This course provides students with the key concepts underlying public health as a system and social endeavor. It will explore pressing public health challenges, including communicable diseases, environmental health, social inequalities in health, health care, public responses to emergencies, and reduction of unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, drinking, and violence.

This course provides students with the key concepts underlying public health as a system and social endeavor. It will explore pressing public health challenges, including communicable diseases, environmental health, social inequalities in health, health care, public responses to emergencies, and reduction of unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, drinking, and violence.

Consent of instructor required. Students will learn and apply basic concepts of epidemiology, using collaborative learning through project activities, case students, peer discussion, and independent research. Students will examine the impact of social conditions and identify factors that account for adverse health at the population level, and use epidemiology to promote positive health outcomes.

Emphasizes social determinants of physical and mental health and cross-cultural experiences of illness and seeking care. Pays special attention to the unequal distribution of health and illness in the U.S, the role of culture in our understandings of health and illness, and the social organization of health care.

Examines health and illness from a global perspective. Current public health dilemmas are analyzed, highlighting the role of colonialism, culture, development, and public health policies. Case studies will focus on how health issues are handled in different parts of the world, highlighting the roles of culture and political economy.

Examines health and illness from a global perspective. Current public health dilemmas are analyzed, highlighting the role of colonialism, culture, development, and public health policies. Case studies will focus on how health issues are handled in different parts of the world, highlighting the roles of culture and political economy.

Examines how social groups and institutions influence our production, distribution, and consumption of food. Food is a lens through which we can examine the values of social institutions, such as the family, agricultural and food policy, and the welfare system. We will discuss how social movements are organizing around food politics in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Analyzes the evolution of the U.S. health system and compares it with health systems of other selected countries. Examines health systems as social institutions, developing a broad, contextual understanding of health system development and change across a range of cultural, political and economic environments. Investigates the impact of social institutions on the structure of health systems, on policy choices, and on the provision and receipt of care.

Consent of instructor required. Provides a supervised professional experience off campus. Potential sites include clinical settings, community health centers, government agencies, hopsitals, laboratories, and nonprofit organizations. Includes a weekly seminar. Placement is the students' responsibility, with the support of the Career Education Center and the approval of the department. Arrangements should be made with the student's advisor by the end of the junior year.

A hands-on introduction to the concepts and methods of logic as they apply in real life. Students learn how to use the 'toolbox' of informal logic to think critically about everyday issues, claims, and arguments, and to detect common argument patterns, logical fallacies, and rhetorical devices in daily social and political discourse.

Focuses on the theoretical approaches to ethics in the classical Western tradition (Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Mill) and in multicultural and contemporary perspectives. Topics include theories of the good, moral relativism, concepts of moral obligation, definitions of virtue, and utilitarian philosophy.

Examines moral questions concerning rights and responsibilities in professional biomedical relationships. Includes issues such as truth-telling, informed consent, privacy, confidentiality, patient self-determination, reproductive technologies, euthanasia, eugenics, and broader questions of justice in health care.

Explores the nature of human consciousness and the self. Focuses on the views of contemporary philosophers, psychologists, and Asian religious thinkers; readings include classical authors such as Descartes as well as contemporary philosophers such as Daniel Dennett.

Discusses the age-old question concerning the meaning of life as it has been explored in world philosophies. Themes include the roles of God and spirituality in life, the significance of death, freedom versus determinism, the possible absurdity of life, and the importance of goals such as happiness in our existence.

Teaches the fundamentals of physics for students with preparation in algebra and trigonometry. Topics drawn from electricity and magnetism, heat, waves, sound, optics, and modern physics. Three hours of lecture, a three-hour laboratory, and one-hour interactive problem-solving session per week.

Concentrates on the subjects of electricity, and magnetism and on the concepts of particles and fields. Additional material drawn from kinetic theory, heat, and thermodynamics. Second course in physics for science majors. Three hours of lecture and a three-hour laboratory per week.

Students will have the opportunity to build research skills in the laboratory and theoretical sciences by becoming involved in active research projects in the Department of Chemistry and Physics. Undergraduate students in all majors are encouraged to participate.

This course will describe the historical and technical aspects of modern medical imaging modalities and provides a basic understanding of the physical functional mechanisms of the major imaging modalities. The topics will include x-ray radiology, computed tomography (CT), fluoroscopy, nuclear medicine (including SPECT and PET), ultrasound (US), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It is applicable to all STEM majors, including but not limited to pre-medical, physical therapy, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, and physics.

<span style="color:#1f1f1f"><span style="font-size:12px">Students will have the opportunity to build research skills in the laboratory and theoretical sciences by participating in a research project in the Department of Chemistry and Physics. Undergraduate students in all majors are encouraged to participate. Projects may be proposed by students in a faculty member�s area of expertise or students may join an active research project in a faculty member�s laboratory. Earns 1 credit hour for 25 hours of laboratory work per semester. Speak with a Chemistry faculty member about opportunities to participate in a research project. Offered every semester.

<span style="color:#1f1f1f"><span style="font-size:12px">NEW: This course introduces classical concepts of electricity and magnetism, and then discuss how these led to the descriptions of electromagnetism and the form of electrodynamics that was largely created by James C. Maxwell. Topics include electrostatics (including conductors and dielectrics); currents and magnetostatics; electromagnetic induction; Maxwell�s equations; and electromagnetic radiation. 

Consent of instructor required. Selection of a research project involving scientific literature search and related laboratory work. Results presented in a research paper and a poster presentation.

Consent of instructor required. Selection of a research project involving scientific literature search, followed by laboratory work required for solution of the problem. Results presented in a thesis and a poster presentation.

Required of all chemistry and biochemistry majors completing CHEM 355. Includes instruction and preparation for technical writing such as a manuscript or senior thesis. Students will prepare and practice several oral presentations, culminating with a seminar on their independent study research open to the entire Simmons community. Two hours per week.

Introduces the study of governments other than the U.S. Countries selected for study include France, Russia, the People's Republic of China, and Egypt. Topics include political culture and socialization, political parties and institutions, the impact of socioeconomic transformations on politics (revolutions, coups d'tat, opposition parties), and the ways regimes respond to challenges.

Examines decision-making at the national level of American politics, focusing on the internal operational dynamics and structural environment of the Congress, patterns of presidential decision-making and leadership, and the complex relationships between the legislative and executive branches of the government.

Analyzes the Supreme Court's decisions in recent decades, with emphasis on the constitutional rights that individuals have against states and the federal government. Considers the court's impact on debates over privacy, race and sex discrimination, freedom of expression, and religion.

Examines political parties and their relationship to political competition in the U.S. Considers the function of parties, alternative mechanisms of interest representation, and recent American electoral events.

Examines the dimensions and patterns of African American experiences in historical and contemporary political/legal and economic perspectives. Principal topics include European American constructions and institutionalization of discriminatory belief and behavioral systems; generational effects in politics, economics, media, and education; analogous experiences of Native, Hispanic, and Asian Americans; and shaping agendas for economic and political empowerment.

Why does Costa Rica serve as a model for democracy and development, while next-door neighbor Nicaragua remains one of the poorest countries in the world, mired in a struggle to democratize? Why have democratic regimes in Chile and Uruguay consolidated, while Venezuela and Ecuador have experienced a steady erosion of democratic institutions and norms? While some suggest that institutions, culture, or the timing of elections in democratic transitions play dominant roles in explaining these divergent outcomes, others point to the Cold War, neo-imperialism, and the resource curse as factors holding back would-be democracies. This course uses a comparative case study approach to test the major theories of democratic transition, focusing on the experiences of Central and South American countries.

Consent of department required. Open to students in political science wishing to do advanced work with a member of the department.

Consent of department required.

This course is about the carceral system in political thought.  Drawing heavily on the writings of incarcerated people in the US, we will consider continuities between slavery and prisons; the ways prisons figure prominently into the society from which they are isolated; and how they function today as a racial regime. 

Surveys contemporary approaches to the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. Covers topics from neurons to neuroses, including perception, memory, social interaction, personality, and mental disorders.

Considers some of the ways behavior and experience are related to biological processes. Classroom and laboratory topics include brain structure and function, drugs and addiction, brain damage, sleep and consciousness, stress, memory and amnesia, and mental illness. Includes lectures and laboratory sessions.

An introduction to methodologies and statistical analyses used in psychological research, including surveys, observation, correlation, and experiments. Lectures and lab activities emphasize critical-thinking in the evaluation of scientific evidence.

An introduction to methodologies and statistical analyses used in psychological research, including surveys, observation, correlation, and experiments. Lectures and lab activities emphasize critical-thinking in the evaluation of scientific evidence.

Is happiness achievable? Explore the science of happiness and learn to apply evidence-based strategies for improving happiness, meaning, and personal fulfillment. Through engaging discussions and active learning exercises, discover what truly brings happiness, challenge common misconceptions, and gain practical tools to lead a more fulfilling life.

Explores the origins and implications of similarities and differences between women and men. Examines concepts of sex and gender as they relate to social roles, stereotypes, identity, mental health, and sexuality in social and cultural contexts.

Explores the nature and dynamics of psychological disorders including anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, mood disorders, and addiction. Emphasizes the issue of individual psychological growth and the interrelationship of normal and abnormal phenomena.

Explores the biological, psychological, and social factors related to health and illness. Includes discussion of the biological factors involved in prevention and treatment; the role of personal factors such as lifestyle choices, stress, addictions, and coping mechanisms; and social factors related to compliance and health care delivery.

Considers the theoretical approaches and methodological issues involved in understanding normative development from conception to adolescence. Examines the origins and progression of biological, perceptual, cognitive, social, and emotional systems, as well as the complex interactions among them, via lecture, discussion, demonstration, and observation. Childrearing and education implications are discussed.

(Previously Memory, Thought, and Language) Examines the mental processes that underlie perception, attention, memory, language, and reasoning from the perspective of psychological theory, experimental findings, and everyday experience.

Explores the psychological, biological, and societal factors that influence drug use. Focuses on the neurochemical bases of drug action and the experimental paradigms used in studying the behavioral effects of drugs. Topics include illegal and legal drugs, including medications for mental illness.

Consent of instructor required. Surveys the methods psychologists use to investigate personality. Topics include how theories of personality guide hypothesis development, research ethics and design, data collection and analysis, and the presentation of research findings. Students will gain direct experience in conducting a research project in personality psychology. Includes a laboratory component.

Consent of instructor required. Discusses research methods in social psychology and the application of social psychological findings to various human environments. Students will participate in conducting all phases of a research project from design to data collection and analysis.

<span style="color:#1f1f1f"><span style="font-size:12px">Consent of instructor required. In-depth investigation of an advanced topic within the field of psychology.

Consent of instructor required. Introduces the role of the clinician, diagnostic assessment, psychological treatment, and clinical research. Considers psychotherapy as a mode of treatment for disordered behavior.<b>Completed PSYC 230, 231 OR 232 and Instructor Consent Only </b>

<span style="color:#1f1f1f"><span style="font-size:12px">Consent of instructor required. Normally open only to senior Psychology majors. Addresses the intellectual history of controversial themes that cut across the psychology curriculum, such as mind vs. body, nature vs. nurture, and normal vs. abnormal. Challenging readings reveal the basis for our modern theories and practices, highlighting the connections between other courses in the major.

Consent of instructor required.

Consent of instructor required. Provides staff-supervised experience to seniors in a variety of service and research settings. Involves exposure to activities such as counseling, psychological testing, special education, human resources, interviewing, psychotherapy, and laboratory research.