Social & Behavioral Sciences Courses

This course examines the realities of Law Enforcement from its inception as an organization to contemporary times. It describes the history of Law enforcement in the United States and the Social Justice matters connected to these Law Enforcement policies and practices.

This course provides an overview of the ways that we are touched by death and dying. Topics include the death system, hospice, suicide, violent death, death in childhood, bereavement, grief, mourning, and the funeral process. We will discuss ways of handling the psychological, sociological, cultural and religious implications of death.

This course description will be announced when the course is offered. The course will focus on a specific Social Justice topic to be determined. As topics change, this course may be repeated for credit

Topics may include relationships and divorce, history and systems, self in contemporary psychology among others. Course may be repeated for credit as topics change.

Please contact your instructor for specific topic

Depending on the instructor, topics may be suited for General Political Science or the Public Administration concentrations or the minor in Public Policy. As topics change, this course may be repeated for credit.

Please contact your instructor for specific topic.

使用历史文献、社会统计、磨破ks of literature, anthropology, and social and psychoanalytic theory, this course examines the process of marginalization, compares conceptions/social constructions of sanity and insanity among different cultures and sub- cultures, and analyzes the consequences of institutionalization, stigmatization, and marginalization. We will explore diverse populations and their access to and interaction with Social Justice, Healthcare entities as well as carceral responses to illness

(Also WMS 335) An analysis of present research finding and theory pertaining to gender-related issues. Social and intellectual development, gender differences and gender role socialization will be examined. This course will provide students with a basis for understanding the role of gender in research and clinical applications.

(Also WMS 336) This course will analyze the social, cultural and political construction of sex, sexuality and gender by examining “western” and “nonwestern” conceptions of masculinity, femininity, male and female, heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, transvestitism, transsexuality and transgenderism.

This course is the culmination of the Diversity Training Certificate program. In a world of increasing cultural contact, globalization, immigration, and ethnic tensions, it is increasingly important to learn how to succeed in diversity. With its practical approach, the course develops skills that are essential to effectively and harmoniously function in diverse social environments. Through case studies, exercises and role-playing, students acquire multicultural competency ready to be used in workplace situations.

This course serves as an overview of organized crimes and criminal behaviors which may not be considered "organized crimes" but involves a level of organization beyond ordinary street crimes. Students will become familiar with local and international criminal organizations, and empirical research on the impacts of these crimes in society.

This is an interdisciplinary course that provides students with a social sciences framework relevant to the study of social problems, the programs designed to remedy them, and the actions of individuals and groups to address gaps between problems and policy.

This is an interdisciplinary course that provides students with a social sciences framework relevant to the study of social problems, the programs designed to remedy them, and the actions of individuals and groups to address gaps between problems and policy.

The history of the police will be examined as well as types of organization, recruitment and training of personnel and patrol tactics and innovations. The course will also explore new laws and technology which affect law enforcement as well as viewing federal law enforcement agencies and foreign police forces from a comparative perspective.

This course is a general overview of the causes, methods and costs of white-collar crime in contemporary society. Students will gain a broad understanding of these criminal acts, and become familiar with scholarly work that highlights the complexities of these harmful, yet often overlooked, crimes.

The historical and philosophical foundations of contemporary corrections are the focus of this course. Topics will include institutional and community-based corrections and cross-cultural comparisons.

This course offers an in depth examination of the nature and scope of victimization; current research and policy trends; the victim’s role within the criminal justice system and the criminal justice system’s response to victimization.

Widespread use of psychoactive substances was a component of human behavior before the advent of civilization. In this course, we will examine the how and why of human drug use. We will focus on the biological mechanisms of drug action and how this in turn affects human behavior. We will also explore drug use/abuse from a societal perspective across different times and cultures. Taking a social justice perspective, we will examine how current drug laws affect society at-large, how the enforcement of certain drug laws affects under-represented groups, and whether/how anti-drug laws are effective at curbing drug abuse and its associated criminal behaviors.

This is an introduction to the multidisciplinary field of Program Evaluations with a special concentration to evaluations on the welfare and well-being of disenfranchised populations and social justice. Throughout this course students will learn the steps necessary to conduct ethically sound program evaluations studies.

This course concerns statutory and case law pertaining to crime. Both substantive and procedural law will be considered.

This course concerns statutory and case law pertaining to crime. Both substantive and procedural law will be considered.

(Also AFS 369) This course seeks to examine Black families in the United States by exploring the social and cultural factors that have shaped them. It begins with an overview of the historical and anthropological roots of Black families, and then focuses on an in-depth analysis of their contemporary formations.

The purpose of this course is to understand the conceptual and empirical issues underlaying the political economy of global poverty and human rights. What is poverty? What are the global dimensions of poverty? How does the discourse of human rights relate to underlying political economy of global capitalism? How does the discourse of human rights relate to the underlying causes of inequality and poverty in the world? In order to do this, we will look at the relationship between human rights, economic growth, poverty and inequalities in several different dimensions. After an initial exploration of these issues we will focus on the more recently developed social capabilites approach developed by Amartya Sen and others. We will explore the limits of policies under the existing institutional arrangements and examine the need for fundamental changes in the global political economy

This course will provide an overview of the history of corrections and current institutional practices, policies and legal issues. The course focuses on the relation of corrections to the criminal justice system, theories underlying correctional practice and the role of institutions within the corrections system. Specifically, this course provides an overview of the field of corrections. It reviews the historical development of crime and corrections, sentencing, jails, prisons, correctional policies, agencies, prison life, and challenges facing correctional populations. It will further explore the variables contributing to the rise of mass incarceration and the prison industrial system.

This course provides a theoretical and historical analysis of the ethical permutation of international relations discourse based on the premise that a sound understanding of contemporary practice and debates requires grounding in their historical and theoretical roots and foundations. To help close the gap between theory and practice we explore issues that integrate rigorous thinking about principles of justice and morality into discussions of practical dilemmas related to current policy developments, global institutional arrangements, and the conduct of important international actors. Theoretical discussions that originate in philosophy, religion, or the social science should connect with the interests of journalist, activists, policy-makers, and citizens who are primarily concerned with assessing and reforming specific policies, as well as existing rule and institutions such as the United Nations, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund; arrangements governing trade, environmental protection, and the use of force; and the International Criminal Court and ad hoc tribunals that address genocide and past societal injustices.

The purpose of this course is to examine the theoretical frameworks guiding the effective practice of coaching and mentoring. Students will also experience a mentoring relationship