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), no class on July 4.
Session III: Wednesday, July 5 – Monday, July 31, 2023 (four weeks)
Whether you are a currently enrolled Purchase College student, a newly admitted, or a visiting student, you can choose from a variety of courses ranging from core requirements to electives in multiple areas of study.
Registration is open!
Current Student Registration Visiting Student or Newly Admitted 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 marked with an asterisk. 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. Read more about Instructional Methods.
Need a syllabus? Please email us at summer@purchase.edu.
Summer 2023 schedule
Courses marked with * fulfill a Core/GenEd requirement.
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 I: Monday, June 5 - Friday, June 30
Online Synchronous | 4 credits | Core: Languages & Cultures | GenEd: Foreign Language | Instructor: Chris Reineck
ASL 1100
In this continuation of American Sign Language I, emphasis is placed on conversational signing, syntax, and facial expression. Students are introduced to classifiers and directional verbs, and develop an ability to communicate on an intermediate level.
Session III: Wednesday, July 5 - Monday, July 31
Online Synchronous | 4 credits | Core: Languages & Cultures | GenEd: Foreign Language | Instructor: Chris 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: Wednesday, July 5 - Monday, July 31
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Instructor: Janis Astor del Valle
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 5 - Friday, June 30
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Instructor: Annette Davies
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 5 - Friday, July 1
Online asynchronous | 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: Natalia Starkova
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: Wednesday, July 5 - Monday, July 31
Online asynchronous | 4 credits | Core: Natural Sciences | Instructor: Natalia Starkova
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: Wednesday, July 5 - Monday, July 31
On campus | 1.5 credits | Instructor: Natalia Starkova
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 5 - Friday, June 30
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 5 - Friday, June 30
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: Wednesday, July 5 - Monday, July 31
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: Wednesday, July 5 - Monday, July 31
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 5 - Friday, June 30
On campus | 4 credits | Core: Natural Sciences | Instructor: Josh Sabatini
CHE 1551
Emphasizes basic techniques in synthetic and analytical chemistry.
Session I: Monday, June 5 - Friday, June 30
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: Wednesday, July 5 - Monday, July 31
On campus | 4 credits | Core: Natural Sciences | Instructor: Josh Sabatini
CHE 1561
Emphasizes basic techniques in synthetic and analytical chemistry.
Session III: Wednesday, July 5 - Monday, July 31
On campus | 1 credit | Instructor: Josh Sabatini
Cinema and Media Studies
CMS 3150
Investigates celebrity culture through the lens of advertising and public relations. Particular attention is paid to how celebrity culture is created and shaped by various forms of media, ranging from print to social media platforms. Students consider the ways celebrities create change and consider their impact on public and private lives.
Session I: Monday, June 5 - Friday, June 30
Online Asynchronous | 3 credits | Instructor: Annette Davies
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: Wednesday, July 5 - Monday, July 31
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 5 - Friday, June 30
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: Wednesday, July 5 - Monday, July 31
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Instructor: Adam Resnick
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 5 - Friday, June 30
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Core: Social Sciences | Instructor: Allison Kahn
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 I: Monday, June 5 - Friday, June 30
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 5 - Friday, June 30
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Instructor: Ryan Taylor
History
HIS 1010
The ancient world to the beginning of the modern world at 1500 AD: an amalgamation of Celtic, Jewish, Greek, Roman, and German historical traditions.
Session I: Monday, June 5 - Friday, June 30
Online Synchronous | 4 credits | Core: Humanities | GenEd: Western Civilization | Instructor: Jenna Schultz
HIS 3045
Examines European social, political, and cultural developments since the 1950s through history, sociology, literature, and film. Themes include the Cold War, the evolution of the Common Market, youth, women and feminism, consumerism, immigration and labor migration, national identity, attitudes towards America, and Germany and Eastern Europe since the collapse of the Soviet bloc.
Session III: Wednesday, July 5 - Monday, July 31
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Instructor: (John) Christian Bailey
Law and Justice Studies
LEG 3390
Issues related to immigration law are placed in context by reviewing their historical evolution. Students examine current law and issues related to family and labor-based petitions for permanent residence, political asylum and refugee applications, the status of undocumented workers, immigration and national security, and deportation policies and procedures.
Session I: Monday, June 5 - Friday, June 30
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Instructor: Kristyan Gilmore
Literature
LIT 3400
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.
Session III: Wednesday, July 5 - Monday, July 31
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 5 - Friday, June 30
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: Wednesday, July 5 - Monday, July 31
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 5 - Tuesday, August 1
Online 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 5 - Monday, August 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Pre-req: Calculus I | Instructor: Alan Anderson
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 5 - Tuesday, 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: Wednesday, July 5 - Monday, July 31
Online Asynchronous | 3 credits | Core: Arts | Instructor: Deborah Mesa-Pelly
Political Science
POL 3045
Although health is typically treated as a biological issue, health, illness, and wellness are social and political conditions. The politics of health policy as it is experienced, administered, and made accessible to men, women, and gender non-conforming healthcare seekers, and the activism that leads to more equitable treatment from medical professionals, insurance providers, and government service providers, regulators, and legislators is examined. Access to the health care system, poverty, Medicaid/Medicare, managed care, breast cancer, reproductive justice, sexual assault, HIV/AIDS, transgender care, disability, and medical research are investigated from an intersectional feminist perspective that foregrounds issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality.
Session I: Monday, June 5 - Friday, June 30
Online Combined (Synchronous + Asynchronous) | 4 credits | Instructor: Karen Baird
Printmaking
PRT 2320 / PRT5320
From Rembrandt to Kiki Smith, artists have used intaglio processes to generate marks ranging from the precise and detailed to the physical and expressive. Students explore such techniques as engraving, etching, aquatint, drypoint, and photo transfer. Independent projects, demonstrations, and critiques guide students toward creating a body of prints that deploy these various media to shape their creative ideas.
Session I: Monday, June 5 - Friday, June 30
Hybrid (split between face-to-face instruction twice a week and online asynchronous delivery) | 3 credits | Core: Arts | Instructor: Cassandra Hooper
View course PRT 2320 on myHeliotrope.
With permission of the instructor students may be able to take the course at the graduate level under course code PRT 5320.
View course PRT 5320 on myHeliotrope.
Students will be supplied a list of materials to purchase for this class
PRT 3550 / PRT 5550
Monotype is a bridge between painting and printmaking. Students use brushes, paints, inks, rollers, and drawing implements to create unique prints from a Plexiglas or metal plate. The nature of the process allows students the freedom to work in a direct, spontaneous manner leading to gestural images and textured surfaces.
Session II: Monday, June 5 - Tuesday, August 1
Hybrid (split between face-to-face instruction in the week starting June 26 and online asynchronous delivery for the remaining 7 weeks) | 3 credits | Core: Arts | Instructor: Cassandra Hooper
With permission of the instructor students may be able to take the course at the graduate level under course code PRT 5550.
Students will be supplied a list of materials to purchase for this class
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 5 - Friday, June 30
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: Wednesday, July 5 - Monday, July 31
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Core: Natural Sciences | Instructor: Jason Clarke
PSY 2755
In this course, the intra- and extra-personal causes of stress are identified, and a variety of assessment instruments are demonstrated and used. The consequences of stress are examined from several physiological and cognitive perspectives. A catalog of effective, direct, and palliative coping strategies is offered so that students can develop personalized stress-management programs.
Session II: Monday, June 5 - Tuesday, August 1
Online Asynchronous | 3 credits | Instructor: Christopher Williams
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 5 - Friday, June 30
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Instructor: Jessica Carnevale
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: Wednesday, July 5 - Monday, July 31
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Instructor: Jacqueline Fisher
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 5 - Tuesday, August 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Core: Arts | GenEd: Arts for Arts | Instructor: James Madejski
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: Wednesday, July 5 - Monday, July 31
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 5 - Friday, June 30
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 5 - Friday, June 30
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: Wednesday, July 5 - Monday, July 31
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Core: Languages & Cultures | GenEd: Foreign Language | Instructor: Ager Gondra
Theatre and Performance
THP 3210
Students explore the bridge between traditional narratives and the emerging narrative demands of the metaverse. Course will introduce the employment of virtuality and augmented design alongside real-world immersive environments. The use of multiple mediums and immersive narrative design principles is leading to a reinvention storytelling, a reinvention that is opened doors to new opportunities in the many fields of entertainment.
Session I: Monday, June 5 - Friday, June 30
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Core: Arts | Instructor: David Bassuk, Fulbright Scholar
THP 3230
Students explore narrative designs that endeavor to extend live immersive performance using interactive media. An introduction to a 21st century toolset for audience immersion and interactivity, the course will take a design-based approach developing a proficiency in developing methodologies of creation techniques. Students will reach audiences with performances that are designed as both live and digitally immersive.
Session II: Monday, June 5 - Tuesday, August 1
Online Asynchronous | 4 credits | Core: Arts | Instructor: David Bassuk, Fulbright Scholar