Bachelor of Liberal Studies

• PSYC 101 General Psychology: Psychology is defined as the science of behavior and mental processes. This course is designed to introduce students to the types of behavior and mental processes that psychologists deal with. Students will be introduced to both clinical and nonclinical topics. Credit: 3 hours
• SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology: Basic sociological concepts, issues, and methods of analysis. Examination of the impact of social structure and individual behavior. Credit: 3 hours
• PSYC 206 Critical Thinking/Research Design: Introduction to scientific method as it applies to psychology and sociology. Techniques of reading, writing, and thinking like a social scientist. Introduction to experimental and correlational design; reading peer-reviewed journal articles in the social sciences; development of an APA-or ASA-style research proposal. Credit: 3 hours
• HS 321 Introduction to Human Services: Exploration of human service delivery systems. Survey of the field and clarification of vocational choice. Credit: 3 hours
• MATH 209 Introduction to Critical Thinking and Research Design: Introduction to methods of inferential statistics, stressing applications. Topics include introduction to probability, discrete distributions, binomial distributions, normal distributions, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, and linear regression. Credit: 3 hours

Choose three of the following:

• PSYC 208 Child Psychology: Provides an overview of the major theories and concepts of child development and psychology. Developmental models and contemporary research are presented addressing the physical, cognitive, emotional, and social changes that occur from prenatal development to late childhood. Emphasis is placed on issues influencing children such as culture, gender, parents, peers, and education. Credit: 3 hours 
• PSYC 209 Adolescent Psychology: Involves the theoretical and empirical study of adolescence. The development of youth from pre-adolescence to late adolescence and emerging adulthood is examined. Attention is given to the developmental tasks of adolescence including puberty, cognitive maturity, identity formation, and relationships with parents, peers and teachers. Credit: 3 hours
• PSYC 311 Adulthood and Aging: Explores theory and research on physical, cognitive, social and personal development from early through late adulthood. Topics addressed include issues related to work, family, friendships, grief, and death. Models of successful aging will be highlighted. Credit: 3 hours
• SOC 204 Marriage and the Family: Application of the sociological imagination to the study of marriage and family in the social historical context, encouraging the students to see the connection between family experiences and social change in the larger society. Credit: 3 hours 

Choose three of the following:

• PSYC 315 Psychopathologies: Dynamics of abnormal behavior with an emphasis on the social/environmental etiology. Issues involved in the definition, classification, treatment and prevention of disturbed patterns of behavior. Credit: 3 hours
• PSYC 322 Introduction to Counseling:  Examination of principles and techniques of counseling emphasizing the development of skills in verbal and nonverbal communication. Credit: 3 hours
• PSYC 407 Psychotherapy: Theory/Method: Introduction to selected therapies widely used in treatment of individuals and the enhancement of personal well-being. Credit: 3 hours
• SOC 301 Deviant Behavior: Examination of sociological theories of the cause and consequences of deviant behavior. Focuses specifically on aspects of non-conformity (including various kinds of non-criminal violations of social norms), crime (property crime, violent crime, victimless crime, and white-collar/corporate crime), and social aspects or dynamics of mental illness. Credit: 3 hours

Choose two of the following:

• SOC 305 Urban Sociology: Effects of globalization on cities; role of cities in the global economy; patterns of urban development in the less-developed and more developed regions of the world; social psychological processes used to adapt to urban life; theories of urban development; major urban social problems. Credit: 3 hours
• SOC 330 Social Stratification: Analysis of social stratification and social inequality empirically, theoretically, historically and comparatively. Examination of dimensions of inequality such as class, status, and power as both causes and consequences of social structure.  Specific attention to inequality based on race, class, gender, and age. Credit: 3 hours 
• SOC 335 Race in Society: Examination of the concept of race, including its historical origins and contemporary consequences, specifically in terms of racially motivated prejudice and discrimination (including both individua and institutional discrimination). Various sociological theories on the causes and consequences of racism are considered, along with contemporary empirical research and examples. Credit: 3 hours

Choose five of the following:

• COMM 205 Public Relations: Principles and Practices: Definition of public relations, identification of public and overview of public relations practice in for profit and non-profit settings. Media relations crisis communications. Credit : 3 hours
• COMM 225 Interpersonal Communication: Principles and techniques of effective  dyadic and interpersonal communication. Credit: 3 hours
• COMM 302 Group Communication: Exploration of communication processes in groups. Emphasis on techniques of group decision making and problem solving. Credit: 3 hours
• COMM 315 Public Relations: Cases, Campaigns and Strategies: Use of the case study methods to devise solutions to public relations problems, design and execution of public relation campaigns. Credit: 3 hours
• COMM 320 Writing for the Media: Writing messages targeted for distribution through channels such as Radio, Television, and the Internet. Emphasis on unity, economy, and appropriateness to medium. Credits: 3 hours
• COMM 340 Intercultural Communication: Examination of the influence of cultural difference on communication. Credit: 3 hours 
• COMM 375 Organizational Communication: This course provides a review and analysis of the major theories of organizational communication and their application in real-world settings. Students will gain knowledge about how communication functions as an integral part of any organizational experience. Topics will include different perspectives on organizations and communication, varying approaches to studying organization communication, relations with teams within organizations, managing organizational change, and organizational ethics. Students will complete projects which require engagement with real organization on a pragmatic basis. Credit: 3 hours
• COMM 410 Persuasion: The study of theories of social influence and persuasion from the Classical period to the present. Emphasis on understanding the role of persuasion in cultural and individual context such as mass mediated, visual, interpersonal, public argument and in major careers and professions (law, medicine, media, government, public relations, business). Application of theoretical concepts in oral and written projects. Credit: 3 hours

Choose five of the following:

• MARK 301 Principles of Marketing: Aligning organizations with strong customer engagement and focus, this course provides a conceptual framework for marketing decisions making focusing on principles, technique, and practice necessary to communicate with various target audiences. Credit: 3 hours
• MGMT 302 Principles of Management: Principles underlying the organization, management, and cooperation of business activities. Emphasis on the creation and maintenance of the administrative organization, the definition of goals, and the diagnosis and solution of problems which may result from changing conditions. Credit: 3 hours
• MGMT 306 Managerial Communication: Practice in frequently prepared written communications, media, memoranda, letters, instructions, procedures, proposals, and guidelines. Integration with oral dimensions; interpersonal and technological considerations. Credit: 3 hours
• MGMT 313 Human Resource Management: Procurement, development, utilization, and maintenance of an effective work force. Credit: 3 hours 
• MGMT 315 Small Business Management/Entrepreneurship: Study of the small business sector within a free enterprise system; examines the startup process; and reinforces managerial techniques for the continuing success of small firms. Credit: 3 hours
• MARK 341 Consumer Behavior:  Explores the psychology of the consumer and decision process including the cultural, social, and individual factors affecting consumer decision methods. Credit: 3 hours 
• MARK 411 Special Topics in Marketing: Current special topics related to marketing from innovative marketing that utilizes customer insights to drive innovative solutions to serve customers desires; digital analytics and strategy examines how organizational leaders should think about digital marketing, social media marketing; and others. Majors are encouraged to take two special topics courses. Credit: 3 hours
• MGMT 416 Organization Theory and Behavior: Impact of different types of markets, technologies, and other factors on the design of organizational structures and the behavior of organization members. Leadership in the goal-directed organization including conflict management, motivation, communications, and decision-making. Credit: 3 hours
• MARK 422 Marketing Communications Strategy: Placing customers at the center of business decisions, students develop integrated marketing solutions to solve real world client problems. Utilizing the active learning classroom, students develop integrated marketing solutions and implement marketing deliverables. Credit: 3 hours

• ED 300 Teaching: The Profession: For students planning or considering a major in education; Education 300 is an overview of the education profession. This one-hour course will allow students the opportunity to familiarize themselves with governance and licensure, issues in education and in specialty areas, as well as provide an opportunity to visit at least 2 of the 3 types of public schools. Credit 1 hour
• ED 301 Foundations of Education: Historical, philosophical, and social foundations of education; the governance of education; patterns of school organization; trends in education; and professionalism. Intended to assist in the decision to pursue a career in education. Requires a field experience in a public school classroom. Credit: 3 hours
  • Prerequisite: Education 300 or consent from the professor
• ED 303 Educational Psychology: Theories of learning; maximizing learning and retention; motivation; classroom management and control; working with disadvantaged and gifted learners; fostering creativity; testing and evaluation. Field experience required. Projects focused on licensure level. Credit: 3 hours
  • Prerequisite: Education 300 or consent from the professor 
• ED 304 Exploring Diversity: The purpose of the course is to introduce students to the diverse nature of classrooms in America and to assist in their understanding of the system of schooling in the United States. It will address issues related to how race, gender, language, socioeconomic status, ethnicity and other traits impact this system. Major topics in the course include, among others,  immigration, educational and socioeconomic inequality, family structure, and the social policy initiatives. The readings for the course bring a range of perspectives to these issues, including sociological, historical, cultural, legal, and economic. It will serve as the foundation for further discussions of diversity in upper level education courses. Requires a field experience in a classroom with a diverse student population. Credit: 1 hour
• ED 305 Introduction to Differentiated Instruction for ALL Learners: Building on the exploration of diversity in Ed 304, this course focuses attention on how teachers serve students on different backgrounds, abilities and exceptionalities in the classroom. “Differentiated Instruction” or Universal Design for Learning (UDL) identifies students of varying abilities and prior experiences as benefiting from classroom practices that engage them “where they are”  UDL , furthermore is an attempt to embrace the diversity within the classroom and serve each student as most benefits them. This course is designed to present a general introduction and knowledge of KE. This includes accounting for the trends in the educational programming and the needs of a diverse student population including those with special needs. Projects focused at certification level. Field experience or content specific project required. Credit: 3 hours
  • ED 305 Field Experience (FE), requires professor consent. Credit: 0 hours
  • Prerequisites: ED 303
• ED 306 Curriculum and Instruction:  Concepts of curriculum theory, curricular design, curriculum planning, assessment, classroom organization and management, addressing the needs of all children.  Audio-visual component. Field Experience or content specific project required. Projects focused at certification level. For all teacher education majors. Credit: 3 hours. 
  • ED 306 Field Experience (FE), requires professor consent. Credit: 0 hours
  • Prerequisites: ED 301, 303 and acceptance into Teacher Education Program
• ED 326 Content Area Literacy: Strategies for teaching pertinent reading skills, including vocabulary and work-study skills in major content areas; characteristics of trade books/text sets; strategies for English Language Learners (ELL); and use of technology. Field experience or content specific project required. 
  • ED 326 Field Experience (FE), requires professor consent. Credit: 0 hours
  • Prerequisite: ED 301 and 306

Choose one of the following:

• PSYC 208 Child Psychology: Provides an overview of the major theories and concepts of child development and psychology. Developmental models and contemporary research are presented addressing the physical, cognitive, emotional, and social changes that occur from prenatal development late childhood. Emphasis is placed on issues influencing children such as culture, gender, parents, peers, and education. Credit: 3 hours 
  • Prerequisite: Psychology 101 or Education 303
• PSYC 209 Adolescent Psychology: Involves the theoretical and empirical study of adolescence. The development of youth from pre-adolescence to late adolescence and emerging adulthood is examined. Attention is given to the developmental tasks of adolescence including puberty, cognitive maturity, identity formation, and relationships with parents, peers, and teachers. Credit: 3 hours 
  • Prerequisite: Psychology 101 or Education 303.
• PSYC 250 Developmental Psychology: Principles of growth and development, prenatal development, birth process, infancy through aging process. Emphasis on intellectual, physical, social, and religious dimensions; transitional life tasks and faulty biologic, psychologic and sociologic development. This course is for pre-nursing majors only and does not count toward the psychology major or minor. Credit: 3 hours
  • Prerequisite: Psychology 101

AND the following:

• ED495 Pre-internship Seminar: This course equips Education Studies majors and minors to set professional goals and to secure and prepare for placement for the Education Studies Internship. Credit: 1 hour
• ED 499 Internship: This course provides expertise and experience working in non-instructional settings within K-12 schools in a partner school system within education-related agencies, or in other agencies which provide education-related services. Activities include observation/ participation in appropriate activities in the field setting and reflection on the activities with the site supervisor and other as appropriate. Credit: 3 hours

Choose 12 credits from the following:

• ED 308 Reading Foundations K-8: Emphasis will be placed on the reading process, readiness for reading instruction, methods of teaching reading, attitudes regarding reading, cultural diversity as it affects learning to read and the teaching of reading, essential skills related to work processing and comprehension, and interrelatedness of all modes of communication. Different types of reading materials will be evaluated and current literature on the teaching of reading, as well as current public school practices will be discussed. Field experience or content specific project required. Credit: 3 hours
  • ED 308 Field Experience (FE), requires consent from professor. Credit: 0 hours
  • Prerequisites: Education 301 and 306
• ED 322 Content Literacy K-8: Strategies for teaching pertinent reading skills including word analysis and work-study skills in major content areas; techniques for assessing readability and other characteristics of textbooks as well as determining the reading levels of students ; non-reading alternatives for helping non-reading students. Field experience or content specific project required. Credit: 3 hours  
  • ED 322 Field Experience (FE), requires consent from professor. Credit: 0 hours
  • Prerequisites: Education 301 and 306
• ED 324 English Method for Secondary Teachers: Methods, materials, techniques, and content for teaching English on the secondary level. Sources and uses for supplementary materials, activities, and devices. Includes components on the writing process. Simulated or real field experience. Open only to English majors seeking secondary education licensure. Capstone course in English and Education major. Field experience or content specific project required.
  • Prerequisites: Education 301 and 306
• ED 327 Literature for Children & Young Adults: Study of literature for children and young adults including preferences and needs. Includes methods and techniques for presenting and responding to literature including read aloud, creative dramatics, and other types of reader response. Graphic novels and current trends in literature will be explored. Includes the development of a resource of titles and descriptions for use in teaching. Field experience or content specific project required. Credit 3 hours
  • ED 327 Field Experience (FE), requires consent from professor. Credit: 0 hours
  • Prerequisite: Education 306
• ED 410 Teaching Writing & Communication K-8: An overview of language development and methods and techniques for teaching writing and communication skills in the 21st Century Elementary and Middle grades classroom; principles and processes for the planning, implementation, and assessment of authentic, differentiated language arts instruction for both native and non-native language learners; aligning language art instructions with learning standards and learner needs; integration of writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and visually representing within the total literacy program and across the curriculum. Field experience or content specific project required. Credit: 3 hours
  • ED 410 Field Experience (FE), requires consent from professor. Credit: 0 hours
  • Prerequisites: Education 301 and 306, or permission of program coordinator
• ED 411 Reading Assessment & Intervention: Strategies for diagnosing difficulties in reading and other subject areas, writing individual educational prescriptions, implementing individualized programs of instruction, conferring with parents, and utilization of another profession resources. Field experience or content specific project required. Credit: 3 hours
  • ED 411 Field Experience (FE), consent from professor required. Credit: 0 hours
  • Prerequisites: Education 301, 306 and 308

Six credits from any of the above or the following:

• Communication
• English
• Modern Languages

SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology
Basic sociological concepts, issues, and methods of analysis. Examination of the impact of social structure on individual behavior.
3 credit hours

CRJ 201: Introduction to Criminal Justice
Introduction to the components and processes of the criminal justice system Topics include history, structure, functions, and philosophy of the criminal justice system and their relationship to life in our society. Upon completion, students should be able to define and describe the major system components and their interrelationships and evaluate career options.
3 credit hours

CRJ 205: Juvenile Justice
Covers the juvenile justice system and related juvenile issues. Topics include an overview of the juvenile justice system, treatment and prevention programs, special areas and laws unique to juveniles, and identify/discuss juvenile court structure/procedures, function and jurisdiction of juvenile agencies, processing/detention of juveniles, and case disposition.
3 credit hours

CRJ 301: Criminal Law
Presents the nature and development of criminal law including the concepts of criminal liability, responsibility, and capacity; comprehensive analysis of the various crimes against persons, property, and morality.
3 credit hours

CRJ 305: Corrections
Covers the history, major philosophies, components, and current practices and problems of the field of corrections. Topics include historical evolution, functions of the various components, alternatives to incarceration, treatment programs, inmate control, and other related topics. Upon completion, students should be able to explain the various components, processes, and functions of the correctional system.
3 credit hours

CRJ 390: Research Methods in Criminal Justice
Research designs, data collection, and data analysis methods relevant to criminal justice.
3 credit hours

CRJ 495: Internship in Criminal Justice
Provides an opportunity to develop professional skills in a law enforcement setting. Requires a minimum of 100 hours of field work for the semester. Scheduled seminars with a faculty member provide guidance and evaluation of the learning experience.
1-3 credit hours

Choose two of the following:

PSYC 250: Developmental Psychology
Principles of growth and development, prenatal development, birth process, infancy through aging process. Emphasis on intellectual, physical, social and religious dimensions; transitional life tasks and faulty biologic ,psychologic and sociologic development.
3 credit hours

PSYC 315: Psychopathologies
Dynamics of abnormal behavior with an emphasis on the social/environmental etiology. Issues involved in the definition, classification, treatment and prevention of disturbed patterns of behavior.
3 credit hours

SOC 301: Deviant Behavior
Examination of sociological theories of the cause and consequences of deviant behavior. Focuses specifically on aspects of non-conformity (including various kinds of non-criminal violations of social norms), crime (property crime, violent crime, victimless crime, and white collar/corporate crime), and social aspects or dynamics of mental illness.
3 credit hours

Choose two of the following:

SOC 305: Urban Sociology
Effects of globalization on cities; role of cities in the global economy; patterns of urban development in the less-developed and more developed regions of the world; social psychological processes used to adapt the urban life, theories of urban development; major urban social problems.
3 credit hours

SOC 330: Social Inequalities (HS 330)
Analysis of social stratification and social inequality empirically theoretically, hysterically, and comparatively. Examination of dimensions of inequality such as class, status, and power as both causes and consequences of social structure. Specific attention to inequality based on race, class, gender, and age.
3 credit hours

SOC 335: Race in Society
Examination of the concept of race, including its historical origins and contemporary consequences, specifically in terms of racially motivated prejudice and discrimination (including both individual and institutional discrimination). Various sociological theories on the causes and consequences of racism are considered, along with contemporary empirical research examples. 3 credit hours