Graduate Symposium &
Graduation Dinner

Friday, April 18, 2008
6:00 pm - 8:15 pm
Community Room of
the Christopher Center Library

For more information, visit
the Symposium website.

Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Concentration Courses


The following is a list of suggested courses for the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) Concentrations for the Fall 2008 semester. For course descriptions of other graduate level courses, see the Graduate Catalog.

Program Listing

  1. English
  2. Ethics & Values
  3. Gerontology
  4. History
  5. Human Behavior & Society
  6. Theology (and Ministry)

Note: EV stands for Evening Course

 

English
ENGL 508
Methods of Literary Criticism and Research
ENGL 509
Literature of Medieval Period
ENGL 524
EV
 Poetry Writing
ENGL 531
Advanced Composition
ENGL 543
EV
 Introduction to Linguistics
ENGL 568
EV
 TESOL Theories & Methods I
ENGL 575
Twentieth Century Poetry
ENGL 590
The Worlds of Shakespeare
ENGL 596
Traditions of Giving and Serving in America
ENGL 601 New Lit, Tech & Culture of Writing
ENGL 690 Cultural History of Electronic Dance

 

Ethics & Values
COMM 590
EV
 Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
LS 555
Ethics in Business
LS 610 Reel Ethics: Phil Eye on Film
LS 691 Issues at the End of Life
LS 691 Religion in Contemporary Society
THEO 537
Black Theology & Black Church
THEO 560
Muslim/Christian Relations
THEO 643
EV
 Marriage & Sexuality
POLS 580
EV
 Problems in International Relations: Peace & Justice
SOC 591
A
 Issues: Crime & Inequality

 

Gerontology
LS 590
EV
 Topic: Global Health Issues
LS 685
Practicum in Gerontology
LS 691 Issues at the End of Life

 

History
HIST 511
Roman Civilization
HIST 510
Contemporary Europe: Century of Violence
HIST 524
Depression & War: US 1929-1945
HIST 527
History of Chicago
HIST 541
EV
 Rev & Roots: Making of Modern China
HIST 555
Modern Middle Eastern History
HIST 590
Blood & Iron: German 19th Century
HIST 590
EV
 US History Through Sports
HIST 593
EV
 History Through Film: Asia
HIST 594
Beats & Hippies
HIST 690 Cultural History of Electronic Dance Music
HIST 690
EV
 Personality & Politics

 

Human Behavior & Society
COUN 590
EV
 Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
COUN 530
Child and Adolescent Development
COUN 620
EV
 Human Development:Bio/Learned Bases of Behvavior
LS 590
EV
 Study Circle on Race Relations
LS 590
EV
 Topic: Global Health Issues
LS 620
EV
 Personality & Politics
LS 620 Marriage & Sexuality
LS 630 Of Apes and Humans: Darwin & Deities
PSY 565
EV
 Psychology and the Law
SOC 525
EV
 Urban Sociology
SOC 545
Sociology of Law
SOC 590
EV
 School, Society & Hollywood
SOC 591
Issues: Crime & Inequality

 

Theology (and Ministry)
THEO 510
Creation in Context
THEO 510
Women in the Bible  
THEO 511
Understanding the Old Testament
THEO 517
New Testament in Cultural Environment
THEO 518
EV
 Jesus and the Gospels
THEO 537
Black Theology & Black Church
THEO 550
Church Leadership
THEO 560
EV
 Muslim/Christian Relations
THEO 560
Topic: Readings Quran
THEO 569
Prospectives on Religious Quest
THEO 640 Religion in Contemporary Society
THEO 643 Marriage & Sexuality


Liberal Studies Seminar Course Descriptions
LS 610 Reel Ethics: A Philosophical Eye on Film
Cr. 3. Film is a form of literature that has the power to reflect and impact society and culture. Many films deal with the subject of morality, depicting ethics and values in varied contexts, which may prompt the viewer to recognize social flaws, and to learn moral lessons. In this course, the student will first develop a foundational understanding of ethical theory and concepts. Equipped with this knowledge, selected films will then be examined from a philosophical perspective, to see what they have to say about ethics.
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LS 620 Marriage & Sexuality (x-list: THEO 643)
Cr. 3. An interdisciplinary approach including psychology, sociology, biology, philosophy, and literature used to explore how religion, culture and value shape contemporary issues associated with sexuality, gender, and marriage.
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LS 630 Of Apes and Humans: Darwin and the Deities
Cr. 3. An examination of explanatory power of Darwinian thinking on human and non-human behavioral strategies. Primary topics include sex, power, aggression, and social behavior, with comparisons across genders and species. A final portion of the course addresses the relationship between evolutionary theory and religious belief, with an attempt to help students find acceptable ways to resolve conflict and disparity in systems that may appear incompatible.
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LS 691 Religion in Contemporary Society (x-list: THEO 640)
Cr. 3. Religion has shaped society from its very beginning.  To reconcile the challenges faced by any church or any genuine believer in today's society, it is important to identify the contemporary societal forces acting upon and giving context to the religion. Understanding religion using a sociological systems approach helps deal with the lack of common convictions among believers in a pluralistic society.
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LS 691 Issues at the End of Life
Cr. 3. A course focusing on the issues surrounding death and dying. Physical, psychosocial, emotional, spiritual, and vocational factors at end of life are discussed. Field trip required. Includes analysis of key concerns in end of life care, discussion of the impact of culture, ethics, politics, and technology on the dying process, interventions for compassionate care of persons and their families, and examination of the personal feelings surrounding death and dying.
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ENGL 601 New Lit, Tech, Cultures of Writing
Cr. 3. A course in theory and practice that examines how media of expression shape texts and their interpretations. Course readings include literature and theories of textual studies in print and electronic formats. Readings emphasize the history of the book and evolving electronic new media. The course requires written papers and projects in electronic format.
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ENGL 690 Cultural History of Electronic Dance Music (x-list: HIST 690)
Cr. 3. This course explores the origins, evolution and cultural underpinnings of electronic dance music over the past four decades. Starting with the social upheavals that created disco in the 1970s as an alternative and antithesis to rock-and-roll, the course will look at how electronic music and dance cultures evolved, diversified and fragmented into genres such as: new wave, house, Detroit and European techno, rave, DJ culture, synthpop, and hip-hop. Besides the music itself, course texts will include cultural theory, cultural history, fiction and film.
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