Summer Session
Get ahead on your degree, catch up on credits, and/or lighten your fall semester course load. Earn a maximum of 12 credits over eight weeks!
Summer Session 2023 Dates
Session I: Monday, June 5– Friday, June 30, 2023 (four weeks)
Session II: Monday, June 5 – Tuesday, August 1, 2023 (eight weeks)
Session III: Wednesday, July 5 – Monday, July 31, 2023 (four weeks)
Registration starts March 6, 2023
Whether you are a currently enrolled Purchase College student or a visiting student, you can choose from a variety of courses ranging from core requirements to electives in multiple areas of study.
Current Student Registration Visiting Student Registration
Payment Information
Courses fill quickly. Check your Purchase College email for the bill payment deadline to avoid being dropped from a course. Don’t lose your seat in the course you want! Don’t forget to check the summer semester federal and state financial aid chart to determine eligibility and to obtain information.
Course Information
Courses that satisfy Purchase College Core Curriculum (Core) and SUNY General Education (GenEd) requirements are noted below the course descriptions. NOTE: Days and times are not posted for courses taught asynchronously. Asynchronous online learning means no scheduled class time, so you can schedule around your summer vacation or job plans.
Summer Session 2022 Courses
American Sign Language
ASL 1000
A comprehensive introduction to American Sign Language (ASL), beginning with a focus on the linguistic aspects of ASL, including syntax, facial expression, vocabulary, and the manual alphabet. Students progress to conversational signing and finger spelling and develop an ability to communicate on a beginning level.
Session III: Tuesday, July 5 - Monday, August 1
Online Synchronous | 4 credits | Core: Languages & Cultures | GenEd: Foreign Language | Instructor: Christopher Reineck
Arts Management
AMG 1100
This introductory survey provides an overview of creative industries and management theory and principles common in both the nonprofit and commercial sectors, preparing students for upper-level courses in the arts management program. Topics include history of arts management, arts and creativity, leadership and management, business structures, programming, marketing, funding, finance and budgeting, arts advocacy, activism and social justice.
Session III: Tuesday, July 5 - Monday, August 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Instructor: Janis Astor
AMG3610
Social media is integral to effective business communication and marketing. Students develop and analyze social media strategies, content and campaigns while gaining a better understanding of how to build individual and organizational brands utilizing social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Snapchat. Other topics include influencer campaigns, budgeting, analytics, and split testing.
Session I: Monday, June 6 - Friday, July 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Instructor: Annette Davies
Faculty sponsor: Dawn Gibson-Brehon
Biology
BIO 1510
Introduction to the organ systems of the human body, including the neuromuscular, skeletal, cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, and digestive systems. The physiological mechanisms of adaptation to exercise are also considered.
Session I: Monday, June 6 - Friday, July 1
On campus | 4 credits | Core: Natural Sciences | Instructor: Natalia Starkova
BIO 1511
Students learn about both form and function of the human body. Content includes cells and tissues; gross and microscopic anatomy; integumentary, skeletal, and muscular systems; and kinesiology. Lab exercises use microscope slides, models, and dissection for a hands-on approach and a practical knowledge of anatomy.
Session I: Monday, June 6 - Friday, July 1
On campus | 1.5 credits | Instructor: TBA
BIO 1520
Introduction to the human body, emphasizing general physiological processes. The body is studied from the viewpoint of homeostasis, concentrating on the relationship of food to the functioning living organism in health and disease. Topics of current interest, controversies, and myths are highlighted.
Session III: Tuesday, July 5 - Monday, August 1
On campus | 4 credits | Core: Natural Sciences | Instructor: TBA
BIO 1521
Students learn about both form and function of the human body. Content includes neuroanatomy and neurophysiology; senses (vision, olfaction, taste, hearing, equilibrium); and functional anatomy/physiology of the endocrine, urinary, circulatory, lymphatic, respiratory, digestive, and reproductive systems. Lab exercises use microscope slides, models, and dissection for a hands-on approach and a practical knowledge of anatomy.
Session III: Tuesday, July 5 - Monday, August 1
On campus | 1.5 credits | Instructor: TBA
BIO 1550
Introduction to contemporary biology, covering cell structure and function, genetics, development, and molecular biology. This course is for science majors and premedical students; students with limited high school science and mathematics can satisfy college distribution requirements with BIO 1510 or 1520.
Session I: Monday, June 6 - Friday, July 1
On campus | 4 credits | Core: Natural Sciences | Instructor: Natalia Starkova
BIO 1551
Lab exercises on cell organization, cell division, genetics, enzyme kinetics, photosynthesis, and development, and the use of light microscopes, spectrophotometer, and chromatography. Required for premedical students, biology majors, biochemistry majors, and environmental studies majors.
Session I: Monday, June 6 - Friday, July 1
On campus | 1.5 credits | Instructor: Natalia Starkova
BIO 1560
Second semester of an introduction to contemporary biology, covering plant and animal morphology and physiology, ecology, behavior, and evolution. This course is for science majors and premedical students; students with limited high school science and mathematics can satisfy college distribution requirements with BIO 1510 or 1520.
Session III: Tuesday, July 5 - Monday, August 1
On campus | 4 credits | Core: Natural Sciences | Instructor: Natalia Starkova
BIO 1561
Vertebrate anatomy and physiology, and examination of selected plant and animal phyla through lab exercises, experiments, and field trips. Required for premedical students, biology majors, and environmental studies majors.
Session III: Tuesday, July 5 - Monday, August 1
On campus | 1.5 credits | Instructor: Natalia Starkova
Chemistry
CHE 1550
The principles and applications of chemistry. Topics include the development of an atomic/molecular model, stoichiometry, interaction of light with matter, and the physical behavior of solids, liquids, and gases.
Session I: Monday, June 6 - Friday, July 1
On campus | 4 credits | Core: Natural Sciences | Instructor: Josh Sabatini
CHE 1551
Emphasizes basic techniques in synthetic and analytical chemistry.
Session I: Monday, June 6 - Friday, July 1
On campus | 1 credit | Instructor: Josh Sabatini
CHE 1560
A continuation of CHE 1550. Topics include chemical kinetics and equilibrium, electrochemistry, thermodynamics, acids and bases, and the chemistry of representative elements.
Session III: Tuesday, July 5 - Monday, August 1
On campus | 4 credits | Core: Natural Sciences | Instructor: Lawrence Weisberg
CHE 1561
Emphasizes basic techniques in synthetic and analytical chemistry.
Session III: Tuesday, July 5 - Monday, August 1
On campus | 1 credit | Instructor: Lawrence Weisberg
Cinema and Media Studies
CMS 3210
Throughout the history of cinema, the comedy film has been one of the most financially profitable genres, producing some of the biggest movie stars. Topics include various comedy film styles and performers, and the role of the comedy film genre within the context of world history, especially during darker periods like the Depression and World War II.
Session III: Tuesday, July 5 - Monday, August 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Core: Arts | Instructor: Samantha Marine
CMS 3290
Examines the elements and messages in sports films that make people cheer for the underdog and care about teams, players, and sports. Using both big-budget Hollywood films and documentaries with a small scope, this course explores the ideas of team, sport, and athletics and investigates the grip that sports have on American culture.
Session I: Monday, June 6 - Friday, July 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Instructor: Brian Paccione
MSA 3020
In 1991, The Real World pioneered a genre of “unscripted” television that reshaped national media culture, culminating in the reality of the 2016 election. Students study theories of Hall, Habermas and Gramsci to explore how the genre reflects and shapes attitudes of U.S. audiences to surveillance, class conflict, and the performance of truths. Examples include Jersey Shore and American Idol.
Session III: Tuesday, July 5 - Monday, August 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Instructor: Adam Resnick
MSA 4750
Investigates the relation between violence and the senses. Thinks through how our culturally patterned modes of perception can inherently carry traces of violence (e.g. ocular aggression) or be weaponized. Draws on ethnography and anthropology, cultural, and media studies, to explore the relation between violence (broadly conceived), racialization, the gaze and looking, and regimes of perception.
Session I: Monday, June 6 - Friday, July 1
Online Combined (Synchronous + Asynchronous) | 4 credits | Instructor: Andrés Romero
College Writing
WRI1110 - College Writing
The ability to express ideas clearly and effectively in writing is essential to success as a student and citizen. Students learn and practice these skills throughout their academic career at Purchase College, beginning with College Writing. This is an intensive course that teaches students to:
- produce strong written work at the college level
- read and think critically
- take a position and develop an argument of their own
- research a topic and write a well-organized paper that develops their claims in dialogue with the sources
-
revise and improve their papers
present their ideas orally
NEW this summer! In this special section of College Writing, with a focus on popular culture and public art, unique to the Purchase College, you will experience hands-on writing at the Neuberger Museum, as well as writing in different genres .
Session II: Monday, June 6 - Monday, August 1
Online Synchronous | 4 credits | Core: Basic Communication | Instructor: Alysa Hantgan
Communications
COM 1500
The history and impact of communication technologies are examined, beginning with speech and moving forward through print and digital media, advertising and public relations, media regulation and potential, and ending with a consideration of the future.
Session I: Monday, June 6 - Friday, July 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Core: Social Sciences | Instructor: Allison Kahn
COM 3710
Television is much more than a passive, incessant means of diversion—it is a powerful environment of ideas, emotions, and values that influences people’s thoughts, actions, and relationships. Students become acquainted with current issues concerning television in society and explore the impact of television on society. Aspects examined include the 1950s and mass culture, viewer response, serial/episodic structure, and the rise of cable.
Session I: Monday, June 6 - Friday, July 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Instructor: Sharon Zechowski
Faculty Sponsor: Aviva Taubenfeld
Environmental Studies
ENV 2050
Students explore the source, fate and effect of contaminants on wildlife, along with what we can do to help through education, science and policy. Through the pairing of introductory ecotoxicological concepts with key case studies, this course spans political, scientific, and public relations realms and teaches the importance of being good global stewards of the environment.
Session III: Tuesday, July 5 - Monday, August 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Core: Natural Sciences | Instructor: Allyson Jackson
ENV 3030
The environment has become increasingly significant in national and international politics. This course examines the key concepts, players, and issues in environmental policy. Students evaluate the contributions by scientific, political, economic, and social systems to the generation of environmental policy. Environmental topics include population growth, natural resource use, global climate change and energy, endangered species protection, and pollution.
Session I: Monday, June 6 - Friday, July 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Instructor: Ryan Taylor
ENV 3163
Satellites, aircraft, and drones provide safe access to remote, rugged, and otherwise restricted locations. Applications utilizing SONAR, LIDAR, hyperspectral scanning and photogrammetry are used with these craft to create long-term global datasets of natural and cultural features. Using online Geographic Information System platforms students learn the skills to interpret these data, conduct their own analyses, and collaborate with other researchers.
Note: Some of the software needed for this course is ONLY compatible with the WINDOWS OS. Students who attempt to complete this course with access to an Android or iOS device only will not be able to complete every assignment, which will affect their grade.
Session I: Monday, June 6 - Friday, July 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Instructor: Ryan Taylor
History
HIS 3165
Examines how war changed gender relations in 20th-century Europe. For instance, how did mobilization reinforce or undermine masculine and feminine norms? How did total wars that blurred the line between fighting front and home front challenge notions of chivalry and turn noncombatants into warriors of sorts? Did new job opportunities outweigh the trauma and grief suffered by women during wartime?
Session III: Tuesday, July 5 - Monday, August 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Core: Humanities Group | GenEd: Humanities | Instructor: John Bailey
Law and Justice Studies
LEG 3000
Focuses on major Supreme Court decisions pertaining to civil liberties. Caselaw examined includes: privacy, free expression, free exercise of religion, reproductive rights, and same-sex marriage. Students gain a deeper understanding of the current state of the law on major civil liberties issues and a grasp on how Supreme Court decisions affect everyday life.
Session I: Monday, June 6 - Friday, July 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Instructor: Kristyan Gilmore
Liberal Studies
LBS 3012
An interdisciplinary course that examines physical aspects of the world’s water, from oceans and rivers to streams and ponds. Noting the role that water plays in ecosystems and social systems provides the basis for further exploration into the history of use, contamination, and protection. The physical and chemical properties of water provide the basis for questions of safety and sustainability.
Session III: Tuesday, July 5 - Monday, August 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Instructor: Ryan Andrews
LBS 3028
How we treat animals reveals a great deal about who we are, as a society and species. This course examines intersections between animals, humans and society from multiple perspectives (ecology, history, sociology, literature). Using text, media, documentaries and photojournalism, students explore contemporary topics, including animal intelligence and emotions, biodiversity and keystone species, animals in captivity, and zoonotic disease (i.e., Coronavirus).
Session I: Monday, June 6 - Friday, July 1
Online Combined (Synchronous + Asynchronous) | 4 credits | Instructor: Lisa Jean Moore
Literature
LIT 2235
Readings explore postcolonial and other contemporary global literary representations of animals and the environment, specifically their engagement with narratives of colonization and development, human-centeredness, and the posthuman. Students will consider how these representations invite readers to re-think hierarchical and human-centered visions of our world.
Session II: Monday, June 6 - Monday, August 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Core: Language & Cultures | GenEd: Other World Civilizations | Instructor: Kerry Manzo
LIT 3677
Concise and focused, the short story has been a lens through which Americans have explored their identities. Stories written in the last 25 years examine the changing sense of what being an American means.
Session III: Tuesday, July 5 - Monday, August 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Core: Humanities | GenEd: Humanities | Instructor: Shinelle Espaillat
Mathematics
MAT 1060
Students learn basic concepts in quantitative reasoning (number systems, data manipulation, basic statistics), with emphasis on problem solving using computational methods. This course uses a textbook and focuses on applications related to consumer issues to develop computational and problem-solving skills. Students learn to transform data into information and apply quantitative methods to evaluate information and solve real-world problems.
Session I: Monday, June 6 - Friday, July 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Core: Mathematics | Instructor: Barbara McMullen
MAT 1150
Prepares students with limited backgrounds in high school mathematics for calculus. Topics include absolute values and inequalities, the properties of functions, graphs, logarithms, fractional exponents, and trigonometry.
Session III: Tuesday, July 5 - Monday, August 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Core: Mathematics | Pre-req: Math Fluency 20-28 | Instructor: Nicholas Roberts
MAT 1500
The basic concepts of the differential and integral calculus. Focus is on the applicability of these topics to an array of problems. The first course in a three-semester series.
Session II: Monday, June 6 - Monday, August 1
Online Combined (Synchronous + Asynchronous) | 4 credits | Core: Mathematics | Pre-req: Precalculus | Instructor: Alan Anderson
MAT 1510
A continuation of MAT 1500. Topics include differentiation and integration of logarithmic, exponential, and inverse trigonometric functions; techniques of integration; arc length; infinite series; and improper integrals. Applications include work, growth, and decay problems and volumes of solids of revolution.
Session II: Monday, June 6 - Monday, August 1
Online Synchronous | 4 credits | Pre-req: Calculus I | Instructor: Nicholas Roberts
MAT 1600
Statistics are used everywhere in the modern world. This course covers descriptive statistics, including measures of central tendency, methods of dispersion, and graphs; and inferential statistics, including normal distributions and hypothesis testing, Pearson correlation, and linear regression.
Session II: Monday, June 6 - Monday, August 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Core: Mathematics | Instructor: Barbara McMullen
Photography
PHO 1101
An introduction to the techniques, current practices, and history surrounding digital photography. Editing techniques are covered, with attention to image manipulation using Adobe Photoshop and RAW files. Composition, lighting, point of view, and use of narrative are explored. A digital camera is required; cameras may be borrowed, as available, from Campus Technology Services. Students may not earn credit for both PHO 1100 (offered by the School of Art+Design) and PHO 1101.
Session III: Tuesday, July 5 - Monday, August 1
Online Asynchronous | 3 credits | Core: Arts | Instructor: Deborah Mesa-Pelly
Psychology
PSY 1530
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.
Session I: Monday, June 6 - Friday, July 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Core: Social Sciences | Instructor: Lauren Harburger
PSY 2250
An examination of the biological processes by which the sensory systems pick up information from the environment and the psychological processes by which that information is coded, transformed, and integrated to form perceptions. Emphasis is on the visual systems and visual perception. Aspects of perception in the visual arts and music are also discussed.
Session III: Tuesday, July 5 - Monday, August 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Core: Natural Sciences | Instructor: Jason Clarke
PSY 2455
The interplay of cyberpsychology, gender, age, culture, and subculture are examined. Theoretical, empirical, and practical research issues are considered. Emphasis is placed on the impact of social media on mental health and psychological well-being. Individual, social, and community-level factors are discussed.
Session II: Monday, June 6 - Monday, August 1
Online Synchronous | 3 credits | Instructor: Christopher Williams
PSY 3110
Students hone critical thinking and evaluative skills in examining data, evidence, and assumptions underlying the judicial process and the application of psychological principles. The research and clinical practice of forensic psychology in both civil and criminal law-enforcement settings are studied. The training, roles, and responsibilities of forensic psychologists along with methods of interrogation, criminal profiling, and investigation are also examined.
Session III: Tuesday, July 5 - Monday, August 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Instructor: Jacqueline Fisher
PSY 3301
The interventions suggested by the biopsychosocial model and mind-body paradigm are examined. Topics include health behavior, social learning theory, attribution theory, and attitude formation as they apply to problems like health promotion, disease prevention, reactions to illness, management of chronic and terminal illnesses, and adherence to treatment regimens. Methods of evaluation of clinical services are addressed.
Session I: Monday, June 6 - Friday, July 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Instructor: Jessica Carnevale
Screenwriting
PSW 1010
Introduces the student to writing a dramatic story for the screen, placing an emphasis on discovery, good work habits, critical assessment, and rewriting as essential to the professional writer. Through numerous assignments, students learn the basics of dramatic story structure, revealing character, writing dialogue, genre, and use of story suspense. All techniques are applied in a final short screenplay.
Session II: Monday, June 6 - Monday, August 1
Online Synchronous | 4 credits | Core: Arts | GenEd: Arts for Arts | Instructor: Eric Mandelbaum
Sociology
SOC 3455
Conflict can signal either a disruption in an organization’s operations or an opportunity for change and growth. This course examines the causes, processes, costs, and benefits of social conflict, and methods for conflict resolution. Using sociological theory and research, the relationship of social issues to organizational and institutional conflict is also addressed. Students are given a broad perspective on making conflict an asset organizationally and interpersonally, including 25 hours of coursework needed for conflict-mediation certification. Provides the foundation for an apprenticeship with a conflict-mediation or dispute-resolution center.
Session III: Tuesday, July 5 - Monday, August 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Instructor: Chrys Ingraham
SOC 3415
Given the ethnic complexity of society, major social institutions—including education, criminal justice, health care, social services, and business—face many challenges. This course explores the past, present, and future of race and ethnicity in American society, and how immigration, culture, religion, education, and income play parts in prejudice, discrimination, and racial inequalities.
Session I: Monday, June 6 - Friday, July 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Core: Social Sciences | Instructor: Chrys Ingraham
Spanish
SPA 1010
For students who have had little or no previous exposure to the language. Presents the essential structures of spoken and written Spanish by involving the student in situations that concretely represent the concepts of the language.
Session I: Monday, June 6 - Friday, July 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Core: Languages & Cultures | GenEd: Foreign Language | Instructor: Ager Gondra
SPA 1020
A continuation of SPA 1010. Increased time is devoted to reading and writing. Development of oral skills remains the primary objective of the course.
Session III: Tuesday, July 5 - Monday, August 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Core: Languages & Cultures | GenEd: Foreign Language | Instructor: Ager Gondra
Theatre and Performance
THP 3340
Come taste the finest sampling of the great Broadway songwriters. Each class examines a particular songwriter (Cole Porter, Stephen Sondheim), idea (the subversives: Weill and Bernstein), or era (contemporary voices on Broadway). Students savor recordings, investigate the dramatic qualities of the songs, and analyze lyrics, melody, and song form.
Session II: Monday, June 6 - Monday, August 1
Online Combined (Synchronous + Asynchronous) | 4 credits | Core: Humanities Group | GenEd: Humanities | Instructor: Michael Garber