Online Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies
Online Course Schedule for Spring 2026

Real World Research Methods

Note: *Only for BLS students using the Canvas platform

Artificial Intelligence

Are you curious about artificial intelligence but unsure where to begin? Artificial Intelligence is the perfect starting point, and no technical or programming background is required. This course provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to AI and its growing impact on everyday life. From smart assistants and facial recognition to personalized recommendations and autonomous vehicles, AI is transforming industries—and this course will help you understand how, why, and what it means for the future. Designed for students from all academic and professional backgrounds, the course focuses on building conceptual understanding through thoughtfully curated readings, discussions, self-paced assignments, and collaborative team projects. Whether you're looking to understand AI's relevance in your industry, thinking about a future career in tech, or simply want to be a more informed citizen in a digital world, this course will give you the tools to engage with AI confidently and critically.

Note: *Only for BLS students using the canvas platform. This course can satisfy a single requirement in the following areas: CAT concentration

Ethical Decision-Making in Bus

This course uses literature and film as case studies to explore the challenges and complexities of making ethical and moral decisions in our work and professional lives. The use of literature, non-fiction, and film allows students to examine the nature of moral dilemmas and moral decision-making in real-life situations that are most often ambiguous, involve trade-offs and sacrifices, and are influenced by a multitude of internal and external factors. The class will be open and interactive, including discussion, debate, student presentations, and student sharing of their own personal work experiences that they feel relate to the materials and issues raised. The particular literary works and films used in this course have been chosen so that they have clear application to the kinds of moral conflicts that arise in work settings such as personal values vs. institutional or enterprise values, loyalty vs. misplaced loyalty, workplace discrimination, whistleblowing, the morality of money, the morality of “selling,” women’s roles and sexual harassment, pressure to conform, and moral courage.

Note: *Only for BLS students using the canvas platform

Financial Management

This course introduces the theory and practice of corporate financial management and the application of financial management techniques to business decision-making. Topics include financial statement analysis, financial ratio analysis, the time value of money, risk and return, capital budgeting, cost of capital, sources and uses of financing, and international markets. Students will learn about data security standards, the importance of data anonymization and methods to identify and prevent insider threats.

Note: *Only for BLS students using the canvas platform. This course can satisfy a single requirement in the following areas: BE concentration

Geopolitics and Cyberspace

This multidisciplinary course explores the dynamics of international relations in the context of cyberspace, focusing on cyber power, sovereignty, and global cyber governance. Students will examine key aspects of cybersecurity, cyber warfare, as well as the economic and political impacts of the digital domain. The course also addresses ethical and societal implications such as privacy, surveillance, and the digital divide. Students will learn how digital technologies influence geopolitics and national security. The course also explores emerging trends and future scenarios in cyber conflicts and diplomacy. Students will learn through engaging case studies, short lectures, and practical activities.

Note: *Only for BLS students using the canvas platform. This course can satisfy a single requirement in the following areas: CAT concentration, Science core area.

Global Competitive Intel

Course Description: In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, the ability to gather, analyze, and act upon competitive intelligence (CI) is crucial for maintaining a strategic edge. The "Global Competitive Intelligence" course is designed to equip students with the foundational knowledge, ethical considerations, research methodologies, analytical skills, and communication strategies necessary to conduct successful competitive intelligence. This course delves into the art and science of transforming information into actionable intelligence, enabling organizations to make informed strategic decisions.

Note: *Only for BLS students using the canvas platform

Global Supply Chain Management

This course will discuss Global Supply Chain Managem

Note: *Only for BLS students using the canvas platform

International Organizations

Note: *Only for BLS students using the canvas platform. This course can satisfy a single requirement in the following areas: PIR concentration, Humanities core area, Science core area

Introduction to Applied Intell

This course explores the multifaceted world of intelligence. Students will examine the core principles, methodologies, and ethical considerations that underpin the intelligence community's role in safeguarding society. Through a blend of theory and case studies, students will gain a foundational understanding of intelligence's crucial function in strategic decision-making and operational applications across national security, homeland security, law enforcement, cyber intelligence, and business intelligence. The course features dynamic discussions focused on applied intelligence, knowledge checks for concept reinforcement, written assignments to develop students’ analytical skills, and presentations to refine their communication skills. Central to the course is a group project where students critically analyze an AI-generated intelligence report, offering hands-on experience in intelligence analysis.

Note: *Only for BLS students using the canvas platform. This course can satisfy a single requirement in the following areas: CAT concentration

Multimedia Design for Comms

This course focuses on digital multimedia design for communication(s). We begin with establishing a common understanding of terms and standards used in multimedia communication(s). We address the theory and practice of how technology is accepted and then focus on how different communication formats and digital tools influence meaning-making. The course uses a learning by doing approach. This means that throughout the semester you will be creating various artifacts that you will then curate and showcase as a final course project. The online environment is designed to provide the guidance that you will need to have a successful final project. This guidance comes in the form of mini lectures, demonstrations, discussion, peer and instructor feedback

Note: *Only for BLS students using the canvas platform. This course can satisfy a single requirement in the following areas: MCH Concentration, BE Concentration

Museums and Social Change

Although museums are a commonplace institution in public life today, they have not always played such a significant role in our society. In this course, we will explore the history of public museums, and follow their establishment and rise to prominence over the past two centuries. In doing so, we’ll look at the vast diversity of museums, and learn about how the structure and mission of the public museum has been shaped by social, political, and economic forces. From art galleries to museums of natural history, we will ask how elements such as architecture, object acquisition, financing, and curatorial practice contribute to the impact that museums have today. We’ll consider the significant role that museums play in preserving and narrativizing our collective histories, and we’ll consider the impact that they can have on shaping our future.

Note: *Only for BLS students using the canvas platform. This course can satisfy a single requirement in the following areas: MCH concentration, Humanities core area

The Human Condition

What makes us human? How much of this is a part of our “nature” (e.g., biological hardware, chemistry, and physiological changes) and how much of it is due to how we are nurtured (our socialization, cultures, and social interactions)? This course explores some of the most central aspects of the human condition and asks, “What makes us tick?” The class explores competing paradigms derived from a combination of studies and research from biology, medicine, psychology, sociology, economics, anthropology, archaeology, and historical observation. The structure of the course is inspired by the concept of a “hierarchy of needs”—beginning with essential “lower order” aspects of the human condition moving up toward the problems and issues that are more often the focus of life once the essentials of life have been obtained. The course challenges the notion that 21st century human beings are all that different from those that existed in 100, 1,000, or even 10,000 years ago. It also seeks to understand how human behavior can vary so much across cultures now. Reading material for the course also includes a combination of original source excerpts from the world’s religious and legal texts, and philosophers and scientists such as John Locke, René Descartes, B.F. Skinner, John Watson, Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, Charles Darwin, Adam Smith, Sun Tzu, Niccolò Machiavelli, Edward O. Wilson. Lecture and the course readings are supplemented with suggested journal articles including current research as well as multimedia excerpts on each week’s topics.

Note: *Only for BLS students using the canvas platform. This course can satisfy a single requirement in the following areas: MCH concentration, Humanities core area, Science area

The Role of U.S. in the World

Note: *Only for BLS students using the canvas platform