Nature, development, and the effects of mass media. Overview of mass communication history and theory.

This course builds an understanding of human behavior with interactive objects, focusing on how to develop and evaluate interactive software using a human-centered approach. This includes examining the many different types of interactive software, understanding the principles of effective graphical user interface design, evaluating human-centered software and software development and exploring aspects of collaboration and communication as they affect individual and group interaction with software systems.

Introduction to Critical Inquiry provides the foundation for an informed and meaningful college experience through the cultivation of intellectual curiosity. Through the study of media and popular culture and the completion of short writing assignments, students learn how to develop and scale a personally-motivated research question, refine their topic, determine effective search strategies for finding credible and appropriate information, and learning to recognize bias and logical fallacies. Important aspects of the research process are learning how to analyze different types of argument and to evaluate information sources from a variety of venues. Critical Inquiry fosters the self-awareness and intellectual perspective that are the hallmarks of well-educated persons and lifelong, engaged students in the twenty-first century.

A mixed lecture/seminar course intended to improve both reasoning and ability to communicate effectively in front of an audience. Students learn basic forms of ethical argument, they read about ethical situations in which technology and technology professions play a key role, and they participate in student-led discussions about the reading. Students also make oral presentations about both ethical and technical topics, and evaluate each other's presentations in order to improve their sense for what makes a good presentation.