All courses, arranged by program, are listed in the catalog. If you cannot locate a specific course, try the Advanced Search. Current class schedules, with posted days and times, can be found on the NOW/Student Dashboard or by logging in to SiS.
The goal of this class is to enhance students' ability to read and interpret American texts by learning how to see them in context, to understand the way readers approach texts from interpretative lenses, and to express their insights about American culture in a variety of forms and genres. Meets Core Curriculum Essential Learning Outcome for Diversity and Cultural Awareness (DCA) and Social Responsibility & Ethics (SRE).
Pre-Req: ENGL.1020 College Writing II.
A survey of the major technical and stylistic developments in ecclesiastical and secular architecture from Prehistory to the present day studied with an emphasis on the major monuments (Parthenon, Pantheon, Gothic Cathedrals, St. Peter's, Versailles Palace, Eiffel Tower, Guggenheim Museum). Spring, alternate years.
A survey of the origins of painting, sculpture, and architecture from the prehistoric period through approximately 1300 CE. Works of art are discussed in their historical, cultural, and artistic contexts.
A survey of the origins and development of painting, sculpture, and architecture from Renaissance times to the Modern period. Emphasis is placed on representative works of art from the Renaisance, Baroque, Rococo, Nineteenth Century Movements-Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Impressionism, Cubism, Dadaism, Surrealism and Abstract Art. The aim of the course is to introduce the student to basic critical and art historical methods as well as the analysis of style and content within sequential cultural contexts.
This course introduces students to Islamic art through a survey of works across the broad reach of the Islamic world including Saudi Arabia, Northern and Saharan Africa, Spain, the former Ottoman Empire surrounding Turkey and the Greater Middle East. The last unit of the course looks at Islamic art in the diaspora. The course highlights works form c. 500 CE to the present, ending with the ultra modern city of Dubai.
This course explores the computer as a tool of the visual language. Topics included are raster and vector-based image making, art for the internet & mobile devices, and current image capture and output methods. This course will introduce Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash and a basic programming with the aim of expanding the artist's toolkit. Lectures, readings, and discussions will provide an overview of history and contemporary ideas on the use of computers in art. Meets Core Curriculum Essential Learning Outcome for Information Literacy (IL).
Pre-req: Fine Arts Majors, Graphic Design Majors, Digital Media Majors, Minors and BLA concentration only.
This course is designed to introduce students to the latest innovations in the applications of new technological advances in the criminal justice system. Topic areas include an examination of the new technology of crime commission, and the corresponding new technology of crime control strategies. Our focus will be on the application of both "hard" technology (e.g. equipment, hardware, devices, etc.) and "soft" technology (e.g. computer software programs, information systems, classification devices, and other problem-solving applications) in each of the following areas: crime prevention, police, courts, institutional corrections, community corrections and the private sector.
Intended primarily for students majoring in the liberal arts. The course develops the theory of electricity from an historical perspective. Sufficient background in circuit theory, resonance, field theory and radio waves is given to provide an understanding of the principles of radio from its antecedents in the nineteenth century through the invention of the transistor in the mid twentieth century. The fundamental contributions of, for example Volta, Oersted, Morse, Maxwell, Faraday, Hertz, Lodge, and Marconi are considered. In the present century the technical advances of such figures as de Forest, Fleming, Fessenden, Armstrong and Shockley are studied. The growth, regulation and culture of American broadcasting are also central to the course. Laboratory work is required and students may use this course toward fulfilling the General Education (science/experimental component) requirement of the University. Not open to students in the College of Engineering.
This course examines literary responses to science in England and the United States from the early Nineteenth Century to the present. Readings include novels--Frankenstein, The Island of Doctor Moreau, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Jurassic Park--essays, and poems. Meets Core Curriculum Essential Learning Outcome for Social Responsibility & Ethics (SRE).
An introduction to the principles of play construction and the vocabulary and methods of interpreting play texts for theatrical production. Required of all theatre arts concentrators.
Designed to introduce students to understand science fiction and fantasy within the broader context of literature and literary theory. It attempts to develop and hone student's skills of critical analysis as it supplies them with the tools to contextualize their reading experience - i.e., to understand the origins and politics of the books that they read.
A study of the relationship between works of fiction, cultural attitudes toward technology, and social values. Meets Core Curriculum Essential Learning Outcome for Social Responsibility & Ethics (SRE).
Values and Creative Thinking is a course designed specifically for freshmen. Throughout the semester you will be asked to examine your personal value system and how it relates to your education. The purpose of this course is to help you identify those individual qualities that you can use to achieve your highest academic potential. Specifically, this course is intended to help you develop greater self-awareness and confidence; creative and critical thinking skills; career planning skills designed to help you understand the full spectrum of available careers; an understanding of different computer technologies and multimedia techniques; an awareness of the role of values in determining your experiences and perspectives; problem solving and group decision making skills relating to issues that affect the quality of your life.
Europe has been transformed in the last 250 years from an agricultural society to a post-industrial one. We study the processes by which this happened, from the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and early 19th century to the wars and depressions of the early 20th century and the collapse of the communist system and European unification in the late 20th century. Students learn basic concepts and methods of history and economics.
Level: minimum Sophomore standing.
Provides a survey of labor history from the colonial period to the present focusing on the interrelationship between culture and work in American society and on the dynamics of technical and economic changes on the organization of work processes.
This course introduces students to the law of the Internet and regulation of lawful and unlawful computer activities. Traditional notions about privacy, defamation, contracts, freedom of expression, pornography, stalking, jurisdiction and intellectual property are challenged by the latest cyberspace technology. Much of the debate about control, which leads to questions about rights and responsibilities, centers around who, if anyone, should design the legal architecture of cyberspace. These and other topical subjects serve as the focus on the study of legal issues in cyberspace.
Special Topics: A variety of topical issues in music will be explored through an interdisciplinary lens, which will vary from semester to semester. This music elective may include analysis and discussions of musical structure and form, culture and its influence on musical genre¿s, gender in music, as well as identity and inclusion, depending on faculty and student interest.
Examines how recording technology has changed music and the relationships of music and society. The course studies and evaluates the application of technology to making music, to music listening, to styles of music, and to music's roles in society, other art forms, and media. The evolving importance of technology in music over the past century is charted through the study of musical examples and through viewing how human values are reflected in this century's timely music. Studies will be based on assigned readings, lectures and discussions, examination of current and historically significant music recordings, motion pictures and media pieces for this artistry, their use of available technology, and their impact on human values and society.
The course explores globalization as the process of transformation of regional and national phenomena into global ones, analyzing its social, economic, political, and cultural aspects. Supporters view it as the progress of liberalization and democratization that develop peaceful international cooperation; critics see globalization as the expansion of the profit-seeking global corporations that abuse the less developed and vulnerable regions. The course readings include the works of Amartya Sen, Samuel Huntington, Joseph Stiglitz, and other leading economists, sociologists, and philosophers.
This course will examine the influence social media and web connectivity have had on political campaigns, campaign fundraising, political mobilization, and the recent proliferation of democratic movements.
This interdisciplinary course considers the way we construct self-identity through our affiliation with various cultural and political groups- from the"Red Sox nation" to linguistic, economic, nationalistic and ethnic groups. It examines the central role of nationalism; its symbols, traditions and expectations; the role of the media; and the benefits and risks of our allegiance to these groups.
Analysis of the role of film in creating, expressing, revealing, and responding to social and political ideas and values. Examines a variety of film and film styles and introduces students to elements of film theory, the theory of popular culture and the role of film in forming our ideas about the world.
Surveys issues and topics dealing with the physiological and evolutionary bases of behavior. Biological systems and processes that influence behavior are considered, with particular emphasis on brain mechanisms. Recent discoveries in the neurosciences will be presented. Methods of research are reviewed.
Pre-Req: PSYC.1010 Intro to Psychological Science .
This course examines workplace and regional factors that shape the prospects for sustainable prosperity and worker and community empowerment. The course begins by reviewing recent trends in the distribution of income and wealth and the industrial structure of the New England economy. The historical dynamics shaping work organization and regional development are examined. Several industry case studies are selected because of their importance to the regional and national economy. The case studies provide focus for studying the strategic choices made by firms in mature industries and newly emerging regions; the basis of competitive advantage for Japanese firms and the response of American rivals; and the influence of the product cycle and regional institutions on capture or retention of emerging and mature industries. The final section of the course focuses on the prospects for sustainability of the organization of production and its environmental impact, incentives for skill development and technological innovation, and shared prosperity. A central course objective is to foster an understanding of the links between the workplace and region in the pursuit of sustainable development and shared prosperity.
Examines various positive alternatives to war and violence, including disarmament, nonviolence, conflict resolution, and the United Nations. Students do volunteer work with an activist agency or interview an activist. The course stresses the historical and contemporary role of peace movements and allied social-change movements such as feminism, civil rights and environmentalism.
Most social interactions and interventions involve communication. Thus, communication patterns present critical issues for sociological inquiry. This course introduces communication as a central yet often ignored element of social life. It surveys existing communication theories, then focuses on models used by marginalized populations in efforts to democratize communication systems. Finally, it introduces tools for communication strategizing. As a final product students will conduct a frame analysis of a current social topic. From a general liberal arts perspective, the course will stress critical thinking and writing skills.
Pre-Req: SOCI.1010 Intro to Sociology.