Community Development and Inclusive Leadership Bachelor of Science Degree
A community development and leadership degree that develops the skills and capabilities you need to lead and manage in community-based environments.
Overview for Community Development and Inclusive Leadership BS
Why Pursue RIT’s Community Development and Leadership Degree
Gain Real-World Experience: Cooperative education and internships, undergraduate research, and study abroad provide hands-on learning experiences where you can apply what you’ve learned in the classroom in the real-world.
Comprehensive Course Offerings: Choose one of six concentrations in business management, community health, deaf leadership, political science, psychology, or public policy.
Multidisciplinary Approach: Courses in business, leadership, communication, public policy, community health, management, and psychology come from across all of RIT’s colleges, providing an integrated, comprehensive education.
Open to All: The major is open to all students (hearing, deaf, or hard of hearing).
RIT’s Community Development and Leadership Degree
RIT’s community development and leadership degree is an innovative, interdisciplinary program that will provide you with leadership, interpersonal communication, research, and data management skills—all of which are needed by dynamic leaders at the helm of 21st century organizations.
The community leadership development program ensures that you will develop the skills and capabilities you will need to lead and manage communities and not-for-profit organizations, advocacy groups, and other entities. You will learn to:
- Identify and analyze traits, skills, communication styles, and best practices of domestic, international, historical, and modern-day community leaders
- Examine personal leadership strengths and weaknesses
- Learn and apply qualitative and quantitative research methods to help identify and address community needs, develop and implement strategies, and assess outcomes
- Recognize and value multicultural, accessible, and inclusive community members and groups
- Determine strategies for dialoguing, identifying, and addressing social justice issues, concerning ability, race, gender, class, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity within different communities
- Identify and utilize best leadership practices in individual, group, and social media communication skills to advance community inclusion, consensus, and productivity
- Integrate grant writing and grant management skills into development of community strategic planning
- Apply core theoretical foundations of inclusive leadership and community development to a variety of government, education, business, and not-for-profit agencies
You may also customize your course work by choosing one of six concentrations to further develop your knowledge and expertise in a particular area of community management, engagement, or concern. Concentrations are available in:
- Business management
- Community health
- Deaf leadership
- Political science
- Psychology
- Public policy
The community development and inclusive leadership degree is a multidisciplinary major offered by RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf, and in partnership with Saunders College of Business, the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Health Sciences and Technology, and the School of Individualized Study. All students (hearing, deaf, and hard of hearing) are invited to apply.
Additional information is available in the Community Development and Inclusive Leadership Program Handbook.
Careers In Community Development and Leadership
You will be prepared to assume entrepreneurial, managerial, and advocacy leadership roles in government, public, private, and educational organizations. You will graduate with a leadership e-portfolio that demonstrates qualitative and quantitative research acumen, grant writing and leadership experience, multicultural competency, and social media management skills as well as a strong foundation in leadership theory and best practices in community development. These transferable and sought-after skills will ensure that you will have success in the workforce or in an advanced graduate program.
Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degrees
Today’s careers require advanced degrees grounded in real-world experience. RIT’s Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees enable you to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in as little as five years of study, all while gaining the valuable hands-on experience that comes from co-ops, internships, research, study abroad, and more.
+1 MBA: Students who enroll in a qualifying undergraduate degree have the opportunity to add an MBA to their bachelor’s degree after their first year of study, depending on their program. Learn how the +1 MBA can accelerate your learning and position you for success.
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Apply for Fall 2025
First-year students can apply for Early Decision II by Jan. 1 to get an admissions and financial aid assessment by mid-January.
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Careers and Experiential Learning
Typical Job Titles
| Community Support and Engagement Specialist | Executive Director | Economic Development Planner |
| Housing and Community Development Administrator | Social Media Director | Chief Executive Officer |
| Editor | Project Assistant Employer Readiness Transition Coach | Assistant to the Director |
| Human Resources Specialist | Community Development Manager | Director of Community Development |
| Assistant Director of Community Relations and Development |
Industries
Cooperative Education and Internships
What’s different about an RIT education? It’s the career experience you gain by completing cooperative education and internships with top companies in every single industry. You’ll earn more than a degree. You’ll gain real-world career experience that sets you apart. It’s exposure–early and often–to a variety of professional work environments, career paths, and industries.
Students in the BS in community development and inclusive leadership are required to complete an experiential learning experience (e.g. cooperative education, internship, etc.).
Curriculum for 2024-2025 for Community Development and Inclusive Leadership BS
Current Students: See Curriculum Requirements
Community Development and Inclusive Leadership, BS degree, typical course sequence
| Course | Sem. Cr. Hrs. | |
|---|---|---|
| First Year | ||
| LEAD-101 | Introduction to Community Leadership and Development (General Education - Social Perspective) |
3 |
| LEAD-102 | Inclusive Leadership Being a successful community leader requires the ability to understand and respond effectively to organizational context. This course provides a comprehensive understanding of organizations with emphasis on various approaches to organizational development. Specific focus will be placed on the workplace structure in educational, government, non-profit, and entrepreneurial environments. Finally, students will learn about methods that organizations use for accessibility and learn about organizational racial justice and disability justice. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
3 |
| LEAD-103 | Introduction to Intersectionality This course will define intersectionality and review the reality of the intersection of race, class, gender and sexual identity. Students will explore how systems of oppression reinforce each other and visually see how varying identities intersect to create an overall matrix of domination. Essential to this course is understanding that there is no construction of race separate from gender, no construction of class separate from race, no construction of sexual identity separate from gender and that identity is not static but contingent, contextual, and simultaneous effect of multiple identities. (Prerequisites: LEAD-102 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
3 |
| Choose one of the following: | 3 |
|
| NMTH-250 | Elementary Statistics (General Education - Mathematical Perspective A) An introductory statistics course utilizing a lecture/lab format in which statistics concepts, probability, probability distributions, and bivariate data are studied. Statistical concepts that are essential for an understanding of social and political issues of contemporary life will be emphasized. Statistical software and applications will be introduced. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to NTID supported students that have completed (UWRT-100 or 150) and NMTH-210 or higher with a grade of C- or better or have a math placement score greater than or equal to 40 or equivalent courses.Prerequisites: This class is restricted to NTID supported students that have completed (UWRT-100 or 150) and NMTH-210 or higher with a grade of C- or better or have a math placement score greater than or equal to 40 or equivalent courses.) Lec/Lab 4 (Fall, Spring). |
|
| STAT-145 | Introduction to Statistics I (General Education - Mathematical Perspective A) This course introduces statistical methods of extracting meaning from data, and basic inferential statistics. Topics covered include data and data integrity, exploratory data analysis, data visualization, numeric summary measures, the normal distribution, sampling distributions, confidence intervals, and hypothesis testing. The emphasis of the course is on statistical thinking rather than computation. Statistical software is used. (Prerequisites: Any 100 level MATH course, or NMTH-260 or NMTH-272 or NMTH-275 or (NMTH-250 with a C- or better) or a Math Placement Exam score of at least 35.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
|
| UWRT-150 | FYW: Writing Seminar (General Education - First Year Writing) Writing Seminar is a three-credit course limited to 19 students per section. The course is designed to develop first-year students’ proficiency in analytical and rhetorical reading and writing, and critical thinking. Students will read, understand, and interpret a variety of non-fiction texts representing different cultural perspectives and/or academic disciplines. These texts are designed to challenge students intellectually and to stimulate their writing for a variety of contexts and purposes. Through inquiry-based assignment sequences, students will develop academic research and literacy practices that will be further strengthened throughout their academic careers. Particular attention will be given to the writing process, including an emphasis on teacher-student conferencing, critical self-assessment, class discussion, peer review, formal and informal writing, research, and revision. Small class size promotes frequent student-instructor and student-student interaction. The course also emphasizes the principles of intellectual property and academic integrity for both current academic and future professional writing. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
3 |
| YOPS-010 | RIT 365: RIT Connections RIT 365 students participate in experiential learning opportunities designed to launch them into their career at RIT, support them in making multiple and varied connections across the university, and immerse them in processes of competency development. Students will plan for and reflect on their first-year experiences, receive feedback, and develop a personal plan for future action in order to develop foundational self-awareness and recognize broad-based professional competencies. (This class is restricted to incoming 1st year or global campus students.) Lecture 1 (Fall, Spring). |
0 |
General Education - Artistic Perspective |
3 | |
General Education - Scientific Principles Perspective |
3 | |
General Education - Elective |
9 | |
| Second Year | ||
| LEAD-200 | Dimensions for Ethical Community Leadership (General Education - Ethical Perspective) This course provides an introduction to ethical theories, concepts, and practices as they relate to community development and inclusive leadership. Some of the topics in this course include: ethical definitions and ethical literacy, individual and group ethics, ethical principles and codes of practice, moral reasoning and behavior, ethical decision-making formats, leadership and followership, intersectionality, and accessibility. These topics will be approached through the use of ethical theories, including: Utilitarianism, Deontology/Kant’s Categorical Perspective, Rawl’s Justice as Fairness, Aristotelian, Confucianism, and Altriusm. Students will learn how to apply these theories using a pluralistic approach. With a focus on ethical leadership experiences and decision-making, students will engage in self-analysis and reflection to develop a deeper ethical self-awareness and cultural awareness in this course. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
3 |
| LEAD-201 | Shaping Educational and Legal Policy (General Education) This course will provide an introduction of legal and educational policies that impact the Deaf community. The course will focus on the national and state legislative and policy making structures and processes, the Americans with Disabilities Act and related laws policy. Against the broad background of current legal policy, the course will also focus on the various styles of leadership within a range of educational settings including but not limited to: early identification and intervention, K – 12, post-secondary, and adult. This course will involve learning about educational laws and policies, including the analysis and development of mock policies. In addition, students will gain a broad understanding of how advocacy, lobbying, and political movements can lead to successful and positive results regarding the education of Deaf and hard of hearing students. (Prerequisites: LEAD-101 and LEAD-102 or equivalent courses.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
3 |
| LEAD-203 | Foundation of Dialogue: Understanding Black Experiences A leader’s ability to facilitate understanding, inclusion, and resolution is key to leading a group to success. Honoring and valuing Black and Black Deaf people’s experiences are critical to creating an inclusive, empowering and effective work group. During classroom dialogue, students will actively participate in structured discussions with students and learn from each other’s perspectives, read and discuss relevant reading material, and explore avenues to resolution. Students may apply knowledge gained through dialogue and readings to lead agencies and organizations to inclusive change. Students will also explore ways of taking action to create change and bridge differences through readings, journals, leading a dialogue and a final written paper. (Prerequisite: LEAD-200 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
3 |
LEAD Concentration Course |
3 | |
General Education - Global Perspective |
3 | |
General Education - Natural Science Inquiry Perspective |
3 | |
General Education - Mathematical Perspective B |
3 | |
General Education - Elective |
3 | |
General Education - Immersion 1, 2 |
6 | |
| Third Year | ||
| LEAD-350 | Introduction to Qualitative Research This course will provide an introduction for students to learn various types of qualitative research in the field of leadership, intersectionality, and accessibility. This course will involve hands-on experiences, developing research questions, interviewing, performing thematic analyses, and identifying vital components of a qualitative research study. (This class is restricted to students with at least 3rd year standing in LEAD-BS.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Summer). |
3 |
| LEAD-351 | Introduction to Quantitative Research This course will introduce students to quantitative methods used within the social sciences to answer research questions. Students will learn how to conduct culturally appropriate research with deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) individuals and Deaf communities and organizations. Students will learn about how to define and measure variables of interest, design surveys and other types of research studies, analyze the data collected, report outcomes, manage data safely, and conduct ethically responsible and culturally authentic research. (Prerequisites: C- or better in STAT-145 or NMTH-250 or equivalent course and students in LEAD-BS with at least 3rd year standing.) Lecture 3 (Spring). |
3 |
| LEAD-500 | Experiential Learning in Community Development and Inclusive Leadership The experiential learning (EL) requirement may be fulfilled through a variety of methods, such as co-op, undergraduate research, summer research experiences, study abroad relevant to the major, or another activity approved by the experiential learning coordinator. (Prerequisites: C- or better in LEAD-350 and LEAD-351 or equivalent courses.) CO OP (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
0 |
| NAST-220 | Fundamentals of Database Applications This course introduces the fundamental concepts of a database management system for creating, maintaining, manipulating, retrieving, and printing business data. Students will learn to create various forms and design reports for storing and displaying data. In addition, the student will create switchboard systems and allow users to view data in multiple dimensions. Students will also learn to save database objects in HTML format so they can be viewed by a browser and imported or exported in XML format. (NTID Supported Students.) Lec/Lab 4 (Fall, Spring). |
3 |
LEAD Concentration Course 2, 3, 4, 5 |
12 | |
General Education - Elective |
3 | |
Open Electives |
6 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| LEAD-501 | Capstone Seminar (WI) Students will conclude their study in the LEAD program by developing a professional portfolio and proposing an area for further examination. The research proposal will investigate current issues in community development and inclusive leadership. Applying knowledge gained from their coursework and their completed experiential learning opportunity, students will develop, write, and present a research proposal. Students will also prepare themselves for future employment and/or continued education at the graduate level by designing a professional e- portfolio. This document will allow students to demonstrate the range of activities and assignments they have undertaken in the LEAD degree program. (Prerequisite: LEAD-500 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Spring). |
3 |
LEAD Concentration Course 6, 7, 8, 9 |
12 | |
General Education - Immersion 3 |
3 | |
General Education - Electives |
6 | |
Open Electives |
6 | |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 120 |
|
The proposed curriculum outline provides an overview of the course work/topic areas in this new program and is subject to change.
Please see General Education Curriculum (GE) for more information.
(WI) Refers to a writing intensive course within the major.
Please see Wellness Education Requirement for more information. Students completing bachelor's degrees are required to complete two different Wellness courses.
Concentrations
Deaf Leadership
| FNRT-355 | Fundraising, Grant Writing, & Marketing for Nonprofit Institutions This course examines the growing autonomy of collecting institutions as they are cut off from various forms of governmental sponsorship and public subsidy and their subsequent needs for raising money from outside, non-traditional sources. The course looks at issues of needs assessment, budgeting, and strategic planning. It focuses on the design and implementation of effective fundraising campaigns, as well as on the organization and writing of successful grant proposals. It also considers the importance of marketing to overall institutional success. Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| LEAD-300 | Communication Strategies for Leadership This course centers on rhetoric as the art of persuasion and connection to explore how leaders use rhetorical strategies to communicate their message and persuade their target audiences. Students learn significant rhetorical and communication strategies for conveying valuable knowledge and a leadership vision that persuades audiences and motivates communities. Students analyze communication practices by leaders in video-recorded historical and contemporary speeches drawn from multiple sources, including new media and visual narratives. Students will become skilled in their use of multiple rhetorical devices and communication strategies to connect with their audiences and accomplish their purposes as leaders. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| LEAD-301 | Social Media Communication and Leadership Social media is a valuable leadership tool. This course focuses on social media communication and leadership and provides an overview of how to strategize, create, and evaluate social media activities used by leaders and organizations. Students will build their own social media brand and design accessible and inclusive content using prominent theories and approaches that guide successful social media practice. To examine the constantly evolving social media landscape, real-time case studies, ethical and psychological issues, and current social trends are integrated throughout the course. Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| LEAD-302 | Community Development in Athletics This course offers a unique perspective into leadership within the sports community. Students will learn about sports philosophy, characteristics of athletic leadership, and group dynamics. Team communication strategies and the cultivation of community of athletes will also be discussed. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| LEAD-303 | Literatures of Intersectionality Leaders of social justice movements work towards visions of a better world—one that dismantles systemic barriers and injustices. This course will turn to intersectional fiction writing to examine how literature can contribute to social justice movements. In other words, we will ask how reading literatures of intersectionality may foster social justice movements. In doing so, we will situate contemporary intersectional literature in their historical contexts—looking to the theory and writing of feminist women-of-color, queer studies, disability studies, Indigenous studies, and Deaf studies. We will read some of these theories as literature and literature as theory—with attention to interlocking forms of oppression and privilege. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| LEAD-304 | Conflict Resolution: Negotiation and Mediation This skills-oriented course introduces theories and practices of conflict resolution and provides basic training in mediation, negotiation, and facilitation. In addition to examining the strengths and weaknesses for each of these conflict resolution methods, this course orients students to specific tools commonly used in each to manage conflicts, such as identifying the zone of possible agreement (ZOPA), developing BATNAs (best alternative to a negotiated agreement), and performing SWOT Analyses (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats). Through the use of case studies, simulations, role-plays, and reflective practice, students will learn how to manage power imbalances and ethical dilemmas, address needs for accommodations, and adapt for cultural differences. Students will learn a range of transferable skills for managing interpersonal, organizational, and community disputes. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| LEAD-305 | International Deaf Leadership and Community Development The challenges and opportunities for deaf community development vary from one country to another. This course focuses on the skills and best practices for deaf community leaders to implement in their countries of origin. Students will be introduced to international laws that support deaf and their communities. The achievements of past and current international deaf community leaders will be studied and used as a model for identifying the needs of communities and mobilizing community action. This course is designed for international and domestic students who are committed to making positive organizational changes. (Prerequisites: LEAD-306 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| LEAD-306 | Leadership in the Deaf Community This course will introduce historical and current issues regarding leadership and the Deaf/Hard of Hearing (D/HH) community. Students will learn about D/HH leaders in the Deaf community over the years, examine movements that have impacted the lives of D/HH individuals, and finally, learn about influential organizations of, by, and for D/HH individuals. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| LEAD-307 | Leadership & Accessible Tech This course equips students with tools for understanding principles and uses of accessible technologies, such as captioned media, mobile applications, and voice recognition software, with a focus on how deaf and hard-of-hearing leaders and organizations work to ensure access to communication. This course is built on the framework of access as a continual process in which users advocate for the needs of their community. This course establishes the legal requirements that mandate access technologies, such as captioned media, and reviews how leaders have campaigned for increased access to media. These underlying principles inform the course’s overriding exploration of the benefits and limitations of current technologies that may not be fully accessible; how current leaders and leading organizations utilize access technologies to facilitate signed, spoken, and written communication; and current work on the next generation of access technologies. The readings, assignments, and discussions in this course will encourage students to recognize how access technologies can support individuals as well as how leaders can serve as advocates who work to fight for improved access to communication and other resources in their communities. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| LEAD-308 | Current Trends in Community Development and Leadership This course includes an overview of the current trends in community development and leadership. Content includes best practices and topics for community development and leadership, as well as pertinent laws, policies, resources and information. Students will participate in and critique a designated set of lectures, roundtable discussions and presentations on topics covering current trends in community development and inclusive leadership. The goal is to engage students in discussion of current trends with their peers and with experts in the field. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| Choose one of the following: | |
| LEAD-309 | Dialogue: Race and Ethnicity This course will include an overview of the history of current race & ethnic relations in the United States, including the Deaf community. It will provide students with advanced skills in planning, evaluating and leading group discussions needed to create and empower working groups in the community, education or on the job, to achieve their organizational goals. Students will be challenged to apply these skills by engaging in discussion about critical and contemporary issues experienced by people of color and diverse ethnicities to facilitate understanding and resolution between members of diverse working groups. During classroom dialogue, students will actively participate in structured discussions with students and learn from each other’s perspectives. Students will explore avenues for resolution. Students will use readings, journals, discussions, and a final written paper to explore ways of taking action to create change and bridge differences. (Prerequisites: LEAD-203 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring). |
| SOCI-220 | Minority Group Relations The course will provide a context in which to examine the multiple and contradictory social relations of domination, subordination, resistance, and empowerment. The kinds of questions we will explore focus on how power, knowledge, meaning, and cultural representation are organized. We will analyze a variety of political and ideological themes which bear upon the formation of minority group relations, their identity and how these themes complicate the processes by which people construct their understanding of the nation, world, of others, and themselves. Through reflection on theoretical texts and fictional works, as well as film and other popular media, we will consider for ourselves how culture is differently represented and signified, and how the politics of understanding and misunderstanding minority relations work through practices within and outside cultural institutions. Lecture 3 (Fa/sp/su). |
| Choose one of the following: | |
| LEAD-310 | Dialogue: Gender An overview of the history of gender and its evolution in American society will be provided. Students will be challenged to apply dialogue skills by engaging in discussion about critical and contemporary issues experienced by different genders to facilitate understanding and resolution between members of diverse working groups. During classroom dialogue, students will actively participate in structured discussions with students and learn from each other’s perspectives, read and discuss relevant reading material, and explore avenues to resolution. Students will also explore ways of taking action to create change and bridge differences through readings, journals, leading a discussion and a final reflection paper. (Prerequisites: LEAD-203 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| HIST-335 | Women and the Deaf Community Deaf history, as a field, has often neglected the story of deaf women. Scholar Arlene B. Kelly has recently asked, Where is deaf herstory? This course seeks to correct that gender imbalance in deaf history. We will study deaf women's history. This will include a consideration of deaf-blind women, as well, as women like Helen Keller were often the most famous deaf women of their era. But this course also seeks to look at the role of hearing women in deaf history. Hearing women dominated the field of deaf education in the late nineteenth century. They had a tremendous impact on the lives of deaf children and the events of deaf educational history. Hearing women were also important figures in deaf history as mothers. As mothers of deaf children, hearing women were frequently asked to behave as teachers in the home. Their embrace of this role often led them to endorse oral education, and oppose the sign language. Hearing mothers in this way were pitted against their adult deaf daughters, who frequently went on to learn sign language against their mothers' wishes. The historically complex relationship between women and the deaf community will be explored in this course. Lecture 3 (Biannual). |
| Choose one of the following: | |
| LEAD-311 | Dialogue: Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, Hard-of-Hearing A history of the Deaf, Deafblind, DeafDisabled and Hard-of-Hearing communities and their relationship with the American society will be discussed. This course will challenge students to apply group skills by engaging in discussion about critical and contemporary issues experienced by deaf, deafblind, deafdisabled, or hard-of-hearing communities to facilitate understanding and resolution between members of diverse work groups. During classroom dialogue, students will actively participate in structured discussions with students and learn from each other’s perspectives, read and discuss relevant reading material, and explore avenues to resolution. Students will also use readings, journals, discussions, and a final reflection paper to explore ways of taking action to create change and bridge differences. (Prerequisites: LEAD-203 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring). |
| HIST-330 | Deafness and Technology The deaf community has a long and complicated relationship with technological devices. The deaf community, for instance, was quick to embrace the new technology of moving pictures, and many deaf actors found work in early Hollywood during the silent film era. Most lost their livelihoods when sound was introduced to motion pictures. Deaf people were left out of the communication revolution brought about by the telephone for many years, but now the deaf community is increasingly a wired community, as texting, tweeting, and vlogging makes more communication technologies accessible to deaf users. This course will explore the historical relationship between technology and deafness. It will consider how views of deafness frequently shape technology, that is, if deafness is viewed as a pathological illness, technologies are focused on curing it (e.g., cochlear implants), whereas, if deaf people are viewed as members of linguistic and cultural minority, technologies are harnessed to make it easier for that minority to interact with the majority culture (e.g, relay systems). This course will consider how deaf people have historically used, created, and adopted technologies to their own ends. Lecture 3 (Spring). |
| Choose one of the following: | |
| LEAD-312 | Dialogue: LGBTQIA An evolution of the LGBTQIA movement and intersectionality will be covered. This course will challenge students to apply group skills by engaging in discussion about critical and contemporary issues experienced by LGBTQIA communities to facilitate understanding and resolution between members of diverse work groups. During classroom dialogue, students will actively participate in structured discussions and learn from each other’s perspectives, read and discuss relevant reading material, and explore avenues to resolution. Students will also use readings, journals, leading a discussion and a final reflection paper to explore ways of taking action to create change and bridge differences. (Prerequisites: LEAD-203 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| HIST-333 | Diversity in the Deaf Community Students in this course will be introduced to the historical study of diversity in the Deaf community, especially as it relates to issues of race, ethnicity, gender, disability, and sexuality. Students will learn to analyze the implications of such diversity in terms of the social perception of deaf people, the history of the education of deaf people, and the experience of acculturation for and as Deaf people. The course will examine how the process of acculturation has operated, historically, within the Deaf community. Deaf culture has sought to transcend various differences and to bond members of the Deaf community together, in one, larger Deaf identity. But has this always been achieved? How has the Deaf community handled issues of diversity in different historical moments? Has the history of diversity within the Deaf community been similar to the history of diversity within the hearing community? Or have there been distinctively Deaf ways of diversity in history? This course will invite students to compare and contrast the history of difference and diversity in the deaf and hearing communities, and to explore those historical moments of intersection and interaction as well. Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| Choose one of the following: | |
| LEAD-313 | Dialogue: Social Class An overview of class and privilege in American society will be provided in this course. In a socially diverse organization, an effective leader must develop the talent of harnessing the skills and contributions of each of its members to achieve its goals. Classism and privilege have precluded many people from access to or full participation in many educational, professional, and community-based organizations. Developing skills to discuss issues of classism and privilege is critical to any work group’s effectiveness. A leader’s ability to facilitate understanding and resolution is key to leading the group to success. Working to establish a just work group as well as empowering and valuing diverse abilities and experiences are critical to creating inclusive and effective work groups. (Prerequisites: LEAD-203 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| SOCI-240 | Deaf Culture in America This course is an introductory survey of Deaf culture in the United States. Students will study the scholarly literature pertaining to various social groups in the Deaf community and have contact with their members. This course will familiarize students with the characteristics of Deaf Culture, as well as general perceptions of the Deaf community within the dominant mainstream society. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
Business Management Concentration
| ACCT-110 | Financial Accounting An introduction to the way in which corporations report their financial performance to interested stakeholders such as investors and creditors. Coverage of the accounting cycle, generally accepted accounting principles, and analytical tools help students become informed users of financial statements. (This course is available to RIT degree-seeking undergraduate students.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
| NACC-205 | Financial Accounting Introduction to accounting principles for both accounting and non-accounting students. Both service and merchandising (retail/wholesale) businesses are introduced. Areas covered include: analyzing and recording of business transactions using the double-entry accounting system; adjusting and closing entries and financial statement preparation. Generally accepted accounting principles, accounting ethics and analytical tools help students become informed users of financial statements. (NTID Supported Students.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| ACCT-210 | Management Accounting Introduction to the use of accounting information by managers within a business. Explores the value of accounting information for the planning and controlling of operations, assessing the cost of a product/service, evaluating the performance of managers, and strategic decision making. (Prerequisites: ACCT-110 or NACC-205 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
| NACC-206 | Managerial Accounting Introduction to the use of cost accounting information by managers within a business. This course includes development of manufacturing statements, cost theory, integration of materials, labor and overhead, job order and process costing, flexible budgeting and evaluating the performance of managers and divisions through variance analysis. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to NTID supported students who have completed NACC-205 or equivalent.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| DECS-310 | Operations Management A survey of operations and supply chain management that relates to both service- and goods- producing organizations. Topics include operations and supply chain strategies; ethical behavior; forecasting; product and service design, including innovation and sustainability; capacity and inventory management; lean operations; managing projects; quality assurance; global supply chains; and the impacts of technology. (Prerequisites: STAT-145 or MATH-251 or equivalent courses.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
| MGMT-215 | Organizational Behavior As an introductory course in managing and leading organizations, this course provides an overview of human behavior in organizations at the individual, group, and organizational level with an emphasis on enhancing organizational effectiveness. Topics include: individual differences, work teams, motivation, communication, leadership, conflict resolution, organizational culture, and organizational change. (This class is restricted to undergraduate students with at least 2nd year standing.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
| MGMT-310 | Leading High-Performance Teams Taught in an experiential, team-based format, this class focuses on leading cross cultural and virtual teams, with an emphasis on developing strong team dynamics for effective performance in a global environment. Thus, class topics will center around understanding team development and leading teams, while considering varying relevant factors such as cultural differences, virtual communication, managing conflict, and team climate/trust, among others. The course will provide hands-on experience in leading and participating in teams as students will be assigned to a team and will take on different roles, including team leader. When possible, the class includes a virtual team project with students at RIT’s global campuses. (Prerequisites: MGMT-215 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| MGMT-320 | Organizational Effectiveness Skills This course provides students with working knowledge and practice of the professional and interpersonal skills of effective organizational members. Skills include networking, presenting, professional writing, giving and receiving feedback, handling conflict, and leveraging diversity. Particular emphasis is placed upon applying these skills in a virtual work environment. (Prerequisites: MGMT-215 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| MGIS-130 | Information Systems & Technology To be successful in our globally-networked business environment, contemporary management professionals must have a strong grounding in the principles of information and information technology. This course provides an introduction to the field of management information systems (MIS), including the tools and techniques for managing information and information technologies within organizations. We place a particular emphasis on the nature of systems, the role of information in business processes, the management of data, and the planning of MIS design projects. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| MGIS-330 | Systems Analysis and Design Successful organizations utilize a systematic approach to solve real-world business problems through the use of computing resources. Students who complete this course will be able to design and model business processes. They will learn how to conduct requirements analysis, approach the design or redesign of business processes, model system functions, effectively communicate systems designs to various levels of management, work in a project-based environment, and approach the implementation of a new organizational information system. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| MGIS-320 | Database Management Systems Transforming data into information is critical for making business decisions. This course introduces students to the concepts of data, information and the business database management systems (DBMS) used by modern organizations. Exercises and hands-on projects are used to model the information needs of an organization and implement and query databases using applications such as Microsoft Access and SQL. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| MGIS-350 | Developing Business Applications Development of business applications is transforming from programming to integration of software components using application development environments. Students learn the fundamentals of computer programming and applications development through a set of programming exercises that focus on visual development environments and component integration. These exercises expand into a project where students apply concepts of typical development and project methodologies to complete a comprehensive programming assignment. Lecture 3 (Spring). |
| MGIS-450 | Enterprise Systems This course explores the role of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems in organizations. Students analyze cross-functional business processes and ERP systems commonly used to support these processes. Students engage in a hands-on project using a current ERP system, such as SAP R/3, to demonstrate, analyze and design system structures, key data elements and process configurations that support cross-functional business processes, including accounting, sales, material management, production and distribution. Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| MKTG-230 | Principles of Marketing An introduction to the field of marketing, stressing its role in the organization and society. Emphasis is on determining customer needs and wants and how the marketer can satisfy those needs through the controllable marketing variables of product, price, promotion and distribution. (This class is restricted to undergraduate students with at least 2nd year standing.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
| NBUS-227 | Principles of Marketing This course introduces the field of marketing and its focus on how consumer purchasing behavior impacts the marketplace (domestically and internationally). Emphasis will be placed on understanding the customers' needs and wants, marketing mix and its impact on the external market environment. Students will demonstrate the marketing concepts, principles and strategies through the development of a marketing plan. (NTID Supported Students.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| MKTG-320 | Global Marketing Internet marketing is critical to an organization's overall strategy. This course focuses on tactics and strategies that enable marketers to fully leverage the internet. Topics include the overall internet marketing landscape, technologies, customer segmenting and targeting, search, analytics and emerging internet-marketing platforms. (Prerequisites: MKTG-230 or NBUS-227 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| MKTG-350 | Consumer Behavior A study of the determinants of buying behaviors. Emphasis is on identifying target markets and customer needs, internal and external influences on lifestyle and understanding the buying decision process. (Prerequisites: MKTG-230 or NBUS-227 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| MKTG-360 | Professional Selling Selling concepts, tools, strategies, and tactics are discussed as they apply to both external and internal customers. Students learn and experience some of problems faced and rewards earned by those in professional sales. Customer relationship management/partnering with customers and truly seeking to meet their requirements are discussed as key to long-term success. (Prerequisites: MKTG-230 or NBUS-227 or equivalent course and 3rd year standing.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| MKTG-370 | Advertising and Promotion Management An in-depth view of tools of promotion management: advertising, sales promotion, public relations, personal selling, direct marketing and internet marketing as well as new and alternative media. Basic concepts of how to use print, broadcast, internet and out-of-home media are studied. Planning, budgeting, creative strategy, and the roles of advertising agencies are also covered. (Prerequisites: MKTG-230 or NBUS-227 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| MKTG-410 | Search Engine Marketing and Analytics An examination of search engine marketing strategies to maximize site traffic, lower customer acquisition costs and boost conversion rates. Marketing frameworks provide the basis for the hands-on examination of search engine marketing and web analytics. (Prerequisites: MKTG-320 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
Public Policy Concentration
| FNRT-355 | Fundraising, Grant Writing & Marketing for Nonprofit Institutions This course examines the growing autonomy of collecting institutions as they are cut off from various forms of governmental sponsorship and public subsidy and their subsequent needs for raising money from outside, non-traditional sources. The course looks at issues of needs assessment, budgeting, and strategic planning. It focuses on the design and implementation of effective fundraising campaigns, as well as on the organization and writing of successful grant proposals. It also considers the importance of marketing to overall institutional success. Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| PUBL-201 | Ethics, Values & Public Policy This course focuses on the connections and interplay between personal and social values, ethics, and public policy. It explores how values and norms influence public policies and how the resulting expressions of values through public policies impact the implementation and effectiveness of policy choices. It also delves into how different countries make widely different policy choices based on their citizens’ values and social norms. The course also considers how new developments in science and technology influence the interplay between values, ethics, and policy across multiple issues. In addition, this course explores how to formulate values-based explanations of certain public policy preferences. Topics range across the policy issue spectrum. Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| PUBL-301 | Public Policy Analysis This course provides students with necessary tools to help them become effective policy analysts. The course places particular emphasis on understanding the policy process, the different approaches to policy analysis, and the application of quantitative methods, such as cost-benefit analysis, sampling designs, and decision trees. Students will apply these tools to contemporary public policy decision making at the local, state, federal, and international levels. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students with at least 2nd year standing.) Lecture 3 (Spring). |
| PUBL-363 | Cyber Security Policy and Law Why are we still so bad at protecting computer systems? Is it because we don’t have good enough technology? Or because we lack sufficient economic incentives to implement that technology? Or because we implement technologies but then fail to use them correctly? Or because the laws governing computer security are so outdated? Or because our legal frameworks are ill-equipped to deal with an international threat landscape? All these reasons—and others— have been offered to explain why we seem to see more and more large-scale cybersecurity incidents and show no signs of getting better at preventing them. This course will examine the non-technical dimensions of this problem—the laws and other policy measures that govern computer security threats and incidents. We will focus primarily on U.S. policy but will also discuss relevant policies in the E.U. and China, as well as international tensions and norms. The
central themes of the course will be the ways in which technical challenges in security can be influenced by the social, political, economic, and legal landscapes, and what it means to protect against cybersecurity threats not just by writing better code but also by writing better policies and laws. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| PUBL-510 | Technological Innovation and Public Policy Technological innovation, the incremental and revolutionary improvements in technology, has been a major driver in economic, social, military, and political change. This course will introduce generic models of innovation that span multiple sectors including: energy, environment, health, and bio- and information-technologies. The course also analyzes how governments choose policies, such as patents, to spur and shape innovation and its impacts on the economy and society. Students will be introduced to a global perspective on innovation policy including economic competitiveness, technology transfer and appropriate technology. Lecture 3 (Spring). |
| PUBL-520 | Information & Communications Policy This course examines how federal and international policies are developed to influence innovation in, and regulation of, information, computer, and telecommunications technologies. In particular the course will examine such topics as privacy, freedom of speech, cyber security, copyrights and intellectual property rights, access to information technology, and the regulation of the Internet. Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| PUBL-530 | Energy Policy This course provides an overview of energy resources, technologies, and policies designed to ensure clean, stable supplies of energy for the future. The course evaluates the impacts of fossil fuel, renewable energy, and hydrogen technologies on society and how public policies can be used to influence their development. The development of U.S. energy policy is of particular concern, although a global perspective will be integrated throughout the course. Lecture 3 (Spring). |
| PUBL-531 | Climate Change: Science, Technology and Policy This multidisciplinary course will provide students with diverse perspectives on global climate change issues, providing a survey of important aspects of the problem. Topics include atmospheric chemistry, climate modeling, ecological impacts and feedbacks, economics of climate change, international climate policies, and social and environmental justice. The course will include a variety of instructors and guest lecturers, providing an overview of the complex and inter-related nature of global climate change. (This class is restricted to undergraduate students with at least 3rd year standing.) Lecture 3 (Spring). |
| PUBL-589 | Topics in Public Policy Allows examination of a special problem or topical area in the field of public policy. Topics and specific content and methods vary from year to year or term to term. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| STSO-201 | Science and Technology Policy STP eExamines how local, state, federal and international policies are developed to influence innovation, the transfer of technology and industrial productivity in the United States and other selected nations. It provides a framework for considering the mechanisms of policy as a form of promotion and control for science and technology, even once those innovations are democratized and effectively uncontrollable. Further focus is dedicated to the structure of governance inherent in U.S. domestic policy, limits of that approach, the influences of international actors, and utilizing case studies to demonstrate the challenges inherent in managing differing types of technology. Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| STSO-341 | Biomedical Issues: Science and Technology This course examines the ethics, conundrums, hopes, and fears associated with biomedicine within Western cultures and societies. For centuries human beings have been interested in the human body and its relationship with the world. With increasing technological intervention and diagnoses, we stand at a threshold of decision-making and procedure use and development. What are appropriate uses for biomedical technologies? Who decides? In a world of limited resources and unlimited imagination, what areas of medicine and biomedical investigations are best pursued, and at what expense to whom? Moving beyond “right and wrong” debates, we will explore the values inherent to the technologies themselves and those who build and utilize them, and examine a variety of views and arguments framing current scholarly debates surrounding these and other crucial questions of biomedicine. Lecture 3 (Biannual). |
| STSO-421 | Environmental Policy Governments and organizations use a variety of tools, including laws and regulations, to take action on issues related to people and the environment. This course introduces students to environmental policies on numerous topics in a variety of institutions, contexts, and scales (such as local, state, federal, international). Students will examine how societal values inform the development, content, and impacts of environmental policies. Key topics include climate change, air and water pollution, and community sustainability. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
Community Health Concentration
| ANTH-435 | The Archaeology of Death Death and burial are how most individuals enter the archaeological record and one could say that deliberate burial of the dead is the first direct evidence we have for the emergence of ethical and religious systems of thought. Human remains, their mortuary treatment, and associated material culture illuminate past patterns of social organization, economics, belief systems, health, and the negotiation of gender, status, and identity. In this course we explore the scientific and theoretical tools used to analyze and interpret past mortuary practices, how archaeologists create new knowledge about the past through the formulations and testing of hypotheses, survey mortuary practices from their first occurrence in the archaeological record, and what human remains can tell us about changes in the human experience over time and space. We will learn how human remains are identified, how determinations of age, sex, biological affiliation, health, and injury are made, how to interpret formation processes, to interpret associated material culture to understand the negotiation of gender and status; how humans have cared for the deceased members of their societies at different times and places in the human past; and the ethics of studying human mortuary remains. Lab 2, Lecture 2 (Fall or Spring). |
| COMM-344 | Health Communication An introduction to the subject of communication in health care delivery and in public health campaigns, with an emphasis on interpersonal, organizational, and mass communication approaches. Also covered is the interrelationship of health behavior and communication. Lecture 3 (Spring). |
| CRIM-245 | Prostitution and Vice |
| CRIM-275 | Crime and Violence This course focuses on the outbreak and prevalence of violent crime in the United States as one of the most important social realities of the past 100 years. In addition to a historical review, we will also scrutinize contemporary problems associated with violence. These problems include street violence, terrorism, riots, vigilantism, and how the criminal justice system has attempted to control these problems. (Prerequisites: CRIM-110 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Spring). |
| HLTH-315 | Reinventing Health Care |
| HLTH-320 | Legal Aspects of Health Care This course provides an overview of statues and regulations as they apply to the health care system. Topics include: an overview of the American legal system; licensure of institutions; licensure and discipline of practitioners; physician-patient relationship; reproductive issues; the right to die; organ donations; medical records; legal liability; malpractice; and labor law. Lecture 3 (Spring). |
| HLTH-325 | Health Care Leadership Highly trained clinical and administrative professionals drive the nature of work in health care. The purpose of this course is to provide students the opportunity to study leadership theory as it is applied in health care organizations. Leadership theories and applications geared toward professionals working in health service organizations will be emphasized. Students will learn to apply leadership theories via case studies and issue analysis of their active work environments. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| HLTH-330 | Health Planning And Program Development This course provides a review of the methodology of planning effectively for health care services. The use of data systems and the methods of forecasting, identifying, and analyzing problems are explored. The course will all address the process of strategic planning, setting priorities, developing projects and allocating resources. Students prepare actual application for new programs to regulatory agencies. Lecture 3 (Spring). |
| FNRT-355 | Fundraising, Grant Writing & Marketing for Nonprofit Institutions This course examines the growing autonomy of collecting institutions as they are cut off from various forms of governmental sponsorship and public subsidy and their subsequent needs for raising money from outside, non-traditional sources. The course looks at issues of needs assessment, budgeting, and strategic planning. It focuses on the design and implementation of effective fundraising campaigns, as well as on the organization and writing of successful grant proposals. It also considers the importance of marketing to overall institutional success. Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| PSYC-221 | Psychological Disorders This course will serve as an introduction to the study of psychopathology and mental illness. The course examines the major categories of mental disorder not only from the descriptive point of view, but also in terms of the major theoretical explanations of the causes of disorder. The major treatment modalities also are covered. (Prerequisites: PSYC-101 or PSYC-101H or completion of one (1) 200 level PSYC course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| PSYC-221H | Honors Psychological Disorders This course will serve as an introduction to the study of psychopathology and mental illness. The course examines the major categories of mental disorder not only from the descriptive point of view, but also in terms of the major theoretical explanations of the causes of disorder. The major treatment modalities are also covered. This honors course will consist of seminar-style discussions of major course topics as well as independent research work to explore topics related to abnormal psychology in greater depth than the standard abnormal psychology course. (Prerequisite: PSYC-101 or PSYC-101H or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Annual). |
| PSYC-231 | Death and Dying This course examines the role of loss including death in our lives and the way we give and receive support during difficult times. It also looks at how society enfranchises some grievers and disenfranchises others. Included in this course is an examination of our options as consumers of funeral and burial services, grief counseling and other products and services which can either minimize or abate our grief. Central to the course is an examination of the ethical principles which apply to abortion, euthanasia and suicide and an examination of the ways in which the choices we make may be structured to express our core values. Finally, the course explores how The American way of Death differs from that of other societies and how we might incorporate the wisdom of other cultures into our own practices. (Prerequisites: PSYC-101 or PSYC-101H or completion of one (1) 200 level PSYC course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
| PSYC-241 | Health Psychology A majority of serious diseases today are caused by or exacerbated by behavior and many are preventable. This course provides an introduction to the role of behavior in health. Students will learn about the role of psychology in studying and promoting good health behaviors. Topics include the impact of stress and coping on health, psychological variables related to chronic disease, drug addiction, promoting healthy behavior (e.g. exercise, diet, sleep, sexual health), positive psychology, pain management, critical thinking about health product and alternative medicine claims, and research approaches in health psychology. Students who might elect to take this course include students majoring in related fields who wish to learn more about health behavior (e.g. healthcare technology), students majoring, minoring, or immersing in Psychology, and students looking for a Liberal Arts Elective. (Prerequisites: PSYC-101 or PSYC-101H or completion of one (1) 200 level PSYC course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| SOCI-102 | Foundations of Sociology Sociology is the study of the social world and socialization processes. Sociologists study the broader picture of how societies are structured and organized through a macro-sociological analysis as well as how individuals create their own social reality symbolically through their interactions with others in a micro-sociological analysis. Students in this course will learn the fundamentals of each approach and come away with a sociological framework which they can critically apply to their own lives. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
| SOCI-246 | Gender and Health This course examines connections between gender and health that are both conceptual and empirical. Students will explore the causes of gender-based differences in health outcomes through case studies of sexual and reproductive rights, HIV/AIDS epidemics and violence. Students will also examine global gender and health trends. The course concludes with an examination of gender inequity in health care and policy implications of these inequities. Lecture 3 (Annual). |
| ANTH-246 | Gender and Health This course examines connections between gender and health that are both conceptual and empirical. Students will explore the causes of gender-based differences in health outcomes through case studies of sexual and reproductive rights, HIV/AIDS epidemics and violence. Students will also examine global gender and health trends. The course concludes with an examination of gender inequity in health care and policy implications of these inequities. Lecture 3 (Annual). |
| SOCI-322 | Health and Society What would a healthy society look like? What questions should we be asking of those in power to ensure health equity? What is health equity? The objective of this course is to develop a sociological language for answering these and other questions. To do so, students will evaluate the relationship between health and society – that is, the connections between contemporary health disparities and today’s social, physical, and political economic environments. This includes an analysis of macro-factors (climate change, environmental pollution, global and/or national economies, laws) and micro-factors (social media, neighborhood conditions, green spaces, poor- or low-quality housing, and leisure spaces). The course emphasizes that health is impacted by the social circumstances into which people are born; inequitable distributions of power; and social/legal categories of exclusion and inclusion. Though sociological in orientation, this course resonates with the disciplinary and professional aims of medical anthropologists, public health professionals, community health practitioners, and anyone committed to eradicating health disparities. Lecture 3 (Annual). |
| STSO-341 | Biomedical Issues: Science and Technology This course examines the ethics, conundrums, hopes, and fears associated with biomedicine within Western cultures and societies. For centuries human beings have been interested in the human body and its relationship with the world. With increasing technological intervention and diagnoses, we stand at a threshold of decision-making and procedure use and development. What are appropriate uses for biomedical technologies? Who decides? In a world of limited resources and unlimited imagination, what areas of medicine and biomedical investigations are best pursued, and at what expense to whom? Moving beyond “right and wrong” debates, we will explore the values inherent to the technologies themselves and those who build and utilize them, and examine a variety of views and arguments framing current scholarly debates surrounding these and other crucial questions of biomedicine. Lecture 3 (Biannual). |
Political Science Concentration
| FNRT-355 | Fundraising, Grant Writing & Marketing for Nonprofit Institutions This course examines the growing autonomy of collecting institutions as they are cut off from various forms of governmental sponsorship and public subsidy and their subsequent needs for raising money from outside, non-traditional sources. The course looks at issues of needs assessment, budgeting, and strategic planning. It focuses on the design and implementation of effective fundraising campaigns, as well as on the organization and writing of successful grant proposals. It also considers the importance of marketing to overall institutional success. Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| POLS-110 | American Politics This course examines the basic principles, themes and institutions of American politics. The course will approach the study of American politics from four interrelated topics: 1) American political values and constitutional foundations; 2) mass politics and political socialization; 3) political institutions; and 4) public policy. Current events will be discussed throughout the course in an effort to promote responsible citizenship. In addition to providing a basic overview of American politics, this course seeks to develop critical thinking, group dynamic and communication skills that are transferrable outside the classroom. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| POLS-120 | Introduction to International Relations The purpose of this course is to provide a basic knowledge of the field of international relations. Among the topics to be addressed are key theoretical concepts, themes and controversies in the field such as: important state and non-state actors in international politics, security, economic relations between states, levels of analysis, and schools of thought. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| POLS-215 | Tech, Ethics & Global Politics This course examines the mutual influence of science, technology and global politics within the framework of international ethics. Contemporary debates around drones, climate change, cyber security, the Ebola pandemic, hydraulic fracturing, renewable energy, nanotechnology, biotechnology, and nuclear power reveal the field of International Relations must take scientific and technological developments more seriously. In order to comprehend the mutual influence of science, technology, and global politics, the course will examine the political project of the early moderns, who sought the removal of traditional, moral restraints on scientific and technological innovations, as well as the international efforts to regulate scientific and technological innovation beginning in the twentieth century and continuing to the present day. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
| POLS-250 | State & Local Politics This course is a study of politics and government on the state and local levels, as well as the relationships between these levels and the federal government. The first focus of the course is on the federal system of government, including the interdependence of the three levels of government. The course continues by examining the state level followed by a focus on local government. A final topic is policy-making, including revenues and expenditures, which again illustrate the interrelationship of the three levels. Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| POLS-290 | Politics and the Life Sciences This course examines the intersection between political science and the life sciences. The course will examine the biological approach to human behavior, paying special attention to the implications of biological explanations of human behavior for ethics and the so-called natural moral sense, and the foundations of society and political life. Topics to be covered include the biological explanation of ethical choice, law, and international conflict, as well as the political and policy implications of new research in the biological sciences including biotechnology for justice and equality. Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| POLS-295 | Cyberpolitics Innovations in digital communication technologies have the potential to affect many aspects of politics and government. Beyond specific elements such as elections and delivery of government services, these developments have the potential to expand and redefine the nature of political participation and civic engagement, and to alter the structure of political power. This course examines the potential and promise of digital democracy, and attempts to separate hype from reality. Lecture 3 (Spring). |
| POLS-305 | Political Parties and Voting Political parties are a crucial part of the democratic process, as are elections. Parties and elections serve as a critical link between citizens and their government, as parties and candidates promote policies favored by voters. This course studies parties, their history, their future and their role in the democratic process. Overall emphasis is on the degree to which parties perform or fail to perform as a link between citizens and government. Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| POLS-310 | The Congress This course examines Congress and its constitutional role, paying particular attention to the internal organization of Congress, its legislative process, its budgetary process, its relations with the other branches of government and its role in setting the country’s laws and policies that shape American society. Topics to be covered may include the appointment and removal controversy, congressional oversight, impeachment, war powers and treatymaking, and congressional reform. Lecture 3 (Spring). |
| POLS-320 | American Foreign Policy A study of the formulation and execution of American foreign policy, including the examination of the instruments, procedures, and philosophies shaping the development of foreign policy. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring). |
| POLS-325 | International Law and Organizations International Law and Organizations is the study of justice and government among nations. The course covers a range of theoretical and substantive topics, including theories of international law, the ethical foundations that underlie these theories, the historical development of international law, and the historical development and effectiveness of international organizations. There is a focus on the historical development of international law, examining the ethical dilemmas it presents, and exploring how these dilemmas manifest themselves in the United Nations and other international organizations. The course addresses various substantive issues such as war, sovereignty, natural law, humanitarianism, the ethical implications of existing international organizations and proposed reforms, and the influence of hegemonic power. (Prerequisites: POLS-120 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring). |
| POLS-330 | Human Rights in Global Perspective This course explores the ethical aspects, both domestically and internationally, and the institutional and political aspects of human rights. Issues covered include the ethics of human rights; the relationship between civil and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights; the meaning and impact of humanitarian and international human rights law; the impact of cultural relativism in the definition and assessment of the promotion and protection of human rights; the significance of different religious perspectives; the question of the legitimacy of humanitarian interventions and the effects of globalization on the perception and practice of the ethics of human rights. Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| POLS-333 | The Rhetoric of Terrorism This class examines the history of terrorism (both the concept and the term), definitions of terrorism and attempts to explain the root causes of terrorism through rhetorical and ethical analysis of narratives written by historians, journalists, and terrorists themselves. Students will read and discuss charters, manifestoes and messages (terrorism texts) of domestic and foreign, regional and global, non-state entities motivated by politics or religion to commit violence, as well as the efforts of analysts to explain and contextualize their activities. Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| POLS-355 | Political Leadership The fundamental proposition of this course is that political leadership makes a crucial difference in the life of a nation. The course will examine how leadership may serve as either a constructive or destructive force in the pursuit of some shared, national goal or purpose. The course will consider a diverse range of leaders and their respective styles and types of leadership. Each leader will be studied in terms of his or her historical context, the means and ends each employed in the pursuit of political goals, and the particular qualities both virtues and vices each embodied as a political leader. Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| POLS-365 | Anarchy, Technology & Utopia This course examines the way in which new technologies challenge and provide alternatives to traditional political structures and functions. The course discusses the moral status of the state through the lens of anarchic political thought, with an emphasis on the concept of consent. Themes of anarchic thought are then discussed in light of how new technologies decentralize power and challenge traditional state goals, such as regulation or state secrecy. Technologies to be discussed include social media platforms and nongovernmental, digital currency, as well as decentralized energy sources like solar and wind. The ethical and moral implications of these new technologies, the harms and benefits they present, and their use as challenges to the moral status of the state are all central themes. Lecture 3 (Biannual). |
Psychology Concentration
| Required Courses | |
| Choose one of the following: | |
| PSYC-101 | Introduction to Psychology Introduction to the field of psychology. Provides a survey of basic concepts, theories, and research methods. Topics include: thinking critically with psychological science; neuroscience and behavior; sensation and perception; learning; memory; thinking, language, and intelligence; motivation and emotion; personality; psychological disorders and therapy; and social psychology. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
| PSYC-101H | Honors Introduction to Psychology A state-of-the-art survey of major subfields in psychology and the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. Topics include: a critical evaluation of psychological science; neuroscience and behavior; sensation and perception; learning; memory; thinking, language, and intelligence; motivation and emotion; personality; psychological disorders and therapy; and social psychology. The course focuses not only upon understanding the behavior of the individual, but also upon understanding how the individual acts within groups and reacts to group membership. Besides textbook reading, students will read and discuss current publications on the topics we explore, including examination of the scientific method (including validity and reliability) employed in published studies. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| Choose one of the following: | |
| PSYC-221 | Psychological Disorders This course will serve as an introduction to the study of psychopathology and mental illness. The course examines the major categories of mental disorder not only from the descriptive point of view, but also in terms of the major theoretical explanations of the causes of disorder. The major treatment modalities also are covered. (Prerequisites: PSYC-101 or PSYC-101H or completion of one (1) 200 level PSYC course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| PSYC-221H | Honors Psychological Disorders This course will serve as an introduction to the study of psychopathology and mental illness. The course examines the major categories of mental disorder not only from the descriptive point of view, but also in terms of the major theoretical explanations of the causes of disorder. The major treatment modalities are also covered. This honors course will consist of seminar-style discussions of major course topics as well as independent research work to explore topics related to abnormal psychology in greater depth than the standard abnormal psychology course. (Prerequisite: PSYC-101 or PSYC-101H or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Annual). |
| PSYC-223 | Cognitive Psychology This course examines how people perceive, learn, represent, remember and use information. Contemporary theory and research are surveyed in such areas as attention, pattern and object recognition, memory, knowledge representation, language acquisition and use, reasoning, decision making, problem solving, creativity, and intelligence. Applications in artificial intelligence and human/technology interaction may also be considered. (Prerequisites: PSYC-101 or PSYC-101H or completion of one (1) 200 level PSYC course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
| PSYC-226 | Developmental Psychology This course explores the process of human development, from conception through adolescence and continuing through later adulthood. The developmental approach integrates across many areas of psychology, including perception, cognition, social and emotional development, personality, morality, human factors, and neuroscience. Topics will include such things as infant brain plasticity, the development of identity in adolescence, and memory changes in adulthood. In addition, experimental methods of developmental research will be introduced and practiced, including issues specific to studying children and adults. (Prerequisites: PSYC-101 or PSYC-101H or completion of one (1) 200 level PSYC course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
| Electives | |
| FNRT-355 | Fundraising, Grant Writing & Marketing for Nonprofit Institutions This course examines the growing autonomy of collecting institutions as they are cut off from various forms of governmental sponsorship and public subsidy and their subsequent needs for raising money from outside, non-traditional sources. The course looks at issues of needs assessment, budgeting, and strategic planning. It focuses on the design and implementation of effective fundraising campaigns, as well as on the organization and writing of successful grant proposals. It also considers the importance of marketing to overall institutional success. Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| POLS-250 | State & Local Politics This course is a study of politics and government on the state and local levels, as well as the relationships between these levels and the federal government. The first focus of the course is on the federal system of government, including the interdependence of the three levels of government. The course continues by examining the state level followed by a focus on local government. A final topic is policy-making, including revenues and expenditures, which again illustrate the interrelationship of the three levels. Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| POLS-310 | The Congress This course examines Congress and its constitutional role, paying particular attention to the internal organization of Congress, its legislative process, its budgetary process, its relations with the other branches of government and its role in setting the country’s laws and policies that shape American society. Topics to be covered may include the appointment and removal controversy, congressional oversight, impeachment, war powers and treatymaking, and congressional reform. Lecture 3 (Spring). |
| POLS-355 | Political Leadership The fundamental proposition of this course is that political leadership makes a crucial difference in the life of a nation. The course will examine how leadership may serve as either a constructive or destructive force in the pursuit of some shared, national goal or purpose. The course will consider a diverse range of leaders and their respective styles and types of leadership. Each leader will be studied in terms of his or her historical context, the means and ends each employed in the pursuit of political goals, and the particular qualities both virtues and vices each embodied as a political leader. Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| PUBL-201 | Ethics, Values & Public Policy This course focuses on the connections and interplay between personal and social values, ethics, and public policy. It explores how values and norms influence public policies and how the resulting expressions of values through public policies impact the implementation and effectiveness of policy choices. It also delves into how different countries make widely different policy choices based on their citizens’ values and social norms. The course also considers how new developments in science and technology influence the interplay between values, ethics, and policy across multiple issues. In addition, this course explores how to formulate values-based explanations of certain public policy preferences. Topics range across the policy issue spectrum. Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| PUBL-520 | Information & Communication Policy This course examines how federal and international policies are developed to influence innovation in, and regulation of, information, computer, and telecommunications technologies. In particular the course will examine such topics as privacy, freedom of speech, cyber security, copyrights and intellectual property rights, access to information technology, and the regulation of the Internet. Lecture 3 (Fall). |
Admissions and Financial Aid
All students (hearing, deaf, and hard of hearing) are invited to apply for the program. Hearing students accepted into the program will be in the Deaf Leadership concentration. All hearing students will be required to complete a Sign Language Proficiency Interview (SLPI) assessment. Once your application and other required materials have been submitted, your assigned counselor will work with you to schedule the SLPI. Deaf and hard-of-hearing students do not need to complete the SLPI assessment.
First-Year Admission
A strong performance in a college preparatory program is expected. This includes:
- 4 years of English with a strong performance is expected.
- 3 years of social sciences with a strong performance is expected.
- 3-4 years of math
- 2-3 years of science
- ASL fluency is required for hearing students applying to the Deaf Leadership track.
Transfer Admission
Transfer course recommendations without associate degree
Courses in liberal arts, science, foreign language, and history
Appropriate associate degree programs for transfer
Liberal arts, with social sciences, sciences, or languages
Financial Aid and Scholarships
100% of all incoming first-year and transfer students receive aid.
RIT’s personalized and comprehensive financial aid program includes scholarships, grants, loans, and campus employment programs. When all these are put to work, your actual cost may be much lower than the published estimated cost of attendance.
Learn more about financial aid and scholarships
Related News
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August 22, 2022
![books on a shelf in a library.]()
New bachelor’s degrees added to RIT portfolio this fall
In the case of two new degrees in RIT’s College of Liberal Arts, and one new degree in RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf, students will be competitive employees and leaders and be readily able to navigate their evolving fields.
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March 10, 2021
![students wearing face masks and sitting socially distanced in a classroom setting.]()
RIT/NTID establishes new bachelor’s degree program in community development and inclusive leadership
NTID has received approval from the New York State Education Department for a bachelor’s degree program in community development and inclusive leadership. The new program will admit its first students in fall 2022
Contact
Program Contact
- Kathryn Schmitz
- Department Chair
- Department of Liberal Studies
- National Technical Institute for the Deaf
- 585‑475‑2906
- kls4344@ntid.rit.edu
Offered within
the
Department of Liberal Studies
Department of Liberal Studies