Liberal Arts: Social Sciences

Liberal Arts: Social Sciences Courses

• •  

  • Code

  • Course

  • Credits

• • ENG 101

  • English Composition I

  • 3
  A required course for all students who have demonstrated acceptable writing proficiency as measured by a standard test or satisfactory completion of ENG 090. This course will emphasize developing the student’s ability to articulate his/her thoughts in writing a coherent, unified, and well- structured composition. The student will write a series of papers. The student will also learn the techniques needed to produce a library research paper. The required research paper is a major component of the course.
• • ENG 102

  • English Composition II

  • 3
  A required course, which introduces the student to themes and techniques in the basic genres of literature: the short story, drama, and poetry. Expository papers may be written in response to ideas embodied in literature. Prerequisite: ENG 101 or permission of instructor.
• • ECO 201

  • Microeconomics

  • 3
  In this course, students study the basic principles of economics including economic theory related to the operation of business firms such as supply, demand, price determination, production costs, competition, resource markets, and international trade. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • ECO 202

  • Macroeconomics

  • 3
  This course is a study of the basic principles of economics including different economics organizations, income and employment theory, government fiscal and monetary policies, problems of price stability, and economic growth. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • GOV 105

  • Introduction to Political Science

  • 3
  This course introduces the central concepts of political science and practical politics. It will demonstrate how real-world events are shaped by political ideas and realities of the political world. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • GOV 201

  • American Government

  • 3
  This course deals with the problem of democratic government in the United States including the background of political theory and constitutional development. It studies democracy at various levels in the United States and offers a comparison with other democratic governments. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • GOV 211

  • State & Local Government

  • 3
  American state politics, organization and functions, and emphasizing the role of the state in our federal system. A survey of governmental structure and function of American municipalities is presented. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • GOV 212

  • International Relations

  • 3
  Introduction to the basic factors in international relationships: the systems, international law and diplomacy, international organizations, the dynamics and prospects of the present world scene. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • GOV 213

  • The American Presidency

  • 3
  Because growth of presidential power has been one of the most striking political phenomena in the experience of the American people during the twentieth century, this course will identify those factors responsible for the growth of executive power. It examines the presidential philosophies of men who have held the presidency, measures the impact of presidential advisors on the actions taken by the president and examines the relationship between presidents, and the press. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • GOV 217

  • Comparative Government

  • 3
  This course is an introduction to the governmental systems of various nations around the world. Students will focus on comparing political systems, policy making, interest articulation, public policy and forms of government in a variety of countries, including England, France, Germany, Japan, China, Mexico Egypt, India, and Nigeria. In each case, comparison to those aspects of politics and government will be made between other countries and that of the United States. Placement at the ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • GOV 290

  • Special Topics in Government

  • 3
  This course offers students the opportunity to explore in- depth a particular topic in government. Topics vary from semester to semester, and can include topics such as Congress, the Supreme Court, the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Union (EU), civil liberties, civil rights, interest groups, federalism, the federal budget, political parties, public opinion and voting, and campaigns and elections. The new topic will be introduced in each semester that the course is offered.
• • HIS 101

  • United States History I

  • 3
  This survey course traces the history of American development from pre-Columbian exploration and the Colonial era through the Civil War. Emphasis is given to the main lines of American development from the coming of the pre-Columbian explorers to the end of the Civil War. Special emphasis is given to constitutional developments in this period including the evolution of the British colonial charters, state constitutions, and the federal constitution. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • HIS 102

  • United States History II

  • 3
  This course traces developments since the end of the Civil War with emphasis on reconstruction, the industrialization of America and her emergence as a world power, the two World Wars, and America’s role since World War II. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • HIS 107

  • Colonial America

  • 3
  Course follows the history of America from founding of the country through the American Revolution. It includes social, political, and economic history, and historical geography as it relates to the significance of the American colonies in the Western Hemisphere. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • HIS 111

  • From Mesopotamia to the Moon: History of Western Civilization I

  • 3
  This course will explore the origins of Western Civilization from the mudflats of Mesopotamia to the market place of the Greek polis. Students will march with Roman legions into the dark woods of Germany, then witness the construction of gothic cathedrals and the burning of heretics. The course will end with the experience of a renaissance in the arts, the devastation of wars of religion, and the discovery of new continents, all helping to set the stage for the creation of the modern world. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • HIS 112

  • From Mesopotamia to the Moon: the History of Western Civilization II

  • 3
  In this course students will witness how monarchies and rational thinking emerge from the ashes and anarchy of the troubled times of the 1600s. Students will study revolutions in science, industry, and politics, as well as experience Romanticism and Realism in the arts. Students will see the forces unleashed by new ideologies and economic dynamics that will redraw the map not only of Europe, but eventually the entire world. The course will then move to the extremes of the Twentieth Century, the carnage of world wars, and the emergence of a new age of prosperity and conflict in the Twenty-First Century. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
  
• • HIS 201

  • History of the Middle East

  • 3
  An exploration of the history of the Middle East from the 7th century AD to the present. Examination of the social and political histories of 19 states and three major religions of this area. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • HIS 240

  • History of the Cold War

  • 3
  For much of the 20th Century, two super powers faced each other in a global struggle for world domination. This course will explore the politics, economics, and culture of the period from the 1940s to the early 1990s, as well as the military aspects of an ideological cold war that often became hot. Examples of topics in this study range from Hiroshima to Afghanistan, Korea to Woodstock, Vietnam to Guatemala, and from Fulton, Missouri to the Kremlin, with stops at Cuba, Prague, Egypt, the Kent State campus, and Berlin. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • HIS 260

  • The Civil War and Reconstruction

  • 3
  The Civil War and Reconstruction constitute a defining moment in the history of the United States. This course will explore the dramatic and sometimes tragic aspects of the War and the years that followed. The course will begin with a study of aspects of early US History from the colonial period to the 1850s that help explain why the Civil War happened. Focus will then shift to the military, political and social aspects of the War itself. Emphasis will be placed on battle tactics, strategy, and the impact of the fighting on the home front. Primary source material will offer students an opportunity to delve into various aspects of the era, ranging from the experience of African Americans to the international context of the War. The course will conclude with a study of the achievements and shortcomings of postwar Reconstruction, which along with the Civil War itself, have done much to shape the contemporary history of The United States of America. US History 101 recommended, but not required, and placement at ENG 101 level is strongly recommended.
• • HIS 280

  • History of Plymouth, MA

  • 3
  This survey course provides a history of the Town of Plymouth from its settlement by Wampanoag peoples to the present. Emphasis will be placed on the establishment of Plymouth Colony, the growth of the community from the 18th through 20th centuries as a seaport, industrial center, and home to The Plymouth Cordage Company, and other cultural changes infonned by substantial immigrant population after the Civil War. Special emphasis will also be placed on Plymouth’s growth as a tourist community and America’s Hometown Thanksgiving. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • HIS 290

  • Special Topics in History

  • 3
  This course offers students the opportunity to explore in-depth a particular topic in history. Topics vary from semester to semester, and can include important aspects of European and World History, as well as the History of The United States. Prerequisites vary with semester. ENG 101 strongly recommended.
• • SOC 102

  • Contemporary Social Problems

  • 3
  An analysis of the chief areas of social mal-adjustment. Consideration is given to selected critical problems including race relations, ethic discrimination, changing sex role patterns, family dislocation, and an aging population, mental illness, crime, alcoholism and drug addiction.
• • SOC 112

  • Interpersonal Communication

  • 3
  An experience-based introduction to the concepts and skills in oral communication; listening, feedback, group discussions, speeches, self-disclosure and relational communication.
• • SOC 140

  • Aging in America

  • 3
  Students will explore the process of aging in America from a sociological perspective. Explore roles of the aged today as they compare to other societies and times, the status of elderly in America, the effects of elderly boomers on commercial and cultural images, and the ethical dilemmas raised by the new elders in our society. Prerequisite: SOC 101 or permission of the instructor.
• • SOC 203

  • Sociology of the Family

  • 3
  This course will focus on the family as a primary social institution. Emphasis will be placed on theoretical perspectives, variations, and alternatives, as well as the changing family over the life span. Special topics include cross-cultural influences, issues related to courtship, marriage and family development, and the effects of changes in the American family. Prerequisite: SOC 101 or permission of the instructor.
• • SOC 250

  • Women and Gender in Society

  • 3
  This course examines the intersecting social arrangements of gender, sex, and sexuality across history and cultures. Students will investigate the issues impacting women’s social condition. Topics include women's work and economic status, sex roles, gender expectations, the socialization of women, mothering, and women's movements for social change. Masculinity and non- binary expressions of gender will be considered alongside inquiry into the ways we become gendered subjects and experience our bodies. Prerequisites SOC 101 or SOC 102.
• • SOC 355

  • Race, Class, Gender and Social Justice

  • 3
  This course will critique the systemic injustices whereby privileges and opportunities have accrued to some people based only on their membership in the dominant groups of race, class, and gender. This course will include topics such as racial and gendered pay gaps; discriminatory policing abuse; lifespan and health outcomes; work/life balance in families; immigration policies; reparations for slavery; reproductive rights; the gig economy and insecure work; decline of unions, Fair Share/Millionaire taxes; environmental racism; identity politics and political polarization. Prerequisites SOC 101 or 102.