Special Topics Course Descriptions
The following listing contains course descriptions for all special topics courses offered in Summer Session 2023. This listing is available in a printable .pdf.
Undergraduate Courses
1 Credit Hour Courses
CAP 129: Excel for Data Analytics
Offered ONLINE in Term B: June 6 – 22, CRN 60779
This course is intended to help a student develop a portfolio of skills in business analytics using Excel. Advanced Excel functions will be covered including using the time value of money functions, developing pivot tables and charts, and using the optimization functions to solve various types of business analytics problems. For more information related to course content, contact Rodney Koch at rodney.koch@cortland.edu.
SOC 129: Introduction to Incarceration
Offered ONLINE in Term A: May 17 – June 5, CRN 61042
An overview of the history and current state of incarceration in the United States. Examines the inequalities of the penal system, recidivism rates, solitary confinement, and the private prison system. For more information related to course content, contact Dr. Stephanie Decker at stephanie.decker@corltand.edu.
3 Credit Hour Courses
EDU 329: Foundations of Integrated STEM in Education
Offered ONLINE in Term A: May 17 – June 5, CRN 60914
Conceptualization, theory, and practice of integrated STEM within pK-6 contexts. Special attention is given to research and practice related to the interdisciplinary nature and integration of STEM within the pK-6 classroom across the curriculum. This is now open to all majors. For more information related to course content, contact Dr. Jeffrey Radloff at jeffrey.radloff@cortland.edu.
POL 329: Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior
Offered ONLINE in Session I: May 17 – June 22, CRN 61014
This course examines why public opinion is so important in American politics. This course will also demonstrate how Americans’ political attitudes relates to their political participation (defined broadly) and explores how governmental institutions, the media, and social group affiliations affect public opinion. What does public opinion and political participation suggest about the state of American democracy? The course will examine various sources of public opinion on political topics in the United States, the role of public opinion in a democracy, and the influence of public opinion on the government. Additionally, the course will examine how public opinion is shaped within individuals, and what role these opinions have on electoral behavior. The course will also examine evidence of political polarization in opinions in the United States. For more information related to course content, contact Dr. Joseph Anthony at joseph.anthony02@cortland.edu.
SOC/CRM 329: The Sociology of Crime, Race, and Punishment
Offered ONLINE in Session II: June 26– August 1, CRN 60901 & 60900
This course will examine the intersection of race, crime, and punishment in the contemporary United States. Using sociological and criminological theories, as well as research that employs both quantitative and qualitative methods, students will deconstruct the origins and consequences of racial disparities in exposure to crime. Students will also examine the way race shapes citizens' (and non-citizens') interactions with the police, course, and prisons, and they will also consider how the public, including the media, politicians, and voters, respond to these issues. For more information related to course content, contact Dr. Marcus Bell at marcus.bell@cortland.edu.
Graduate Courses
3 Credit Hour Courses
ENG 529: The Gothic
Offered ONLINE in Session II: June 26 – August 1, CRN 60889
A survey of 18th- and early 19th-century Gothic and Gothic-inspired texts. Students will explore how stories of vampires and zombies and other supernatural creatures express ideas about what it means to be human; transmit social, cultural and political anxieties and critiques; and forge communities of readers and fans. Works to be studied include the novel Frankenstein; poems by Coleridge, Keats, and Wordsworth; tales by Poe; and Stoker's novel Dracula). For more information related to course content, contact Dr. John Leffel at john.leffel@cortland.edu.