SPRING 2010 COURSES AVAILABLE TO NONMATRICULATED STUDENTS
Registration opens on December 1 and closes on December 31
Late registration ($30 fee) is available from January 4 - 15
Term starts January 19 and ends April 30 (Graduate Calendar)

The following courses are listed by topic area:
Business, Education, Labor Policy, Liberal Studies, Social Policy


BUSINESS
FIN-650607 International Finance (3cr.)
The course is a balance of three parts: The business environment, financial markets (of particular interest to financial market participants), and financial management (of special interest to those in international corporations). Financial analysis and evaluation of products and services, as well as learning to use tools and techniques, to conduct financial analysis in international markets are included in the course. The course covers computational problems, mini case studies, and assignments requiring research on the Internet for up-to-date information.

HCM-651632 Healthcare Accounting and Finance (3cr.)
Students taking this course will be able to make sound decisions that promote the financial well-being of a healthcare organization. The course starts by introducing the basic assumptions and concepts underlying the preparation and measurement of financial data, measurement of business operations, business valuation, financial reporting, budgeting, cost allocation, service and product costing, and special reports for managerial purposes. It then progresses to analyze the principles governing the health care industry, rules and regulations in collecting, preparing and presenting financial data for health care providers. As the students comprehend the accounting and financial reporting aspects of healthcare organization, they will move on to cover the financial decisions relevant to operating budget, capital budget and the right mix of cash flows and outflows to create values for the organization. Various learning activities may include readings, research, presentations, case studies, discussion, and financial market analysis.

HCM-651633 Strategic Communication in Healthcare (3cr.)
The US established the most comprehensive healthcare system in the world during the twentieth century. The continuous change experienced by this system dramatically affected who has access to healthcare, the US economy, and national politics. The history of the healthcare system, its dynamics, its economic character, its varied constituencies, and the prospects for systemic change serve as a backdrop for our study of strategic communication in health care. Initially, we will develop a foundation of understanding of the healthcare industry by exploring its history and current issues related to healthcare reform. We will investigate the mission and fundamental purpose of healthcare institutions and their relationship to the industry’s complex network of diverse stakeholders. The bulk of the course will focus on an examination of communication on three critical levels in healthcare: interpersonal, organizational, and mass communication. In each, we will examine relevant stakeholders’ responsibilities for managing communication. Particular attention will be devoted to the role of the manager in communicating strategic issues and goals in healthcare contexts.

MGT-612504 RMC: Leadership and Management in Business (3cr.)
This course will help students consider the challenges and responsibilities that leaders and managers face in current and future business situations. The course will focus on the ways in which leaders have functioned, what that means for future approaches to their work, when they have been caught in particular modes of perceiving their roles, and what they need to do to meet the demands of contemporary business challenges.

MGT-612506 RMC: Organizational Behavior (3cr.)
This course is about human behavior in organizations. It is designed to help you understand why and how individuals, groups, and organizations behave the way they do. The course will provide ways of looking at and thinking about human behavior in organizations. Some specific objectives of this course are to help you: 1) recognize and assess the basic social-psychological processes that affect individuals and groups in organizations; 2) understand the nature and importance of individual-organizational relationships; 3) recognize some of the major influences on work motivation and job satisfaction; 4) recognize the cross-cultural differences in human behavior that affect organizations; and 5) understand change processes in organizations.

MGT-612507 RMC: Organizational Development and Change (3cr.)
The general purpose of this course is to develop an understanding of organizational development and change. The more specific purpose of this course is to place the current theory and practice of organization development into a broad systems perspective and to describe in a clear and organized fashion an applied field of social science aimed at helping organizations to improve human fulfillment and productivity. The topics to be covered include: the concepts, theories, issues and problems of organizational change; the major theorists, organizational development processes; a total systems approach; diagnostic techniques and feedback; intervention models; intervention for individuals, groups and large systems; evaluations; consulting approaches. Included will be areas within change such as TQM, team development, conflict resolution modes, creative problem solving, decision trees, etc.

MGT-650606 Corporate Communication (3cr.)
This course explores corporate communication as a strategic area of management and as an academic field of study. The effectiveness of corporate communication is largely determined by the development of an optimal balance between a strong, centralized perspective and a network of decentralized operatives. This balance is vital for keeping communication programs and activities consistent throughout the organization while adapting the function to the special needs of the independent business units. While stressing the importance of integrating conventional functions of corporate communication into a more unified and coherent strategic framework of communications, the course also draws on research and theories that trace the evolution of the field. Topics include the function of corporate communication, building strong identity and managing corporate image using mass advertising and public relations, communication strategies to deal with shareholders, regulators, the press and other important constituencies, developing internal communication programs, and responding to corporate crises.

MGT-650611 Strategic Human Resource Management (3cr.)
This course offers students a look at how successful companies align human resource strategy with overall organizational and functional strategy. The course covers: the contributions of HR strategy to overall organizational success; the strategic choices available to firms regarding legal compliance for a diverse workforce; the use of forecasting methods and HR planning tools; the strategic importance of selection and training models that align employees' skills with organizational needs; developing an overall approach to compensation; using competency-based job evaluations; recognizing the strategic importance of workplace safety and health; and using knowledge to develop partnership roles in job analysis and competency modeling.

MGT-651596 Corporate Advertising and Branding (3cr.)
It can be argued that brands are the most important assets of corporations. Corporate advertising is the major communication vehicle in building, maintaining, re-positioning and developing brands. This course will provide students with an in-depth understanding of how corporations use advertising to create brand awareness and build brand image within their target markets. It will also introduce students to the techniques used to measure brand performance. Brand management is a key strategic marketing function and the methods used by marketing managers to communicate, internally and externally, about brands is very important to the success of their business. How do you create strong brands through advertising? How do you measure brand value? Why do great brands fail? How can a manager monitor and manage brands effectively? These are among the questions we will address in this course.

MGT-651602 Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility (3cr.)
The purpose of this course is to study theories in ethics and apply them to achieve an understanding of moral philosophy with regard to the social responsibility of business and specific problems and issues facing business today. These issues include, among others, the rights and obligations of employers and employees; hiring, firing and discrimination; gathering, concealing and gilding information; issues in dealing with foreign cultures. Students will consider how organizations can be guided toward fulfilling their social responsibilities.

MGT-651607 Managing Health Care Systems (3cr.)
This course examines the various aspects of managing the complicated modern health care environment. The roles of payers, consumers, and suppliers of health care will be examined. Management and allocation of heath care resources and the impact of outcomes assessment on care delivery will be discussed. Additional topics for study will include communication in the health care environment, team building and conflict resolution.

MGT-651630 International Business Law (3cr.)
This course probes the global legal environment for international business. This is an area that every global manager must be familiar with given the complexity and interdependence of global markets. The course reviews international law and organizations, the process for international dispute resolutions, sales contracts and terms of trade, liability of air and sea carriers in the transportation of goods across the globe, bank collections, trade finance and letters of credit. This course also compares, contrasts and analyzes global, international and US trade law as impacted by GATT law, the World Trade Organization, NAFTA, E.U. trade rules and regulations, unfair trade, and laws governing access to foreign markets and exports, as well as legal issues relating to global environmental, host-country tax, corporate, employment, privatization and currency risk.

MKT-650604 Traditional and E-Channel Management (3cr.)
This course will examine the marketing function of channel management from a variety of perspectives: students will first evaluate the functions of the channel member, these will then be correlated to the selection of the channel member, and last the programming that will support the channel network will be developed. The course will also include some consideration of e-channels, introduced through a Harvard Business School Case. Ethical issues, conflict resolution, and international dimensions of marketing channels will be the focus of selected case studies from the required text. NOTE: This is an advanced level course. Students should have had prior marketing experience or course work in marketing at either the undergraduate or graduate level.


Education
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TBD


LABOR POLICY
LAB-630520 Collective Bargaining in the Public Sector (3cr.)
This course is designed to provide an overview of bargaining in the public sector. It deals with major policy issues related to public sector bargaining, with the environmental factors influencing public sector bargaining, with bargaining techniques, and with dispute resolution in the public sector.

LAB-630521 Current Developments in Collective Bargaining (3cr.)
This course is designed to help students explore current trends in collective bargaining. Students will be encouraged to explore such issues as concession bargaining, changes in bargaining structure, new bargaining strategies and tactics and such new bargaining issues as two tier wage systems, changes in work rules, job security, quality of work, technological change, women's concerns, and safety and health.

LAB-630526 Readings in Labor and Policy (3cr.)
This course will examine recent studies on labor and industrial relations and labor and policy. The student may choose his/her own readings in consultation with the mentor. Strongly recommended are the following: Steven Fraser and Joshua Freeman, eds. Audacious Democracy, John Sweeney, America News a Raise, Ruth Milkman, Farewell to the Factory, Kate Bronfenbrenner, Organizing to Win, Michael Goldfield, The Color of Politics, Kim Moody, Workers in a Lean World, and Lester Thurow, The Future of Capitalism.

LAB-630530 Promoting Learning Organizations through Adult Development and Training (3cr.)
This course is designed for those interested in the area of training from a union, business or educational perspective. The focus will be on both the individual adult and on organizational issues of promoting and managing a learning organization through the training, career development and education functions. The course will help students to understand theories of adult development and adult learning and the implications for designing educational programs and plans for participants. Current theory and principles of practice of learning organizations will be reviewed. Depending on the needs of the students enrolled, the focus of the contract can be directed more toward understanding the individual or the organizational perspective. In addition to the readings and writing assignments, students will be expected to complete an investigative project analyzing an organizational approach to training design and evaluation.

LAB-630531 Staffing the Organization (3cr.)
This course examines the nature, role and strategic implications of the recruiting and selection process within an organization. Emphasis is placed on the role of the human resource function in obtaining, developing, and retaining a qualified work force. Current related theory and research is analyzed and used as the basis for recommended practices. Topics include: legal issues, strategic human resource planning, recruitment, selection, orientation and socialization, and performance assessment. Though not required, prior experience/coursework in human resource management is helpful.

LAB-630532 Occupational Health and Safety in the Modern Workplace (3cr.)
The purpose of this course is to understand the place of occupational health and safety in the modern workplace. The student will gain insight into the economic, political and social forces that impact worker health and safety. Through directed readings and a major research project the student will develop an in-depth knowledge of the health and safety issue of his or her choice. Some possibilities for this project are ergonomics, indoor air quality or violence.

LAB-630533 Labor Arbitration (3cr.)
This course is relevant to both the public and the private sector. We will consider the principles and parameters of arbitration and the guiding principles which govern arbitration decisions. We will examine both investigation for, and preparation and presentation of arbitration cases. Students will develop a supplementary contract with the mentor which will allow them to focus on a particular aspect of arbitration, such as the principles and practices governing discipline and discharge, or on a more general consideration, such as the values which underpin the arbitration process, or arbitration as a form of dispute resolution and its relation to other forms of dispute resolution such as mediation. We will also consider arbitration as it relates to the resolution of disputes concerning matters of interest, as well as matters of right.

LAB-630534 Labor Law (3cr.)
This course considers the history and principles of federal labor relations law and its relevance to both private and public sector labor relations. The text is prepared by the Labor Law Section of the American Bar Association and is the standard authority in the field. We will gain an overview of the labor law and the parameters of decision making, as established legislatively, and by the National Labor Relations Board and the Courts, which have guided the course of labor law in the United States. The student and the mentor will devise a supplementary contract which will focus on a particular aspect of labor law relevant to the student.

LAB-630536 Environment, Labor and the Community (3cr.)
This course will explore the economic, political and social forces that influence the environmental policies of labor unions and community organizations. The student will study worker and community struggles for environmental quality, as well as corporate threats that make coalitions difficult. In a major research paper the student will develop an in-depth understanding of the environmental issue of his or her choice. Some possibilities for this project are environmental justice, toxic waste or lead contamination.

LAB-630539 Theories of the Labor Movement (3cr.)
In this course we will examine a wide variety of theories that attempt to explain why labor unions have arisen, why they take the form they do, why they behave the way they do, and what role they have under capitalism. We will consider such theorists as Karl Marx, V.I. Lenin, John Dunlop, Selig Perlman, Thorstein Veblen and Pope Leo XIII.

LAB-630568 Compensation, Motivation and Performance (3cr.)
Compensation is one of the most important elements of the workplace. In this course, the subject of compensation is examined across a broad spectrum. The student will study new and innovative approaches linking compensation to organizational strategy and performance. Current theories, models, and concepts are presented and analyzed in an effort to provide the basis for the development of an equitable and effective pay system. Key topics included are motivation theory, job analysis and job evaluation, performance appraisal, legal bases for pay, and internal and external pay equity.


Liberal Studies
LIB-640540 Psychology of Art (3cr.)
In this course we will examine the human endeavor of art and the human experience of creativity through a psychological lens. We will study the psychological explanations for the processes and urge of creative artistic expression. The course is designed to begin with a common experience of learning from readings and discussion/written assignment, followed by extended individual inquiry. Students can choose their own path of inquiry or participate in an inquiry directed by the instructor. These individual paths may be structured as further exploration of a type of artistic endeavor or a particular inquiry – a question to be answered by this course.

LIB-640543 Things of Value: Topics in Material Culture (3cr.)
This course allows you to become acquainted with perspectives on material culture and a theoretical and methodological repertoire to realize new learning through investigation of particular subjects and issues related to your program. We begin with common readings and media, followed by choices among such focus areas as museum studies, consumption theories and patterns, the concept of cultural property, or a closer focus on a specialty topic, such as a particular type of material or artifact and its history, use, and interpretation. Two substantial reading and writing projects (perhaps also with some observing or making) comprise the scholarly activities, requiring at least one revision each, and at least two informal discussions take place, whether by e-mail with the mentor or on the supporting Web site with class members. Lead book: Appadurai, Arjun. The social life of things: Commodities in cultural perspective.

LIB-640572 Creative Nonfiction Writing (3cr.)
Creative Nonfiction: Like journalism it traffics in reality, reporting, and facts; unlike journalism, it values honesty over objectivity. Another essential difference is that creative nonfiction writers may not find themselves directed by the requirements of argument, but struggling with metaphor, dialogue, point of view, and other elements of composition associated with poetry, fiction and drama to create and explore their experience. Where standard nonfiction likes explanation or exposition that focuses on concepts, ideas and facts, creative nonfiction uses story, imagery, quotations, descriptions and the personal voice of the engaged author to bring experience to the reader. The assignments are designed to help students learn to function like working writers: that is, as they compose their works, they are also studying other writers and specific sub-genres as well as familiarizing themselves with specific elements of nonfiction (literal vs. invented truth, voice, memory, composing processes, relationship to other genres).

LIB-640573 Studies in American Literature and Culture (3cr.)
Individualized elective topics possible (within this topic area) include Modern American Literature, Women Writers, American Renaissance, Literature of New York, Literature and the American Dream, Hemingway and Fitzgerald, Hawthorne and James, Self and Society, Love and Death in the Novel. Students should expect to identify and study a sub-topic as an individualized elective.

LIB-640574 Fiction Writing (3cr.)
The goal of this course is to help students develop and expand their abilities as writers by looking at some of the essential elements of fiction in greater depth. This course is intended to provide advanced students of fiction with the opportunity to diversify, extend and deepen their work. Students in this course will focus on both the craft and process of creating a compelling story, using intuition, attention to detail and fiction writing techniques. Experimentation with language and writing techniques is encouraged.

LIB-640577 History and Culture of Ancient Egypt and/or Mesopotamia (3cr.)
This course will examine the history and culture of pharaonic Egypt and/or Ancient Mesopotamia with the goal of both gaining greater knowledge of one or the other or both of these ancient civilizations with the goal of strengthening the approach and appreciation of the histories involved. Beginning with an overview of the ebb and flow of the culture's history, the student will then examine selected themes within the culture, some of which might include its religion and mythology, the foundations of functions of its leadership, its social values, and its relationships with contemporaneous civilizations or cultures. The student will consult with the mentor about exactly what he/she wishes to cover, why, and how.

LIB-640578 Ancient Literature: Egyptian and/or Mesopotamian (3cr.)
This course will address the literature of ancient Egypt and/or that of ancient Mesopotamia, looking at various types present, their use, their historical position, and their relationship to other aspects of the culture. Texts will be read in translation and, where available, commentaries will be used. The student will consult with the mentor about exactly what he/she wishes to cover, why, and how.

LIB-640592 American Modernism (3cr.)
This course will examine the rise of modernism in American history with particular attention to issues of art and culture. The student will explore the critical developments of urbanization, technology, political reform, and the expanding role of the United States internationally. Special attention will be given to issues of American identity and aspects of race, gender, and ethnicity, as Americans embraced or reacted against the currents of modernism and modern social transformation. By focusing on specific key issues in American history in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and engaging a broad variety of primary and secondary sources, the student will gain an understanding of the complexities of US culture and society, achieve a deeper appreciation of art and culture, and develop the skills of a practicing historian.

LIB-640600 Narrative in Human Experience (3cr.)
This course will explore narrative in human experience, in which the perspective of “story” serves as a metaphor to examine human experience and behavior. It is an interdisciplinary perspective concerned with the process of meaning-making, a framework for conceptualizing identity and lived experience. The concept of self as a narrative construct is a holistic one: a self story is an interactive narrative, an intricate interweaving of individual and context (arising from the way people interpret the role they play in the stories they live and the way those stories either nourish or diminish them). A self narrative is only relevant in the context of the larger stories within which it lives and breathes; we are all born into stories that began long before we arrived, and we become self within their borders: stories of culture and religion, of family and workplace, of politics and ideology. Objectives of this study are to become knowledgeable about the perspective of narrative in human experience, and to explore possible applications of this perspective in various contexts (personal, academic, professional). The course may focus on human development and identity, aging, illness, or other aspects of human experience depending on the student’s needs and interests.

LIB-640601 Narrative Counseling (3cr.)
This course will explore narrative approaches to counseling, which view the self as a narrative shaped by society and therapy as a space in which to “re-story” the self. The “facts” and events that compose a life do not change, but meanings and perspectives can and do. The narrative perspective frames human experience and even the innermost sense of self as an internalized story; thus, counseling may be viewed as a process of story revision. This course will encompass an overview of historical, philosophical, and ideological aspects of narrative and social constructionist perspectives, and a focus on counseling practices that use narrative techniques. Objectives of this course are to become knowledgeable about the perspective of narrative counseling, and to explore possible applications of this perspective in various contexts (personal, academic, professional). This course will be individualized to meet the student’s needs and interests.

LIB-640602 Narrative Research (3cr.)
Telling stories (to self and others) is one of the ways that human beings organize their experience and sense of self. Narrative research is a qualitative approach where stories are the primary research methodology. In some cases, stories are collected and then analyzed to produce data; in other cases, data is collected and stories are produced (oral history, biography). Often, life stories are the primary focus, but narrative research has also been used in organizational studies and educational inquiry, as well as ethnographic studies. Objectives of this course are to become knowledgeable about the perspective and methodology of narrative research, and to explore applications of this perspective in various research contexts. This course will be individualized to meet the student’s needs and interests.

LIB-640603 Urban Youth: Everyday Lives and Development (3cr.)
Urban youth are teens coming of age in predominately ethnic minority urban neighborhoods where resources are as scarce as stereotypes are rampant from both popular and professional sources. These young women and men are typically [mis]perceived through the lens of sexism, racism, and classism as deficient--predisposed to school dropout, teen pregnancy, violence, drug use, and/or other social problems. In this course, we will confront the stereotypes by examining research and scholarship that show the everyday lives and development of these teens: the diverse ways these youth prevail over challenges to development, their resiliency in the face of adversities, and the vulnerabilities for the coming generation. This course can be individualized, i.e., focusing on development or schooling: readings provide a foundation, followed by a research paper. Selection of texts range from works by John Ogbu, Niobe Way, Jonathan Kozol, to?.

LIB-640605 Topics in Ecology (3cr.)
Studies may include a range of current topics in theoretical and empirical ecology, including: competition, predation, succession, population growth, dispersal and community assembly. Students may also choose to examine ecological thought from a variety of postures, including those of ecosystem, landscape, community and population ecology. Studies will integrate the primary literature with the specific needs of individual students.

LIB-640621 Cultural Theory of Dance (3cr.)
The goal of the course is to gain a current understanding of modern, postmodern, and contemporary theatrical dance studies from cultural theory, embodiment, and a chronology of social and aesthetic shifts from the 20th century through recent decades. Readings address modernism, postmodernism, difference, and cross-cultural issues of movement in performance. Students write two critical review essays from directed reading sources, also choosing a third project making and analyzing a performance piece, or doing a multiple critical review of several performances with an integral theme. Alternately, they write a research project approved by the instructor.

LIB-640622 Heritage Preservation: Contemporary Issues (3cr.)
The goal of the course is to become acquainted with current cultural, policy, and philosophical aspects viewed across several types of museums and festivals, focusing on their role in society and the nature of decisions involved in selection, stakeholders, audiences and publics, and presentation. Students write two critical essays from directed readings and complete a project that involves visits or work with one or more museums on a focused theme.

LIB-640623 Dis/Ability Art and Humanity (3cr.)
The course goal is to gain understandings and viewpoints on image, experience, and embodiment of disability through arts and the contemporary making of art from a point of view that integrates the disability community without connotations of therapy or attempted interventions on the exceptionality of individuals: The focus here is instead interventions upon the public and the larger society through means of expressive culture. We examine issues such as identification, access, representation, and performance as well as subject and object positions and the content of art related to, performed by, or made by people with disabilities.

LIB-640625 Oral History (3cr.)
Oral history is the process of interviewing people to record their memories of events that occurred in the past and to analyze the meaning and value of those memories. In one sense, an oral history interview is a primary document much like newspapers, photographs, or diaries. As with all documents, the oral historian must take care to critique the interview and put it in context with other data and documents. In another sense, the oral history is very different in that the oral historian and the interviewee are creating an historical document that did not exist before. In this course, we will learn the basic methods associated with setting up and conducting oral history interviews. With the assistance of the instructor, students will choose relevant topics in labor and working-class history that interests them. We will read secondary sources, review primary sources, and identify subjects to interview. Students will learn to develop questions, learn the techniques of interviewing, transcribe interviews, and present an analysis of the interview.


SOCIAL POLICY
SOC-620504 Adult Education and Social Policy (3cr.)
This course provides the student an opportunity to explore basic policy questions about adult higher education, confronting such issues as access, quality, equity, and equality of results as well as the relationship of adult education to training and upgrading the American workforce.

SOC-620513 Race, Class and Gender in US Public Policy (3cr.)
This course is designed to develop understanding of the implications of race, class, and gender for US public policy. We will consider both social structural and cultural dimensions of this question, and we will examine a range of policy areas from domestic policy and civil rights to international affairs and foreign policy.

SOC-620514 Social Change and Social Policy (3cr.)
This course focuses on the policy debates of two key periods in US history: the New Deal of the 1930's and the Great Society of the 1960's -1970's. Features unique to the American policy landscape will be examined in relation to contemporary trends in social policy.

SOC-620515 Advocacy for Mentally Disabled (3cr.)
The purpose of this course is to provide students with the theoretical and practical tools required for the provision of advocacy services for mentally disabled populations residing within mental health facilities in New York State, as well as for the provision of advocacy services for those mentally disabled populations residing in the community. Students will be introduced to general information regarding the legal rights and entitlements due mentally disabled persons in New York State. Students will also become familiar with information regarding advocacy groups which provide community based support for this population. Students will gain familiarity with reading legal cases, statutes, regulations and items of mental health policy.

SOC-620525 Public Policy and the Foster Care System (3cr.)
This course is designed to provide the student with a framework for assessing and understanding the range of policy issues posed in the current, financing and delivery of foster care services in the United States, and for evaluating proposals being made in the arenas of public policy for a more comprehensive system of social services. Issues of child welfare will be explored considering policy implications as we move into the 21st century.

SOC-620532 Domestic Violence and Abuse (3cr.)
While most people associate the term domestic violence with spouse abuse and battered women, this study will examine this disturbing social problem in all of its forms: spouse abuse, child abuse, elder abuse, and the newly recognized area of human trafficking that may involve abuse of persons who work in domestic households. Readings and assignments will emphasize current research that examines various forms of violence and the policies devised to address them. This course is appropriate for students interested in criminal justice, social services, and health care.

SOC-620543 New York State Government and Politics (3cr.)
This course explores the structure and function of political institutions in New York State government and political activity at the state and local levels, including the state legislature, the governor, state agencies, the court system, and intergovernmental/federalism relationships with particular focus on the policy making process.

SOC-620554 Citizen and State-Contemporary American Politics (3cr.)
Citizen and State explores the political ideas that have affected and continue to affect American society, politics, and public policy from the end of World War II to the present. The emphasis will be on the fundamental changes that have occurred in the way key social groups have come to view their relations to the state and the role that the state should play in their private and public lives. Through an examination of historical events, movements, and leaders, students will explore the development of the deep social, cultural, and ideological cleavages that have come to divide American society and politics and affect domestic and foreign policies. The emphasis will be on the post WWII evolution of liberalism and conservatism.

SOC-620565 Public Policy Analysis (3cr.)
This course provides an understanding of a number of analytical approaches, strategies and techniques drawn from several academic disciplines and the application of these schemes to the public policy process with particular reference to governments in New York State drawing on both the student’s prior learning and professional experience. Students complete a research project analyzing an existing or proposed federal, state or local government program.

SOC-620568 Media and Public Policy (3cr.)
This course will explore the connections between media and public policy in contemporary American society. The guiding assumption of this course is that the media are an important vehicle by which most Americans make sense of public policies and the politicians who enact these policies. How do the media influence the public about public policy and the way in which policies are created? In order to answer this question, the student will explore theories of the media and society and then focus in on specific areas of public policy, to understand how the media has been able to influence public opinion.

SOC-620569 Advocacy for the Rights of Children (3cr.)
Historically, children were viewed by society as property of their parents. Over time, children have gained many legal rights in this country. This course will introduce the student to an overview of these various rights and of the many legal, sociological, psychological and political issues involved in their development. In addition to an overview of these fundamentals legal rights, students will become familiarized with the basics of the court system and the statutes and judicial decisions affecting children’s rights today. Some specific topics to be explored in this course are neglect and abuse of children, the legal, ethical and sociological effects of prenatal maternal substance abuse and children’s right to the effective assistance of counsel.

SOC-620604 Family Policy (3cr.)
In this course, students examine the institution of family through the lens of cultural values and as an area for policy decisions. Topics raised in the course consider How the family unit has evolved over time, the cultural values that shape not only how family is viewed, but also how that view shapes policy decisions that affect the family, and the impact that these policy decisions have upon both families and the larger society.

SOC-620605 Applied Policy in the Disaster Environment (3cr.)
This course focuses on the impact of certain policies on the management of catastrophic events. Such policies can be widely encompassing, for instance the Patriot Act or the Stafford Act. They can also be more narrowly focused, as is New York State Executive Law, Article 2-B. Through discussions, case studies, and papers we will explore issues faced by emergency responders, emergency managers, and others in trying to carry out their mission within the frameworks articulated in various policies. Topics include the balance between civil liberties and protection, the authority of response agencies to act and commit resources under various circumstances, and considerations of agency structure in carrying out efficient operations.

SOC-620631 Urban Issues (3cr.)
The purpose of this course is to develop an understanding of urban areas and the problems they confront. The course will explore the advantages and challenges that cities face and the ways that various municipalities have devised to provide good places for people to live, work and play in localities with dense populations. Particular attention will be paid to crime, policing and safety; economic development; education; government; housing; and transportation. In addition to the assigned readings, each student will become familiar with a specific urban area. He or she will share information on the urban area selected as the course looks at each of the six topics– crime, policing and safety; economic development and transportation; education; government and government services; housing; and poverty and discrimination. The final project will deal with the city chosen by the student and will demonstrate appropriate graduate-level analytical and writing skills. Each student will be evaluated on his/her contributions to the Internet discussion and his/her written work. All contributions are expected to demonstrate graduate-level competence in research, critical thinking, writing, and documentation.

SOC-620633 Community Organizing (3cr.)
Effective civic engagement often challenges us to work with others at the grassroots level to meet a wide variety of human needs. This course uses a simulation model to enable students to experience community organizing first hand. By the end of the course students will be able to apply key political science and sociological theories to community organizing, use qualitative and quantitative research techniques to discern community needs, work with community volunteers to make important decisions, and take the necessary steps to initiate community building. The course will work with real situations in real communities.

SOC-622509 Education Policy (3cr.)
This course provides an overview of the historical, social and political contexts that influence education policy. Students examine the phases of the policy making cycle, including problem identification, policy development, policy analysis, political decision making, policy implementation, and policy evaluation in relation to education policy. Students investigate current educational policy issues and they investigate and analyze the development and effectiveness of a particular policy.

SOC-622510 Health Care Policy (3cr.)
This course will explore issues related to three important components of health care policy; access to health services, cost, and ensuring quality in health services. We will primarily examine public sector initiatives in these areas but will also consider activities within the private sector that impinge on these three components. State and federal level activities will be investigated and analyzed. We will also examine US policy within an international context. An important focus in the course will be the interrelatedness of these three components; policy initiatives aimed at any one of these three will likely impact the other two. We will consider the logic for government’s role in the health care marketplace. This will include examining a range of arguments in support of and against government’s involvement in the health sector including; economic efficiency, distributional and fairness issues, and political.

SOC-622535 Human Services Policy (3cr.)
In this course, students will examine how social policy influences, and is influenced by, the way in which human service functions, service populations, outcomes, and resources are publicly and privately defined, identified, secured, and measured. Students will examine the interactional effects of social policy and human services at community, organizational, and professional levels. For example, at the community level, local funding agencies such as the United Way often act as gatekeepers controlling community resources. At the organizational level, this might be expressed as a conflict between the stated mission of an organization and actual practices necessitated by the requirements of its funding sources. An example at the professional level is the socialization of human service workers which often includes membership in professional associations. These associations serve as interpreters of state-of-the-art practices and attitudes and lobby for their expression in social policy, law and regulation.

SOC-629577 Comparative Study of Health and Human Services-Europe and the United States (3cr.)
The aim of this course is to explore and compare the American and European health and human services systems. The course will provide students with an historical perspective and will focus on contemporary social welfare policy. The course will take into consideration economic, political, and social factors, special characteristics of various systems, and an analysis of these concerns. Students will build upon their knowledge of experience with the American health and human service system.

SOC-629578 Mental Health Policy (3cr.)
This course examines major trends in the formulation and delivery of mental health services in the US to the seriously mentally ill. In addition to its historical perspective, it also considers current issues associated with biochemical research and managed health care.