Biology - Major in Biology Program

Required Courses:
ECN 101 Principles of Microeconomics

The course examines how individuals and firms make choices within the institution of free-market capitalism. Individuals decide how much of their time to spend working and what to buy with the earnings of their labor. Firms decide how much to produce and in some cases what price to charge for their goods. Together these choices determine what is produced, how it is produced, and for whom it is produced in our economic system. Fulfills requirement: Quantitative Reasoning,Social Scientific Inquiry. 3 credits.

ECN 102 Principles of Macroeconomics

This course extends the study of consumer and producer choices to discover how they affect the nation's economy. Macroeconomics deals with the economy as a whole as measured by the key variables of inflation, unemployment, and economic growth. Emphasis is on both Keynesian and classical theories and how they predict what monetary and fiscal policies can be used to affect these variables and reach national economic goals. Fulfills requirement: Quantitative Reasoning,Social Scientific Inquiry. 3 credits.

HIS 102
HIS 150
HIS 250
HIS 251 Topics in Political History

This course will examine specific topics in political history, with a focus on either US, European, African, or Latin American political history. Specific topical emphases might include 19th and 20th Century US Political History; the impact of Colonial and Post-Colonial African Political History; Populist Politics in 20th & 21st Century Latin America; and Transformation in European Political Systems in the 20th & 21st Centuries. Topics will be announced two years in advance. Fulfills requirement: Social Scientific Inquiry. This course may be repeated for credit as topic changes. Prerequisites: Sophomore standing, and at least two 100-level courses in History; or permission of the instructor. 3 credits.

HIS 252
HIS 253 Topics in Comparative History

This seminar will focus on topics in comparative history and politics with a focus on European, Asian, and/or African history. Topics in Comparative Politics currently explores the historical and political formation of the modern Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. By examining key concepts such as Orientalism, colonialism, and political Islam, this course aims to provide students with an improved understanding of modern MENA. Fulfills requirement: Human Diversity,Social Scientific Inquiry. This course may be repeated for credit as topic changes. Prerequisites: Sophomore standing, and at least two college level courses in history, political science, global studies, or sociology; or permission of the instructor. 3 credits. (This course is cross-listed with POL 210)

HIS 254 Topics in the History of the Americas

This seminar focuses on questions, issues, and themes in the history of the Americas (i.e., the Western Hemisphere). Topical and thematic emphases might include: Race, Class & Gender in the Americas from the Age of Revolution to the Present; Comparative Slavery & Post-Emancipation Societies in the Americas; Social Movements & State Formation in the Americas; and the Americas during the Cold War. Topical focus will be announced two years in advance. Fulfills requirement: Social Scientific Inquiry. This course may be repeated for credit as topic changes. Prerequisites: Sophomore standing, and at least two 100-level courses in History; or permission of the instructor. 3 credits.

HIS 350
MAS 170 Elementary Statistics

An introduction to elementary descriptive and inferential statistics with emphasis on conceptual understanding. A student may not receive credit for MAS 170 after completing MAS 372. A student may not receive credit for more than one of HSC 170, MAS 170, and MAS 270. Fulfills requirement: Quantitative Reasoning,Natural Science Analysis. 3 credits.

POL 110 American Politics and Government

This course provides students with a critical understanding of the U.S. political process and analytical tools to evaluate authority structures that exercise power and influence. Fulfills requirement: Social Scientific Inquiry. 3 credits.

POL 352 Public Policy and Public Administration

Public policies affect the lives of all Americans, and public administrators are the main touchstones with government for most citizens. In the first half of the course we focus on how and why the public policymaking process functions as it does, and examine various areas of policy at the national and state levels. In the second half, we turn to the implementation of policy by government agencies and the management of public organizations. This course is of value to all citizens in a democracy, but will be particularly helpful for students in any discipline whose careers are affected by public policy, or who are considering a career in government. Fulfills requirement: . 3 credits.

Two of the following:
ECN 321 Public Finance

This course extends the study of public economics to its application in the principles of taxation and public expenditures. Topics include the structure of the Federal Budget, the national debt and fiscal deficits, but also state and local financing and the division of responsibilities between the federal and local governments. Prerequisites: ECN 101 and 102. 3 credits.

PHL 210 Ethics for Social Justice

An inquiry into the central problems of values applied to human conduct, with an examination of the responses of major ethical theories to those problems. Fulfills requirement: Critical Thinking through Writing. 3 credits.

POL 210 Topics in Comparative Politics

This is an introduction to the study of comparative politics: the comparison of political systems in order to understand how and why these systems function differently. The course is built around three fundamental questions: What is comparative politics? What kinds of phenomena do we compare? What are the major theoretical approaches that guide our studies? We also examine distinctions between the "developing" and the "developed" worlds, and between authoritarian and democratic political regimes. The last half of the semester is devoted to the study of individual country case studies, with an emphasis on those in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East. Fulfills requirement: Human Diversity,Social Scientific Inquiry. This course satisfies a requirement of the College Honors program. Enrollment is open to all majors. 3 credits. (This course is cross-listed with HIS 253)

POL 256
POL 312 United States Foreign Policy

This course examines the domestic interests, values, and political institutions and international forces and pressures that shape the conduct of United States foreign policy. Fulfills requirement: Critical Thinking through Writing. Prerequisites: Sophomore standing or permission of the instructor. 3 credits.

POL 370 Research Statistics in Political Science

Students will learn various qualitative and quantitative research methods in political science and how to write an empirical research design. Fulfills requirement: Quantitative Reasoning. Prerequisite: SOC 300. 3 credits. (This course is cross-listed with SOC 301)

POL 380 European Union Simulation

This course offers an enriching, hands-on, interdisciplinary exploration of the dynamic processes of policy formation in the core institutions of the European Union. Near the end of the semester, students participate in the simulation in Washington D.C., organized by the Mid-Atlantic European Union Simulation Consortium (MEUSC). This experiential learning program endeavors to connect American students to EU policy makers and policy making in a unique way, utilizing the simulation experience to bridge the gap between the academic study of the EU and the actual political processes of the European Union. Students engage in discussions and debates about the EU that are current and topical in EU decision-making circles. A distinct theme is chosen as the focus of the simulation each year. Fulfills requirement: Immersive Experience,Intercultural Competence. This course may be repeated for credit as topic changes. Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing. Course may be repeated for credit. This course satisfies a requirement of the College Honors program. Enrollment is open to all majors. 3 credits.

Three of the following:
HIS 103 World History I

Survey of world history from the beginnings of human civilization to ca. 1500. The course is organized geographically and chronologicvally and examines the cultures and civilizations of Eurasia, the Mediterranean world, Africa, and the Americas. Major themes of the course include empire-building, spread on religions, and cross-cultural contact. Fulfills requirement: Human Diversity,Social Scientific Inquiry. 3 credits.

HIS 105 World History II

This survey of modern world history (ca. 1450 to the present) explores key developments in the formation of the modern world. Through primary and secondary sources, the course aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of how ideas, wars, trade, diseases, and revolutions have shaped the modern world. Examining key concepts such as imperialism, colonialism, nationalism, and globalization, the course encourages students to analyze contemporary global and domestic issues from diverse cultural perspectives, and to engage in ongoing reflections about their own culture and other cultures. Fulfills requirement: Social Scientific Inquiry,Human Diversity. 3 credits.

HIS 125 United States History to 1877

The course provides an overview of US history from European colonization and conquest through the end of Reconstruction. Particular attention is paid to the issue of slavery through the Civil War and efforts to reform political and economic institutions after. Whether African Americans were property or citizens tested the republic's ideals and durability. How this period is represented in the news, popular culture and other forms of public history such as cinema are reviewed. Fulfills requirement: Civic Engagement. Fulfills requirement: Civic Engagement. 3 credits.

HIS 126 With Justice for All? U.S. History from 1860

Since the Civil War, Americans have changed their conception of who belongs to "We the People." Moreover, we have also reconsidered the appropriate role of government for citizens and the world. This course reviews these controversies in the past and present, including how they are reflected in news, politics, public history, and cinema. Fulfills requirement: Civic Engagement Fulfills requirement: Civic Engagement. 3 credits.

Six credits from the following:
HIS 460
HIS 499 Senior Seminar in History

Seminars have a thematic focus, currently the origins, impacts, and responses to the climate crisis. Class meetings include discussions, readings, research methods, and the historiography. Students will write a research paper on an aspect of the topic of their choosing utilizing a variety of sources and present their research to the class. How this period is represented in the news, popular culture and other forms of public history such as cinema are reviewed. Fulfills requirement:?Critical Thinking through Writing. Fulfills requirement: Critical Thinking through Writing. Prerequisites: Senior history majors or permission of instructor. 3 credits. (This course is cross-listed with JSTC 286)

Internship (minimum 2 credits).

HIS 400 Internship

Field experience related to student's work, research interests, or graduate school plans. A journal and paper in addition to fieldwork are required. Fulfills requirement: Immersive Experience. Students may take up to 6 credits per semester and up to 12 credits during the summer. Prerequisites: Junior or senior status; overall GPA of at least 2.5; completion of registration forms; approval of internship site by student's advisor prior to registration; approval of department chair. 1-12 credits.

Two HIS electives (6 credits) including the following:
COE 204SS
COE 212SS
COE 215SS
COE 224SS
COE 248SS