Spring Semester

This course, which may include a service e-learning component, explores the workplace dynamics related to people’s similarities and differences in characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, and physical and mental ability. Topics include perception and attribution, the social construction of identity, privilege, power relations, discrimination, prejudice, stereotypes, and approaches businesses and other organizations take to address issues of workplace diversity. Prerequisite(s): BUS 1100 and at least Sophomore standing. Fulfills: D in LS Core. 4 credits.

A one-semester course designed to develop algebraic and quantitative problem-solving skills. Students will use algebraic, exponential, and logarithmic functions as well as fundamental concepts of probability to solve applied problems selected primarily from the field of business. Graphing calculator is required. We recommend TI-84+. This course is not open to students who have credit for MTH 1016 or any math course numbered MTH 1115 or higher. Fulfills: Q in LS Core. 4 credits. 

This course is designed to provide students with an overview of the general framework of the legal environment in which twenty-first-century business is expected to operate. The primary objective is to acquaint students with the many practical legal issues they should be cognizant of and are likely to encounter throughout their business careers. Class discussion will emphasize current court case decisions of the state and federal appellate courts and United States Supreme Court as appropriate. Students will appreciate how the law is integrated into the development of strategic business decisions. Primary course topics will be drawn from the following business law categories: (1) Government Regulation of Business and the Court System; (2) The Law of Contracts, Sales and an Introduction to the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC); (3) The Law of Torts; Negligence, Strict Liability and Product Liability with some applications to Professional Responsibility; (4) The Law of Agency and Employment , and (5) Methods of Business Formation Including Proprietorships, Partnerships, Corporations and Special Business Forms. Prerequisite(s): BUS 1100 and at least Sophomore standing. 4 credits.

This course introduces the basics of a standard finance course. The goal is to provide a comfortable level of understanding of financial markets and securities for all business majors. The course will develop the financial skills and knowledge that will help them interact with the other functions of the firm to make good managerial decisions. The main topics included in the course are outlined under five main areas: (1) financial markets and institutions in a global environment; (2) financial ratios, budgeting, a firm’s pro forma financial statements, and cash flows determining firm value; (3) time value of money tools and concepts (compounding, discounting, annuities, and perpetuities); (4) relationship between risk and return; and (5) the basics of bond & stock valuation. Prerequisites: BUS 1100, BUS 2203, MTH 1003 (or course equivalent: MTH 1016, 1115, or 1217), and ECO1201. 4 credits.

The marketing course introduces marketing as a functional area of a business enterprise. You will study numerous marketing concepts and functions, including the marketing concept, the marketing mix, buyer behavior, market segmentation, product position, and marketing research, all within a global context. Prerequisites: BUS 1100. 4 credits.

Strategic Analysis and Decision Making is a capstone course that exposes students to issues that concern the firm as a whole. Through the use of “real-world” case studies and sophisticated practitioner journal articles, students will be called upon to grapple with such strategic issues as sizing up an organization’s standing in the marketplace, differentiating between winning and mediocre strategies, and spotting ways to improve a company’s strategy execution. In this course student teams will meet with the teaching team one hour per week to discuss their analysis of the assigned readings and cases. Prerequisite: BUS 1100 and all required BUS2xxx courses. 4 credits.

This course explores how gender influences the form, style and content of our communication. In addition, this course considers how gender relates to larger issues in communication such as dominance, violence, the power of language and how that structures our world, influences our culture and our perceptions, and the promotion of dominant ideologies of gender. To accomplish these ends, we will examine popular culture both historically as well as contemporary. Students will be asked to look at the underlying assumptions about what it means to be and behave like one gender or another and what it means to live with intersexuality. Exploration of cultures that recognize three gender categories will be discussed.
Prerequisite(s): COM1020 and COM2401 and COM2801. Fulfills: Diversity requirement in LS Core. Note: No prerequisites for WGS and SOJ students.4 credits.

Nutrition, Diet and Health will introduce the student to the science of nutrition. The fundamentals of protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamin, and mineral requirements and metabolism will be explained as a basis for the study of the relationship between diet and health in both a personal and global perspective. The impact that human nutrition and industrial agriculture have on environmental quality, food resources and energy consumption will be explored. Nutrition, Diet and Health has a mandatory civic engagement component related to important public and environmental issues in human nutrition, health, and fitness that are considered in the course. Satisfies a Mathematics/Science distribution requirement. Fulfills a STEM requirement in LS Core. 4 credits.

Basic methods of statistical inference including the organization and analysis of data, sampling theory, point and interval estimation, hypothesis testing, correlation and regression analysis, and analysis of variance. Statistical software will be used throughout this course. MTH 1111 is not open to students with credit for MTH 1110, MTH 2527, MTH 1505, or BUS 2213. Fulfills: Q and STEM in LS Core. Course runs from January 21 to March 15.  

A first course in philosophy focusing on classic questions that have stirred the perennial human quest for wisdom. We will explore such questions as: Are humans free or determined? How do the mind and body interact? Is ethics just relative to each person or society? Should there be any limits to the political freedom of citizens? Does God exist? The course will introduce students to the methods and culture of philosophy: sympathetic understanding, critical analysis, fair argumentation, and a persistent desire to know the truth whatever it is. The focus and questions covered will be determined by each instructor. Fulfills PHL in LS Core. 4 credits.

A critical examination of the way in which technological innovation has shaped our modern culture. Students will study major ethical traditions, pursue individual research projects on particular areas of technology, suggest solutions to ethical problems that arise there, and report their conclusions. Prerequisite: PHL 1000. Satisfies a second institutional requirement in Philosophy if needed or a Humanities distribution requirement. Fulfills E in LS Core. 4 credits.

As an introduction to Christianity, this course will investigate a number of the contexts in which it began, in which it developed, and in which we find it today. Students will study Christianity in the historical contexts within the ancient world and of ancient Judaism, in the literary contexts of the Christian Bible and its interpretation, in the intellectual context of church history, and in contemporary global contexts. In keeping with the College’s Augustinian identity, mission, and vision, this course will also highlight the contributions of St. Augustine. Satisfies the first institutional requirement in religious and theological studies. Fulfills RTS in LS Core. 4 credits.

An introduction to the research methods employed in sociology. The course examines the nature of science, causality, research ethics, and how to conduct a literature review. Students will gain hands-on experience with the most important methods of data collection, sampling, variable measurement, and analysis. Upon completion of this course students will produce an original piece of sociological research. Prerequisite(s): SOC 1000 or consent of the instructor. Fulfills: SOSC requirement in LS Core. 4 credits.