This list was created by the BME Academic Services area to provide suggestions and to help in course selection. Please check mypurdue for course availability and prerequisites.

 

ANTH 100 – Introduction to Anthropology

Theory and research on adult development from young adulthood through the elderly years. Course covers biological, cognitive, personality, and social issues. Topics include vocational choice, marriage, parenthood, the empty nest, menopause, memory and aging, retirement, widowhood, longevity, and death and dying.

 

ANTH 203 - Biological Bases of Human Social Behavior

This course is an introduction to human social behavior from the perspective of biological anthropology, with special emphasis on human evolution and non-human primates. Topics include aggression, communication, learning, maturation, sexuality, and the evolution of social systems.

 

ANTH 204 - An Introduction to Human Evolution

An outline of human evolution. Relates changing human physical characteristics with evolving social and cultural adaptations. The relationships of humans to other primates are explored within an evolutionary framework. Documents transformation of human culture over the last two million years.

 

ANTH 310 - Mortuary Practices Across Cultures

Explores how death is treated or has been treated in diverse world cultures and time periods. Death is viewed as an expression of social behavior and as an expression of symbolic meaning.

 

ANTH 336 - Human Variation

Biological differences between human individuals and groups, causes of variations, the role of genetics, concepts of race, and the interrelationship between the social and biological meanings of race will be considered.

 

ANTH 340 – Global Health

This course examines health issues and risks faced by individuals around the world, but especially in resource poor geographical areas. We will explore in-depth the gendered, ethnic, cultural, and class dimensions that underlie the patterning of disease and illness worldwide.

 

CDFS 210 - Introduction to Human Development

An introduction to the development of individuals from conception through adulthood and aging. Physical growth, social and emotional behavior, cognitive and language development are covered.

 

CDFS 211 - Development and Growth of Children

Study of the growth and development of children from birth through adolescence. Emphasis on physical growth, emotional and social behavior, cognitive and language development within contexts of family, school, and peer groups. Focus on observational methods.

 

CDFS 311 - Child Development

An in-depth study of developmental processes from infancy through adolescence. Includes processes of physical, cognitive, language, social, and emotional development. Processes are discussed within the framework of historical and contemporary theories and current research.

 

CDFS 312 - Adult Development

An in-depth study of developmental processes from the transition to adulthood through old age. Particular emphasis is placed on understanding the influence of contexts on adult development.

 

CDFS 325 - Health and Health Care For Children and Families

This course examines child and family reactions and adjustment to illness and disability. A developmental perspective on coping with health problems from early childhood through adolescence is presented. Psychosocial issues related to children's and family members' encounters with a variety of health care settings are addressed.

 

CDFS 411 - Adolescent Development

An overview of the normative developmental issues and concerns of the adolescent, with some attention given to problem behavior.

 

COM 224 - Communicating in the Global Workplace

This introductory course explores communication issues that arise in the global workplace. The course develops an appreciation of the relationship among culture, communication, and ways of organizing and doing business.

 

COM 303 - Intercultural Communication

Study of the complex relationship between culture and communication in a variety of interpersonal, group, organizational, and computer-mediated settings. Application of theory and research to development of the knowledge, attitudes, and skills associated with intercultural communication competence.

 

COM 314 - Advanced Presentational Speaking

Development of a marked degree of skill in the composition and delivery of various types of speeches including presentations in corporate board rooms, orientation meetings, banquet halls, public forms. Special emphasis on speeches related to the student's major vocational area.

 

COM 320 - Small Group Communication

A study of group thinking and problem-solving methods; participation in, and evaluation of, committee, and informal discussion groups. Focus on the roles, networks, and messages employed by small group communicators.

 

COM 324 - Introduction to Organizational Communication

An introduction to fundamental concepts and basic research related to communication behavior in organizational settings. Units cover message processing, leadership communication, communication climates, communication training, and communication audits. Students participate in an organizational simulation in some sections.

 

COM 325 - Interviewing: Principles And Practice

Theory and practice of methods in selected interview settings: informational, employment, and persuasive. Emphasis on communication between two persons, questioning techniques, and the logical and psychological bases of interpersonal persuasion.

 

ECON 251 – Microeconomics

Price theory and resource allocation. Emphasis is on developing a detailed understanding of the principles of microeconomic analysis and their application to market behavior and public policy issues.

 

ECON 252 - Macroeconomics

Introduction to macroeconomic theory. The course develops a theoretical framework permitting an analysis of the forces affecting national income, employment, interest rates, and the rate of inflation. Emphasis is placed upon the role of government fiscal and monetary policy in promoting economic growth and stable prices.

 

ECON 371 - International Monetary Problems

A mixture of lectures and case discussions covering historical changes in the world's monetary system, problems with balance of payments adjustments, exchange rates and foreign exchange markets, international capital markets and financial flows, the international transmission of business fluctuations, monetary and fiscal policy in an interdependent world, and crises in developing countries.

 

ECON 375 - United States Economic History

Application of economic analysis to illuminate such historical questions as the economic effects of British colonial administration, the rise of banking institutions, the financing of the railroads, the economics of slavery, the rise of big business, and the sources of government regulation of business.

 

ECON 380 - Money and Banking

The course analyzes the economics of money, monetary systems, investments, and financial intermediaries in modern industrial economies. Topics considered include the origin of money and the banking industry, financial asset markets, the role of central banks, and the effects of various monetary policies. The theory will be presented side by side with current economic and financial news, and the students will learn how to track financial and economic data via The Wall Street Journal.

 

ECON 471 - Behavioral Economics

Students learn about human behavior in economic environments, with a strong emphasis on classroom laboratory exercises. Topics considered include behavior in a variety of markets - for example, markets with price controls, markets for financial assets and auction markets -- and behavior in social dilemmas that arise when people try to provide public goods voluntarily or when sellers try to conspire to fix prices. Students will also learn how people bargain with and trust each other.

 

ENGL 227 - Elements Of Linguistics

A summary of what is known about human language, its structure, its universality, and its diversity; language in its social setting; language in relation to other aspects of human inquiry and knowledge. Credit will not be awarded for both ENGL 227 and FLL 261.

 

ENGL 304 – Advanced Composition

Designed for students who wish additional training in composition beyond the basic requirements. Extensive practice in the writing of mature expository, critical, and argumentative prose.

 

ENGL 309 - Computer-Aided Publishing

The development of the ability to write and design documents using electronic publishing technologies. Students will receive instruction in writing, graphics, and publishing software and will write, design, produce, and critique a number of publications.

 

ENGL 327 - English Language I: History and Development

Introduction to the history of the English language, its sounds, inflections, words, and sentence structures. Cultural and historical events affecting this history, and the interplay between language and literature.

 

HIST 350 - Science and Technology in the Twentieth Century World

An introductory survey, emphasizing cultural contexts, relationships with other institutions, and occasional forays into the biographies of major figures. Covering selected major achievements as well as the problems these generate. Neither science nor engineering background is required.

 

HIST 333 - Science and Technology in Western Civilization I

A survey of some of the main features of the historical development of science and technology, primarily in the Western world, from the dawn of civilization up to Isaac Newton. Emphasis is placed upon the interaction between science, technology, and the societies that encourage or abridge them.

 

HIST 334 - Science and Technology in Western Civilization II

A survey of some of the main features of the historical development of science and technology in the Western world from Newton to the present. Emphasis is placed upon the relation between the achievements of individual investigators and the major aspects of the society and culture in which they lived.

 

IDIS 280 – Woman’s Studies: An Introduction

An introductory survey of the concepts and research data in the new scholarship on woman. Topics covered include biology, sexuality, socialization, family and work, creativity, and politics.

 

IDIS 380 – Gender and Multiculturalism

This course expands students’ understanding of gender issues by exploring the multicultural diversity of women’s lives. It examines how race, class, sexuality, and culture interact and shape society and ecology in the United States and in a global context.

 

IDIS 381 – Women of Color In The United States

Explores the diversity of racial and ethnic groups in the United States with a particular emphasis on the histories, experiences, and cultural contributions of women of color. Provides a broad introduction to the intersections of gender, race and ethnicity.

 

IDIS 383 – Women And Work

Examines race, class and gender issues as they affect working women in America. Covering women’s work from domestic labor to informal economies to factories, topics include women’s participation in trade unions, wage inequalities, family leave policies and sexual harassment.

 

PHIL 221 - Introduction to Philosophy of Science

An introduction to the scope and methods of science and to theories of its historical development. Topics include scientific revolutions, theories of scientific method, the nature of scientific discovery, explanation, and the role of values in scientific change.

 

*PHIL 270 - Biomedical Ethics

An examination of the moral problems raised by developments in medicine and the biomedical sciences. Topics include abortion, reproductive technologies, euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, experiments involving human subjects, and health care delivery.

 

*PHIL 280 - Ethics and Animals

An exploration through the study of major historical and contemporary philosophical writings of basic moral issues as they apply to our treatment of animals. Rational understanding of the general philosophical problems raised by practices such as experimentation on animals or meat-eating will be emphasized.

 

*One of the above courses is required in the BME program. It counts toward the 18 required credit hours of General Education courses.

 

POL 101 - American Government and Politics

A study of the nature of democratic government, the U.S. Constitution, federalism, civil rights, political dynamics, the presidency, Congress, and the judiciary.

 

POL 130 - Introduction to International Relations

An analysis of the fundamentals of international law, organization, and politics, particularly as relevant to contemporary international relations.

 

POL 141 - Governments of the World

An introduction to the politics and government in selected foreign countries. The course presents the tools and background needed to understand contemporary events in the world beyond the United States. Readings and discussions pay special attention to democratization and development.

 

POL 222 - Women, Politics, and Public Policy

An introduction to women's participation in politics, with an emphasis on America. Structural and attitudinal conditions limiting women's political roles and contemporary efforts to change women's status in society through politics.

 

POL 235 - International Relations among Rich And Poor Nations

Introduction to the major themes in the contemporary international relations among rich and poor nations. Examines such areas as North-South relations, interdependence, international organizations, and global development.

 

POL 326 - Black Political Participation in America

An examination of African American political participation in the United States. Analyzes political culture and socialization, with a focus on the interaction between African Americans and actors, institutions, processes, and policies of the American system of politics and

governance.

 

PSY 120 - Elementary Psychology

Introduction to the fundamental principles of psychology, covering particularly the topics of personality, intelligence, emotion, abnormal behavior, attention, perception, learning, memory, and thinking. As part of their learning experience, students participate in psychological experiments.

 

PSY 200 - Introduction to Cognitive Psychology

A survey of psychology as the science of mental life, covering theories and research in perception, reading, attention, consciousness, imagery, memory and its improvement, problem solving, creativity, decision making, and artificial intelligence.

 

PSY 220 - Brain and Behavior: An Introduction

A survey of the relation of brain structure and function to behavior. Topics covered include sensation and perception, the effect of early experience on the growing brain, learning, motivation, sleep and dreaming, language and thought, abnormal behavior and brain injury.

 

PSY 222 - Fundamental Psychobiology

An introduction to how the nervous system controls behavior. Topics include evolution and comparative psychobiology, the neuroscience of sensation and perception, the neuroscience of motivation, neuropsychology, and cognitive neuroscience.

 

PSY 251 - Health Psychology

Health psychology is concerned with the interaction between behavior and health and illness. It includes the psychological study of the relationship between health and lifestyle, stress and coping, and health-injurious behaviors.

 

PSY 310 - Sensory and Perceptual Processes

A survey of the study of psychological experiences caused by stimulation to the senses. Topics include theory and research in seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting as experienced by humans and other animals.

 

PSY 320 - Psychobiology of Sensation and Arousal

Brain structure and function underlying sensation, perception, cognition, and arousal. Topics include space, time, color, and pattern recognition, agnesias, agnosias, infant experience, habituation, attention, sleep, dreaming, and consciousness. This course is most accessible to students familiar with natural science concepts.

 

PSY 322 - Psychobiology of Motivated Behavior

Neuroanatomical analyses of behavioral functions. Topics include movement, sexual behavior, maternal behavior, hunger, thirst, emotion, pain; addiction, biological rhythms, memory, evolution of the brain, language, hemispheric specialization, brain damage, brain remodeling during development and aging, correlates of cognitive processing.

 

PSY 324 - Introduction Cognitive Neuroscience

Introduction to the neural bases of complex human mental abilities. Emphasis on integrating research from cognitive science, brain-scanning techniques, and the lesion technique. Topics include perception, attention, memory, language, motor control, planning/decision-making and consciousness.

 

PSY 331 - Behavior Genetics and Evolution

The course outlines the mechanisms operating at the level of single and multiple genes as they apply to the behavior of both animals and humans. It also considers the biological and cultural evolution of various behavioral strategies.

 

PSY 350 - Abnormal Psychology

Various forms of mental disorders from the standpoint of their origin, treatment, prevention, social significance, and relation to problems of normal human adjustment.

 

PSY 361 - Human Development I: Infancy And Childhood

A consideration of the formative years in human development with primary attention given to the processes of socialization, individualization, and adaptation, initiated by retrospective self-examination and furthered by an analysis of systematic life history data.

 

PSY 367 - Adult Development and Aging

Theory and research on adult development from young adulthood through the elderly years. Course covers biological, cognitive, personality, and social issues. Topics include vocational choice, marriage, parenthood, the empty nest, menopause, memory and aging, retirement, widowhood, longevity, and death and dying.

 

SOC 100 - Introductory Sociology

A survey course designed to introduce the student to the scene of human society. Fundamental concepts, description, and analysis of society, culture, the socialization process, social institutions, and social change. Students of junior or senior standing should take SOC 312.

 

SOC 275 – Social Gerontology - An examination of the basic points of view and a review of the accumulated body of knowledge specific to gerontology. Consideration of the problems of population change, housing, social adjustment, retirement, mobility, family living arrangements, and finances of older people in the United States. Comparison with other countries.

 

SOC 312 - American Society

An introduction to sociological perspective. Detailed consideration of the fundamental structure, social changes, and related problems of the major American institutions: family, economic order, political organization, education, and religion.

 

SOC 220 - Social Problems

Contemporary problems at the community, society, and international levels, focusing on patterns of social organization and social change in American society, with concentration on such topics as technological militarism and war, poverty, racism, political protest, and cybernation.

 

SOC 339 - Introduction To The Sociology Of Developing Nations

Analysis of the causes of development in the Third World. Topics include: the food crisis; population growth; poverty and inequality; industrialization, including the role of multinational corporations; debt; and the International Monetary Fund. Regional differences in patterns and causes analyzed.

 

SOC 341 - Culture and Personality

A cross-cultural survey stressing differing basic personality types and the processes by which adult personality is acquired. Case studies of selected non-Western cultures will be used to provide comparative perspectives.

 

SOC 356 - Hate and Violence

Examines the causes of and solutions to hatred and violence. Concepts such as anti-Semitism, discrimination, hate crimes, prejudice, racism, bullying, homosexual prejudice, terrorism and other topics will be addressed. This course uses experiential activities, videos, guest speakers and classroom discussion.

 

SOC 374 (3) The Health of Americans

Provides an overview of the sociological determinants and consequences of the health of Americans, the patient experience, health care providers, the organization of the health care system, and the financing of medical care.

 

SOC 572 (3) Comparative Healthcare Systems

Using cost, quality, and access to care as core concepts, this course explores healthcare in comparative context. Special topics are health and gender, the environment, epidemics, long-term care, technology, and rationing, among others.

 

SOC 573 (3) The Human Side of Medicine

Focuses on sociological theory and research related to social conflicts over the delivery of healthcare in the U.S. Considers social issues pertaining to abortion, AIDS, human experimentation, reproductive technologies, euthanasia, and others.

 

SOC 574 (3) The Social Organization of Healthcare

Analysis of the determinants and consequences of the social organization of medical care. Considers morbidity and mortality, costs and utilization of medical services, healthcare occupations and institutions, and change in programs and policies.

 

SOC 576 (3) Health and Aging in America

Analysis of the social and cultural influences on health in adulthood and later life. Considers distribution of illness among older adults, health behavior, and health services use, including long-term care.

 

SLHS 115 - Introduction to Communicative Disorders

Nature, systems, and causes of communicative disorders and the principal methods used for remediation

 

SLHS 304 - Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanism

An introduction to the anatomical and physiological bases of normal and abnormal voice, articulation, and hearing. Laboratory includes demonstrations to support lecture material.

 

SLHS 309 - Language Development

Specific nature, sequence, and pattern of oral language development from birth through adolescence. Numerous examples illustrating the nature of language acquisition and approaches to the study of children's language are presented. Linguistic and psychological explanations of the sequence of development are discussed.

Updated: 08/05/10