2021-2022 University Catalog 
    
    May 16, 2024  
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2021-2022 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Course Descriptions

 

Political Science

Course classifications:

American politics (AM)
Comparative politics (CO)
International relations (IR)
Political theory (TH)
  

  • POSC 357 - International Institutions

    Examines how international institutions shape states’ behavior and why some institutions are more effective than others. Students focus on institutions such as the United Nations, World Trade Organization, and NATO, and on issues such as development, human rights, climate change, and arms control.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 358 - Transnational Politics

    Examines the segment of world politics that includes interactions and transactions between actors who are not representatives of governments or intergovernmental institutions. Non-state actors as diverse as global social movements, multinational corporations, religious communities, and even terrorist networks are now recognized as playing crucial roles on the world’s political stage. This course focuses on a variety of these transnational actors to stretch the limits of state-based approaches, and emphasize the rich variety of relationships and interactions that characterizes contemporary world politics.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted: PCON 358  
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 359 - Power in Russia from Gorbachev to Putin

    Examines the domestic and international politics of the world’s largest country. Students track the weakness and disorder of the chaotic 1990s under Boris Yeltsin, and the birth of a new system on the ashes of Communism. Students examine the rise of Russian power and prestige under Vladimir Putin and his centralizing innovations to strengthen political and economic institutions. The course also considers dissent and protest movements, the national conflicts with internal minorities, as in Chechnya, and projection of power over the post-Soviet “Near Abroad” and the construction of a corporatist-style system that presents new challenges to the global dominance of ideas about democracy and capitalism.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted: REST 359  
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • POSC 360 - Domestic Sources of American Foreign Policy

    To the extent that the U.S. sets its own course in international affairs, domestic sources of American foreign policy become a crucial consideration. This course examines the role of domestic politics in formulating US foreign policy. Special emphasis is placed on the function of representative institutions, bureaucracies, and public opinion in determining and implementing American foreign policy. Students are presented with a comprehensive framework of analysis that permits them to describe and perhaps predict actions taken by the US government.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 361 - Humanitarian Interventions

    Peace operations have been widely deployed to contain and promote resolution of conflicts. This course focuses primarily on humanitarian intervention and probes the different contexts in which peacekeepers have been introduced: interstate conflicts, civil conflicts, and humanitarian emergencies. Students consider how humanitarian interventions differ in practical terms from other types of peace operations, considering questions of strategy, mandates, and political will. Students also analyze the ethical implications of humanitarian intervention, particularly questions of responsibility, legitimacy, sovereignty, and unintended consequences. Theoretical readings are combined with comparative case studies are drawn from Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans, and elsewhere.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 366 - Contemporary American Foreign Policy

    Focuses on the theoretical traditions underlying American foreign policy, key concepts in the conduct of foreign policy, and the application of these theories and concepts to historical and contemporary events. Students examine how policymakers determine the national interest, the tools used to conduct foreign policy, and how policymakers have responded to foreign policy problems in the 21st century. Students focus on both theory and application to understand how decisions are made and executed, as well as which policy problems are most critical today.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 367 - The European Union

    Examines the trajectory of European integration since World War II. Introduces theories to explain this trajectory, and to explain why the EU is more deeply integrated in some areas (e.g., economy) than others (e.g., defense). The traumas of the past decade, including the euro crisis, democratic decay, and Brexit are also addressed.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 368 - American Foreign Relations with China

    Examines the major sources, dominant theories, and primary policy options in American foreign relations with China. Begins by examining some key determinants of this bilateral relationship and proceeds to investigate “realist,” “liberal,” and “cultural” approaches to understanding international relations in general and US China policy in particular. Particular attention is paid to the so-called “Thucydides Trap” and the actual consequences of a potential US-China war. Concludes by examining the effects of “American Exceptionalism” and the “China threat” on US foreign policy towards China.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 369 - European Security (Geneva Study group)

    Focus on contemporary European security problems and the ‘European’ perspective on new security issues. Topics include: NATO enlargement, European security institutions and ‘societal security’ in Europe, intervention and democracy promotion, state formation, foreign aid and development issues, and human rights of refugees and others.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: POSC 150  or POSC 152 
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 371 - West European Politics

    Looks at the political institutions and dynamics across Western European countries in the contemporary period. Recurring themes include democratic institutions, consolidation and decay; political economy and the welfare state; and European integration. Topical areas considered include immigration, climate change, and foreign and defense policy.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 373 - The Public Policy Process

    Examines how the executive and legislative branches of government interact to formulate public policies. The influence of political parties, interest groups, business organizations, and public opinion on these institutions is explored in depth. Also highlights the impact of federalism within the American political system, pointing both to intergovernmental implementation of national policies and to policy innovation at the state level. An overarching theme is the inevitable tension between oligarchy and democracy in a system where only a few actors wield direct influence over policy decisions.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • POSC 374 - International Law

    Introduces students to public international law through an examination of the key concepts and principles that underlie the foundations of international law, as well as through the legal norms that regulate relations between states. Although states are considered the central actors in international law, the involvement of nonstate actors, intergovernmental organizations, and other participants is also examined. Substantive areas of international law, humanitarian law, and international law and the environment are also analyzed. Concludes with a discussion of the future role of international law in world politics.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 377 - Political Psychology

    How do the forces that shape personality and motivation affect the political behavior of individuals? What role do factors such as schooling, religion, social class, mass media, race, and gender have upon individual beliefs and attitudes? How does the use of stereotypes and political symbols shape the popular understanding of politics and affect the relationship between the rulers and the ruled? By employing an individualistic perspective, this course investigates the formation of public opinion and the structure of political beliefs, values, and attitudes.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 379 - The Development of the Modern State

    Though the state is now the standard form of political organization, this was not always the case. For centuries, political organization was dominated by city-states, feudal relations, and tribal or clan organizations. This course examines the emergence of the modern state as the predominant form of political organization. It explores various arguments for state sovereignty and examines several challenges to it as well. Finally, it considers the state of the state in today’s globalized world.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • POSC 380 - Reason, Faith, and Politics

    Examines the claims of reason and revelation as sources of ultimate truth and as guides for the political world. Readings are from the great theologians of the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 381 - Revolutions

    Why do revolutions occur, or perhaps more to the point, why do they fail to occur? When do they end and what do they actually achieve? What, in other words, is so revolutionary about revolutions? Students consider whether and how revolutions differ from social movements, coups d’etats, and armed rebellions by looking at a broad range of uprisings, from the “colored revolutions” and liberating “springs” of recent years to the classical examples of the French, American, Mexican, Chinese, Cuban, and Iranian revolutions, as well as the challenging cases of Haiti and South Africa.

    Credits: 1.00
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations, Institutes & Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • POSC 382 - American Political Thought

    This study of the principles of American government as articulated by leading statesmen and political thinkers gives particular attention to the founding period and the Constitution and to their relationship to later periods of reform.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 383 - National Security (Extended Study)

    The extended study in New York City explores four topics covered in POSC 353: conflict in the Middle East, conflict in the Balkans, NATO and European security, and the UN peacekeeping system. The class meets with academics and representatives of roughly a dozen countries who deal with these issues. The study includes panels of military scholars from the US Army War College and the United States Military Academy at West Point.

    Credits: 0.50
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: POSC 353  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • POSC 385 - Modernity and its Conservative Critics

    What is wrong with the modern world, especially with the political culture of liberal and progressive intellectual elites? Such questions are explored by studying the radical critique of modernity offered by philosophical, classical, and Christian conservatives.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 388 - Constitutional Law: Civil Rights and Liberties

    Students examine the nature of civil rights and liberties under the Constitution; such include freedom of speech and the press, religious freedom, equal protection (with major attention to race and gender), due process, property, and privacy/autonomy (abortion, right to die, sexual orientation). Students also explore the role of the Supreme Court in the definition and protection of these rights and engage the several controversies surrounding the larger enterprise of constitutional interpretation, such as originalism v. nonoriginalism, natural law v. positivism, judicial activism v. judicial restraint, and so forth.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • POSC 389 - Constitutional Law: Structures and Powers

    The focus of this course is what Aristotle identified as the central question of political science, the character of regime–the organization of offices and the distribution of power that is designed to achieve an understanding of justice and the human good. More specifically, students focus on the structural characteristics of the American regime, or Constitution–separation of powers, federalism, emergency powers, property rights; but students are equally concerned with the politics of interpretation itself–the complex process by which people determine what is the Constitution, how it is to be understood, and who has authority to interpret it. The responsibility for constitutional interpretation is broadly distributed, but it is also obvious that the preeminent voice for interpreting the Constitution has become the Supreme Court. Accordingly, students spend the greater portion of the course with the analysis of cases, that is, the Court’s opinion of what the Constitution means.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 390 - Silent Warfare: Intelligence Analysis and Statecraft

    Introduces students to the complex and crucial process of obtaining, analyzing, and producing intelligence in the making of American foreign policy. Subjects covered include problems with the structure of the intelligence community, covert action, psychological and bureaucratic constraints on analysts and policymakers, and how the intelligence community has responded to key threats. Students also explore ethical issues raised with intelligence gathering such as the use of enhanced interrogation techniques, the role of whistleblowers, and accountability of the intelligence community. By addressing these issues, students tackle critical problems associated with the collection, analysis, and use of intelligence to meet the American national interest.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 391 - Independent Study

    Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.

    Credits: variable
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 410 - Our Constitutional Order: Continuity and Change (Study Group)

    An inquiry into the enduring principles and changing features of our constitutional order. Topics include the design of the founders (their underlying propositions about human nature and the common good, expectations for institutional performance, and hopes for the way of life fostered by this constitutional order), significant changes within this order (as marked by shifts in the underlying premises of the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Constitution and parallel realignments of the political party system), and contemporary features of institutions and political mores. The class meets as a daily seminar for the first two weeks of the program, then in weekly seminars for the following six weeks. Taught on the Washington DC study group.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 412 - Readings and Research on American Government (Study Group)

    Combines common readings pertaining to the internship (focusing on organization theory) and individualized readings on an independent research project. For the latter, students are encouraged to select topics that further enhance and complement the experiential learning of their internships. Taught on the Washington DC study group.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 414 - Seminar: Contemporary Policy Process (Study Group)

    An inquiry into the contemporary process by which policy is developed and enacted, with special attention to a case study of a subject currently under consideration in Washington. Previous topics have included reforms of welfare, Medicare and Medicaid, Social Security, and campaign finance. Questions include a) the role of interest groups, parties, political action committees, and the press; b) the impact of constitutional and contemporary structures and processes of decision making; and c) the desirability of reform of the constitutional system itself. This class meets as a daily seminar for the first two weeks after the term break, then in semi-weekly seminars for the next five weeks. Taught on the Washington DC study group.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 416 - Seminar: Democratic Transitions and Consolidation

    This seminar explores the process of democratic transitions – the removal of repressive regimes and the establishment of new democratic institutions – and democratic consolidation, the process of “deepening” democracy and making it sustainable. The course compares theories about democratic transition and consolidation that were generated by cases that took place across different regions and periods, such as the Western European examples of the 19th century and the Latin American and East Asian cases of the 20th century. Major topics include the role of political parties, political elites, and grassroots organizations, the design of electoral rules and other institutional arrangements, the effect of capitalist development, and the influence of international actors upon patterns of democratization and prospects for democratic stability.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 417 - Seminar: Law and Order

    In the American criminal justice policy process the people are represented by two separate, but equally important groups: the politicians who enact anti-crime laws and criminal justice officials who are empowered to enforce them. Students investigate “Law & Order” politics and policymaking in the U.S. by way of probing the extent to which the adoption of criminal justice policies by lawmakers and the administration of criminal law are driven and chiefly so by democratic pressures.

    Credits: 1.00
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None
    Formerly: POSC 337


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 421 - Seminar: Information Warfare

    Misinformation, disinformation, fake news — the political world around us is full of claims about the use and abuse of information. Students explore some of the key questions surrounding information warfare in international relations. Is information warfare a new sort of war — or the continuation of traditional conflict by other means? How do states and non-state actors use and manipulate information to achieve their goals on the international stage? How can states best protect themselves? And can it ever be ethical to engage in information warfare?

    Credits: 1.0
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 425 - Seminar: The Challenge of Nationalism (Study Group)

    Examines the development of European nationalism, the challenge nationalism has posed to the international community in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the challenge world–wide nationalism continues to pose to international relations in the 21st century and beyond.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 433 - Seminar: Topics in Globalization

    Addresses the causes and implications of globalization from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, including political science, economics, sociology, and philosophy. Aims to sharpen students’ skills as critical readers and thinkers, and directs them in producing a capstone research project in their seminar paper.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 434 - Seminar: Immigrants, Refugees, and the Politics of Borders

    This seminar examines themes in migration, citizenship, and belonging, in the context of South Asian migration world-wide, with special emphasis on the United States. The liberalization of American immigration law in the 1960s provides the basis for the discussion of push-pull factors of migration of South Asians from various states in the subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal). Today South Asians are deemed to be a model minority, a label that at the same time extols and dehumanizes South Asians depending on their class position and their country of origin. To counter the stereotypical narratives of doctors and engineers on the one hand and cab drivers and convenience-store clerks on the other, students are encouraged to engage with various texts to recognize ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity of South Asian migrants, and to consider the challenges of acculturation and assimilation as immigrants become citizens.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 436 - Seminar: Continuity and Change in International Politics

    An analysis of contemporary conceptual approaches to international politics and of the trends and developments that are altering some traditional assumptions about the nature of the international arena.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Recommended: Recommended for all international relations honors students and for students going to graduate school.
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • POSC 437 - Seminar: Democratization and Prospects for Peace and Prosperity

    This seminar examines the politics of democratic transition and the political and economic performance of existing democracies, with a focus on the developing world. The class pays particular attention to the distinctive challenges of democratizing amidst globalization and resurgent nationalism, and analyzes the effects of democratization on international and internal conflict, economic development, equity, and political stability. Students evaluate the current debate over how the US can aid democratization. Countries studied include Russia, Mexico, Turkey, and South Korea.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 451 - Seminar: Africa in World Politics

    More than 50 years after formal independence, what is the contemporary condition of African countries? What has been the impact of economic and political reforms and the changing world order? What is the influence of foreign powers on African politics and development? This seminar discusses how Africa has featured in world politics since the advent of colonialism to the present. Topics include: slave trade, European exploration of Africa, and the establishment of the colonial trade. The majority of the course, however, focuses on the post-colonial period. Students examine the phenomenon of neo-colonialism, the involvement of Western and Asian powers in Africa, and the international aid regime. The course also focuses on some of the most important conflicts that took place on the continent, including in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Ivory Coast, and Mali.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 454 - Seminar: The Cold War and After

    This seminar considers the interrelationships between two great land-based nations, the US and Russia, which expanded territorially, developed economically, and emerged to strategic dominance at much the same time. It examines the competition between those two states, looks at the prospects for their cooperation, and how the end of the Cold War has created new opportunities and problems for each of them.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 455 - Seminar: American Foreign Policy

    The course focuses on theorists, thinkers, and critics of American foreign policy. Emphasis is on the values, strategies, and doctrines that have been the basis for our foreign relations, and on the perennial themes of isolationism, interventionism, realism, and idealism.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 456 - Seminar: War - Theories and Practices

    Theories of warfare and explanations of the outbreak of war are the focus of this course. Explanations of warfare as a general characteristic of the international system and case studies are examined, as is the evidence on the economic, political, and social consequences of war. The course deals both with general patterns and with particular 20th-century wars.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: POSC 152  or POSC 232 
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 462 - Seminar: Citizenship and Social Class

    Given the recent growth of inequality, the relationship between citizenship and social class, studied closely in the early years of the welfare state, is once more at center stage. In this seminar, students will read a range of books on inequality and political participation in Europe and the United States, focusing on how the ideas of legitimation, participation, and representation-used to varying extents in the European and American literatures-compare.

    Credits: 1
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 466 - Seminar: Dispelling American Founding Myths: The Declaration of Independence and the Framing of the Constitution

    What did the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution mean when written? Students focus on the essays, debates, and events in the American colonies and young nation that preceded and led to the drafting of these two foundational documents. Students explore still contested questions such as: was the Declaration’s language of equality intended to include all men and women in a land marked with all manner of inequalities? Were the Constitution’s Framers seeking to facilitate democratic governance or to limit it as much as possible? In writing the Constitution, how did they understand the essential institutions they created and/or effectively endorsed: the Electoral College, the Supreme Court, Senate representation, and slavery? In answering these questions, participants are asked to read carefully primary American Founding-era documents, rather than research the views of secondary scholars and pundits.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 469 - Seminar: Constitutional Theory

    Using the Constitution of the United States as its central case, the seminar examines the theory and practice of constitutions and constitutionalism. Students consider such questions as: What is a constitution? Why have one? What does it mean to “have” a constitution (what are the possible relations between the text and practice)? What are the distinct forms of constitutional government and what are their advantages and disadvantages? To what extent should we consider a constitution a cause or effect of political culture? How should one interpret a constitution; to what extent are the terms of American debate—such as originalism v. nonoriginalism—found in other countries? As the form of government to which most countries aspire today (or the form they claim to be), liberal democracy seems to have pride of place, but why? Is it the right answer to the ancient question of the “best regime”? Or perhaps the best practicable regime? Do the forces of history favor its existence, or does this depend more fundamentally on acts of statesmanship?

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • POSC 475 - Seminar: Philosophies of Law: Theory and Practice

    Introduces students to philosophies of law as found in theories of natural law, international law, and positive law. Students examine the question of whether there are universal norms of morality and justice that transcend the diversity of cultures and the claims of multiculturalism. Students also examine the ‘higher law’ background of constitutions, legal systems, social movements, and international organizations. Readings will be selected from writings of classical Greek and Roman philosophers, medieval scholastics, modern creators of international law, the American founders, and contemporary philosophers of human rights and cultural relativism.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • POSC 491 - Independent Study

    Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.

    Credits: variable
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • POSC 498 - Honors Seminar

    This course sequence is designed to provide the training and supervision for a select group of students to write honors theses in political science.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • POSC 499 - Honors Seminar

    This course sequence is designed to provide the training and supervision for a select group of students to write honors theses in political science.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: POSC 498 
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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Psychology
  

  • PSYC 109 - Contemporary Issues in Psychological Science

    A course in specific topics offered by various staff members. Students should contact the department regarding the topics offered during any given term. This course does not fulfill the prerequisite for PSYC 200 .

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 150 - Introduction to Psychological Science

    Introduces students to the scientific study of human behavior. Topics include biological foundations of behavior, learning, cognition, sensation and perception, development over the life span, emotion and motivation, personality, social thinking and behavior, and the causes and treatment of psychological disorders.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: Only First-year, Sophomore
    Recommended: Psychology majors should complete this course by the end of the sophomore year.
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 200 - Research Methods in Psychological Science

    An introduction to research methods in psychological science. Provides experience in developing the following skills: critically reviewing scientific literature, formulating testable research hypotheses, designing experiments, measuring behavior, interpreting research results, and writing and presenting research reports.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 150  or NEUR 170  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No Senior
    Recommended: Psychology majors should take this course during the sophomore year
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 250 - Human Cognition

    Cognitive psychology is a scientific approach to understanding the functioning of the human mind and its relationship to behavior. This course explores recent empirical work in both the theoretical and practical aspects of a variety of issues related to cognition. Topics covered include pattern recognition, attention, mental representation, memory, problem solving, and development of expertise, reasoning, and intelligence.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 150  or NEUR 170  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 251 - Learning and Cognition

    One of the most fundamental influences on thoughts, behaviors, and attitudes is learning. This course addresses major topics in learning and cognition including learning through association, reinforcement and punishment, the role of evolution in learning, and learning in human and non-human animals. Students explore the cognitive processes of attention, memory, and concept formation, and their role in learning, and various applications of learning, including education, advertising, and addictions.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 150  or NEUR 170  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No Senior
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 261 - Personality Psychology

    Explores approaches to understanding the emotional, social, and behavioral functioning of the individual person. This course traces the study of personality from classic theories based on clinical observations to contemporary theories based on empirical research. Students learn about the field’s major debates and research findings, and analyze individual cases as a means of illustrating and applying each theory. The ultimate goal of the course is to have students integrate the knowledge they have gained to form a coherent understanding of the person.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 150 
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior
    Restrictions: Not open to students who have received credit for PSYC 260.
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 262 - Psychopathology

    Our understanding of mental health issues and disorders is continually expanding. This course aims to broaden students’ understanding of psychopathology and current mental health disorders, to strengthen students’ abilities to recognize problematic behaviors and to determine what to do in the face of them, and to encourage critical interpretation of current theories and findings in psychopathology. Students will consider multicultural issues and current empirical research on mental health disorders.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 150 
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 263 - Social Psychology

    A survey of social psychology, the scientific study of human feeling, thinking, and behavior in social contexts. The course considers both proximate (immediate) influences on behavior, such as the immediate social situation as well as distal (more remote) influences on behavior, such as human evolution. Topics include social attitudes, judgment and decision making, persuasion, conformity, close relationships, altruism, aggression, prejudice, and intergroup conflict. The application of social psychology to education, health, and economics is also examined.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 150  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior
    Restrictions: Not open to students who have received credit for PSYC 260.
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 264 - Child Psychology

    How do humans grow and change from the prenatal period through adolescence? What factors influence development, and how do the contexts in which children spend their time help to determine development? These are the major questions considered in this survey of the various domains of development–primarily social, emotional, and cognitive–and the settings in which development occurs–with family, with peers, in schools, for example. Students learn about theory and empirical research on human development, and they also consider how this research can be applied when working with children.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 150  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior
    Restrictions: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 275 - Biological Psychology

    Focuses on issues concerning cellular and behavioral/cognitive neuroscience and is designed for students majoring in psychological science. The first part covers neuroanatomy, neuronal structure and function, brain evolution and development, movement, and cellular models of memory. The second and third parts take students through cognitive neuroscience, sensory systems, sleep and dreaming, language, emotion, ingestive behaviors, psychopathology, and cognitive aspects of learning and memory. Also teaches basic methodology so that students learn the many ways to ask and answer questions about brain and behavior in humans and non-humans alike. Normally does not count towards the neuroscience major.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 150  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No Senior
    Restrictions: Not open to students who have completed NEUR 170  
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 291 - Independent Study

    Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.

    Credits: variable
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 300CO - Topics in Cognition

    An intermediate-level course in specific psychological science topics offered by various staff members. Students should contact the department regarding the topics offered during any given term.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 200  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 300NE - Topics in Neuroscience

    An intermediate-level course in specific neuroscience topics offered by various staff members. Students should contact the department regarding the topics offered during any given term.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted:   
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 200  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Restrictions: Not open to students who have either received credit for or are currently enrolled in NEUR 378 / .
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 300SO - Topics in Social, Developmental, Personality, or Clinical Psychology

    An intermediate-level course in specific social, developmental, personality or clinical science topics offered by various staff members. Students should contact the department regarding the topics offered during any given term.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 200  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 301CO - Topics in Psychology

    An intermediate-level course in specific psychology topics offered by various staff members. Students should contact the department regarding the topics offered during any given term. Prerequisite: PSYC 200  or permission of instructor.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 200 
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 309 - Quantitative Methods in Behavioral Research

    An introduction to statistical procedures and quantitative concepts used in psychological science, this course emphasizes principles of research design and analysis in the behavioral sciences.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: PSYC 309L  
    Prerequisites: PSYC 150  or NEUR 170  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Recommended: Psychology majors should complete this course by the end of the junior year.
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 309L - Quantitative Methods in Behavioral Research Lab

    Required corequisite to PSYC 309 .

    Credits: 0.00
    Corequisite: PSYC 309 
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 341 - Psychological Criminology

    An introduction to concepts of psychological criminology. The primary aim is to understand the factors that make a person a criminal. A number of factors are examined, including evolutionary, biological, personality, developmental, environmental, cognitive, and behavioral perspectives. Interactions between individual differences and environmental influences are also examined. Related topics, such as psychopathology and substance use, are discussed. The course includes the analysis of individual cases, and special consideration is given to prevention and treatment initiatives.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 200 
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 342 - Close Relationships

    Relationships can be a source of great joy when they go well and great sorrow when they go wrong. Although scholars and everyday people have always been interested in understanding relationships, only in the past 30 years or so have behavioral researchers turned their attention to understanding the processes that regulate behavior in meaningful relationships with friends, family, and romantic partners. This course will explore leading theories and empirical studies in the literature on adult relationships.

    Credits: 1.00
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 343 - Sleep Psychology

    Why do we sleep? Why do we dream? Do we really need to get 8 hours of sleep a night to perform our best? How is sleep affected by our neighborhood, job, family, or culture? In this discussion-based course students critically analyze diverse theoretical perspectives and recent empirical research that seeks to answer these questions. Students examine sleep at multiple levels of analysis, including its biological underpinnings, methods of assessment, and developmental changes across the lifespan, as well as common sleep disorders and connections between sleep and learning, dreaming, and health. The second half of the course addresses environmental influences on sleep and explores ways to improve sleep in diverse populations via intervention and policy.

    Credits: 1.0
    Prerequisites:   
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 344 - Addiction

    Can anyone become addicted to anything? Are cell phones more addictive than cocaine? Why would a person self-identify as an “alcoholic?” Can addiction be cured? Students explore theories and foundational and cutting-edge empirical research in the field of addiction from the perspective of clinical psychological science. Material crosses substances and cultures.

    Credits: 1.0
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 351 - Attention and Memory

    Attention and memory are at the core of how humans come to know and act on the world as well as forming the basis of who they are as individuals. This course is not a survey as it focuses on a few areas within attention and memory and studies these areas in depth, exploring seminal and current theories and empirical findings in human attention and memory from a cognitive perspective. Examples of problems which may be addressed include bottom-up vs. top-down attention allocation, dual-task performance, inhibition and attention control, attention and working memory, memory for skills, auto-biographical and emotional memories, memory impairments, and memory in everyday life (e.g., memory loss with age, Alzheimer’s dementia, alcoholic dementia).

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 200  and (PSYC 250  or PSYC 251 )
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 352 - Origins of Human Thought

    Studies the origins of human thought from a variety of perspectives, including developmental, cross-cultural, and comparative. Each of these perspectives provides unique evidence concerning “origins.” Developmental psychology examines the origins of thought within the lifespan of the individual within a particular culture; cross-cultural psychology examines the degree to which ways of thinking originate culturally; comparative psychology studies the evolutionary origins of thinking by making comparisons among species. These different approaches to studying “origins” are applied to a few focused topics in human cognition, such as origins of speech, concepts and categories, perception of objects, and perception of music.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 200  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 353 - Visual Perception and Cognition

    Our everyday visual experiences typically yield a sense of certainty in that we believe we are operating directly from information in the world around us. Despite such a belief, many of our decisions and actions depend on perceptual inferences derived from our internalized representations of external information. Put another way, many of our decisions and subsequent actions are the direct result of our brains making guesses based on fabricated information. The purpose of this course is to explore how perceptual and cognitive processes act to formulate low- and high-level visual representations of the physical world, and how those representations inform (and are informed by) our knowledge of the world. The vast majority of the readings for this course employ behavioral paradigms that target the neurological (functional) underpinnings associated with visual representations and knowledge structures. Therefore, it contains a mix of both behavioral and neurophysiological components (with an emphasis on functional neuroscience).

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted: NEUR 353  
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: (NEUR 170  or  ) and (  or   or  )  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Recommended: PSYC 200  
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 355 - Language and Thought

    Language is a distinctive human ability that distances humans from the rest of the animal kingdom - including chimpanzees, with whom people share 98 percent of the same genetic inheritance. Although language is considered as primarily serving communication in its advanced form, it is also an important vehicle for thought, with the potential to extend, refine, and direct thinking. The interaction of language with other cognitive abilities is the central focus of the course. Students compare the communication systems of other species with human language, examine efforts to teach human language to apes, learn how psycholinguists conceptualize and investigate language-mind relationships, and inquire into the cognitive abilities of various types of language users, such as bilinguals and deaf and hearing signers. Attention also is given to evolutionary changes in the neural structures implicated in human language and to neural processes constraining the developmental course of language acquisition.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted: NEUR 355  
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: (NEUR 170  or PSYC 275 ) and (  or   or  )
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements


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  • PSYC 361 - Psychotherapy and Behavior Change

    Explores the major models of psychological treatment in adults and children. Each treatment model is examined in terms of its perspective on human behavior and psychopathology, its mechanisms and techniques of therapeutic change, and its empirical evidence. Also addressed are some of the recurring controversies in the field of clinical psychology: Should clinical research and practice inform each other and, if so, how? Can the disparate treatment models and their implicit world-views be integrated? To what extent is lasting behavior change possible?

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 200  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 362 - Social Bonds

    Explores the ontogenetic (developmental) and phylogenetic (evolutionary) roots underlying human social relationships. Social bonds are traced through the lifespan, beginning with parent-infant attachments, moving next to peer relationships, and ending with pair bonds. Students examine the interplay of social cognition, social perception, emotion, and communication in human sociability. Patterns underlying human social bonds are deciphered using research from child, social, cross-cultural, evolutionary, biological, and comparative psychology.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 200  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 363 - Developmental Psychopathology

    Introduces the study of psychological problems in the context of human development. Using a broad, integrative framework, the course examines childhood psychological problems from a variety of perspectives (genetic, biological, temperament, socioemotional, family, and cultural). Syndromes that often first appear in childhood and adolescence are discussed, including autism, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder and youth violence, depression and suicide, anxiety disorders, and eating disorders. The course also examines developmental resilience, environments that place children at risk for poor outcomes, and prevention.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 200 
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 364 - Human Motivation

    Motivation is the energy behind human actions. Can people control their own desires? How do emotions energize behavior? What satisfactions contribute to a happy life? These questions are of interest to psychologists studying human motivation. This course begins by examining basic biological motives, such as hunger and aggression, and progresses toward the study of more complex motivational phenomena such as curiosity, striving for success, and falling in love. By drawing from physiological, cognitive, social, and personality psychology, this course provides a unique opportunity to examine some of the most interesting questions in psychology from a variety of perspectives.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 200 
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 365 - Cross-Cultural Human Development

    To what degree does culture shape and constrain the development of human ability, thought, and behavior? What features of human behavior lie beyond culture’s reach? In pursuing these questions, students study how sensorimotor, perceptual, emotional, cognitive, social, and personality development proceed in diverse cultural contexts. Theories of human development and the cross-cultural methodologies used to test them are critiqued in detail. Inquiry is framed by an understanding of cultural and biological evolution and incorporates readings from developmental and cross-cultural psychological science, and from anthropology and sociology.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 200  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Recommended: PSYC 309  is recommended.
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 366 - Psychology of Leadership

    An exploration of the psychological forces that give root to human dominance, hierarchy, and leadership. Guided by evolutionary, developmental, and cross-cultural perspectives, questions about social power and leadership are addressed using empirical literature: To what degree are motives for social dominance–and social docility–embedded in human nature and traceable through primate evolution? What traits and competencies distinguish leaders from followers, how early do these differences develop, and is the pattern the same for girls and boys, and for men and women, across the globe? How do some leaders and groups cultivate followers so devoted that they adhere to destructive directives? Contemporary problems in leadership provide illustrations.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 200  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 367 - Advanced Social Psychology

    Perhaps more than anything else, people think about other people- the people with whom they are close, those who shape conceptions of the self, motivate behavior, and produce strong emotional reactions. The field of social psychology is devoted to understanding how people feel about, think about, and interact with others. This advanced social psychology seminar offers a contemporary, in-depth exploration of different topic areas within the field of social psychology. Students investigate primary literature on some of the most vexing, provocative, and important issues of our time.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 200  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 368 - Prejudice and Racism

    Provides a survey of the psychology of prejudice and racism, the scientific study of human feeling, thinking, and behavior in situations involving conflict between groups. More broadly, the course examines the psychological factors that contribute to the perpetuation of inequality and discrimination. Students consider both proximate (immediate) influences on behavior, such as the immediate social situation, as well as distal (more remote) influences on behavior, such as human evolution. Both motivational approaches to understanding prejudice (e.g., explaining prejudice as a consequence of the desire for social dominance) as well as cognitive approaches (e.g., explaining prejudice as a byproduct of automatic associations people learn) are examined.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 200  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 369 - Industrial/Organizational Psychology

    Most adults spend the majority of their waking hours working. This is a greater investment of time and energy than is made into any other single endeavor. Thus, understanding the reasons why people work, the psychological dynamics of the workplace, and the potential benefits and costs of various work situations is of considerable practical importance. This course introduces students to the field of industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology, with an emphasis on studying the workplace as an important context for human interaction, the realization of personal goals, and the development of competencies. Students also discuss the role that I/O psychologists play in organizations.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 200 
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 373 - Brain, Physiology, and Behavior

    What is the relationship among brain, physiology, and behavior in humans and animals? What can we learn about the relationship of brain and behavior that can be useful for understanding and treating psychological and behavioral disorders in humans? This course examines a wide variety of research strategies used in the contemporary study of brain, physiology, and behavior.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted: NEUR 373  
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: (NEUR 170  or PSYC 275 ) and (NEUR 201   or NEUR 202   or PSYC 200 ) 
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 375 - Cognitive Neuroscience

    Cognitive neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field - drawing from chemistry, biology, medicine, neuroscience, psychology and philosophy - that explores the relationship between the mind and the brain. The scope of this course is broad, focusing on brain mechanisms for such diverse processes as sensation and perception, attention, memory, emotion, language, and consciousness. Students read primary journal articles on case studies from the clinical literature of patients with localized brain damage and reports from the experimental and neuroimaging literature on the effects of invasive and noninvasive manipulations in normal subjects. Mind-brain relationships are considered in the context of cognitive theories, evolutionary comparisons, and human development.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted: NEUR 375  
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: (NEUR 170  or PSYC 275 ) and (NEUR 201   or NEUR 202   or PSYC 200  )
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Recommended: PSYC 200  
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 376 - Functional Neuroanatomy and Neural Development

    The first quarter of the course focuses on mechanisms of neural development including proliferation of stem cells, migration, differentiation, and synapse formation. The latter portion of the class examines the function of neuroanatomical regions and their relationship to the variety of symptoms associated with schizophrenia. As the more overt symptoms of schizophrenia do not appear until late adolescence, knowing how and when various regions of the brain develop is essential for understanding the emergence of various neurological deficits in this disease.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted: NEUR 376  
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: (NEUR 170  or PSYC 275 ) and   
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 377 - Psychopharmacology

    Discussion on the effects of drugs upon psychological processes and behavior in humans. Readings in the textbook treat the mechanisms of action (physiological and neurochemical) of various classes of drugs used in therapy or “on the street.” Readings in professional journals illustrate the experimental study of drug effects in humans and in animals.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted: NEUR 377  
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: (NEUR 170  or PSYC 275 ) and (NEUR 201   or NEUR 202   or PSYC 200 )
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 378 - Topics in Neuroscience

    Courses in specific neuroscience topics offered by various staff members. Inquiries about the topics offered any given term should be directed to the coordinator of the Neuroscience Program.

    Credits: 1.0
    Crosslisted:   
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Restrictions: Not open to students who have either received credit for or are currently enrolled in  / .
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 379 - Fundamentals of Neurochemistry/Neuropharmacology

    Focuses on two diseases: relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and idiopathic Alzheimer’s disease. The initial portion of the course examines the various methods neurochemists utilize to answer questions about these two diseases. The remainder of the course focuses on the epidemiological, neuroanatomical, cellular, biochemical, and molecular aspects of the two diseases. Multiple sclerosis is a more intercellular question examining the interaction of immune cells and the glia of the nervous system whereas Alzheimer’s disease tends to focus more on intracellular mechanisms leading to the synthesis of beta-amyloid and the formation of neurofibrillary tangles, the two hallmarks of this disease.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted: NEUR 379  
    Corequisite: PSYC 379L  
    Prerequisites: (PSYC 275  or NEUR 170 ) and   and    and (NEUR 201   or NEUR 202   or PSYC 200 )
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 379L - Fundamentals of Neurochemistry/Neuropharmacology Lab

    Required corequisite to PSYC 379 .

    Credits: 0.00
    Corequisite: PSYC 379 
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 381 - Behavioral Genetics

    An introduction which demonstrates that nature and nurture both play a fundamental role in the development of behavioral traits; and how genes interact with the environment to shape the development of various behavioral traits. The course uses an interdisciplinary approach that integrates the studies in genetics, neuroscience, and behavior; with a comparative approach to explore human and other animal models; and cover the traditional behavioral genetic methodologies as well as modern molecular genetic techniques.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted: NEUR 381  
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: (NEUR 170  or  ) and (NEUR 201   or NEUR 202   or PSYC 200 ) 
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 384 - Fundamentals of Neurophysiology

    This seminar and laboratory course examines the physiology of the nervous system. Topics include ion channel structure and function, synaptic transmission, second messenger systems, neuromodulation, the neurophysiological basis of behavior in “simple” animals, the evolution of neural circuits, the cellular basis of learning and memory, and the cellular basis of selected human nervous system diseases.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted:   & NEUR 384  
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: NEUR 170  or PSYC 275  or   
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 385 - Neuroethology

    Neuroethology is a sub-field of neuroscience focused on the study of the neural basis of natural behavior. Many types of behavior and a wide array of animals are studied, and the approach is often comparative and evolutionary. Students delve into the neuroethological literature, examining the neural basis of animal communication, navigation, movement, sensory processing, feeding, aggression, and learning.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted:   & NEUR 385  
    Corequisite: PSYC 385L  
    Prerequisites: NEUR 170  or PSYC 275  or   
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Recommended: PSYC 309  or BIOL 220
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 385L - Neuroethology Lab

    Required corequisite to PSYC 385 . Laboratory exercises teach methods of behavioral analysis and electrophysiological recording techniques.

    Credits: 0.25
    Corequisite: PSYC 385 
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 391 - Independent Study

    Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.

    Credits: variable
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 491 - Independent Study

    Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.

    Credits: variable
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 498 - Senior Research

    Psychological science majors plan and carry out one-term research projects under the guidance of faculty members in the Psychological and Brain Sciences department. For those who wish to be considered for honors or high honors, two-term thesis projects are required. Honors students may fulfill the requirement for two semesters of research by enrolling in PSYC 498 in the fall and   in the spring semester. On occasion, students who are not pursuing honors or high honors may complete two semesters of senior research by taking PSYC 498 in the fall and   in the spring. With permission, PSYC 450, or PSYC 460, when offered, may be substituted for PSYC 498.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 150  and PSYC 200  and PSYC 309   and one other 300-level course
    Major/Minor Restrictions: Only Psychology Majors and Minors
    Class Restriction: Only Senior
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PSYC 499 - Senior Research

    Psychological science majors plan and carry out one-term research projects under the guidance of faculty members in the Psychological and Brain Science department. For those who wish to be considered for honors or high honors, two-term thesis projects are required. Honors students may fulfill the requirement for two semesters of research by enrolling in   in the fall and PSYC 499 in the spring semester. On occasion, students who are not pursuing honors or high honors may complete two semesters of senior research by taking PSYC 498 in the fall and   in the spring. With permission, PSYC 450, or PSYC 460, when offered, may be substituted for  .

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PSYC 498  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: Only Psychology Majors and Minors
    Class Restriction: Only Senior
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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Religion
  

  • RELG 101 - The World’s Religions

    An introduction to the variety of the world’s religions, such as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and the indigenous faiths of Africa and America. The course explores and compares religious beliefs, values, practices, rituals, texts, images, and stories, in their historical, cultural, and political contexts. It examines diversity and concordance within each tradition, encouraging students to reflect thoughtfully on the nature of religion and the ways it shapes communities and individuals through the world.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No Senior
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • RELG 102 - Religion and the Contemporary World

    Explores the mutual impact between religions and contemporary global issues. How do diverse religious individuals and communities address the prominent moral concerns of our times? What do religions offer the contemporary world, especially in an era in which secular, atheistic, and spiritual critics alike have singled out religion as a noxious influence in human society? Potential topics of focus include terrorism, genocide, religion and politics, war, gender and sexuality, health and medicine, poverty and class disparity, environmental justice, science and technology, and secularization. In examining such questions the class serves to sharpen students’ present-day understanding of religion and to provide students with a framework for making sense of some of today’s most controversial political, social, and philosophical issues.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No Senior
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • RELG 203 - Comparative Religious Ethics

    Examines the ethical dimensions of a variety of religious traditions and considers them in light of one another. As a comparative course in the study of religion it aims to give students a better sense of what role religious traditions play in cultivating forms of moral thought and behavior, and how specific traditions might begin to think about ethical issues. That is, students investigate how these traditions envision morality as such but also how they think concretely about violence, gender, poverty, and the value of human life. This comparative approach to the study of religion ultimately hopes to prompt students toward a consideration of what is, as well as what is not, ethical about these traditions.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements


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  • RELG 206 - Hindu Goddesses

    Divine feminine power (shakti) has stood the test of time in the Indian subcontinent. Goddess theology has thrived, transformed and expanded throughout known history. Students examine conceptions of shakti through literary, oral, and other artistic expressions. Mythological narratives of goddesses and epic heroines, taken from classical Sanskrit texts, folkloric traditions and iconography-as well as from contemporary genres such as novel, film and comics-will serve as primary source material in this introduction to divine feminine power in Hindu Goddess traditions.

    Credits: 1.0
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • RELG 207 - Chinese Ways of Thought

    Provides an introduction to the Chinese worldview, examining Chinese philosophical and religious thought from the Warring States period (453-221 BCE), Neo-Confucian thought from the Song Dynasty (960-1279), and later periods. Classical Chinese thought was defined by the violence of the times and was therefore directed toward the question of how social harmony might be established and maintained. Later Confucian thought, under the influence of Buddhism, introduced additional questions about ethics and the human relationship to the cosmos. These intellectual traditions influenced generations of Chinese scholars and officials, and they also give insight into some of the unique aspects of Chinese society today. The course considers attempts by modern-day scholars (“New Confucians”) to apply Chinese thought to contemporary ethical and political problems.

    Credits: 1.00
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • RELG 208 - The Hebrew Bible in America

    The Bible is not only the best-selling book in America, but is arguably the book that has most profoundly shaped the United States. This course is an introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament in its American contexts, particularly American public life. In reading the Hebrew Bible, students ask themselves how these scriptures have shaped American politics, culture, history, and literature. Who has used the Bible and how? To whom does the Bible now speak, and what does it say? In what sense is the Bible understood to be an American text? This course presumes no knowledge of the Christian or Jewish Bibles.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted: JWST 208 
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
 

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