Diverse Communities Requirement

ANT 321. American Indian Today. 3 Credits.

Native Americans in contemporary Anglo-America.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Spring.

ANT 347. The Cultures of Cities. 3 Credits.

This seminar introduces students to the cultural dynamics of city life in the era of globalization. Topics of study include globalization, the politics of urban space, informal economies, and immigration.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Spring.

ANT 360. Historical Archaeology. 3 Credits.

This course emphasizes the archaeological record of the past 400 years in North America, especially the Middle Atlantic region. Students learn how archaeologists utilize the archaeological record to study broad 'ism's including imperialism, colonialism, mercantilism, nationalism, urbanism, and racism. The course offers case studies for examining how the archaeological record illuminates the lives of diverse, marginalized, and "invisible" people, as well as practical research skills development and an understanding of archaeology in the public and private sectors, including cultural resources management, historic preservation, and heritage planning.
Pre / Co requisites: ANT 360 requires a prerequisite or corequisite of ANT 103.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall.

CLS 165. Introduction to World Literature. 3 Credits.

This course is designed to introduce students to literature representative of both Western and non-Western cultures and can be taken as an alternative to LIT 165. Not open to English majors.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Humanities Distributive Requirement, Writing Emphasis.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

CLS 203. African Studies. 3 Credits.

This course studies African culture through literature, anthropology, and history. It focuses on the socio-cultural and historical contexts of African writing through the colonial and postcolonial periods.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.

CLS 258. Women's Literature I. 3 Credits.

A survey of world women's literature from 800 B.C. to 1800. Readings are chosen from the works of Sappho, Aspasia, Diotima, Mutta, Auvaiyar, Sei Shonagan, Sule Sankavya, Murasaki, Hildegard, von Bingen, Mirabai, Marguerite de Navarre, Phillis Wheatley, Aphra Behn, Madame de Stael, Jane Austen, and Fanny Burney among others.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.

CLS 259. Women's Literature II. 3 Credits.

A survey of women's literature from 1800 to the present. Readings are chosen from the works of Harriet Jacobs, Ida B. Wells, Louisa Alcott, Charlotte Bronte, Jean Rhys, Virginia Woolf, Marguerite Duras, Christa Wolf, Merce Rodoreda, Jamaica Kincaid, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Alifa Rifaat, Louise Erdrich, Cherrie Moraga, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Arundati Roy among others.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.

CLS 260. World Literature I. 3 Credits.

A survey of world literary texts from pre-classical times to 1600.
Gen Ed Attribute for Students Admitted Prior to Fall 2020: Diversity Requirement, Humanities Distributive Requirement, Writing Emphasis.
Gen Ed Attribute for Students Admitted Fall 2020 and After: Diversity Requirement, Writing Emphasis.

CLS 333. Latina Writing. 3 Credits.

An examination of the literary works produced by Latinas in the 20th century. The study of this literature will include a cross-cultural approach that will elucidate sociopolitical themes emerging from the texts.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Foreign Language Culture Cluster, Spanish Culture Cluster.
Typically offered in Fall.

CLS 335. Latino Literature in the U.S.. 3 Credits.

This course examines the history of Latino groups (e.g. Mexicans, Cubans and South Americans) in the U.S. through literary texts written by Latinos and studies the cultural, economic and political experiences leading to their acculturation or alienation in mainstream America.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Foreign Language Culture Cluster, Spanish Culture Cluster.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.
Cross listed courses CLS 335, ESP 335.

CPL 120. Leadership Theories for Today's Society. 3 Credits.

Introduction to the study of leadership theory and practice as it relates to the students' civic and professional development. The course content places special emphasis on leadership practices and the relationship between leaders and followers inspired by social inequities surrounding issues of race, ethnicity, class, gender and inclusion.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Spring.

CRJ 360. Race, Ethnicity and Criminal Justice. 3 Credits.

This course will explore the relationship between race and criminal justice, including the historical background of the role race has played in the system. The impact of race and ethnicity on discretion, sentencing, and disposition will be examined at the adult and juvenile levels. In addition, the causes and remedies of minority overrepresentation in the adult and juvenile criminal justice system will be explored.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Writing Emphasis.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

CRJ 370. Gender, Crime, and Justice. 3 Credits.

This course provides a forum in which students are encouraged to examine the impact gender has on various aspects of the criminal justice system. The course will offer an exploration of the victimization of women and the culture that supports it. It will also address the unique issues of women as criminals, women as prisoners, and women as workers in the criminal justice system. Intersectionality is a fluid theme throughout the course, as matters of gender in the justice response oftentimes rest on marginalization based on several intersecting static traits, such as race, ethnicity, social status, and sexuality. It is important to understand the substantive nature of these groups as one attempts to identify issues and offer meaningful solutions. The ultimate aim is to help students foster an informed and reasoned openness to and an understanding of difference--a significant furtherance of the university's goal of graduating students who are committed to creating a just and equitable society.
Pre / Co requisites: CRJ 370 requires a prerequisite of a grade of C or higher in CRJ 110.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Speaking Emphasis.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

CSD 270. Introduction to Augmentative and Alternative Communication. 3 Credits.

The course is designed to introduce undergraduate students to a variety of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies (e.g., high-technology devices such as speech-generating computers and software programs and low-technology systems such as picture exchange communication) for people with communication disorders. Students will explore the Total Communication approach - an approach to Deaf education that includes a number of modes of communication such as signed, oral, auditory, written and visual aids - for interacting with individuals who have complex communication needs.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Speaking Emphasis.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

ECE 407. Diversity Perspectives in Early Childhood Education. 3 Credits.

This seminar will address the rewards and challenges of teaching in America's diverse classrooms.
Pre / Co requisites: ECE 407 requires formal admission into teacher education or Early Childhood Minor.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Writing Emphasis.

EDA 325. Culturally Responsive Teaching for Diverse Exceptional Learners. 3 Credits.

This course is designed to prepare preservice special educators with background knowledge and critical understandings of culturally responsive practices in order to meet the needs of students at the intersection of culture, language, and disability needs. Students will examine the role culture plays in teaching and learning, develop strategies for culturally responsive collaboration with families and communities, and explore resources for implementing culturally responsive teaching practices as future special educators.
Pre / Co requisites: EDA 325 requires a prerequisite of EDA 103.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

EDR 200. Literacy, Diversity, & Equity in K-12 Classrooms. 3 Credits.

In this course, students will explore literacy as a critical social practice. We will focus on the ways that literacy education has the potential to exclude, oppress, liberate, and empower students who have been historically marginalized in school settings because of their race, class, gender, and sexuality. Students will develop specific tools, stances, and approaches to teach towards a more just and equitable society.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Spring.

EFR 301. United in Cultural Diversity: France and Germany in the European Union. 3 Credits.

This is a travel course that takes students to Paris, Brussels, Berlin, and Frankfurt to culturally examine how France and Germany are united in their many layers of diversity along ethnic and religious lines, and questions of gender and sexual orientation. Readings and screenings of culturally significant texts along with onsite visits and discussions will help students understand and identify the diversity of the EU's two most influential countries.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Foreign Language Culture Cluster, France & Francophone Area Culture Cluster, Germany Culture Cluster.
Typically offered in Winter.
Cross listed courses EFR 301, EGE 301.

EGE 301. United in Cultural Diversity: Germany and France in the European Union. 3 Credits.

This is a travel course that takes students to Paris, Brussels, Berlin, and Frankfurt to culturally examine how France and Germany are united in their many layers of diversity along ethnic and religious lines, and questions of gender and sexual orientation. Readings and screenings of culturally significant texts along with onsite visits and discussions will help students understand and identify the diversity of the EU's two most influential countries.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Foreign Language Culture Cluster, France & Francophone Area Culture Cluster, Germany Culture Cluster.
Typically offered in Winter.
Cross listed courses EFR 301, EGE 301.

EGP 326. Families and Community Relations. 3 Credits.

Addressing issues, policies, and practices about schools, young children families and communities this course will focus on ethnicity, culture, and social class to provide students with perspectives and understandings that will enable them to teach effectively and function as viable members of learning communities. Understanding the role of parents, guardians and families in each child's educational success and success in life, while embracing and respecting each child's unique individuality, are essential for the contemporary educator.
Pre / Co requisites: EGP 326 requires prerequisite EGP 209 and EGP 210.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

ENG 240. Language, Gender, and Sexuality. 3 Credits.

This course introduces students to the study of language as a resource for the production of gender and sexuality. Discussion of popular beliefs and scholarly theories about language and communication.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Writing Emphasis.
Typically offered in Spring.

ENG 382. Teaching English Language Learners PK-12. 3 Credits.

A study of issues and the application of techniques, strategies, and materials for meeting the needs of English Language Learners/English Learners in inclusive classrooms. Emphases include sociocultural issues in educational contexts, TESOL through the content areas, linguistics, second language acquisition, the integration and applications of the PA English Language Proficiency Standards PK-12 (ELPS) and current trends in second language teaching, learning and assessment.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.
Cross listed courses LAN 382, ENG 382.

ESP 309. Latin America on Film (in English). 3 Credits.

This course explores contemporary Latin American film production in order to foster a better understanding of Latin American cultures and history while investigating complex power dynamics in Latin American societies. Films will be the points of departure to address critical issues such as history, culture, politics, economics, and religion; ethnic diversity, gender, class-based and racial conflicts; violence, dictatorship, and revolution; and the place of Latin America in an increasingly globalized world. No knowledge of Spanish is required.
Gen Ed Attribute: Arts Distributive Requirement, Diversity Requirement, Foreign Language Culture Cluster, Spanish Culture Cluster.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

ESP 316. Latin American Avant-Gardes and Mass Media. 3 Credits.

An exploration of the groundbreaking avant-garde artistic practices and the technological innovations of mass media from the early 1900s to today in Latin America with a focus on structural inequality in the region. Course studies the historical origins and transformation of concepts such as "originality," "individuality," and "the new" to understand how they acquired political, economic, social, and cultural value in modern Latin America. No knowledge of Spanish is required.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Foreign Language Culture Cluster, Interdisciplinary Requirement, Spanish Culture Cluster.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

ESP 324. Latinos in the U.S.. 3 Credits.

An interdisciplinary examination of Latinas/Latinos in the U.S. Course examines the changing cultural, historical, political, and economic situations of several Hispanic groups, including Central Americans, Cubans, Mexicans, and Puerto Ricans.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Foreign Language Culture Cluster, Interdisciplinary Requirement, Spanish Culture Cluster.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

ESP 333. Latina Writing. 3 Credits.

An examination of the literary works produced by Latinas in the 20th century. The study of this literature will include a cross-cultural approach that will elucidate sociopolitical themes emerging from the texts. No knowledge of Spanish is required.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Foreign Language Culture Cluster, Spanish Culture Cluster.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

ESP 335. Latino Literatures in the US. 3 Credits.

This course examines the history of Latino groups (e.g., Mexicans, Cubans, and South Americans) in the U.S. through literary texts written by Latinos, and studies the cultural, economic, and political experiences leading to their acculturation or alienation in mainstream America.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Foreign Language Culture Cluster, Spanish Culture Cluster.
Typically offered in Spring.
Cross listed courses CLS 335, ESP 335.

GEO 204. Introduction to Urban Studies. 3 Credits.

An examination of the breadth of urban studies from the perspectives of many social science disciplines. Philadelphia is emphasized as an object of perception, as a place of life and livelihood, and as an example of continual change in the urban environment.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Interdisciplinary Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

GEO 312. Urban Geography. 3 Credits.

Analysis of patterns, processes, and consequences of urban growth and development. Theory of systems, size, spacing, and functions of cities. Students will conduct outside analysis using real data.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

HEA 109. Health Issues of Women. 3 Credits.

The needs and concerns of women as consumers in our present health care system. Various biological, psychological, and social topics will be discussed.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

HEA 110. Transcultural Health: Principles and Practice. 3 Credits.

This course examines the health beliefs and practices of a variety of subcultural groups in the United States. Emphasis is placed on the application of multicultural health beliefs and practices. It utilizes the cross-cultural approach in meeting the health needs of clients and families. It is open to all University students, regardless of major.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

HIS 214. Do No Harm? The Pursuit of Justice in the History of Medicine. 3 Credits.

This course examines the history of how people have understood and experienced health and sickness, and how people have practiced medicine and had medicine practiced upon them, from ancient times to the present. It places particular emphasis on the historical relationship between expert and lay medical knowledge, and in understanding how cultural values have informed the diverse ways that different societies have practiced medicine. The course similarly explores how medical knowledge and practice have become a potent form of cultural authority open to both great accomplishments and great abuse. In particular, we will examine how women, persons of African ancestry, persons with disability, and other historically marginalized groups interact with medical knowledge and practice. Using the analytical tools of social constructivist theory, the course examines how medical knowledge and the practice of medicine can be agents used to maintain structural inequalities. Crucially, however, marginalized persons and their allies also have used their own medical knowledge and practice to challenge those inequalities.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Humanities Distributive Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

HIS 313. Eugenics and the University: The History of Higher Education's "War on the Weak". 3 Credits.

This course examines the origins and impact of eugenics -- the pursuit of "improving" humanity through the elimination of "undesirable" populations -- on people with disabilities. In particular it looks at the history of higher education and many of its academic disciplines in order to understand the origins of eugenic thinking, research, and advocacy, the prominence that these notorious and ugly beliefs had within the highest rungs of the highly educated elite, and the efforts of people with disability to resist eugenics. In this course students use the tools of history to grapple with a difficult question: how did so many seemingly "good" people that we associate with enlightenment, learning, and good works, fail to recognize the evil of their eugenicist assumptions, research, and public health recommendations? How can our historical study of persons with disability and their efforts to challenge ableism in the past guide our thinking and practice in the present?.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Speaking Emphasis.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

HIS 324. Race & Nation in the Russian Empire. 3 Credits.

Focusing on the formation of a vast and diverse Russian empire in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the course explores tensions between an emerging sense of Russian national identity and the racialized practices that sustained imperial rule. It includes substantive study of peasants, workers, women, ethnic, national and religious minorities, and colonized peoples. As students analyze and interpret the multiple ways in which the empire's marginalized peoples experienced and resisted structural inequalities, they develop skills in historical thinking, writing, and speaking.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Foreign Language Culture Cluster, Russia & Eastern Europe Culture Cluster.
Typically offered in Fall.

HIS 349. The Jew in History. 3 Credits.

The course covers the vast expanse of Jewish history going back to 2000 B.C., tracing the story of a people who belong to one of civilization's major monotheistic religions.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall.

HIS 362. Violence in America. 3 Credits.

A study of violence in American society as an instrument of change and a method of social control.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.

HIS 368. Gay America. 3 Credits.

Encompasses four hundred years of gay and lesbian history, culture, and politics, from colonial settlers and Native American cultures to the present with emphasis on the 20th century.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Summer.

HIS 373. African-American History. 3 Credits.

A survey of African-American history from 15th century West Africa to the present that focuses on the evolution of African-American culture and identity, and the struggle for freedom and racial equality.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.

HIS 381. The Forgotten Queens of Islam. 3 Credits.

Students will learn about prominent women in Islamic history, with a focus on the medieval period. Students will learn to read historical texts "against the grain" through the lens of feminist history.
Gen Ed Attribute: Arabic Culture Cluster, Diversity Requirement, Foreign Language Culture Cluster, Speaking Emphasis.
Typically offered in Spring.
Cross listed courses HIS 381, WOS 381.

HIS 424. World of Communism. 3 Credits.

This course examines the history of communism. It traces the origins and development of Marxist theories of inequality as well as sometimes tragic efforts to put Marxist theory into practice in, among other places, Russia, China, and Cuba. Particular attention is paid to choices and commitments of individual communists. What vision of a new world motivated communists? What solutions to class, gender, and racial inequalities did they propose? Why was their idealism so often twisted into carnage?.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall.

HIS 451. Women and Gender in American History. 3 Credits.

The course examines the way ideas about women and gender have shaped the lives of Americans, their daily routines, social roles, and search for rights and identities from the pre-colonial period to the present.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Speaking Emphasis, Writing Emphasis.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

HON 312. Educational Systems and Social Influence. 3 Credits.

An introduction to philosophy, history, and sociology of American education. The evolution of the school as an institution in a democratic society; its relationships to issues dealing with race, class, gender and ethnicity; the geographical implications the school has for the community and vice versa; the degree to which school should and/or can serve as agents for social change.
Gen Ed Attribute: Behavioral and Social Science Distributive, Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall.

HON 322. Developing Leadership with ELLs in the Classroom & Community. 3 Credits.

The study of issues, leadership challenges and strategies for the effective teaching of English Language Learners (ELLs) and for effective communicating with ELLs in the community. Along with globalization come multi-cultural and multi-lingual challenges and opportunities for leaders in communities, classrooms, school administration, and the private sector. In particular, this course focuses on the gifts brought and challenges faced by a rapidly growing population of English Language Learners (ELLs) as they seek integration into the larger community. Research in linguistics draws from multiple disciplines and the course will take advantage of various intellectual approaches from areas such as educational psychology, cultural anthropology, literacy studies, intercultural communication, sociology, and political science in their contributions to building community in cross-cultural contexts.
Gen Ed Attribute: Behavioral and Social Science Distributive, Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall.

KIN 246. Sport, Wellness, and Society. 3 Credits.

Current theories and research in the area of sport, wellness, and society will be introduced. The focus of the course is interdisciplinary, incorporating sociological, psychological, historical, anthropological, philosophical, and economic perspectives. Topics include diversity and inclusion issues in sport, wellness, and the society at large, locally and globally.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Interdisciplinary Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

KIN 254. Disability Studies: An Interdisciplinary Introduction. 3 Credits.

A study of the psychological and social implications of physical disabilities.
Gen Ed Attribute: American Sign Language Culture Cluster, Diversity Requirement, Foreign Language Culture Cluster.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

LAN 382. Teaching English Language Learners PK-12. 3 Credits.

A study of issues and the application of techniques, strategies, and materials for meeting the needs of English Language Learners/English Learners in inclusive classrooms. Emphases include sociocultural issues in educational contexts, TESOL through the content areas, linguistics, second language acquisition, the integration and applications of the PA English Language Proficiency Standards PK-12 (ELPS) and current trends in second language teaching, learning and assessment.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.
Cross listed courses LAN 382, ENG 382.

LIN 140. Language, Power, and Ideology. 3 Credits.

This course investigates the relationship between language and power as it is manifested in a variety of contexts. It examines the discourse of politics, the language of advertising and journalism, and the discourse of institutions and organizations to uncover ideological biases towards socioeconomic class; sexuality and gender; and race, ethnicity, and age. It also examines how these marginalized groups resist oppression and use language as an agent to speak against and subvert exclusion and discrimination in the United States and globally. Students will look at marginalized groups, including women, immigrants, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, speakers of low prestige dialects, such as Pittsburghese and African American English, and low prestige languages, such as creoles and pidgins, and they will examine how these groups use language to resist and subvert dominant ideologies. The course aims to introduce students to the basic principles of critical discourse analysis, critical stylistics, and sociolinguistics, enabling them to conduct their investigations of issues related to language and power as well as foster an informed and reasoned openness to, and understanding of, difference.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Humanities Distributive Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

LIN 211. Language Communities in the US and Canada. 3 Credits.

Exploration and analysis of how aspects of language usage (dialect, "accent," bilingualism) relate to language-based discrimination in the U.S. and Canada generally. Emphasis is on bias, discrimination, and profiling based on race, class, gender, religious affiliation, and ethnicity. Examples will be drawn from mainstream media, including popular film and television.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Writing Emphasis.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

LIT 203. African American Literature II. 3 Credits.

Continuation of LIT 202. A survey of African American writing from the Harlem Renaissance to the present. Authors include Hughes, Hurston, Wright, Ellison, Baraka, Brooks, Sanchez, Morrison, Butler, and others, with an emphasis on the historical forces and social and cultural movements that have shaped black writing in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Writing Emphasis.
Typically offered in Spring.

LIT 213. Asian American Literature. 3 Credits.

Survey of representative Asian American authors from their earliest works at the turn of the twentieth century to contemporary works, examined in the context of the changing cultural, economic, and political experiences of Americans of Asian descent.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Writing Emphasis.

LIT 303. Intro to Multi-Ethnic American Literature. 3 Credits.

American ethnic, racial, and national groups in American literature and the contributions of creative literary artists representing these cultures.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Writing Emphasis.

MDC 250. Intercultural Communication. 3 Credits.

A study of factors that contribute to communication breakdowns between diverse cultures and between fragmented segments within the same society.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

MHL 125. Perspectives in Jazz. 3 Credits.

Guided listening to improve understanding and enjoyment of jazz with emphasis on jazz heritages, chronological development, and sociological considerations, culminating in an analysis of the eclectic styles of the 1960s and 1970s. Not open to music majors.
Gen Ed Attribute: Arts Distributive Requirement, Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

MHL 180. Global Soundscapes: Music, History, and Society. 3 Credits.

This course examines musical practices and traditions from around the world and explores how music is interrelated with its historical, cultural and social contexts. It introduces students to academic disciplines that study music: music theory, music history, and ethnomusicology. We will gain a global perspective of music by learning about different musical styles and practices, and how cultures shape the creation, performance and consumption of music. The course will also investigate how certain groups of people and their music have been historically marginalized, and how structural inequalities have manifested in the education, performance, and dissemination of music. Students will particularly focus on groups who have been marginalized due to race, ethnicity, and/or immigrant status. By applying the theoretical framework of ethnomusicology, they will study the ways that music has functioned as a way to assert power and give voice to marginalized groups and suppressed issues.
Gen Ed Attribute: Arts Distributive Requirement, Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

MPT 331. Music Therapy Principles I (Pediatrics). 3 Credits.

This course is designed to equip the future music therapist with the necessary skills and knowledge of methods and materials required to successfully facilitate individual, group, and family music therapy sessions with pediatric clientele. Field observations (practicum) placements in pediatric clinical settings are a part of the course.
Pre / Co requisites: MPT 331 requires a prerequisite of MPT 240.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Writing Emphasis.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

MUE 332. Music Methods and Materials II. 3 Credits.

The study of music and the learning process at the secondary level to include technology, listening skills, multicultural diversity, general music programs, and administrative skills.
Pre / Co requisites: MUE 332 requires prerequisites of MUE 331 and formal admission into teacher education. Current Act 34, Act 114, Act 151 Clearances and TB test valid for semester.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Writing Emphasis.

NSG 109. Health Issues of Women. 3 Credits.

This course encompasses the needs and concerns of women as consumers in our present health care system. It examines various biological, psychological, and social topics related to women's health care, including medical abuses, sexuality, sex roles, and women's health in the workplace. This course is an enrichment to liberal education, encouraging inquiry into previously neglected areas of women and health. It is offered in the Women's Studies Program and is open to all University students, regardless of major, as an elective.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.

NSG 216. Healthy Aging in the New Millennium. 3 Credits.

In this course the student will examine the influences associated with healthy aging through a variety of learning activities. Students will begin by learning about ageism and lifespan biological and genetic influences (allostatic load theory) on health outcomes. This biological foundation serves as a starting point to examine other factors (social, economic, cultural) that impact healthy aging. Students then apply communication skills through interaction on a one-to-one basis with older adults. Students complete basic assessments on common problems of day-to-day living (sleep, nutrition, mobility, fall risk) and a community walking assessment that illustrates how environment influences aging. Students learn to apply health equity promotion and social justice principles to older adult health (Health Equity Promotion model). Students learn about community programs, health policy, and their impact on the health of older adults. The course will foster an informed and reasoned openness to, and understanding of, aging differences based on lifestyle, economic, and biological factors. In conclusion, a course goal is to educate students who become citizens committed to creating a just and equitable society.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall.

NSG 222. Transcultural Healthcare Delivery. 3 Credits.

This course introduces students to culturally diverse populations within the United States. Emphasis is placed on the exploration of heritage (social structure), and the meaning of health and illness in various culturally diverse sub-populations that include individuals from marginalized groups. Weekly assignments will provide students with the opportunity to explore diversity in healthcare delivery. Through class discussions, students will further develop agency and devise strategies to employ resistance in the face of structural oppression which is often encountered in healthcare structures. Discussions will include the following topics: demographic disparity/poverty, immigration/U.S. institutional mandates, diverse health care beliefs, traditional medicine, religion, ethnicity, healthcare economics, socialization, and linguistics as they each relate to health outcomes. Concepts will be approached using an interdisciplinary lens and draw upon perspectives from the following disciplines: health sciences, economics, history, anthropology, sociology, and political science. This course promotes collaboration among disciplines to improve healthcare access and delivery for diverse populations.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Interdisciplinary Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

NSG 234. Gender and Sexual Minority Health. 3 Credits.

This course will expose students to historical, current, and emerging health issues experienced by the gender and sexual minority (GSM) populations. This course is rooted in the minority stress approach to health promotion problems amongst the gender and sexual minorities. Introduction to health promotion activities, advocacy, prevention, and community health resources are emphasized. This course is open to all majors.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter.

NTD 200. Nutrition and Culture. 3 Credits.

Students will increase awareness of the connection between health outcomes, diet and nutrition, and socio-cultural influences. Course studies will lay a foundation for understanding why people eat the foods that they do. A bio-cultural framework is applied to examine how individual dietary habits, choices, and nutritional health outcomes are influenced by social structure, historic patterns and events, and cultural beliefs and ideology. Students explore food ways, food scripts, health beliefs and practices, demographic characteristics, and population health across diverse communities within the United States. The course also employs a critical analysis of macro-structural inequalities, societal stresses, and cultural norms that alter access and availability to healthy foods and disparately undermine the nutritional health of some populations.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

PAX 301. Global Perspectives in Peace and Justice. 3 Credits.

This course examines global issues of social justice, reconciliation, and peacemaking with an emphasis on post-colonial resistance, political violence, economic justice, ethnic conflicts, international human rights, and global environmental concerns. The course utilizes theories from Peace and Conflict Studies with an emphasis on post-colonial discourse, feminist theory, critical race theory, conflict transformation, and global peacemaking.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Interdisciplinary Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall.

PHI 130. Religion in the United States. 3 Credits.

This course will explore the rich diversity of religions in the United States and the impact of religion on our culture.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Spring.

PHI 180. Introduction to Ethics. 3 Credits.

Introduction to major theories and contemporary work in moral philosophy. Offers tools for ethical decision making in our daily lives with emphasis on the influence of culture, power, privilege.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Ethics Requirement, Humanities Distributive Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

PHI 220. Introduction to Islam. 3 Credits.

This course is an introduction to Islam as a prophetic religious tradition. Students will begin the course with an overview of Islam and how the Western discourses see it. They will then learn about the beliefs, tenants, and the teachings of Islam, as well as about the life of the Prophet Muhammad, hadith, and the Qur'an. Subsequently, students will delve into some of the most significant topics related to the classical and post-classical Islamic tradition: theology, Sufism, law, and gender. They will conclude the course by examining Islamophobia in the post-911 era.
Gen Ed Attribute: Arabic Culture Cluster, Diversity Requirement, Foreign Language Culture Cluster, Humanities Distributive Requirement.
Typically offered in Spring.

PHI 280. Philosophy and Film. 3 Credits.

This course helps students understand and discuss philosophy, film, and how the two disciplines intersect. Students' critical thinking skills will improve as they use film theory and terminology to decipher key philosophical texts, and vice versa.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Humanities Distributive Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall.

PHI 373. Business Ethics. 3 Credits.

The study of philosophical concepts and ethical criteria as applied to business practices. Through case studies and scholarly contributions, the course will cover issues such as the ethical nature of the free market system, foreign outsourcing, issues around environmental impact of business, consumer rights, worker rights and job discrimination, and more.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall.

PHI 390. Women and Religion. 3 Credits.

An exploration of how the beliefs and practices of major world religions have both hampered and enhanced women's lives. Particular attention will be paid to often marginalized voices of women from within these traditions.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Spring.

PHI 407. Queer Theory. 3 Credits.

This course is an introduction to the study of Queer Theory, as both a discipline and a form of political resistance. Queer theory is, in a very basic nutshell, the study of identities that exist outside of rigid binary categories. For this reason, we must understand queer theory as separate from, even if closely aligned with, GLBT or sexuality studies. Queerness, in this context, does not refer to sexuality and gender, but to any identity rejected by or resistant to normative, binary categories. Thus, this course utilizes a "queer" approach (drawing on feminist, race, sexuality, psychoanalytic, literary, etc.) to ask fundamental questions about our identities (whether sexuality, gender, race, class, nationality, etc.) and how our identities are determined by and resistant to social regulation.
Pre / Co requisites: PHI 407 requires a prerequisite of one WOS course.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall.
Cross listed courses PHI 407, WOS 407.

PSC 201. Politics of Diversity in the U.S.. 3 Credits.

This course examines American government by analyzing how historically underrepresented and marginalized groups have been represented by the American political system and its institutions. It analyzes how different theoretical approaches such as pluralism, elitism, socialism, and liberalism define concepts such as equality and liberty and how social movements have contributed to social change. By focusing on elements of political culture and social experiences of underrepresented groups, it also considers how historical and cultural contexts have shaped the differential experiences of individuals and how race, class, gender, and sexual orientation influence an individual's role in the political system. Lectures and discussions are embedded in a political science ethics framework. Questions about ethical leadership, the "character" of elected officials, and the "morality" of political decision making and resulting public policies will be examined by using ethical dilemmas and case studies.
Gen Ed Attribute: Behavioral and Social Science Distributive, Diversity Requirement, Ethics Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

PSC 301. Gender and Politics. 3 Credits.

This course examines the role of gender within political frameworks in the United States and abroad. It explores how gender can shape political engagement and representation, as well as analyzing the role and impact of women in politics, including women's policy interest and access to the political system. Students will examine the meaning of gender, intersectionality, sexism, and feminism in a political context. The course aims to provide students critical tools to analyze the complexity of political structures through a gendered lens.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall.

PSC 323. Racial/Ethnic Politics. 3 Credits.

This course examines the relationship between racial and ethnic groups' political behavior and the American political system's response to them in terms of its public policies.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.

PSC 340. Latin American Culture and Politics. 3 Credits.

This course invites students to conduct comparative analysis of political cultures, parties, and decision-making, ideologies and political processes across the Latin American region. Students will learn how to explain the complexities of race, class and gender in Latin American social structures, relating historical, economic and cultural legacies to analysis on contemporary issues.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Foreign Language Culture Cluster, Spanish Culture Cluster.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

PSC 348. African Politics and Society. 3 Credits.

The course explores African politics, economics, and society through the critical lens of structuralist analysis. A strong focus on the historical and colonial framework's impact on current African developments will be emphasized. Case studies, political analysis, and current events will be used to illustrate the common misperceptions of Africa today.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.

PSY 120. Multicultural Psychology. 3 Credits.

A survey course that will examine how psychological theory and research can contribute to our understanding of structural inequalities associated with ethnicity, race, income, class, age, gender, sexual orientation, ability, and religion.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

PSY 362. History and Systems of Psychology. 3 Credits.

An integrated overview of the history of psychology as well as the systems, theories, and fundamental issues with which psychologists have concerned themselves in the past, recent, and current stages of the science.
Pre / Co requisites: PSY 362 requires a prerequisite of PSY 100.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

PSY 448. Field Experience in Psychology III. 3 Credits.

A work- study program in a Head Start preschool program serving a population of children and families that are mostly low-income and of ethnic and racial minority backgrounds under joint supervision of the instructor and the staff of the field institution.
Pre / Co requisites: PSY 448 requires a prerequisite of PSY 100 and 21 total hours of psychology courses or permission of instructor.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

PSY 449. Field Experience in Psychology IV. 3 Credits.

A continuation of PSY 448.
Pre / Co requisites: PSY 449 requires a prerequisite of PSY 448.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

SPA 322. Latin America on Film (in Spanish). 3 Credits.

This course consists of the analysis of several films about Latin America that address critical issues (history, politics, economy, religion, ethnic diversity, racial and gender discrimination) necessary to understand and appreciate Latin American culture.
Pre / Co requisites: SPA 322 requires a prerequisite of SPA 302 or SPA 303.
Gen Ed Attribute: Arts Distributive Requirement, Diversity Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Spring.

SWO 225. Race Relations. 3 Credits.

The course takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of race, ethnicity, and culture. By integrating findings from history, political science, sociology, and social work, students are introduced to cultural differences as they affect family life, the development of law, and the nature and magnitude of racism in our society. The overarching goal of this course is to encourage the student to embark on the process of becoming culturally competent.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Interdisciplinary Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

SWO 351. Human Behavior and the Social Environment II. 3 Credits.

This course examines the life cycle from middle adulthood through older adulthood and death and dying with an emphasis on mezzo and macro theories of human behavior from a strengths and ecological systems perspective.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Writing Emphasis.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

THA 250. Race and Gender in American Theatre. 3 Credits.

This course will focus on how some traditionally marginalized groups have been examined and portrayed in American theatre.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.

WOS 100. Body Politics: Gender, Culture, and Representation. 3 Credits.

This course examines the body as a contested site of both pleasure and oppression. Considerable focus will be placed on the impact of culture on our understandings of the body, including ideas about gender, race, and sexuality. Students of all genders will be encouraged to explore how their own body image has been shaped by social norms that are simultaneously accepted and resisted. This course thereby provides an opportunity to question a variety of norms surrounding the body, including ideas about beauty, size, shape and ability.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall.

WOS 225. Intro to Women's and Gender Studies. 3 Credits.

An interdisciplinary course designed to enable students to analyze the lived experience of women, to evaluate the impact of gender, to question the implications of changing cultural patterns, and to sample first-hand efforts for social change.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Interdisciplinary Requirement, Writing Emphasis.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter.

WOS 227. Let's Talk About Race. 3 Credits.

This course is an introduction to the study and critical discussion of race within the field of Women's and Gender Studies. In particular, students will reflect on and learn skills about effective communicating on and around matters of race, race relations, and racial justice. With resources ranging from scholars in the field to public intellectuals leading public discussions regarding race, students will be exposed to resources from a range of voices in order to hone their own skills in the discussion/understanding of systems of power and domination as they relate to race. The class primarily serves as a means to sharpen communication skills, applicable in multiple social environments. Students will learn through a Women's and Gender Studies framework that asserts that the understanding of multifaceted identities is critical in understanding the dynamics of race and gender as they relate to systems of power, governance, violence, and subjugation.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Speaking Emphasis.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

WOS 240. How to Do Things with Feminism. 3 Credits.

This course is an introduction to the study of Women's Gender Studies as an interdisciplinary field. In particular, students will reflect on the academic, professional, and community activist dimensions of the field. The course offers an overview of the development of Women's and Gender Studies within the academy and ongoing collaboration with and tensions between academic feminism and feminist activism. Students will become familiar with the methodological and theoretical tools used by feminist researchers and activists. Beyond feminist methods and theories, students will also become familiar with the professional and academic side of WGS: they will discuss the wide range of women's and gender-focused journals, professional organizations, and conferences in their subfields/disciplines. They will use an intersectional feminist framework to think through feminism(s), feminist praxis, and in particular how each of them exists in relation to power via gender and race. The ultimate goal is that they will gain the foundation for fostering feminist skills in order to create a more just and equitable society.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Speaking Emphasis.
Typically offered in Spring.

WOS 250. Women's Self Representation. 3 Credits.

An interdisciplinary approach to ways women record their lives.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Interdisciplinary Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

WOS 260. Globalization and the Ethics of Sustainability. 3 Credits.

This course examines forces of globalization and environmental and ethical issues. The process of globalization (trade, communication technology, migration) has contributed to widening inequality within and among countries. Multinational corporations employ vulnerable people (especially women of color) for cheap labor, exploit local resources, and contribute to environmental degradation. Since the planet has its limitations, attending to the conservation of natural (and limited) resources, climate change, sustainable agriculture and forestry practices, and just fair-trade practices are at the heart of environmental and ethical issues and sustainability efforts. In this course, students will explore the social and environmental justice issues related to consumption of resources central to environmental ethics and sustainability. Students will also examine their ecological/carbon footprint and ways to reduce it through changes in the consumption of energy, resources, food, and water.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Ethics Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall.

WOS 303. Intro to LGBTQ+ Sexualities & Activism in the U.S.. 3 Credits.

The past several decades have seen an unprecedented shift in attitudes in the United States toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals, yet many in LGBTQ communities still face extreme levels of discrimination and oppression. Simultaneously, there have never been more LGBTQ people and issues in the news, movies, books, and on TV. In this class, students will consider how LGBTQ experiences are influenced by these representations, as well as how systems of privilege and oppression shape the experience of LGBTQ people in the U.S. They will question the ethics of various approaches to LGBTQ justice and liberation as they examine both historical and contemporary constructions of gender and sexuality. Students will also consider what ethical approaches might look like when engaging with legal, medical, and activist discourses in relation to LGBTQ communities. Throughout this work, they will attend to the ways in which LGBTQ identities exist at the intersections of race, class, citizenship, and disability.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Ethics Requirement.
Typically offered in Spring.

WOS 305. Intellectual Roots of Western Feminism. 3 Credits.

The course examines the major issues and themes that have historically been included in feminist theorizing about women's situation and experiences, including: ethical foundations, the origins of patriarchy, feminist epistemology, education, body issues, issues of difference, religion, civil rights, and psychological development. Chronologically, the course covers from the enlightenment (Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Women) through Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall.

WOS 306. Transnational Feminisms. 3 Credits.

This course critically engages a range of transnational feminist theories, movements, and praxis to analyze structures of power shaping people's lives in global contexts. The course seeks to decenter a body of feminist scholarship that often assumes shared visions of gender equality. Such studies conceptualize gender issues and concerns through a Eurocentric/colonial viewpoint by overlooking differences among people with respect to race, class, sexuality, and nationality. Course readings explore the ethics of cross-cultural knowledge production, activism, warfare, commodification of women's bodies, sexualities, and local resources. The main goals of the course are to expose students to a broad range of feminist thought and action and locate transnational feminist theories in relation to colonial and post-colonial narratives. It urges students to examine their own positions within global systems that connect the (often uneven) exchange of persons, capital, and ways of knowing.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Spring.

WOS 310. Feminist Activism. 3 Credits.

Although often misrepresented or ignored, women were and continue to be active in a wide range of social justice movements. This course focuses specifically upon women activists in the United States and their resistance to structural inequalities based upon gender. In addition to social justice movements focused on sexism, this course uses intersectional theory to recognize the feminist value of women who work against racial, economic, sexual, and other oppressions.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Writing Emphasis.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

WOS 335. Gender, Race and Science. 3 Credits.

Is race biological? Do men and women really have different brains? This course examines the way these and other questions have been taken up in scientific discourse. Students will approach race, gender, and sexuality as biosocial constructs. This course will ask students to question what they "know" about science and the scientific process. They will problematize scientific "objectivity" and "truth" and question foundational scientific ideas about race, sex, and gender. Students will engage feminist theories to pay close attention to the processes through which knowledge is produced, to science as a practice and an institution, and to the question of who gets to "do science" and how this affects the knowledge produced.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Interdisciplinary Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall.

WOS 381. The Forgotten Queens of Islam. 3 Credits.

Students will learn about prominent women in Islamic history, with a focus on the medieval period. Students will learn to read historical texts "against the grain" through the lens of feminist history.
Gen Ed Attribute: Arabic Culture Cluster, Diversity Requirement, Foreign Language Culture Cluster, Speaking Emphasis.
Typically offered in Spring.
Cross listed courses HIS 381, WOS 381.

WOS 399. Women of Color and Material Culture. 3 Credits.

This course is an interdisciplinary exploration of the ways that gender and race shape the histories of cultural production and material culture, aiming to problematize the historical sidelining of the contributions of women of color in global history, recognizing their deep impacts on their respective communities, on racial identity, and cultural authenticity. By centering the lived experiences and the labor of women of color, we are able to perceive of a more just and equitable world, where traditional histories have commonly elided, appropriated, or violated these contributions in historical and cultural accounts. The course will interrogate the concept of labor and production from a number of disciplinary vantage points, focusing primarily on foodways and commodity culture, all while situating women of color as the core category of analysis.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Interdisciplinary Requirement.
Typically offered in Spring.

WOS 407. Queer Theory. 3 Credits.

This course is an introduction to the study of Queer Theory, as both a discipline and a form of political resistance. Queer theory is, in a very basic nutshell, the study of identities that exist outside of rigid binary categories. For this reason, we must understand queer theory as separate from, even if closely aligned with, GLBT or sexuality studies. Queerness, in this context, does not refer to sexuality and gender, but to any identity rejected by or resistant to normative, binary categories. Thus, this course utilizes a "queer" approach (drawing on feminist, race, sexuality, psychoanalytic, literary, etc.) to ask fundamental questions about our identities (whether sexuality, gender, race, class, nationality, etc.) and how our identities are determined by and resistant to social regulation.
Pre / Co requisites: WOS 407 requires a prerequisite of one WOS course.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall.
Cross listed courses PHI 407, WOS 407.

WOS 410. Feminist Research Methodologies. 3 Credits.

This course examines feminist critiques of and approaches to various research methodologies. Students will focus on how feminist scholars challenge dominant theories of knowledge and the major methodologies employed in the social sciences and humanities, such as interview, ethnography, grounded theory, participatory research, archival research, and oral history. Students will discuss how research is shaped by the kinds of research questions they ask and the types of materials they use. The course also gives them the opportunity to develop a research proposal, including selecting method(s) of their own interest. The following questions are central to the course: Do feminist methods exist? What counts as evidence? How does feminist research approach issues of objectivity and subjectivity? What is the relationship between the researcher and subject? What key questions guide feminist research, and how can they apply those questions to a variety of research topics?.
Pre / Co requisites: WOS 410 requires a prerequisite of WOS 405.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Writing Emphasis.
Typically offered in Spring.

WRH 210. Multicultural Writing. 3 Credits.

This course focuses on understanding the role that writing plays in shaping a multicultural society. Assignments will ask students to write for diverse social contexts and will help students expand their repertoire of genres and writing strategies.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Writing Emphasis.

WRH 301. The Rhetorics of Black Americans. 3 Credits.

This course views the language of Black America as a form of cultural expression and means of resistance to oppression in the U.S. Using historical and thematic frames, students will relate their understandings of Black linguistic and rhetorical practices to Black folks' experiences and struggles for improved social, political, and material realities.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Writing Emphasis.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

WRH 333. African American Autobiography. 3 Credits.

This course is an introduction to textual analysis through the study of African American autobiography, from slave narratives such as Frederick Douglass's 1845 Narrative, to late twentieth century memoirs such as Audre Lorde's Zami and Barack Obama's Dreams from My Father. Students will investigate "African American" as a category for literary criticism and engage how the genre has both contested racist oppression from slavery to the present day and responded to the pressures of representing race. Students will further examine the styles and structures of self-expression within black-authored memoirs and what effect such texts have on understandings of race in historical and literary contexts. Students are urged to develop critical, academic language that both speaks and acts to address racism. This course will also support students' development of skills as literary scholars to embolden them to read actively, write probingly, and act courageously.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement, Writing Emphasis.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.