Courses

The psychological, philosophical, biological, neurochemical, sociological, and evolutionary facts, principles, and theories underlying the concepts of pleasure and pain. Topics discussed include basic neuroscience and psychology of pleasure and pain systems, application to homeostasis, pain inhibition, and addiction. Within psychology application is made to concepts of neuroeconomics, wanting vs liking, empathy, and other aspects of human interaction.

The popular, emerging and innovative new media form of Podcasting. Analyze critically the technical, narrative and aesthetic aspects of Podcasting. Students will learn sound design, recording and interview techniques, storytelling approaches toproduction of fictional and documentary audio stories and create their own Podcasts.

Poetry and wisdom literature in the Bible (Psalms, Ecclesiastes, The Songs of Solomon, and more).

Readings in the secular and liturgical poetry of the Middle Ages, particularly of the Golden Age in Spain.

Intensive practice in the writing of poems, with related readings. May be repeated once for credit toward degree but may be applied only once to the major.

The basic concepts and fundamental results of point-set topology. The course includes a review of sets and functions, as well as the study of topological spaces including metric spaces, continuous functions, connectedness, compactness, and elementary constructions of topological spaces. Not open to students who are taking or who have received credit for MATH 620.

A survey of the major approaches to American, comparative, and international political communication. Covers such topics as the language of politics, communication in political decision making, the rhetoric of politics, mass communication, and political behavior.

This course introduces students to the basic analytical and evaluative tools of political science through an examination of particular controversies.Each section will focus on a current controversy such as life and death ( abortion, the death penalty, etc.), minority rights (affirmative action, homosexual marriage, etc.), and religion and politics, and then explore the wider and more general issues it entails.

The effect on political systems and behavior of such phenomena as fundamental moral concerns and value systems, class structures, and folk practices; development of the individual's orientation to political action and institutions.

Examines the economic underpinnings of the communication industries and their impact on the production, consumption, form, and content of cultural goods.