Major Requirements
2024 - 2025 Catalog
Business Administration major leading to a BS degree
A major in business administration leading to a Bachelor of Science requires at least 42 credits total, including at least 24 credits from business administration and finance, and 18 credits not in business administration or finance, as follows:
- ACCT 100
- ECON 100
- BUS 202 (or one of the following: CBSC 250, ECON 202, POL 202, MATH 118, SOAN 218; see note below)
- BUS 211, 217
- FIN 221
- BUS 398 or 399
- Business Administration electives: at least twelve additional credits, chosen from Business Administration or Finance courses numbered 300 or above (excluding BUS 401, 402, 421, and 422)
*No more than two FIN classes may count towards the BSADM major. - Non-Business Administration electives: nine credits chosen from the following:
ACCT: all courses numbered 200 and above
AFCA 286
ARTH 204, 209, 245, 263, 267, 275, 276, 288, 378, 398, 453
ARTS 204, 215, 217, 218, 220, 223, 224, 226, 227, 228, 231, 232, 236, 237, 275, 320
BIOL 267, 275, 357 (CSCI 257)
CBSC 214, 215, 223, 240, 252, 254, 259, 262, 269
CSCI 209, 211, 230, 257 (BIOL 357), 315, 317, 319, 326, 335
DANC 220, 233
ECON: all courses numbered 200 and above
ENGL 201, 202, 203, 206, 215, 233, 234, 254, 257, 261, 262, 286 (AFCA 286), 289, 349, 354, 366, 370, 382, 391, 431, 453
ENGN 250
ENV 230
FILM 220, 233, 236, 237S, 238
GERM 302, 392 (BUS 392)
HIST 203, 232, 233, 258, 260, 268
JOUR 215, 220, 221, 227, 230, 266, 273, 301, 325, 338, 341, 345, 371, 372, 377
LIT 222
MATH 309, 310, 332, 333
MUS 205
PHIL 234, 240, 242, 247, 346, 348, 354
POL 215, 227, 229, 232, 233, 245, 246, 247, 250, 255, 381
SOAN 205, 208, 212, 220, 222, 225, 228, 240, 245, 246, 252, 263, 265, 267, 269, 276, 280
SPAN 211, 212, 214
THTR 209, 220, 238, 239, 251, 253, 361 - One course from each International Business, Information Systems, and Normative Considerations. The 21 credits required in 7 and 8 above must include at least one course from each of the following areas:
a. International Business: ARTS 223, 275, ARTH 245, 275, 288, 378; BUS 305, 332, 362, 369, 390, 392 (GERM 392); EALL 215; ECON 246 (REL 246), 270, 271, 273, 274, 276, 280, 281, 282S, 356, 380; ENGL 382; FIN 357; GERM 302, 392; HIST 232, 233; JOUR 221, 266; LIT 222; POL 215, 227, 245, 246, 247, 381; SOAN 225, 245, 246, 252, 269; SPAN 211, 214
b. Information Systems: ACCT 310; BUS 306, 314, 315, 316, 317, 321, 333
c. Normative Considerations: ACCT 303, 304; BUS 345, 348, 369, 381; CBSC 269; ECON 231, 235; JOUR 301, 345; PHIL 242, 354; POL 233
Notes on Statistics Courses:
- Due to content overlap, students may take only one of the following courses for degree credit: BUS 202, ECON 202, SOAN 218, POL 202.
- The options for statistics courses differ primarily by applied field (Business, economics, politics, etc.) and the software used for analysis (coding vs. more traditional statistical analysis software). BUS 202 includes an important coding component and business contexts that will prepare students for subsequent coursework in the business major. As other examples, CBSC 250 contains important psychological research design elements for the CBSC major and use coding, while SOAN 218 focuses more on questions that arise in the analysis of observational data in complex social settings and may include either coding or more traditional statistical analysis software.
Statistics Course Guidance
- Students planning to major in business administration should take BUS 202.
- For students majoring in both business administration and cognitive and behavioral science, CBSC 250 may be substituted for BUS 202.
- For students majoring in both business administration and SOAN, SOAN 218 may be substituted for BUS 202.
- Students considering the Economics major are encouraged to enroll in ECON 202. Students are not encouraged to double major in both business and economics. However, if ECON 202 has already been taken, it may be substituted for BUS 202.
- Students majoring in both business administration and politics are encouraged to register for BUS 202 to get the coding component. However, if POL 202 has already been taken, it may be substituted for BUS 202.
Study Abroad
Business administration majors planning to study abroad (or otherwise transfer credits into the university) should be aware of the following:
- BUS 211 and BUS 217 must be taken at W&L to count toward the business major.
- A maximum of six credits will be accepted towards the business major from outside the university.
- This includes study abroad, courses taken in the summer, or any other courses taken outside of W&L.
- These six credits include both BUS classes and non-BUS classes.
Note on non-business electives: Some non-business classes taken towards the business major may only be available to students who have met the requirements of other majors.
Business Administration majors may not minor in Data Science- Business Analytics but may minor in Data Science.
- Required course:
- ACCT 100 - Introduction to Accounting
Credits 3 An introduction to accounting for both internal and external purposes. Students cover the fundamental principles of financial accounting (external) and an introduction to how companies process financial information in order to disclose it to the public. The course also investigates how managers prepare information for internal purposes (managerial accounting). Financial accounting is guided by external requirements, while managerial accounting generally is not.
- Required course:
- ECON 100 - Introduction to Economics
FDR SS1 Social Science - Group 1 Distribution Credits 3 Economics is the study of how a society (individuals, firms, and governments) allocates scarce resources. The course includes a survey of the fundamental principles used to approach microeconomic questions of consumer behavior, firm behavior, market outcomes, market structure, and microeconomic policy, and macroeconomic questions of performance of the aggregate economy, including unemployment, inflation, growth, and monetary and fiscal policies. Open only to students who have not taken ECON 180, ECON 180A, ECON 101 and/or ECON 102. Retake allowed only with instructor consent and if space allows after the first round of registration.
- Take one course from:
- BUS 202 - Fundamentals of Business Analytics
Credits 3 Business analytics allows for the conversion of raw data into actionable real-world insights. We'll build a foundation of knowledge in the fundamentals of statistics and data science using business data to formulate key metrics. We'll use a programming language to summarize and visualize data, interpret patterns, infer population parameters, explore relationships among variables, and make forecasts. No prior programming experience is expected.
BUS 202 will count towards the statistics requirement of both the business administration and accounting majors (currently also satisfied by POL/INTR 202, ECON 202, MATH 118, etc.). It will also count towards the statistics requirement of the Data Science minor. As is the case with POL/INTR 202, etc., BUS 202 serves as a pre- or co-requisite for FIN 221. Due to contact overlap, students may take only one of the following courses for degree credit: BUS 202, POL/INTR 202, ECON 202, MATH 118. Students who have already taken CBSC 250 should not take any of these other courses.
- CBSC 250 - Statistics and Research Design
Credits 4 Prerequisite any CBSC course and at least sophomore class standing Students learn about the design and analysis of psychological research, with particular emphasis on experimentation. Students learn statistical inference appropriate for hypothesis testing, and they use standard statistical packages to analyze data. Laboratory course.
- ECON 202 - Data Analytics for Economics
Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 100, 180, 180A, or both ECON 101 and ECON 102 Fundamentals of probability, statistics, estimation, and hypothesis testing and ending with an introduction to regression analysis. The topics are critical for success in upper-level economics electives and are important for careers that rely on empirical research in the social sciences. Students engage in a dialogue between theory and application and learn to think formally about data, uncertainty, and random processes, while learning hands-on methods to organize and analyze real data using modern statistical software. Not open to students with credit for BUS 202 or POL/INTR 202.
- POL 202 - Applied Statistics
Credits 3 Not open to students with credit for BUS 202, ECON 202, INTR 202, CBSC 250, or MATH 118. An examination of the principal applications of statistics to allow students to develop a working knowledge and understanding of applied statistics in the social sciences (politics, sociology, and economics), and accounting and business. Topics include descriptive statistics, probability, estimation, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis.
- MATH 118 - Introduction to Statistics
FDR FM Math and Computer Science Foundation Credits 3 Elementary probability and counting. Mean and variance of discrete and continuous random variables. Central Limit Theorem. Confidence intervals and hypothesis tests concerning parameters of one or two normal populations.
- SOAN 218 - Basic Statistics in the Social Sciences
Credits 3 Introductory statistics course designed to help students become good consumers of statistics, but especially geared for students interested in sociology, archeology, and anthropology. Topics include descriptive and inferential statistics, sampling, and regression analysis. Students also get practical experience with cleaning and analyzing real world secondary data.
- Required courses:
- BUS 211 - Marketing Management
Credits 3 Prerequisite ACCT 100, ECON 100, and at least sophomore class standing An exploration of strategic marketing. The focus of the course is on the analysis of a firm's current marketing strengths and weaknesses and the development of a strategic plan to capitalize on key opportunities. Topics include environmental analysis, market segmentation, targeting and positioning, and management of the marketing mix. Throughout the course, significant attention is devoted to international issues, the interrelationships between marketing and other disciplines, and the role of ethically and socially responsible marketing.
- BUS 217 - Management and Organizational Behavior
Credits 3 Prerequisite at least sophomore class standing A study of management in modern organizations. This course examines the factors which influence individual, group, and firm behavior in the context of the workplace. Topics covered include individual differences, motivation, leadership, business ethics, group behavior, decision making, and organizational design and change. Preference to BSADM, ACCT, JMCB or JMCS majors OR ENTR minors during first round of registration. No sophomore registrations until the winter.
- Required course:
- FIN 221 - Managerial Finance
Credits 3 Prerequisite ACCT 100 and ECON 100, 180, or 180A A study of finance from a managerial perspective emphasizing the primary goal of the firm as stockholder wealth maximization. Emphasis is on decisions relating to the acquisition of assets and funds and internal management-financial analysis, planning and control, working capital management, capital budgeting, sources and forms of long-term financing, financial structure and the cost of capital, and valuation.
- Take one course from:
- BUS 398 - Strategic Management
Credits 3 Prerequisite BUS 211, FIN 221, and at least junior class standing A capstone course designed to expose students to a strategic perspective on global issues that impact the firm. Integrative in that it draws on concepts from functional disciplines (e.g., finance, marketing, accounting) in the diagnosis, analysis, and resolution of complex business situations. Practical problem-solving skills are emphasized. Case analysis and/or computer simulation are used extensively in oral presentations and written cases. Limited to BSADM, ACCT, or JMCB majors. Not open to students who have taken or are currently enrolled in ACCT 398.
- BUS 399 - Entrepreneurship
Credits 3 Prerequisite BUS 211, FIN 221, and either an Entrepreneurship minor and senior class standing or a Business major and senior class standing A capstone course designed to expose students to a strategic perspective on business challenges in the context of entrepreneurial firms. Integrating concepts and analytical tools from functional disciplines (e.g., finance, marketing, accounting) in the diagnosis, analysis, and resolution of complex business situations, this seminar helps students develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to excel in either new ventures or in today's increasingly entrepreneurial corporate environments. Among other activities, students learn from case studies, class discussions, and working together to develop and present a business plan. Limited to BSADM, ACCT, or JMCB majors and ENTR minors. Not open to students who have taken or are currently enrolled in ACCT 398.
- Business Administration electives:
- Non-Business Administration electives:
- AFCA 286 - Black Writers and the Allure of Paris
Credits 4 Same as ENGL 286. During two weeks on campus and two in Paris, students are immersed in the literary works of African American writers of the Harlem Renaissance through the mid-20th century, reading work by writers like Jessie Fauset, Gwendolyn Bennett, Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Richard Wright, and Chester Himes. In preparation for traveling to Paris, the site that represented new and promising possibilities for cultural exploration and artistic inspiration, we study how these literary texts examine the modern reality of racial identity. We also assess the significance of Paris as a site of cultural production and as a site of representation for early- to mid-20th century African American writers.
(ENGL 286)
- ARTH 204 - Art Works: Careers for Art Majors and Minors
Credits 1 Same as ARTS 204. This one-credit course prepares Art and Art History students to find internships and jobs. It assesses students' abilities and skills, provides resources about a variety of industries that majors pursue, helps students develop professional development tools, coaches them through mock interviews and networking, and showcases how to search and apply for internships and post-graduate opportunities.
- ARTH 209 - History of Western Architecture
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 A survey of Western architecture, including material from the ancient world to the 20th century, addressing the major traditions of architectural visual culture and practice. The course investigates the ways in which architecture has been designed to frame the significant socio-religious and political contexts of historical cultures.
- ARTH 245 - Ancient Cultures, New Markets: Modern and Contemporary Asian Art
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 This course examines the art movements of the last one hundred years from India, China, Tibet, and Japan primarily through the lenses of the larger sociopolitical movements that informed much of Asia's cultural discourses: Colonialism, Post-Colonialism, Socialism, Communism, and Feminism. We also address debates concerning non-Western 20th-century art as peripheral to the main canons of Modern and Contemporary art. By the end of the course, students have created a complex picture of Asian art/artists, and have engaged broader concepts of transnationalism, as well as examined the roles of galleries, museums, and auction houses in establishing market value and biases in acquisition practices. Meets simultaneously with ARTH 394B-01. Students may not register or receive credit for both.
- ARTH 263 - 20th-Century European Art
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 This course covers major European art movements and criticism from the late 19th century through the 20th century. Lectures and discussions explore the implications of what it means for art to be/appear modern," the social and aesthetic goals of the early avant-garde, the "rise and fall" of abstraction, and artistic responses to post-war mass culture. Movements discussed include Fauvism, Cubism, Futurism, Dada, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, and New Realism."
- ARTH 267 - Art Since 1945
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 This course introduces students to art and art theory from 1945 to the present. The objectives of the course are: (1) to enhance student knowledge of the major works, artists, and movements of art in Europe and the United States since 1945; (2) to integrate these works of art within the broader social and intellectual history of the period; and (3) to help students develop their skills in visual analysis and historical interpretation. Among the issues we examine are the politics of abstract art; the ongoing dialogue between art and mass culture; the differences between modernism and postmodernism; and contemporary critiques of art history's prevailing narratives. This is a lecture course with a heavy emphasis on in-class discussion.
- ARTH 275 - Community Muralism: The Art of Public Engagement
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 4 Same as ARTS 275. Our nation is currently witnessing a community mural renaissance. Public murals help to create welcoming and inclusive public spaces, build and solidify community identity, commemorate individuals or events, arouse social consciousness or impact social change, and recognize the voices of traditionally disempowered groups. During the term, we trace the historical development of community murals. Students participate in studio exercises that give them experience with a variety of methods, materials, and techniques necessary to plan, design, and produce a largescale community mural. We produce and document a mural in collaboration with a local community partner.
- ARTH 276 - Chicana/o Art and Muralism: From the Street to the (Staniar) Gallery
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 4 This class examines the process by which Chicana/o artists have garnered public attention and respect, taking their artworks from the peripheries of the art world to museum and gallery spaces. Using the half-mile long mural entitled The Great Wall of Los Angeles as a connecting thread, this class considers the broad theme of identity creation and transformation as expressed by Chicana/o artists from the 1970s to the present. This course fulfills the Arts and Humanities requirement for the LACS minor. Open to all students.
- ARTH 288 - Chinese Export Porcelain and the China Trade, 1500 to 1900
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 This course covers the development and history of Chinese export porcelain made for the European and American markets and its role as a commodity in the China Trade. Students examine Chinese export porcelain from several different perspectives, including art history, material culture, and economic history.
- ARTH 378 - Border Art: Contemporary U.S. Latinx Art
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 This seminar engages broad-ranging debates that have looked at the Mexico-US border as a fruitful site of identity formation. In this seminar, we examine artworks with an emphasis on location, critical standpoint, interrelatedness, and the geopolitics of identity. Through readings and class discussions, students investigate protest art and arts activism. Students develop methods of critical seeing through image analysis, art historical analysis, and cultural critique. We consider artworks produced by Chicanx, U.S. Latinx, and other transnational artists in a wide range of formats including printmaking, performance art, mural painting, photography, film and video, books, comics, public art projects, and an array of post-conceptual practices. This course fulfills the Arts and Humanities requirement for the LACS minor.
- ARTH 398 - Seminar in Museum Studies
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 4 Prerequisite ARTH 102 or ARTH 140 This seminar explores the rich history, evolution, and contemporary practices of museums, considering their role in the 21st century. Topics include social justice, decolonization, the implications of digital technology, theory and methodology, exhibiting strategies, and the ethics of collecting. Students will undertake a major exhibition plan focused on themes of identity, belonging, reclamation, and honor. They will learn essential skills such as developing a curatorial plan and conceptualizing the exhibition through design, interpretation, and installation. Field trips to museums will complement classroom learning, providing students with firsthand exposure to museum practices and inspiring creativity in their own projects. An additional course fee is required, for which the student is responsible after the seventh week of the winter term. For previous ARTH 398 projects see: Chaos in Color and Mohammad Omer Khalil: Musings.
- ARTH 453 - Internship in Arts Management
Credits 3 Prerequisite instructor consent Supervised experience in an art gallery, art dealership, museum, or auction house approved by the Art and Art History Department. Requires written exercises and readings, in addition to curatorial projects devised in advance by the instructor and student. May be repeated for credit. May be carried out during the summer.
- ARTS 204 - Art Works: Careers for Art Majors and Minors
Credits 1 Same as ARTH 204. This one-credit course prepares Art and Art History students to find internships and jobs. It assesses students' abilities and skills, provides resources about a variety of industries that majors pursue, helps students develop professional development tools, coaches them through mock interviews and networking, and showcases how to search and apply for internships and post-graduate opportunities.
- ARTS 215 - Creating Comics
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 4 Prerequisite ARTS 111 or WRIT 100 Same as ENGL 215. A course which is both a creative-writing and a studio-art course. Students study graphic narratives as an art form that combines image-making and storytelling, producing their own multi-page narratives through the writing of images. The course includes a theoretical overview of the comics form, using a range of works as practical models.
- ARTS 217 - Painting I
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 Emphasis on color, design and spatial relationships. Work from observation and imagination in oil and acrylic. Lab fee required.
- ARTS 218 - Painting II
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite ARTS 217 Continuation of ARTS 217. Lab fee required.
- ARTS 220 - Photography II
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite ARTS 120 or ARTS 121 Intermediate study of the methods and materials of fine art photography, explored through analog film and hybrid practices. Approaches for editing, sequencing, and presentation are investigated. The course includes a combination of demonstrations, studio projects, and group critiques, as well as image presentations, readings, and discussions. Lab fee required; cameras are available for check-out.
- ARTS 223 - Paris: History, Image, Myth
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 4 Prerequisite instructor consent Participants in this course spend four weeks in Paris asking the following questions: how can photography capture Parisian life and Parisian spaces to document a sense of place? How can we use photography to observe the city's changing landscape as well as understand its rich past? Indeed, how has photography-the development of which is closely tied to Paris' history-altered the fabric of the city? Numerous museum and gallery visits will also play an important role in our time in Paris. Students may not take this course and HIST 210. ARTS 120 is recommended as a prerequisite.
- ARTS 224 - Color Photography
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite ARTS 120 or ARTS 121 An exploration of the visual and technical principles of color photography, as applied through digital and hybrid approaches. Students learn the concepts of color photography through demonstrations, studio projects, and group critiques, as well as image presentations, readings, and discussions of artists and trends in contemporary color photography. Lab fee required; cameras are available for check-out.
- ARTS 226 - Introduction to the Book Arts
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 A creative exploration of the tradition of the handmade book. Students learn to make several styles of binding, including accordion books, pamphlets, and Japanese bindings, developing some skill in letterpress printing, paper decorating, and simple printmaking techniques to create original handmade books. Readings, discussions, and slide lectures introduce students to the ingenious history of books and printing. Besides constructing imaginative, individual book art projects, students create one collaborative project. Lab fee required.
- ARTS 227 - Printmaking I
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 A survey of fine art printmaking media, with emphasis on beginning techniques and the artistic potential of the print. Media include a selection of techniques from intaglio, relief, and planographic printmaking.
- ARTS 228 - Printmaking II
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite ARTS 227 Continuation of Printmaking I, with emphasis on one of the major media of printmaking (intaglio, relief, lithography). Students gain experience both with technique and the creative ability to solve visual problems and present compelling images in two dimensions.
- ARTS 231 - Introductory Sculpture: Materials and Methods
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 An introduction to sculpture techniques, tools and materials. Developing skills in working with wood, metal, clay, as well as new media technologies. Lab fee required.
- ARTS 232 - Intermediate Sculpture: Expanded Material Practice
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite ARTS 231 or ARTS 236 Students broaden their understanding of what sculpture can be through projects that materialize memory and imagine new futures. Emphasis is on studio projects in wood, metal, fabric, and non-traditional materials, responding to the ways contemporary sculpture pushes at the edges of what defines it. The course compels students to add significant experience in materializing sculptural projects while deepening perceptions of their own practices. Lab fee required.
- ARTS 236 - Land and Passage
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 This course demonstrates how sculpture can be expanded to include places, passing through places, ecology, and ephemeral installations. Students will develop art processes to articulate a variety of human relationships with environmental sites, and more generally, the exterior. We will study historical and contemporary examples of sculpture and art practices that utilize visual arts to express the complexities of environmental subjects. The course will include projects to develop an expanded definition of sculpture by investigating local geography, regarding comparative sites as subjects, reviewing material history, and considering the ways that passage through local places can constitute both form and meaning. Course work includes readings, in-class discussions, research, and creating projects using traditional and found materials.
- ARTS 237 - Portable Radicals: Soft Sculpture
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 4 This Spring Term course will explore moveable soft forms and lightweight structures through an expansion of sculpture that includes movement, activation and protest. We will investigate the history of artists catching the air with banners, capes, and kites and creating spaces inspired by tents, camps, and nomadic structures. We will consider how artists have used fabric and plastic to create structures that resist the permanence of architecture and take advantage of movement and color. Material skills may include dyeing fabric, fabric and plastic construction, sewing, and methods for structures. The course will culminate with performances of activated pieces and by temporarily placing structures in approved campus sites, before and during the Spring Term Fair.
- ARTS 275 - Community Muralism: The Art of Public Engagement
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 4 Same as ARTH 275. Our nation is currently witnessing a community mural renaissance. Public murals help to create welcoming and inclusive public spaces, build and solidify community identity, commemorate individuals or events, arouse social consciousness or impact social change, and recognize the voices of traditionally disempowered groups. During the term, we trace the historical development of community murals. Students participate in studio exercises that give them experience with a variety of methods, materials, and techniques necessary to plan, design, and produce a largescale community mural. We produce and document a mural in collaboration with a local community partner.
- ARTS 320 - Large Format Photography
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite ARTS 120 and instructor consent An introduction to large format photography with the 4x5 camera. Topics covered in the course include advanced exposure techniques utilizing the zone system, the craft of fine printing in both the darkroom and digital studio, and the process for shooting, editing, and sequencing a body of work. Alternative process printing methods may also be explored. This course includes an emphasis on group critique, as well as presentations, readings, and discussions related to historical and contemporary movements in the medium. Lab fee required; cameras are available for check-out.
- BIOL 267 - Bioengineering and Bioinspired Design
FDR SC Science, Math, CS Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite PHYS 112 Same as ENGN 267. This course integrates biology, physics, engineering, and quantitative methods to study how an animal's physiology is optimized to perform a critical function, as well as how these biological systems inspire new technologies. The first half of this course focuses on integrative case studies, such as: How does a gecko lizard leap 30 m from the forest floor and survive the landing unscathed; Why are conch shells fracture resistant and how are they inspiring the next generation of protective gear? How is the mantis shrimp eye guiding the next revolution in optical data storage technology? The second half of the course is project based: student teams develop their own bioinspired systems. This course is intended for students interested in working on problems at the boundary of biology and physics/engineering and is appropriate for those who have more experience in one field than the other.
- BIOL 275 - Food for Thought
Credits 3 Prerequisite BIOL 111 and BIOL 113 This course utilizes problem-based learning to investigate nutrition and metabolism, as well as to the neural and hormonal regulation of feeding behavior. Through the use of primary literature and service-learning experiences, students develop an understanding of the experimental tools used in basic and applied nutritional sciences research. Because nutrition directly relates to many health care and quality-of-life issues at the forefront of modern society, this course also examines popular literature on food-related topics.
- BIOL 357 - A Walk Through the Ages: Using Artificial Intelligence to Understand the Evolution of Exercise
Credits 4 Prerequisite BIOL 187 or CSCI 111 Exercise leaves us healthier and happier, yet many of us struggle to get enough physical activity. Why it is so hard to hit the gym? Our biology and evolutionary past might play a role in our reluctance to undertake physical activity. In this course, students will learn how to quantify the amount of physical activity using wearable exercise trackers. We will collect data on different types of activities in different environments and physiological conditions. Using machine learning tools, we will develop a unique classifier that will predict the environmental/physiological setting based on the data. We will go through the processes of experimental design, data extraction, data preprocessing, data modeling and finally, data interpretation. These aspects of the course will culminate in a course project which will require students to build a model that represents the exercise data gathered.
(CSCI 257)
- CBSC 214 - The Psychology of Humor
FDR SS3 Social Science - Group 3 Distribution Credits 3 This course focuses on theoretical and empirical approaches to understanding humor, covering traditional and contemporary theories of humor, along with social psychological, developmental, biological, and cognitive perspectives on humor. In addition, humor as a moderator of life stress is examined. Disparagement humor is a central topic, along with nonverbal markers of humor elicitation.
- CBSC 215 - Seminar in Evolutionary Psychology
Credits 3 Prerequisite CBSC 110, CBSC 111, CBSC 112, CBSC 113, or CBSC 114 The purpose of this course is to examine evolutionary theory as a means of explaining human behavior. The main premise is that behaviors such as cooperation, aggression, mate selection, and intelligence exist because individuals exhibiting these behaviors were more likely to produce healthy offspring that perpetuated those behaviors (i.e., natural selection). We evaluate the validity of this argument in a number of areas of human behavior and also discuss how culture has shaped our genes. Evolutionary psychology is not an area of psychology, like social psychology or cognitive psychology, but is instead a lens through which all human behavior can be explained. Though it is tempting to engage in arm chair application of evolutionary theory to behavior, this is a science course; all arguments must be backed up with data.
- CBSC 223 - Toys and Playful Learning
FDR SS3 Social Science - Group 3 Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite CBSC 113 This course examines the fundamentals of the development and practice of play, with emphasis on toy play. The course covers major developmental theories of the development of skills through playful learning. Students explore how gender and gendered toys impact children's play, skills, visions of the future, and body image, and how toy play can be used to intervene with childhood developmental issues. Primary source material is examined along with popular media depictions of toy play. Students engage in the creation of skill building which involves contact with parents, teachers, and experts in the field.
- CBSC 314 - Attention
Credits 3 Prerequisite CBSC 110, CBSC 111, or CBSC 112; and either BIOL 201 or CBSC 250 An examination of the theories and mechanisms associated with attentional processes. Topics include: selective attention, divided attention, inhibition, working memory, and the application of these processes in human/machine interfaces. The functioning of the above processes in abnormal patient populations is also examined.
- CSCI 209 - Software Development
Credits 3 Prerequisite CSCI 112 An examination of the theories and design techniques used in software development, with an emphasis on making software more maintainable. Hands-on implementation of those techniques. Topics include the software life cycle, design patterns, version control, unit testing, and program documentation.
- CSCI 211 - Algorithm Design and Analysis
Credits 3 Prerequisite CSCI 112 and either MATH 121 or MATH 225 Methods for designing efficient algorithms, including divide-and-conquer, dynamic programming, and greedy algorithms. Analysis of algorithms for correctness and estimating running time and space requirements. Topics include advanced data structures, graph theory, network flow, and computational intractability.
- CSCI 230 - Introduction to Machine Learning and Big Data
Credits 3 Prerequisite CSCI 112 This course is an intermediate-level computer science course that gives an overview of machine learning algorithms, concepts, and applications. We will begin with an understanding of how to systematically extract and prepare data for these types of models. We will explore common machine learning models such as linear regression, logistic regression, support vector machines, k-nearest neighbors, random forest, hidden Markov models, Bayesian networks, and others. Students will be exposed to how to train and evaluate the quality of their models. This evaluation includes a thorough investigation into whether the models present bias and what techniques can be employed to mitigate these limitations.
- CSCI 257 - A Walk Through the Ages: Using Artificial Intelligence to Understand the Evolution of Exercise
Credits 4 Prerequisite BIOL 187 or CSCI 111 Exercise leaves us healthier and happier, yet many of us struggle to get enough physical activity. Why it is so hard to hit the gym? Our biology and evolutionary past might play a role in our reluctance to undertake physical activity. In this course, students will learn how to quantify the amount of physical activity using wearable exercise trackers. We will collect data on different types of activities in different environments and physiological conditions. Using machine learning tools, we will develop a unique classifier that will predict the environmental/physiological setting based on the data. We will go through the processes of experimental design, data extraction, data preprocessing, data modeling and finally, data interpretation. These aspects of the course will culminate in a course project which will require students to build a model that represents the exercise data gathered.
(BIOL 357)
- CSCI 315 - Artificial Intelligence
Credits 3 Prerequisite CSCI 209 Basic concepts of heuristic search, game playing, natural language processing, and intelligent systems, with a focus on writing programs in these areas. Course combines a discussion of philosophical issues with hands-on problem solving.
- CSCI 317 - Database Systems
Credits 3 Prerequisite CSCI 209 This course will provide a theoretical and practical implementation of database systems. Students will learn how databases work, particularly how they store, index, and query data. Broadly, the course will focus on the fundamentals of database design, data models, relational algebra and the description and semantics of query languages including SQL and NoSQL. Advanced topics will include database security, distributed and Internet databases, and large-scale data analysis.
- CSCI 319 - Video Game Design
Credits 3 Prerequisite CSCI 209 In this course, students learn to design and program video games using Python and the Pygame module. Concepts covered include video game code organization utilizing object-oriented programming, OOP design patterns, 2D animation, artificial intelligence, and responding to user feedback.
- CSCI 326 - Cloud Computing
Credits 3 Prerequisite CSCI 209 In this course, students are introduced to Cloud Computing. Clouding Computing focuses on implementing programs on distributed computers and delivering them as a service. Students will explore diverse aspects of this broad area, ranging from the design of cloud systems to creating applications on cloud systems. Selected topics include the theory of distributed systems, the benefits and challenges of the cloud, MapReduce and Spark, algorithm design on distributed systems, Amazon Web Services, and data analysis.
- CSCI 335 - Software Engineering through Web Applications
Credits 4 Prerequisite CSCI 209 In this course, students learn to develop high-performance software for Web applications using advanced software engineering techniques. The concepts of client-server computing, theories of usable graphical user interfaces, models for Web-based information retrieval and processing, and iterative development are covered.
- DANC 220 - Dance Composition
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 A studio course exploring the craft and art of creating dance performances in a variety of styles and contexts. Images, text, music, improvisation and the elements of time, space and energy are examined as sources for dance material leading to individual andgroup choreography.
- DANC 233 - Movement for Actors
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 This course exams an array of methods that provide a vocabulary for thinking about, acting upon, and talking about movement and gesture and the physical integration of voice, breath, speech, and movement. We explore Alexander Technique and create an awareness of physical habits of 'misuse' and transform them by focusing on breathing and vocal work. Students examine viewpoints as a method for vocabulary to discuss work and as a tool for creating it. Laban Movement Analysis looks at these same concepts as a language for interpreting and documenting human movement. Class meetings include lecture, studio work, and individual projects.
- DCI 201 - Digital Collections and Exhibits
Credits 3 Prerequisite completion of FDR:FW requirement Students explore W&L's history through primary sources in Special Collections and Archives to develop a public-facing online collection of materials and a narrative exhibit. This course teaches students how to plan and implement a digital collection and exhibit from the initial concept through the final project.
- DCI 271 - New Dark Age
Credits 3 Are we living in a New Dark Age? Artist and writer James Bridle argues that the abundance of information intended to enlighten the world has, in practice, darkened it. This course takes a big-picture look at the interconnected impact of technology on the world around us. Is it enough to learn to code or think computationally? Through research, hands-on assignments, and local trips, we seek to understand what has led to our present technological moment and where we can go from here. We cover topics such as climate change, e-waste, big data, algorithmic bias, and automation.
- EALL 215 - East Asian Cinema
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 4 This course provides an introduction to and overview of contemporary East Asian cinema, including the Chinese-language cinemas of the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and those of Japan and Korea. It focuses on the flourishing cinema of East Asia since the 1980s and provides a solid foundation in the successes and dominant tendencies of contemporary East Asian cinema and culture. Among the aims of the course are examining ways in which the contemporary East Asian cinemas and cultures are in dialogue with one another and looking at specific conditions and cultural forces at work in each unique case. The course also explores how the cinemas of East Asia reflect the changing cultural, economic, historical, political and social conditions of each country and how these cinemas and cultures are part of a larger redefinition of the idea of a national culture. Screenings and readings consist of exemplary works from each East Asian culture, organized around specific motifs, such as history, memory, identity, communication, love, and death.
- ENGL 201 - Introduction to Creative Writing
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 A course in the practice of creative writing, with attention to two or more genres. Pairings vary by instructor but examples might include narrative fiction and nonfiction; poetry and the lyric essay; and flash and hybrid forms. This course involves workshops, literary study, and critical writing.
- ENGL 202 - Creative Writing: Playwriting
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 4 A course in the practice of writing plays, involving workshops, literary study, critical writing, and performance.
- ENGL 203 - Creative Writing: Fiction
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3-4 A course in the practice of writing short fiction, involving workshops, literary study, and critical writing.
- ENGL 206 - Creative Writing: Nonfiction
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 A course in the practice of writing nonfiction, involving workshops, literary study, and critical writing.
- ENGL 215 - Creating Comics
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 4 Same as ARTS 215. A course which is both a creative-writing and a studio-art course. Students study graphic narratives as an art form that combines image-making and storytelling, producing their own multi-page narratives through the writing of images. The course includes a theoretical overview of the comics form, using a range of works as practical models.
- ENGL 233 - Introduction to Film
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite completion of FDR:FW requirement Same as ENGL 233. An introductory study of film taught in English and with a topical focus on texts from a variety of global film-making traditions. At its origins, film displayed boundary-crossing international ambitions, and this course attends to that important fact, but the course's individual variations emphasize one national film tradition (e.g., American, French, Indian, British, Italian, Chinese, etc.) and, within it, may focus on major representative texts or upon a subgenre or thematic approach. In all cases, the course introduces students to fundamental issues in the history, theory, and basic terminology of film.
- ENGL 234 - Children's Literature
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 3-4 Prerequisite completion of FDR:FW requirement A study of works written in English for children. The course treats major writers, thematic and generic groupings of texts, and children's literature in historical context. Readings may include poetry, drama, fiction, nonfiction, and illustrated books, including picture books that dispense with text.
- ENGL 254 - I Heart Jane: Austen's Fan Cultures and Afterlives
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite completion of FDR:FW requirement In the 20th and 21st centuries, Jane Austen has attained a celebrity that far exceeds the recognition she enjoyed during her lifetime. The fan culture that now surrounds Austen, her spunky heroines, and her swoon-worthy heroes rivals that of Star Wars or Harry Potter. Austen enthusiasts meet for book club, wear Regency costumes, convene for tea, and throw balls with period-appropriate music and dance. All of this mooning over Mr. Darcy, however, could easily be the object of Austen's own satire. Mercilessly lampooning silliness and frivolity, "dear Jane" was more inveterate cynic than hopeless romantic. How, then, did Austen transform from biting social satirist to patron saint of chick lit? Beginning with three of Austen's novels, and then turning to the fan cultures surrounding Pride and Prejudice, this course examines the nature of fandom, especially its propensity to change and adapt the very thing it celebrates. What does it mean to be a fan? Is there such a thing as an "original" or authorial meaning of a text? What do Austen's fan cultures say about both the novels themselves and the society that appropriates them?
- ENGL 257 - Business in American Literature and Film
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite completion of FDR:FW requirement In his 1776 book The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith tells a powerful story of the free market as a way to organize our political and economic lives, a story that has governed much of the world ever since. This course studies that story, considers alternate stories of human economic organization, such as those of American Indian tribes, and sees how these stories have been acted out in American business and society, including for some African-American writers. We study novels, films, short stories, non-fiction essays, poems, advertisements, websites, some big corporations, and some local businesses. Our goal is to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of American business so we can make the best choices about how to live and work in a free market society.
- ENGL 262 - Literature, Race, and Ethnicity
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 3-4 Prerequisite completion of FDR:FW requirement A course that uses ethnicity, race, and culture to develop readings of literature. Politics and history play a large role in this critical approach; students should be prepared to explore their own ethnic awareness as it intersects with other, often conflicting, perspectives. Focus will vary with the professor's interests and expertise, but may include one or more literatures of the English-speaking world: Chicano and Latino, Native American, African-American, Asian-American, Caribbean, African, sub-continental (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka), and others.
- ENGL 286 - Black Writers and the Allure of Paris
Credits 4 Prerequisite instructor consent During two weeks on campus and two in Paris, students are immersed in the literary works of African American writers of the Harlem Renaissance through the mid-20th century, reading work by writers like Jessie Fauset, Gwendolyn Bennett, Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Richard Wright, and Chester Himes. In preparation for traveling to Paris, the site that represented new and promising possibilities for cultural exploration and artistic inspiration, we study how these literary texts examine the modern reality of racial identity. We also assess the significance of Paris as a site of cultural production and as a site of representation for early- to mid-20th century African American writers.
(AFCA 286)
- ENGL 289 - Literary Book Publishing
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite ENGL 201, ENGL 202, ENGL 203, ENGL 204, ENGL 206, ENGL 207, ENGL 210, ENGL 214, ENGL 215, ENGL 306, ENGL 309, or ENGL 391 This course is an introduction to the publishing industry, its culture and commerce. We examine the history of the industry and how it operates today, with an emphasis on active learning and practice. This class consists, in part, of active discussions with industry professionals, studying the life of a single book: its author, its agent, its editor, its book designer, its publisher. It gives you an overview of how the publishing industry works through the eyes of the people who work in it. It also gives you a chance to put what you learn into practice. Using a book you're working on (or a theoretical book you may someday write), you compose a query letter, design a book jacket, and create marketing material in support of your project. The term culminates with a book auction where students form publishing teams and bid on the books they would most like to publish.
- ENGL 349 - Middlemarch and Devoted Readers
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 4 Prerequisite an English course numbered between 201 and 295 and another English course numbered between 222 and 299 This seminar begins with and centers upon George Eliot's Middlemarch, a novel often regarded as one of the greatest and most ambitious produced in the era of the novel's securest cultural dominance and famously described by Virginia Woolf as one of the few English novels written for grown-up people. It then problematizes this encounter by setting it in light of Rebecca's Mead's critically-acclaimed My Life in Middlemarch, a memoir of her devoted lifelong reading and reading of it, not just for pleasure but for its profound wisdom and insight. The question of such intense admiration verging on fandom is one that has received increasing scholarly attention, particularly in relation to the so-called Janeite phenomenon, that is, the love of Jane Austen fans for her novels, but extends to numerous other novelists, poets, playwrights, fun-makers, and their fans. Students supplement this focus of the course by researching and presenting their own exemplary case studies of such readerly devotion, obsession, or fandom.
- ENGL 354 - Contemporary British and American Drama
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite an English course numbered between 201 and 295 and another English course numbered between 222 and 299 This course examines both the masterpieces and undiscovered gems of English language theater from Samuel Beckett to the present. The course investigates contemporary movements away from naturalism and realism towards the fantastical, surreal, and spectacular. Student presentations, film screenings, and brief performance exercises supplement literary analysis of the plays, though no prior drama experience is presumed.
- ENGL 366 - African-American Literature
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite an English course numbered between 201 and 295 and another English course numbered between 222 and 299 A focused engagement with the African-American literary tradition, from its beginnings in the late 18th century through its powerful assertions in the 21st. The focus of each term's offering may vary; different versions of the course might emphasize a genre, author, or period such as poetry, Ralph Ellison, or the Harlem Renaissance.
- ENGL 370 - Contemporary North American Fiction
Credits 3 Prerequisite an English course numbered between 201 and 295 and another English course numbered between 222 and 299 A study of 21st-century novels and short stories by North American authors. The course examines the recent movement of literary fiction into traditional pulp genres. Authors may include: Chabon, Atwood, Allende, Alexie, Butler, McCarthy, Diaz, Whitehead, Link, Fowler, and Grossman.
- ENGL 382 - Hotel Orient
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite an English course numbered between 201 and 295 and another English course numbered between 222 and 299 This seminar charts the historical encounters between East and West through the very spaces that facilitate cross-cultural transactions from the medieval to the postmodern. If modern hotel consciousness is marked by transience, ennui, eroticism, and isolation, we ask whether or not the same characteristics held true in premodern hotel practices, and if the space of the Orient makes a difference in hotel writing. Semantically, Orient means not only the geographic east. As a verb, to orient means to position and ascertain one's bearings. In this sense, to write about lodging in the East is to sort out one's cultural and geopolitical orientation.
- ENGL 391 - Topics in Creative Writing
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 An advanced workshop in creative writing. Genres and topics will vary, but all versions involve intensive reading and writing.
- ENGL 431 - Master Class in Creative Writing
Credits 1 Prerequisite ENGL 201, ENGL 202, ENGL 203, ENGL 204, ENGL 206, ENGL 207, ENGL 210, ENGL 214, ENGL 215, ENGL 306, ENGL 309, or ENGL 391 An advanced workshop taught by the Glasgow Writer in Residence. The genre varies, but the course includes readings, workshops, and individual conferencing.
- ENGL 453 - Internship in Literary Editing with Shenandoah
Credits 3 Prerequisite ENGL 201, ENGL 202, ENGL 203, ENGL 204, ENGL 206, ENGL 207, ENGL 210, ENGL 214, or ENGL 215 An apprenticeship in editing with the editor of Shenandoah, Washington and Lee's literary magazine. Students are instructed in and assist in these facets of the editor's work: evaluation of manuscripts of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, comics, and translations; substantive editing of manuscripts, copyediting; communicating with writers; social media; website maintenance; the design of promotional material.
- ENGN 250 - Introduction to Engineering Design
Credits 4 Prerequisite ENGN 203 This course introduces students to the principles of engineering design through first-hand experience with a design project that culminates in a design competition. In this project-based course, the students gain an understanding of computer-aided drafting, machining techniques, construction methods, design criteria, progress- and final-report writing, and group presentations.
- FILM 233 - Introduction to Film
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite completion of FDR:FW requirement Same as ENGL 233. An introductory study of film taught in English and with a topical focus on texts from a variety of global film-making traditions. At its origins, film displayed boundary-crossing international ambitions, and this course attends to that important fact, but the course's individual variations emphasize one national film tradition (e.g., American, French, Indian, British, Italian, Chinese, etc.) and, within it, may focus on major representative texts or upon a subgenre or thematic approach. In all cases, the course introduces students to fundamental issues in the history, theory, and basic terminology of film.
- FILM 236 - Science Fiction & Fantasy: From Page to Screen and Beyond
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 4 Film, almost from origins, has been fascinated by the evocation of fantasy worlds and by the effort to imagine and represent future worlds filled with technological marvels.(Film is, of course, a medium obsessed by its own technological improvements from sound and color to 30 and virtual reality.) From such major directors as Lang and Kubrick to Lucas and Spielberg, science fiction has attracted some of the finest and most innovative directors. In this course, we study major examples of this phenomenon along with the technological history and philosophical speculations contributing to it.
- FILM 237S - Field Documentary
FDR HA Credits 4 Prerequisite Instructor consent Experiential Learning. Taught by W&L faculty at the University of Cape Coast as part of the W&L in Ghana program. This course teaches students how to research, conceptualize and develop a non-fiction story idea into a film. Students receive instruction on effective research strategies, idea development, production planning, and proposal writing and pitching. They learn the theoretical, aesthetic, and technical principles of non-linear editing for documentary. Principally, students are taught how to: digitize and organize source material, create basic effects and titles, develop sequences, and organize and edit their raw materials into a polished final product. In addition to making films, we screen various documentaries, analyze the techniques, and put them to use in our own creation and editing.
- FILM 238 - Documentary Filmmaking
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 Skills for creating effective documentary films. The topic varies for each term's documentary. Students work collaboratively to create the documentary from the seed idea through to the finished product, using readings, screenings, analysis, discussion, equipment orientation, field production, and editing. Students deepen their production and communication skills through creating a professional-quality documentary film.
- GERM 302 - German for the Professions
Credits 3 Prerequisite GERM 262 This course aims to introduce students to the use of German as a part of professional life with a particular emphasis on current discourses in the sciences, social sciences, technology, and business. Students will investigate ongoing and crucial topics in German-speaking countries and the EU in a broad-based but critical way. Students will also practice resume writing, cover letters, professional presentations, and interview techniques. Conducted in German.
- GERM 392 - Layered Berlin: German Culture and the Social Market Economy
Credits 4 Prerequisite GERM 262 Same as BUS 392. A four-week course taught abroad that offers students a true immersion in German language, culture, and business environment. In order to give students a complete understanding of contemporary Germany, we integrate a literary-historical analysis of the country's rich history from 1848 to the present day with an introduction to German social and economic system that focuses on stakeholder-centric business and sustainability principles. Through an exciting mix of literary fiction, historical readings and cases, film screenings, along with corporate and cultural site visits, students gain an understanding of the interdependence between big "C" Culture and business culture.
(BUS 392)
- HIST 232 - Popular Culture in Latin America
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course explores Latin America's diversity in cultures, focusing on the everyday expressions and experiences of working-class, Indigenous, Black, and Asian descent peoples. The course will first examine how economic and social relationships related to class, race, gender, and religion are experienced through labor, dance, dress, and forms of worship. The second half of the course examines the cultural
expressions of those relationships by scrutinizing themes such as music, sports, beauty, film, protest culture, and the internet. We will analyze the syncretic reality of cultural mixing, as well as the tension between the desire to maintain an authentic popular culture and the pressure to conform to the global culture industry.- HIST 260 - Introduction to African American History from 1877
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 An intensive study of the African-American experience from 1877 to the present. Special emphasis is given to the development of black intellectual and cultural traditions, development of urban communities, emergence of the black middle class, black nationalism, the civil rights era, and the persistence of racism in American society.
- HIST 266 - The American Century: U.S. History from 1945
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course surveys the social, political, cultural, and economic history of the United States in the post-1945 period. Topics include the atomic bomb and the cold war, the growth of the state, liberalism, conservatism and radicalism, race and civil rights, feminism and anti-feminism, and foreign policy.
- HIST 268 - Building a Suburban Nation: Race, Class, and Politics in Postwar America
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Together, the overdevelopment of the suburbs and the underdevelopment of urban centers have profoundly shaped American culture, politics and society in the post-WWII period. This course examines the origins and consequences of suburbanization after 1945. Topics include the growth of the national state, the origins and consequences of suburbanization, the making of the white middle class, the War on Poverty, welfare and taxpayers rights" movements, "black power," and how popular culture has engaged with questions about race and class. In the process of understanding the historical roots of contemporary racial and class advantage and disadvantage, this course will shed new light on contemporary public policy dilemmas.
- JOUR 215 - The Magazine: Past, Present, Future
Credits 4 Magazines are probably the most resilient mass medium we have, which is good news in the digital age. Even though the magazine business was hit hard in recent years, a look at its past and future is far more cheering. In this class, students learn how to investigate a magazine from the past as a way of understanding the magazine business from the inside. They also learn from current magazine editors, writers, and publishers, with a four-night trip to New York City (additional fee required). And students create teams to produce a tablet-ready magazine prototype. Adapted for Spring 2021 due to ongoing Covid-19 pandemic: Magazines are probably the most resilient mass medium we have, which is good news in the digital age. Because of travel restrictions, this course will not be making trips to New York and Roanoke, as in the first years it was offered, nor is there a student fee. Based on last spring's experience, we should be able to hear from many high-level magazine editors, writers and scholars, and will work in teams on designing, writing, and publishing a prototype of our own original magazine.
- JOUR 220 - Social Media: Principles and Practice
Credits 3 Prerequisite JOUR 201 In this course, students dive deep into social media, learning how to use it as thoughtful and ethical professionals, and examining its growing roles in society, politics, identity, and relationships. Students get hands-on experience in producing news for social media by running a multi-platform social news service. They also learn how to plan a strategic social media campaign, how to use metrics to analyze social media effectiveness, and how to use social media in reporting.
- JOUR 221 - Communication in Global Perspectives
Credits 4 Prerequisite JOUR 101 Addressing a series of debates centered on the media, power and globalization, locating these in their historical and cultural perspective. In doing so, we explore ways in which media power is contested, and consider whether opportunities for resistance provided by new technologies represent a significant break with the past. A critical appraisal of the relationship between media and power at the level of culture, institutions, and social processes by examining the impact of technology on local and/or national media and communications industries in emerging democracies.
- JOUR 227 - Public Relations Writing
Credits 3 Prerequisite JOUR 201 A writing course to teach the many forms of persuasive writing used by public relations practitioners to reach diverse audiences. Through frequent writing assignments and revisions, students master the art of press releases, media pitches, media alerts, features, public service announcements, newsletters, press kits, backgrounders, and coverage memos for appropriate media outlets. Students are exposed to social media and video skills as well as writing.
- JOUR 230 - Data-Driven Storytelling
Credits 3 Prerequisite JOUR 101 The ability to gather, analyze, and tell clear and compelling stories with data is becoming one of the most valuable skills in professional communication. More than just learning new tools, it is a different way of thinking about the building blocks of stories and information. Students apply the values and practices of journalistic storytelling to data, learning how to gather it, break it down, report on it, contextualize it, and display it in clear, creative, engaging ways. Students learn data analysis and visualization in R and apply what they learn to a full-term, news-style data storytelling project.
- JOUR 266 - Cross-Cultural Documentary Filmmaking
Credits 3 The United States is a melting pot of nationalities and cultures. As people move to the U.S. from other countries they go through cross-cultural adaptation, and identity becomes an issue for everyone. Students in this course work in three-person teams to produce five-minute documentaries on cross-cultural adaptation by an ethnic community in our region or by selected international students at Washington and Lee. Students are expected to immerse themselves in learning about the home countries and current communities of their subjects. The course includes instruction in the techniques of documentary film-making, allowing students to develop their writing, storytelling, shooting and editing skills.
- JOUR 273 - Principles of Public Relations
Credits 3 Prerequisite JOUR 227 This class focuses on understanding what public relations is and what those who practice public relations do. Students examine the origins of public relations, the nature and role of public relations, the major influences that affect organizational behavior, the ethics of public relations, and the professional development of public-relations professionals. Emphasis is placed on the planning, writing, and management functions, working with media and developing effective public-relations strategies.
- JOUR 301 - Law and Communications
Credits 3 Prerequisite at least junior class standing An examination of the development of First Amendment jurisprudence, the law of defamation, privacy, access, free press-fair trial, journalists' privilege, obscenity and pornography. The case study approach is used, but the emphasis is on the principles that underlie the landmark cases. This course can serve as an introduction to and preparation for further studies in communications law and/or the legal system in general.
- JOUR 325 - Crisis Communications
Credits 3 Prerequisite JOUR 201 and at least junior class standing A case-study approach to current methods of forecasting problems and responding effectively to crises and consequences in the public and private sectors. Topics include identifying and communicating effectively with stakeholders during crises, effective media-relations strategies during emergencies, building an effective crisis-response plan, regaining public credibility following a crisis, and avoiding public relations mistakes during litigation.
- JOUR 338 - The Documentary
Credits 3 Prerequisite at least sophomore class standing A critical study of the documentary in film and television, with analysis of prominent directors and genres.
- JOUR 341 - Multimedia Storytelling Design
Credits 3 Prerequisite at least junior class standing Have you ever wondered how news organizations put together their Pulitzer Prize-winning interactive stories? This course introduces students to tools that help them imagine, design, and create powerful interactive features with audio, video, graphics, and words on the cutting edge of journalism and mass communications. Students learn web design and programming skills using HTML CSS and JavaScript. This course is for students with little or no coding experience but who want to know how they did that.
- JOUR 345 - Media Ethics
Credits 3 Prerequisite JOUR 201 and at least junior class standing This course enables students to explore ethical challenges that arise within the various communication practices of contemporary media: journalism, public relations, advertising, documentary film, blogging and fictional programming. The course offers a grounding in moral reasoning and an understanding of professional ethics as an evolving response to changing social and industrial conditions in the media industries.
- JOUR 371 - Financial News
Credits 3 Prerequisite at least junior class standing Required for the business journalism sequence and appropriate as an elective for journalism, strategic communication, and business administration majors. Reporting and writing techniques for journalists who cover Wall Street and publicly-traded companies. Students learn reporting fundamentals of financial statements, researching corporate documents, and data analysis using the Bloomberg terminal, and how to write industry analysis and narratives.
- JOUR 372 - Reporting on the Economy
Credits 3 Prerequisite at least junior class standing Reporting and writing techniques used by journalists who cover global economics. Students learn basics of the reporting and analysis of Federal Reserve reports, economic indicators, and data via the Bloomberg terminal and other resources. Writing emphasizes storytelling about people behind the numbers of the wealth and wage gaps, consumer trends, and worker issues in the global supply chain.
- JOUR 377 - Media Management & Entrepreneurship
Credits 3 An examination of trends and challenges in media management, including a close examination of industry economics, changing reader and viewer habits, revenue and profit pressures, and labor and management issues unique to the news profession. Appropriate for non-majors. Additional course fee required.
- LIT 222 - Real and Imaginary Animals in Japanese Literature, Film, Anime, and Theater
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite completion of FDR:FW requirement Cranes, badgers, monkeys, foxes, cats, robot-cats, monsters born from atomic energy, tengu, and kappa -- in Japan animals, both real and imaginary, have captured the imagination of writers, film directors, manga artists and producers of fantasy. In this course, we begin by exploring the medieval tale genre known as otogizoshi from the 14th through 17th centuries, many of which are origins of later well-known folk tales. Students read from the works of writers of the 20th- and 21st centuries, like Akutagawa, Tanizaki, Tawada, and Kawamura, who have used a real or imaginary animal to weave a work of fiction in either a satiric criticism of society or a commentary on the meaning of life. We also examine how characters, such as the beloved robot-cat Doraemon, the ferocious monster Godzilla, the devoted crane wife, the nefarious black cat, and other animals are depicted in a variety of genres such as mango, anime, film, and classical and modern plays.
- MATH 309 - Probability
Credits 3 Prerequisite MATH 221 with a grade of C or greater Probability, probability density and distribution functions, mathematical expectation, discrete and continuous random variables, and moment generating functions.
- MATH 310 - Mathematical Statistics
Credits 3 Prerequisite MATH 309 Sampling distributions, point and interval estimation, testing hypotheses, regression and correlation, and analysis of variance.
- MATH 332 - Ordinary Differential Equations
Credits 3 Prerequisite MATH 221 with a grade of C or greater First and second order differential equations, systems of differential equations, and applications. Techniques employed are analytic, qualitative, and numerical.
- MATH 333 - Partial Differential Equations
Credits 3 Prerequisite MATH 332 An introduction to the study of boundary value problems and partial differential equations. Topics include modeling heat and wave phenomena, Fourier series, separation of variables, and Bessel functions. Techniques employed are analytic, qualitative, and numerical.
- PHIL 234 - American Pragmatism
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 A survey of historical and contemporary American pragmatist philosophers, who believe that truth is linked to concrete consequences, meaning is a social phenomenon, and the line between philosophy and politics is permeable.
- PHIL 240 - Contemporary Ethical Theory
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 An in-depth exploration of central questions in contemporary normative ethical theory, including the following: Which features of actions are morally important to determining their rightness (e.g., their motive, their intrinsic nature, their consequences)? What is the relation between moral values and personal values (e.g., those deriving from personal commitments and relationships)? How demanding is morality? How can we evaluate competing theories of normative ethics? Students consider these and related issues by examining contemporary philosophical defenses of theories such as consequentialism, deontology, virtue ethics, and contractualism.
- PHIL 242 - Social Inequality and Fair Opportunity
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 An exploration of the different range of opportunities available to various social groups, including racial, ethnic and sexual minorities, women, people with low incomes, and people facing poverty. Topics include how to define fair equality of opportunity; the social mechanisms that play a role in expanding and limiting opportunity; legal and group-initiated strategies aimed at effecting fair equality of opportunity and the theoretical foundations of these strategies; as well as an analysis of the concepts of equality, merit and citizenship, and their value to individuals and society.
- PHIL 247 - Medicine, Research, and Poverty
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This seminar introduces students to central ethical issues in the provision of medical care and the conduct of medical research in the context of poverty. Specific topics may include medical research on prisoners and the indigent; ancillary care obligations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs); meeting the standard of care in LMICs; access to essential medicines; allocation of scarce medical resources; and compensated donation for organs or tissues.
- PHIL 346 - Medical Ethics
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This seminar uses a case-based method to introduce students to the fundamental ethical principles of medical care and biomedical research. Topics may include informed consent, surrogate decision-making, allocating scarce resources, end-of-life care, genetic screening, and the protection of human subjects in research.
- PHIL 348 - Legal Ethics
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 An examination of the issues associated with lawyers' roles in society and their impact upon and obligations to the client, the court, and the legal profession. The course also addresses questions of the role and function of law and the adversary system.
- PHIL 354 - Distributive Justice
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite at least junior class standing How should the product of social cooperation be distributed in a just society? Is wealth redistribution through taxes fair? Is it a fair distribution of wealth that a just society depends on, or is distributive justice more complicated than that? Should we have welfare programs, and, if so, what should they be like? Our studies may include John Rawls' political liberalism, Robert Nozick's libertarianism, Ronald Dworkin's equality of resources, Amartya Sen's capabilities approach, Stuart White's justice as fair reciprocity, and criticisms of the distributive paradigm.
- POL 215 - International Development
FDR SS2 Social Science - Group 2 Distribution Credits 3 A study of international development and human capability, with a focus on Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The course analyzes theories to explain development successes and failures, with a focus on the structures, institutions, and actors that shape human societies and social change. Key questions include measuring economic growth and poverty, discussing the roles of states and markets in development, and examining the role of industrialized countries in reducing global poverty. The course explores links between politics and other social sciences and humanities.
- POL 227 - East Asian Politics
FDR SS2 Social Science - Group 2 Distribution Credits 3 An investigation of East Asian political systems and the global, historical, and cultural contexts in which their political institutions have developed. Students consider the connections between political structure and the rapid social and economic changes in East Asia since World War II, as well as the effectiveness of varied political processes in addressing contemporary problems. Emphasis is given to China, Korea, and Japan.
- POL 229 - Political Parties, Interest Groups, and the Media
FDR SS2 Social Science - Group 2 Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite POL 100 A study of the three central extra-constitutional mediating institutions in the American political system: political parties, interest groups, and the media. The course explores theoretical and practical, historical and contemporary developments in party politics, interest group politics, and media politics. Special attention to the debate between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists.
- POL 232 - Public Policy
FDR SS2 Social Science - Group 2 Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite POL 100 Introduction to public policy formation and implementation, decision making in government, the concepts and techniques of policy analysis, and ethical analysis of policy. Policy issues such as education, immigration, and public health are used as illustrations.
- POL 233 - Environmental Policy and Law
FDR SS2 Social Science - Group 2 Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 100, ECON 101, ECON 180, ECON 180A, or POL 100 A study of major environmental laws and the history of their enactment and implementation. Discusses different theoretical approaches from law, ethics, politics, and economics. Reviews significant case law and the legal context. Emphasis is on domestic policy with some attention to international law and treaties.
- POL 245 - European Politics and Society
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 3 A comparative analysis of European political systems and social institutions. The course covers the established democracies of western and northern Europe, the new democracies of southern and east-central Europe, and the post-Communist regimes in eastern and southeastern Europe. Mechanisms of European integration are also discussed with attention focused on institutions such as European Union, NATO, OSCE, and Council of Europe.
- POL 246 - Post-Communism and New Democracies
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 3 Same as SOAN 246. A comparative analysis of transition from Communism in the countries of the former Soviet bloc. Cases of successful and unsuccessful transitions to civil society, pluralist democracy, and market economy are examined. The comparative framework includes analysis of transition from non-Communist authoritarianism and democratic consolidation in selected countries of Latin America, the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and South Africa.
- POL 247 - Latin American Politics
FDR SS2 Social Science - Group 2 Distribution Credits 3 This course focuses on Latin American politics during the 20th and 21st centuries. Major topics include: democracy and authoritarianism; representation and power; populism, socialism, and neoliberalism; and economic development and inequality. The course places particular emphasis on Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, and Cuba. In addition, the course examines political relations between the United States and Latin America.
- POL 250 - Race and Equality
FDR SS2 Social Science - Group 2 Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite POL 100, POL 111, or AFCA 130 A study of important black figures in American political thought. The course focuses on the intellectual history of black Americans but also considers contemporary social science and public policies dealing with race in America.
- POL 255 - Gender and Politics
FDR SS2 Social Science - Group 2 Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite POL 100, POL 105, or POL 111 This course investigates the gendered terms under which women and men participate in political life. Attention is given to the causes of men's and women's different patterns of participation in politics, to processes that are likely to decrease the inequalities between men's and women's political power, and the processes by which society's gender expectations shape electoral and institutional politics. The different effects of gender on the practice of politics in different nations are compared, with a special emphasis placed on advanced industrial democracies.
- POL 381 - Seminar in International Political Economy
FDR SS2 Social Science - Group 2 Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 100, ECON 102, ECON 180, ECON 180A, or POL 105 This course provides an intermediate-level introduction to the major actors, questions, and theories in the field of international political economy (IPE). Course participants discuss political and economic interactions in the areas of international trade, fiscal and monetary policy, and exchange rates; discuss globalization in historical and contemporary perspectives; and examine the international politics of the major intergovernmental organizations, multinational corporations, states, and other institutional actors in the global economy.
- SOAN 205 - Power and Status: An Introduction to Social Influence
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 3 This seminar explores the fundamental sociological concepts of "power" and "status" and how they are related to social influence. Power and status undergird social inequality on both a macro and a micro level. Students view the types, uses, and consequences of power and status differences through a structural social psychological lens, while analyzing leadership in organizational contexts. Students compare the nature of "power" versus "status" and investigate the ways power and status 1) parallel, 2) differ, and 3) interact with one another in theory and in practice of creating, maintaining, and changing our social world. Students are asked to think creatively about what role status and power dynamics have in shaping all aspects of everyday social life, particularly their lives at W&L.
- SOAN 208 - Qualitative Methods
Credits 3 Qualitative research methods are widely used to provide rich and detailed understandings of people's experiences, interactions, narratives, and practices within wider sociopolitical and economic contexts. Typical methods include oral histories, interviews, participant observation, and analysis of visual and textual culture. Students will engage in research aligned with community interests. Stages of the project will include topic identification, research design, ethical and legal considerations, choosing an appropriate methodology, data collection, analysis and write-up, and presentation and critique.
- SOAN 212 - Theories of Social Psychology
Credits 3 An introduction to three major paradigms present in the sociological tradition of social psychology. The course examines social structure and personality, structural social psychology and symbolic interactionist framework. The three paradigmatic approaches are used to understand how macro-level processes influence micro-level social interaction and vice versa.
- SOAN 220 - A World of Data: Baseball and Statistics
Credits 4 Prerequisite CBSC 250, ECON 203, POL/INTR 202, SOAN 218, or SOAN 219 An introduction to the world of data and data analysis, emphasizing Bayesian methods. Taking the case of contemporary sports, with a particular focus on baseball, it teaches students how to build models of player performance while also asking important questions about the limitations of such approaches to human activities. What is gained and lost in the world made by measuring human actions in reliable ways? How is our experience in the world--in this case as athletes playing and spectators living sports--affected when we see it in terms of statistics and predictive models? What interests and what concerns make up our lives when we engage the world in this way? What interests and concerns may be obscured? The course offers a rare opportunity to acquire some expertise in producing data-driven knowledge and decisions while also reflecting on what it is like to be a non-expert living in the world shaped by such expertise.
- SOAN 222 - Data Science Tools for Social Policy
FDR SC Science, Math, CS Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite One of the following: BIOL 201, CBSC 250, DCI 202, ECON 202, POL/INTR 202, MATH 310, SOAN 218, or SOAN 219; or instructor consent Students learn about how we think about and estimate causal effects, and practice important contemporary techniques with real data, culminating in reports analyzing the effects of a policy intervention of their choice. All work will be done in R. No previous experience with R is required, but some basic previous exposure to linear regression will be helpful.
- SOAN 225 - Peoples of Central Europe Through Literature and Film
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 4 This course provides basic information about the citizens of Central European nations of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. Beliefs, attitudes, and value systems of the people of Central Europe are examined against the backdrop of major historical events of the 20th century. Core textbook readings are supplemented by feature films, video materials, novels, short stories, plays, and poetry. Class discussions focus on interpreting these works of art in the context of comparative historical-sociological analysis of the Polish, Czech, and Hungarian cultures and societies.
- SOAN 228 - Race and Ethnic Relations
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 3 An examination of why and how society creates and maintains racial and ethnic boundaries in the US. We discuss some of the crucial questions, which include: What conditions constitute a privileged group and an oppressed group? Why and how do racial/ethnic minority groups, the poor, and women experience discrimination, oppression, and exclusion in social life? Is there any racial discrimination against privileged racial/ethnic groups? How can ordinary people, policymakers, and social scientists contribute to improving race and ethnic relations among different social groups in the US?
- SOAN 240 - Food, Culture, and Society
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 3 This course explores connections among food, culture, and society. Food has been an essential way that individuals and societies define themselves, especially now in our ever globalizing world, as cultural anthropology continues to be a central discipline guiding this field of study. Students review some of the classic symbolic and structural analyses of gastro-politics. We explore relationships between fast-food/globalized taste vs. the Slow Food Movement/localized taste, and delve into socioeconomic and political practices behind the production and consumption of coffee, milk products, and alcoholic beverages. Students investigate relationships among cooking/eating and race, gender, and sexuality, and discuss community food justice. Opportunities to experience the Rockbridge area food scene are integrated into the syllabus.
- SOAN 245 - European Politics and Society
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 3 A comparative analysis of European political systems and social institutions. The course covers the established democracies of western and northern Europe, the new democracies of southern and east-central Europe, and the post-Communist regimes in eastern and southeastern Europe. Mechanisms of European integration are also discussed with attention focused on institutions such as European Union, NATO, OSCE, and Council of Europe.
- SOAN 246 - Post-Communism and New Democracies
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 3 Same as SOAN 246. A comparative analysis of transition from Communism in the countries of the former Soviet bloc. Cases of successful and unsuccessful transitions to civil society, pluralist democracy, and market economy are examined. The comparative framework includes analysis of transition from non-Communist authoritarianism and democratic consolidation in selected countries of Latin America, the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and South Africa.
- SOAN 252 - Language, Culture, and Communication
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 3 This course surveys anthropological approaches to understanding the intersections among language, culture and society. Topics include non-human communication systems, the origins of human language, and methods of establishing historical relationships among languages. Formal linguistic analysis receives some attention, but the greatest part of the course concerns language in sociocultural contexts. Examples of linguistic phenomena in ethnographic perspective are drawn from people around the world, including the Gullah, the Apache, and the Bedouin of Egypt.
- SOAN 263 - Poverty and Marginality in the Americas
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 3 In recent decades, some global transformations have increased inequality and marginality in various regions of the world. Neoliberalism has generated both opportunities and challenges to human development In different countries. This course focuses on how the undermining of safety nets, the decline of models of economic growth centered on state intervention, and the internationalization of labor markets have affected societies in Latin America and the United States. Students analyze the structural causes of marginality and how the experience of poverty varies for people in both regions. We rely on anthropological and sociological studies to address key questions. How do disadvantaged individuals and families in the Americas deal with the challenges brought about by deindustrialization, violence, and environmental degradation? How do their communities struggle to sustain public life? What are the processes causing many people to migrate from one region to the other?
- SOAN 265 - Exploring Social Networks
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 3 This course will be a hybrid seminar/research lab that covers some of the most important findings and methods in the study of social networks (SNA), with a focus on analyzing sociocentric data (i.e., data about a whole network, as opposed to data about people's personal networks, about which I teach a different course), with an emphasis on the application of network methods to the study of social inequalities. In the lab portion of the class, we will learn how to do network analysis in R, covering topics like (a) basic network descriptive statistics; (b) visualization of networks; and (c) community detection and the identification of subgroups and roles in network data, along with other tools and ideas.
- SOAN 267 - Simulating Society
FDR SS5 Credits 3 Prerequisite SOAN 101 or 102 or instructor consent This course is an introduction to computational social science, a rapidly growing field that spans the boundaries of several disciplines. It focuses on complex phenomena such as the spread of rumors, cascades of collective action, dynamics of inter-group violence, housing segregation, and related processes. To analyze such processes, we can make use of agent-based models. In this course, students read and discuss key works in this area of research. They also explore simulations of social processes and develop their own simulations. No programming background is required or expected.
- SOAN 269 - Studying Global Culture with the World Values Survey
FDR SS5 Credits 3 Prerequisite Previous exposure to regression analysis, though regression is reviewed during the first week of the course Analysis of data from the World Values Survey, a major source for studying global culture and cultural change. We read scholarly works that have made use of these data and carry out our own analyses of WVS data as consider questions about religious belief, political values, and social attitudes across the world.
- SOAN 276 - Art & Science of Survey Research
Credits 3 Prerequisite SOAN 102 This course is designed as a group research project in questionnaire construction and survey data analysis. Students prepare a list of hypotheses, select indicators, construct a questionnaire, collect and analyze data, and write research reports. When appropriate, the course may include service-learning components (community-based research projects).
- SOAN 280 - Gender and Sexuality
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 3 This class will investigate gender and sexuality cross-culturally. We will give special consideration to biology, cultural variation, intersectionality, and power. Engaging with a comparative and transnational approach to gender and sexuality, we will examine theoretical, ethnographic, literary, and audiovisual works. Students will have the option to choose either a creative project or a research paper for their final project, as they will produce programming ideas for healthy sexual culture on our campus.
- SPAN 211 - Spanish Civilization and Culture
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite SPAN 162, SPAN 164, or SPAN 200 placement A survey of significant developments in Spanish civilization. The course addresses Spanish heritage and the present-day cultural patterns formed by its legacies. Readings, discussions and papers, primarily in Spanish, for further development of communication skills.
- SPAN 212 - Spanish-American Civilization and Culture
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite SPAN 162, SPAN 164, or SPAN 200 placement A survey of significant developments in Spanish-American civilizations. The course addresses Spanish-American heritage and the present-day cultural patterns formed by its legacies. Readings, discussions and papers primarily in Spanish for further development of communication skills.
- SPAN 214 - Contemporary Spain in Context: (Re)searching Spanish Identity and Culture in the 21st Century
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 4 Prerequisite SPAN 162, SPAN 164, or SPAN 200 placement This course examines contemporary social issues in Spain through lectures and interviews with local subjects in Spain. Lectures provide a formal understanding of contemporary Spanish society, while interviews of local subjects provide data for further analysis by the students that may challenge, complement or further develop their understanding of current social issues.
- THTR 209 - Production and Stage Management
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 Production and stage management are essential leadership roles for all performance organizations. Students will begin to develop a personal management style necessary to manage and run theater, dance, and film productions. Students will explore methods and skills required to manage productions through hand-on exercises. The course offers students greater understanding of the artistic and organizational best practices for running creative performance organizations, while focusing on the collaborative communication essential to an inventive and safe environment.
- THTR 238 - 3D Printing & Digital Fabrication for Theater
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 3D printing has revolutionized manufacturing and prototyping. This course is an introduction to Digital Fabrication and concentrates of how to craft practical objects for use in theatrical production. Students will develop a systematic approach to envisioning digital designs, publish them electronically, and execute physical versions through iterative development, in order to achieve a successful stage prop. No prior theater or computer knowledge is required. Lab fee.
- THTR 239 - Total Theater
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 4 Prerequisite 3 credits in Dance or Theater A practical study of design, directing, production and acting problems in a specific style of dramatic literature, culminating in a public theatrical production. Additional fee required. Laboratory course. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
- THTR 251 - Exploration of Performance Design
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 Have you ever loved the costumes in a movie? Or the scenery in a musical? This course breaks down the fundamentals and aesthetics of design in performance. This project based course gives students the chance to create their own designs with an emphasis on how design tells a story. Students will develop their own systematic approach and aesthetic through peer critique. No prior theater or drawing experience is required. Lab fee.
- THTR 253 - Digital Production
FDR HA Credits 3 Digital technologies and multimedia interaction are increasingly utilized to produce, enhance, and innovate theatrical production. Students examine and experiment with various digital technologies as they relate to theater and dance performance. Students create digital audio, video, design rendering, and animation projects for theatrical performances.
- THTR 361 - Stage Directing 1
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite THTR 141 An introduction to directing for the stage. In this hands-on class, students learn and develop basic techniques for integrating work with scripts, performers, and designers into a cohesive stage performance. Students direct scenes from realistic modern or contemporary plays, focusing on collaboration, clarity, imagination, and analysis to create stage pictures and character relationships that tell a specific story on stage. The class culminates in invited classroom performances.
- One course from each International Business, Information Systems, and Normative Considerations:
The 21 credits required in 7 and 8 above must include at least one course from each of the following areas:
- International Business:
- ARTS 223 - Paris: History, Image, Myth
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 4 Prerequisite instructor consent Participants in this course spend four weeks in Paris asking the following questions: how can photography capture Parisian life and Parisian spaces to document a sense of place? How can we use photography to observe the city's changing landscape as well as understand its rich past? Indeed, how has photography-the development of which is closely tied to Paris' history-altered the fabric of the city? Numerous museum and gallery visits will also play an important role in our time in Paris. Students may not take this course and HIST 210. ARTS 120 is recommended as a prerequisite.
- ARTH 245 - Ancient Cultures, New Markets: Modern and Contemporary Asian Art
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 This course examines the art movements of the last one hundred years from India, China, Tibet, and Japan primarily through the lenses of the larger sociopolitical movements that informed much of Asia's cultural discourses: Colonialism, Post-Colonialism, Socialism, Communism, and Feminism. We also address debates concerning non-Western 20th-century art as peripheral to the main canons of Modern and Contemporary art. By the end of the course, students have created a complex picture of Asian art/artists, and have engaged broader concepts of transnationalism, as well as examined the roles of galleries, museums, and auction houses in establishing market value and biases in acquisition practices. Meets simultaneously with ARTH 394B-01. Students may not register or receive credit for both.
- ARTH 275 - Community Muralism: The Art of Public Engagement
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 4 Same as ARTS 275. Our nation is currently witnessing a community mural renaissance. Public murals help to create welcoming and inclusive public spaces, build and solidify community identity, commemorate individuals or events, arouse social consciousness or impact social change, and recognize the voices of traditionally disempowered groups. During the term, we trace the historical development of community murals. Students participate in studio exercises that give them experience with a variety of methods, materials, and techniques necessary to plan, design, and produce a largescale community mural. We produce and document a mural in collaboration with a local community partner.
- ARTH 288 - Chinese Export Porcelain and the China Trade, 1500 to 1900
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 This course covers the development and history of Chinese export porcelain made for the European and American markets and its role as a commodity in the China Trade. Students examine Chinese export porcelain from several different perspectives, including art history, material culture, and economic history.
- ARTH 378 - Border Art: Contemporary U.S. Latinx Art
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 This seminar engages broad-ranging debates that have looked at the Mexico-US border as a fruitful site of identity formation. In this seminar, we examine artworks with an emphasis on location, critical standpoint, interrelatedness, and the geopolitics of identity. Through readings and class discussions, students investigate protest art and arts activism. Students develop methods of critical seeing through image analysis, art historical analysis, and cultural critique. We consider artworks produced by Chicanx, U.S. Latinx, and other transnational artists in a wide range of formats including printmaking, performance art, mural painting, photography, film and video, books, comics, public art projects, and an array of post-conceptual practices. This course fulfills the Arts and Humanities requirement for the LACS minor.
- BUS 305 - Seminar in International Business
Credits 3-4 Offered from time to time when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Preference to BSADM or JMCB majors during the first round of registration.
- BUS 332 - Cross-Cultural Leadership
Credits 3 Prerequisite BUS 217 and at least sophomore class standing The increased interdependence of global markets brings disparate cultures together in ways that were unimaginable to previous generations. The differences that are inherent to diverging cultures produce tension for business leaders and global citizens. But these same differences provide leaders the chance to draw on collective creative forces to enact changes that open up new and exciting opportunities. This course explores how leaders deal with these challenges and opportunities by drawing on research from a wide range of academic disciplines including management, psychology, anthropology, sociology, and political science. Students wrestle with a broad set of perspectives addressing cultural values and how these values impact the way in which leaders operate. In turn, embedded in this course is a leadership development component, in which you will emerge with a better understanding of your own capacities and opportunities as an emerging leader.
- BUS 362 - Understanding Emerging Economies
Credits 3 This course integrates the disciplines of international business and strategic management to study emerging economies. The course adopts both a macro-level approach to examine the overall country environment and a microlevel approach to understand the strategies adopted by firms operating in these countries. Topics covered include opportunities and threats in emerging economies, differences between emerging and developed economies, innovation, and technological catch-up. This Spring Term course will end with a site visit to International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank in Washington D.C. The goal of this visit is to understand how these two supranational organizations are engaged in emerging economies.
- BUS 369 - Green IS in Iceland: Sustainable Information Systems
Credits 4 Prerequisite instructor consent Sustainability is currently one of the most important issues our world faces and will continue to be so for decades, as it will take substantial time and effort to reverse some of the most adverse environmental changes humans have caused. The ambition of sustainable, or green, Information Systems (IS) is to exploit technology and information to enable society to "meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Information System (IS) and Information Technology (IT) play a critical role in sustainable development, and Energy Informatics is an approach to addressing sustainability by reducing energy consumption. By learning about Energy Informatics, students enrolled in this class will gain multi-disciplinary knowledge they can use to contribute to a sustainable future. The course culminates with a two-week field study in Iceland comprising numerous site visits to organizations focused on sustainable energy as well as cultural excursions throughout the country focused on the history, culture, geology, and economy of Iceland to help students better understand the significance of Iceland's shift to "extreme tech" to attain ecosustainability.
- BUS 390 - Supervised Study Abroad
Credits 4 Prerequisite instructor consent These upper-level courses cover topics of current interest in business administration for which international travel provides a unique opportunity for enhancing understanding. Emphasis changes from year to year. Prerequisites as specified by the instructor and approval of the International Education Committee.
- BUS 392 - Layered Berlin: German Culture and the Social Market Economy
(GERM 392)
Credits 4 Prerequisite instructor consent Same as GERM 392. A four-week course taught abroad that offers students a true immersion in German language, culture, and business environment. In order to give students a complete understanding of contemporary Germany, we integrate a literary-historical analysis of the country's rich history from 1848 to the present day with an introduction to German social and economic system that focuses on stakeholder-centric business and sustainability principles. Through an exciting mix of literary fiction, historical readings and cases, film screenings, along with corporate and cultural site visits, students gain an understanding of the interdependence between big C" Culture and business culture."
- EALL 215 - East Asian Cinema
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 4 This course provides an introduction to and overview of contemporary East Asian cinema, including the Chinese-language cinemas of the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and those of Japan and Korea. It focuses on the flourishing cinema of East Asia since the 1980s and provides a solid foundation in the successes and dominant tendencies of contemporary East Asian cinema and culture. Among the aims of the course are examining ways in which the contemporary East Asian cinemas and cultures are in dialogue with one another and looking at specific conditions and cultural forces at work in each unique case. The course also explores how the cinemas of East Asia reflect the changing cultural, economic, historical, political and social conditions of each country and how these cinemas and cultures are part of a larger redefinition of the idea of a national culture. Screenings and readings consist of exemplary works from each East Asian culture, organized around specific motifs, such as history, memory, identity, communication, love, and death.
- ECON 246 - Caste at the Intersection of Economy, Religion, and Law
(REL 246)
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 4 Prerequisite instructor consent Social stratification touches every aspect of life, and South Asia's traditional caste structure is a special case: this highly complex, strictly-adhered-to system has been religiously legitimized and criticized over a 3,000-year history, and is nowadays seen as being at odds with the modern world. Yet it remains a crucial factor in social identity, economic roles, legal status, and religious practice. This course offers a 360-degree survey of caste both historically and in practice today in Nepal. The course addresses four themes, respectively providing for each a combination of historical background, social scientific analysis of the modern situation, and direct field experience for the students. ECON 100 or 101 required only for credit as an elective in the Economics major.
- ECON 270 - International Trade
Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 100, ECON 101, ECON 180, or ECON 180A Specialization of production, the gains from trade, and their distribution, nationally and internationally. Theory of tariffs. Commercial policy from the mercantilist era to the present. The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Transnational economic integration: the European Community and other regional blocs.
- ECON 271 - International Finance
Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 100, ECON 180, or ECON 180A; or both ECON 101 and ECON 102 International monetary arrangements, balance-of-payments adjustment processes, and the mutual dependence of macroeconomic variables and policies in trading nations. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), international investment, and the World Bank. International cooperation for economic stability.
- ECON 273 - Economy of Latin America
Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 100, ECON 180, or ECON 180A Why were many Latin American countries, which started with levels of development similar to those of the U.S. and Canada, not able to keep up? This course reviews the historic and contemporary economic issues and development in the Latin America and Caribbean region. We start with the policies, both domestic and foreign, undertaken during the colonial and post-Independence periods and see what effects they still have today. Next, we examine the import substitution of the 1970s, the debt crises of the 1980s, and the structural reforms of the 1990s. Finally, we look at the current state of the region, emphasizing the new macroeconomic challenges and contemporary domestic social problems. Topics discussed include income inequality and poverty, inflation, macroeconomic populism, dollarization, and the more recent debt crises and restructurings.
- ECON 274 - China's Modern Economy
Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 100, ECON 180, or ECON 180A; or both ECON 101 and ECON 102 Economic analysis of the Chinese economy in the 20th century. Comparisons of pre- and post-revolutionary periods. Performance and policies of Taiwan and mainland China. Issues include the population problem, industrialization, provision of public health and education, alleviation of poverty and inequality. Microeconomic emphasis.
- ECON 276 - Health Economics in Developing Countries
Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 100, ECON 101, ECON 180, or ECON 180A A survey of the major issues of health economics. with a focus on developing countries (although the issues are also relevant for developed countries, including the U.S. Economic modeling of health-related issues, supply and demand of health, cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis, health goals, and policy alternatives. Economic epidemiology, including HIV/AIDS. Selected case studies. Group project, where the group selects a developing country for which a policy proposal is then developed for a health-related policy issue of the group's choice.
- ECON 280 - Development Economics
Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 100, ECON 180, or ECON 180A; or both ECON 101 and ECON 102 A survey of the major issues of development economics. Economic structure of low-income countries and primary causes for their limited economic growth. Economic goals and policy alternatives. Role of developed countries in the development of poor countries. Selected case studies.
- ECON 281 - Comparative Institutional Economics
Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 100, ECON 101, ECON 180, or ECON 180A Institutions such as laws, the political system, and cultural norms embed all social activity. They structure economic, political, and social interaction and as such play a central role in facilitating (or hindering) economic development. This course's objective is to explore from a broad perspective how institutions affect economic performance, what the determinants of institutions are, and how institutions evolve. We study examples from the existing capitalist economies, the developing and transition countries, as well as the more distant history. Because the study of institutions is necessarily an interdisciplinary endeavor, the course combines the approach of economics with the insights from law, political science, history, and sociology.
- ECON 282S - African Economic Development
Credits 4 Prerequisite ECON 100 and instructor consent Taught by W&L faculty at the University of Cape Coast as part of the W&L in Ghana. This course introduces issues in African economic development, with an emphasis on Ghana as a case study. The course reviews the classic theoretical models of economic development and presents contemporary models of economic development. We discuss the importance of health and education in economic development, especially the importance of educating girls and the potential importance of adult-literacy programs in economic development in Ghana. While some of this addresses historical experiences, a major focus is on the future challenges and opportunities. As an integral part of the course, students work together to produce a public policy proposal for a specific region in Ghana, of their choice. Throughout the course, we emphasize the importance and relevance of readings for public policy.
- ECON 356 - Economics of the Environment in Developing Countries
Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 203 and either ECON 255 or ECON 280 This course focuses on the unique characteristics of the relationship between the environment and the economy in developing nations. Differences in economic structure, political structure, culture, social organization and ecosystem dynamics are emphasized as alternative policies for environmental and resource management are analyzed.
- ECON 380 - Economics of Culture and Development
Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 203 Economists have long been interested in understanding the sources of (under) development. Topics include labor coercion, corruption, health, education, and many more. As reliable micro-level data has become increasingly available from developing countries, our understanding of the process of development has evolved accordingly. Students gain familiarity with those datasets and the recent empirical papers utilizing them. While our approach is grounded in economic theory and empirical findings, one of our goals is to contextualize economic development. That is, development or under-development does not happen in vacuum. The roots of economic well-being of a country can be traced to its history, culture, and geography. The course, therefore, combines topics from economics of culture as it relates to development economics.
- ENGL 382 - Hotel Orient
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite an English course numbered between 201 and 295 and another English course numbered between 222 and 299 This seminar charts the historical encounters between East and West through the very spaces that facilitate cross-cultural transactions from the medieval to the postmodern. If modern hotel consciousness is marked by transience, ennui, eroticism, and isolation, we ask whether or not the same characteristics held true in premodern hotel practices, and if the space of the Orient makes a difference in hotel writing. Semantically, Orient means not only the geographic east. As a verb, to orient means to position and ascertain one's bearings. In this sense, to write about lodging in the East is to sort out one's cultural and geopolitical orientation.
- FIN 357 - Multinational Business Finance
(BUS 357)
Credits 3 Prerequisite FIN 221; one of BIOL 201, BUS 202, CBSC 250, ECON 202, POL/INTR 202, MATH 118, or SOAN 118; and at least junior standing A study of the critical aspects of managerial finance in a multinational setting, covering both theoretical and practical issues. Emphasis is placed on identifying the unique risk-return opportunities faced by corporations that maintain business units across national borders. Topics included are foreign exchange and exchange rate determination, international capital markets, the environment of multinational corporate finance, risk management, and cross-border investment decisions. Text, readings, and projects.
- GERM 302 - German for the Professions
Credits 3 Prerequisite GERM 262 This course aims to introduce students to the use of German as a part of professional life with a particular emphasis on current discourses in the sciences, social sciences, technology, and business. Students will investigate ongoing and crucial topics in German-speaking countries and the EU in a broad-based but critical way. Students will also practice resume writing, cover letters, professional presentations, and interview techniques. Conducted in German.
- GERM 392 - Layered Berlin: German Culture and the Social Market Economy
(BUS 392)
Credits 4 Prerequisite GERM 262 Same as BUS 392. A four-week course taught abroad that offers students a true immersion in German language, culture, and business environment. In order to give students a complete understanding of contemporary Germany, we integrate a literary-historical analysis of the country's rich history from 1848 to the present day with an introduction to German social and economic system that focuses on stakeholder-centric business and sustainability principles. Through an exciting mix of literary fiction, historical readings and cases, film screenings, along with corporate and cultural site visits, students gain an understanding of the interdependence between big "C" Culture and business culture.
- HIST 232 - Popular Culture in Latin America
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course explores Latin America's diversity in cultures, focusing on the everyday expressions and experiences of working-class, Indigenous, Black, and Asian descent peoples. The course will first examine how economic and social relationships related to class, race, gender, and religion are experienced through labor, dance, dress, and forms of worship. The second half of the course examines the cultural
expressions of those relationships by scrutinizing themes such as music, sports, beauty, film, protest culture, and the internet. We will analyze the syncretic reality of cultural mixing, as well as the tension between the desire to maintain an authentic popular culture and the pressure to conform to the global culture industry.- JOUR 221 - Communication in Global Perspectives
Credits 4 Prerequisite JOUR 101 Addressing a series of debates centered on the media, power and globalization, locating these in their historical and cultural perspective. In doing so, we explore ways in which media power is contested, and consider whether opportunities for resistance provided by new technologies represent a significant break with the past. A critical appraisal of the relationship between media and power at the level of culture, institutions, and social processes by examining the impact of technology on local and/or national media and communications industries in emerging democracies.
- JOUR 266 - Cross-Cultural Documentary Filmmaking
Credits 3 The United States is a melting pot of nationalities and cultures. As people move to the U.S. from other countries they go through cross-cultural adaptation, and identity becomes an issue for everyone. Students in this course work in three-person teams to produce five-minute documentaries on cross-cultural adaptation by an ethnic community in our region or by selected international students at Washington and Lee. Students are expected to immerse themselves in learning about the home countries and current communities of their subjects. The course includes instruction in the techniques of documentary film-making, allowing students to develop their writing, storytelling, shooting and editing skills.
- LIT 222 - Real and Imaginary Animals in Japanese Literature, Film, Anime, and Theater
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite completion of FDR:FW requirement Cranes, badgers, monkeys, foxes, cats, robot-cats, monsters born from atomic energy, tengu, and kappa -- in Japan animals, both real and imaginary, have captured the imagination of writers, film directors, manga artists and producers of fantasy. In this course, we begin by exploring the medieval tale genre known as otogizoshi from the 14th through 17th centuries, many of which are origins of later well-known folk tales. Students read from the works of writers of the 20th- and 21st centuries, like Akutagawa, Tanizaki, Tawada, and Kawamura, who have used a real or imaginary animal to weave a work of fiction in either a satiric criticism of society or a commentary on the meaning of life. We also examine how characters, such as the beloved robot-cat Doraemon, the ferocious monster Godzilla, the devoted crane wife, the nefarious black cat, and other animals are depicted in a variety of genres such as mango, anime, film, and classical and modern plays.
- POL 215 - International Development
FDR SS2 Social Science - Group 2 Distribution Credits 3 A study of international development and human capability, with a focus on Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The course analyzes theories to explain development successes and failures, with a focus on the structures, institutions, and actors that shape human societies and social change. Key questions include measuring economic growth and poverty, discussing the roles of states and markets in development, and examining the role of industrialized countries in reducing global poverty. The course explores links between politics and other social sciences and humanities.
- POL 227 - East Asian Politics
FDR SS2 Social Science - Group 2 Distribution Credits 3 An investigation of East Asian political systems and the global, historical, and cultural contexts in which their political institutions have developed. Students consider the connections between political structure and the rapid social and economic changes in East Asia since World War II, as well as the effectiveness of varied political processes in addressing contemporary problems. Emphasis is given to China, Korea, and Japan.
- POL 245 - European Politics and Society
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 3 A comparative analysis of European political systems and social institutions. The course covers the established democracies of western and northern Europe, the new democracies of southern and east-central Europe, and the post-Communist regimes in eastern and southeastern Europe. Mechanisms of European integration are also discussed with attention focused on institutions such as European Union, NATO, OSCE, and Council of Europe.
- POL 246 - Post-Communism and New Democracies
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 3 Same as SOAN 246. A comparative analysis of transition from Communism in the countries of the former Soviet bloc. Cases of successful and unsuccessful transitions to civil society, pluralist democracy, and market economy are examined. The comparative framework includes analysis of transition from non-Communist authoritarianism and democratic consolidation in selected countries of Latin America, the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and South Africa.
- POL 247 - Latin American Politics
FDR SS2 Social Science - Group 2 Distribution Credits 3 This course focuses on Latin American politics during the 20th and 21st centuries. Major topics include: democracy and authoritarianism; representation and power; populism, socialism, and neoliberalism; and economic development and inequality. The course places particular emphasis on Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, and Cuba. In addition, the course examines political relations between the United States and Latin America.
- POL 381 - Seminar in International Political Economy
FDR SS2 Social Science - Group 2 Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 100, ECON 102, ECON 180, ECON 180A, or POL 105 This course provides an intermediate-level introduction to the major actors, questions, and theories in the field of international political economy (IPE). Course participants discuss political and economic interactions in the areas of international trade, fiscal and monetary policy, and exchange rates; discuss globalization in historical and contemporary perspectives; and examine the international politics of the major intergovernmental organizations, multinational corporations, states, and other institutional actors in the global economy.
- SOAN 225 - Peoples of Central Europe Through Literature and Film
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 4 This course provides basic information about the citizens of Central European nations of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. Beliefs, attitudes, and value systems of the people of Central Europe are examined against the backdrop of major historical events of the 20th century. Core textbook readings are supplemented by feature films, video materials, novels, short stories, plays, and poetry. Class discussions focus on interpreting these works of art in the context of comparative historical-sociological analysis of the Polish, Czech, and Hungarian cultures and societies.
- SOAN 245 - European Politics and Society
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 3 A comparative analysis of European political systems and social institutions. The course covers the established democracies of western and northern Europe, the new democracies of southern and east-central Europe, and the post-Communist regimes in eastern and southeastern Europe. Mechanisms of European integration are also discussed with attention focused on institutions such as European Union, NATO, OSCE, and Council of Europe.
- SOAN 246 - Post-Communism and New Democracies
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 3 Same as SOAN 246. A comparative analysis of transition from Communism in the countries of the former Soviet bloc. Cases of successful and unsuccessful transitions to civil society, pluralist democracy, and market economy are examined. The comparative framework includes analysis of transition from non-Communist authoritarianism and democratic consolidation in selected countries of Latin America, the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and South Africa.
- SOAN 252 - Language, Culture, and Communication
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 3 This course surveys anthropological approaches to understanding the intersections among language, culture and society. Topics include non-human communication systems, the origins of human language, and methods of establishing historical relationships among languages. Formal linguistic analysis receives some attention, but the greatest part of the course concerns language in sociocultural contexts. Examples of linguistic phenomena in ethnographic perspective are drawn from people around the world, including the Gullah, the Apache, and the Bedouin of Egypt.
- SOAN 269 - Studying Global Culture with the World Values Survey
FDR SS5 Credits 3 Prerequisite Previous exposure to regression analysis, though regression is reviewed during the first week of the course Analysis of data from the World Values Survey, a major source for studying global culture and cultural change. We read scholarly works that have made use of these data and carry out our own analyses of WVS data as consider questions about religious belief, political values, and social attitudes across the world.
- SPAN 211 - Spanish Civilization and Culture
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite SPAN 162, SPAN 164, or SPAN 200 placement A survey of significant developments in Spanish civilization. The course addresses Spanish heritage and the present-day cultural patterns formed by its legacies. Readings, discussions and papers, primarily in Spanish, for further development of communication skills.
- SPAN 214 - Contemporary Spain in Context: (Re)searching Spanish Identity and Culture in the 21st Century
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 4 Prerequisite SPAN 162, SPAN 164, or SPAN 200 placement This course examines contemporary social issues in Spain through lectures and interviews with local subjects in Spain. Lectures provide a formal understanding of contemporary Spanish society, while interviews of local subjects provide data for further analysis by the students that may challenge, complement or further develop their understanding of current social issues.
- Information Systems:
- ACCT 310 - Accounting Information Systems
Credits 3 Prerequisite ACCT 231 and at least junior class standing An introduction to the information systems used in accounting, including the flow of data from source documents through the accounting cycle into reports for decision makers; the principle of internal control; flowcharting and systems narratives; and use of computers and database systems in accounting information. Students have hands-on experience implementing and using accounting information systems.
- BUS 306 - Seminar in Management Information Systems
Credits 3-4 Topics vary by term and instructor. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Prerequisite vary with topics. Preference to BSADM or JMCB majors during the first round of registration.
- BUS 314 - Introduction to Data Science for Business
Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 100, 180, or 180A, and ACCT 100, and at least sophomore class standing This course covers organizational concerns related to data science such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, predictive algorithms, Big Data, cloud computing, security and privacy, and the digitization of products and processes. Through readings, students develop a strong conceptual understanding of concepts prior to developing technical proficiency in some of them. Students learn SQL and the Exploratory UI (user interface) for R to quickly access capabilities including data wrangling and machine learning without programming. Assignments focus on how organizations can improve decision making and create new business opportunities using Data Science. Not open to students with credit for BUS 316. Students looking for a more advanced business course in data analytics should register for BUS 316. No prerequisite or prior coursework assumed in statistics or programming.
- BUS 315 - Database Management for Business
Credits 3 Prerequisite At least junior class standing and BUS 202, CBSC 250, ECON 202, POL/INTR 202, or MATH 118 An introduction to the theories, concepts, features, and capabilities of database management systems in a business environment. This course provides a greater understanding of how to design, develop and access database-driven business applications and emphasizes the use of database-management systems in real-world business settings and how this technology can be applied effectively to solve business problems. In this project-oriented course, students acquire the skills to document, design, create, test, and access a fully functional Oracle business database application. No prior programming or application development experience is assumed. Preference to BSADM majors during first round of registration.
- BUS 316 - Business Analytics
Credits 3 Prerequisite BUS 202, CBSC 250, ECON 202, POL/INTR 202, or MATH 118 An examination of how business analytics help management make sound business decisions. Analysis of data is becoming a vital component of business decision-making. The course consists of three modules: 1) how to communicate and present data in business reports and presentations; 2) how to extract data from relational databases using MySQL and Structured Query Language (SQL) and to prepare data for analysis; and 3) data analytics -- the process of data wrangling, data visualization, discovery, interpretation, and communication of meaningful insights and patterns in data. Students learn to use industry-standard, data analysis software, though no previous programming experience is required. Preference to BSADM majors and DS / DSBA minors during the first round of registration.
- BUS 317 - Data Mining for Business Analytics
Credits 3 Prerequisite either BIOL 185, BUS 316, or CBSC 240; and at least junior class standing Data mining is the science of discovering structure and making predictions in large, complex data sets. In the era of e-commerce and information economy, enormous amounts of data are generated daily from business transactions, networked sensors, social networking activities, website traffic, GPS systems, etc. Data-driven decision-making has become essential across a wide variety of functional areas in businesses such as targeted advertising, market segmentation, personalized recommendation, supplier/customer relationship management, product design, credit scoring, fraud detection and workforce management. This course serves as an introduction to Data Mining for students interested in Business Analytics. Students will learn about many commonly-used methods for predictive and descriptive analytics tasks. They will also learn to assess the methods' predictive and practical utility. A prerequisite for this course is the successful completion of an R tidyverse centric data analytics course. Preference to BSADM majors or DS, DSBA, ENTR minors during initial registration.
- BUS 321 - Multimedia Design and Development
Credits 3 Prerequisite at least junior class standing This course is an introduction to the process of creating digital content for business purposes. We will focus on designing multimedia content using tools such as Adobe Illustrator, Adobe XD, Figma, Premiere Pro, and WordPress. Students will conduct research on potential users, learn essential design principles, strategize about how and where their content will be distributed, and practice using design tools to create text, video, audio, and interactive content. Planning, usability, project management, and content strategy are central to this hands-on course.
- BUS 333 - Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Future of Work
Credits 3 From automation to machine learning and AI to people analytics, new technologies are rapidly transforming when, where, and how people work. In this course, we'll explore what these changes meanâ€"not just for individuals attempting to navigate their careers, but for society. The class draws on the latest real-world perspectives from fields like business, psychology, sociology, economics, philosophy, and computer science, as well as fictional sources that shed light on the possible implications of today's technologies for the future of work.
- BUS 369 - Green IS in Iceland: Sustainable Information Systems
Credits 4 Prerequisite instructor consent Sustainability is currently one of the most important issues our world faces and will continue to be so for decades, as it will take substantial time and effort to reverse some of the most adverse environmental changes humans have caused. The ambition of sustainable, or green, Information Systems (IS) is to exploit technology and information to enable society to "meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Information System (IS) and Information Technology (IT) play a critical role in sustainable development, and Energy Informatics is an approach to addressing sustainability by reducing energy consumption. By learning about Energy Informatics, students enrolled in this class will gain multi-disciplinary knowledge they can use to contribute to a sustainable future. The course culminates with a two-week field study in Iceland comprising numerous site visits to organizations focused on sustainable energy as well as cultural excursions throughout the country focused on the history, culture, geology, and economy of Iceland to help students better understand the significance of Iceland's shift to "extreme tech" to attain ecosustainability.
- Normative Considerations:
- ACCT 303 - Sustainability Accounting
Credits 3 Prerequisite ACCT 100 This course examines best practices and key debates in sustainability accounting and corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting. Sustainable business practices meet the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future. Increasingly, accountants are playing an important role in measuring, reporting, and auditing corporate impacts on society and the environment so that corporations can be held accountable and more sustainable business practices can be implemented.
- ACCT 304 - Anatomy of a Fraud
Credits 3 Prerequisite ACCT 100 This course examines the phenomena of financial statement fraud and discusses some of the key forensic accounting concepts and skills used to address this problem. Drawing on historical cases of financial statement fraud as well as the first-hand experience of the instructor, we search for the answers to questions such as: What causes executives to cook the books"? What factors contribute to fraud? What can be done to prevent and detect it? How have regulations changed the landscape of corporate misconduct? What role do auditors, lawyers, employees, the media, and other stakeholders play?"
- BUS 345 - Business Ethics
Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 100, 180, or 180A, and ACCT 100, and at least sophomore class standing An examination of the moral and ethical issues associated with management policy and executive decisions. The course examines the basic approaches to moral reasoning, macro-moral issues concerning the justice of economic systems, and micro-moral issues, such as the following: conflict of interest, whistle blowing, discrimination in employment, product safety, environment, and advertising. Preference to BSADM, ACCT, or JMCB majors OR ENTR minors during first round of registration.
- BUS 348 - Foundations in Business Law
Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 100, 180, or 180A, and ACCT 100, and at least sophomore class standing An introduction to the law governing the relations between individuals and businesses in commerce, with a focus on exploring issues faced by both established businesses as well as innovation-driven startups. Topics are selected from the law governing business torts, contracts, products liability, intellectual property, employment law, and government regulation of business. Additional selected topics may be chosen in accordance with the interest of course participants. Assignments apply legal theories and legal ethics to actual business disputes and hypothetical situations. Preference to BSADM, ACCT, or JMCB majors OR ENTR minors during the first round of registration. Students may not take both this course and BUS 346.
- BUS 381 - Social Entrepreneurship
Credits 3 Prerequisite at least sophomore class standing Social entrepreneurship is an approach to creating system-level change though the application of entrepreneurial thinking and problem solving to social ventures, non-profit organizations, government institutions, and non-governmental organizations to create economic, environmental, and social value for multiple stakeholders. The purpose of this class is to (a) introduce students to the strategic thinking that forms the foundation of successful entrepreneurial ventures, (b) engage students in the application of these strategic tools and frameworks through case analyses and discussion, and (c) to encourage students to change the world in a meaningful way by thinking about a social venture of their own.
- ECON 231 - The Economics of Race
Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 100, ECON 180, or ECON 180A A critical examination of the causes and consequences of racial disparities in valued life-course outcomes in America. More than 50 years have elapsed since the passage of civil-rights and equal-employment-opportunity legislation in the U.S. Nevertheless, racial gaps persist -- with blacks lagging whites -- on most socioeconomic indicators. The course is divided into four parts: (1) an introduction to the biological and social construction of race; (2) theories to explain racial disparities; (3) an examination of racial disparity in such realms as education, health, wealth, wages, and unemployment; and (4) policies to address racial disparities. In each section of the course, students explore relevant issues through assigned readings, films, and classroom discussion. We foster the development and use of critical thinking, effective writing, and oral presentation skills. Student evaluation is based on classroom participation, an examination of concepts discussed, film commentaries, and a term paper.
- ECON 235 - The Economics of Social Issues
Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 100, ECON 101, ECON 180, or ECON 180A This seminar is based on readings that set out hypotheses developed by economists and other social scientists regarding the causes and consequences of a wide range of social problems. Evidence examining the validity of these hypotheses is scrutinized and evaluated. The course is writing intensive and interdisciplinary since readings are drawn from a wide variety of fields. Topics discussed include, but are not limited to, poverty, education, health, crime, race, ethnicity, immigration, and fiscal matters.
- JOUR 301 - Law and Communications
Credits 3 Prerequisite at least junior class standing An examination of the development of First Amendment jurisprudence, the law of defamation, privacy, access, free press-fair trial, journalists' privilege, obscenity and pornography. The case study approach is used, but the emphasis is on the principles that underlie the landmark cases. This course can serve as an introduction to and preparation for further studies in communications law and/or the legal system in general.
- JOUR 345 - Media Ethics
Credits 3 Prerequisite JOUR 201 and at least junior class standing This course enables students to explore ethical challenges that arise within the various communication practices of contemporary media: journalism, public relations, advertising, documentary film, blogging and fictional programming. The course offers a grounding in moral reasoning and an understanding of professional ethics as an evolving response to changing social and industrial conditions in the media industries.
- PHIL 242 - Social Inequality and Fair Opportunity
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 An exploration of the different range of opportunities available to various social groups, including racial, ethnic and sexual minorities, women, people with low incomes, and people facing poverty. Topics include how to define fair equality of opportunity; the social mechanisms that play a role in expanding and limiting opportunity; legal and group-initiated strategies aimed at effecting fair equality of opportunity and the theoretical foundations of these strategies; as well as an analysis of the concepts of equality, merit and citizenship, and their value to individuals and society.
- PHIL 354 - Distributive Justice
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite at least junior class standing How should the product of social cooperation be distributed in a just society? Is wealth redistribution through taxes fair? Is it a fair distribution of wealth that a just society depends on, or is distributive justice more complicated than that? Should we have welfare programs, and, if so, what should they be like? Our studies may include John Rawls' political liberalism, Robert Nozick's libertarianism, Ronald Dworkin's equality of resources, Amartya Sen's capabilities approach, Stuart White's justice as fair reciprocity, and criticisms of the distributive paradigm.
- POL 233 - Environmental Policy and Law
FDR SS2 Social Science - Group 2 Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 100, ECON 101, ECON 180, ECON 180A, or POL 100 A study of major environmental laws and the history of their enactment and implementation. Discusses different theoretical approaches from law, ethics, politics, and economics. Reviews significant case law and the legal context. Emphasis is on domestic policy with some attention to international law and treaties.
- ARTH 245 - Ancient Cultures, New Markets: Modern and Contemporary Asian Art
- ARTS 223 - Paris: History, Image, Myth
- ARTS 224 - Color Photography
at least twelve additional credits, chosen from Business Administration or Finance courses numbered 300 or above (excluding BUS 401, 402, 421, and 422).
nine credits chosen from the following:
ACCT: all courses numbered 200 and above
ECON: all courses numbered 200 or above