Social Science & Policy Studies Program

What is development? How has international development been understood and what has been done about it? How do development scholars explain why some countries are rich while others are poor? How can students understand and incorporate development studies in the contexts of their own global engagements? This course addresses these questions by looking at theories, ideologies, and processes that have influenced and embodied development thinking and practice over the past five decades. We will examine the role of colonization, modernization, dependency, globalization, democratization, industrialization, and urbanization in processes of development in countries across the globe. The course encourages students to think critically about what development is, about how it is carried out and, most importantly of all, about what it can achieve. DEV 1200 provides excellent preparation for international projects and careers.

The engineers and scientists of tomorrow have a crucial role to play in discovering and implementing solutions to daunting international challenges related to food, water, energy, sanitation and infrastructure. The urgency of such challenges grows alongside and increasingly globalized workplace, where a growing number of graduates find themselves working outside the US, and invited to engage cultures, worldviews, value systems and physical environments that are very unlike their own. This course prepares students with global competency, to enable them to more effectively and ethically tackle problems in the context of starkly different socioeconomic, political, social and physical realities. Students will develop the knowledge, skills and understanding required to consider, accommodate and effectively integrate contextual difference into engineering practice by exploring the complexity of project design, the potential for unintended consequences, and how technologies are transformed in different contexts. This course will prepare students for a broad range of international IQP and MQPs. This course will be offered in 2022-23, and in alternating years thereafter.

This course provides students with a set of skills that will allow them to address complex problems and design challenges in development engineering. Students will learn to participate in and lead innovation and creativity in collaborative settings. This course includes design projects and case studies, many related to projects at WPI. Student teams will work with preliminary data to define the problem. They will then collect and analyze interview and survey data to learn about user needs. Students will explore how to understand end-user needs. Students will use a variety of tools to analyze their data, ideate potential solutions, and prototype. The teams will use their projects to develop plans for rapid improvement, scaling, continuous improvement and a rigorous impact evaluation. This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.

The course focuses upon the implications of reliance upon markets for the allocation of resources in a society, at the household, firm, and community level. Outcomes of current market systems are examined in terms of the efficient use of natural and other economic resources, as well as their impact upon the environment, fairness, and social welfare, of special interest in these analyses is the role of prices in the determination of what commodities are produced, their means of production, and distribution among households. In cases where current market outcomes have features subject to widespread criticism, such as the presence of excessive pollution, risk, discrimination, and poverty, the analysis is extended to suggest economic solutions. There are no prerequisites for the course.

This course is designed to acquaint students with the ways in which macroeconomic variables such as national income, employment and the general level of prices are determined in an economic system. It also includes a study of how the techniques of monetary policy and fiscal policy attempt to achieve stability in the general price level and growth in national income and employment. The problems of achieving these national goals (simultaneously) are also analyzed. The course stresses economic issues in public policy and international trade.

The topics addressed in this course are similar to those covered in ECON 1110 (Introductory Microeconomics) but the treatment proceeds in a more rigorous and theoretical fashion to provide a firm platform for students majoring in Economics or Business, or those having a strong interest in economics. Mathematics at a level comparable to that taught in MA 1021-MA 1024 is frequently applied to lend precision to the analysis. The course rigorously develops the microeconomic foundations of the theory of the firm, the theory of the consumer, the theory of markets, and the conditions required for efficiency in economic systems. This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.

This course is an advanced treatment of macroeconomic theory well suited for students majoring in Economics or Business, or others with a strong interest in economics. The topics addressed in ECON 2120 are similar to those covered in ECON 1120, however the presentation of the material will proceed in a more rigorous and theoretical fashion. This course will be offered in 2022-23, and in alternating years thereafter.

This course examines the economics of government expenditure and taxation. On the expenditure side, the course will review why governments often choose to be involved in the provision of healthcare, education, national defense, a clean environment, and infrastructure such as roads and bridges. It will also delve into the rationale behind programs such as social security. Regarding taxation, the course will cover income, consumption, and corporate taxes, including the use of corrective taxes to address market failures due to externalities. Within each topic, the relevant economic theories will be presented, and then students will practice applying the theories to real-world examples. As such, there will be plenty of opportunity to discuss policy implications and debate proposed policy changes. Students who completed ECON 212X: Public Economics cannot receive credit for ECON 2126: Public Economics.

Econometrics helps governments and businesses make more informed economic decisions. This course introduces the application of statistics and economic theory to formulating, estimating, and testing models about relationships among key variables. Topics include basic data analysis, regression analysis (including estimation, inference, assumptions, violations of assumptions, corrections for violations, dummy variables), and forecasting. Students will have the opportunity to use real-world socioeconomic data to test and interpret economic theories using econometric software. Successful students should also be able to formulate, estimate, and interpret their own testable relationships in other projects or fields of study.

This course provides an introduction to the economics, business strategies, and regulatory and legal aspects of telecommunication markets. The analysis of complex interactions between technology, Federal and state government policies, copyright legislation, and forces driving supply and demand is performed using Economic and Industrial Organization theories combined with computer simulation techniques. Topics include, among others: the economics of telephony services, cable TV, satellite communication, spectrum auctions, WLAN, and peer-to-peer file sharing. Special attention will be paid to the analysis of the latest regulatory and legal developments in the telecommunications industry. This course will be offered in 2022-23, and in alternating years thereafter.

Behavioral economics incorporates insights from psychology and sociology into economic models of decision-making. While traditional economic theory typically assumes individuals are self-interested and have an infinite ability to analyze and understand their decision-making environment, behavioral economics relaxes these assumptions in light of evidence from the field of experimental economics. Topics in the course include social preferences, mental accounting, decision-making under uncertainty and intertemporal choice. Additional topics may include the economics of social identity, preference formation and learning. Decision-making processes will be examined using simple economic experiments conducted in class.

Experimental economics is a set of methods for testing hypotheses about behavior. Traditional economic analysis using naturally occurring data is often confounded by the complexities of the real world. Economic experiments, on the other hand, give researchers the control required for isolating behaviors of interest. As such, economic experiments can be useful tools for testing existing theories and establishing empirical regularities assisting in the development of new theories. In this course, we cover the basic principles of experimental design. We also study a number of classic experiments, on topics ranging from the efficiency of markets to decision-making under uncertainty and behavioral game theory. Students will participate in mock experiments and will begin putting their new skills into practice by designing their own experiments, which may serve as the basis for IQPs/MQPs. If time permits, we will discuss some of the basic methods for analyzing experimental data, which presents challenges somewhat different from naturally occurring data due to small sample sizes. This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.

This course is designed to provide an introduction to economics, an introduction to entrepreneurship, and an understanding of the linkages between economics and entrepreneurship. Students will apply these concepts to the assessment of opportunities that might arise from participation in WPI projects. Students will engage in exploring how economics and entrepreneurship can inform opportunity assessment within an ambiguous and uncertain context. These decisions are always made with incomplete information and there is typically no single correct answer but rather multiple possible answers — each with pluses and minuses. Students may not earn credits for both ECON 2910/ETR 2910 and ECON 291X/ETR 29IX

The accumulation of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases such as methane are projected to increase global warming by 2 to 5 °C by the end of this century with impact on the environment, economy, and society. This course explores the economic causes and consequences of climate change and potential solutions to reduce its impacts. We will assess climate change policies in the U.S and globally and use economics tools to evaluate their costs and benefits and distributional effects between poor and rich countries.

This course investigates the effect of human activity upon the environment as well as the effect of the environment on human well-being. It pays special attention to the impact of production and consumption of material goods upon the quantity and quality of environmental goods. The analysis focuses on the challenges presented in mixed economics where markets are combined with government intervention to manage pollution and scarcity. The course reviews efforts to measure the costs and benefits of improving environmental conditions and evaluates current and potential policies in terms of the costs of the environmental improvements they may yield. Attention is also paid to the special difficulties which arise when the impacts of pollution spill across traditional political boundaries. This course will be offered in 2022-23, and in alternating years thereafter.

This course is a general introduction to the field of development economics. The focus is on ways in which a developing country can increase its productive capacity, both agricultural and industrial, in order to achieve sustained economic growth. The course proceeds by first examining how economic growth and economic development are measured and how the various nations of the world compare according to well-known social and economic indicators. Theories of economic growth and theories of economic development are then examined, as are the various social and cultural structures that are thought to influence economic progress. The inputs to economic growth and development (land, labor, capital, entrepreneurial ability, education, technical change), and the possible distributions of income and levels of employment that result from their use, is considered next. Domestic economic problems and policies such as development planning, the choice of sectorial policies, the choice of monetary and fiscal policies, rapid population growth, and urbanization and urban economic development are then examined. The course concludes with a consideration of international problems and policies such as import substitution and export promotion, foreign debt, foreign investment, and the role of international firms. In conjunction with a traditional presentation of the above topics, the course curriculum will include the use of computer simulation models and games. These materials have been formulated with a simulation technique, system dynamics, that has its origins in control engineering and the theory of servomechanisms. As a result, students will find them complementary to their work in engineering and science. In addition, the various development theories and simulation and gaming results will be related, where possible, to specific developing nations where WPI has on-going project activities (e.g., Costa Rica and Thailand). This course is recommended for those students wishing to do an IQP or MQP in a developing nation. This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.

This course introduces Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a powerful mapping and analytical tool. Topics include GIS data structure, map projections, and fundamental GIS techniques for spatial analysis. Laboratory exercises concentrate on applying concepts presented in lectures and will focus on developing skills using ArcGIS. These exercises include examples of GIS applications in environmental modeling, socio-demographic change and site suitability analyses. Although the course is computer-intensive, no programming background is required. Note: Students may not receive credit for both ENV 150X and ENV 1500. This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.

Sustainability planning seeks to anticipate and balance environmental, social, and economic impacts of human actions. This course presents an overview of how various perspectives can contribute to frameworks for environmental land use planning and management. Students are encouraged to think critically about problems land and natural resource use pose to society. Technical principles and analysis of sustainability planning are introduced and applied to challenges that communities currently face such as food, fiber and energy production, environmental conservation, hazard mitigation and resilience, water security, economic development, and waste management. Techniques to engage a diverse set of stakeholders in a collaborative planning process are examined along with the role of technology. This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.

With global attention dominated by environmental catastrophe and despair, we will spotlight new work that has brought together scientists, environmentalists, engineers, and artists to tackle the most serious problems facing communities. We will explore the political ecology implications of control over essential resources and the positive consequences of rethinking and democratizing basic social needs for a more sustainable future. Recent exciting case studies will feature examples of simple solutions that inspire elegant, transferrable, and inexpensive applications of technological design. We will examine the role and obligation that scientists have to collaborate with interdisciplinary and public policy efforts that benefit people with sustainable approaches to architecture, food, energy, transportation, and infrastructure. Students may not receive credit for both ENV 230X and ENV 2310. This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.

This course applies psychological theory and research to understand the causes of human behavior that degrades natural systems and to identify and promote more sustainable actions and policies. Topics will include: social dilemmas and cognitive limitations as root causes of environmental problems; psychological methods for studying sustainability; the potential for and limitations of changing individual environmental cognition and behavior; environmental knowledge, attitudes, and values; motivations for sustainable behavior; and the relationship between environmental quality and human health and mental health. Students will gain experience applying social and cognitive behavior change strategies to reduce their own environmental impact.
Students may not receive credit for both ENV 2400 and ENV 2500/PSY 2500.
This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.

This course applies psychological theory and research to understand the causes of human behavior that degrades natural systems and to identify and promote more sustainable actions and policies. Topics will include: social dilemmas and cognitive limitations as root causes of environmental problems; psychological methods for studying sustainability; the potential for and limitations of changing individual environmental cognition and behavior; environmental knowledge, attitudes, and values; motivations for sustainable behavior; and the relationship between environmental quality and human health and mental health. Students will gain experience applying social and cognitive behavior change strategies to reduce their own environmental impact.
Students may not receive credit for both ENV 2400 and ENV 2500/PSY 2500.
This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.

Environment and development are often seen as incompatible, in part because many poor people in the developing world depend directly on natural resources for their livelihoods. At the same time, poor people are often seen as responsible for causing environmental degradation because they lack the knowledge, skills and resources to manage the environment effectively. The vicious circle is completed as environmental degradation exacerbates poverty. However, optimists argue that poor people can and do contribute positively to environmental outcomes, that states and organizations can facilitate their efforts and that environmental interventions can coincide with development. This course will examine these different perspectives on environmental problems in the developing world through the insights and critiques of social science. Subjects covered include sustainable development, population, environmental risks, gender, urbanization, environmental decision making, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The goals of this course are to think critically about the various links between environment and development and the role of governmental and non-governmental organizations in promoting sustainable development in the developing world. This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.

Social media platforms are changing the world of social movements, giving rise to a new generation of social activism. Social media can enable local actors to link with others from across the globe to incite social and environmental change. Social media has enabled people to document and share injustices (e.g., violence; dumping of toxic waste) in places where freedom of the press is limited or non-existent, and it has enabled people across different social groups (race, class, etc.) to engage with one another on issues of shared concern. Social media has also allowed people to share resources (financial, expertise, and organizational) with other social actors across the globe, empowering communities in novel ways. This course introduces students to the phenomena of social and environmental movements, theories on why they succeed and fail, and how social media has changed the landscape of social mobilization. This course will draw on interdisciplinary readings, concepts, and case studies from the social sciences, with emphasis on geography, public policy, sociology, and media studies. Course work will include small group projects, analyses of current social movement cases, and a final project. The final project will consist of interviewing members of a current social movement (potentially using social media), evaluating whether particular social media applications have helped to enable social mobilization, and designing new or revised social media tools to further enhance social mobilization.

Resilience is the capacity to adapt to changing conditions and to bounce back after a disaster. Through resilience we can live, and even thrive, in the face of natural disasters. Resilience involves adaptation to the wide range of regional and localized impacts that are expected with a warming planet: more intense storms, greater precipitation, coastal and valley flooding, longer and more severe droughts in some areas, wildfires, melting permafrost, warmer temperatures, and power outages. Resilient design is the intentional design of buildings, landscapes, communities, and regions in response to these vulnerabilities. In this course, we will work to better understand what is at risk in a changing climate with more extreme and frequent disasters, the role people/companies and policies play in these disasters, who is most at risk and why, and develop resilient designs focused on practical, innovative, on-the-ground, and just solutions. 
Students may not receive credit for both ENV 271X and ENV 2710  
This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.

(Credits will be assigned by the instructor ranging from 1/6-1/3 unit)
This course provides an opportunity for students with little to no background in Environmental and Sustainability Studies to learn about a special topic in the area. This course may be repeated for different topics.

This course examines the limitations of traditional economic models and charts a new course for current policies and practices. To chart this path we draw upon and synthesize examples from existing alternative economies (e.g., different forms of dematerialization, hybrid organizations, solidary economy, sharing economy) .The course critically examines current paradigms of greening and seeks to expand thinking that will encompass new, alternative, and socially just conceptions of economy and economic development. A particular emphasis is laid on the spatial implications of de-growth oriented activities which partly challenge existing models and research methods in economic geography. This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.

This course will take students on an adventure, both in the class and in the field. Students will examine the history of sustainable development, its antecedents, the factors that have influenced its evolution, and how the sustainable city came into existence. Students will be invited on a number of virtual field trips to sustainable cities from around the world. The goal will be to explore the underlying factors of sustainable urbanism, why it looks the way it does in different places, and how students can exercise their own agency in developing alternatives. Students will also develop their own field trips for publication on the course website. This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.

This course is intended for Environmental Studies majors. The course is designed to integrate each student’s educational experience (e.g., core environmental courses, environmental electives, and environmental projects) in a capstone seminar in Environmental Studies. Through seminar discussions and writing assignments students will critically reflect on what they learned in their previous courses and project experiences. In teams, students will prepare a final capstone paper and presentation that critically engages their educational experience in environmental studies and anticipates how their courses and experiences will translate into their future personal and professional environmental experiences.

(Credits will be assigned by the instructor ranging from 1/6-1/3 unit)
This course provides an opportunity for students with a solid background and interest in Environmental and Sustainability Studies to learn about a special topic in the area. Recommended background: one 2000-level Environmental and Sustainability Studies courses (or equivalent). This course may be repeated for different topics.

The study of environmental problems and their solutions requires an interdisciplinary approach. This course will examine current environmental issues from the intersection of several key disciplines including: environmental philosophy and history, environmental policy, and science. The course will develop these different approaches for analyzing environmental problems, explore the tensions between them, and present a framework for integrating them. Topics such as environmental justice, developing nations, globalization, and climate change policy will be explored.

This course is an introduction to the fundamental principles, institutions, and processes of the constitutional democracy of the United States. It examines the formal structure of the Federal system of government, including Congress, the presidency, the judiciary, and the various departments, agencies, and commissions which comprise the executive branch. Emphasis is placed on the relationships among Federal, state and local governments in the formulation and administration of domestic policies, and on the interactions among interest groups, elected officials and the public at large with administrators in the policy process. The various topics covered in the survey are linked by consideration of fiscal and budgetary issues, executive management, legislative oversight, administrative discretion, policy analysis and evaluation and democratic accountability.

American Public Policy focuses on the outcomes or products of political institutions and political controversy. The course first addresses the dynamics of policy formations and stalemate, the identification of policy goals, success and failure in implementation, and techniques of policy analysis. Students are then encouraged to apply these concepts in the study of a specific policy area of their choosing, such as foreign, social, urban, energy or environmental policy. This course is an important first step for students wishing to complete IQPs in public policy research. Students are encouraged to complete GOV 1303 prior to enrolling in upper level policy courses such as GOV 2303, GOV 2304 or GOV 2311. There is no specific preparation for this course, but a basic understanding of American political institutions is assumed. Some sections of this course may be offered as Writing Intensive (WI).

This course is an introduction to law and the role courts play in society. The course examines the structure of judicial systems, the nature of civil and criminal law, police practice in the enforcement of criminal law, and the responsibilities of judges, attorneys and prosecutors. Additional topics for discussion include the interpretation of precedent and statue in a common law system and how judicial discretion enables interest groups to use courts for social change. The student is expected to complete the course with an understanding of how courts exercise and thereby control the power of the state. As such, courts function as political actors in a complex system of governance. It is recommended that students complete this course before enrolling in GOV 2310, Constitutional Law. This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.

GOV 1320 is a survey course designed to introduce students to the basic concepts of international relations: power and influence, nations and states, sovereignty and law. These concepts will be explored through the study of issues such as diplomacy and its uses, theories of collective security and conflict, and international order and development. The study of international organizations such as the UN, the European Union or the Organization of American States will also supplement the students’ understanding of the basic concepts. The course may also include comparative political analysis of states or regions. It is designed to provide the basic background materials for students who wish to complete IQPs on topics that involve international relations or comparative political systems. This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.

This course is an examination of the relationship between science-technology and government. It reviews the history of public policy for science and technology, theories and opinions about the proper role of government and several current issues on the national political agenda. Examples of these issues include genetic engineering, the environment and engineering education. It also examines the formation of science policy, the politics of science and technology, the science bureaucracy, enduring controversies such as public participation in scientific debates, the most effective means for supporting research, and the regulation of technology. Throughout the course we will pay particular attention to the fundamental theme: the tension between government demands for accountability and the scientific community’s commitment to autonomy and self-regulation. This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.

Constitutional Law is the study of Supreme Court decisions interpreting the U.S. Constitution. The Foundations course focuses on the powers of the Congress, the Presidency and the Judicial Branch, especially the Supreme Court’s understanding of its own power. These cases reveal, in particular, the evolution of Federal power with the development of a national economy and the shifting balance of power among the three branches of government. Issues of state power in a federal system are also addressed. Lastly, these materials are examined in the context of the great debates regarding how judges interpret the Constitution. How are the words and intent of the Founders applicable to the legal and political conflicts of the twenty-first century? This course will be offered in 2022-23, and in alternating years thereafter.

This course deals with environmental law as it relates to people, pollution and land use in our society. A case method approach will be used to illustrate how the courts and legislators have dealt with these social-legal problems. The course is designed to have the student consider: 1) the legal framework within which environmental law operates; 2) the governmental institutions involved in the formulation, interpretation and application of environmental law; 3) the nature of the legal procedures and substantive principles currently being invoked to resolve environmental problems; 4) the types of hazards to the environment presently subject to legal constraints; 3) the impact that the mandates of environmental law have had, and will have, on personal liberties and property rights; 6) the role individuals and groups can play within the context of our legal system to protect and improve man’s terrestrial habitat and the earth’s atmosphere; and 7) some methods and sources for legal research that they may use on their own.

Intellectual property includes ideas, and the works of inventors, authors, composers and other creative people. Patents, copyrights and trademarks establish legal rights in intellectual property. Alternatively, control over the use of an idea might be maintained by treating it as a trade secret. In these ways, the ideas of inventors and creators are protected and others are prohibited from appropriating the ideas and creative works of others. This course addresses the concept of intellectual property and the public policies that support the law of patent, copyright and trademark. Subjects include the process of obtaining patents, trademarks and copyrights; requirements of originality and, for patents, utility; infringement issues; and the problems posed by international trade and efforts to address them through the World Intellectual Property Organization. This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.

Rapidly developing technologies for computing, information management and communications have been quickly adopted in schools, businesses and homes. The growth of the Internet and of e-commerce, in particular, have given rise to an entirely new set of legal issues as the courts, Congress and international bodies struggle to keep pace with changing technology. This course addresses the government’s role in the development of these technologies and the legal issues that result including questions regarding privacy rights, speech and defamation, and the application of patent and copyright law. Policy questions such as surveillance of e-mail, regulation of content, mandates on the use of filters, and the responsibilities and liability of internet service providers are also discussed. Additional policies studied include attempts to control Internet content and enforce international judgments (resulting from e-commerce or cyber-crime) by foreign states and/or international organizations. Students are expected to integrate knowledge of technology with law, politics, economics and international affairs. This course will be offered in 2022-23, and in alternating years thereafter.

This course will begin by examining privacy in different societies, starting with Eastern Europe during the Cold War and moving west. We will look first at privacy and the threats to it from government, then privacy and the threats posed by business. We will consider various technologies (including online social networks, communication Devices, the Internet), and different regimes for protecting privacy (including law, regulation, and technology). The course is designed to develop critical thinking about the interactions between technology, policy, and the law as well as learning about the privacy tradeoffs one makes in using modern technologies. This course will be offered in 2022-23, and in alternating years thereafter.

It is apparent that environmental problems have outgrown national policy frameworks. Thus, institutions have emerged at the international and transnational levels to coordinate collective problem-solving. But governance involves more than just the practicality of problem-solving; it also involves uncertainty, controversy, power and politics. This course will examine the ways in which global environmental governance has been conceived: from establishing international institutions and agreements, to less tangible ways of interacting. We will examine themes such as scales of governance (from the United Nations to communities), policy networks, the role of NGOs, think tanks and special interests and the role of knowledge in global environmental debates. Students will then use this conceptual and theoretical basis to analyze major global environmental issues including: deforestation; biodiversity; endangered species; and climate change. The goals of this course are to gain an understanding of the main positions in global environmental debates; critically analyze these positions; and gain insight into the politics of global environmental policy and governance.
This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.

It is apparent that environmental problems have outgrown national policy frameworks. Thus, institutions have emerged at the international and transnational levels to coordinate collective problem-solving. But governance involves more than just the practicality of problem-solving; it also involves uncertainty, controversy, power and politics. This course will examine the ways in which global environmental governance has been conceived: from establishing international institutions and agreements, to less tangible ways of interacting. We will examine themes such as scales of governance (from the United Nations to communities), policy networks, the role of NGOs, think tanks and special interests and the role of knowledge in global environmental debates. Students will then use this conceptual and theoretical basis to analyze major global environmental issues including: deforestation; biodiversity; endangered species; and climate change. The goals of this course are to gain an understanding of the main positions in global environmental debates; critically analyze these positions; and gain insight into the politics of global environmental policy and governance.
This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.

Civil Rights and Liberties examines decisions of the Supreme Court which interpret the Bill of Rights and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. These court decisions elaborate the content and meaning of our rights to speak, publish, practice religion, and be free from state interference in those activities. Privacy rights broadly, the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure, and due process rights for criminal suspects are also addressed. Finally, rights to be free from discrimination based on race, religion, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation are examined in the context of equal protection law. Students completing this course will receive credit toward the Minor in Law and Technology among the courses satisfying the requirement in “legal fundamentals.” This course will be offered in 2022-23, and in alternating years thereafter.

How does the courtroom work and where does psychology come into play? Is it really “innocent until proven guilty”? Do people confess to crimes they never committed? How accurate are eyewitnesses? In this course, we will discuss and examine questions like these and many more. This course examines empirical research in the interface of psychology and law. We will learn about standard practices in the criminal justice system and empirical psychological research devoted to understanding these practices. As a discussion-based course, we will tackle topics such as: courtroom procedures, confessions, death penalty, deception, decision making, deliberations, eyewitnesses, expert testimony, jury selection, memory, police, and pretrial publicity. We will also explore how and when psychologists can impact legal guidelines and policies.
This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.

How does the courtroom work and where does psychology come into play? Is it really “innocent until proven guilty”? Do people confess to crimes they never committed? How accurate are eyewitnesses? In this course, we will discuss and examine questions like these and many more. This course examines empirical research in the interface of psychology and law. We will learn about standard practices in the criminal justice system and empirical psychological research devoted to understanding these practices. As a discussion-based course, we will tackle topics such as: courtroom procedures, confessions, death penalty, deception, decision making, deliberations, eyewitnesses, expert testimony, jury selection, memory, police, and pretrial publicity. We will also explore how and when psychologists can impact legal guidelines and policies.
This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.

Environmental issues present some of the major international problems and opportunities facing the world today. Worst-case scenarios envision irrevocable degradation of the earth’s natural systems, but virtually every analysis sees the need for major change worldwide to cope with problems such as global warming, deforestation, ozone layer depletion, loss of biodiversity, and population growth, not to mention exponential increases in “conventional” pollutants in newly industrialized countries. The global environment issues represent a “second-generation” of environmental policy in which the focus of concern has moved from national regulations to international law and institutions. In addition, the environment has emerged as a major aspect of international trade, conditioning corporate investment and accounting for some $200 billion in sales of pollution control equipment in 1991. Exploration of the genesis and implications of these phenomena is the essence of the course. Topically, the material begins with the nature of global environmental problems, drawing on literature from large-scale global modeling as well as particular analyses of the problems mentioned above. Approximately half the course focuses on international laws and institutions, including multilateral treaties (e.g., the Montreal Protocol limiting CFC use, ocean dumping, biodiversity), international institutions (UNEP, the Rio Convention, the OECD) and private initiatives (international standards organizations, ICOLP (Industry Committee for Ozone Layer Protection), etc.) In addition, US policy toward global environmental issues will be compared with that in Japan, Europe and developing countries, from which it differs significantly. Students will design and undertake term projects that address particular issues in detail in an interdisciplinary manner. This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.

This course is open to students accepted to off-campus IQP centers and programs. The course introduces students to research design, methods for social science research, and analysis. It also provides practice in specific research and field skills using the project topics students have selected in conjunction with sponsoring agencies. Students learn to develop social science hypotheses based upon literature reviews in their topic areas and apply concepts drawn from social psychology, anthropology, sociology, economics and other areas as appropriate. Students make presentations, write an organized project proposal, and develop a communication model for reporting their project findings.

How are we able to distinguish instruments, timbres and rhythms from the intertwined sonic stream presented by the world? How do we organize these elements in time to create rhythms, melodies, phrases and pieces? How do perception and memory interact to allow us navigate a musical work? We will explore these questions by considering the cognitive and perceptual processes that shape our musical experience. Topics will include event distinction, temporal perception, hierarchical organization, perceptual grouping, expertise, memory and categorization. We will illustrate these ideas in musical contexts by listening to a variety of musical works. We will consider how psychological principles are applied to music technologies, such as compression algorithms, mixing methodologies and the field of music information retrieval. We will consider experiments that focus on some of these topics to further our understanding about how we experience music. Note: Students that received credit for MU 202X may not receive credit for MU 2501. Students also may not receive credit for both MU 2501 and PSY 2501. This course can count for either the HUA or the SSPS requirement, but it cannot double count for both the HUA and SSPS graduation requirements.

Psychological science is the experimental study of human thought and behavior. Its goal is to contribute to human welfare by developing an understanding of why people do what they do. Experimental psychologists study the entire range of human experience, from infancy until death, from the most abnormal behavior to the most mundane, from the behavior of neurons to the actions of nations. This course offers a broad introduction to important theories, empirical findings, and applications of research in psychological science. Topics will include: use of the scientific method in psychology, evolutionary psychology, behavioral genetics, the anatomy and function of the brain and nervous system, learning, sensation and perception, memory, consciousness, language, intelligence and thinking, life-span development, social cognition and behavior, motivation and emotion, and the nature and treatment of psychological disorders.

This course is concerned with understanding and explaining the mental processes and strategies underlying human behavior. The ways in which sensory input is transformed, reduced, elaborated, stored, and recovered will be examined in order to develop a picture of the human mind as an active processor of information. Topics will include perception, memory, problem-solving, judgment and decision making, human-computer interaction, and artificial intelligence. Special attention will be paid to defining the limitations of the human cognitive system. Students will undertake a project which employs one of the experimental techniques of cognitive psychology to collect and analyze data on a topic of their own choosing.

Social psychology is concerned with how people think about, feel for, and act toward other people. Social psychologists study how people interact by focusing on the individual (not society as a whole) as the unit of analysis, by emphasizing the effect on the individual of the situation or circumstances in which behavior occurs, and by acquiring knowledge through empirical scientific investigation. This course will examine the cause of human behavior in a variety of domains of social life. Topics will include, but not be limited to, person perception, attitude formation and change, interpersonal attraction, stereotyping and prejudice, and small group behavior. Special attention will be given to applied topics: How can the research methods of social psychology be used to help solve social problems? Students will work together in small groups to explore in depth topics in social psychology of their own choosing.

This course surveys human development from conception to death, with an emphasis on the scientific analysis of developmental patterns. The course will cover the biological, cognitive, emotional, social, personality, linguistic, and moral development of the individual at all stages. Students may not receive credit for PSY140X and PSY 1404. Students may not receive credit for both PSY 140X and PSY 1404. Some sections of this course may be offered as Writing Intensive (WI).

This course will introduce the wide variety of psychological disorders that exist in society (personality, anxiety, mood, psychotic, etc.). For each disorder discussed, possible causes, symptoms, preventions, and treatments will be examined. The course will cover psychopathologies throughout the entire spectrum of the lifespan (infancy to adulthood). Empirical research on understanding, diagnosing, and treating the different disorders will be emphasized.

Life experience provides us with little insight into the basic workings of our own minds. As a result, we tend to approach many of the important problems and decisions of our professional and personal lives with only a dim awareness of the limitations and capabilities of the human cognitive system and how its performance can be improved. The purpose of this course is (1) to provide students with the basic psychological knowledge needed to understand and evaluate such important cognitive skills as memory, problem solving, decision making, and reasoning and (2) to provide students the practical skills and experience necessary to improve and assess their cognitive performance. Topics will include but not be limited to memory improvement, study skills, effective problem solving techniques, creativity, numeracy, making effective choices, risky decision making, dynamic decision making, intelligent criticism of assumptions and arguments, and evaluating claims about the mind.

This course provides an opportunity for students with little to no background in psychological science to learn about a special topic within Psychological Science. This course may be repeated for different topics.

This course is concerned with the learning of persons in educational settings from pre-school through college. Material in the course will be organized into five units covering a wide range of topics: Unit 1: Understanding Student Characteristics - Cognitive, Personality, Social, and Moral Development; Unit 2: Understanding the Learning Process - Behavioral, Humanistic, and Cognitive Theories of Learning; Unit 3: Understanding Motivation to Learn; Unit 4: Understanding Student Diversity - Cultural, Economic, and Gender Effects upon Learning; Unit 5: Evaluating Student Learning - Standardized Tests, Intelligence, Grades, and other Assessment Issues. Students planning IQPs in educational settings will find this course particularly useful. Instructional methods will include: lecture, discussion, demonstration, and project work. Course will also focus on current issues in technological education and international higher education. This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.

This course is an introduction to the study of the ways in which social and cultural forces shape human behavior. Cross-Cultural psychology takes a global perspective of human behavior that acknowledges both the uniqueness and interdependence of peoples of the world. Traditional topics of psychology (learning, cognition, personality development) as well as topics central to social psychology, such as intergroup relations and the impact of changing cultural settings, will be explored. Cultural influences on technology development and transfer, as they relate to and impact upon individual behavior, will also be investigated. Students preparing to work at international project centers, International Scholars, and students interested in the global aspects of science and technology will find the material presented in this course especially useful. This course will be offered in 2022-23, and in alternating years thereafter.

This course will provide an overview of the psychological study of gender and will utilize psychological research and theory to examine the influence of gender on the lives of men and women. This course will examine questions such as: What does it mean to be male or female in our society and other societies? How do our constructs of gender develop over our life span? How does our social world (e.g., culture, religion, media) play a role in our construction of gender? and What are the psychological and behavioral differences and similarities between men and women? This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.

In h ealth psychology, we will review global and domestic health-related problems to discuss the links between health and psychology and discuss potential interventions. Health psychology is interdisciplinary in nature and relevant to students interested in health-related topics whether from a psychological, biological, biomedical, global, or preventative measures. Major health problems will be discussed: for example, AIDS is the number one cause of death worldwide; obesity (in children and adults) is a growing epidemic; the aging U.S. population will cause unprecedented health needs. Finally, stress infiltrates chronic health outcomes such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. We will also review what positive health’ means including nutrition, exercise, social support, managing stress, and habits for maintaining good health. Students will engage in research-based learning when considering psychological, cultural, and biological interventions for real world health crises.

School psychology focuses on understanding children and adolescents’ mental health, behavioral health and learning needs in order to work with educators and parents to help students succeed academically and socially. This course will provide an overview of the field of school psychology, drawing from educational, developmental, and cognitive research. Students will critically examine the theoretical, methodological, and practical approaches to understanding how in and out of school interventions and contexts influence the academic, social, and emotional development of children. Topics will include school readiness and transitions, behavioral and self-regulatory skills, socio-cultural diversity and skill gaps, assessment tools and classification, teacher-child interactions, and school- based interventions that promote positive development. This course differs from PSY 2401: They Psychology of Education in that it focuses on school systems rather than education more broadly. Students planning IQPs in educational settings will find this course particularly useful.

Do women have less sexual arousal than men? How do religion, laws, and public policies influence perceptions of sex? What effects does pornography have on sexual attitudes and behaviors? How widespread is sexual and domestic violence? In this class, we will explore questions relating to our sexuality. Human sexuality is the study of the biological, evolutionary, social, cultural, and political perspectives relating to sex and the meaning behind “masculinity”, “femininity”, and “asexual” or “genderqueer”. We will discuss topics such as: gender roles, transgender, sexual orientation, the anatomy and physiology of the act of sex, relationships, sexual aggression, pornography, contraception, pregnancy, abortion, sexuality and aging, and the role of religion, law, policies, and cultural. We will think about how our sexuality influences how we think and act in the world around us. We will examine sexuality within the United States and throughout the world. This course is designed to increase awareness and sensitivity to sexuality and issues relating to it. Discussions in class will be candid and on sensitive and controversial topics.

This course provides an opportunity for students with some background and interest in psychological science to learn about a special topic within Psychological Science. This course may be repeated for different topics.

This course provides an opportunity for students learn how to conduct psychological research in a research laboratory in psychological sciences. This course may be repeated for credit.

Surveys are everywhere. But good surveys based on sound social science are rare. Conducting a successful survey requires familiarity with the methods and techniques developed by psychologists and other social scientists through long experience to ensure the accuracy, reliability, and validity of survey data. This course will focus on the common mistakes of first time survey researchers and ways to avoid them. Topics covered will include alternatives to survey research, sampling, response rates, questionnaire design and implementation, question wording, pretesting, ethical issues in survey research, and communicating survey results. Special attention will be given to issues related to the use of on-line survey platforms. During the course students will be guided through the development, implementation, and analysis of a survey on a topic of their own choosing.
  This course is an appropriate methodology course for psychology and other social science majors and can also be taken by students of all majors as preparation for a survey-based IQP or MQP.
  Students who completed PSY 340X cannot receive credit for PSY 3400.
  This course will be offered in 2022-23 and in alternate years thereafter.

In this course, students will learn about different processes used when designing experiments. In addition, they will learn about different analyses that can be used based on different experimental designs. Students will design and run a simple experiment in the course. In addition, students will analyze the data and present their findings. Topics covered in the course include experimental design, experimental methods, ethical issues related to human participants research, use of statistical analyses and programs to analyze data, and hypothesis testing. Students may not receive credit for both SS 2400 and PSY 3500. This course will be offered in 2021-22 and in alternate years thereafter.

This course provides an opportunity for students with a solid background and interest in psychological science to learn about a special topic within Psychological Science. This course may be repeated for different topics.

This course provides an opportunity for students to conduct psychological research in a research laboratory in psychological sciences. This course may be repeated for credit.

The field of Psychophysiology seeks to answer two key questions: (1) How do psychological factors – like our feelings, attitudes, relationships, behaviors, and social environments – get “under the skin” to affect our physiology? (2) How can we infer someone’s psychological state based on a physiological measurement? For instance, how do different stimuli affect our heart rate? And in turn, if someone’s heart is beating faster, might we infer that they are nervous or that they are excited? In this course, we will cover fundamental stress physiology (e.g., the nervous system, neuroendocrinology, the immunity system etc.), advanced methodologies for assessing psychophysiological constructs (e.g., electromyography, neuroimaging, biospecimens), and both foundational and emerging findings from the field. Ultimately, this course will teach students to make strong inferences about the links between the psychological experience and the body’s physiological reactivity and to understand the broader implications of these links.
Note: Students may not receive credit for both PSY2502 and PSY4110.
This course will be offered in 2021-22 and in alternate years thereafter.

This course provides an opportunity for students with a strong background and interest in psychological science to learn about a special topic within Psychological Science. This course may be repeated for different topics.

This course provides an opportunity for students to conduct advanced psychological research in a research laboratory in psychological sciences. This course may be repeated for credit.

The goal of this course is to provide students with an introduction to the field of system dynamics computer simulation modeling. The course begins with the history of system dynamics and the study of why policy makers can benefit from its use. Next, students systematically examine the various types of dynamic behavior that socioeconomic systems exhibit and learn to identify and model the underlying nonlinear stock-flow-feedback loop structures that cause them. The course concludes with an examination of a set of well-known system dynamics models that have been created to address a variety of socioeconomic problems. Emphasis is placed on how the system dynamics modeling process is used to test proposed policy changes and how the implementation of model-based results can improve the behavior of socioeconomic systems.

The purpose of this course is to prepare students to construct original system dynamics computer simulation models of economic and social systems from real world situations. They are coached to experiment with these models to understand unintended consequences of policy and to design effective policy interventions. Such a modeling process can be used to examine the possible impacts of policy changes and technological innovations on socioeconomic systems. The curriculum in this course covers a detailed examination of the steps of the system dynamics modeling process: problem identification (including data collection and analysis), feedback structure conceptualization, model formulation, model testing and analysis, model documentation and presentation, and policy implementation, illustrated by examples from business, economy and social systems. This course together with either SSI505 or SD1510 can provide the basic background for the students to use system dynamics in their IQP/MQP projects. Students will not be granted credit for both SD 1520 and SD2520.

This course focuses on advanced issues and topics in system dynamics computer simulation modeling. A variety of options for dealing with complexity through the development of policy models, large-scale models and the partitioning of complex problems are discussed. Topics include model building, model validation, model analysis, the use of summary statistics and sensitivity measures, and policy design. The application of system dynamics to theory building and social policy are also reviewed.

This special topics course is conducted as a research seminar, with many sessions being reserved for student presentations. Students will read, evaluate, and report on research papers representing the latest developments in the field of system dynamics. Classical system dynamics models may also be replicated and discussed. Students will complete projects that address specific problems using the system dynamics method.

This course encourages students to explore how a sociological toolkit may be used to examine the impetus for social and historical changes and the effect such changes have on how individuals live, work, and find their place in this world. It operates from the premise that individual lives are not just personal but social— as humans we are shaped by the societies in which we live and the social forces at work within them. Major theoretical perspectives and concepts will be discussed over the course of the semester with primary emphasis on the roles that culture, dimensions of inequality and social change play in shaping individual lives. Students will also explore the influence that social institutions such as the family, religion, education, healthcare, government, economy, and environment have on how humans function within society.

This course addresses the theory and practice of developing solutions to complex social and environmental problems through interaction with roleplaying games and computer simulations designed to promote learning and improve decision-making. By interacting with a selection of games and case studies, students will learn to recognize the systemic causes of complex social and environmental problems and gain experience developing and using simulations to test policies for creating sustainable futures. Special attention will be given to appropriate modeling practices and the design of simulation experiments. The course is run in a laboratory format in which students work in groups to play games, develop simulation models and present them to the class for feedback before they revise and refine their work iteratively for final evaluation.

This course addresses the theory and practice of developing solutions to complex social and environmental problems through interaction with roleplaying games and computer simulations designed to promote learning and improve decision-making. By interacting with a selection of games and case studies, students will learn to recognize the systemic causes of complex social and environmental problems and gain experience developing and using simulations to test policies for creating sustainable futures. Special attention will be given to appropriate modeling practices and the design of simulation experiments. The course is run in a laboratory format in which students work in groups to play games, develop simulation models and present them to the class for feedback before they revise and refine their work iteratively for final evaluation.

The focus of global health research and practice is improving the overall health and health equity of all people worldwide. In this course, we will use an interdisciplinary approach to explore the major biological, social, political, environmental and economic determinants of health. We will analyze the dual burden of communicable and non-communicable disease facing the world’s populations including study of current health systems, global health practices and priorities as well as major organization and institutional players. Class sessions will consist of lecture, intensive small group discussion, and global health case analyses. After successful completion of this course, students will be able to explain the basic principles of public health; discuss the determinants of health; describe how globalization has changed the patterns of the spread of disease and the methods needed to control disease; evaluate the complex, multi-faceted links between health, social and economic factors; and identify critical issues in the delivery of health care services, with a particular emphasis on challenges faced with regard to different cultural and economic settings.

The course is designed to integrate each student’s educational experience and interests in Global Public Health, (e.g., core global public health courses, specializations, and experience). Through seminar discussions and writing assignments students will critically reflect on what they learned in their previous courses and project experiences. In teams, students will prepare a final capstone paper and presentation that critically engages their educational experience in global public health and anticipates how their courses and experiences will translate into their future personal and professional. The course is especially designed as the capstone seminar for Global Public Health minors, but is also open to non-minors. This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.