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LED 210. Foundations of Leadership Studies 4 sh
This course is designed as an introduction to Leadership Studies, which is based on the intersection of many disciplines: psychology, political science, philosophy, history, sociology, and management among others. The class will explore various definitions and theories of leadership as well as the basic principles of leadership, and will analyze examples of leadership in action. Students will examine leadership concepts within the context of their own lives and begin to define a personal leadership style. Offered fall and spring.
PHL 215. Ethics and Decision Making 4 sh
This course explores the field of ethics with an emphasis on its application to decision making and leadership. It will explore nested contexts for decision making – environmental, institutional and interpersonal; use criteria for ethical assessment (e.g., what is good for the whole and fair to each participant/part in each context); and provide scope for ethical practice by means of a modest service learning component and case studies. This course is offered in conjunction with the leadership minor. Students may receive credit for both PHL 115 and PHL 215, but may only count one course toward a PHL major or minor. Offered
fall.
MGT 420. Responsible Leadership 4 sh
This course addresses the characteristics, behaviors and responsibilities required of contemporary organizational leaders. While focusing on the traditional topics (individual differences and traits of leaders, behaviors of leaders, role of power, types and styles of leadership, and theories of motivation), the student will also be introduced to some nontraditional approaches (nontraditional metaphors, leadership as an art and individual differences of followers and followership) to understanding leaders and leadership. The responsibilities of leadership will be specifically addressed in relationship to the concepts of organizational success and effectiveness, social responsibility and ethical decision making. Prerequisite: MGT 323. Offered fall or spring.
PSY 368. The Psychology of Leadership 4 sh
This course focuses on leadership behaviors and how they relate to organizational functioning and performance. The organizational level of leadership, where leaders’ behaviors are directed at a larger group of Individuals as a means of helping them achieve organizational, team and personal goals, will be the primary focus. Major theories and research and their practical application will be covered. In addition, students will explore their own personal leadership styles and intentions so that insight might be gained as to how to develop as optimally effective leaders. Prerequisite: LED 210, PSY 111, BUS 303 or MGT 323.
HSS 320. Group Dynamics and Leadership 4 sh
This course will focus on leadership in the context of citizenship and the public good. Students will learn theories and concepts related to leadership and group dynamics and will develop the ability to apply this knowledge in working with others to achieve group goals. Through participation in civic engagement opportunities, reading, research, class exercises and self-assessments, students will develop an understanding of themselves as leaders and as group participants, increasing their ability to participate in and/or lead groups effectively. Offered spring.
COM 232. Public Relations and Civic Responsibility 4 sh
Public relations is the bridge between an organization and its many publics. This course emphasizes theories, strategies and techniques in organizational environments (corporate, not-for-profit, associations, agencies, government) and studies historical roots, formation of public opinion, crisis management, marketing and the ethical requirements to be a responsible corporate citizen. Prerequisite: C- or better in COM 100.
COM 234. Broadcasting in the Public Interest 4 sh
Broadcasting was conceived and is regulated to serve the public interest. This course provides a philosophical, historical, technological and social overview of the broadcast industry and its progeny. It focuses on broadcast economics, audience analysis, management, programming, media effects, government policy and FCC regulation in the public interest. Prerequisite: C- or better in COM 100.
COM 310. Reporting for the Public Good 4 sh
Students become reporters and writers who emphasize accuracy, logic, and the sound and sense of words. Students analyze good journalism and discuss concepts such as civic journalism, the watchdog function of the news media, ethical practice, and journalism’s role in serving the public good in a democracy. Prerequisite: C- or better in COM 110
ENG 304. Understanding Rhetoric 4 sh
This course surveys the history and theories of rhetoric, one of the oldest disciplines, for centuries promoted as one of the primary liberal arts and long understood as crucial to the development of effective citizens and leaders for democratic life. Students will explore the dynamic and culturally influenced history of rhetoric, gain an understanding of diverse rhetorical theories, and examine such issues as the scope of rhetoric, its functions, its processes and the ways it is associated with other disciplines. Prerequisite: ENG 110.
HSS 213. Working with Groups and Communities 4 sh
This course examines the interaction of group dynamics and community empowerment to resolve individual and social problems. Topics addressed in the course include group development and dynamics, power and decision making, communication, and using groups to develop community capacity through coalitions and activism. Students will gain awareness of the power of groups in influencing both positive and negative change within individuals and communities. Prerequisite: HSS 111 or SOC 111. Offered fall and spring.
HSS 411. Designing and Assessing Human Services Programs 4 sh
This course helps students understand the special nature and responsibilities of a human services organization. Students will learn how to design programs to address social problems by conducting a programmatic needs assessment, planning and designing interventions, developing necessary resources, and assessing programs for their effectiveness. Students will
gain greater knowledge of how to work with the wide variety of constituencies involved with a human services organization – employees, volunteers, boards, community networks and clients. Senior block course. Prerequisites: HSS 111, 285 and 381. Offered fall and spring.
HST 338. Germany: War, Democracy and Hitler, 1914-1945 4 sh
This course will explore the history of Germany from the outbreak of World War I through the end of World War II. It begins with an examination of the Second Reich (1871-1918) but concentrates on the two World Wars, Germany’s experiments with democracy during the Weimar Republic and dictatorship during the Nazi era.
HST 357. America's Civil War 4 sh
Beginning with the era of Andrew Jackson, this course focuses on the geographic, economic, social and political dynamics that tore the nation apart. Students analyze the causes of the Civil War and examine its military, social and political facets. A concluding study of the Reconstruction of the nation explores the resolution (or not) of the issues that generated the conflict.
HST 365. Social Movements in Post-Civil War America 4 sh
This course covers organized efforts to change American society since Reconstruction, including social movements from Populism in the late 1800s.
POL 325. The Presidency 4 sh
A study of the contemporary presidency emphasizing the organization of the office, its relationship to other structures in American politics and its role in the policy-making process. Offered fall every other year.
POL 326. The Congress 4 sh
Topics of study cover congressional elections, the policy-making process in Congress, party leadership and the committee system, the relationship between the Congress and the presidency, interest groups and the executive branch. Offered fall every other year.
SOC 331. The Self and Society 4 sh
Self and society involves the ways individuals are influenced by social interaction with others, with attention to the interaction processes of socialization, developing an identity and individual identities affecting interactions. Other topics include the impact of social change, increased technological developments in everyday life and postmodernism on the self, and the sociological perspectives of symbolic interactionism and dramaturgy. Prerequisite: SOC 111.
SOC 343. Social and Cultural Change 4 sh
Concern for the nature and direction of modernization provides a foundation in this course as students analyze patterns of social and cultural change (especially in technologically advanced societies such as the U.S.). Topics include innovation, diffusion, evolution, revolution, collective behavior and social movements with emphasis on the causes of patterns and their effects on individual and public life. Prerequisite: SOC 111.
COM 300. Persuasion 4 sh
This course explores the factors and techniques that either reinforce or change one’s knowledge, attitudes and behaviors as applied to media and communication messages. Students study classical and contemporary strategies, identify accepted rules that guide the decision-making process, and review how source, receiver, situation and message characteristics impact the social influence process. Prerequisite: C- or better in COM 110.
PSY 241. Social Psychology 4 sh
Topics in social psychology explore how people think about, influence and relate to one another. Specific topics include affiliation, aggression, altruism, attitude formation and change, attribution, compliance, conformity and persuasion. Prerequisite: PSY 111. Offered fall and spring.