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This course will examine basic concepts of cellular biology, developmental biology, genetic variation and heredity, and evolution.

Laboratory sessions will involve mitosis, embryology, heredity and recombinant DNA technology, and biochemical evolution. (Lab fee)

This course is an examination of the importance of plants with special attention to their roles in the natural world. Emphasis is placed on the historical and practical significance of plants as sources of food, medicine, and as a natural resource. The course also covers the economic, social, and medicinal uses of plants and plant products as related to herbal medicine, invasive species, and other plant-derived resources.

Laboratories will include hands-on experimentation, field work and identification of common flower and tree species located on campus and in the surrounding community. (Lab fee)

Financial Wellness is a practical approach to making informed and empowering decisions about financial health. Students explore values, feelings and knowledge related to money, acquire basic financial knowledge and apply this knowledge to short and long term financial decisions. Curriculum is customized to individual student learning, with four required modules and two elective modules.

This course examines the elementary principles of economics involving individual and social choice, economic analysis, supply, demand, the market and the price mechanism. Major concentration is on macroeconomic principles relative to money, the banking system, national income analysis, inflation, unemployment and the dilemma of stabilization, competing theories in contemporary times and world trade, development issues and alternatives, and evolving economic systems.

This course deals with the implications of disabling conditions on optimal learning potential and daily well-being of children. Emphasis is on identification of disabling conditions and techniques used to promote successful integration of children with and without special needs in education settings. Topics covered include familiarity with individualized education plans, intervention and instructional strategies for diverse learners, including cognitive, social and emotional strategies, and collaborative partnerships with families and community resources. Observations are required.

Students examine current research-based theories and instructional practices for developing proficient readers (phonics and word recognition, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and the reading-writing connection) in grades PK-2. Topics include theories, research, and instructional practices for supporting readers with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, strengths, and challenges. Assessment, corresponding interventions, and differentiating literacy instruction to meet the needs of emerging readers will also be addressed. Observation/fieldwork is required. Prerequisite: PSY 205 or one course in education, Junior status.

Students examine current research-based theories and instructional practices for developing proficient readers (phonics and word recognition, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and the reading-writing connection) in grades 3-6th. Topics include theories, research, and instructional practices for supporting readers with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, strengths, and challenges. Assessment, corresponding interventions, and differentiating literacy instruction to meet the needs of developing readers will also be addressed. Observation/fieldwork is required. Prerequisite: PSY 205 or one course in education, Junior status.

Pre-Practicum begins the student’s senior year experience and gives the student a consistent, supervised experience in a public school setting or Chapter 766 approved school. Students integrate and apply what has been learned in earlier education courses, including planning, preparing and teaching through use of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. Students must provide their own transportation to school and will follow the public school calendar. Students must complete a CORI (Criminal Offense Records Investigation) check and any other requirements as mandated by a school district. Pre-Practicum hours are typically earned in 11 weeks, during one full day and two half days each of those weeks. A minimum of 80 hours are required over the 11-week period. Included is a weekly seminar session with a program supervisor from the University. (Prerequisites: Passing scores on all required MTELs for the license sought that need to be submitted to the Education department prior to beginning the course. Approval of the department required.) This course must be taken at ¹ú²úÓ´Ó´.

Facilitated by a University program supervisor, students discuss curriculum, pedagogy and critical issues in support of their success as future teachers. (Corequisite: EDU 441P, EDU 441Q, EDU 441R, or EDU 441S) This course must be taken at ¹ú²úÓ´Ó´.

Students discuss curriculum, pedagogy, professional standards for teachers, and critical issues in support of their success as future teachers. Additional Seminar topics include: the Candidate Assessment of Performance, creation of a professional teaching portfolio, and licensure. (Corequisite: EDU 496) This course must be taken at ¹ú²úÓ´Ó´.

This practicum involves full-time supervised teaching responsibilities in a public school classroom (PreK-12) or Chapter 766 approved school with learners with severe disabilities. It requires attendance at weekly seminars. A minimum of 300 hours are required over 12 weeks with at least 75 hours in an inclusive general education classroom at any level, and at least 150 hours in a setting with students with severe disabilities; the remaining 75 hours may be in either setting. A weekly seminar session, facilitated by a University program supervisor, will be incorporated into the practicum experience. Practicum (student teaching) allows the student to refine pedagogical, methodological, and management skills necessary for exemplary teaching, using the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. Practicum students are supervised jointly by the school supervising practitioner (cooperating teacher) and program supervisor. Students will have a minimum of six observations and participate in conferences at regular intervals during the semester. Students must demonstrate competence on the Candidate Assessment of Performance, based on subject and pedagogical knowledge and skills as defined by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (Pre-requisites:EDU 441S, EDU495, eligible for Initial license in Severe Disabilities Level All, Senior status, CGPA of 3.0 or better, passing scores on the Communication and Literacy Exam, General Curriculum exam of the Massachusetts Tests of Educator Licensure (MTEL), and the approval of the department chair.) This course must be taken at ¹ú²úÓ´Ó´.

This course introduces the integration of communication skills essential for effective reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college level. In this writing intensive course, students develop composition skills to produce collegiate-level papers modeling rhetorical modes and thematic content in addition to strategies for reading complex texts; presentation skills for personal introductions, verbal summaries of readings and response writings, and peer review of papers; and basic technological skills for word processing, e-mail, and introductory-level online research.

In this course students will apply the practices for effective reading and writing introduced in ENG 114 to the distinctive language and forms of various disciplines. This course lays the foundation for academic and professional research and stresses the use of appropriate and effective information sources. Readings for a variety of academic audiences will provide students with strategies to communicate in the sciences, business and technology, psychology, liberal studies, and the social sciences. Research and documentation skills appropriate to the disciplines are stressed. In addition to leading students through the research process from start to finish, this course will examine the many ramifications of academic honesty. (Prerequisite: ENG 114)

Selected readings in fiction, poetry, and drama introduce the student to literary types and techniques. These readings provide a basis for collegiate-level discussion, analysis, and the development of critical judgment. Building on the communications and research skills from earlier courses in the sequence, this course emphasizes continued practice in writing, and students complete a documented research paper using primary and secondary sources as one of the course writing assignments. Discussions and oral presentations based on assigned literature support the overall goal of the sequence: to enhance the advancement of the students, first academically and then professionally. (Prerequisite: ENG114)

This course provides the opportunity to study literary concepts and purposes in writings designed primarily for, but not confined to, young minds. The heritage of children's literature is considered in relation to selected representative works, both traditional and recent. Also considered are the uses, presentation, and critical evaluation of children's literature from a multi-cultural, nonsexist and international perspective. This course addresses English standards for teachers in early childhood and elementary education: children's and young adult literature, genres, literary elements, and literary techniques. (Prerequisite: ENG 134)

This course is designed to acquaint students with major American writers and literary movements. The course helps students deepen their understanding of American literary works by relating them to their historical backgrounds. The course offers students practice identifying, analyzing, and applying knowledge of literary elements, structures, and themes in American myths, fiction, literary nonfiction, and poetry. (Prerequisite: ENG 134)

This course introduces students to masterpieces of world literature in translation, with particular attention to the cultural traditions reflected in the literature. The course uses specific works of literature to show the evolution of the human experience from ancient times to the present day. Overall, the course aims to teach students more about what it has meant, and continues to mean, to be a human being in cultures around the world. (Prerequisite: ENG 134)

This course introduces students to basic geographic concepts, familiarizing them with broad, world-scale patterns. The course provides an understanding of geography as a comprehensive discipline that draws knowledge from various other subject areas that focus on patterns of physical distribution (i.e. mountains, forests, deserts, bodies of water, etc.) on the earth's surface and the interrelationships between peoples and their environments. Students are taught to use geography as an investigative set of tools to answer analytical questions of "Where?" and "Why there?" as they look at the intertwining of human and environmental patterns of development and change over time.

This course provides an understanding of the function of the American national government. The development of the Constitution and the American political system are considered in the light of contemporary economic, social, and technological conditions.

A topical and chronological survey of American history from the time of European settlement through the Civil War and Reconstruction. Emphasis will be placed on historical methodology, interpretive skills, and oral and written expression. Topics to be covered include the impact of settlement on native peoples, slavery, the development of American identity, the creation of an independent government, and the threat posed by the Civil War.

A topical and chronological survey of American history from the end of Reconstruction to the present. Heavy emphasis will be placed on the discipline of history, and in developing interpretive, oral, and written skills. Topics to be covered include the emergence of Jim Crow, the expansion of America, the Gilded Age, reform movements, America at War, Depression and New Deal, the Cold War, the turbulent 1960's, social movements, recent political developments, and the role of the United States in a multinational/multi-ethnic world.

This course surveys the origins, development, and cross-fertilization of major civilizations in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas from pre-history to 1500 A.D. Attention is given to important themes and human achievements in this early time period, including the agricultural revolution, the rise of cities, kingdoms, and empires, the development of writing, the systematization of religious belief systems, and the development of complex forms of government among various societies. The course encourages students to critically analyze developments in human history, such as advances in technology for making war, treatment of women, notions of superior and inferior societies and civilizations, differing political and philosophical systems, and various ways in which societies have historically distributed, used, and abused power.

HIS 203 builds upon knowledge, themes, ideas and issues introduced in HIS 202, carrying the study of human history forward into the modern world. The course treats the growth and development of nations and of relationships between nations as global regions and worldwide organizations emerge in contemporary times. At the core of the course is a broad treatment of major social, political, economic, religious, and philosophical movements and themes as these have shaped various peoples and groups of people around the world in the past 500 years. Students are constantly asked not only to learn and understand important facts about the past, but to analyze, apply, synthesize, and evaluate what these facts have meant for the different peoples involved and for the world as it has become today.

This course is designed for diverse students to acquire a solid foundation in non-calculus mathematics. It uses practical mathematics to develop problem solving and analytical skills. Topics include linear equations, linear inequalities, matrix and its application, linear programming, and the simplex method. (Prerequisite: MAT104 or appropriate placement test score)

This course is designed for students who plan to teach. It involves a study of Number & Operations with the depth required for successful mathematics instruction. Topics include, but are not limited to, mathematical processes; operations and properties of integers, whole numbers and rational numbers; computation algorithms; and basic number theory. (Prerequisite: MAT 104 or appropriate placement test score)

This course is designed for students who plan to teach. It involves a study of Number & Operations and Functions & Algebra with the depth required for successful mathematics instruction. Topics include, but are not limited to, proportional reasoning; number systems, signed numbers, and the real number line; variables, algebraic expressions and functions; solving equations; exploring graphs of equations; and connecting algebra and geometry. (Prerequisite: MAT 161)

This course is designed for students who plan to teach. It involves a study of Geometry & Measurement and Statistics & Probability with the depth required for successful mathematics instruction. Topics include, but are not limited to, basic geometry concepts; measurement and unit conversions; using descriptive statistics and graphs to summarize data; measures of central tendency (mean, median, and mode) and dispersion (range, standard deviation, etc.); permutations, combinations, and their applications in computing probability; sample space, simple /compound events, independent/dependent events, and conditional probability. (Prerequisite: MAT 104 or appropriate placement test score)

This course provides a basic foundation in psychology by introducing numerous psychological perspectives as explanations for human behavior and mental processes. Basic neurophysiology, consciousness, learning, personality theories, psychological disorders, and current interventions are discussed. This course is a prerequisite for all other psychology courses.

This course is a study of developmental changes from birth through 12 years old. Prenatal and neonatal issues are also discussed. Physical, emotional, social, and cognitive growth are explored at each age. The dominant theories of development are examined, as well as contemporary issues relating to childhood and parenting.(Prerequisite: PSY 101 Offered in the spring semester only)

This course examines best practices for teaching children preschool through secondary with disabilities in inclusive settings. The focus is on identifying and adapting for students’ instructional and social emotional needs utilizing the Massachusetts Curriculum frameworks. Topics include: educational terminology; team teaching and collaboration; preparing, implementing, and evaluating IEPs; design or modification of curriculum and materials; reasonable accommodations; teaching techniques; behavior and classroom management strategies; social and emotional learning; instruction on the appropriate use of augmentative and alternative communication and other assistive technologies; and ways to prepare and maintain students in general education; relationship of related services and family members, and assessment strategies for team effectiveness and student learning.

This course will provide students with a basic understanding of the application of behavior analysis to a wide variety of human conditions. The definitions, etiologies, and characteristics of severely disabling conditions theories, concepts, and methods of assessing children and adolescents preparing, implementing, and evaluating IEP’s ways to prepare and maintain students in general education relevant federal and state special education law techniques for developing skills to facilitate placement in the least restrictive environment augmentative and assistive technologies and history of applied behavior analysis will be covered as well as the use of behavioral principles to increase and decrease behavior. The role of assessment and generalization and maintenance issues will be stressed. Some applications that are highlighted include self-control, token economies, systematic desensitization, and stimulus control and modeling.

Students focus on the historical, philosophical, legal, and ethical perspectives of educational services for learners with disabilities and services offered by outside agencies, including vocational, work study, and transitioning options. The focus is on designing or modifying curriculum; identifying and adapting for students’ instructional and social emotional developmental needs utilizing the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. Because legislation and subsequent litigation, related to the education of children and youths with disabilities has become increasingly specific and mandatory, this course will review relevant federal and state special education law and how it applies to the education of students with special needs; educational terminology; instruction on the appropriate use of augmentative and alternative communication and other assistive technologies; preparing, implementing, and evaluating IEPs; ways to prepare and maintain students in general education; social and emotional learning; techniques for developing skills to facilitate placement in the least restrictive environment; and current models and best practices in public school settings.

This course is intended to give students the knowledge base to understand the characteristics and instructional implications of severely disabling conditions in order to provide challenging and comprehensive instruction designed to help students make progress against state and local standards, as well as individual needs related to disability. This course will also cover strategies for collaboration and consultation with other caregivers and professionals, including transition to post-secondary education activities. In addition, this course will cover certain components of the IEP process such as summary writing of findings in given assessments, goal writing and transition planning, necessary to provide free and appropriate public education (FAPE) and entry into the adult services system.

This course is designed to introduce the developing teacher to reading instruction and the development of a reading/writing community in English for English language learners (ELLs). This course is designed to promote continuous improvement in educator practice, and to build confidence and familiarity with research-proven practices for working with ELLs. This course is framed around two module areas: A) ELLs: Their World and Second Language Acquisition Process in the SEI Classroom, and B) Academic Language and Literacy Development in the SEI Classroom. Students are only endorsed for SEI if they complete an initial licensure program at ¹ú²úÓ´Ó´.

Women as Empowered Learners and Leaders is an interdisciplinary course, designed to give all students entering ¹ú²úÓ´Ó´ a common experience and foundation for their education. This course is an introduction to the University, to academic study, and to various approaches to thinking about personal potential, to understand the process of becoming a learner, and a leader, and composing a life, to appreciate beauty, and work actively toward establishing community and justice in the context of being a woman at the beginning of the 21st century.

(This course is graded Pass/Fail.) In their junior year before the opening of the spring semester, baccalaureate degree students will be offered a special opportunity to learn up-to-date information about the current work world in an intensive two-and-a-half-day workshop format. Students will meet successful professionals who will discuss the challenges and opportunities of their respective fields and help students prepare for interviews as well as learn how to navigate the early stages of their new careers.

By WEL400, you will be ready to blend all the skills you have learned during the WELL program—leadership, critical thinking, research, writing, analysis, and public presentation—with a community service project. Empathy, respect, and tolerance are the core human values that are stressed. It’s what every good leader needs to confidently show the way.