A sound quality management strategy and plan are critical in today's complex business organizations and projects. Students in this course will review the history of quality efforts from Deming, Juran and Crosby in the setting of the original quality efforts, international competition, and the concept of Six-Sigma as initiated by the Motorola Corporation in response to that competition. The use of the Baldrige Excellence Framework for designing, implementing, and improving project and organizational practices that influence quality will be explored. Students will examine multiple specific process improvement approaches they could apply within their organizational / project quality plans, approaches such as preventions over Inspection and continuous Improvement of processes.

This course introduces the learner to the historical background, the institutions, and the political processes within the United States national government. The focus is on process, but the appropriate attention is given to the institutions of government in which the political processes occur, such as Congress, the courts, and local governments. The course employs a systems model of politics to identify how politics works in the United States. Both process and institutions are studied from a systems perspective so that critical functions and decision points can be identified, described, and assessed. Specific attention will be paid to the legislative process, elections, and enacting change.

This survey course provides an introduction to the science of psychology. It examines many of the major areas of applied and experimental psychology. A selection of topics from the following specialty areas are covered: History of Psychology, Research Methods, Biological Psychology, Cognition, Learning, Memory, Human Development, Stress, Emotion, Health Psychology, Personality Theories, Psychopathology, and Social Psychology. Students will apply knowledge of these topics to interpret personal experiences, current events, societal issues, and practical problems.

This course focuses on the development of children from birth to early adolescence. It includes the major developmental theories and perspectives as well as an overview of the research methodology used in the field. Through reflective writing, current research in the areas of physical, cognitive, and social and emotional development is explored in the context of the child's environment.