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BSAD 397 | INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

This course provides students with an introduction to international business, presenting views from both the home and host country perspectives through examination of various international business topics. Students will learn the basics of international trade and the international economy and explore international dimensions of business disciplines as well as cross-cultural management. Students will examine how declining trade and investment barriers, rapid advancements in information and communication, and transparent technologies have contributed towards the globalization of a world economy.

Credits | 3

CHEM 397 |  ADVANCED SCIENTIFIC COMPUTING

This course covers the use of the Python programming language for the processing, analysis and visualization of experimental scientific data and simulations in chemistry. This course teaches students to program in Python and to use a variety of scientific computing Python libraries for tasks such as machine learning, scientific image analysis, automated data processing, chemical simulations, visualizing molecules, and working with big data and databases. A weekly lab is associated with this course that includes a mixture of chemical data collection and computing. No prior programming experience is required.

Credits | 4

Prerequisites | CHEM 202

CIVT 202 | NARRATIVES OF TECHNOLOGY

Stories about technology have been told since ancient times, from the theft of fire by Prometheus to the flight of Daedalus and Icarus. Many of these narratives and their themes continue to emerge in media about technology today. Considering narratives in primarily film and television (e.g. Ghost in the Shell, Ex Machina, Black Mirror), this course will examine the stories we tell about technology, what those narratives reveal about our anxieties and desires, and ultimately, what it means to be human. We will apply theory on artificial intelligence and transhumanism and reflect on how figures from Greco-Roman mythology—including Pygmalion, Narcissus, and Oedipus—illuminate these issues.

Credits | 3

CIVT 203 | JUSTICE, DISABILITY AND ILLNESS IN AMERICAN SOCIETY

In this course, we will examine the ways U.S. society both provides and fails to offer equity and justice for those with disabilities and chronic illnesses. We will examine tensions between accommodating the needs of the ill or disabled individual with the pressure for a society to function efficiently by demanding citizens conform to certain standards and norms. To understand this tension, we will look at this issue through a variety of lenses: literary, historical, religious, economic, political, educational, and scientific. We will pay particular attention to how this justice issue plays out in institutions of higher learning.

Credits | 3

CIVT 204 | THE HOLOCAUST: CITIZEN AND THE STATE

The Holocaust, which is known as Shoah in Hebrew, was one of the greatest crimes in human history and it has become a touchstone for the meaning of evil. The Holocaust shows us what we are capable of doing to each other when hatred is allowed to flourish. This course explores the question “how then shall we live?” by studying the rise of the Third Reich, the serial mass murder of innocents, and we will also examine the role of the citizen and the state. What does it mean to live under fascism? What power does an individual have in the face of overwhelming systemic violence? Why did people follow Hitler? What does it mean to survive the camps and try to forge a new life that has meaning? By weaving literature, art, and film into the narrative of the Holocaust, abiding moral and ethical issues will be explored.

Credits | 3

COSC 297 | EXPLORING BIOMETRIC ALGORITHMS

We encounter biometric algorithms frequently in everyday life, although we often don't notice. Using our fingerprints or facial ID to access our phones is one of the more common forms. Facial ID may be used at the airport, certain websites and applications may ask for your typing kinematics, and our written signatures are used to signify we signed a document. This course will explore different biometric applications, how data is obtained, and how to model the data and assess the models using R. This course will also review scoring metrics and their appropriate uses.

Credits | 3

Prerequisites | COSC 210 or COSC 212 or MATH 280 

CRJS 297 A | JUVENILE DELINQUENCY

This course will focus on the functioning and process of the juvenile justice system through a historical and contemporary lens. Topics will include: how juvenile crime is measured, theories of delinquency, pathways and risk factors of delinquency and possible solutions. This course will consider costs and benefits of various actions within the court system. We will also explore prevention programs and rehabilitation options for juvenile delinquents.

Credits | 3

CRJS 297 B | CORRECTIONS AND MASS INCARCERATION

The course will examine the origin and historical framework used in the modern correctional system and the process of sentencing. We will explore the topics of retribution, incapacitation, deterrence, and rehabilitation. This course will look at issues in today's correctional facilities regarding mass incarceration and issues of race, gender, and the aging inmates.

Credits | 3

EXSC 297 |THEORY AND TECHNIQUES FOR POWERLIFTING AND OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING

This course will focus on developing physical literacy for competitive lifts in both powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting, along with various derivatives of squats, presses, deadlifts, snatches, cleans, and jerks. Students can expect to learn these lifts in great detail through hands-on, immersive training sessions where they will learn how to perform, miss safely, and spot these movements safely. Additionally, students will learn how to practice these lifts along basic program design within the health, performance, and fitness-related professions. This course is highly hands-on and interactive, and is not recommended for student-athletes in an in-season sport with missed class due to lots of travel.

Credits | 3

GOVT 297 | MIDDLE EAST POLITICS

This course focuses on issues that are important for understanding the contemporary politics of the Middle East. The course will draw upon the theoretical insights of comparative politics to examine politics in the region. We will examine the persistence of authoritarianism in the Middle East and North Africa, with a focus on institutions that help authoritarian leaders stay in power. We will also examine youth and gender, elections, constitutionalism, social movements, inter- and intra-state conflict, and the rise of terrorism in the region, and it will conclude with an analysis of the Arab Spring.

Credits | 3

HIST 297 | HISTORY OF BEER

This course surveys the cultural, social, and economic history that has shaped the beer we drink today as well as the industry that produces it. The course starts with the Egypt and Mesopotamia where beer was a vital part of daily nourishment and goes to the present where it remains the most consumed alcoholic beverage in the world. Throughout the course we will pay special attention to the changing expectations of who produces and consumes beer.

Credits | 3

PSYC 397 | INTRODUCTION TO PLAY THERAPY

Toys and play enable children to communicate their needs by transferring their anxieties, fears, fantasies, and guilt to objects rather than people. This course provides an in-depth exploration of the field of play therapy, offering a foundational understanding of its principles, techniques, and applications. Designed for individuals interested in working with children, this course delves into the therapeutic use of play as a powerful medium for communication, healing, and growth. Topics covered include: purpose and application of goals in play therapy, therapeutic stages, themes, ethical issues, cross-cultural/diversity implications, basic developmental and neurological implications, processes of assessment, and treatment planning.

Credits | 3

Prerequisite | PSYC 115 or PSYC 210

SOCI 297 | ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIETY

A historical and critical examination of how human societies relate to their ecological habitats.In addition to analyzing the theoretical frameworks of environmental sociology, students will investigate how the current climate crisis is rooted in social, economic, and political transformations in human-ecosystem relations throughout history. Students will also explore topics related to environmental racism, environmental justice, and their own personal and perceptual relationship with the natural world.

Credits | 3

BSAD 397 | Organizational Behavior
Credits | 4

This course explores key behavioral dynamics in management, focusing on the analysis of individual, group, and intergroup relationships across various organizational settings. Students will engage with foundational theories, real-world case studies, and practical managerial applications to understand and address complex behavioral challenges in the workplace.

BSAD 497 | Digital Marketing
Credits | 3

This course introduces students to digital marketing concepts and applications, covering various digital channels and platforms including paid, earned, and owned media. Students will develop skills to create effective digital marketing campaigns, analyze performance metrics, and evaluate online strategies. The curriculum combines lectures, discussions, marketing simulations, and social media projects, allowing students to apply their learning in class to the real world. By course completion, students will be able to plan creative digital marketing campaigns, interpret key performance indicators, and understand the pathway to professional certifications. This course prepares students for the dynamic field of digital marketing in today's business landscape.

CIVT 202 | Jihad, Jesus and Politics: 
Contemporary Muslim-Christian Religious Thought
Credits | 3

What is the connection between Jihad and Jesus? On the one hand, jihad connotes negative meaning as violent behavior, particularly post 9/11. On the other hand, Jesus is often portrayed as the symbol of peace, compassion, and political quietism. This course will study how jihad and Jesus are connected through politics by investigating contemporary Muslim-Christian religious thoughts worldwide. In particular, the analysis will focus on how different Christian and Muslim groups employ religious concepts as the primary lens in constructing political theology and movements. While juxtaposing different Christian and Muslim authors and examining them critically, the course will utilize a comparative method to generate constructive reflections on ethics in today's pluralistic society.

CIVT 203 | History of the American Press
Cross-listed with JOUR 290/HIST 290
Credits | 3

This course offers an examination of the social and philosophical development of American journalism from colonial times (fake news) to the present (“fake news”). Using primary source readings and visual material, the course will examine formal and technological changes within the journalism industry itself, the response of journalism to changes in American society and culture, and how journalism has addressed – and failed to address – issues of criminal, economic, political and social justice amid those changes. Finally, we will consider the future of American journalism in a nation where traditional journalistic ideals of accuracy and truth are increasingly under siege.

CIVT 204 | Freedom and Mass Incarceration
Credits | 3

This course investigates religion and imprisonment, seeing the prison as a site for negotiation of religious identity. We will consider sacred texts and writings from theologians and ethicists for how imprisonment and freedom construct texts and various theologies. Through personal narratives and guest lectures we will investigate the modern American criminal justice system and the faith-based prison reform movement. Questions include: How can religion be used to oppress or control people in prisons? How has religion functioned for transformation within prison? And more! We will seek to elevate our knowledge about the course materials and questions throughout the semester.

MMEN 497 | Multimedia Entrepreneurship Honors
Credits | 3

Students can earn departmental honors in Multimedia Entrepreneurship Honors by demonstrating their professional command in an area of audio production (Pro Tools), digital media management, broadcast technology, and/or video production. The MMEN 497 course focuses on hands-on application of skills under timed or mission-critical conditions.

The honors designation will require completing all of the following:
The Avid Certified | Pro Tools Post Professional credential
The Avid Certified | Pro Tools Music Expert credential and associated hand-on exam
An applied recording / mixing project.

OR

Completing an alternate hands-on practicum/exam/project under the supervision of the program director or a designated faculty member

SPAN 396 | El Poema de mio Cid
Credits | 3
This course explores the story of one of Spain’s most famous heroes, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, more commonly known as The Cid. Through our reading of the medieval epic poem that crystalized his legendary status, our consideration of this earliest example of literature in Spanish will lead us to considering the literary, historical, and other contexts in a search to better understand the text, the Cid and his moment, and his legend.

January Interim (J-Term) 2025

CMDS 397 | Neuroscience of Communication
Credits | 3

Students will explore how human neuroanatomy and neurophysiology support the processes of communication, hearing, and eating/swallowing.  Normal and disordered functions will be discussed.

PSYC 297 | Music, Language and the Brain
Credits | 3

All known human cultures across the globe engage in musical and linguistic activity. Why? Do humans share an innate ability to develop music and language? Are other animals capable of producing music and language? What do we even mean when we say “music” and “language”? This course will investigate the cognitive foundations of music and language, including the relationship between perception and action, the evolution and development of music and language across cultures, and comparative research on the music-like and language-like behaviors of non-human animals. Prerequisite: students must have passed PSYC 115 General Psychology.

SAL 697 | Sports Ethics
Credits | 3

This course provides students the ability to examine a personal and professional conceptual framework as it pertains to ethics in sports. Ethical dilemmas and values promoted through sport will be evaluated through conflicts presented. This course is intended to challenge and develop critical thinking ability through the philosophical and ethical background of sports. The course will cover issues ranging from sportsmanship, parental relations, Title IX, and equity in sports.

SPAN 397 | Race, Gender, Sexuality and Revolution in Cuba
Cross-listed with LALC 397
Credits | 4

This course gives students an opportunity to see for themselves a neighboring country from which we are distant due to a history of political conflict. In three major cities of the island—Havana, Camagüey, and Santiago de Cuba—students will be able to interact with Cuban people from all walks of life, including students, scientists, scholars, artists, musicians, and religious leaders. Students will form their own opinions about Cuban history and society through home stays, discussions, and daily explorations of urban and natural landscapes. Our study of Cuban culture from the perspectives of race, gender, and sexuality helps us uncover similarities and divergences between Cuba and the United States as countries that up to this day are dealing with histories fraught by slavery and racism but are also distinguished by the vibrancy of their mixed cultural heritages.

Locate classes by referring to the following campus building abbreviations:

• HUM = Fryxell Humanities Center
• FSC = Froiland Science Complex
• MC = Madsen Center
• EMC = Edith Mortenson Center
• ELMN = Elmen Center
• CWS = Center for Western Studies