On-Campus Course Schedule for Summer 2023

Applied Research Methods

Note: Studying and understanding social phenomena requires the ability to understand and conduct rigorous, methodologically sound research as well as proficiency in evaluating the research of others. Learning to think scientifically is a particular skill that will serve students well in thinking critically about the theories they learn throughout their academic careers. How do we know that theories are valid? What evidence can we bring to bear to support or refute them? What are possible alternate explanations for the phenomena we observe? This course will introduce students to an array of quantitative and qualitative methods in an applied, practical manner. Students will learn the basics of data collection and management, survey methodology, how to use and interpret linear and maximum likelihood statistical models (logit/probit), process tracing, content analysis, basic experimental design for social science, social network analysis, interview and focus group techniques as well as practical and logistical issues of field work. The elements of good research design will also be woven throughout the course.

Democracy and Secularism

Democracy’s global dominance once seemed inevitable and irreversible. Presently we observe democracy’s retreat, “illiberal” democracy, and a “post truth” world. Defining democracy, setting criteria for democratic constitutions and governance, and ranking countries from most to least democratic, are urgent academic agendas. We will explore human rights, civil liberties, social justice, religious freedom, and citizen participation to observe how they work in practice for established and newer democracies. Are religions promoting or eroding democracy today? Secularism in principle offers a third option besides the government controlling religion (tyranny) and a religion controlling government (theocracy). Different types of secular separation between church and state have developed in different socio-cultural contexts. The experiences of France, USA, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, India, and China, along with a selection of additional nations, are represented.

MALS Continuous Reg. (HT)

Note: This course is for MALS students who need an additional semester to complete their thesis and should only be taken after MALS Thesis Writing.

MALS FND: Humanities

Note: This online sync course is required for MALS students.

MALS Thesis Proposal

Note: This 3 credit course is required for all MALS students who matriculated in fall 2019 and after.

MALS Thesis Writing

The MALS Thesis Writing course must be taken upon completion of the MALS Thesis Proposal course (LSHV 800) in the subsequent fall or spring semester and is the final curricular requirement for the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies degree. In the MALS Thesis Writing course, students will work directly with their appointed thesis mentor to produce a master’s thesis and participate in a thesis defense. Students are expected to work directly with their thesis mentor and library representatives to actively write and produce the thesis argument. At the commencement of the thesis writing semester, students will develop milestones in consultation with the thesis mentor to ensure consistent progress.

Note: This 3 credit course is required for all MALS students who matriculated in fall 2019 and after.

MALS Thesis Writing (HT)

Note: This section is for students who are completing the old MALS curriculum thesis (0 credit thesis proposal, 3 credit thesis). Students can only register for this section after completing LSHV 981.

White Nationalism

Although the Unite the Right rally on August 11 and 12, 2017, in Charlottesville, Virginia lies in the past, its repercussions continue to divide the nation. Cries of White Nationalism continue to abound with little agreement on what it actually means, why it erupted when it did, and why it continues to attract such a large following. White Nationalism is not a recent phenomenon. Although the phrase was not commonly used until the early 1950s, its roots lie far deeper in the nation’s past. This course begins by examining the financial, social, and cultural conditions commonly associated with the movement today. But it then delves into its roots in such topics as American exceptionalism; what it means to be a nation founded on an idea, versus “blood lines”; the nation’s often contradictory responses to being seen as a nation of immigrants; its “scientific” defense in the eugenics movement in the early decades of the twentieth century; Americans’ persistent insistence on identifying the “other,” which has served to inform the very definition of what it is to be an American; and a comparative study of White Nationalism as it exists in other parts of the world. White Nationalism has been defined as a type of nationalism, which seeks to develop, or to maintain, a white racial and national identity. However, what white racial and national identity means has never been entirely clear. White Nationalists generally avoid the term “white supremacy,” as they believe it too narrowly focuses their agenda, which includes a range of groups and ideologies. As a result, to best understand White Nationalism the word “white” needs to be addressed literally and figuratively and, at times, even as a metaphor. It includes white supremacy, but although there is considerable overlap, they are not the same. As this course will show, there is much more to the story.