Undergraduate Certificate inDiversity Studies

Use literature, film, and scholarly texts to explore how conceptions of social difference, such as those linked to categories of gender, race, sexuality, class, ethnicity, and disability, shape society and everyday interactions historically and today.

Explore what it means to be Black in America by engaging with questions about identity and authenticity, freedom and unfreedom, radicalism and reform, gender and sexuality, and the role of music in African American life.

Review scholarly theories and research pertaining to women’s experiences and women’s status in contemporary American society.

Explore scholarly theories and research pertaining to women and gender while experiencing examples of contemporary women’s creative practice through the visual arts, media, and popular culture.

Consideration of influences and forces shaping modern African society; analysis of current local and global problems and issues facing Africa are the central focus of the course.

The course aims to cast light on contemporary religious life in the United States by looking at the history of American religion.

This course tells the story of humankind, how we as a species developed, and how modern Homo sapiens have developed more cultural complexity over time, moving, in the last 12,000 years, from a worldwide small population of hunter-foragers to a population so large that it strains the planet's resources, with nation-states competing for the loyalty of their citizens with powerful ethnic and religious enclaves and also with global corporations.

This course is designed to introduce students to the concepts and evidence used in understanding the cultural diversity of our planet.

What are the factors that bind and define a region? What makes a geographical area, a set of cultures, or a certain group of people into a single entity? Who decides? Asian history provides a view of how a region is formed and reshaped over time.

Examines the relationship diverse personal and sociocultural factors (e.g., socioeconomic class, race-ethnicity, gender, age, and sexual orientation) have with health.

Interdisciplinary study of gender, examining the interaction of biological, behavioral, and sociocultural factors on health differentials throughout the lifespan.

Focus on topics such as language, identity, prejudice, and intergroup relations on a domestic/ international level.

Ethical issues in public and private communication; role of communication in expressing and realizing individual and social values.

Explores the literature on gender research in the discipline of human communication.

History and criticism of public discourse; intensive analysis of selected public addresses and social movements.

The development of literature around the world - from epic, legend, lyric, etc. in the oral tradition to modern written forms.

Comparison of narrative techniques employed by literature and film in portraying different cultures, topics may vary each semester.

Examines diversity, equity, and inclusion issues in media content, media business, and media practice.

Explores the economic, social, psychological, and political aspects of the deaf culture and its interaction with the majority hearing culture.

Physiological, psychological, and social development and intervention from young adulthood through old age.

Concepts of affectional and sexual orientation over life span, with emphasis on lesbian and gay male personal, family, and community adaptation.

Students will explore the way people and their environments interact to influence human development through the integration of memoirs and other personal narratives, humanist themes and methods of inquiry, and social science theory and research.

Contemporary economic, social, and political aspects of the United States and its role as a world power since 1945.

A selective overview of the history of imperialism and nationalism in Africa.

This course explores the science and practice of leadership around the globe through pertinent scholarly literature and related instructional resources.

Overviews scholarship relating to women in positions of leadership in groups and organizations, as well as obstacles to their success.

This course explores the historical and contemporary struggles of particular groups within American society to expand their rights.

This course is designed to increase student awareness of personal, interpersonal, and societal aspects of disability, including how disability can be defined and understood differently in varied individual, institutional, and cultural contexts.

The course introduces students to the academic study of religion as well as to some of the major religious traditions of the world.

Leisure from historical and contemporary perspectives, including forces shaping leisure behavior, and relationships among leisure, the environment, and social institutions.

Focuses on historical patterns and current status of racial, ethnic and cultural groups and issues locally, nationally, and internationally.

The role of gender in shaping contemporary North American patterns of employment, occupational roles, and statuses.

This course will include an overview of characteristics and learning traits, classification systems, assessment strategies/issues, approaches, and interventions related to individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Special emphasis will be given to selecting evidence-based practices and enhancing collaboration among individuals with ASD, their families, and supporting professionals.

Review scholarly theories and research pertaining to women’s experiences and women’s status in contemporary American society.

Explore scholarly theories and research pertaining to women and gender while experiencing examples of contemporary women’s creative practice through the visual arts, media, and popular culture.

This introductory course considers core topics in the field of feminist sexuality studies to both unsettle popular mainstream discourses on sexuality and to aid students in developing a more comprehensive, inclusive, and ethical lens through which to view intersections of gender, sexuality, and the body.