Experimental Courses

Notes

Experimental courses do not appear in the official catalog listings. For further information regarding when experimental courses are offered, check the Online Schedule of Classes.

2005-07 Catalog

Last Updated: 5/24/2007

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Philosophy 496X. History and Philosophy of Ecology. (Dual-listed with 596X) Cr. 3. Prereq: Permission of instructor or undergraduate major in Philosophy with Phil 380. Analysis of conceptual and methodological debates in ecology. Historical development of competing research traditions and philosophies. Topics include i) methodological issues in ecological science, ii) conceptual issues in theoretical ecology, iii) conceptual issues in applied ecology, iv) relation of ecology to environmental and social issues. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Philosophy 545X. Teaching Bioethics. Cr. 1. Prereq: Permission of instructor. Topics include moral theory, argument analysis, pedagogical issues in teaching bioethics, and substantive current issues in bioethics.

Philosophy 548X. Summer Bioethics Workshop for Teachers. Cr. 1. Prereq: Permission of instructor. Topics include moral theory, pedagogical issues in teaching bioethics, and substantive current issues in bioethics.

Philosophy 550X. Ethics and the Responsible Conduct of Research. Cr. 1. An introduction to ethics and the responsible conduct of research. Topics include research misconduct, responsibilities, of researchers concerning the use of animal and human subjects, plagiarism and proper attribution of credit, misuse of statistics, and other subject. Offered on a satisfactory-fail grading basis only.

Philosophy 596X. History and Philosophy of Ecology. (Dual-listed with 496X, Same as EEOB 596X) Cr. 3. Prereq: Graduate classification in biological or environmental sciences/studies with at least one course in ecology. Analysis of conceptual and methodological debates in ecology. Historical development of competing research traditions and philosophies. Topics include i) methodological issues in ecological science, ii) conceptual issues in theoretical ecology, iii) conceptual issues in applied ecology, iv) relation of ecology to environmental and social issues.

Physics 432X. Molecular and Cell Biophysics. (Dual-listed with Physics 532X). Cr. 3. Prereq: 304 or Chem 325. Quantitative description of biological systems using basic physical laws, including a brief discussion of a variety of biophysical techniques. Topics include: thermodynamics, chemical equilibrium, gene expression, structure and physical properties of nucleic acids and proteins, folding of nucleic acids and proteins, chemical kinetics, catalysis, allosteric enzymes, cell membrane structure and physical properties, and machines in cell membranes. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Physics 532X. Molecular and Cell Biophysics. (Dual-listed with Physics 432X). Cr. 3. Prereq: 304 or Chem 325. Quantitative description of biological systems using basic physical laws, including a brief discussion of a variety of biophysical techniques. Topics include: thermodynamics, chemical equilibrium, gene expression, structure and physical properties of nucleic acids and proteins, folding of nucleic acids and proteins, chemical kinetics, catalysis, allosteric enzymes, cell membrane structure and physical properties, and machines in cell membranes.

Political Science 332X. Latino Politics. Cr. 3. Hamm . Political issues facing the largest Latino groups in the U.S. – Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans – examination of their histories, voting behavior, non-electoral participation, and policy issues; comparisons of the forces behind each group’s migration and how those processes affect their integration into politics; and introduction of theoretical and analytical approaches to the study of Latino/a politics.  Course examines issues of participation by analyzing electoral and non-electoral participation and activism at the national, state, and local levels, including selected cases of foreign policy activities, as well as key issues at all levels, including policy issues such as the Voting Rights Act, formal representation, immigration, trade, and language policy.

Political Science 345X. Immigration Policy. Cr. 3. Hamm . Surveys the historical development of immigration policy in the U.S. from a time of open borders up through California ’s Proposition 187, the 1996 Immigration reforms, and other changes following the terrorist attacks of September 11.  Critically examines the issues, assumptions, and politics that influence the formulation, conduct, and evaluation of national immigration legislation; analyzes different interpretations of currently hot issues in American politics; applies various theoretical concepts to understand the historical and contemporary immigration flows to the United States, their policy implications, and politics, with special attention to the controversial cases of the U.S. policy toward Mexican and Cuban immigration. 

Political Science 363X. American Politics and Media. Cr. 3. Prereq: Sophomore standing. Deam.  Surveys the influence of mass media organizations, forms, techniques, and technologies on the practices and expectations of American politics.  Evaluates the role of media in the political process, exploring the extents to which media promotes or discourages political participation. Topics will examine the influence and political uses of news coverage, political advertising, political debates, talk radio, film, the Internet, and media spectacles.

Political Science 533X. E-government Information Policy. Cr. 3. Chen. An overview of the legal and policy context of E-government development.  Topics include the legal and regulatory policies on information management in governments, and public policies that use information technologies to address economic and social concerns and their impact on citizens and governmental organizations.

Political Science 536X. Managing Information Technology in the Public Sector. Cr. 3. Chen. Overview of information technology management in public organizations. Topics include the usage of information technology in government, its impact on organizational behavior and the government-society relationship, issues related to information technology project management, and related organizational and ethical issues.

Political Science 540X. Public Service Practicum. Cr. 1. Prereq: restricted to students in the Masters in Public Administration. Work on a practical program evaluation project under the direction of a faculty member. Students will work in groups and be involved in research and evaluation projects with government, education, and nonprofit agencies.

Political Science 541X. Strategic Public Management . Cr. 3. Chrisinger. Theory and practice of strategic planning and implementation in the public sector. Alignment of planning with other strategic systems. Discussion of fundamental strategic management issues and concepts. Introduction of alternatives to the bureaucratic paradigm. Includes group exercises and guidance for strategic management facilitation.

Political Science 545X. Community Participation and Conflict Resolution. Cr. 3. Issues, concepts, and techniques of community participation and conflict resolution. Emphasis on collaborative approaches to public conflict resolution, community development, and public policy design and implementation. Exercises and case studies developing group communications skills, public meeting facilitation, and design of community participation programs.  

Political Science 546X. Public Service Leadership. Cr. 3. This experimental course examines theories of leadership and best management practices selected from public sector organizations. Through focused literature survey, case studies, and class workshops the course offers students with an opportunity to appreciate the difficult challenges today’s public managers face to hone their skills with which to lead, particularly the street-level bureaucracy. Core competencies emphasized in this course include organizational decision-making, management of information technology, crisis management, project management, negotiation skills, communication and public relations skills, organizational change, and leadership training.

Political Science 578X. Ethics and Public Administration. Cr. 3. Tuckness. Study of ethical issue related to the administration of government. Topics such as the role of a public servant and the obligations that flow from it, proper scope and use of administrative discretion, and the admissibility of religious, political, and philosophical commitments in administrative decision making. The Ethics and Public Policy course focuses on what policies should be enacted rather than the ethical dimensions of implementation and thus has a very different focus.

Political Science 588X. Identity Theft: Current Issues, Problems, and Public Policies. Cr. 1. Prereq: Graduate Classification Required. Study of the history of identity, links between identity and voting, work, financial credit, crime, terrorism; examine common forms of ID theft; analyze policies and strategies for preventing ID theft and restoring personal identity. General focus topics with intensive case studies mostly from the United States .

Portuguese 111X. Elementary Portuguese, Accelerated I. Cr. 3. Prereq: 4 semesters of Spanish at college level or equivalent; or permission of instructor. Haywood-Ferreira. An introduction to the Portuguese language through the communicative approach within the context of Luso-Brazilian culture. 

Portuguese 112X. Elementary Portuguese, Accelerated II. Cr. 3. Prereq: 111X. Haywood-Ferreira. An introduction to the Portuguese language through the communicative approach within the context of Luso-Brazilian culture. Prepares for Portuguese 211.

Portuguese 320X. Brazil Today. Cr. 3. Waldemer. A survey of social, political, economic and cultural topics relevant to contemporary Brazil . Includes introduction to materials, resources, and forms of communication available on the Internet and in other electronic and print media. Taught in English. 

Psychology 250X. Introduction to Industrial-Organizational Psychology. Cr. 3. Survey of theories, research methods, and applications of industrial and organizational psychology from the scientist-practitioner approach. Personnel topics include selection, training, and performance appraisal; organizational topics include leadership, motivation, job attitudes and behaviors and organizational climate.

Psychology 348X. Psychology of Religion. (Same as Religious Studies 348X.) Cr. 3. Prereq: 9 hours in Psychology. Wade. Survey of psychological theory and research investigating religious and spiritual attitudes, beliefs, and practices.

Psychology 350X. Human Factors in Technology. Cr. 3. Prereq: Psych 101, junior classification. Parkhurst. Understanding human behavior and cognition at the human computer interface. Focus on emergent interactive technologies, human computer interaction, user centered design, usability analysis, and usability testing.

Psychology 411X. Evolutionary Psychology. Cr. 3. Prereq: junior classification; 3 courses in psychology; Biol 211/201. Cooper. Examines the application of the principles of evolutionary biology to the understanding of human behavior. Evolutionary perspectives on brain development, cognition, language, mating behavior, sex differences, altruism, artistic behavior, and criminal behavior will be discussed. Arguments by those critical of the evolutionary approach to psychology will be examined as well. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Psychology 422L. Laboratory in Counseling Theory and Techniques. Cr. 1. Prereq: Credit or enrollment in Psych 422, major or minor in psychology.  Supervised practice in basic counseling skills.

Psychology 522X. Scientific Methods in Human Computer Interaction. (Same as HCI 522X.) Cr. 3. Prereq: Psych 521 and Stat 101 or equivalent. Parkhurst. Basics of hypothesis testing, experimental design, analysis and interpretation of data, and the ethical principles of human research as they apply to research in human computer interaction.

Psychology 683X. Human Aggression. Cr. 3. Prereq: Graduate standing in psychology or sociology. Examines theory and research on the development and occurrence of human aggression, and considers implications for prevention and treatment.

Psychology 688X. Cultural Psychology: Theory and Method.  Cr. 3. Prereq: 4 courses in psychology. Cross.  Current theories, methods, and research in cultural psychology. Focus on cultural influence on social, developmental, and cognitive processes with application for counseling psychology, work settings, and cross-cultural adjustment.

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No courses at this time.

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Religious Studies 348X. Psychology of Religion. (Same as Psychology 348X.) See Psychology.

Religious Studies 372X. Religion and Agricultural Sustainability. (Same as AST 372X or TSM 372X). Cr. 3. Kanway and Sanford. Religious and ethical dimensions of sustainable agricultural practices; comparative examination of specific agricultural issues focusing in indigenous religions and religions of Asia .  Nonmajor graduate credit. NOTE: AST and I Tec combined in fall 2006 to create TSM.

Religious Studies 380X. Catholic Social Thought. Cr. 3. Donaghy. A study of the development of Catholic social thought and practice by examining church documents, theological texts, and Catholic social movements that have addressed economic, political, sand social issues, concentrating on the period from 1891 to the present. A variety of issues will be considered, which may include war and peace, agriculture, international development, poverty, economics, and the death penalty.

Research and Evaluation 570X. Surveys in Educational Research. Cr. 3. Prereq: ResEv 552 or equivalent. Porter. Examination of survey design and administration in educational research.  Topics include designing surveys; developing, evaluating, and asking survey questions; survey sampling; measuring survey reliability and validity; administering mail and web surveys; decreasing survey nonresponse; conducting post-collection survey data processing; conducting survey research with integrity.

Russian 195X. Study Abroad. Cr. 1-10. May be repeated for credit. Supervised intensive instruction in Russian language and culture; formal class instruction at level appropriate to students’ training, augmented by practical living experiences. Consult with department regarding equivalence with Rus 101 and 102.

Russian 295X. Study Abroad. Cr. 1-10. May be repeated for credit. Prereq: Rus 102 or equivalent. Supervised intensive instruction in Russian language and culture; formal class instruction at level appropriate to students training, augmented by practical living experiences. Consult with department regarding equivalence with Rus 201 and 202.

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