View the entire guide now.

According to the U.S. Election Project, a whopping 41.9 percent of eligible voters did not go to the polls during the most recent presidential election. And despite recently overtaking the baby boomers as the largest voting-age demographic, citizens ages 18-24 have consistently had the lowest voter turnout of all age groups over the past several presidential elections.

Elections have consequences, so if you want your voice to be heard, you need to be involved and you need to understand how governments works.

This January, expand your knowledge as you examine the far-reaching impact political decisions have on the way we live our lives with one of these thought provoking courses:

Winter Session 2017 POLI Courses

Concerned about the fate of the globe and our environment? POLI 409: Politics of Climate Change, focuses on how populations will be impacted by climate change and the degrees to which state and non-state actors are trying to mitigate these challenges. (Online course)

Ever wondered how countries around the world reach agreements? Investigate case studies such as the US-Cuban Rapprochement, Iran Nuclear Negotiations, and Global Climate Talks.  POLI/GLBL 483: International Negotiation can be applied towards upper-level credit in Political Science or Global Studies.(Hybrid course)

Curious about how nations collaborate to accomplish common goals? Dive in to worldwide diplomacy and intergovernmental agencies such as the United Nations through POLI 280: International Relations. Develop fundamental skills that can be applied towards communications, international law, research, development, and many other fields of study. (Online course – fulfills Social Science GEP)

Intrigued by how our government assists those in poverty? Compare U.S. welfare policy to that of other nations and learn how the politics of Congress, interest groups, and the bureaucracy impacts the formation and implementation of welfare policy. Explore all this and more in POLI 446: The Politics of Poverty. (Online course – fulfills Writing Intensive GEP)

Thinking about how legal issues are handled in the international sphere?  Discover how international law impacts human rights issues as you explore American and international legal systems.  Examine treaties, customs, and judicial opinions that form the creation of international law and the role of the United Nations.  POLI 482: International Law. (Online course)

Curious as to how public opinion in the U.S. compares to that in Europe? Explore how people engage in politics and how upbringing influences political ideology in POLI 469 – European Political Thought. Students will investigate American political leanings and how they compare to opinions in the the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. (Online course)

According to a 2012 study conducted by the Ethical Compliance Initiative, 45 percent of U.S. workers witnessed some sort of misconduct in their workplace – over half of those workers reported their observations. Shockingly, 22 percent of those who reported their observations, also experienced some sort of retaliation.

What constitutes misconduct in the workplace? What can we do about it? What should we do about it?

Investigate these tough questions through a moral perspective in PHIL 399B – Business Ethics.

Assess moral problems involving appropriate workplace conduct, the banking industry, and sustainable development using ethical theories. Course investigations will focus on the role of common sense ethical concepts such as happiness, duty and obligation, and virtuous character in evaluating business conduct and other related issues.

PHIL 399B is hybrid course meets twice a week in person (with a significant component completed online).

Register Now!

From the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement to the historically divisive 2016 presidential election, there’s never a better time to discuss social issues.  SOCY 201 – Social Problems in American Society provides you with the chance to understand issues such as race and ethnic conflict, criminal justice reform, social justice, and economic inequality.

How will the President-Elect’s policies affect Americans of different races and religions?

What is the future of the Black Lives Matter movement?

How do we come together as a country in a time when we have never been more divided?

Offered online (and designed for any field of study) SOCY 201 fulfills Social Sciences GEP, explores how social problems develop and how such problems can be solved while encouraging informed and meaningful discourse in a safe environment.

Register Now!

According to Feed America, 43.1 million Americans or 13.5 percent of the population lived in poverty in 2015. The Cato institute tells us that federal government spends $668 billion on social welfare programs each year. Combine that figure with state and local spending, and our country contributes $1 billion to counteract poverty annually.

But where does that money actually go? How is it distributed? Why does the U.S. address poverty this way? And most importantly–is it working?

This winter session, tackle all these questions (and more) by enrolling in POLI 446:  The Politics of Poverty and the Welfare State.

Compare U.S. welfare policy with that from other nations. Study poverty and the welfare state from ideologically diverse perspectives. Investigate how the politics of Congress, interest groups, the bureaucracy, and federal-state relations affect the formation and implementation of social welfare policy. And brainstorm new ways to address poverty in America.

POLI 446 is a Writing Intensive (WI) GEP course, and is offered entirely online.

Register Now!

Hello all you world travelers!!!
Just a reminder,
If you would like to pick up your Study Abroad Alumnus T-shirt, here are the days and times when you can do so:

Tomorow, Friday 12/2, and Friday 12/9 from 12pm-1pm in Commons Main Street (across from the book store) at the Study Abroad Information Table

The first recorded observations of comets, solar eclipses and supernovae came from the Chinese. We can thank the Greeks for gears, screws, catapults, and crowbows. The Romans were pioneers in civil engineering and built a highly sophisticated  urban civilization. The ancient Egyptians developed simple machines, such as the ramp, to make the construction process easier (After all, the pyramids weren’t built in a day.)

ANCS 330: Ancient Science and Technology investigates the development of ancient technologies like these in many forms. Examine cases in scientific reasoning, geometry, astronomy, engineering, anatomy and medicine, and many more. Studying the history of these innovations, including political, cultural or other factors, will provide insights into related social science fields.

Cross-listed with HIST 330, this course fulfills the Arts and Humanities or the Culture GEP requirement for undergraduates, and can be applied towards either degree program.

Register Now!

Ever wonder why certain things happen, or how your mind reaches certain conclusions?

Do we begin with a hypothesis and explore options to reach a conclusion? Deductive reasoning. Or do we start with what we see around us, drawing patterns from observations and using those trends to make a generalization? Inductive reasoning.

This winter, explore the various ways to address these questions and learn how people reason their way through complex issues.

PHIL 248: Introduction to Scientific Reasoning, provides you with an opportunity to delve into the central issues of deductive reasoning; inductive reasoning; the nature of science and its evolution; as well as an analysis of the roles that models, predictions, and evidence play in justifying scientific theories.

PHIL 248 is a hybrid course that meets twice a week (with a significant amount of work completed online) and fulfills the Arts and Humanities GEP.

Register Now!