Class Schedule

BUSN 334: Financial Accounting w/QuickBooks

(Financial Accounting with QuickBooks.) Students in the course develop an understanding of how to use general ledger software utilizing QuickBooks. This includes company setup, setup and use of chart of accounts, recording and recognizing transactions, managing lists, generating customized reports, and preparing financial statements. Prerequisite: BUSN 230 with a grade of C-minus or better.

CHEM 105: The Chemistry of Art

This course will explore fundamental principles of chemistry and the scientific method through the lens of art. The course will introduce concepts necessary for an understanding of the electromagnetic spectrum; the chemical and physical principles that help to explain color; the chemical composition and interactions of atoms and molecules as they apply to pigments, dyes, binders, glazes, paper, fabrics, and metals; as well as the chemical changes active in processes like fresco painting, etching and photography. Building on a fundamental understanding of chemical and physical principles at work in the materials used to create art, the course will culminate with an exploration of case studies in the use of technology for art conservation and/or the detection of forgeries. The course format will include lecture, some short laboratory exercises, and a field trip. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Natural Sciences requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Natural Science & Mathematics requirement.)

COLL 102: Liberal Arts and the Workplace

Liberal Arts and the Workplace is designed to deepen student understanding of the fundamental skills and knowledge base that a liberal arts education brings to today’s and tomorrow’s professional cultures and innovative workplaces. In addition to curating the courses and experiences students have already had, this course continues to build essential workplace skills in communication, teamwork, resourcefulness, network-building, goal-setting, effective self-assessment, and research skills. Outcomes of the course include a career exploration research portfolio, a mentor network, a resume for internships, a plan for seeking and successfully completing high-quality internships, an articulated, well-researched career plan, as well as a corresponding academic and co-curricular plan of action. No prerequisites.

ECON 110: Principles of Economics

An introduction to both microeconomics, the theory of consumer and producer behavior, and macroeconomics, the determination of aggregate levels of production, employment, inflation, and growth. Application of economic principles to the analysis of current problems of the U.S. economy. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Social Sciences requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Social Science requirement.)
cross listed: IREL 110

ECON 130: Applied Statistics

Distribution analysis, sampling theory, statistical inference, and regression analysis, with emphasis on the application of statistical techniques using spreadsheet software to analyze economic and business issues. Students who have taken this course will not receive credit for MATH 150. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Quantitative Reasoning requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Social Science requirement.)
cross listed: BUSN 130, FIN 130

EDUC 501: Introduction to Teacher Research

This course provides the MAT candidate with an introduction to educational research. Topics include the context of teacher research, an introduction to multiple varieties of teacher research, with an emphasis on action research, as well as grounding in quantitative and qualitative research methods. A case study of action research will be completed. Prerequisite: Second year MAT licensure candidate status.

ENGL 135: Creative Writing

A beginning course in the art of writing fiction, poetry, and nonfiction prose. Literary analysis will be combined with creative assignments. Group discussions and individual conferences. (Not open to students who have completed English 235.) (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Creative & Performing Arts requirement.)

ENGL 232: Stories from the Spectrum

(Stories from the Spectrum: Neurodiversity, Health, and Medicine in Literature.) A boy with a penchant for prime numbers investigates the death of a dog. A young girl is scolded for failing to look her teacher in the eye. A man in the throes of a midlife crisis returns to his nonverbal son as he spiritually finds himself. Hidden within these narratives of neurodiverse characters, one discovers a slew of cultural assumptions about cognitive and intellectual disabilities. Do neurotypical writers often turn to autism reductively, as a stand-in for a theme or metaphor? What might an authentic representation of Autism Spectrum look like? This course considers the value of neurodiversity in literature while exploring many of the troubling representations of cognitive difference across time, from earlier accounts of un-speaking children to the "rain mans" of contemporary film. This course ultimately takes seriously the bi-directional intersections between fiction and medicine, as real-life medical practices both shape and are shaped by these stories from the spectrum. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Humanities and Writing requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities requirement.)
cross listed: NEUR 232

MATH 110: Calculus I

The calculus of functions of one variable. Limits, continuity, differentiation, and applications; a brief introduction to integration. Prerequisite: 3.5 years of high school mathematics (to include trigonometry) or Mathematics 105. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Quantitative Reasoning requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Natural Science & Mathematics requirement.)

MATH 160: Math Methods with Applications

(Mathematical Methods with Applications) Topics from applied mathematics, including equations, inequalities, functions and graphs, and basic properties of logarithmic and exponential functions. Introduction to limits, derivatives and antiderivatives. Applications to business, the social sciences, and the life sciences. (Not open to students who have completed Math 110 with a grade of C- or better.) (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Quantitative Reasoning requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Natural Science & Mathematics requirement.)

MATH 250: Intro to Statistical Programming

(Introduction to Statistical Programming.) Introduction to data analysis programming using R. Topics include: data cleaning, data visualization, hypothesis testing, simple and multiple regression, time series analysis, analysis of variance, nonparametrics, and categorical data analysis. No previous programming experience required. Prerequisite: Math 150: Introduction to Probability & Statistics, E/B/F 130: Applied Statistics, PSYC 222: Research Methods & Statistics II, or permission of the instructor.

PHIL 156: Logic and Styles of Arguments

Focus on the 'rhyme and reason' of language. Examination of the reasons arguments are constructed in the ways they are. Investigation of informal, Aristotelian, and propositional logics, with readings from magazine articles, advertisements, and classical philosophers. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Quantitative Reasoning requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities requirement.)

POLS 120: Introduction to American Politics

Origins of the American political system, basic institutions, political parties and interest groups, and evolution of constitutional interpretation. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Social Sciences requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Social Science requirement.)
cross listed: AMER 119

POLS 226: Public Policy Studies

This course focuses on how public officials address policy problems, and why they select the solutions they do. We examine the public policymaking process, paying particular attention to the role played by political actors (elected officials, interest groups, governmental agencies) seeking to influence the tone and direction of policy. Attention will also be paid to how particular policy issues and problems gain (or fail to gain) the public's attention, including the role that political elites and the media play in agenda setting. Finally, the course assesses the effects of public polices on citizens' lives. In doing so, students will assume the role of "policy analyst," learning how to write briefs in which they evaluate various policy reforms. In sum, students will gain the necessary tools to systematically assess when a public policy is achieving its desired goals and whether it is being implemented effectively and efficiently. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Social Sciences requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Social Science requirement.)

POLS 243: Fake News, Free Speech

(Fake News, Free Speech and Foreign Influence in American Democracy.) This course focuses on contemporary issues facing public discourse in the United States and explores the dangers inherent in online content. We discuss such questions as: What are the strengths and weaknesses of using internet technology to organize people? How do social media platforms and their ad-driven algorithms bias our worldview? How are democratic elections and mass protests shaped by your unique news feeds? A constitutional perspective on freedom of speech and the press is presented. Substantive topics include analysis of online social movements, legal analysis of federal regulation of social media, federal election law, foreign interference in national politics, and a technical review of social media platforms. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Social Sciences requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Social Science requirement.)

SOAN 205: Archaeological Field School

Archaeological Field School introduces students to the discipline of archaeology, with an emphasis on fieldwork and excavation. Students will serve as the field crew on an archaeological dig in Chicago, with lectures, readings, workshops, and field trips providing the theoretical and historical context for the archaeological methods. Students will learn excavation, recording, laboratory and analytical techniques via some traditional coursework, but most significantly, through participation. Students will have the opportunity to experiment with these techniques, discuss the implications of their findings, and compare them with the research and ideas of professional archaeologists. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Social Sciences and Experiential Learning requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Social Science requirement.)
cross listed: AMER 208

SOAN 240: Deviance

How society defines deviants - its outcasts and outsiders - and how the people so defined respond to this categorization; the nature of normal and abnormal, legal and illegal. Do these categories have absolute moral meaning, or do they always depend on the particular society and era in which they are defined? Topics to be addressed include stigma and stereotyping, cross-cultural variations in gender roles, the status of the inmate, deviance as blocked opportunity, and the political mobilization of outsiders. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Social Sciences and Domestic Pluralism requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Social Science and Cultural Diversity requirements.)

SPAN 237: Identity/Memory Spanish Film

(Identity and Memory in Contemporary Spanish Film.) Through the study of a selection of films and documentaries stretching from late Francoism through the Transición, until the 2008 economic crisis, this course provides a critical examination of the history and poetics of cinema in Spain, with particular attention to the relation between the representation of identity and the recovery of traumatic memory in contemporary culture. Regarding identity, this course addresses questions of national and regional identity (Spanish, Basque, and Catalan contexts), as well as the role of gender and sexual identity throughout late Francoism, the Transición, and democratic state. We also analyze how the directions problematize memory, especially traumatic memory, through their films. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Humanities and Global Perspectives requirements.)
cross listed: CINE 237

ART 150: 3-D Modeling Foundations

3D Modeling Foundations serves as an introduction to crafting models in 3D software and covers preparing and exporting digital files for a variety of presentation methods: 2D print, web/browser-based viewing, Augmented Reality filters, and Virtual Reality headsets. Applications for this technology are far-reaching and include: to-scale and representational models of biological systems, prosthetics and medical device prototyping, frameworks and experiments with physics, game design, motion capture, special effects, data visualization, graphical user interface (GUI) design, web design, graphic design, fine art, marketing through virtual and augmented reality, and more. The course curriculum is project-based and introduces students to 3D modeling tools through an understanding of the basic principles of design. The course introduces up-to-date methods and tools but focuses on working proficiency with Unity, Spark AR, and Autodesk Maya. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Creative & Performing Arts and Technology requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities requirement.)

ART 240: Digital Photography

This introductory course familiarizes students with the fundamental concepts and practice of digital photography. Students use the basic elements of the camera - the lens, the shutter and the aperture - as well as the inventive use of lighting, to create images that are processed through the digital environment of the computer lab. The course addresses aesthetic principles as they relate to composition, space, exposure, light and color. Processing of images includes learning to control scale, color, file size and resolution while moving from digital image to printed document. Students also learn an introduction to photographic history and visual literacy. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Creative & Performing Arts and Technology requirements.)

COLL 150: Data Analytics using Excel

In this course, students learn basic and intermediate Microsoft Excel skills to help them analyze data and model outcomes. Students will learn how to perform spreadsheet calculations, create and interpret graphs and charts, execute Excel formulas and functions, manage workbook data, analyze table data, automate worksheet tasks, employ macros and VBA, and conduct "what if" analyses. Students who do not own a Microsoft PC computer (i.e., not a Mac or tablet) will need to use the college computer labs to complete the work in this class. The instructor provides recorded lectures and hosts live office hours to provide support for students as needed. This 0.50-credit course has no prerequisites. Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Technology requirement. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Technology requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Social Science requirement.)

COLL 190: The Science of Talking Science

Effectively and accurately communicating about science is a highly valued skill not only for scientists, but also politicians, educators, healthcare providers, and even influencers. We begin by critiquing scientific communication in popular media and consider real-world implications of inadequate science communication practices. Then, students practice constructing and disseminating compelling and digestible stories about scientific findings across a broad range of disciplines including psychology, zoology, computer science, health science, and astronomy, empowering students to become fluent interprofessional communicators to diverse audiences.

CSCI 107: Introduction to Web Programming

A broad introduction to World Wide Web programming and related technologies. Topics include Internet history and its architecture, managing an account on a Web server, HTML markup, use of style sheets (CSS), page layout design, introduction to interactive programming with JavaScript, the document object model (DOM), and HTML forms. This is a general audience course suitable for those with no prior programming experience. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Quantitative Reasoning and Technology requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Natural Science & Mathematics requirement.)

CSCI 112: Computer Science I

Introduction to computer science. Topics include the basic building blocks of problem solving (sequence, selection, repetition), object-oriented programming, basic data structures and algorithms. A prior knowledge of computer science is not required, although a good background in high school Mathematics is recommended. Students may receive credit for this course based on the AP computer science exam. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Quantitative Reasoning and Technology requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Natural Science & Mathematics requirement.)

EDUC 344: Africa in Films: Lang., Educ., Dev.

(Africa in Films: Language, Education, Development.) Africa is an enigma in global imagination. This course uses films as lenses to explore historical, cultural, political, and theoretical perspectives on education and social change in African societies. Specifically, it examines language policies and linguistic practices in learning contexts and in the broader context of global development. Key themes--such as tradition and modernity, orality and literacy, communication and conflict, culture and identity, power and politics, demography and ecology, gods and technology--all draw from historical and contemporary representations of Africa in films to deepen our understanding of the complex origins of humanity and its connection to rest of the world. Class sessions feature films in/on Africa and discussions on select themes. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Social Sciences and Global Perspectives requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Cultural Diversity requirement.)
cross listed: CINE 344

ENGL 135: Creative Writing

A beginning course in the art of writing fiction, poetry, and nonfiction prose. Literary analysis will be combined with creative assignments. Group discussions and individual conferences. (Not open to students who have completed English 235.) (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Creative & Performing Arts requirement.)

ENGL 231: Revenge and Justice in Literature

The dismemberments, squeaking ghosts, and poisoned pharmacies of literary revenges never cease to thrill and disgust audiences with their bittersweet paradoxes. How can we distinguish revengers from villains if their killings are virtually identical? Why does the sober promise of an eye-for-an-eye requital of one body for another become a frenzied massacre of innocents and not-so-innocents? Can justice ever be restored by going outside the law, or a lost past ever be re-found in a sordid present? In this course, we consider some of the central paradoxes and themes of revenge by reading radically-different writers from the first to twenty-first centuries, including Seneca, Shakespeare, Stephen King, and Gillian Flynn. All the while, we watch classic revenge flicks to explore how directors from Tarantino to Park Chan-wook translate these narratives onto the screen. Throughout, we examine the ever-changing meanings of revenge across culture and time. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Humanities and Global Perspectives requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities requirement.)

FIN 210: Financial Management

This course provides an overview of the questions and problems faced by financial managers, as well as an introduction to the basic set of tools they use to help them make optimal investment and financing decisions under conditions of risk and uncertainty. The main topics include time value of money, the valuation of bond and stocks, the trade-off between risk and return, the efficient markets hypothesis, the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), cost of capital, and a brief introduction to derivative securities and international finance issues. Prerequisites: ECON 110 and ECON/BUSN/FIN 130 with grades of C- or better. (Under the old GEC, this course meets the Social Science requirement.)

MATH 110: Calculus I

The calculus of functions of one variable. Limits, continuity, differentiation, and applications; a brief introduction to integration. Prerequisite: 3.5 years of high school mathematics (to include trigonometry) or Mathematics 105. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Quantitative Reasoning requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Natural Science & Mathematics requirement.)

PHIL 203: Business & Professional Ethics

Analysis and evaluation of ethical problems in business and the professions. Attention will be given to the moral foundations for and limits on business activities, the idea of professional responsibility, and the relationship between professional and business obligations and general moral obligations. (Not recommended for first-year students.) (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Humanities and Speaking requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities requirement.)

POLS 222: Congress

A glance at the enumerated powers granted the legislative branch under the U.S. Constitution suggests Congress is the strongest of the three branches of the national government. Yet the power of Congress is divided between two chambers, and the vast majority of legislation proposed in either chamber never becomes law. Congress is supposed to represent the interests of the people of the various states - and yet its public standing is nowadays at an historic low. This course examines the basic operations, structure, power dynamics, and politics of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. It also considers the rivalry and relationship between Congress and the President. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Social Sciences requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Social Science requirement.)
cross listed: AMER 222

POLS 276: Law, War and Intelligent Machines

(Law, War and Intelligent Machines: The Laws of War and the History and Use of Cybernetics and Autonomous Military Technologies.) This course is about the changing nature of warfare conducted by the U.S. government and other state actors in the 21st Century. We review international law as it relates to conventional warfare and non-kinetic hostilities such as cybernetic actions between states, along with the political responses. We investigate the history and development of the U.S. military forces after 1940, in conjunction with the development of communication, computational and autonomous technologies. We examine the justification of the use of military force by political speakers and analyze them within a legal and ethical framework. This course integrates international law, international norms and analysis of public policies of the U.S. and other states to provide a framework for the use of military force in the 21st Century. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Social Sciences and Speaking requirements.)

SOAN 110: Intro to Sociology and Anthropology

Sociology and anthropology share a focus on exploring the social (group rather than individual) bases of human practices and behaviors. Both disciplines study social interaction and such social institutions as family and religion. This course introduces students to key concepts for viewing the world through sociological and anthropological lenses, including cultural relativism, material culture, and the social construction of human experience through categories like race, class, and gender. Limited to first- and second-year students. Not open to students who have taken SOAN 100. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Social Sciences requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Social Science requirement.)
cross listed: IREL 160

ARTH 203: Art and the Internet

This course examines the impact of the Internet on art, from its origins in the 20th century to today. Our questions include: how access to the Internet has affected art created from objects made with and for online platforms; how artists use the Internet as a source and inspiration of subject matter for artistic creation; how the Internet affects the distribution of art made both for the Internet and older objects that gain new life through digitization and placement on the Internet; how such digitization allows for increased distribution of art around the world; and how this influences viewers' understanding of artistic objects from both our own and other cultures to help us to better understand our world more broadly. Among the Internet tools and contexts we address are: digital imaging, websites, virtual galleries, museums and exhibitions, and digital archives that are dispersed over the Internet. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Humanities requirement.)

CSCI 212: Computer Science II

Continuation of Computer Science I. Emphasis on advanced data structures, algorithms, and object-oriented design. Topics include linked data structures, recursion, algorithm analysis, interfaces, and inheritance. Prerequisite: Computer Science 112 with a grade of C or better. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Quantitative Reasoning and Technology requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Natural Science & Mathematics requirement.)

ENGL 267: BFFs: Gender and Friendship in Literature

(BFFs: Female Friendship in the Time of Girls.) "Besties" are found everywhere in contemporary anglophone fiction, television, and film. Usually placed behind romantic relationships, female friendship is now understood to be a powerful and even transformative dynamic, one that is central to female identity. Men and lovers take a back seat. Are BFFs taking over the usual unions of romantic or erotic love? How much are girlfriends the focus of these stories? In this course, we examine these contemporary representations of female friendship, from the four character "types" at the center of Sex and the City and Girls to the erotic and dangerous "besties" of Emma Cline's The Girls. We will examine how these "types" relate to, and part ways from, their literary predecessors, from Jane Austen to the present. Throughout, we discover the many sides of this complex, and contradictory, relationship. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Humanities requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities and Cultural Diversity requirements.)

MATH 110: Calculus I

The calculus of functions of one variable. Limits, continuity, differentiation, and applications; a brief introduction to integration. Prerequisite: 3.5 years of high school mathematics (to include trigonometry) or Mathematics 105. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Quantitative Reasoning requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Natural Science & Mathematics requirement.)

NEUR 118: Our Amazing Brain

This course will introduce students to the science behind how a human brain functions and produces behaviors. This amazing organ is composed of billions of neurons that form trillions of connections with each other. These neurons allow us to sense and perceive the world around us, integrate new experiences with old ones, form thoughts and actions, and develop consciousness and personality. In this course, students will discover how brain dysfunction is the root cause of many illnesses, including addiction, schizophrenia, depression, cancer, stroke, and Alzheimer's disease. Students will also have the opportunity to work with preserved brains. No prior experience with science is required to succeed in this course. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Natural Sciences requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Natural Science & Mathematics requirement.)
cross listed: BIOL 118, PSYC 118

POLS 238: Cybercrime and (White Hat) Hacking

This course is an introduction to computer security and related issues such as privacy, democracy, and cybercrime. We cover the fundamental concepts of computer and network security using real-world examples. Subjects include the history of information technology from a legal perspective, current U.S. law concerning the internet, computer crime, and privacy and security protections. Attention is given to the major events in the history of computer hacking from the 1960s to today. Students engage in discussions on diverse topics such as the ethics and legality of computer hacking, the costs of data breaches and cybersecurity techniques. These concepts are illustrated with readings such as narratives, current laws, and court cases, technical articles, and sample computer code. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Social Sciences and Global Perspectives requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Social Science requirement.)

POLS 354: Identity Politics

It is hard to observe recent politics without noticing the seeming central importance of identity and identity-based claims made both by citizens and politicians to press their respective agendas. In this course, we examine this phenomenon thoroughly and critically via an interdisciplinary approach. While our focus is largely on the contemporary United States, we also engage with analogous international cases. While we approach this topic historically, empirically, and theoretically, our main goal is to assess what kinds of identity-based claims (if any) are best suited for the healthy functioning of a liberal and diverse democracy. Prerequisite: POLS 120. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Domestic Pluralism and Writing requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Social Science requirement.)

PSYC 350: Psychopathology & Clinical Science

Intended to acquaint students with the biological, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive foundations of psychopathology. Issues of classification, description, etiology, and treatment of abnormal behavior are examined from the point of view of contemporary empirically based perspectives. Specifically, these issues are considered in the context of a variety of psychopathological manifestations, including anxiety, eating, schizophrenic, mood, personality, addictive, and sexual disorders. Prerequisite: Psychology 221 with a grade of at least C-. (Under the old GEC, this course meets the Social Science requirement.)
cross listed: PSYC 350