Course Description

In this course, students acquire the writing competence necessary for conducting and presenting research. A variety of assignments, beginning with personal reflections, build upon one another, as students develop ideas that respond to, critique, and synthesize the positions of others. Students systematize and organize knowledge in ways that will help them in all of their courses. The course also emphasizes the elements of good writing style, appropriate grammar and mechanics, clarity of language, and logical and cohesive development. It culminates in submission of a documented research paper.

Course Description

This course is designed to prepare students for Applied Calculus and Discrete Mathematics and to provide the mathematical background needed for the analytic reasoning used in other courses. Topics include functions and their graphs, including exponential and logarithmic functions; complex numbers; systems of equations and inequalities; matrices; basic principles of counting and probability; and other selected topics.

Course Description

This course is designed to meet the needs of the Computer Science Program. Topics include limits, the derivative, rules for differentiation, graphing strategy, optimization problems, differentials, implicit differentiation, related rates, exponential and logarithmic functions, antiderivatives, definite integrals, areas, and methods of integration. Applications are emphasized.

Course Description

This course includes such topics as matrices, solutions of simultaneous linear equations using matrix methods, graphic and simplex solutions to linear programming problems, set theory, counting problems (including permutations and combinations), probability theory (including Bayes' theorem), Markov chains, and the mathematics of finance. Game theory may be discussed if time permits. Applications in business, economics, and management are emphasized.

Course Description

This course introduces the student to statistics with business applications. The course covers both descriptive and inferential statistics. Topics included are: measures of central tendency; measures of dispersion; graphical displays of data; linear regression; basic probability concepts; binomial and normal probability distributions; confidence intervals; and hypothesis testing. These topics will be covered using a basic knowledge of algebra and Microsoft Excel.

Course Description

This course may not be taken by students who previously received calculus credit. Topics include limits, the derivative, rules for differentiation, graphing strategy, optimization problems, differentials, implicit differentiation, related rates, exponential and logarithmic functions, antiderivatives, definite integrals, areas, and methods of integration. Applications in business, economics, and management are emphasized. This course should be taken as soon as possible after acquiring the necessary algebra skills and concepts, preferably within the first 60 hours of any degree program.

Course Description

SCIE 101 is a four credit hour lecture-based course designed to provide the student with a basic knowledge and understanding of inorganic chemistry with a brief introduction to organic chemistry. All topics will emphasize the impact of chemistry in everyday life. Topics include: measurements, atomic structure, periodic classification, chemical equations, solutions, acids, bases, gas laws, types of reactions, bonding, and stoichiometry.

Course Description

SCIE 112 is a four credit hour lecture-based course designed to provide the student with a basic knowledge and understanding of human biology with an emphasis on the impact of science in everyday life. Topics include: chemistry of living things, cell structure and function, genetics and inheritance, cellular reproduction, and the basic anatomy and physiology of major organ systems in the human body.

Course Description

Earth Science is a four credit hour course that consists of three credit hours of lecture and one credit hour of laboratory components. Earth Science is a survey course that provides an overview of geology, meteorology, oceanography, and astronomy. Topics covered will focus on the materials that make up the Earth, the changes that occur both on the surface and in the interior of the Earth, and the forces and processes that are responsible for these changes. In order to pass the course, students must receive an average score of 60% on the laboratory component of the course, in addition to achieving the total number of points prescribed in the syllabus.

Course Description

Environmental Science is a four credit hour course that consists of three credit hour lecture and one credit hour laboratory components. Environmental Science is an introductory course that explores Earth's natural systems and how human activity affects the environment. Topics covered include food and agriculture, population dynamics, urbanization, resource use and depletion, pollution, environmental health, and sustainability. In order to pass the course, students must receive an average score of 60% on the laboratory component of the course, in addition to achieving the total number of points prescribed in the syllabus.

Course Description

Science and Society is a two credit hour lecture based course that seeks to explore and understand the ways that science and technology shape the daily lives of humans. We will examine the nature of science and investigate the current controversies over issues in science and technology, so that informed choices among competing scientific, technological, and political and social priorities can be made.

Course Description

This course is designed to provide the student with a basic knowledge and understanding of medical microbiology. Healthcare applications, microbiological fundamentals, and control of microorganisms are all integrated to assist students in learning microbiology. Topics that will be covered include: types of microorganisms, microbial growth and metabolism, control of microbial populations, and principles of infection and immunity.

Course Description

This course exposes students to the principles, concepts, research methods, and applications of cultural anthropology. Students will be introduced to the wide range of variation in social and institutional arrangements found historically and cross-culturally. From language to gender roles, from bases of social stratification to causes and consequences of conformity, from the simpler life in foraging societies to the seeming-chaos in modern post-industrial societies: students will examine the enormous variation in solutions to the requisites of social life.

Course Description

An introduction to economic theory involving the examination of how decision making by firms and individuals is shaped by economic forces. Emphasis is placed on demand, supply, market equilibrium analysis, and basic market structure models. The invisible hand as the driving force for economic decisions as well as market externalities are discussed. The class concentrates on providing a balanced approach to studying economic agents' behavior and the global implications and outcomes.

Course Description

An introduction to economic theory involving the basic underlying causes and principles of the operation of an economic system. Emphasis is placed on studying the economy as a whole. Issues of inflation, unemployment, taxation, business cycles and growth are discussed in the context of the global economic system.

Course Description

A survey of the various fields of study comprising modern scientific psychology. The course examines the theories, research findings, and applications in each of the major areas of psychology, with the goal of providing students with practice information they can apply to their personal and professional lives. The topic areas covered in the course include learning and memory, motivation and emotion, human development, theories of personality, psychopathology, and social behavior.

Course Description

This course is a systematic study of various theories and approaches to work motivation, with assessments of the research and practice evidence supporting their scientific validity and applicability to the work environment. Students will explore factors that contribute to motivation and strategies that today's manager can use to become a successful motivator.

Course Description

Sociology is the scientific study of group behavior - whether the groups are dyads, small groups, associations, bureaucracies, societies, publics, aggregates, social movements, or mobs, etc. This introductory course introduces the student to sociological principles and theoretical perspectives that facilitate understanding the norms, values, structure and process of the various types of groups into which people organize. The course focuses on applying the scientific method to studying social problems (e.g. poverty, crime, sexism and racism) and basic institutions (i.e. family, government, economy, religion, education). Students will develop their "sociological imagination" as a way of understanding what their lives are and can be in relation to the larger social forces at work in local, national, and international environments.

Course Description

The course examines the complex political and legal environment of public administration. Students learn how politics, law and the structure and principles of American government impact citizens, public policy, and the administration of public and nonprofit organizations. Students apply fundamental political theories and administrative law principles in administrative contexts. Students pursuing the Public Administration major should take this course prior to beginning their specialization course work.

Course Description

The goal of this course is to help you improve as a critical, logical thinker. You will be introduced to the art of formulating and assessing arguments according to the standards of logical thinking and critical analysis. You will discover how to apply these valuable skills to your studies and everyday life, learning how to overcome obstacles to critical thinking, and how to avoid being deceived by means of misleading reasoning.

Course Description

The goal of this course is to help you improve your ethical analysis and reasoning skills. You will be introduced to the art of formulating and assessing ethical arguments according to the standards of logical thinking and critical analysis. In this course, you will discover how to apply the following questions to your job and everyday life. Why do we need ethics if we have laws to govern our behavior? Does the majority view determine what is ethical and what is not? Are feelings, desires, and preferences reliable ethical guides? Is it ever appropriate to criticize another individual's (or culture's) ethical judgment? Are people always responsible for their actions? Do human beings have a natural tendency to good, a natural tendency to evil? both? neither? Is there a single moral code that is binding on all people, at all times, and in all places?

Course Description

A comparative study of the founders, sacred writings, beliefs and practices of some of the major world religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Judaism and Christianity. This course enables the student to study and compare the leading religions of the world in light of their historical and cultural backgrounds. Students will be encouraged to explore faith traditions other than their own. Common themes across religions, spiritual practice, and current related cultural and political issues will also be considered.

Course Description

In this course, students will analyze works from the three major literary genres: poetry, drama, and fiction. Students will become familiar with standard vocabulary and approaches specific to the field of literary criticism and consider the importance of literature in contemporary society. The goal of this course is to encourage students to read for pleasure (engage with the text on an emotional level) while also moving towards a more objective consideration of literature by introducing the fundamentals of close reading and literary analysis.

Course Description

An introductory course that examines basic concepts in popular culture studies and the role popular arts and artifacts play in shaping cultural values. The course covers basic theories and approaches to topics like best sellers, popular music, popular art forms, cultural heroes from the sports and entertainment worlds and other popular phenomena.

Course Description

This course is an introduction to the art of film intended to enable students to become more knowledgeable, appreciative and critical viewers. The course covers the major areas of film: narrative, documentary, animated and experimental. While some film history is covered, this course emphasizes understanding key elements in the filmmaking process: scripting, filming, editing, acting, directing, promoting and distributing. Students will be required to view and write critical reviews of films screened both in and out of class.