideology and the contested legacy of Reconstruction, together with current issues like Katrina and Jena that highlight its relevance. We will look at key international and domestic events contributing to the movement’s evolution (Great Migration, Harlem Renaissance, WWII, Cold War, Vietnam) and the shifts in philosophies, strategies and outlook, from early debates between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois, the emergence of the NAACP and Urban League, to the emergence of Martin Luther King, CORE, Malcolm X, SNCC, Black Power and the Black Panthers. We will also discuss often-overlooked issues such as the role of women leaders like Ella Baker, Fannie Lou Hamer and Assata Shakur; how the movement changed when it moved North; its interaction with African independence movements; and its important cultural dimension. Students’ participation will include reading, watching a number of films, at least one class presentation, short reaction papers and a research paper. 4hrs. 4crs. (U)

Internships in Developmental Disabilities

For eligible students who wish to supplement classroom study with supervised experience in the field. Students whose jobs involve the developmentally disabled may arrange to complete the work at their places of employment. All placements subject to approval. Bi-Weekly meetings with a faculty member are mandatory. Pre-reqs.: IAS 31235 & IAS 31240. 4 hrs.; 2 crs. (U)

Disability Through The Personal Lens

This course studies the biographies and autobiographies of persons with disabilities. We will explore narratives and memoirs from the early twentieth century up through twenty first century self-authored blogs written by persons with disabilities and their family members. 4hr., 4 cr. (W)(U) This class counts toward the Developmental Disabilities Certificate Program.

Digital Photography

This course is an introduction to digital photography. It is focused on using the digital camera to achieve creative and well-crafted photographs. Weekly assignments will challenge you to photograph a variety of themes, and to select and present images that are interesting, engaging and that express your unique way of seeing. We will also develop an appreciation for photography as art. Through selected readings and weekly viewing of photographs, we will become familiar with photography as a means of capturing images that conveying meaningful content, thought-provoking concepts, and a "photographic aesthetic." Included will be discussion of cameras, camera operation and software that is used to maximize image enhancement, editing, and output. Your photographs will be shown and critiqued in class. You will also assemble a final portfolio of printed works at the end of the course. A digital Point-and-Shoot camera, or a Digital Single-Lens Reflex camera (DSLR), which is capable of extensive manual settings, a portable flash drive and access to a computer are required. 4 hrs.; 4 cr. (U)

Inclusion: Principles in Practice

A growing number of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) who were previously placed in segregated school settings are being educated in general education classrooms. Effectively educating students with ASDs requires an understanding of their unique social, communicative and behavioral challenges. This course will include a study of the history of special education and inclusion, legal issues related to appropriate education, fostering social development and communication, instructional and classroom management strategies, staff training and the collaboration between home and school. 4hrs. 4cr. (W)(U)

Childhood Poverty

This course uses an interdisciplinary framework to examine the issues of poverty as they impact children around the world. The primary objectives of the course include 1.) providing students with opportunities to understand and analyze the impact of poverty over time; 2.) examining the ways in which countries leverage social policy to combat poverty; and 3.) exploring the psychological and social effects of poverty on children and youth. Special topics include the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, child labor, international trade agreements, and the impact of poverty on institutions that serve children such as schools, healthcare institutions, and leisure/recreation facilities. 4hr.,4 cr (W)(U)

Between Heaven and Hell: The History of Utopian and Dystopian Thought

This advanced, interdisciplinary course examines the historical legacies and contemporary relevance of utopian and dystopian thought. Stretching from Plato’s Republic through Thomas Moore’s Utopia and Francis Bacon’s New Atlantis, all the way up Edward Bellamy’s Looking Backward and the “cyber-utopianism,” as Evgeny Morozov has called it, of Silicon Valley today, utopian thought is a vast and varied phenomenon. Its aspirations have informed philosophical and political treatises, mobilized social movements, and borrowed deeply into popular culture. The same could be said for its shadow discourse, dystopianism, which in the current age of global warming, refugee crises, and a resurgent neo-fascism, has gone from being the purview of science fiction to the stuff of newspaper headlines. The eerie contemporary relevance of Margaret Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale is a case in point. Highlighting the ways in which utopian and dystopian works have expressed both our highest hopes and our basest fears—about society, technology, and the environment, among other things—this course shows how speculative thought interacts with real-world contexts and consequences. It will demonstrate how utopian and dystopian ideas more often reflect this world than the one that is to come. Students with interests in history, literature, and philosophy, as well as those interested in any of the social movements that have been connected to utopian and dystopian discourses—such as progressivism, feminism, anti-racism—are encouraged to attend. 4 hr. 4 cr. (W)(U)

Gentrification Globalized

“The right to the city is far more than the individual liberty to access urban resources: it is the right to change ourselves by changing the city. It is, moreover, a common rather an individual right since this transformation inevitably depends upon the exercise of a collective power to reshape the processes of urbanization. The freedom to make and remake our cities and ourselves is, I want to argue, one of the most precious yet most neglected of human rights.” (Harvey 2008, 23) We live above all in an urban world, one marked by spatial, economic and racial segregation as well as political and cultural suppression and displacement. This course examines gentrification both from a theoretical and an advocacy perspective. Gentrification and displacement are not only threatening the right to the city of working class and even middle-class New Yorkers, who are being evicted and excluded from neighborhoods across the city by an apparently natural, economic, process of transformation. Gentrification and displacement are a global phenomenon, and they are the symptoms of planning strategies implemented through public-private policy partnerships. Public officials, real estate lobbying groups, private consulting firms, and financial institutions as well as “gentrifiers” play active roles in the redevelopment schemes that have restructured central cities and urban neighborhoods across the country, indeed across the world. In this course, we will examine various definitions of gentrification in order to unpack a word we seem to hear everywhere but whose meaning has been transformed, especially in the media, to obscure the relationship between gentrification and displacement and to obscure the actors advocating for, leading or supporting gentrification processes. Gentrification has not gone uncontested. We will explore resistance to gentrification from the local neighborhood perspective as well as investigate the linkages organizers have created to build trans-local and international organizing efforts, especially around the right to the city and the right not to be excluded from the city. 4 hr. 4 cr (W)(U)

Youth Literature: Theories and Reading Practices Among Children and Young Adults

The goal of this course is to counter misconceptions that youth are no longer reading. Most importantly, by the end of the course, students will be able to identify specific criteria that help them to gauge which books and/or graphic novels are appropriate for varying-aged youth. As such, this course is geared as much towards teachers and parents as it is towards those who love, but also struggle to read. For interestingly, half of Young Adult (“YA”) readers are adults. Drawing on both canonical theoretical texts around psychology of children and young adults (i.e. J.A. Appleyard; J. Campbell; S. Edwards; E. Erikson; M. Montessori; P. Freire; J. Piaget), but also more recent work (i.e. C. Ní Bhroin and P. Kennon; G. Mendes; M. Weiner; C. del Valle Schorske), students shall determine why certain novels attract young adults’ attention and why others do not. We also look at how certain books seem to work for a wide range of young adult readers: how despite outside appearances, they deal quite poignantly with intersectional questions of social class, gender, and race. As a fully online course, all the courses are conducted online. The final online class periods are dedicated to reporting the results of a “book fair,” using either Facebook, Wordpress, Padlet, or another online venue that allows for both text and image. Also, part of this online presence shall be creating two ideas for attracting young adults, either in a class, or in the general public to reading the chosen prize-winning works.4 hr., 4cr. (W)(U)

Disability Narratives

Nothing About Us Without Us is the motto of the Disability Rights Movement, yet disabled people have historically been among the most overlooked and discriminated against groups in society. But times are changing, and disabled activists, students, artists, actors, writers, etc. have fought for the right to claim their differences proudly and demand full representation and participation. The works we will look at in this course will raise those voices, and ask important questions about identity and difference, representation, and freedom. We will discuss “disability” as a social construction and challenge concepts of “normal.” Through first-person literary and nonfiction texts we will explore how disability is imagined and reimagined by disabled people, and the ways that disability intersects with other aspects of identity such as race, class, gender, and sexuality. Brace yourself: Revolutions are born out of oppression and violence and the readings for this course can be as vulgar and brutal as they are beautiful and empowering. Together we’ll sort through it all to find relevance. 4 hr. 4 cr. (W)(U)

Intro to Social Welfare Policy and Practice

This course will provide an introduction to the role that policy plays in social work and social service delivery systems. This course provides an overview of the history of social welfare institutions and programs with a focus on political and economic foundations of social welfare, the connection between micro, mezzo, and macro practice and the ways they connect to policy practices and changes. We will explore Policy development and analysis in pursuit of social and economic justice. 4 hr. 4 cr. (W)(U)

Children and Public Policy

Children are unique in the public policy realm of the United States as a group who are deeply affected by policies but especially unable to have a voice in the policy process and decision-making. This course will examine the primary policies dedicated to protecting children and their well-being across domains, including education, health, and family support/child protection. These will be examined from both the federal and local levels,with an emphasis on the policy process and opportunities for policy advocacy and change. 4 hrs.; 4 crs. (W)(U)

Youth and the Right to the City: Planning, Participation, Urban Design

Young people, especially adolescents, are often pathologized, ignored and left out of the design and political life of cities. In this course, we will center the right to the city of youths and explore how we might design not just child-friendly but youth-friendly cities. We will define what we mean by “the right to the city” and how we center young people in the struggle for the right to the city. Major topics will include, but will not be limited to: youth culture, street art and graffiti; LGBTQ youth and the right to the city; youth social movements; urban culture, space and skateboarding; teenagers, sense of place and belonging, youth and participatory research; as well as youth participation in urban planning. 4 hr.; 4 cr.(W)(U)

Inventing the Americas (Graduate)

This course offers an interdisciplinary introduction to the study of the Americas. It examines some of the ways in which the Americas have been constructed, defined, and redefined since the time of Columbus (and before). Touching upon some of the topics that have come to define the history of the Americas, students will discuss the science(s) of exploration; the imaginaries of the new world and the old; the politics and economics of empire and colonialism; the cruelties of invasion, conquest, and slavery; the transformations of ecology and biology; the contours of nationalism and transnationalism; as well as the more recent phenomenon of globalization. Open only to students accepted into the M.A. in the Study of the Americas program. 3 hr.; 3 cr. (G)

Graduate Research Methodology (Graduate)

This course will trace the changing definition of American Studies, originating as a field of study with a focus primarily on the United States to projects spanning both American continents. Students will study the field’s relationship to twentieth-century social movements and related theoretical categories, including Marxist theory, cultural studies, feminist theory, post- colonial theory, and ethnic studies. They will learn the various research techniques necessary to produce graduate-level writing in their courses in the Study of the Americas. Students will choose a topic, develop a research agenda, conduct interdisciplinary research, and write a final paper of 15-20 pages. Open only to students accepted into the M.A. in the Study of the Americas program. 3 hr,; 3 cr. (G)

Populism and Popular Culture in the Americas (Graduate)

This course explores the symbiotic relation between political populism and the emergence of national and transnational popular culture(s) in the Americas. Following Garcia Canclini’s concept of economic citizenship, and Ernesto Laclau’s visions on Populism as an articulatory form, this course focuses on revealing the economic and political aspects that constitute both cultural practices and products in the Americas. The class discussions and readings will provide the theoretical framework while the students concentrate in studying cultural practices or products of their own choosing. 3 hrs.; 3 cr. (G)

Musics of the Americas (Graduate)

Music of the Americas will present a survey of selected styles of Latin America music including the classical and popular traditions and will consider its native, African, and European heritage. Each session will be dedicated to discussing one genre or style (such as son, cumbia, tango, bolero, samba, corrido, Latin jazz etc.) through guided listening of relevant recordings, pertinent readings, and screening of videos. In addition, the course will present the relevant theoretical issues pertinent to those musical styles, including perspectives that shed light on ethnic identities, gender issues, migration, and diaspora questions. Weekly assignments will include listening and readings. A term paper and a class presentation will also be required. 3 hr,; 3 cr. (G)

Inequality and Social Mobility in the Americas (Graduate)

This course will review the history and evidence of inequality and social mobility worldwide, The first part of the class will focus on rising concerns of income and wealth inequality in the United States and policy preferences. The second part of the class will focus on social mobility. We will review the existing literature on social mobility and draw a comparison around the world. We will then focus specifically on evidence from the Americas. We will examine the determinants of social mobility, such as race, place, and education. This course will also focus on the role of higher education in determining social mobility and the long-term impact on policy and governance. 3 hrs, 3 cr. (G)

Literary Landscapes of Slavery and Freedom (Graduate)

The story of the African Diaspora in the Americas is circumscribed by the Transatlantic slave trade. This course will look at the stories of slavery and its aftermaths across the Americas, paying attention to the journeys taken, by force or by choice, within and across countries, oceans, seas, and continents. We will also take into account journeys that enabled formerly enslaved people and their descendants to resist the totalizing trauma of slavery and imagine a different life for themselves and their families. We will begin with the classic slave narrative, which traces the journey from bondage to freedom. We will then turn to contemporary novels, poetry, and essays that illustrate both the physical and psychic consequences of slavery as well as the power of community and the power of imagination to create healing spaces, out of which new stories can emerge. To deepen our readings of the literary works, we will also read recent scholarship that explores the global resonance of the afterlives of slavery. 3 hr. 3 cr. (G)

Contemporary Ethnographic Film in the Americas

Transitions may be the most constant feature of everyday life. With endless uncertainties that are exacerbated by political turmoil, pandemic unpredictability, and climate crisis, our quotidian experiences are steeped in mutability. Transitions present us with both challenges and opportunities, not only in our everyday lives but also in our work. Within the word transition, emphasizing the prefix trans opens up avenues of thought that celebrate the in-betweenness of our state of being. Rather than focusing on the pressures to move on to the next thing (to be post-COVID, post-racial, post-colonial, as it may), tarrying in transition helps us to appreciate the difficult path toward restoring healthy relationships. This includes but is not limited to transnationalism, trans identities, transitivity, transdisciplinarity, translanguaging, transparency, transhumanism, transluminescence, translation, transliteration, transcendence, transfusion, and transmutation." (SVAFF 2023) We will spend class time viewing and discussing the latest and greatest ethnographic films as presented at the Society for Visual Anthropology Film Festival 2023 in Toronto with students defining their own personal point of view on what this word means in the context of each film— in Transition. 3 hr. 3 cr. (G)

Mathematics for the Contemporary World

Bombarded by statistics, assailed by advertisers and advocates of all persuasions, the average person needs mathematics to make sense of the world. This course aims to give students the tools needed to critically examine the quantitative issues of our times. Students will learn the basics of logical reasoning, the use of graphs and algebra to create quantitative models, and the role of statistics and probability in analyzing data. We will apply these ideas to assess the quantitative claims raised in contemporary case studies commonly discussed in the media. Students must obtain and learn how to use a calculator that contains square root and exponential (y*) keys. The use of a cell phone as a calculator is not permitted. Students should bring their calculators to class every day. Attendance and class participation will be considered in the determination of the course grade. Class exams will contain questions that require students' answers be presented graphically and in correct, meaningful sentences. 4 hr.; 4 cr.

Quantitative Reasoning

Investigation of the basis for elementary operations in concrete situations, diagrams, and symbolic representation. Understanding of, and problem-solving in, the following areas: numerical operations, ratios and percents, linear and exponential growth in situations, formulas and graphs; rates of change; mensurational geometry; units, dimension, and scaling. Co-Req.: Mandatory Workshop. Required for Early Childhood Education majors. 4 hr.; 4 cr.

Basic Ideas in Math

Sets, operations with sets, relations, functions, construction of number systems, numerical systems with different bases, topics in number theory, geometry. Required for Early Childhood Education majors. Pre-Req: Math 18004 or equivalent course. 4 hr.; 4 cr.

Intro to Media Studies

This media survey course aims to acquaint students with the various mass media and support industries. In the first half of the semester, students look at newspapers, magazines, radio, TV, film, advertising and public relations from an historic, technological, economic and social perspective. In the second half of the semester, they focus on more general issues, such as who owns the media, the media's effect on audience, and laws governing the media. (This expanded version of the introductory MCA course includes instruction in research and writing ordinarily given in a second term introductory course). Pre-req.: IAS 10000-10100 or equiv. 4 hr.; 4 cr. (W)

Introduction to Advertising

The fundamentals of the advertising industry. Students analyze advertising campaigns from a marketing viewpoint and evaluate media placement, audience, message and overall effectiveness of the visual and written components. Advertising strategies are explored and utilized as students develop an advertising campaign on an assigned topic. Pre-req: IAS/CWE 10000/10100 & MCA 10104. 4 hrs.; 4 crs. (W)(U)

Children in Film

This course will explore a wide range of challenges facing children around the world. Specifically, we'll look at the way these issues have been portrayed in films, past and present, both in fiction and in documentary. We'll consider the power of the medium of film to help us understand these issues, as well as its limitations. Topics will include adult caregiving (or the lack of it); poverty; homelessness; substance abuse; domestic abuse; child labor; children in times of war; and children with special learning challenges (blindness; deafness; autism; emotional disorders, etc.). Even when the subject might seem at first glance gloomy, we'll find much to give us hope because these are, after all, movies about children and the possibilities for the future. Recommended for students with concentrations in Childhood Studies, Disabilities Studies, Social Welfare, Global Labor Studies, and Literary, Media, and Visual Arts. 4 hrs.; 4 crs. (W)(U)

Reporting and Writing

Instruction and practice in the basic techniques of reporting, including, interviewing and public affairs research, and writing news for mass audiences. It includes discussions on libel, freedom of information, fairness, and balance. Assignments involve real people and events. Pre-req.: MCA 23304 or permission of advisor. 4 hrs.: 4 crs. (W).

Latin Popular Music

Course Description forthcoming.

Justice and Society

This course has two primary goals: First, it will serve as a comprehensive introduction to political philosophy with a special emphasis on issues of freedom, equality, property, and justice. We will consider some seminal questions from the history of political philosophy, e.g., What is justice? How do we create just political institutions? How do we change unjust institutions? To help us answer these questions, we will draw upon major arguments in both classical and contemporary philosophical literature. The second goal of this course will be to help students develop philosophical skills more generally. Students will learn how to generate original philosophical arguments, and how to construct those arguments clearly and effectively. 4 hrs.; 4 crs. (W)(U)

Applied Ethics

This course focuses on moral reflection and on answering the question “Why be moral?” It includes an introductory survey of ethical theory, with an emphasis on testing the theory as it applies to particular cases, and readings from literature that highlight moral decision-making, as well as readings from contemporary work in the field of Applied Ethics. Critical analysis of moral issues and dilemmas as they arise in various professions and everyday situations. 4 hr.; 4 cr. (W)

Intro to Public Policy

A course on what governments do and in what political, social, and economic contexts. Models of the formulation, legitimation and implementation of domestic policies in such areas as health, welfare, education, civil rights, crime and the environment. Pre-req: PSC 10104. 4 hrs.; 4 crs.

New York Politics

The government and politics of New York City and State. An analysis of the process, values and problems of contemporary New York and of the relationship between the City and rest of the State. 4 hrs.; 4 crs.

Psychology of Disability

A familiarization with the personal and interpersonal aspects of physical disability. It will discuss concepts from substantive areas of psychology: physiological, cognitive, developmental, personality, social, and clinical; and show how they can aid in our understanding of handicapped individuals and their families. Pre-req.: PSY 10204. 4 hr.; 4 crs. (Developmental Disabilities Certificate Program) (W)(U)

Psychology of Human Sexual Behavior

Sexual behavior, attitudes, developments, and the consequences of the behavior are examined from a psychological perspective. Topics include historical and cross-cultural viewpoints, theories of human sexuality, gender roles, sexual dysfunction, sexual preference, psychological development of adult sexuality and aging sexuality. Pre-req.: PSY 10204. 4 hr.; 4 crs (W) (U)

Introduction to Human Development: Infancy and Childhood

Topics include genetic considerations; prenatal development; the characterisics of the neonate; cognitive processes; languaged development; personality changes; early socialization; moral development. Prereq: PSY 10204. 4 hr.; 4 crs.

Social Psychology

Fundamental concepts and methods used in the investigation of attitude and attitude change, prejudice, socialization, communication, groups, conformity and other topics. Issues will be studied in the light of theory, research and relevant social problems. Pre-req: PSY 10204. 4 hr.; 4 crs. (W)

Abnormal Psychology

The description of various psychological disorders. Through the study of these disturbances the course gives insight into the general nature of personality functioning. Case material is presented. Pre-requisite: PSY 10204. 4 hr.; 4 crs.

Psychological Testing

Types of tests (intelligence, achievement and aptitude) will be discussed in terms of their validity and reliability. Theories about inheritance of intelligence and alleged racial differences in I.Q. will be examined; we will also discuss the use of psychological tests from pre-school to the SAT and the GRE, for hiring and promotion in the private sector and civil service, and their social and legal consequences. Pre-req.: PSY 10204. 4 hr.; 4 cr. (W)(U)

Psychology of Women

This course explores the social constructions, theories and research that have resulted in a psychology of women. It includes the biological, developmental, social and cultural aspects of femaleness in an historical and contemporary context. Students will be expected to consider and contribute from their own gender-establishing experiences. Pre-req: PSY 10204. 4 hrs.; 4 crs. (W) (U)

Psychology of Parenting

This course offers an opportunity to examine the practice of parenting through an interdisciplinary approach. Students will explore the role of parenting and parenting styles as well as the effects of particular parenting strategies on social, physical, emotional, cognitive and overall growth and development. Cultural differences in beliefs regarding child rearing will also be discussed. Pre-requisite PSY 10200 or equivalent. 4 hr. 4 cr, (W)(U)

Family Relationships

Sociological explanations of how and why husband/wife, parent/child, and other family relationships have varied, historically and today, in the United States and around the world. How sociological research can contribute to understanding and making informed choices and decisions in family life. 4 hrs.; 4 crs.

Sociology of Education

Analysis of selected social, political and economic forces that influence the school as an institution, and in turn are influenced by the school, especially in urban settings. Special attention to immigrant, bilingual, and language minority groups. Required for Early Childhood Education majors. 4 hrs.; 4 cr. (W)(U)

Introductory Spanish I

An intensive course designed to provide the student with the elements of everyday Spanish. Course consists of 4 hours classroom work and 2 hours of online lab work per week. 6 hrs, 4 cr.

Introductory Spanish II

Development of skills acquired in SPAN 12104. Continued emphasis on oral and written expression. Introduction of modern readings. Course consists of 4 hrs classroom work and 2 hours of online lab work per week. Pre-req.: SPAN 12104 or placement. 6 hr.; 4 cr.

Intermediate Spanish

A one-semester Spanish course at the intermediate level. This course will review the grammar of the Spanish language, enhance vocabulary, and will include literary and cultural readings. It will further develop listening, speaking, reading comprehension, and writing skills through class discussions and the use of multimedia and the Internet. Pre-req.: SPAN 12204 or placement. 4 hrs.; 4 crs.

Foundations of Speech Communication

The distinctive nature of the spoken word and the ways in which it functions in the world. The speech skills required to express ideas and feelings with clarity, sensitivity and force. 4 hr.; 4 cr. (W)

Intro to Women’s and Gender Studies

An introduction to issues that arise when women's lives and gender roles become the focus of critical inquiry. How do different societies and academic disciplines define women? How do women's experiences vary in relation to factors such as race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, age and nationality? How have women resisted, adapted to, and transformed "women's space" in the United States and elsewhere? 4 hr.; 4 cr. (W)