Art History
Business
Communications/Writing
Culture/Language
Film
History
Literature
Music
Natural Science
Philosophy/Religion
Psychology
Social Science

Art History

Impressionism
The simultaneous development of various painters associated with Impressionism (e.g., Monet, Renoir, Morisot, Pissarro, Manet, Degas, Cassatt) is presented. This radical new art movement is traced from the first Impressionist exhibition of 1874 to the last exhibition of 1886 and the appearance of the post-Impressionists. Students explore the shared relationships of the Impressionist artists.
AAR3400.60 / 4 credits
Beth Gersh-Nesic

Business

Microeconomics I: The Principles of Human Action
A practical introduction to the logic of human action with applications to daily life. This course traces the implication of choice in the face of scarcity and imperfect knowledge. Topics include the nature and value of cost, the spontaneous emergence of social order, demand-supply analysis, theory of markets, and public policy.
CEC1510.60 / 4 credits
R. David Seabrook

Communications/Writing

*Cancelled* Creative Writing Workshop
This course allows students to explore various genres, including poetry, the short story, and the memoir. Students should be prepared to write, revise, and share portions of their work with the class and to read a selection of works by contemporary authors.
AWR2120.70 (Beginning) / 4 credits
AWR3120.70 (Intermediate/Advanced) / 4 credits
Marie McGrath

Culture/Language

Basic Spanish I
Designed for students with little or no previous exposure to the language. Attention is given to listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Emphasis is placed on oral work, using material from students’ everyday experiences and activities.
ASP1030.60 / 4 credits
Deborah Symons

Film

Television Studies
Examines the state of television today, with special attention to new genres, narratives, technologies, audiences, and corporate practices, with special attention to the growth of cable networks, online sites, streaming serials, new modes of spectatorship, and new forms of fan culture.
ACI3070.60 / 4 credits
Christian Gay

*Cancelled* Arab Cinema: Old Glories, New Challenges
A study of the development and diversity of Arab cinema as an artistic and social form and as a political instrument. Different genres, common trends, and prevalent themes are explored through an in-depth study of selected films. The historical, social, political, and cultural contexts of Arab cinema are examined, from the heyday of the Egyptian musical to the contemporary North African art film. Also offered as CSS 3140.
FTF3140.70 / 4 credits
Habiba Boumlik

Gender Expression in Film
By focusing on masculinities, femininities, and the space in between, this course examines the cultural structure of gender and investigates the various ways that gender is expressed visually in film. Also offered as CSS 3610.
FTF3610.70 / 4 credits
Rachel Simon

History

American History and Society Through Music
A narrative survey of U.S. history from the colonial period to the present through an exploration of its musical history. The course investigates America’s fundamental principles of politics, its primary social issues, and its wealth of aesthetic musical initiatives. Students examine the unity, diversity, originality, and adaptability of significant political, social, and musical institutions. Also offered as EMT 3115.
AHI3115.70 / 4 credits
James Koeppel

Literature

Short Fiction
An examination of the “middle genre,” encompassing the novella and the short novel. Readings provide ample opportunity to sample works embodying the intensity of short fiction and some of the expanded characterization and plot development of the novel. Readings include works by several significant 19th- and 20th-century authors from many countries.
ALI3400.60 / 4 credits
Melissa Febos

Music

American History and Society Through Music
A narrative survey of U.S. history from the colonial period to the present through an exploration of its musical history. The course investigates America’s fundamental principles of politics, its primary social issues, and its wealth of aesthetic musical initiatives. Students examine the unity, diversity, originality, and adaptability of significant political, social, and musical institutions. Also offered as AHI 3115.
EMT3115.70 / 4 credits
James Koeppel

Natural Science

The Search for Life in the Universe
Explore the nature of life, examine the history of life on Earth, look for life among the rocky planets and icy moons of our solar system, hunt for extrasolar planets, and join in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). Are we alone in the universe?
BNS1120.60 / 4 credits
Keith Landa

Philosophy/Religion

World Religions: An Anatomy of the Sacred
“God is dead,” Nietzsche famously proclaimed to signal the waning power of religion. In spite of the influence religion exerts, one is reminded of the lack of understanding of the world’s major faiths. This course is a study of the origins, evolution, and the traditions of the major and minor religions of the world.
AHU3110.60 / 4 credits
George Keteku

Understanding Moral Problems
Representative problems of business, legal, medical, environmental, and personal ethics (e.g., violence, discrimination, capital punishment, abortion, euthanasia, conservation, sexual morality) are covered. Emphasis is placed on learning to think about and discuss these issues clearly and objectively, rather than on abstract ethical theories.
APH3350.60 / 4 credits
Jared Russell

Psychology

Introduction to Psychology
Empirical and theoretical approaches to the basic physiological, cognitive, and social mechanisms underlying behavior. Topics include learning and conditioning; sensation and perception; memory, thinking, and language; psychological development; social processes; and personality and psychopathology.
BPS1530.60 / 4 credits
Laura Moore

Behavioral Statistics
An introduction to data analysis, with coverage of both descriptive and inferential statistics, and an introduction to probability. Class discussions focus on the use of sample, sampling, and population distributions as they are employed in hypothesis testing. Inferential tests include t-tests, ANOVAs, chi square, regression, and nonparametric tests.
Note: This course is intended to fulfill the statistics requirement for psychology majors at Purchase College. It may also be used to satisfy the statistics requirement for economics and environmental studies majors, and it counts as a basic science support course for biology majors.
BPS2320.60 / 4 credits
Peggy DeCooke

Personality Assessment
Focuses on how personality measures are constructed and how scores on these measures are interpreted and used. The strengths and weaknesses of various projective tests, personality inventories, single-trait measures, IQ tests, behavioral indicators, and physiological measures are reviewed. Topics include the stability of personality, whether or not IQ tests actually measure intelligence, and the accuracy of people’s self-descriptions of their personalities.
BPS3690.60 / 4 credits
Kenneth Mann

Social Science

*Cancelled* Research Methods
Classical experimental research design and alternative designs for nonexperimental research, combined with hands-on experience with a variety of data collection techniques and writing about research. Includes development of a research design as well as exercises in both interview- and observation-based techniques.
CSO3405.60 / 4 credits
Veronica Perera

Crime and Delinquency
Crime and delinquency are analyzed as social phenomena, and their relationship to various social institutions is examined. Students are also given an overview of the theories of crime causation, as well as the nature and role of the police, courts, and prisons in society.
CSO3550.60 / 4 credits
Charles Murphy

*Cancelled* Health Issues in the 21st Century
Health issues in the 21st century are presented from an interdisciplinary perspective. Topics include the origins of emerging health and related public policy issues; the impact on the local, national, and global economy and educational systems; national security; preventive efforts; and approaches to planning policy that address these health challenges now and in the future.
CSS3005.60 / 4 credits
Owen Borda

*Cancelled* Arab Cinema: Old Glories, New Challenges
A study of the development and diversity of Arab cinema as an artistic and social form and as a political instrument. Different genres, common trends, and prevalent themes are explored through an in-depth study of selected films. The historical, social, political, and cultural contexts of Arab cinema are examined, from the heyday of the Egyptian musical to the contemporary North African art film. Also offered as FTF 3140.
CSS3140.70 / 4 credits
Habiba Boumlik

Gender Expression in Film
By focusing on masculinities, femininities, and the space in between, this course examines the cultural structure of gender and investigates the various ways that gender is expressed visually in film. Also offered as FTF 3610.
CSS3610.70 / 4 credits
Rachel Simon

Updated Dec. 14, 2011