Cultural, Environmental and Global Studies
Department Chair: Jameson F. Chace, Ph.D.
The Department of Cultural, Environmental, and Global Studies prepares students for solving complex problems in a rapidly evolving world. The Department's majors emphasize the development of a sense of global responsibility and an understanding of the causes of social injustice. Through field research, study abroad, internships, and other opportunities, students acquire knowledge of how the world is shaped by economic, political, social, and environmental processes. Students are then able to apply this knowledge within their communities and careers in ways that reflect the mission of the Sisters of Mercy.
There are three majors offered in the department: Environmental Studies (B.A.), Global Studies (B.A.), and Sociology and Anthropology (B.A.), and five minors: Environmental Studies, Food Studies, Global Studies, Sociology and Anthropology, and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies.
Cultural, Environmental and Global Studies Student Learning Outcomes
At the completion of the program, students will be able to:
- Identify the ways in which local and international communities are affected by immigration, the environment, violence, racism, and/or gendered injustice.
- Evaluate multiple perspectives on contemporary issues at the local and global levels.
- Apply interdisciplinary research methodologies to solving unstructured problems.
- Create effective Mercy-based solutions to a specific environmental or sociocultural problem.
Environmental Studies Student Learning Outcomes
At the completion of the program, students will be able to:
- Identify the ways in which local and international communities are affected by immigration, the environment, violence, racism, and/or gendered injustice.
- Evaluate multiple perspectives on contemporary issues at the local and global levels.
- Apply interdisciplinary research methodologies to solving unstructured problems.
- Create effective Mercy-based solutions to a specific environmental or sociocultural problem.
- Acquire a common base of environmental knowledge across the natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities.
- Identify, act on, and evaluate professional and personal actions with the knowledge and appreciation of interconnections among economic, environmental, and social perspectives.
Global Studies Student Learning Outcomes
At the completion of the program, students will be able to:
- Identify the ways in which local and international communities are affected by immigration, the environment, violence, racism, and/or gendered injustice.
- Evaluate multiple perspectives on contemporary issues at the local and global levels.
- Apply interdisciplinary research methodologies to solving unstructured problems.
- Create effective Mercy-based solutions to a specific environmental or sociocultural problem.
- Read, write, and speak in a language other than English at an intermediate level of proficiency.
Sociology and Anthropology Student Learning Outcomes
At the completion of the program, students will be able to:
- Identify the ways in which local and international communities are affected by immigration, the environment, violence, racism, and/or gendered injustice.
- Evaluate multiple perspectives on contemporary issues at the local and global levels.
- Apply interdisciplinary research methodologies to solving unstructured problems.
- Create effective Mercy-based solutions to a specific environmental or sociocultural problem.
- Master the concepts, theoretical approaches, and methodological practices of Sociology and Anthropology.
- Evaluate the interrelationships between culturally constructed categories of difference and sociocultural institutions.
Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Student Learning Outcomes
At the completion of the program, students will be able to:
- Identify the ways in which local and international communities are affected by immigration, the environment, violence, racism, and/or gendered injustice.
- Evaluate multiple perspectives on contemporary issues at the local and global levels.
- Apply interdisciplinary research methodologies to solving unstructured problems.
- Create effective Mercy-based solutions to a specific environmental or sociocultural problem.
- Acquire an understanding of foundational theoretical texts and their significance in the study of women, gender, and sexualities.
- Develop a personal understanding of the complexities of issues of gender, sexualities, power, race, class, ethnicity, and identity across disciplines.
- Participate in community-based experiences that raise social consciousness.
Cultural, Environmental and Global Studies
CEG-222: Research Methods (3 Credits)
This course is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of quantitative and qualitative research methods in the social sciences. Students will have the opportunity to conceptualize a research project, design their own data collection instruments, collect and analyze data and present the material in a manner consistent with the current trends in sociology, anthropology, environmental studies and global studies. Students in this course will also be exposed to the ethical dilemmas and responsibilities of social science researchers.
CEG-299: Special Topics (1-3 Credits)
Courses offered when interest is generated and departmental resources are available.
CEG-390: Current Issues (3 Credits)
This course provides an opportunity for specialized, in-depth study of one or more of the Mercy critical concerns--the Earth, immigration, non-violence, racism and women. Content varies by instructor.
CEG-450: Capstone (3 Credits)
This course meets the Capstone Requirement for majors in Cultural, Environmental, and Global Studies that includes Environmental Studies, Global Studies and Sociology & Anthropology. Per the 2013 Core Curriculum Task Force, this capstone course meets the requirements of Part IV of the core requirements for all undergraduates: "As a culminating experience this element should build upon and allow students to use skills developed in the University Seminars and in Exploring the Liberal Arts thus providing an opportunity for outcomes assessment." This course involves a synthesis of core curriculum themes and integrates application skills, perspectives and concepts from students' majors. The capstone course will integrate different perspectives, provide opportunity to reflect on the University core and mission, apply theory and putting ideas into practice, and builds skills in information literacy. Senior academic standing is required.
CEG-451: Thesis Cultural, Environmental & Global Studies (3 Credits)
Development of a thesis in one of the three majors under the close supervision and mentorship of a designated faculty member.
Environmental Studies
ENV-334: Environmental Justice (3 Credits)
This course explores global environmental issues from a philosophical and social justice perspective. The foundation of environmental justice is built on the premise that all people, regardless of race, class, gender, ethnicity, and economic capacity have a right to a clean and safe environment, and access to adequate natural resources. Global implications of environmental injustices are explored in the context of various ethical frameworks, and reasonable policy initiatives to correct the disparities are discussed and evaluated.
Fulfills Core Requirement in Philosophy.
Theme: Building Global Awareness.
Cross-listed with: PHL-334.
ENV-340: Coastal Economics & the Maritime Environment (3 Credits)
Pre-requisite(s): ECN-101 is required and sophomore or higher standing.
Through an exploration of economics, environmental stewardship and sustainable development, this course will explore the maritime businesses, cultural and environmental relationship of Newport as the "city by the sea today and project potential economically robust, climatically resilient and environmentally and culturally sustainable growth and development along this dramatic and historic coastline.
Theme: Defining the American Experience.
ENV-350: Natural Resource Management (3 Credits)
Pre-requisite(s): BIO-140 or BIO-111 or BIO-114 and one course in Sociology or Political Science are required.
Natural Resource Management is the field of environmental studies that manages natural resources (land, water, soil, plants, animals) with a goal of improving the quality of life for present and future generations. The course examines the interaction of people and their environment when making decisions that affect the quality and quantity of natural resources balanced by social, economic and other environmental factors. The goal of the course is to introduce students to this very broad discipline through extensive use of case studies and the primary literature.
ENV-360: Hydroponics Practicum (3 Credits)
This course is a three-part practicum for any student interested in the biological, economic, and social dimensions of bringing food from farm to table. Part 1 reviews recent and classic literature on the local food movement. In Part 2, students maintain, cultivate, and harvest hydroponic systems with an emphasis on maximizing yield. For Part 3, they learn through practical experience about the socioeconomic processes involved in bringing produce to market. Students should anticipate spending three hours of class time in addition to three hours in the hydroponic research lab per week. Some weekend time for the farmer's market is required.
ENV-397: Environmental Studies Internship (1-6 Credits)
Environmental Studies Internship is an interdisciplinary experiential course that seeks to give students an introduction to the practicum of work in fields such as biology, planning, economics, public policy, and education. The internship will help the student better understand concepts learned in class while gaining valuable work experience in the field. The course consists of at least 105 hours of work with an environmental organization that has a cooperative supervisor who has established learning goals and objectives with a faculty member affiliated with the university prior to the commencement of the internship. Open to all students with sophomore academic standing and above.
ENV-399: Special Topics in Environmental Studies (3 Credits)
This course will provide students with an opportunity to engage with topics of environmental studies. The topics to be covered and the focus of the course will be specified at the time of registration.
ENV-497: Undergraduate Research (1-4 Credits)
This course provides in-depth investigation of a specific topic in Environmental Studies that involves data collection, analysis, interpretation, and written presentation. Topic will be determined by faculty member who is acting as research adviser.
ENV-499: Independent Study (3 Credits)
This supervised study is intended to permit individual students to examine a subject that is not offered in the regular curriculum.
Global Studies
GLO-100: Introduction to Global Studies (3 Credits)
This course provides an introduction to concepts and methods used in the interdisciplinary field of Global Studies. The goal of this course is to develop the skills needed to understand complex problems related to global interconnectedness. The course examines the processes of globalization and their effects on people and cultures, economic and political institutions, and the natural environment from multiple perspectives. Open to non-majors.
Fulfills Core Requirement in Social Sciences.
Theme: Building Global Awareness.
GLO-300: Public Policy Writing (3 Credits)
This course introduces students to writing for public policy. Through a rigorous process of drafting and revising, students evaluate policy options and make recommendations to address issues in the public sphere. Target audiences include consulting firms, government agencies, think tanks, advocacy groups, industry associations, and other realms in the sphere of public policy. Writing for this course is problem-based, persuasive, and data-driven. The writing skills developed in this course include: developing essential and persuasive content, communicating complex ideas, organizing information, targeting diverse audiences with varying levels of expertise and roles, ensuring clarity, controlling tone, and designing a document for readability.
Offering Term(s): Fall and Spring Every Year
GLO-350: Earth 2050 (3 Credits)
Pre-requisite(s): GLO-100 is required or permission of instructor.
This course examines systems based approaches for understanding complex Earth systems and human dynamics across different disciplines, with the goal of meeting the human needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to survive and prosper. Topics studied may include the planetary effects of economic development, environmental sustainability, the equitable provision of public goods, the prospect of civilizational collapse, and intergenerational justice. Specific course content varies by instructor.
GLO-399: Special Topics (3 Credits)
Courses offered on a variety of topics related to the major.
GLO-460: Internship (1-6 Credits)
Global Studies Internship is an interdisciplinary experiential course that seeks to give students an introduction to the practicum of work the diverse fields of global studies, international relations and political science. The internship will help the student better understand concepts learned in class while gaining valuable work experience in the field. The course consists of at least 35 hours of work per credit with an organization that has a cooperative supervisor who has established learning goals and objectives with a faculty member affiliated with the university prior to the commencement of the internship.
GLO-491: Internship (1-6 Credits)
Global Studies Internship is an interdisciplinary experiential course that seeks to give students an introduction to the practicum of work the diverse fields of global studies, international relations and political science. The internship will help the student better understand concepts learned in class while gaining valuable work experience in the field. The course consists of at least 35 hours of work per credit with an organization that has a cooperative supervisor who has established learning goals and objectives with a faculty member affiliated with the university prior to the commencement of the internship. Open to all students with sophomore standing and above.
GLO-499: Independent Study (3 Credits)
Course work arranged for majors to pursue avenues of learning outside the existing offerings of the Department of Cultural, Environmental, and Global Studies.
Sociology and Anthropology
SOA-110: The Sociological Imagination (3 Credits)
This introductory course presents the student with a critical analysis of the basic sociological perspectives, common concepts, prevalent theories, and widely used research methodologies. Using a number of sociological theories, a variety of pressing national and global social issues are critically analyzed.
Fulfills Core Requirement in Social Sciences.
Theme: Defining the American Experience.
SOA-130: Anthropology: Interpreting Cultural Differences (3 Credits)
Anthropology is a holistic approach to the study of peoples across time and space with an emphasis on cultural diversity. Students will be introduced to four sub-fields within anthropology, specifically, physical anthropology, linguistics, cultural anthropology, and archeology. Students will explore diverse topics ranging from the origin and timing of human evolution, to the effects of globalizing popular culture in non-western societies.
Fulfills Core Requirement in Social Sciences.
Theme: Building Global Awareness.
SOA-190: Introduction to Archaeology (3 Credits)
Archaeology is a sub-discipline of anthropology that utilizes the material remains of everyday life to explore the past. While Archaeologists engage with many of the same issues as cultural anthropologists (e.g., social inequality, identity, colonialism), they must approach these issues from alternative perspectives using different research methods. In this course, students will consider how archaeologists formulate research questions, find and excavate archaeological sites, analyze artifacts and interpret data in order to form understandings about life in the past.
Fulfills Core Requirement in Social Sciences.
Theme: Building Global Awareness.
Cross-listed with: CHP-190.
SOA-200: The Social Fabric: Language in Society (3 Credits)
Pre-requisite(s): LIN-245 is recommended.
This course delves into issues in language and culture from a linguistic perspective. It explores the complex intersections of language, culture, race, ethnicity, and gender through social interactions and their dynamics. Students learn about and discuss the tools and techniques that inform inquiry in these frameworks in order to better understand issues of language and inequality, language and power, language ideology, and the construction of social relationships. Students also consider language change, including language shift, pidgins, creoles, and language endangerment.
Fulfills Core Requirement in Social Sciences.
Theme: Building Global Awareness.
SOA-211: Race and Ethnic Relations (3 Credits)
This course is an introduction to the sociological study how majority and minority groups based on race, ethnicity and nationality emerge, interact, and are influenced by institutions such as economy, politics, media, education, health care, and the criminal justice system. Race relations transcend national boundaries, and immigration and migration flows are a major dynamic historically and in the contemporary social landscape.
Fulfills Core Requirement in Social Sciences.
Theme: Building Global Awareness.
SOA-218: Exploring North American Indigenous Cultures (3 Credits)
This course provides an introduction to North American Indian societies. The class takes an anthropological approach that explores diversity in the cultural practices and material culture of Native American groups across the continent. Course topics will include adaptation to the environment, belief systems, gender roles, architecture and European colonialism. Students in the course will also engage with modern issues facing Native American communities such as heritage preservation and environmental, economic and social justice.
Fulfills Core Requirement in Social Sciences.
Theme: Defining the American Experience.
Cross-listed with: CHP-218.
SOA-219: Popular Culture (3 Credits)
Popular culture represents the form of creative expression we use in everyday life. This course will present basic theories and approaches to the scholarly study of popular culture, focusing on the ways in which popular culture reflects the values of our society. The effect of various mass media (TV, film, recording industry, print, radio) on modern American culture and the movement of popular culture around the world will also be explored.
Fulfills Core Requirement in Social Sciences.
Theme: Defining the American Experience.
SOA-223: World Archaeology (3 Credits)
In this course students engage with the archaeology of cultures across the globe. This course surveys the prehistory of Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Americas beginning with the evolution of humans and then covering major transitions in world prehistory including the origins of agriculture and the rise city states.
SOA-230: Gender and Sexuality: Cross-Cultural Perspectives (3 Credits)
This course is designed to investigate how sexuality in various parts of the world intersects with economics, politics, and social conditions. We will ask such questions as: Is sexuality culturally constructed or biologically determined? How do notions of the erotic differ within and between cultures? Do young people 'come of age' the same way all over the world? What is the relationship between sexuality and practices? What are the conditions under which the state might control or restrict sexual practices? How do anthropologists research human sexuality?
Fulfills Core Requirement in Social Sciences.
Theme: Building Global Awareness.
SOA-235: Sociological Approaches to Intersectionality (3 Credits)
Pre/Co-requisite(s): SOA-110 is recommended.
Fulfills Core requirement in Social Science. This course provides an overview of the sociological approaches to intersectionality. Intersectionality is a critical framework that allows for the examination of the interconnections between social identities and how people at the intersections of those identities experience the world. For example, women in the context of this course would not be treated as a single homogenous group. Instead, students will learn about how the experiences of women in the world depend on their particular combination of ethnicity, sexual orientation, class and other social locations.
SOA-249: Global Health: Society, Medicine, and the Body (3 Credits)
This course is designed to explore and analyze the social contexts of health, illness, and the body. We will investigate how anthropologists and sociologists approach health and disease from a bio-cultural understanding. For instance, how do sociocultural systems shape perceptions of the body, disease patterns and notions of healing? How do healing systems vary across cultures? How are infectious diseases shaped by political and economic factors? Analysis of how Western medical sciences influence our understanding of the body will also be studied.
Fulfills Core Requirement in Social Sciences.
Theme: Building Global Awareness.
SOA-310: American Immigration (3 Credits)
Fulfills core requirement in Social Sciences. This course examines why people migrate across international borders, how states/nation develop discourses around migrant identity and how the politics of immigration evolve over time. By taking this course, students should be able to understand the contemporary social context of migration into and out of the United States.
Theme: Defining the American Experience.
SOA-311: Social Theory (3 Credits)
This course presents the student with an introduction to the nature of sociological theory and the major theoretical developments that have shaped the fields of sociology and anthropology. Emphasis is placed upon major theorists, their biographies, and the intellectual traditions which influenced their development, as well as each theorist's contribution to the field. Particular attention is given to the pertinence of theory and to the understanding of social systems, culture and change in the contemporary world.
SOA-320: "Sex" at "Work" (3 Credits)
Most of us spend an inordinate amount of time in organizations as workers, clients, citizens and consumers. The ways in which gender relations shape organizations and their actors - and how organizations shape gender - are significant areas of inquiry in the social sciences. In this course, we will link classic organizational literature to current articulations, including fiction and film, to analyze the intersections of gender and sexuality with race, class, disability and occupational status in organizational contexts and how these relations shape other areas of our lives.
Fulfills Core Requirement in Social Sciences.
SOA-331: Northeastern Archaeology (3 Credits)
This course examines the archaeology of the Northeastern United States from its initial colonization by Paleoindian people through the early historic period (15,000 BCE-1950 CE). The course will survey important sites, artifact types, and ethnohistoric traditions of contemporary indigenous communities. Students will gain an understanding of historic preservation practices and issues in the region.
SOA-332: Archaeological Field School (3 Credits)
Fulfills core requirement in Social Science. A summer program which offers a field school in archaeology. Students participate in all aspects of the archaeological process, beginning with developing a research design, continuing with survey, excavation, and documentation, and concluding with cataloging and analysis of artifacts.
SOA-335: Global Capital (3 Credits)
Cultures worldwide participate in and are affected by the new global cultural economy. In this class we will explore the effects of flows of people, technology, finance, and information on local cultures around the world with an emphasis on struggles for justice. We will cover a range of issues including the changing economies of the global South, the rise of ethnic conflicts and nationalism, the effects of mass media, and global environmentalism. Understanding the logic of the modern capitalist world system will be central to our analysis of these issues. Sophomore or higher academic standing is required.
Fulfills Core Requirement in Social Sciences.
Theme: Building Global Awareness.
SOA-336: Archaeological Laboratory Methods (3 Credits)
This course introduces students to the processes involved in studying artifacts in the post-excavation phase of archaeological investigation. Topics covered include preliminary curation techniques, stratigraphic sequencing, feature analysis, and the completion of written archaeological reports. The notion of ethics and responsibilities underlying archaeological investigation is emphasized. This is a laboratory course.
Cross-listed with: CHP-335.
SOA-340: Race, Inequality and Health (3 Credits)
Fulfills the Core Requirement in Social Science. This course urges students to think about medicine and healthcare as sets of norms, policies and practices that are not just scientifically constructed, but socially constructed as well. The Widespread success and acceptance of medicine and healthcare is partly dependent upon the exploitation of and experimentation on marginalized populations. By the end of this course, students should be well versed in the history of how American physicians approach race and how past experiences racialized medical practices shape people's relationship with medical institutions today.
Theme: What is Western Heritage?-Ancient and Modern.
SOA-350: Food Matters (3 Credits)
Human cultures, social institutions, individuals' lives and the natural environment are all interrelated in the production, distribution, preparation and sharing of food. Over time food has also become defined as a commodity rather than an individual right, ensuring that some segments of our global community encounter food insecurity sporadically or as a chronic condition of their lives. In this course, we explore "food matters" through a sociological lens, focusing on both the significance of food and the environmental and social consequences of contemporary food-related policies and practices.
Fulfills Core Requirement in Social Sciences.
Theme: Building Global Awareness.
SOA-360: Social Movements (3 Credits)
Fulfills core requirement in Social Science. Generations of activists have made it their mission to bring about social change by collectively challenging the status quo of powerful, political, social, economic and cultural systems. This course will cover historical accounts of how and why movements develop and the impact that they have on norms, public policies and laws in the United States. Students will also be identifying the repertoires of contention that different movements utilize to bring about change.
SOA-399: Special Topics (3 Credits)
These courses provide opportunities for introduction of specialized, in-depth study of specific subject areas in Sociology and Anthropology.
SOA-420: Gender Violence (3 Credits)
In this course, we explore the complex interrelationships among gender, sexuality and violence. Building on historical and theoretical understandings of the cultural and social-structural foundations of gender violence, we will study topics such as sexual harassment, rape, intimate partner violence, and the use of gender violence in war. Current and potential responses to gender violence in communities, organizations and public policy will be studied both in the literature and in our local community.
Fulfills Core Requirement in Social Sciences.
SOA-450: Sociology/Anthropology Research (1-4 Credits)
This course provides in-depth investigation of a specific topic in Sociology or Anthropology that involves data collection, analysis, interpretation, and written presentation. Topic will be determined by faculty member who is acting as research adviser. Variable credit allows students to accumulate single credits over several semesters towards a total of 3 (or more) that will count as one of the SOA electives for BA.
SOA-491: Internship (1-6 Credits)
This course allows students to apply their skills and knowledge outside the classroom while gaining practice work experience at an approved agency.
SOA-499: Independent Study (1-3 Credits)
Course work arranged for majors to pursue avenues of learning outside the existing offerings of the department.
Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies
WGS-210: Introduction to Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies (3 Credits)
This course explores key issues and debates in the fields of women, gender, and sexuality studies from both historical and contemporary perspectives. Through case studies, readings, and discussions, students examine the complex relations among gender, sexuality, power, race, class, ethnicity, identity, and culture. Topics to be discussed may include the gendered body, intersectionality, queer theory, reproductive politics, transgender equality, gendered violence, and women's empowerment. Opportunities for personal reflection encourage students to consider how gender and sexuality impact their lives, society, and social justice.
Theme: Defining American Experience.
WGS-350: Special Topics in Women, Gender and Sexuality (3 Credits)
This seminar-style course will provide students with an opportunity to engage with topics of special interest in women, gender and sexuality studies. Offerings will be drawn from special topics courses offered in a variety of departments and disciplines and cross-listed as WGS; specialized courses within the WGS minor may also be offered. Students who wish to enroll in such courses must meet any department-level requirements or prerequisites for the courses.