Description: As the power and pervasiveness of computers increase, we are able to capture growing amounts of data about numerous aspects of our daily lives. Such data often remains useless until we are able to give it meaning by interpreting it correctly and transmitting its essence to others through simple yet effective visualizations. Survey multiple approaches to working with information, from the technical perspective of collecting and managing data to social and psychological aspects involved with the design of graphics and the different visualizations unique to various domains.

Description: An introduction to the cultural, political, social conflicts of the 1960s in America, with emphasis on development of research and critical thinking skills. Through their study of major figures, movements and events of this period, as well as through guided study of research methodology, students will become acquainted with historical ways of thinking and writing.

Description: Examines contemporary society’s fascination with vampires, and explores how the lore of the vampire, from Count Dracula to Edward Cullen of the Twilight series, captivates our attention. The vampire, as a liminal figure, embodies or symbolizes a myriad of wide-ranging social themes including capitalism, human sexuality, life/death, illegal immigration, racism, HIV/AIDS, feminist ideologies, good vs. evil, identity, and adolescent angst. This reading- and writing-intensive course includes in-depth critical analysis and research projects.

Description: Examines contemporary society’s fascination with vampires, and explores how the lore of the vampire, from Count Dracula to Edward Cullen of the Twilight series, captivates our attention. The vampire, as a liminal figure, embodies or symbolizes a myriad of wide-ranging social themes including capitalism, human sexuality, life/death, illegal immigration, racism, HIV/AIDS, feminist ideologies, good vs. evil, identity, and adolescent angst. This reading- and writing-intensive course includes in-depth critical analysis and research projects.

Description: An examination of how religion and politics influence each other in the United States, with attention given to civil religion, the First Amendment, and religious activism, among other issues. Draws on materials from political science, history, and religious studies.

Description: An introductory, multidisciplinary examination of the influence of science and technology (S&T) on modern political, economic, and social life, and an analysis of the likely effects of current S&T trends on the future.

Description: A multidisciplinary examination of how the automobile has changed world cultures with an emphasis economic, environmental, social and political factors.

Description: Emphasizes active learning with content focusing on representations of vampires in popular media from literary origins in the late 19th century through to recent incarnations on screen.

Description: Emphasizes active learning with content focusing on representations of vampires in popular media from literary origins in the late 19th century through to recent incarnations on screen.

Description: Asks students to think critically about the sense experiences – their cultural significance, political consequences, and representations in written texts and visual media. Students will observe how representations of sense experiences shift through stylistic choices in the descriptive writing of marketers, artists, filmmakers, and social critics.

Description: Asks students to think critically about the sense experiences – their cultural significance, political consequences, and representations in written texts and visual media. Students will observe how representations of sense experiences shift through stylistic choices in the descriptive writing of marketers, artists, filmmakers, and social critics.

Description: Examines the ways in which authors, writers, and activists have conceptualized the meaning of race throughout the 20th century. Beginning with the work of Anna Julia Cooper and W.E.B. Du Bois, we will chart the evolution of the idea of race and explore the ways in which race—and particularly Black identity—have shaped the very definition of America(n)/the United States and its relationship to its own citizenry.
Reading various genres of literature (creative non-fiction, novels, journalistic essays), we will document the converging and diverging social, political and aesthetic movements that helped define the 20th century.

Description: Characteristics, functions, and dysfunctions of organizational culture; relationship between organizations' cultures and their members' identities; organizational cultures in national and global contexts..

Description: Introduces students to skills needed to function successfully at college, in the context of an exploration of the relationship of occupational engagement to well-being. Students will gain an understanding of the concept of occupation, and investigate the influence of various occupations on health, happiness, and well-being.

Description: Introduces students to skills needed to function successfully at college, in the context of an exploration of the relationship of occupational engagement to well-being. Students will gain an understanding of the concept of occupation, and investigate the influence of various occupations on health, happiness, and well-being.

Description: The financial environment is continuously changing. This seminar provides you with an opportunity to learn how these changes affect your own life, the economy and other aspects of the society— career, family, health- through an active learning process. You are exposed to many difficult financial challenges through this course and will be expected to explore and discover multiple ways to resolve the dilemmas, and come up with an informed and educated decision. You are expected to use various resources to do research on multiple perspectives so as to identify the optimal solution for issues relating to financial and economic situations.

Description: An integrated / multi-disciplinary perspective of institutional structure, innovation, and the process of economic change intended to provide insight into basic principles of economic reasoning applied on a comprehensive span of human history. Incorporates theories and examples from a number of social sciences and will demonstrate the advantages of liberal arts based education.

Description: Explores contemporary supply chains through in-class presentations, guest speakers, site visits, individual research, and group projects/presentations. The concept of a supply chain - the series of organizations which process and transform inputs from raw materials up to the end customer - is central to our economic processes. Each supply chain is unique in the number of organizations involved, the types of processes used, the transportation methods applied, the products and services produced, and the type of customer served.

Description: World business environment affecting the United States including economic and financial integration, international competitiveness, energy, labor force adjustment, demographic diversity and immigration, educational differences, cultural and geographic challenges, climate change, national security, ethical adaptation. Research paper required

Description: Examination of the theory of play. A review of the historical sources, values, and interests that influenced the development of various forms of play.

Description: An interdisciplinary examination of water: its nature, uses, and abuses, and an introduction to student research and writing at the university level. Through readings, discussions, and assignments students will learn about the nature, behavior, and uses of water and about scholarship.

Description: An examination of food: what we eat, where we eat, how we eat, and what are the industrial, economic, technological, social and political factors that shape the production of food, and what these mean for the planet. An introduction to student research and writing at the university level. Through readings, discussions, and assignments students will learn about food production and distribution in order to feed nearly seven billion people and about the nature of scholarship.

Description: Exploration of differing perspectives on the relationship between the modern Muslim world and the West.

Description: Understand the critical and often contentious issue of climate change, and to introduce students to scholarship. Scientific evidence and analysis, and an interdisciplinary perspective are needed to deal with the pressing issue of global climate change. This course will provide students with the critical thinking and analytical skills needed to weigh the evidence supporting or refuting claims of climate change or its consequences and to help students develop the research and writing skills required of college graduates.

Description: A survey of attitudes toward the human body in different fields, eras, and cultures.

Description: A survey of attitudes toward the human body in different fields, eras, and cultures.

Description: Unpack the enormous, and often unsung, contributions by African Americans to various artistic disciplines in the 20th century.

Description: Unpack the enormous, and often unsung, contributions by African Americans to various artistic disciplines in the 20th century.

Description: Unpack the enormous, and often unsung, contributions by African Americans to various artistic disciplines in the 20th century.

Description: Explores teaching - a most exciting and challenging profession – through inspiring examples of excellent teaching practices in order to incorporate these best practices into every challenging teaching situation. Introduction to effective strategies for gathering, evaluating and communicating information. Students will use critical thinking, team collaboration and problem solving to examine the most current scholarship surrounding these topics.

Description: Current issues in education related to living and learning in a digital society. This course emphasizes that critical, self-reflective understanding of the contexts of our technology use is central to becoming digital practitioners and effective teachers in a participatory culture. Students will be introduced to effective strategies for gathering, evaluating and communicating information.

Description: Explores current issues in education related to how students learn and the need for a customized learning approach to maximize each student’s ability to learn. Technology’s role, in the process of individualizing learning for students will be explored. Students will examine reasons why technology has not been the panacea to improve academic achievement it was first touted to be by applying the theory of disruptive innovation to technology implementation in schools. Students will be introduced to effective strategies for gathering, evaluating and communicating information. Students will use critical thinking, team collaboration and problem solving to examine the most current scholarship surrounding their topics.

Description: Current issues in education related to living and learning in a digital society. This course emphasizes that critical, self-reflective understanding of the contexts of our technology use is central to becoming digital practitioners and effective teachers in a participatory culture. Students will be introduced to effective strategies for gathering, evaluating and communicating information.

Description: Explores current issues in education related to how students learn and the need for a customized learning approach to maximize each student’s ability to learn. Technology’s role, in the process of individualizing learning for students will be explored. Students will examine reasons why technology has not been the panacea to improve academic achievement it was first touted to be by applying the theory of disruptive innovation to technology implementation in schools. Students will be introduced to effective strategies for gathering, evaluating and communicating information. Students will use critical thinking, team collaboration and problem solving to examine the most current scholarship surrounding their topics.

Description: Current issues in education related to living and learning in a digital society. This course emphasizes that critical, self-reflective understanding of the contexts of our technology use is central to becoming digital practitioners and effective teachers in a participatory culture. Students will be introduced to effective strategies for gathering, evaluating and communicating information.

Description: Explores teaching - a most exciting and challenging profession – through inspiring examples of excellent teaching practices in order to incorporate these best practices into every challenging teaching situation. Introduction to effective strategies for gathering, evaluating and communicating information. Students will use critical thinking, team collaboration and problem solving to examine the most current scholarship surrounding these topics.

Description: Current issues in education related to living and learning in a digital society. This course emphasizes that critical, self-reflective understanding of the contexts of our technology use is central to becoming digital practitioners and effective teachers in a participatory culture. Students will be introduced to effective strategies for gathering, evaluating and communicating information.

Description: Explores teaching - a most exciting and challenging profession – through inspiring examples of excellent teaching practices in order to incorporate these best practices into every challenging teaching situation. Introduction to effective strategies for gathering, evaluating and communicating information. Students will use critical thinking, team collaboration and problem solving to examine the most current scholarship surrounding these topics.

Description: Current issues in education related to living and learning in a digital society. This course emphasizes that critical, self-reflective understanding of the contexts of our technology use is central to becoming digital practitioners and effective teachers in a participatory culture. Students will be introduced to effective strategies for gathering, evaluating and communicating information.

Description: Explores teaching - a most exciting and challenging profession – through inspiring examples of excellent teaching practices in order to incorporate these best practices into every challenging teaching situation. Introduction to effective strategies for gathering, evaluating and communicating information. Students will use critical thinking, team collaboration and problem solving to examine the most current scholarship surrounding these topics.

Description: Explores teaching - a most exciting and challenging profession – through inspiring examples of excellent teaching practices in order to incorporate these best practices into every challenging teaching situation. Introduction to effective strategies for gathering, evaluating and communicating information. Students will use critical thinking, team collaboration and problem solving to examine the most current scholarship surrounding these topics.

Description: Students will examine their own literacy, the literacy interactions of career paths they are interested in, and the role literacy plays in the world in which we live. Reading critically, writing effectively to different audiences, and sharing verbally supported views to both real and virtual audiences will be examined.

Description: Explores current issues in education related to how students learn and the need for a customized learning approach to maximize each student’s ability to learn. Technology’s role, in the process of individualizing learning for students will be explored. Students will examine reasons why technology has not been the panacea to improve academic achievement it was first touted to be by applying the theory of disruptive innovation to technology implementation in schools. Students will be introduced to effective strategies for gathering, evaluating and communicating information. Students will use critical thinking, team collaboration and problem solving to examine the most current scholarship surrounding their topics.

Description: Explores teaching - a most exciting and challenging profession – through inspiring examples of excellent teaching practices in order to incorporate these best practices into every challenging teaching situation. Introduction to effective strategies for gathering, evaluating and communicating information. Students will use critical thinking, team collaboration and problem solving to examine the most current scholarship surrounding these topics.

Description: Explores current issues in education related to how students learn and the need for a customized learning approach to maximize each student’s ability to learn. Technology’s role, in the process of individualizing learning for students will be explored. Students will examine reasons why technology has not been the panacea to improve academic achievement it was first touted to be by applying the theory of disruptive innovation to technology implementation in schools. Students will be introduced to effective strategies for gathering, evaluating and communicating information. Students will use critical thinking, team collaboration and problem solving to examine the most current scholarship surrounding their topics.

Description: Beethoven as a heroic figure who championed personal and political freedom and helped usher in the Romantic tradition in music.

Description: A survey of literary and historical documents from several pre-modern civilizations in order to investigate the manners in which the ancients conceptualized the idea of the Underworld.

Description: A survey of literary and historical documents from several pre-modern civilizations in order to investigate the manners in which the ancients conceptualized the idea of the Underworld.

Description: Exploration of American attitudes toward habitual drug use since 1800. Emphasis on the drug trade and drug addiction in different nations; addicts’ experiences; popular perceptions of addicts; various recommended approaches to addressing the problem of addiction; and reasons for the move toward legal bans in the U.S.

Description: Exploration of American attitudes toward habitual drug use since 1800. Emphasis on the drug trade and drug addiction in different nations; addicts’ experiences; popular perceptions of addicts; various recommended approaches to addressing the problem of addiction; and reasons for the move toward legal bans in the U.S.

Description: Examination of the history and culture of shopping in America from 1600 to the present, primarily from the perspective of history, but also the disciplines of material culture studies, art history, sociology, anthropology, economics, and marketing.

Description: Focuses on the plantations of Maryland and the larger Chesapeake from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries. It investigates complexes of planters’ houses and slave quarters to uncover the material reality of plantation life, for both men and women in the elite planter class as well as those who were enslaved. Its primary approach is historical, but it also employs perspectives and approaches drawn from the disciplines of material culture, art history, architectural history, gender studies, anthropology, and museum studies. A primary component of the course will be analysis of museums’ interpretation of plantations to the general public. A trip to Hampton Plantation will allow students to consider museums’ decisions about what to preserve and how to interpret the lives of masters, mistresses, and slaves. Students will be expected to read critically, participate in class discussions of readings, films, and historic sites, and be willing to work interactively and collaboratively. Topics covered include slavery, southern architecture, women’s history, rising levels of consumption, the making of historical memory, and public history.

Description: An inter-disciplinary exploration of the Harlem Renaissance, a literary, artistic, cultural, and intellectual movement of the early 20th century.

Description: Explores the Cabinet of Wonders as an important cultural phenomenon during the Early Modern Period (1500-1700). The major theme in these collections is the rivalry between nature and art in objects that excite wonder and astonishment. Focusing on exploration and discovery, this course introduces students to the academic expectations for college-level work and to the intellectual, communication, and collaborative skills needed for academic success. The double focus on nature and art introduces multiple perspectives and draws from many different disciplines, including natural history, the history of science, art history, aesthetics, philosophy, anthropology, and eco-criticism as an important branch of environmentalism.

Description: An investigation of the controversy involving stem cell research. Students will explore the scientific, religious, ethical, and political issues impacting decision-making regarding stem cell research.

Description: An investigation of the controversy involving stem cell research. Students will explore the scientific, religious, ethical, and political issues impacting decision-making regarding stem cell research.

Description: Effects of sleep and sleep deprivation on optimal functioning. Exploration of sleep, sleep disorders, long term effects of sleep deprivation and treatment options.

Description: Effects of sleep and sleep deprivation on optimal functioning. Exploration of sleep, sleep disorders, long term effects of sleep deprivation and treatment options.

Description: Through reflective writing, roundtable discussions, skills workshops, a research paper, and a group presentation, students will be introduced to the rigors of academic scholarship, explore collaborative learning, and engage in critically evaluating the content and impact of mediated messages on the practice and consumption of health care across cultures.

Description: Employs dramaturgical analysis and research as the focus of an interdisciplinary learning experience. Every play creates its own unique world that reflects both the society in which it is written and the way that the playwright wishes to respond to that society. Theatre artists employ particular analytical strategies in considering how to bring the world of a play to life in performance. They also conduct extensive research in order to inform their understanding of a play’s world and enrich the ways they may share it with an audience. Students in this course will actively engage in this research and analysis in order to make their study of plays the point of departure for learning about a range of topics. Communication skills will be developed through class discussion, writing assignments and a formal group presentation.

Explores teaching - a most exciting and challenging profession – through inspiring examples of excellent teaching practices in order to incorporate these best practices into every challenging teaching
situation. Introduction to effective strategies for gathering, evaluating and communicating information. Students will use critical thinking, team collaboration and problem solving to examine the most current scholarship surrounding these topics.

Explores teaching - a most exciting and challenging profession – through inspiring examples of excellent teaching practices in order to incorporate these best practices into every challenging teaching
situation. Introduction to effective strategies for gathering, evaluating and communicating information. Students will use critical thinking, team collaboration and problem solving to examine the most current scholarship surrounding these topics.

Description: Current issues in education related to living and learning in a digital society. This course emphasizes that critical, self-reflective understanding of the contexts of our technology use is central to becoming digital practitioners and effective teachers in a participatory culture. Students will be introduced to effective strategies for gathering, evaluating and communicating information.

Description: Baltimore is a city of connections and contradictions. This class looks closely at texts written about the city from diverse perspectives: historical, sociological, environmental, journalistic, and literary. Approaches the city itself as a text to be explored; students will generate their own texts in response to their encounters with the city. Various themes will include the Chesapeake Bay, the sights and sounds of Baltimore, and urban history.

Description: Ways that verbal and nonverbal communication styles have an effect on the roles and status of women and men within the family and relationships. Emphasis on issues relating to power, language, sexism, authority, and interpersonal issues and how communication style impacts the ways we relate to one another around these and other issues. The media’s impact, which includes social networking, cell phone and computer usage, and TV and movies, will also be highlighted. Observational and experiential exercises will be highlighted.

Description: The role of reason throughout the history of Western philosophy, beginning with the Platonic formalism of the ancient era, continuing into the Renaissance and Age of Enlightenment with Rene Descartes’ rationalism, David Hume’s empiricism, and Immanuel Kant’s transcendentalism, and culminating in the contemporary perspectives of Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, Emmanuel Levinas, and Alphonso Lingis on the limits of reason.

Description: Focuses on ceremonial objects central to Judaism: shofar (ram’s horn), tsitsit (ritual fringes), tekhelet (blue thread), mezuzah, tefillin (phylacteries), Torah scrolls, kipah (skullcap), four species, Passover Seder plate and its contents, mikvah and possibly others. Starting with the Biblical origins of these objects, and moving through history to the present day, this class will trace the development of these ritual objects and how they are currently understood and manufactured. Study will include readings from Biblical and Rabbinic sources, secondary readings, films, hands-on demonstrations, and a field trip. The first week of the course will present an introduction to the importance of rituals and symbolic objects in general and for Judaism specifically.

Description: Provides an integrated view of business organizations and prepares students to critically analyze business problems and develop effective solutions. Includes study of the structure and organization of businesses, common business processes, and the interrelationships among business functions.

Description: A survey of attitudes toward the human body in different fields, eras, and cultures.

Description: Students will explore, analyze, and critique the science behind public health recommendations from the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the World Health Organization. This includes developing an understanding of culturally diverse perspectives on lifestyle changes that promote wellbeing. Student will learn to apply critical thinking and scientific rational to their personal wellness choices and the wellness of the Towson community.

Description: By studying evocative poems, plays, short stories, and novels, the seminar will examine the seeming paradox of war and literature, of violence and art, by understanding how battle is depicted in literature and how literature is often an aesthetic battleground of conflicting personal and national ideals.