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

Ancient Rome & the Big Screen

This class will explore representations of Rome in classical texts and their adaptations in cinema, focusing on shifts accompanying Rome’s changing political and cultural status vis-à-vis America’s. Rome is not a fixed and unchanging entity but rather a set of constantly shifting and adapting representations. As a primary text, we will use Monica Cyrino’s Big Screen Rome to get a sense of the film history and sociopolitical contexts of the films, as well as readings in ancient literature that correspond to the films under discussion, including Plutarch’s Lives, Suetonius’ Lives, Tacitus’ Histories, Plautus’ plays, and the poetry of Catullus and Horace. We will begin the class with Plautus and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, moving through films including Spartacus, Cleopatra, and Life of Brian, and end with the film The Eagle and episodes in HBO’s Rome with readings from Suetonius and Caesar. We will also read short scholarly articles about the production and reactions to the films of the course. In addition to written assignments, such as weekly musings and analysis of secondary sources, we will also complete creative assignments crafting our own reimaginings of Rome in varied formats. Through this course, we will gain a foundation in Roman history and Rome’s changing image in America that directly correlates with America’s own changing image.

Note: This online course is open to BLS online students only.

Childhood in America

Using an interdisciplinary approach, this course surveys foundational texts in the field of childhood studies. This course examines the ways that childhood has been conceptualized and understood as a social category. We consider the meaning of “the child” as it intersects with the dimensions of age, race, class, gender, and religion. As historian Corrine Field encourages, we will regard children as more than “consumers of culture and objects of socialization” but as “producers or even conduits of ideas.” This course combines social history with cultural studies to better understand the social construction of childhood across time and space. We consider what it means to come of age amid ever-changing social relations and cultural contexts. We will explore subjects such as labor, sexuality, gender, education, media, and popular culture.

Note: This online course is open to BLS online students only.

Design Thinking for Entrepren

Students will experiment with design thinking tools and mindsets to gain new perspectives and problem-solving skills to use in careers as entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, or whatever path they choose. This course focuses on learning by doing in an interactive, team-based, and reflective way.

Note: This online course is open to BLS online students only.

Ethical Leadership

This course offers a selective introduction to the study of philosophy through the critical examination of ethical issues arising within situations calling for responsible leadership. We will apply theoretical principles to selected case studies from professional life, carrying out careful analysis of problems concerning right and wrong surrounding finance, accounting, and investment, marketing and advertising, corporate governance, international human rights, data science, global business, distributive and social justice, environmental policy, and national and global democratic citizenship.

Note: This online course is open to BLS online students only.

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: This online course is open to BLS online students only.

Intro to Pol & Social Justice

Introduction to Politics and Social Justice explores the political, theoretical, and activist approaches to social justice while considering representations and the larger impact of social justice struggles in the United States and around the world. Through an analysis of colonialism, imperialism, globalization, and social privileges, to name a few, students will learn the importance of applying knowledge from a variety of theoretical and political standpoints. The approach to this course will pay particular attention to issues of power, privilege, and “freedom.”

Note: This online course is open to BLS online students only.

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: This online course is open to BLS online students only.

Leadership in Intl Relations

This course offers a broad introduction to leadership in international relations and wonders whether leaders make history, if history makes leaders, or if some third option is possible. Leadership in international relations is usually thought of in one of two ways. On the one hand, good leadership is thought of as the opposite of bad leadership (tyranny), in which case good leadership means something like providing subjects with freedom from tyrants. This course is designed to promote a full understanding of how leadership functions in international relations. It introduces the key paradigms and theories of “leadership” and examines a wide variety of portraits of leaders in international relations, and their consequential choices.

Note: This online course is open to BLS online students only.

Math as Philosophy

Here is a stunning fact: the world can be understood mathematically. This fact underlies our success in science, computers, and even our private every-day reasoning processes. But how is this so? Why is mathematical thinking so astonishingly useful to help us understand the world around us? In this course, we examine the conceptual foundations of mathematics. No prior mathematical knowledge is required for this course. This is not a course about doing calculations. It is about abstract structures, and how we use such structure in our thinking. Throughout the course, we will ask the following questions. How do we organize things into collections, and networks? Does "+" (adding) mean what you think it means? Are there numbers that can't be enumerated (even by God), and if so, how do we even know about such spooky numbers? How do computers work, and how could it possibly all boil down to just ones and zeros? Are there math problems that can't be solved (even with an infinitely powerful computer)? And how do we even know how to figure out the answer to that? Finally, how do computer simulated neural networks "learn," and how much is it like human learning?

Note: This online course is open to BLS online students only.

Professional Communication

Professional communication is a critical skill in every professional setting, every job and in every industry, but it is also valuable in everyday life. If you learn to communicate more clearly and directly you are more likely to avoid conflict, advocate for what you want and save time. This course teaches you how to analyze, develop, and effectively communicate via writing in every channel – from social media and videos to emails and presentations. We will use a variety of methods including lectures, a variety of writing techniques to get started, reading and sharing class examples, a simulation, personal reflections and lots of practice. Communication is a practiced and learned skill so we will start your journey where you are and help you communicate more effectively and learn ways that work for you. Harness the power of this invaluable skill.

Note: This online course is open to BLS online students only.

Racial & Env Justice in Africa

Note: This course introduces students to debates at the intersection of racial justice, environmental justice, and climate justice in Africa. A brief introduction to history, theory, and policy grounds our exploration of case studies. Case studies vary year to year but allow us to answer key questions at the intersection of the injustices of race and enviro-climatic realities and policies: What are the environmental legacies of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and colonialism? How does the production of scientific knowledge about African environments reproduce racial injustice? How do inequalities within African societies themselves reinforce environmental and climate injustice? In what ways does African Traditional Religion support the quest for racial, environmental, and climate justice? What are the injustices of green capitalism?This course is open to students in the online BLS program.

Theology, Education & Virtue

What does theology have to do with liberation? And, in turn, what does it mean for being a good person? This course explores these themes in three segments. First, we explore how St. Ignatius, founder of the Jesuit order, reflected and codified his religious experience to help people discern and move towards where God is active in their lives and in the world. His emphasis on reflection on experience, adaptability, and freedom led to an extensive commitment to education and “finding God in all things.” In the next course segment, we will look at how experience is fundamental to theology and education, for all people, and particularly for those who may not hold political or social power. We will read feminist, latino, and black theology to better appreciate the relationship between theology, education and liberation. Finally, we will consider how theology and liberation shape key virtues of justice and hope. While this course will have a focus on Christian ethics, all are warmly welcome.

Note: This online course is open to BLS online students only.