Liberal Studies
Courses
Courses
*500 and 600 level courses are for the M.A.L.S. program.
COR 500: Communications and Information Literacy (3 credits)
This course is designed to improve the ease and efficiency with
which the leaders of nonprofit organizations, churches, schools and businesses
communicate with various stakeholders. Particular attention is focused
on the generation of reports, summaries, memoranda and letters that translate
technical data and research into usable information. The course will
explore the use of technology to acquire, disseminate and analyze information
in cross-cultural settings.
COR 510: Moral Leadership (3 credits)
Moral Leadership introduces students to a philosophy of education
that will provide the skills necessary to assume a prominent place in
shaping the vision, mission and activities of their employers and professions.
This course also is designed to help students study the importance of
systematic reform of political, economic and social services, in remedying
the problems that plague urban school systems, social services and society
generally. It will also help them understand the importance of openness
to new analyses and strategies for change in addressing social problems.
COR 600: Organizational and Professional Ethics (3 credits)
This course explores specific questions relative to the behavior
of systems, organizations and their members. The idea of a profession
and its claim to special ethical expertise are examined. Methods to accomplish
responsible social action, promote social justice and value the human
dignity of each individual will be emphasized. Particular attention is
paid to ethical issues surrounding the not-for-profit and educational
sectors of American society.
LAS 500: The Evolution of Scientific Thought and Perceptions (3
credits)
This course will examine the many ways in which our perceptions
of the natural world have evolved, including current and future implications.
Students will read classic texts in scientific thought and discuss the
readings in light of current thinking.
LAS 501: Strategic Management in Criminal Justice (3 credits)
This course will help the student to formulate a definition
of Strategic Law Enforcement Management that will encompass the major
academic, philosophical, law enforcement, and practitioner’s perspectives.
Various theories from classical management theories to modern applications
in the law enforcement setting will be discussed and analyzed. Students
will be exposed to crisis management issues as they relate to terrorism
and other nontraditional criminal issues. Community policing and other
law enforcement management techniques will also be discussed. Students
will apply this body of knowledge through a seminar-type format that
will include case studies and presentations by professionals who are
currently active in the field.
LAS 505: Case Management and Clinical Supervision (3 credits)
This course integrates case and care management theory and practice
as it is applied to individuals, agencies and communities. Students will
learn about core case management components and will gain valuable knowledge
in the areas of assessing, planning, linking, monitoring, recording and
evaluating client care. Issues of diversity, community resources and
the various arenas of case management will be explored. Actual case examples
will be discussed and reviewed using a “best practice” model.
Focus will be placed on the role of case management in mental health,
child welfare and addiction treatment programs in Pennsylvania.
LAS 510: The Biology of Behavior (3 credits)
This course examines theory and empirical research on the physiological
and neurological concomitants of behavior. Included in the course will
be a discussion of basic neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, physiological
bases of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and current developments
in cognitive neuroscience. The course will also address methodological
and ethical issues in biopsychology.
LAS 515: Research Methods in Behavioral Health (3 credits)
This course enables students to understand the research process
in the helping professions. Students will gain a general understanding
of both qualitative and quantitative methods used in applied research
settings such as social service agencies. They will also learn how to
read research articles and conduct a review of the literature. As part
of the course, each student will be involved in a research project. Students
taking this course will be expected to have Internet access to complete
assignments.
LAS 520: Major Artists and Writers in their Milieus (3 credits)
This course provides criticism of major works of art and literature
that situates them within the ideas and activities of the historical
periods in which the artists and authors flourished.
LAS 530: The Mathematics of Behavior (3 credits)
In this course, a mathematical approach to everyday interaction
and behavior between different species will be studied. Mathematics applied
to (a) behavior, (b) predator/prey interaction, (c) conflict analysis,
(d) optimal form and (e) biology will be presented. Technological and
statistical tools will be required.
LAS 535: Criminological Theory (3 credits)
This course will require students to research and disseminate
criminal behavior through analysis of existing classical and contemporary
theories. Students will study the major research methods utilized in
criminal justice including: survey, experimental, and field research.
Through the application of theories, emphasis will be placed on the application
of these theories on the various subsystems of the criminal justice system
and contemporary issues which challenge its functional efficiency and
effectiveness.
LAS 540: Organizational Behavior in Criminal Justice (3 credits)
The focus of this course will include the community-based aspect
as well as state and federal strategies and evaluative methods in the
field of corrections. Theories underlying these factors and the assessment
of their impact will be highlighted. Examination of community issues
and the role of government and private sector influence through public
policy and resource allocation will also be addressed.
LAS 550: Advanced Clinical Practice in Behavioral Health Counseling
(3 credits)
This course focuses on the intentional (subjective), behavioral
(objective), cultural, spiritual, and social aspects of counseling and
psychotherapy. The subjective phenomena of individual consciousness,
as well as the objective scientific structure of counseling will be related
to culture, spirituality, and the broader social systems in society.
This comprehensive system of therapy will allow counselors to create
treatment plans that reflect a systematic approach to helping clients
manage all aspects of consciousness.
LAS 600: Topics in Christian Ethics (3 credits)
This course outlines the basic principles of Christian ethics
through focused discussion on particular moral problems as well as reflection
on foundational moral issues such as conscience, sin and grace.
LAS 601: Christian Origins (3 credits)
Students will study selected documents from the beginning of
Christianity, including scriptural and extrabiblical texts. Sample topics
include the canonical gospels and Paul’s letters, the Apostolic
Fathers, and early Christian apocalyptic thought.
LAS 602: Hebrew Scriptures (3 credits)
This course examines contemporary approaches to interpreting
the biblical texts (historical criticism, literary and sociological approaches).
Issues to be treated include faith and its relationship to interpretation,
instruction, revelation and the relationship of the interpreter’s
social location to interpretation.
LAS 610: Science, Literature and Philosophy in the Age of Pope
and Swift (3 credits)
This course examines major writings in England and the close
interrelations between forms of intellectual inquiry and literature during
the first half of the eighteenth century.
LAS 620: Cross-Cultural Conflicts in our Communities (3 credits)
This course examines the cultural, social, economic, and political
forces that underlie conflicts in our communities. Exploring the impact
of gender, racial, ethnic and linguistic diversity serves as a starting
point for mediating these conflicts. Topics such as violence, substance
abuse, teen pregnancy and discrimination are discussed. Strategies for
improving relationships and developing partnerships with parents, citizens,
and business and community leaders are explored.
LAS 621: Gender, Family and Social Change (3 credits)
This course focuses on the family, as a gendered institution,
taking into consideration macro level socioeconomic and cultural changes.
By reading historical accounts of family change, both within the family
and in the family’s greater setting of the family, and in relation
to social change within societies, sociological issues will be discussed
and evaluated. Cross-cultural similarities and differences will be explored.
LAS 630: Abnormality and Society (3 credits)
This course provides an analysis of the historical changes in
views of abnormality in societies across the world. Emphasis will be
on how theories of etiology and treatment of psychological disorders
have varied over time and across cultures, and some of the historical,
social, and political antecedents and concomitants to such views. The
subjective experience of being labeled as abnormal and the impact of
such a sigma on the individual, the family and society will be explored.
The ethical complexity of diagnosing and treating psychological disorders
will also be addressed.
LAS 631: Psychological Measurement (3 credits)
This course examines basic psychometric concepts, the origins
and logic of testing, criteria for judging tests and measurement techniques,
standardization and reliability, validity and principles of test development
and construction, and the use of quantitative methods in such procedures.
Discussion will focus on the limits of measurement, the impact of testing
and measurement on individuals and society, and the historical abuses
and misuses of such techniques on individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds.
LAS 640: Welfare Politics (3 credits)
This course evaluates the impact of the political environment
on formulation and implementation of social welfare policy.
LAS 670: Seminar with Supervised Field Experience in Community
Service (3 credits)
A supervised placement in a church, religious organization,
nonprofit organization or business will require students to engage in
theological reflection that links course experiences with ministry and
social action. Written analysis of activities will enrich the learning
experiences during this capstone activity.
LAS 679: Independent Research (3 credits)
Students will coordinate with their advisor to choose a topic,
research and complete a culminating paper.
Updated: January 3, 2006