Graduate Courses

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 will provide students with analyses, perspectives and contrasting views of the philosophy, history, mission, purpose and role of higher education institutions in America's diverse, contemporary society. It will go beyond the immediate issues facing higher education and focus on primary causes, examining three forces with the potential to transform higher education- demographics, the economy and the workforce, and technology. It will examine the nature and potential impact of each as well as the combined impact of all three, and seek to answer the question of how higher education can be expected to change in the years ahead.

Topics vary from year to year. See course descriptions in the course notes.

Topics vary from year to year. See course descriptions in the course notes.

Special Topics in Visual Culture and Cultural Studies: Visuality and Globalization

This course examines photographers who engage in sustained studies of interior
worlds as practices, meditations, and journeys of the artists and the people they document. The course focuses on themes and topics of intimate relationships, self-study, psychic and spiritual life, mental health, daily rituals, and the body. Engaging visual theory, narrative writing, and artists’ portfolios, we study the techniques, processes, and aesthetics that image-makers employ to express interior life.

This course focuses on the analysis of theoretically supported methodologies in applied psychology, art therapy, communicative science and disorders, drama therapy, music therapy, nutrition, occupational therapy, and physical therapy within the context of patient based management. This course engages students in clinical cases to apply interdisciplinary theories for evaluation and intervention. Theories and methods will be addressed related to models within a biopsychosocial perspective with emphasis on co-morbidity complications.

The best leaders inspire others through the power of their example. This course engages students in a practical research-based approach to transformational leadership practice. Students will: develop their own personal platforms as transformational leaders; deepen their sense of life purpose and professional commitments; increase their competencies for understanding and influencing others; learn how to cope with complexity in the workplace, and practice strategies for self-renewal and self-care as transformational leaders.

Examines the challenges of transforming high schools to increase educational opportunity & outcomes of urban youth. We will investigate past efforts to transform urban high schools as well as more current school reform efforts such as small schools, charter schools & middle colleges. Using relevant theories on educational change & an in-depth study of school reform, we will examine the roles that principals, teachers, & external providers play in sustaining the change process & analyze the challenges of leading , teaching & learning in today’s changing urban high schools.

Analyzes the global flow of media products, in particular the circulation of television and film in transnational contexts, at the intersection of political economy (economic, business, and institutional frameworks) with cultural economy (the cultural meanings of these television and film products). Focuses on case studies of the supranational regional players in some of the most important geo-linguistic world markets, where the tensions between global/transnational media flows and local interests are most evident, engaging with theoretical positions ranging from critiques of the homogenizing effects of globalization to those that affirm the changing power relations of counter-flows based on audience preferences.

Study of the human response to trauma with emphasis on the biologic, psychodynamic & social consequences. Child sexual abuse, terrorism, rape, war & disasters are some examples of the traumas considered. Consideration of theories, dilemmas, & clinical perspectives. Specific attention to legal issue, reporting, identification, assessment, techniques for interviewing & evidence gathering, non-traumatic & traumatic memory, issues & techniques in treatment, & prevention.

This course will examine the theoretical & practical underpinnings of advising on a
college campus. Materials covered will include best practices in academic, career, & student program advising.

Examines the interplay between social systems & individual functioning & well-being through the study of theoretical & measurement issues in the study of human environments. Provide an overview of different conceptualizations of the environment proposed by ecological theorists such an Bronfenbrenner, Barker, Lewin, & Moos & covers conceptual/analytic issues such as levels of analysis & utilization of various world views & perspectives.

This course explores the possibilities and challenges educational theatre practitioners, and teachers in general, face as they explore such issues as ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, socioeconomic class ability, nationality, and linguistic diversity with their students. One of the primary course objectives is to equip teachers with effective instructional strategies and sufficient knowledge regarding the education of culturally and linguistically diverse learners to accommodate such learners. Equal time will be spent in the course on theoretical frameworks, practical techniques, and dramatic activities.

Inquiry into the role of the arts in city growth and development. The role of public art, arts programming, city planning for aesthetic, cultural, and historic reasons, and amenities for artists in promoting community well-being are examined. Required site visits.

In Urban Ecology, students will explore ecological concepts and processes in the urban environment. Through lecture and field work, students will learn about the dynamics of urban ecology and the impacts of land use and pollution on wildlife and local habitats. Topics will include population ecology, ecosystem services, and human impacts. Specifically we will study exotic and invasive plants and birds in local wetlands and woodlands, the migration of Neotropical songbirds, and population fluctuations of birds and plants as indicators of environmental change while examining the interface between natural and built environments in the urban landscape.

In this course, students have hands-on experience with human-centered design methods for designing learning experiences and educational tools. Students apply human-centered design methods, UX, and HCI principles, including conducting user research, synthesizing findings into insights, ideating, sketching, prototyping, and iterating based on user feedback. Students study these methods through group work, critical examination and evaluation of examples, in discussions, and individual assignments.

Introduction to user research methods, using simulations, games, and other digital tools as products. Learn to choose the appropriate approach (user research, evaluation, or efficacy research) and methods (surveys, interviews, think-aloud protocols, video research, biometrics, user analytics, or A/B testing). Assignments, class discussions, and case studies are used to discuss the purpose, design, and setup of these methods and to prepare students to design and execute their own user research for a product of their choice.

This course reviews artists' responses during times of crisis. Whether floods, war,
racial, ethnic and gender violence or pandemics of catastrophic dimensions, artists respond in
thoughtful and powerful ways, creating work that emblematizes the horrors, and provides places
of mourning, memory and healing. This course overviews contemporary art of the past several
decades, showing critical turning points when such crises resulted in major cultural change. The
ideas and aesthetics of the artists’ work selected for study show persistent social conscience and
humanism.