Graduate Courses

The relationship of higher educational institutions to other social institutions in American society. The development of this relationship and its consequences and implications for the internal structure and functioning of higher educational organizations and for society at large. Issues surrounding role of students, faculty, administration, and external interests are examined.

This course examines the meaning and study of culture through a sociological lens. The first goal of this course is to provide a solid, introductory grounding in some of the many ways in which the term culture has been used in the study of societies. The second goal is to raise questions about the relationship between culture and structures and to provide analytical tools to understand institutions (like schools) as sites of culture-building and cultural struggle.

Rigorous examination of the social development of children & adolescents based on current theoretical positions & research. Topics include social learning, identification, sex & gender roles, friendships, peer-group relationships, & social development in different cultural contexts.

The consequences of agricultural exceptionalism, migration laws, income
inequality, and climate change reverberate throughout the food system. This course examines the interplay among these factors, identifying how they lead to disproportionate impacts on vulnerable groups (for example, farmworkers). Students will analyze the successes and failures of policy to reduce the inequities.

This course introduces students to the concepts, frameworks & models to systematically build successful, socially-conscious businesses that are both sustainable & public health-driven. Topics will include how to 1) identify & analyze need-gaps, 2) develop a sustainable-food business concept, 3) identify a profitable niche in the global, social-justice oriented market, & 4) raise capital in innovative ways. The course will also provide access to domain-specific resources including key industry participants, industry experts & research partners.

Consideration of the role of educational institutions in fostering, preventing, and maintaining equalities and inequalities in American society.

Mental health counselors are in a unique position to utilize their knowledge and skills to advocate for clients that are part of the LGBTQ+ community. This course will introduce students to social justice and advocacy efforts in the mental health profession. Students will learn practical skills to provide consultation services to agencies and organizations that serve LGBTQ+ communities. Students will also have opportunities to practice drafting and creating proposals for consultation services and delivering workshops and presentations that center the mental health of LGBTQ+ clients.

This class introduces social justice art pedagogy in preschool and elementary schools as “situated practice,” that is both teaching and learning take place within particular historical and societal contexts. Students develop knowledge and skills to plan, organize, and facilitate meaningful, socially relevant art curricula for students with varying needs and abilities, paying attention to learning processes, motivation, communication, classroom management and the inter-relationship of art to speaking, critical thinking, writing, reading and other curricular subjects.

Integration of art education theory and practice in secondary school art classrooms that address the question of the role of art in our democratic society. Developing socially and culturally relevant curricula. Researching and planning appropriate instructional strategies that address student interests and issues, including motivation and classroom management through assessment in order to plan and/or modify students' teaching practices. Through a systematic approach such as action research, students reflect on and analyze their own teaching practices and develop a portfolio of their teaching experience, thereby learning to be reflective practitioners.

This course will cover the origins of social justice theory and its current-day relevance for higher education educators and practitioners. Students will explore models of oppression and empowerment and learn to infuse social justice frameworks into curricular and extracurricular programming.

This course is intended for students who have experiences working in schools or clinical settings and examines interdisciplinary connections to counseling using a postmodern framework. Emphasis is placed on learning practical applications of social justice theory, narrative theory, and trauma-informed interventions as they apply to the sociocultural aspects of counseling. Focus on the utilization of critical thinking skills applicable to intersectional identities, and the effects of intergenerational and historical trauma on communities and families.

What is the cultural work performed by or with the technology of paper? How can history of paper supplement and enrich recent histories of printing technology and printed artifacts like 'the book'? What would it mean to imagine a paperless future? Organized around discussions of readings in common, this course considers the history, production, circulation and use of paper in the social production of knowledge, the shared imagination of value, and the mutual relations of consumers and commodities.

This course examines collaborative and connected learning in social media environments, and how social media technologies shape how individuals and societies think and interact. Through reading, discussion, writing, and experimenting with communicating on different online platforms, students consider how these technologies impact learning, attention, beliefs, and social interaction; and consider questions of privacy, authorship, knowledge production, and ethics, particularly in an age of artificial intelligence and misinformation. Through projects, students apply course concepts, and critically engage with the possibilities of social media for designing for, and understanding how people learn.

Social psychological concepts, theories, and research and their relation to educational problems.Concepts treated are attitudes, values, roles, norms, communication, conformity; areas emphasized are group processes and influence, social motivation, prejudice, authoritarianism.

Basic behavioral science principles applied to the study of education as a social institution. An examination of social pressures and conflicts that underlie controversies in the field of education. Inequality, innovation, organizational control are some areas to be studied.

Rehearsal techniques and special problems in ensemble performance.

Explores strategies for solo composition in multimovement works using the solo instrumental sonata of the 19th century as its primary focus. Works are studied and performed with reference to their common and distinctive features given the historical and aesthetic contexts in which they were created.

A survey & performance course on the art song repertoire. Student study the interpretive & stylistic aspects & performs songs in English from the genres of American & British songs.

A survey and performance course on the art song repertoire. Student study the interpretive and stylistic aspects and performs songs in French from the genre of French melodie.

A survey and performance course on the art song repertoire. Student study the interpretive and stylistic aspects and performs songs in German from the genre of German lieder.